Registration Open: The Forgotten Bond with Whales
The Forgotten Bond with Whales, Dragons, Serpents, and Sea Monsters (0.5 Credit)
Course no: 408
Instructor: Helen Hye-Sook Hwang, Ph.D.
Time: 9AM to 1PM PT on July 31 and August 7 (Two Fridays of 4 hour-long 2 weekly sessions)
This course explores bio-sono-aquatic-meteorological features of cetaceans (whales) and their symbols of the dragon, the serpent, and the sea monsters from a multidisciplinary perspective. By examining scientific, biological, mythic, linguistic, folkloric, religious, cultural, architectural, and astronomical data yet to be known to the world, we aim to assess the divine nature of whales as the linchpin of matriversal cosmology, described in the Budoji (the Epic of the Emblem Capital City), the ancient Korean text of Ceto-Magoism (the Whale-guided Way of the Creatrix). This course aids one to tap into intellectual/spiritual power of the Ceto-Magoist consciousness undergirding our civilizations.
Registration Available Now!
Mago Academy accepts registration for Spring 2026 Courses. For the list of Spring 2026 courses, see here.
If you want to register courses as your graduate degree program, go to Coursework Application Guides.
Fill out the form below and email to Dr. Helen Hye-Sook Hwang (magoacademy@gmail.com) with the payment (Copy and paste the form in the body of your email). For other methods of payment, email Dr. Hwang for instructions. A Zoom link will be provided to registered students 2-3 days prior to the first session of your course.
1. Your name and country of residence:
2. Your email:
3. Affiliation or organization, if applicable:
4. Course(s) you are taking by the Course Number: e.g. 101 (1 credit)
5. Questions or comments:
Fee for 0.5 credit course toward M.A. or Ph.D. degree program: $350 (if you register for a total of 1 unit course, choose 2 in product quantity).
Fee for 1 credit course Audit: $100 (if you register for a 2 credit course auditing, choose 2 in product quantity)
Fee for 0.5 credit course Audit: $50 (if you register for a worth of 1.5 credit courses, e.g. one 1 credit course and 0.5 credit course, choose 3 in product quantity).
All inquires should be email to Dr. Hwang (magoacademy@gmail.com).
Course Summary
Rationale: Despite the increment of scientific studies to this day, cetaceans (whales) remain beyond human objectification. They are too “outlandish” for a topic of study. That is why they are still more unknown than known. However, the topic of whales should not be in the hands of privilege experts or riches. After all, it dumbfounds the anthropocentric perspective. For whales belong to the realm of the divine. They not only benefit all planetary entities but also equilibrate the terrestrial environment to be fertile for lifeforms to flourish. In that sense, they are the Terrestrial Mother. Understanding whales has to do with re-shifting of balance and harmony on individual and communal levels.
That whales are the terrestrial divine has been forgotten, as Ceto-Magoism remains unnamed to moderns. In Ceto-Magoist cosmology, whales are one of the triadic divine together with the heavenly divine and the human divine, which makes the Original Trinity. Cetological intelligence/spirituality carved out by pre-patriarchal Magoists undergirds Ceto-Magoist civilizations they carved out as the salvific way for human generations to come.
The perception that whales comprise the terrestrial divine proffers us to decode the symbol of dragon, which is sometimes replaced with the serpent. And why and how the dragon symbol remains demonized or mystified as sea monsters in major patriarchal myths and religions. Demonization of whales as the dragon is the key to assess the supreme divinity that whales constitute. Put differently, it was not just women who have been subject to dethronement under patriarchy but also the natural world headed by whales with whom ancient Shaman Queen Mothers formed an inseparable divine alliance in the pre-patriarchal world.
This course introduces a wide range of background information about whales, necessary to cultivate the Ceto-Magoist consciousness, which is matriversal, transformative, and salvific. Whales stand as the exemplar for humans to fulfill our divine duties, as they did for the Ceto-Magoists of the ancient world.
We will interweave modern scientific discoveries and personal experiences of cetacean encounters available to the public with a large pool of Ceto-Magoist data, which is mythic, linguistic, cultural, folklore, architectural, archaeological, and the like. Exposure to the Cetacean Divine opens a door to the reality of WE/HERE/NOW unfolded by the Ceto-Magoist consciousness. Due to the scale and importance of the topic, this course can serve as a catch-up place to further the understanding of Ceto-Magoism.
Method: This course is designed to offer introductory information on whales as the terrestrial divine in Ceto-Magoism. Due to the immensity and complexity of the course topic, we will choose and limit the scope of data and tailor it according to the needs of participants. It aims to be participant-centered sessions. My role is to link your personal understanding of whales with the collective consciousness of Ceto-Magoism. Participants will be asked to fill out the survey of interests in the first session. The class will draw sources on multiple levels from one’s experiences, wishes, and visions.
Objectives:
*Recognize cross-cultural parallels of Ceto-Magoist manifestations.
*Understand the transformative nature of one’s whale quest.
*Be knowledgeable of cetacean biology, evolution, and singing.
*Assess the cosmogenic power of the Cetacean Divine.
*Understand the dragon/serpent/sea-monsters in relation to whales in Ceto-Magoism.
*Understand the demonization of the dragon or sea monsters.
*Familiarize the plethora of Korean Ceto-Magoist sources.
Instructor: Helen Hye-Sook Hwang Ph.D. in USA
Biography: Dr. Hwang is the founder of Mago Academy and the field of Creatrix Studies. She is a born poet, student, and advocate for Life of ALL and has encountered Ceto-Magoism (the Whale-guided Way of the Creatrix) through her doctoral research on Mago, the Cosmic Mother/Creatrix. She is currently leading the Matriversal Feminist Movement together with Mago Work volunteers. Dr. Hwang received an M.A. and a Ph.D. degrees in Religion with the emphasis on Women’s Studies. To support her research on Magoism (the Way of the Creatrix), she enrolled in an M.A. program in East Asian Studies and specialized in Korean Buddhism at UCLA. Authored, edited, and published many books and essays by Mago Books and the peer-reviewed academic journal, S/HE: An International Journal of Goddess Studies, and Return to Mago E-Magazine. She is currently teaching the core and elective courses of Creatrix Studies.