Here's a good list of same-gender spiritual organizations, most of which operate well as women only memberships:

Women-Related Religion/Spirituality Email Lists
Last updated: May 10, 2008



Here are some women-related email lists that focus on religion or spirituality. If the instructions say "send subscription message," the message to send is SUBSCRIBE [listname] Your Name (e.g., SUBSCRIBE BRIDGES Jane Doe):

BRIDGES is a moderated list that explores Jewish feminist identity and considers both Jewish and female existence and activism in relation to movements for change. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE BRIDGES Your Name to LISTPROC@SHAMASH.ORG .

CANON1024 is an ecumenical forum on ordination of women. The list is for prayerful and charitable group reflection, and no flaming is allowed. Membership is now restricted to members of Ecunet, an interactive Christian community. Free and moderately priced memberships are available..

CHRISTIAN_WOMEN is a women-only discussion forum "for Christian women who use the Internet for personal, domestic, business, and/or ministry activities." For more information or to subscribe, go to the CHRISTIAN_WOMEN web page [Note: this link now goes to an "age-restricted page," whatever that means. It may mean that the content of this list has changed markedly and may not be what the list's name suggests. If anyone has any information about this list, I'd be most grateful for some feedback.]

CNWE is the email list for the Catholic Network for Women's Equality, a support and advocacy group for women and men in the Roman Catholic tradition. Based in Canada, the organization seeks "to effect structural change in the institutional church that reflects the mutuality and integrity of a community of co-equal disciples." It also seeks to create "life-giving alternatives to the present institutional structures." For more information, see the Catholic Network for Women's Equality web site. You can subscribe on CNWE's Yahoo groups web page.


CRONE is intended primarily for women of maturity who wish to explore alternative approaches to the spirituality and health needs of the peri- and post-menopausal woman. The lists welcomes women and men of all ages but asks that postings deal with "the issues involved with the concept of the crone as expressed in the elder wisdom." Send usual subscription message to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM .
DHARMA-DYKES is a list for lesbians who study and practice Buddhism in any tradition. There are no requirements in terms of length of time one has been following the path. Beginners are as welcome as those with experience. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE DHARMA-DYKES to MAJORDOMO@GOONSQUAD.SPIES.COM . If you have a signature file that appears automatically after your message text, add the word END on a line by itself after the SUBSCRIBE line.

ESHET CHAYIL is a moderated, women-only group for discussion of "basic Jewish issues that cannot be raised in a mixed group of men and women." It is more restrictive than its sister list, TISHA KABIN. For more information or to subscribe, see the ESHET CHAYIL web site at www.geocities.com/eshetchayilforum/ .

FEMBIBLESTUDY is a list for people interested in looking at the Bible from a feminist perspective, and in studying the Bible to affirm feminist consciousness. Both Jewish and Christian perspectives are included. For more information or to subscribe, see the FEMBIBLESTUDY Yahoo Groups web page.

FEM-BIBLIO was created for discussing books related to women and/or spirituality. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE FEM-BIBLIO Your Name to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM .

FEMINIST BUDDHIST EMAIL SANGHA is a spiritual support group for feminist women interested in Buddhism. The group, which is cooperative (unmoderated), intends to provide a safe forum for sharing personal experience, and aims to pay attention to the needs of the group as a community. For more information, see Catherine Loudzen's SkyDancer site. To inquire about membership, contact CATHERINE@LOUDZEN.COM .

FEMREL-L focuses on women and religion and feminist theology. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE FEMREL-L Your Name to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.AOL.COM .

FEMTHEOLOZ is an Australian list for discussion of feminist theology. It features events, celebrations, conferences, new publications, visitors, research interests, etc. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE FEMTHEOLOZ to MAJORDOMO@VICNET.NET.AU .

FIREBRANDS-OF-THE-LORD is a forum for Christian clergywomen and seminarians; members share visions, dreams, issues, and resources, as well as offer each other spiritual support. More information is available at the CLERGYWOMAN/FIREBRANDS OF THE LORD web site. To join, contact clergywoman-owner@yahoogroups.com or subscribe by email to clergywoman-subscribe@yahoogroups.com. Include a brief bio and other messages to share with participants.

FORMERNUNS is dedicated to the needs, interests, and concerns of former members of women's religious communities in the Roman Catholic and other Christian religious traditions. For more information or to subscribe, go to the Sisters in Spirit web site.

