Joy Herbst, and the Sophia Sanctuary

08/04/2026

The Mysteries of Artemis: Week One

When most people think of Artemis, they picture the Greek huntress… bow in hand, running wild through the forests beneath the moon.

That Artemis IS beautiful.

But this month, I’d like you to meet another face of the Great Goddess.

May I introduce to you, Artemis of Ephesus.

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World was built in Her honor. Pilgrims traveled from across the Mediterranean to stand before Her. She was the guardian of the city of Ephesus, protector of women and girls, and according to ancient tradition, the Amazons themselves founded that ancient city, and danced in devotion around Her sacred statue.

She is unlike any other form of Artemis.

She does not run.
She stands.

Steady. Tall. Present.

At first glance, many people notice the rounded forms upon Her chest. For generations they were simply called “many breasts,” symbolizing nourishment and abundance. More recent scholarship, however, has begun looking in another direction. The bee was sacred to Artemis at Ephesus. Her priestesses were known as Melissae, “Bees”, and bees appeared throughout the sacred life of the city. Today, many scholars believe these forms may be connected to the bee mysteries rather than representing breasts at all.

Whether we see them as symbols of nourishment, bees, or both, the message remains much the same.

Artemis is not only the Lady of the Wild.

She is the One Who Gathers Life Around Her.

She is protector.
She is abundance.
She is sacred order.
She is the still center around which a community flourishes.
She is the pillar.

Before we journey into the forests with the Huntress, we will first stand before the Great Lady of Ephesus.

Because before we learn how to walk the wild path…

…we must first meet the Goddess who stands at its center.

*The photograph accompanying this post is one I took while standing before the sacred image of Artemis at the Ephesus Archaeological Museum in Selçuk, Türkiye, home to one of the most famous surviving cult statues of Artemis of Ephesus.

08/01/2026

Celebrated around August 1, Lughnasadh is an ancient Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. It is a time to honor the earth, give thanks for what has grown, and recognize the first quiet signs that summer is beginning to fade.

Traditionally connected to Lugh and the memory of his foster mother Tailtiu, the festival was once celebrated with feasts, games, music, gatherings, and offerings of the first fruits.

May your harvest be abundant, your spirit remain wild, and your path through the changing season be filled with mystery and light.

07/30/2026

T🌝NIGHT! Full Moon Bonfire Ceremony for Women
Thursday, July 30 • Fairfield, CT

Join Joy Herbst for an enchanting evening beneath the light of the Full Moon, gathered around a sacred beachside bonfire. As the tides ebb and flow under the moonlit sky, we will come together in sisterhood to honor the rhythms of nature and the turning of the Wheel of the Year.

This soulful and transformative gathering will weave together mythic storytelling, guided meditation, and intentional ritual, creating a space for reflection, renewal, and connection. Through the elemental presence of fire, water, earth, and air, we will explore the wisdom of the season, release what no longer serves us, and call in the energies we wish to cultivate in the months ahead.

Surrounded by the soothing sounds of the ocean and the warmth of the fire, you will be invited to reconnect with your inner knowing, deepen your relationship with the natural world, and share in the collective magic of women gathering under the Full Moon.

Come as you are and bring an open heart. Whether you seek clarity, inspiration, healing, or simply a moment of sacred pause, this evening offers an opportunity to step out of the ordinary and into the timeless mystery of the lunar cycle.

Booking inquiries: [email protected]

Space is limited. Advance registration is encouraged.

07/25/2026

Gold plaque depicting a naked goddess, as a mistress of animals, likely Astarte or Anat, holding lotus flowers in her hands and standing on a horse. Dated ca 1300-1200 BC it was discovered in a temple at Tel Lachish and was originally attached to a backing made of wood, felt, or leather.

Israel Museum in Jerusalem

07/24/2026

Beautiful post and offering by wonderful drummer and teacher Miranda Rondeau's Music Page!

07/22/2026

The oldest named author in human history is not Greek. Not Roman. Not Hebrew. She is Sumerian, and her name is Enheduanna.

She lived approximately 4,300 years ago, during the reign of her father Sargon of Akkad — the first empire-builder in history, who united the Sumerian city-states under a single political authority in a conquest that would reshape the political landscape of the ancient Near East. Sargon installed his daughter as high priestess at the great temple of the moon god Nanna in the city of Ur — a political appointment that was also, given the administrative and theological importance of the role, a position of enormous real power.

Enheduanna wrote hymns. Hymns to the goddess Inanna, the Sumerian deity of love, war, and the morning and evening star. Forty-two temple hymns, attributed to her authorship in the texts themselves, that were still being copied by Sumerian scribes long after her death, still considered canonical, still taught in the scribal schools as examples of the highest literary achievement.

Her most famous work, the Exaltation of Inanna, is not merely a list of divine attributes. It is a personal poem — a poem that describes a crisis in which Enheduanna has been driven from her position by a political enemy, that expresses genuine human desperation and grief, that calls on the goddess to intervene, and that concludes with the author's restoration and her joyful proclamation of Inanna's greatness.

This is not primitive religious formula. This is literature in the full sense — personal, emotional, theologically sophisticated, structurally complex. It anticipates by centuries many of the formal and emotional techniques that later traditions would develop.

She wrote it. She put her name on it. And 4,300 years later, we still have it.

06/11/2026

A thread on goddesses who transmit life-essence. Here it is HatHor within the sycamore (which is fruiting), a very common motif in tombs and papyri (Chapters of Coming Forth by Day, known to most moderns as the Egyptian Book of the Dead). She is pouring a stream of Ankh ("life") from the ewer, and wears another pot on her head. See Comments for more.

06/05/2026

I’m considering hosting a small women’s spiritual retreat in VT in the next few months. Please reach out to me if you would like to notified of further announcements with information. 🙏♥️🌳🪾🌀

Nemetona, Celtic goddess of the sacred grove, calls us back to the forest. Discover the ancient nemeton tradition and simple rituals to reclaim its sacred power.

05/31/2026

Limestone stele of a goddess depicted with the iconic Hathor wig, holding plants in her hands and standing on a lion. Dated 1300-1175 BC it was discovered at Deir el-Medina (Thebes) in Egypt. The goddess is honoured with titles as Qdš(-t) ‘holy’, Ke(d)eshet, ‘Lady of heaven’ and ‘Mistress of all the gods’.

British Museum, London, UK (apparently not on display)