November 27, 2017

My name is Anne and I AM THE PURPLE GODDESS.

For the past 30 years, I dedicated my professional life as a social worker to community development and advocacy. This work involved strategic alliances within the non-profit sector on the Canadian prairies and in Toronto, Ontario.

Over the years, I narrowed my focus to work with female survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Although not a survivor myself, I felt a “righteous indignation” that such crimes would happen to so many womyn, often by persons they have trusted. My Master of Social Work practicum research project focused on the need for safe houses of healing for survivors. I spent years engaged in numerous research studies, everything from studying the cost of providing health care services to womyn survivors of childhood sexual abuse, to the evaluation of consumer-based services and complementary healing therapies, such as aroma massage therapy, reiki and psychodramatic bodywork.

These were busy years of active feminist research and action. And like many womyn of my generation, I juggled numerous activities, including sessional teaching in social work, being a step-parent, working for a non-profit organization, to name a few. There is a famous feminist saying: “The personal is political.”Our personal, daily experiences as womyn – low incomes, sexual abuse, lack of child care support – are political issues situated in a patriarchal society. But I believe that the personal-political is also SPIRITUAL. Somewhere along the line, many of us have forgotten to nurture our souls, and so while we have made some changes in our lives, and helped further the cause of equality in our society, our spiritual lives have suffered. It is my hope that womyn find opportunities to incorporate more of a spiritual focus in their lives; and to this endeavor, I dedicate my work as the Purple Goddess.

My Goddess path began in earnest when, in 1997, I co-owned, developed and operated a successful bookstore in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with my long-time friend Patricia Smith. The store focused on spirituality and holistic products, and featured an art gallery, seminars and workshops and an international tour called Crossing to Avalon, based on the bestselling book by the same name by Jean Shinoda Bolen. It was a book about the Goddess.

Spiritworks Books, Gifts and Music was an amazing adventure. While Patricia operated the day-to-day business of the store, I came and went as my social work schedule would allow. For five incredible years, through workshops and seminars, I deepened my knowledge of the healing properties of crystals, shamanism, meditation, drumming, yoga and, of course, the Goddess. I vowed one day to focus on my love for the divine feminine, and that day has come with the creation of Purple Goddess Enterprises.

Today, I live and work in Toronto. I have navigated, in the span of three years, the sorrowful loss of my spouse Christopher, my mother Edith, my four-legged Havenese dog Owen, and a grandchild born ‘ still’. These deaths have taught me about the gift of grace offered by so many during times of crisis. It has also taught me the need for prayers and community support, and with this need in mind, this website includes a prayer request page for people going through a crisis. Request a prayer by visiting the Kwan Yin Prayer of Compassion Page (coming soon).

When I went through a crisis, it was the Eastern Goddess of Compassion, Kwan Yin, who appeared to me and offered me comfort. A story I wrote about this experience was included in Sandy Boucher’s book, She Appears! Encounters with Kwan Yin, Goddess of Compassion.

I am grateful to offer, with joy, all I have learned about the archetypal energies of numerous Goddesses from cultural traditions around the world. I will explore some of these traditions in a regular blog. I also plan to provide tools for womyn to run their own spiritual groups, and to lead nature-based ceremonies as the seasons change. Stay tuned for future YouTube videos and books.

I care deeply about the divine feminine, and my passion is to help raise womyn’s awareness to live Goddess-inspired lives. This being said, there is a lot that men can learn from the womyn around them. At the end of the day, we all need a feminine-masculine balance of energy in our lives like the principle of yin and yang. Men may find that there is some inspiration for them here as well.

Join me on this journey, by signing up for my newsletter where I will send you all the latest Purple Goddess news.