GENDER-RELIGION is an academic list for discussion on any area related to feminism, women or gender studies and its relevance to the study and practice of religion(s), whether ancient or modern. The list is not moderated but is sponsored by the Gender and Religion Research Centre at the University of London. To subscribe, send the following two-line message to jiscmail@jiscmail.ac.uk:
JOIN GENDER-RELIGION Your Name
STOP
More information is available at the GENDER-RELIGION web page.

HILLEL-WOMEN is a list for discussion of Jewish women's issues such as feminism and Judaism, women's spirituality, body issues, women's political issues, and more. To subscribe, send an e-mail message containing just the single word JOIN in the body of the message to HILLEL-WOMEN-REQUEST@OFFER-ENT.COM . If you encounter difficulties, contact Tracy Moran (TMORAN@HILLEL.ORG).

KINGSDAUGHTERS is a list to offer encouragement for Christian single women. For more information, send the message INFO KINGSDAUGHTERS to MAJORDOMO@ANGUS.MYSTERY.COM . To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE KINGSDAUGHTERS to the same address.

LADIES_FELLOWSHIP, for women only, is a Christian women's chat group where women can share experiences and minister to one another. To subscribe, send any email message to LADIES_FELLOWSHIP-SUBSCRIBE@ASSOCIATE.COM . Note carefully the use of the underscore ( _ ) and hyphen ( - ) in the address.

LDS MOMS is a discussion list for mothers who are also members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. You can get more information and subscribe at the LDS MOMS web page.


LesbianSatsang is a list for lesbians who follow a spiritual path of non-duality, whether through Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, Taoism, any of the Western mystical traditions, or one's own unique brand of spirituality. Satsang means, "association with Truth." At Lesbian Satsang we explore how we "meet with Truth" within ourselves, our relationships and our spiritual paths. For more information or to subscribe, see the LesbianSatsang web page. You can also subscribe by sending an email to LesbianSatsang-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

NICEJG (Nice Jewish Girls) is a list for lesbian and bisexual Jewish women. It is "a social, political, cultural, and spiritual gathering place" for women only. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE NICEJG Your Name to LISTPROC@SHAMASH.ORG .
1PETER3 is a list for Christian women married to non-Christians, based on the Bible text 1 Peter 3:1-6. Any Christian woman may join. Discussion topics include marriage, children, healthy lifestyle, homeschooling, prayer requests, etc. The main theme is being a Christian married to a non-Christian, and how to be a loving wife, and teach the children to be Christians. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE 1PETER3 (or 1PETER3-DIGEST) to MAJORDOMO@MYLIST.NET .

ORTHODYKES is a list for Orthodox Jewish lesbians. More information is available at the ORTHODYKES web page. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE ORTHODYKES <your email address> to MAJORDOMO@QUEERNET.ORG .

PHOEBE-L, named for the biblical Phoebe who carried the letter to the church at Rome, is a list for all women seeking equality for women in the church: laywomen and clergy of all denominations. Its purpose is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, an avenue of mutual support, and and a way to share resources and information. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE PHOEBE-L to MAJORDOMO@MICH.COM .

ASACREDGROVE is a group for pagan women of all paths to come together and talk about books and writing, be it pagan-influenced or something completely different. Share book reviews and recommendations, discuss pagan topics and women's issues, or contribute any of your own writings. For more information or to subscribe, see the ASacredGrove web page.


SHAMS-AL-NISA, a women and Islam forum, has been set up for the discussion and debate of issues relating to the rights of women in Islam, including Muslim personal law and campaigns around gender in Islam and the Muslim community. For more information or to subscribe, see the SHAMS-AL-NISA web page.

SISTER-L focuses on "the history and contemporary concerns of Catholic women religious (sisters and nuns)." The list is open to scholars, practitioners, and others interested in these issues. Send subscription requests to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.SYR.EDU . A little more information is available at LSoft's Sister-L page.
SISTER-SHARE, the first "online Relief Society" for LDS (Latter Day Saints) women, is a place for women to talk with one another, share experiences, ask for and give advice, and get to know one another in a gospel context. The list is open only to LDS women and their interested female friends. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE SISTER-SHARE Your Name to LISTSERV@LISTS.PSU.EDU .For more information, send the message INFO SISTER-SHARE to the same address.

