One of the leaders of the contemporary earth spirituality movement, Patricia Monaghan (1946 - 2012) had spent more than 20 years researching and writing about alternative visions of the earth. �Raised in Alaska, where much of her family still lives, she considered herself blessed to have learned the ecology of the taiga, the subarctic forest, in her youth. �She was a writer and reporter on science and energy-related issues before turning her attention to the impact of mythic structures on our everyday lives. The worldwide vision of the earth as feminine--as a goddess, called Gaia by the Greeks--led her to recognize the connection between ecological damage and the oppression of the… feminine in Western society. �Much of her work since that time had explored the question of the role of feminine power in our world, in an inclusive and multicultural way. � An avid traveler, Patricia had researched earth spirituality and goddess worship on three continents, and traveled widely in Europe, especially in Ireland. �She held dual US/Irish citizenship and edited two anthologies of contemporary Irish-American writing. Patricia was member of the resident faculty at DePaul University's School for New Learning in Chicago, where she taught science and literature.� She passed from this world in November 2012 and is survived by her husband, Dr Michael McDermott.