Dreaming Back the Sisters

On this day when families gather, and others remember, and as we journey ever closer to the ending of one calendar year  pausing for the new year to commence, I would like to share with you this beautiful poem by Marie Elena Gaspari. In doing so, I would also like to invite you all to dream back your sisters, your feminine line (both biological and spiritual) as an inspiring and beautiful intention for 2017.

A wonderful way to continue this dreaming back is to join other women as we gather together.  One type of such gathering are Sister Moon Circles that welcome women of all ages.  The first of the Sister Moons Circles for 2017 will be taking place at the Isian Centre of Metaphysics from Friday, 21 April 2017.

The Mother Wound

This morning I came across an article that talked about the difficulties and challenges experienced between mothers and daughters which are often not openly spoken about.  The root of these issues is the "Mother Wound", the "pain of being a woman passed down through generations of women in patriarchal cultures".

According to Bethany Webster, the author of this article, our patriarchal, male-dominated culture has conditioned women to think of themselves as “less-than” and not deserving or worthy.  When such “less-than” feelings are internalised and passed down unconsciously, they often form "limiting beliefs" about one's own true potential and power.  When the daughter does recognise them as such and decides to actualise her own potential, then she does so with the risk of possibly being rejected to some degree by her mother where upon seeing her daughter embracing empowerment may trigger sadness or rage within the mother at having had to give up parts of herself in her own life.

Sister Moon Circles in 2017

After much delay, 2017 will bring with it a number of long awaited programmes, commencing with the Sister Moon Circles.

These circles for women will be held on a Friday evening on or around the new moon - the esoteric time of new beginnings, the first of which will be Friday, 26 May 2017, after the summer heat has passed and to coincide with the commencement of the "dark half" of the year, when we are drawn naturally to go within.

With 2017 being a "1" year in esoteric numerology, a time of new beginnings and as such, let us gather once more and strengthen the bounds of sisterhood.

Monday Night Meditations are Back

Resuming on Monday, 11 July 2016, these non-secular meditations will be held every Monday evening (except for public holidays) at The Goddess House (Parafield Gardens), from 7:30pm to 8:45pm.

Monday Night Meditations offer a great way to commence your working week with feelings of centredness, as well as being relaxed and focused. 

 

Opening the Discussion about Death

Death.  Such a taboo subject in our Western culture yet a subject that really needs to be talked about more openly.  After all, death is a natural process that will happen to all of us at some stage.  It is something we are not able to avoid, no matter how hard we try.

 

In recent times, "Death Cafes" have started to be established as a means for people to gather together and discuss the concept of death over a cup of tea (or coffee) and a slice of cake.  The first Death Cafe took place in East London in September 2011 and since that time similar events have been held all around the world.

 

Learning to Ebb and Flow with the Seasons

The sky is low, the clouds are mean,
A travelling flake of snow
Across a barn or through a rut
Debates if it will go.

 

A narrow wind complains all day
How some one treated him;
Nature, like us, is sometimes caught
Without her diadem.

 

So wrote American 19th century poet Emily Dickinson and winter has certainly arrived at The Goddess House. 

 

With the changing energy levels of the season, not to mention the increasing reluctance to venture out on wet and wintry evenings, a decision has been made to postpone the Monday Night Meditations until Monday, 1 August, the festival of Imbolc on the seasonal calendar for the Southern Hemisphere which marks the commencement of Spring.

 

Monday Night Meditations - Tara

Traditionally, a mantra has been described as a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or even a group of words in ancient Sanskrit believed by practitioners to have psychological and spiritual powers.  A mantra may or may not have syntactic structure or literal meaning. 

 

They come in many forms from single words or sounds such as the familiar Om (or Aum) mantra, through to complex requests and prayers.  In more sophisticated forms, mantras are melodic phrases with spiritual interpretations such as a human longing for truth, reality, light, immortality, peace, love, knowledge, and action.  Other mantras have no literal meaning, yet are musically uplifting and spiritually meaningful.

 

Encountering the Shadows and the Realm of the Dark Goddess

The shadows have always been a source of mystery. Often, fear and terror rule the dark places, holding our imagination captive and sometimes paralyzing us with the horror of the unknown. The shadows hold the secret to our own rising rebirth, the secret of the wisdom of ourselves. The ultimate mystery is that of knowing oneself. This is the lesson the Dark Goddess teaches.

 

The Dark Goddess is the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess. However She does not always take the form of the older, wiser sage. She can appear as the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. Many associate her powers with the underworld and even evil. But the darkness was not always seen in that way, the way of polarity, black and white, good versus evil. The darkness was just that, the absence of light. The way of the Dark Goddess is the way of the mirror, truth and reflection. She is not the kind and gentle Mother Goddess, who coaxes us to explore our lives.

    

The Wonders of Meditation on the Body

In this day and age it is well known how beneficial meditation can be to our mind, body and spirit.  It has been proven that meditation can make us happier, improve our concentration, lower our stress levels and blood pressure, and even decrease chronic pain.  More importantly however, the practice of meditation brings us inner peace and freedom, two tools that are often overlooked in our over chaotic modern society which we all desperately seek.

 

Through the regular practice of meditation we find that we need fewer outward distractions to keep us happy.  This is because we begin to identify more and more with our inner self as opposed to our physical appearance.  This is because meditation is powerful tool for spiritual growth and essentially takes us beyond the limitations (and therefore obsession) of the body as well as the mind.

