Our Story

The Minerva Institute

Minerva: the Roman goddess of poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, weaving, crafts, magic, and the inventor of music. She was often depicted with her sacred creature, an owl, which symbolizes her ties to wisdom.

The plight for Self-knowledge is an ancient one. Socrates wisely pointed out that the “unexamined life is not worth living.” His guiding principle of “know thyself” is a perennial truth that can still serve us in modern times.

The Minerva Institute is a nonprofit organization motivated by the need for personal peace and wisdom. We offer programs in self-discovery that weave together many traditions to honor all persons. Our commitment is to provide as many pathways of self-exploration as possible. Our purpose is to deepen a person’s connection to Self and to others. We’re here to create and sustain a heart-centered learning community that values diversity.

The Matrix

Matrix: source, origin, womb, a public register…from mater, mother. That within which or within and from which, something originates, takes form, or develops…

The birth of profound things occurs when we turn to one another. Minerva owes it start to The Matrix. This was a nonprofit organization developed in 1997 by five like-minded women living in central Florida who came together to help women discover and develop their whole and authentic beings.

What was started by The Matrix fourteen years ago serves as a strong foundation for Minerva’s mission today, which is to cultivate inner peace and wisdom for both men and women living in our community.