Introducing Anna Ziman

Anna Ziman

In the Sunday Times 'Style' Magazine, columnist Stephanie Theobald described my next guest, Anna Ziman as 'a big name in the Goddess world'. Anna provided an opportunity for women to discover ancient feminine energies and embrace the magical and mystical realm. Here she speaks to Wendy about her life path and her work with the Goddess. Anna left the physical world in 2019 but her words and work live on. 

Wendy: Anna, how did you get involved with the Goddess?

Anna: I had a calling from childhood and I have a photo of myself where I had lined up my dolls whom I saw as spiritual beings and was kneeling in front of this congregation, teaching them. I have always had a love of creativity, art and drama and I like to uncover and discover the truth behind everything. I did an English and History degree, then went to Drama School and became a professional actress, teaching between acting jobs. The Goddess found me rather than I sought Her at a difficult time later in my life and I realised there was a lot of power in working with ancient female energies. I became involved in shamanic ritual and studied with Martin Prechtel and Dr Chuck Spezzano of the Psychology of Vision. Then I retrained as a counsellor and therapist. Chuck described me as a 'high priestess and mystic'. I worked for Clean Break directing women ex-offenders in drama groups and this offered a space to allow deeper and richer emotions to be experienced and expressed. In an exclusively female setting, there is greater openness and permission to discuss the difficulties women have through life and to heal those wounds through the Goddess.

Wendy: Can men gain from honouring the goddess or is it exclusively for women?

Anna: The Goddess is not exclusive and neither does She exclude anyone. It is possible to connect with her energy and still have a traditional spiritual/ religious practice. Men can also honour Her. Men attend some of my workshops (though most are exclusively for women) such as one I ran based on Oya, the African Goddess of Change. When I worked as a counselllor in Brixton and The Mount Prisons, I discovered many of the male prisoners had not had a caring and nurturing mother and needed reliable and caring feminine energy. The work was about building self respect and understanding.

Wendy: What is required of those who wish to follow this path?

Anna: It is not really about what we can get, but what we can give. The path is one of wonder and mystery and constant learning and growing as a person: it stretches us and we drop our masks and discover new parts of ourselves. We need to be open to discovery and take a risk of finding something greater than we thought possible. In my workshops, I provide a safe space to celebrate, grieve, laugh, dress up, dance, sing, re-enact stories to heal the past and journey to other realms. We have no words to describe what happens, but certainly something magical and fresh happens, to our emotions, our body, our understanding, and we take a new inner knowledge away from the workshop. I create rituals and ceremonies - Why do we give our rubbish rather than our gifts to Earth Mother? Why do we mine her bones and wear them as gemstone adornments? We have lost a sense of honouring what gives life and sustains us and a sense of the sacred. The Goddess invites the magic of change. When we contact Her, we honour the Earth and can begin to appreciate the wisdom of indigenous tribes. They have retained the ancient knowledge of what is 'holy' and precious about life. In the workshops, when we see another person's growth process, we can empathise and connect to them and their personal life. We can access the 'crone' energy, the knowledge and wisdom that people gain when they have lived their life and found answers to life's most important questions. The elderly are not appreciated in Western culture but, by working with the Goddess, we remember so much that we have forgotten. It is a calling, a surrender to the mysterious. The Goddess has many aspects, throughout time and throughout the world, and She has been worshipped under many names, in many cultures, all worthy of exploration.

Wendy: What does the goddess hold for those who attend your workshops?

Anna: Women of all ages and from all backgrounds attend my workshops, from cleaners and home-makers to bankers and lawyers and amazing things happen. I worked with a woman who was self-harming. The Inuit tell a story of their Sea Goddess whose father cuts off her fingers and throws her to the fishes. After walking through the pain of the sea, this client never self-harmed again. I had a client who thought she was ugly and we worked with Aphrodite. By dancing in the centre of a lake, she accepted herself for the first time and developed greater confidence so her life changed when she got a high profile job and fell in love. Working with these energies is powerful and profound change does happen.

Wendy: What do you offer?

Anna: I am involved in writing a book at the moment and I am also arranging further training courses, residential retreats and workshops. I also provide healing and rights' of passage ceremonies, one to one counselling and other consultations.

Wendy: Where can you be contacted?

Anna: Please visit my website: www.goddessworkshop.co.uk/
email: bookings@goddessworkshop.co.uk
Landline: 0207 515 8752 Mobile: 07946 635 783