The Furious Spinner

Monica Sjoo has died of cancer.

Starhawk writes, "Monica was an artist, a writer, one of the early, powerful visionaries of the women’s spirituality movement. Her book, The Great Cosmic Mother brought the hidden history of the Goddess back alive, and her paintings transformed ancient images and symbols into contemporary icons of female power."

Her work—along with the work of Vicki Noble, Elinor Gadon, Patricia Monaghan, Merlin Stone, Judy Chicago, Marija Gimbutas, and others—changed my life about fifteen years ago. For the first time I saw art depicting women as strong and powerful: as gods, not as sexual playthings or mothers. It was mind-bending.

It's difficult to imagine that it has been only a very short time that we have had positive images of women again in our culture. As I was growing up and into my twenties, it was rare to see women portrayed as powerful and autonomous in history, art, literature, religion: anywhere! Generally things got better after the feminist movement, yet in the spiritual realm, so to speak, we got the virgin and the...virgin. Fifteen years ago or so, I remember thinking, "So Eve wanted knowledge. What's wrong with that?" What was so amazing about me asking myself that question was that THE QUESTION HAD NEVER OCCURRED TO ME BEFORE even though I was no longer a Catholic or any other kind of Christian. Then I started getting books from the library, first Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon and then on to Vicki and Starhawk's book. My world just tipped right over. It was such a rush to see the sacred as female. What a concept!

Monica's work contributed to my own waking up. Her God Giving Birth got her in a bit of trouble, I seem to remember. It is still powerful, yet when I look at it I think, "What was the fuss?" I'm sorry she's gone. She will be missed. Blessed be.

All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.