Divine Goddess - Awakening the Goddess
I Am Mighty Woman
Earth is my domain
For eons I have been here
The Masters know my name
I Am here to heal you
Guiding you to Joy
Peace, my Divine Purpose
Light and Love do I employ
Women hold up 51% of the sky!
From Joel & Michelle Levey
As the wish for balance not just for ourselves but for all beings awakens in our hearts, we participate in a profound teaching from the Kabbalah on restoring balance. This is called "tikkun ha- olam," in Hebrew,,which means, "repairing the world." Tikkun means to mend or repair. Outwardly, tikkun is associated with social action that has the goal of improving the world. But inwardly, in the esoteric traditions, tikkun is the sacred innerwork of mending a broken world and restoring it to wholeness and balance through spiritually developing the love that carries us beyond our separate self. Tikkun is regarded as the highest, most profound purpose of our life.
This activity to restore balance and harmony in our world is closely akin to the Buddhist notion of bodhicitta, "the spirit of awakening," which holds that at the heart-core of every living being is a universal impulse to fully awaken to the wholeness of its potentials and to serve others in their awakening. This is the universal yearning to reduce suffering, cultivate harmonious relations, and find dynamic balance.
The work of repairing, rebalancing, and awakening is an inside-out job. It is said that every tiny bit of restoration of wholeness within ourselves directly contributes to the restoration and awakening of all beings and of the whole world. The impulse of every movement toward healing, every moment of mindfulness, every act of kindness we generate within ourselves, is directly shared or transmitted to support the emergence of that potential within each and every living being.
That's because the more deeply and completely we are balanced within ourselves, the better equipped we are, and the more natural it is, for us to reach out and nurture the emergence of greater harmony in our world. As our awareness and sensitivity increase, we recognize that certain situations in our life or world are intolerably unproductive, toxic, or destructive. This helps to strengthen our resolve to get healthier; resolve conflicts; put a stop to abusive violence in our relationships; and become an advocate, activist, or celebrant of noble causes that expand the sphere of balance and harmony to our world and to the lives of others.
The following image can help you to bring this idea more alive. Imagine that you are standing on a mountain top on a still, clear, dark night. In the sky around you are an infinite number of jewels linked together in a subtle network of light. Imagine now that as you light a little candle, instantly its light and warmth is reflected in each and every one of the jewels surrounding you. Not only that, but each of the jewels is also illumined by the light that is reflected in it from all the illuminating jewels. It is a fantastic and inspiring sight. Now imagine that as you light up a moment of mindfulness within you, the light of that mindfulness "lights up" all living beings. Likewise, if within yourself you awaken or light up a moment of love, gratitude, wonder, joy, forgiveness, that impulse immediately lights up within all others. The transmission is effortless, immediate, heart to heart. Each of the jewels in the net is lighting up all of the other jewels, giving rise to waves of excitement, waves of sympathy, waves of gratitude, love, or blessings.
In each moment that we are awake, we can feel what is reverberating within ourselves and we can respond in a way that lights up the world in either a weird or a wonderful way. Mindful moment to mindful moment from the very core of our being we contribute to the balancing and rebuilding of the world in wholeness or contribute to the fear and confusion. In moments of distraction, when mindlessness sets in and we lose our balance, the momentum of habit and countless impinging forces propels us. In moments of self-remembering, when we awaken to mindfulness, we at least have a choice.
As we learn to recognize and repair the rifts and imbalances in our own life we reestablish wholeness within ourselves. As our internal repair work deepens, we are better able to reach out--inwardly and outwardly--and repair the world around us. As we focus the flow of our dynamic being more into balance and dissolve the rigid boundaries that separate us from our wholeness, we restore the world to balance. These aren't just nice ideas, this is descriptive of the way things are. Our journey toward balance is one of awakening in order to bring more lucid, loving, radiant, presence into our world. This is very deep tikkun."
