Ode to Selma Sevenhuijsen | She sought the balance between spirituality and science

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Selma Sevenhuijsen (1948-2024) was an independent researcher, writer and spiritual worker. She grew up in Haarlem, Amsterdam and Rotterdam. In 1977 she graduated from the University of Amsterdam in the history of political theory. After a twelve-year appointment in women's studies and political science at the same university, her appointment as professor at Utrecht University followed in 1987, first in women's studies, and later in ethics and politics of care. Her scholarly work became increasingly focused on the philosophical foundation and practical application of care ethics, a movement in ethics based on moral principles such as attention, compassion, connection and trust. Her work on the subject took her through a series of countries around the world.

During one of her travels, she came in contact with the labyrinth. In 2003 she attended the Veriditas labyrinth training in San Francisco and Chartres. In the following years she conducted many workshops with the labyrinth, in the Netherlands and elsewhere. From 2007 to 2021 she provided the training “Working with the labyrinth” at the Jungian Institute in Nijmegen. She is one of the founders of the network of labyrinth workers in the Netherlands.

In 2005, she traveled to Italy, where she studied the sacred landscape and cosmology of the Etruscans, as a context for the role of the labyrinth and the Siren in Etruscan culture. She published the book ‘The Smile of the Siren’ on this subject in 2008, which appeared in 2024 in Italian as ‘Il Sorisso della Sirena’. In 2024, she published 'Queen of the Vatican. Journey in the Footsteps of Matilda of Canossa,' translated into Italian as 'Regina Del Vaticano. Viaggio sulle orne di Mathilde di Canossa'. In 2019, her main work on the Siren appeared 'Woman at the Heaven's Gate. Journey through Italy in search of the double-tailed mermaid', in Italian 'Signora della Porta del Cielo. Viaggio in Italia alla ricerca della sirena bicaudata.'

Since 2006 she has lived part-time in Italy, where she has guided numerous group tours from Pitigliano through the sacred landscape of the Etruscans and along the route of Mathilde of Canossa. For several years, the focus of her Italian existence has increasingly shifted to Barga (Lucca), which is also the basis for her research in this book. In her publications she pursues and balance between spirituality and science. Her inspiration lies in Etruscan religion, Christian mysticism and Hermetism, the tradition of the Incas and Jungian depth psychology. Always her concern is to express and bring to life the feminine perspective.