Sacred Portals
Experience Lydia Ruyle's Goddess Banners & Crop Circle Portals at ALTAR
When Lydia Ruyle's Goddess Banners first graced ALTAR's grand opening on December 4th, 2021, they marked an auspicious beginning. That winter solstice through spring equinox, 41 banners stood as Goddesses-in-Residence, holding space as ALTAR found its footing as a sanctuary for women in Chicago. Miniature prayer flags of those original goddesses still hang in the entryway, honoring that sacred start.
The banners returned in April 2024 for Herstory Retold, where 33 banners spanning pre-history to present accompanied Elizabeth Lesser's exploration of reclaimed feminine wisdom. Now, for their fourth visit, Lydia Ruyle’s Goddess Banners arrive as part of something unprecedented: Sacred Portals, an exhibition anchored by twelve monumental crop circle portals—the first public display of this extraordinary collection in decades, and the first time these two bodies of Ruyle's work have been shown together.
As we honor and engage with Ruyle's complete vision this winter, ALTAR is aligning ever more deeply with what we are: a truing station for feminine movements and people.
About Lydia Ruyle and Sacred Portals
Lydia Ruyle (1935–2016) was a visionary artist, professor, storyteller, and beloved wisdom keeper. Through her vibrant work, she restored what was often overlooked: the powerful, diverse, and inclusive images of the feminine divine and the cosmic patterns that have shaped humanity's understanding of the sacred.
The twelve crop circle portals at the heart of Sacred Portals represent the second major body of Ruyle's artistic legacy. Each winter, while visiting her young granddaughters in Chicago, Ruyle would work at Columbia College Chicago, transforming crop circle formations found near sacred sites in the UK into large-scale paper art. She chose images that spoke to her soul—mysterious, ephemeral designs that appeared annually upon Mother Earth herself—and rendered them in vibrant neon sacred geometry on handmade paper.
Ruyle called these formations "temples in the land." Through her monumental works, she invites us into an experience of the divine through form, pattern, and cosmic harmony. Each portal opens a doorway to something beyond our everyday awareness.
In luminous contrast, her world-renowned Goddess Banner Collection represents hundreds of images of the divine feminine drawn from cultures around the globe. Her sacred art remains a call to remember the values of creativity, compassion, justice, and connection to the natural world embodied by goddesses as creators, healers, protectors, warriors, guides, and much more.
Together, these two bodies of work create a powerful juxtaposition: earth and cosmos, goddess and geometry, myth and mystery. Ruyle's work mirrors the opening of doorways, helping us feel free to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what is beautiful and what matters in our lives.
These sacred portals and banners gently and powerfully invite us to step into a space of balance, belonging, and renewal.
The Experience at ALTAR
At ALTAR, Sacred Portals transforms our sanctuary into an immersive sacred space—an artistic mandala of the divine feminine.
In the main gallery, twelve monumental crop circle portals command the space with their vibrant neon sacred geometry. These hand-crafted paper works evoke the mystery of formations that appear in fields near ancient sacred sites, inviting you to contemplate the relationship between earthly patterns and cosmic design.
In the adjoining Womb Room, rotating micro-exhibits feature selections of thirteen Goddess Banners, each exploring the seasons of the sacred feminine:
December - February
Dark Madonnas & Sacred Portals
Enter the womb of transformation, where darkness becomes the seed of light. These banners honor the divine feminine in her aspect of deep mystery, gestation, and the fertile void from which all creation emerges.
March - April
Goddesses of Spring & the Return of Life
Balance restored, rebirth celebrated, the feminine reawakens. These banners celebrate renewal, growth, and the irrepressible life force that returns with spring.
Here at ALTAR, stories flow freely, and the atmosphere hums with the power of shared experiences. Lydia Ruyle’s goddess banners and crop circle portals infuse our intentional space with profound sacredness and reverence, creating a transformative and deeply meaningful environment.
We encourage you to receive and be inspired by their energy, whether you experience these feminine artworks in person at ALTAR or here, digitally. Take a moment of sacred space, step away from the day, and realign with your truest self. Experience how art is a portal to the divine.
Related Events and Experiences
Lydia Ruyle’s Goddess Banners and crop circle portals encourage viewers to align more closely with their inner strength and to feel deeper connections to the cosmic patterns and divine feminine wisdom that surrounds us. To support those seeking clarity and truth, ALTAR offers many opportunities for finding balance and belonging.
Upcoming Events
A glimpse Into Sacred Portals
Explore the Space
Whether you’re planning a gathering, workshop, or moments of mutual reflection, ALTAR offers an atmosphere unlike any other.
We invite you to bring your event into this sacred space while Ruyle’s Goddess Banners and crop circle portals are here and beyond. Book your time with us and let the power of this installation elevate your gathering into something truly unforgettable.