-- Excerpted from Joel & Michelle Levey's books - Living in Balance; Luminous Mind; and Wisdom at Work
THE GODDESS IN JUDAISM - AN HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
All religions start with a cosmogony, a myth that tells the worshippers how the world was formed. The first verses of the Hebrew Bible conform to this pattern. They seem quite straightforward and have provided the basis of belief among Jews and Christians for several millennia, although the Christians recast the words of Genesis to conform to their own new ideas.
In the words of Genesis, Beraishit, 'in the beginning', God created the heavens and the earth. The latter was a formless void, there was darkness 'on the face of the deep', and God's spirit moved on the waters (Genesis 1:1-2). This seems quite straightforward and, given a religious cast of thought, easy to assimilate. But here we must pause.
There is another, quite scholastically respectable, way of translating the Hebrew words. The verses would read: 'In the beginning, a number of gods ("Elohim") began to give birth to the heavens and the earth. The earth still belonged to Tohu and Bohu (goddesses of formlessness and ultimate space), and darkness was on the face of the mother creator goddess Tiamat, and a huge wind flapped its wings over the face of the water.' This translation (which will be commented on in detail in the later section on 'Goddesses in the Hebrew background') is at least as indicative of what the original might have meant as are all the interpretations and translations that have been set out until now. As will be seen, references are made to goddesses and perceptions of creation by them that appeared to be present in Hebrew culture. How different would our attitude to religion and society be if the above interpretation or a version of it had been accepted by both Jews and Christians as a reasonable understanding of the text. more. . .
Solidarity & Sustainability ~ The Socio-Ecological Impacts of Religious Patriarchy
Humanity is currently on a global journey from patriarchy to solidarity, sustainability, and sustainable human development. The Solidarity & Sustainability newsletter is a series of reflections on how to mitigate patriarchal barriers to human development and, in particular, how to overcome the enormous obstacles caused by religious patriarchies. The newsletter integrates existing and emerging knowledge (empirical evidence, tradition, relevant experience, wisdom) to show that true religion radically transcends the patriarchal mindset. In fact, true religion always enhances human development, and should never be an obstacle to it. The "Millennium Development Goals" of the United Nations are used as a point of reference.
Please forward this notice to persons who are interested in the complex dynamics of secular and religious patriarchy, gender equity, solidarity, sustainability, sustainable human development, and related global issues. The January 2006 issue is in preparation and will be posted shortly.
Sincerely,
Luis T. Gutierrez, Ph.D., P.E.
Editor, Solidarity & Sustainability Research Newsletter
solidarity-sustainability-owner@googlegroups.com
Travel north to Siena to the Duomo, where inside the cathedral is a gallery of terra-cotta busts depicting 170 popes, in no particular order. In the 17th century, Cardinal Baronuis, the Vatican librarian, wrote that one of the faces was a female -- Joan the Female Pope.
The murder of nine million women during the Inquisition intrigued me even before I knew the number of women burned. Woman has been resigned to her place as a second class homo sapiens, since the Ice Age that began, 27,000 years ago. Women's relegation to home work, while men pursued venison was a turnabout from the adventurous lives of women who hunted, gathered and brought home the herbal "bacon". Women's hunt was of the fruits of the land. But when ice covered the planet, growth ceased and women became the boarders of caves with fire and furs as their luxuries.
During the course of people trying to survive, women forgot the powerful creatures they used to be. Three-dimensional life eradicated the memory of the experiment Spirits engaged in to bring upliftment of life and consciousness to Planet Earth. Lightworkers, Starseeds, Ascended Masters and Angels have worked for centuries to keep the idea of Divinity present in the minds and hearts of women, while men continue to build up cities and destroy the habitat of Earth's creatures.
Women were Goddesses long before the cities came, long before the banks came, before the wars came. Peace, care, nurturing and love were the rewards of being around women. That time is returning. Men tire from destruction. They yearn for the warmth of woman's breast, for her rationale for getting what you need when you need it. Their egos are retreating from the need to control her and she needs to be prepared to take the lead. Read more. . .
