New from the Video Archives!

Now available on YouTube: “Robinette Kennedy interviews Felicitas Goodman” 

To watch the seven segments of our 1992 discussion about ritual, the anthropology of consciousness and the role of sacred poses, etc., click here, or continue reading to learn how these interviews came about and, later, the story behind my own work.

When the late German anthropologist, Felicitas Goodman, Ph.D. and I met in 1990, we instantly discovered a shared interest in the anthropology of consciousness.  Felicitas’s knowledge of the field had been developing for 60 years. I was a relative novice, eager to learn whether or not the effects of “trance postures” had the potential to heal the destructive effects of Western culture. Sometimes during our dialogues, my ignorance was Felicitas’ bliss. 

In 1990, while I was participating in a six-day masked trance dance at Felicitas’ Cuyamunge Institute near Santa Fe, New Mexico, during workshop breaks, Felicitas and I would drag our chairs over to the edge of the surrounding desert, where I would ply Felicitas with questions. She seemed to love it.

Belinda Gore, an old friend of Felicitas (and vice president of the Institute at the time), was also part of the event.  At one point, overhearing one of Felicitas’ lengthy replies, Belinda remarked, “Felicitas, I don't think I've ever heard you mention any of the things you’re talking about with Robinette …”

Without hesitation, Felicitas turned toward Belinda and said, “That's because no one has asked me these questions Robinette is asking.”

At that moment, a light bulb went on inside my head. After some sleuthing, I found out there was not yet an in-depth record on film, in English, of Felicitas discussing her work, which made a significant contribution to the field anthropology.

Two years later, Felicitas came to Atlanta, Georgia, to facilitate a workshop. The next day, we sat down for an unscripted conversation that lasted several hours. I hope you enjoy watching this slice of herstory, and I would love to hear your thoughts. 

The Story Behind My Work

I began my career in the mid 1970's as a graduate student living in a mountain hamlet on the Greek island of Crete, where I studied women's friendships. Contrary to views in the social sciences at the time, (that women and children in such contexts have no friendship ties), I discovered strong, rich bonds among women friends, but such ties were largely hidden from view because women's friendships were perceived as a threat to Crete’s patriarchal culture. At the same time, resources provided by women's underground support networks were what kept life going in the village. My research was published in Gender and Power in Rural  Greece (J. Dubisch, ed., Princeton University Press, 1986).

In 1981, I earned a Ph.D. in humanistic psychology from Saybrook University and became a member of the Atlanta (Georgia) Women's Counseling Collective. Soon after, as the co-owner of a women's resource center, my work began defecting from conventional psychotherapy practices. I appointed myself a clinical anthropologist: a title that incorporates my diverse visionary, cultural and scholarly experiences.

In the early 1990's I became intrigued by the work of the late German anthropologist Felicitas Goodman, which led me to begin more research on Crete. This time my topic was prehistoric Crete's spiritual practices. Once again, the findings challenge conventional paradigms, and I am now completing a book about how experiencing a shamanic practice embodied in the sacred art of prehistoric Crete can heal Western culture. This article summarizes my research: click here to read it.