Went down to New Orleans yesterday to meet with the web witch and one of our board of directors and get set up as a teacher in the free source classroom software they're using now for the first degree lessons: a vast improvement over the xeroxed typescript I had when I was a student nine years ago.  The lessons themselves have been extensively edited, expanded, and (I think) substantially improved as well.  I logged in this morning and started poking around my preliminary classroom, and I'm starting to get kind of enthusiastic about the whole project.

The board member has some ambitious visions for our organization, which I think sound pretty fabulous: mainly ways of using the website to set up a structure to support the church regardless of personalities.  (Her phrase was "if the Big Kahuna and I both die because we're on the same plane, the church will still exist.")  I was pretty impressed. 

Not long ago I got a book of Goddesses for Every Day, by Julie Loar.  One of the first ones mentioned is Chomolungma, the Nepalese goddess associated with Mount Everest, who gave her name to the mountain; she is described as the mother of the world.

However, I have found some sources online which say that while Chomolungma (sometimes spelled Jomolungma or Qomolangma) is indeed the local name of the mountain in Nepal, Tibet, and China, the resident goddess there is Jomo Miyo Lang Sangma, a mother goddess and one of five sisters who bestow various benefits; her province is plentiful food, while her sisters can grant long life, luck, wealth, and psychic powers.  Miyolangsangma is depicted riding a tiger, holding a bowl of food in one hand and in the other a mongoose that spits jewels. 

Jomolungma may be a contraction of her name, which is said to translate as "Immovable goddess, protector of bulls."  She is sometimes referred to as "mother goddess of the earth," but that may be a title rather than any part of her name.

Sources: http://khandro.net/nature_mountain.htm

http://www.bergadventures.com/v3_main/Sherpa-Story1.php

http://www.china.org.cn/english/culture/49094.htm

Fascinating stuff.  If I'm going to call on a goddess I want to call the right name; I'll have to see if I can come up with some printed sources.

I have just taken the first steps towards formally teaching my tradition of eclectic Wicca to someone else, and I'm just a little freaked out about it.