SISTERSNCHRIST is a high-volume list for "born-again Christian ladies who aim for a deeper walk with the Lord....We are basically a list of women who homeschool, allow God to plan our families, dress modestly, and aim to submit to God, and our husbands." For more information or to subscribe, see the SISTERSNCHRIST web page. You can also subscribe by sending an email to SistersnChrist-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

SOPHIASGATHERING is a community of women (only) who "hunger to find our reflection in God and to be included in the language of our faith traditions. We are especially a place where women who relate in any way to Christianity may speak freely of being feminist." For more information or to subscribe, see the SOPHIASGATHERING web page at groups.yahoo.com/group/Sophiasgathering .

SUFIWOMEN-DIALOGUE is a forum for Sufi women from diverse cultural backgrounds who share a dedication to the goals of Sufism and wish to exchange ideas, traditions, concerns, and teachings. To subscribe, send a message with a blank subject header to SUFIWOMEN-DIALOGUE-REQUEST@IAS.ORG . The body of the message should contain the single word SUBSCRIBE .

TISHA KABIN is a moderated discussion group for Jewish women. It carries a much broader range of topics than its sister list, ESHET CHAYIL. Both lists are open only to Jewish women. For more information or to subscribe, see the TISHA KABIN web site at www.geocities.com/eshetchay...Start.html .


VAJRABELLES is an email list for conversation among women who are committed practitioners of Vajrayana Buddhism. It is not the appropriate place for people who have only a passing interest. For more information or to subscribe, go to the VajraBelles web page.

WAF-L (Women Against Fundamentalisms) is a British-based email forum for discussion of and opposition to the effects of fundamentalisms, especially the effects on women. For more information, see the WAF web site. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE WAF-L Your Name to LISTPROC@GN.APC.ORG .
WATER-L is a list affiliated with the Women's Alliance for Theology, Ethics, and Ritual, an organization that works for serious theological, ethical, and liturgical development for and by women. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE WATER-L to majordomo@hers.com.

WIVES OF EGYPTIANS is a women-only forum for Muslim women married to Egyptian Muslims. "We hope this will be a place where we can grow in Islam, and also share our stories of life with an Egyptian male." To subscribe, see the WivesofEgyptians web page. More information is also available at the Wives of Egyptians home page.

WLCJNET is a discussion group for members of synagogue Sisterhoods affiliated with Women's League for Conservative Judaism. Topics include a broad range of issues relevant to today's women: family, lifecycle events, synagogue and Sisterhood, Israel, spirituality, etc. Only members of affiliated Sisterhoods may join. To subscribe, send the message SUBSCRIBE WLCJNET Your Name to LISTSERV@JTSA.EDU .

WOMANTALK is a women-only list for chatting and sharing Christian fellowship. Non-Christians are welcome. All members must actively participate on the list--no lurking. Members practice tolerance and respect for each other's beliefs. For more information or to subscribe, see the WOMANTALK web page on Yahoo Groups: groups.yahoo.com/group/womantalk/ .

WOMEN-IN-MINISTRY is "a closed, unmoderated discussion list addressing the unique needs of Christian women called to or active in ministry." The list serves as a forum for support, mentoring, announcements, and general discussion, but NOT for theological debate. To subscribe, send the message INFO WOMEN-IN-MINISTRY to MAJORDOMO@NEWLIFEBEGINS.COM and follow the instructions in the resulting information file for further subscription information.

WOMENRAB is a multidenominational, international discussion group for and by women rabbis and women rabbinical students. It is designed to provide a supportive, accessible sanctuary in cyberspace in which to discuss personal, professional, familial, emotional, spiritual, halakhic, and educational issues pertinent to women in the rabbinate. Open only to women rabbis and women rabbinical students. Send usual subscription message to LISTSERV@JTSA.EDU. For more info: FORMANL@UJAFEDNY.ORG.

YALAD, which means "to give birth," is a list for discussion of Jewish birthing practices. "It is open to professionals and lay people alike who are interested or curious. This list is NOT a place for the discussion of circumcision except in terms of bris milah ideas." You can subscribe at the listowner's web site or by sending the message SUBSCRIBE YALAD to MAJORDOMO@FENSENDE.COM .



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