Project Sanctuary

We are holding a vision for a Temple of the Goddess, built with our own hands, where people of all genders and spiritual paths may safely and ecstatically worship the Goddess.  We are dreaming of labyrinths and gardens, of stone circles and streams of living water.  Of green roofs and composting toilets. See yourself standing in ritual on each of the holy days on the Wheel of the Year, standing in a cast circle, in a Temple dedicated to all the aspects and facets that we call Goddess.

We now celebrate in a small urban Temple where we welcome our babies, marry our lovers, and honor our dead. This sanctuary holds the dreams and practices of a richly diverse community whose needs include a place of worship, programs for religious education of children and adults, a base for outreach into the larger community and many other activities.

Our focus is to move out of our rented space and raise a sustainable sanctuary in Asheville, NC and therefore fulfill the community’s needs for worship, education, community outreach, charitable and other activities in a stable and abundant space.

We are creating a Temple on our own land, where we may welcome our babies, marry our lovers, and honor our dead.  This sanctuary holds the dreams and practices of a richly diverse community whose needs include a place of worship and programs for religious education of the congregation, as well as a base for outreach into the larger community.

Currently we have a small temple/office space in the Park Building, 70 Woodfin Place in Asheville, where we hold Sunday Devotionals, workshops, private counseling services, and house food for the Mother Grove Cornucopia Food Bank. Public rituals are usually held at All Soul’s Parish Hall in Biltmore Village during the colder months, and at public parks during the warmer months.

The Goddess has awakened in many hearts and minds and we know that now the time has come to create a physical place for Her here in Asheville, NC.  We welcome you who would wish to be a part of building this Temple of worship and celebration; to make it your spiritual home.

“Give her a good hat, good shoes and a coat that breathes, and she’ll last forever.”

It’s all about soil, sand, straw and water. We hold a  vision of a Temple built of materials gathered from the earth and formed by hand. In the coming months we hope to begin creating a few of our own unique structures – a bench, a pizza oven, a garden shed, all with the intention of learning and perfecting the ancient art of building with cob. Watch for opportunities to join us while we learn and grow…

These are examples of the amazing things that can be created using earth, sand, straw and water.  Cob buildings can stand for hundreds of years. Cob structures are not only compatible with their surroundings, they ARE their surroundings, literally rising up from the earth. They are full of light, energy-efficient, and cozy, with curved walls and built-in, whimsical touches. They are delightful. They are ecstatic.

Cob is a very old method of building with earth and straw or other fibers. Instead of creating uniform blocks to build with, cob is normally applied by hand in large gobs (or cobs) which can be tossed from one person to another during the building process. The traditional way of mixing the clay/sand/straw is with the bare feet. The wonderful thing about cob construction is that it can be a wildly free form, sculptural affair. The limits of cob are defined only by the builder’s imagination. Cob has been a traditional building process for millennia in Europe, even in rainy and windy climates like the British Isles, where many cob buildings still serve as family homes after hundreds of years.

We need architects, artists, construction workers, sewers, craftspeople, dreamers and worker bees. Those with highly specialized skills, and those with willing hearts and enthusiastic spirits.  Join us in building the Mother Grove Temple of the Goddess!

Mother Grove is seeking land. If you know of anyone who would be interested in making a donation of 2-3 acres in Buncombe County on which to make this vision a reality, please contact us at info@mothergrovetemple.org.

Consider a donation to our Green Circle in order to make this vision a reality.

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