Biography

Annette Williams holds a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Religion with a concentration in Women's Spirituality from California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco as well an M.A. in psychology with an emphasis in Jungian and archetypal approaches. A focus area has been soul healing from sexual trauma including reclamation of the powerful erotic and libidinal energies spoken to by Audre Lorde and Carl Jung, respectively. While at CIIS she continued to explore the theme of wounded female sexuality, expanding the discussion to more fully expound upon socio-cultural and historical influences. Primary research activity is presently centered on women’s spiritual power and agency within the Yorùbá Ifá tradition.

From 2009-10 she served as co-chairperson of the Goddess Studies section of the American Academy of Religion/Western Region.

An initiate within and student of the Yorùbá Ifá tradition, Annette has had the privilege of lecturing on the philosophy and lived reality of this West African religion. Her dissertation, "Our Mysterious Mothers: The Primordial Feminine Power of Àjé in the Cosmology, Mythology, and Historical Reality of the West African Yoruba," received the 2016 Kore Award for Best Dissertation awarded by the Association for the Study of Women and Mythology.

Publications & Media

Annette Williams and Mara Keller. “Feminist Spirituality,” interviewed by Lisa Dettmer. Women’s Magazine, 94.1 KPFA FM. air date March 14, 2022.
https://kpfa.org/player/?audio=375318
 
“Wisdom of the Primordial Feminine, Wisdom of Women: Odù Ifá and Yoruba Religious Tradition.” In Philo-Sophia: Wisdom Goddess Traditions, edited by Debashish Banerji and Robert McDermott, Twin Lakes, WI: Lotus Press, 2022.
 
 “Your Light.” In Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum. Black Bird and a Pear Tree. Albuquerque, NM: Goddess Ink, 2020.
 
Herstory: The Visionary Life of Lydia Ruyle and the Banners of the Divine Feminine. DVD [Documentary].  Produced by Isadora Leidenfrost. United States: Soulful Media, 2019.
Interviewed in my role as chair of the CIIS Women’s Spirituality Program, discussing the beauty, impact, and significance of Lydia Ruyle’s banners as culturally rich representations of the Sacred Feminine.
 
“Drumming.” In Women in World Religions: Faith and Culture Across History, edited by Susan de Gaia. Santa Barbara, 318-320. CA: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2019.
 
“The Divine Feminine in Yoruba Cosmology.” In Goddesses in Myth, History, and Culture, edited by Mary Ann Beavis and Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, Chapter 10, 184-205. Lytle Creek, CA: Mago Books, 2018.
 
Chacruna Institute for Psychedelic Plant Medicines – 2018 
Women and Psychedelics Forum
Paper Presented: “Women, Spirituality, and Plant-Based Medicines.”
https://chacruna.net/women-spirituality-and-plant-based-medicines/
 
Women’s Spirituality in Higher Education [Documentary]. Produced by Deborah Santana. Directed by Robin Fryday. United States: 2015.
Interviewed as a WSE adjunct faculty member. 
 
 “Yoruba Culture Briefly Expressed.” In Naïve and Primitive: A Tribute to J. Altair. Catalog of the art exhibit of paintings by Brazilian artist and babalorixa, Joao Altair.  Porto Alegre, Brazil. August 2014.
 
“Jezebel. Whore?” In She Is Everywhere! An Anthology of Writing in Womanist/Feminist Spirituality, Volume 2, edited by Annette Williams, Karen Villanueva, and Lucia Birnbaum. NY: iUniverse, 2008.