Getting the Creative Juices Flowing

Over recent months there have been a number of ideas with respect of what The Goddess House will be interested in offering once we properly resume again in the Spring.

There is also a possibility of holding a series of crafting workshops.  The first of these will be taking place on Saturday, 28 May 2016 where people will have the opportunity to make their own Protection Bottle (also known as a "Wytch's Bottle").

 

These bottles have been used for many centuries with the first documented use appearing in the 17th century (although their actual use is believed to pre-date this).  These bottles were used as a means of protecting the home from negative influences, curses, hexes, and the "Evil Eye". Today, such bottles are used primarily as decoys to attract, absorb, confuse and defuse negative psychic energy being sent.

 

The Mother Daughter Bond

As women, our bond with our mother is probably one of the more power relationships that we may ever form.  Whether we realise it or not, this relationship sets the stage for all the other relationships that we will have.  Or so is the view of Bronwyn McNutty, the author of the article from which the following excerpt has been taken.

 

For better or for worse, what does our relationship with our mother say about us?  How has this relationship impacted upon the future relationships we form?  No relationship is perfect or indeed easy.  Drew Barrymore, Megan Ryan and Britney Spears have all had very public bust-ups with their own mothers.  Yet that bond with the first person of our gender can have a much deeper and lasting impact on us than we may actually realise.

 

How will you honour your Sacred Gift of Womankind?

In her book, The Thirteen Original Clan Mothers, author Jamie Sams asks us:

 

“We are being asked to honour the gifts of womankind and to call on the strength of our sisters in order to discover ourselves. The circle will come full when every human can see the beauty within the Self, as well as in all others.  The transmutation of competition, separateness, hierarchy, jealousy, envy, manipulation, control, selfishness, greed, dependency, old wounds, and self-righteousness must be accomplished before we will come to wholeness.  These attitudes are the enemies of humankind and are found within the Shadow-self, rather than outside ourselves.

 

The Path of She: Walking with the Goddess

Walking the path of the Goddess, the Divine Feminine, can be likened to connecting with the deeper, soul-based needs and desire whereby we feel an overpowering sense of peace and inner stillness when experiencing the most simple of things.  Noticing the first changing leaf that signifies Autumn is on its way, or how the sun's light plays upon a pond surface, the darting of sparrows, or the resilience of that pumpkin plant that is determined to take over my  back garden no matter how many times I cut it back.  All this subtle things may appear unworthy of any such "spiritual" attention, yet when viewed from such a perspective, they present great insight and wonder.  After all, one aspect of the Goddess is Gaea, Mother Earth.

 

International Women's Day Gathering of Sisters

A special Gathering of Sisters to mark International Women's Day will be held at The Goddess House on Tuesday, 8 March 2016 from 10:00 am.

Participants are encouraged to bring a photo or picture of a woman whom they admire or who has inspired us as together we will be creating an altar to honour and acknowledge those women who have gone before us, who are still with us and who are still yet to come.

Please also bring a flower to decorate the altar, a plate of food to share afterwards and a $5 donation to help cover all other incidental costs.

 

Grainne Ni Mhaille - the Irish Pirate Queen

Statue of Grainne Ni Mhaille

by Michael Cooper

From the mysterious world of the Celts a number of women were renowned for their power, warrior strength and independence.  They led revolts against their enemies, wheeled and dealed to require the best possible outcome for their people, and were even said to have used their “woman’s magic” to curse the lives of those who sought to cause them (or their loved ones) harm.  One of these such women was Grainne Ni Mhaille, who is better known to us by the English version of her name - Grace O'Malley, the 16th century Irish pirate queen.

 

Celtic Queens and Warrior Goddesses coming to Melbourne

Amongst the legends of the Celts can be found various powerful and fascinating women.  Rebellion leaders, pirates, initiators of heroes, fierce warriors, and foretellers of doom.  Some who are historically known to us, while others are blended with the mists from a somewhat romantic past.  

 

Regardless of whether they are fact or fiction, there is something immensely powerful and awe inspiring about these Celtic women, some of whom include:

Ebbing and Flowing with the Times

If there is one thing that I have been forced to learn over the last eight months is that flexibility is the key for you never know when carefully laid plans need to be changed or when new opportunities appear waiting for you to grasp them.

 

After a restless night the difficult decision was made this morning to cancel to commencement of the proposed Sister Circles that was to commence at the Morella Community Centre in March.  While I am still very passionate for this venture to commence, the timing does not appear to be right at the moment.  I am hoping that another opportunity to present this venture to the community will make itself available later in the year.

The Sacred Feminine or Goddess Feminism?

I have just received the following article from Carol Christ, author of many books of the Goddess and feminism as well as leader of a Goddess Pilgrimage to the island of Crete which I thought I would share as she touches on a number of rather interesting points, in particular the use of language and how it can be widely interpreted.

 

As Priestess in Residence of The Goddess House, I use the term "Divine Feminine" not in a similar context as Ms Christ's use of the term "sacred feminine" in her article (or at least not as we believe).  To me, the "Divine Feminine" represents the Great Goddess in all her guises - from the care-free maid through to the wise (yet terrifying) Crone who is also the initiator and keeper of the ancient mysteries.  Additionally, the use of the term "Divine Feminine" also represents the "energy" that is perceived with the concept of "feminine" - be it nurturing, love or even "warm and fuzzy" as well as "protective", "war-like", "frighting" etc.  And I draw me use of the term from Goddesses depicted in mythology, very few of which are depicted as "delicate" as is often the common association to the word "feminine".