The first version of this webpage appeared almost 20 years ago. Since that time it underwent one name change, a tonnes of additions and today we find that we badly need to reconstruct it so that new seekers and old can more easily access the essential elements and still be able to delve deeply if the spirit moves. Hi, I'm Cathryn Platine, the principle founder of the Cybeline Revival. When I first started our revival in 1997 there were precious few references to Cybele at all outside a few scholarly works with limited access, two websites by Laura Seabrook and Laura Lansberry and a few scattered essays from magazines almost no one ever encountered. Cybele was not on the radar of neo-paganism at all. A lot has changed since then and since we held our first public ritual back on March 24, 1999 several other groups have sprung up honouring the Mother Goddess as Cybele, Magna Mater. Laura Lansberry died many years ago and her website is still maintained by one of her partners, Julia. Laura Seabrook came to the Phrygianum (our Convent home) in 2006, underwent the mysteries and is one of our priestesses.
Our theology starts from the simplest basis: That the Divine
Feminine principle is the basis of the universe. That all of
us,
all that we encounter is Her in the aggregate. We are all the
Great Mother learning about Herself. From this simple
beginning
springs our organizational models, our rituals, the principles of what
we call Wholistic Feminism, our mission of charitable outreach and
indeed the way we, as Cybelines, live our lives. We are
sometimes
called the "scholarly Cybelines" because we have invested many years of
strict historical research in order to embrace the essence of what
proved to be literally the oldest surviving religion in the world.
We embraced the essence and then stepped away from "Pagan
Reconstructism" by bringing those essences into the modern world.
We re-introduced to the world a model for Pagan Monasticism.
We've recovered long believed lost principles, our drumming
patterns, ritual practices and corrected history. The world
centre of our Religion is in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York
at the foot of the Kaaterskill Clove. Unlike many neo-Pagan
groups, we have a "horizontal" organization, our Priestesses all
considered equals but also expected to live our religion, dedicate
themselves to a live of charitable works and ministry to others
according to their strengths. We welcome all to our services
and
to visit our first Phrygianum of the modern era. We do not
require anyone to renounce anything to join us.
The section on the Phrygianum contains basic information about our organizational models, The Rule of the Women of Cybele and about our physical home. The Theology section contains our Cybeline Exegesis and basic ritual information. Current events are posted to our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Maetreum/. The history section contains past and current essays on our history. The links sections contain, well, links.
We have traced Cybele back as far as approximately 10,000 BCE to Central Anatolia or Turkey. It has been personally exciting to watch mainline historians begin to confirm things I have been writing and lecturing about for two decades now as well as see others discover Cybele. Our next generation of scholars are being trained, we aim to be around a long time and seek no less than to change the primary worldview to one of Goddess Awareness from the current patriarchal thinking that has taken the world to the brink of destruction.. Hundreds of thousands have read the older versions of this website. Join us. Support our efforts for we do all our work, maintain our Phrygianum on a shoestring budget. We are incoporated and a 501 (c)3 religious charity so all donations are fully tax deductable.
Maetreum means literally "Home of the Mother" so our name is translated as the Home of the Great Mother Cybele. In Roman times this was the official name of the various temples to Cybele and most specifically the one located on the Palatine hill in Rome itself. Phrygianum translates as "Home of the Phrygians". The Romans considered Phrygia the source of the Cybeline religion and the home of the Phrgyians was the complex that was the Convent home of the Cybeline Priestesses. In Rome that was located across the Tiber on the Vatican hill. The modern primary Phrgyianum is our Catskills location, while it is the first such in the modern era, it will not remain the only one long.
The last Pagan Emperor of Rome and devotee of Cybele, Julian, charged Pagans to "Be thou the one" referring to doing public works and charity and thus providing a living example to the rest of the world. We live by this at the Maetreum. We challenge other Pagans to follow our example and be thou the one by coming out of their broom closets and being open and active members of their local communities.
We have proved that if you fight the good fight for the right reason you can prevail regardless of the odds.
"Be thou the one and renew the light"
Last update: 06/11/16