A Matriarchal Cultural Collective
A women-led collective devoted to dismantling patriarchy through lived matriarchal practice, organised by and for women, and educating men in female-led relational and communal life.
Who We Are
Aetas Deae was founded on the principle that matriarchal life is not a future utopian dream, but something any woman can live now, if she chooses.
We live and work in community because there is no clearer way to demonstrate what we teach. Through retreats and shared practices, we work with women to strengthen their authority and support them in living it in everyday life.
We embody our teachings through our own governance and way of life, organising around women and teaching men how to love, live with, and serve women in ways that are healthy, productive, and grounded.
Aetas Deae is not built around a single teacher, doctrine, or personality. It is held collectively by women who set its direction and ensure its continuity. Our path is shaped through lived practice rather than theory. When women choose this path, again and again, we organise life and community on our own terms.
A Matriarchal Structure
Aetas Deae is organised around women.
Women hold authority here. Decisions about direction, boundaries, teaching, and participation are made by women, collectively. This authority is structural and is not negotiated, balanced, or shared with men.
Men may be present only on clearly defined terms set by women. Access is conditional and role-specific. Men do not occupy positions of authority, do not set the culture, and do not override female governance. In practice, this means that some spaces are women-only, some activities are restricted by role, and some forms of participation are not available to men at all.
These boundaries are intentional. They exist so that women can lead, teach, and live without accommodation or dilution, and so that men who enter do so in ways that support, rather than reshape, a female-governed culture.
Aetas Deae is a FLINTA-only collective space, organised by and for women.
Those Who Hold and Create This Culture
Below are the women who hold responsibility within Aetas Deae, across stewardship, guidance, and support.
Priestesses
The Priestesses are the women responsible for the long-term stewardship of Aetas Deae.
They hold collective responsibility for the philosophy, standards, and continuity of the culture. Authority is shared rather than hierarchical, and decisions are made through collective consent among the women who hold this role.
Priestess roles describe responsibility, not status. They are not permanent titles and may change over time as women step into or step back from stewardship.
Different Priestesses may hold responsibility for different domains, including place-based stewardship, pedagogical development, or philosophical clarity.
Not all Priestesses live on site. What matters is responsibility held, not visibility or prominence.
Guides
Guides are women invited to lead specific retreats, programmes, or learning experiences.
They hold authority within the scope of what they guide and work within the framework set by the Priestesses.
Guides may be long-term contributors or invited for particular offerings. Their role is defined by responsibility held, not profile or seniority.
Providers
Providers offer specific skills or services in support of the collective.
Their roles are defined and bounded. Providers do not hold governance, cultural, or curriculum authority.
They support the work without directing it.
The Place
Aetas Deae is anchored in a historic village on Lake Como, in northern Italy.
This location serves as a centre of stewardship, continuity, and long-term holding for the collective. While work may take place in different locations and formats over time, this place provides a stable point of reference for governance, practice, and cultural coherence.
The collective is not defined by its setting, but it is held somewhere deliberately.