&

PRESENT

WISDOM OF THE MOTHERS

HONORING OUR ANCESTRAL ROOTS

2nd Annual Virtual Symposium

Spring 2026 - April 22 & 23

Registration is open!

What will this symposium accomplish?

Illuminate the wisdom, resilience, and creativity of ancestral foremothers across diverse cultural traditions while amplifying their voices in contemporary dialogue

Unpack pathways to restore broken lineages, address wounds of disconnection and displacement, and reconnect with silenced or lost ancestral knowledge

Lift up ancient practices, folk traditions, indigenous perspectives as well as the legacies of 20th century foremothers including suffragettes, feminist, and womanist activists, scholars, and social justice advocates

Build space for collective grieving of what has been lost, while simultaneously celebrating sustaining heritages through intersectional approaches

Offer tools for integrating ancestral honoring into our daily lives through rituals, ceremonies, contemplative practices, and arts

Meet the keynote speaker

Yeye Luisah Teish

Yeye Luisah Teish is an Iyanifa and Womanchief in the Ifa/Orisha tradition. She is the Olori (founder) of the Jambalaya Center for Ancient Mysteries and Sacred Arts located in Northern California. The Center provides instructions in many traditions with a focus on consciousness expansion, creativity, and spiritual activism.

Keynote

Isokan: A Path to Liberation.

Balancing the Divine Feminine and the Sacred Masculine within us and between us.

This is a call to decolonize our minds, liberate our bodies, and renew our relationship to the ancestors, the earth, and each other. Please attend the session with a candle, a glass of water, and your choice of writing materials.

Our Presenter Lineup

Amber R. Balk, PhD

(she/her)

Ancestral Dreamwork

Blythe “Collie” Collier

(she/her)

Motherlines Without Misogyny: A Matrifocal Perspective

Claire Dorey

(she/her)

We Need to Talk: Patriarchal Language Versus Our Mother’s Tongue

Deborah Apple

(she/they)

Jewish Moon Myth & Magic

Dianne Jenett

(she/her)

Calling the Ancestors: Genealogy, Journey, Justice

Dr. Eline Kieft

(she/her)

Moving Through Time: Neolithic Pilgrimage as a Path to the Ancestral Mother

Inna Dulerayn

(she/her)

The Great Mother Speaks: The Lessons and the Stories

Janet Rudolph

(she/her)

Goddesses in the Bible

Julia Aziz, LCSW-S, OIM

(she/her)

Dancing with the Ancestors

Kerridwen Reed Stephenson

(she/they)

Demiurgy: Co-Creating Ritual Beyond the Liturgy

Kaarina Kailo, Ph.D.

(she/her)

The Finnish Sauna as the Maternal Body: Baring the Erasure of Female Authority and Spiritual Healing

Lana Nasser

(she/it)

Hayya: Dance of the Serpent

Laura Shannon

(she/her)

Women's Ritual Dances and the Dance Circle as Symbolic Womb

Maryrita Wieners, MA, LPC

(she/her)

Honoring Mothers and Ancestors through InterSpiritual Presence

Nina H Mandel

(she/her)

Baking Cakes for the Queen of Heaven

Sasha Perelman

(she/her)

Healing Across Generations: An Experiential Lineage Lab

Shonaleigh

(she/her)

Wisdom of the Grandmothers

Rav Shoshana Mitrani Knapp

(she/her)

Sacred Womb of Sinai

Zoë Flowers

(she/her)

If we’re Wytches be Wytches then Abstract

About the Symposium

Wisdom of the Mothers is a transformative virtual gathering dedicated to reclaiming the wisdom, resilience, and creativity of our foremothers. This symposium creates sacred space for participants to explore pathways that restore broken lineages, remember what has been silenced or lost, and weave memory back into the fabric of daily life.

Through learning, ceremony, and dialogue, we explore both ancient practices and contemporary ways of honoring ancestors—rituals, ceremonies, and acts of remembrance that speak to the lives we live today.

Our Mission

To create a living conversation between past and present, lifting up ancestral voices, tending the wounds of disconnection, and birthing new forms of honoring that guide us—and generations to come—toward wholeness.

A Growing Movement

Year One Success (2025)

Our inaugural symposium, "Celebrating Matriarchal and Matrilineal Wisdom Traditions," brought together 153 deeply engaged participants for powerful learning, ceremony, and connection. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with participants requesting expanded programming and broader outreach.

Year Two Vision (2026)

Building on this foundation, we're expanding to 300+ participants while maintaining the intimate, transformational quality that made Year One special. This is where strategic partnerships come in—and where founding sponsors can establish themselves with a growing community.

CONTACT US

RABBI NADYA GROSS - Yerusha

Email: rebnaya@yerusha.org

YORESHET RUACH D’VORAH GRENN - The Lilith Institute

Email: dvorah@lilithinstitute.com

Stay Tuned!

The full schedule of presentations will be shared soon!

Meet the Conference Committee

Rabbi Nadya Gross, MA [she/her]

CHIEF PROGRAMMING OFFICER - Yerusha
DEPT. CHAIR, WISDOM SCHOOL - Yerusha Academy
Ruach D'vorah Grenn, Ph.D [she/her]

FOUNDER- The Lilith Institute
INSTRUCTOR- Institute for Deep Ecumenism & Wisdom School
Mandisa Amber Wood, Adelawo [She/Her/Ella]

EDUCATOR, URBAN FARMER, FOOD JUSTICE ACTIVIST
Mikaela de la Myco [she/they]

FOUNDER - mushWOMB
Elka Eastly Vera, MA [she/her]

FOUNDER/FACILITATOR - Gold + Iris Mystery School
Dr. Carla Ionescu [she/her]

ANCIENT HISTORIAN & FOUNDER - The Artemis Research Centre
Deborah Apple

AUTHOR & LITURGIST
Janet Rudolph [she/her]

CO-MODERATOR - /feminismandreligion.com/