Halloween Witch
Author Unknown
Each year they parade her about, the traditional Halloween Witch.
Misshapen green face, stringy scraps of hair, a toothless mouth beneath her deformed nose. Gnarled knobby fingers twisted into a claw protracting from a bent and twisted torso that lurches about on wobbly legs. Most think this abject image to be the creation of a prejudiced mind or merely a Halloween caricature. I disagree, I believe this to be how Witches were really seen.
Consider that most Witches were women, were abducted in the night, and smuggled into dungeons or prisons under the secrecy of darkness to be presented by light of day as a confessed Witch. Few if any saw a frightened normal looking woman being dragged into a secret room filled with instruments of torture, to be questioned until she confessed to anything suggested to her and to give names or whatever would stop the questions.
Crowds saw the aberration denounced to the world as a self-proclaimed Witch. As the Witch was paraded through town en route to be burned, hanged, drowned, stoned or disposed of in various other forms of Christian love all created to free and save her soul from her depraved body, the jeering crowds viewed the results of hours of torture. The face bruised and broken by countless blows bore a hue of sickly green. The once warm and loving smile gone replaced by a grimace of broken teeth and torn gums that leers beneath a battered disfigured nose. The disheveled hair conceals bleeding gaps of torn scalp from whence cruel hands had torn away the lovely tresses. Broken twisted hands clutched the wagon for support, fractured fingers with nails torn away locked like groping claws to steady her broken body. All semblance of humanity gone this was truly a demon, a bride of Satan, a Witch.
I revere this Halloween Crone and hold her sacred above all. I honor her courage and listen to her warnings of the dark side of man. Each year I shed tears of respect when the mundane exhibit their symbol of Christian love.
Honoring and celebrating the sacred roots and traditions related to Halloween and Samhain.
The Charge of the Goddess
"Hear my words, and know me. I shall be called by many names, in many tongues; past ancient days, beyond this moment, and through the end of time -- at once Artemis, Diana, Ishtar, Aphrodite, Venus, the Morrigan, and Queen of the Witches. I am the Great Goddess, Mother of All.
Whenever you have need of my aid; once a month and best when the moon is full; and eight times more in the year, shall you assemble in some secret place, to call me and to honor my spirit. Know that my truths and my love shall make you free, for no man can enslave you, or prevent your worship of me in your mind and in your heart. Listen well when you come into my presence, and I shall teach you of deep mysteries, ancient and powerful; the rhythms of the planets and the seasons, the circle of life and death and life renewed. That which is unknown shall be known, and that which is hidden shall be revealed; even the secluded soul shall be pierced with my light. Yet I require no sacrifice or pain of your bodies, for I am the Mother of all living things, and my only law is Love Unto All.
I am the beauty of the green earth, the white moon that sails among the stars, the mystery of the flowing waters, and the desire of the heart of man. From me all things are born, and to me all things in their season return. Let my joyous worship be in your hearts; dance, sing, and feast in my name, for all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you, for these are the gifts which I offer to all my children.
And you who seek to know me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery; for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.
Hear my words, and know me truly; Lady of moonlight and magick; Maiden, Mother and Crone. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I will welcome you into my arms once more at the end of your earthly existence."
Adapted from:
"Moon Magic" by D. J. Conway;
"To Ride a Silver Broomstick" by Silver Raven Wolf;
"Casting the Circle" by Diane Stein.
May the deep wisdom traditions of the ancient ones who loved and listened to the earth and who cherished and honored Life-Spirit-Mystery flourish in our lives and world.
- FOODJAM
- GAIAMIND
- GAIANEWS
- Gaiafest
- Gaia Glitta
- GaiaSpirit
- God/Goddess
- Da Vinci Code
- fyicomminc
- MAGIC
