Walking Gently Upon the Earth

As the end of one year starts to come to a close and the new one, filled with all its wonder and possibilities, makes its presence felt, the above saying comes to mind.  This old year seems to have been one with its share of turbulence (on all levels) but in the greater scheme of things, has it been more turbulent than previous years?  All I know is that life seems to  be a roller coaster with its ups and downs, twists and turns with the odd curve ball thrown in just to make sure we are still alive and whether or not we have been paying attention. Sometimes, and whilst it may be difficult to realise in this world of instant gratification and the Ego, experiences we are exposed to are not always about our own selves - at times, we may only be a catalyst or even a bystander who has gotten in the way.  When such experiences occur how certain are we that the experience is directly aimed at us?

A Time for Honouring Lakshmi

As the festive season draws ever closer, one Goddess comes readily to mind and that is the Hindu Goddess of prosperity and good fortune, of beauty and purification - the beautiful gentle Lakshmi. 

In the Hindu myth known as the "Churning of the Milky Ocean", the Gods were at war against various demons (the Asuras) who wanted to gain immortality. One day a wise sage offered Indra, the Hindu Warrior God, a garland of sacred flowers, however, in his arrogance, Indra threw the flowers on the floor. This display of arrogance upset Lakshmi, who left the realm of the Gods and enter the Milky Ocean. Without her, the Gods were no longer blessed with success or fortune, and as such, the world became darker, the people on earth more greedy, resulting in the refusal to make offerings to the Gods.  And as the Gods' power waned, the Asuras took control.

Your Cup of Milk Matters

In the 16th century, the Mogul Emperor of India, Akbar, ordered the construction in his royal gardens of a vast marble pond for his recently acquired rare white Himalayan swans.  Akbar wished to inaugurate their entry into his new pond by filling it with a sea of milk.  A proclamation was read throughout the capital inviting each citizen to come to the royal gardens during the hours of darkness and pour one cup of milk into the new pond before departing.

 

The next morning Akbar awoke to a pond filled with water.

 

Meditation in the Modern Age

These days it seems that no matter how many "time saving" devices we own, we tend to end up with less and less "free time" as there tends to always be something (or someone) else that requires our attention.  Even with the invention of social media, we are encouraged more and more to "download an app" for something as opposed to truly applying our own energy.  While all these advances in modern technology are wonderful and far-reaching, there is a downside.  This downside is potential of losing the ability to be "unwired" and to simply be ... without the need of external stimulation.

 

Sif - the Norse Goddess of the Grain

With the grain harvest underway already in some parts around South Australia, the Norse Goddess of the Grain, Sif, often comes to mind around this time of the year.

The drinking horn is filled and empowered

Who offer toasts as they drink from the horn.

To Sif who feeds the people of the land

To Sif’s husband who protects the farmers ...

(“Drunk on the Mead of Inspiration" by Jim Davis)

 

Little information remains today despite her being one of the Aesir, the Gods of the Norse sky. What does come down to us about Sif tends to stem from the Poetic Edda, which was compiled in the 13th century from earlier sources, as well as the Prose Edda written by Icelander historian, poet, and politician Snorri Sturluson (also dated to the 13th century).

 

Honouring Kali at The Goddess House

The Goddess House is delighted to announce that on Monday, 10 November 2014 as part of the Monday Night Meditation group, the Hindu Goddess Kali will be honoured in a special Kali Mantra and Meditation night, with special guest, Devidasan being in attendance and sharing his knowledge about this often feared and rather mistaken Goddess.

 

Floating Amidst the Stars

The night's sky, in particular Nut as she was known by the ancient Egyptians, has been on my mind as late.  Maybe it has something to do with my recent trip interstate where I was able to marvel at all the stars without them being hidden in the increasing amount of "light pollution" we have in suburbia these days.  Or maybe it is because Nut is one of the 13 Goddesses covered in In Her Sacred Names: Writings on the Divine Feminine which is due to be released by the end of this month and that pre-orders are now being taken.  Whatever the reasoningm this star gazing meditation from Daily Om seems to hit the spot.

New Book: In Her Sacred Name

For a period of 10 years (from 2002 until 2012) I had a regular column in an Australian "spiritual life style" magazine, Insight, which sadly folded in August 2012.  Being a monthly magazine, often I found that I was writing about two favourite topics of mine - mythology and the Goddess.  This resulted in a number of articles being written over the years and subsequent requests (especially when the magzine folded) to collate them together into a book.  For the last 12 months, this is what I have been doing (amongst other things) with the end result being In Her Sacred Name: Writings on the Divine Feminine.

 

As Persephone Returns

Asasa Ya

The time of the Spring Equinox is upon us and according to Greek myth, the Goddess Persephone has now well and truly returned from the Underworld to be with her mother, Demeter.  This return and reunion of the daughter and mother is an extremely delightful time as the trees and flowers bloom, and the gentle hum of the bees collecting their honey can now be heard.  This rising of energy begins to quicken in pace as the last shackles of Winter are cast aside. 

 

Buoyant and with the signs of proposed bounty, Spring can be such a joyous time (especially after what seems to have been a long, cold Winter).

 

Prayer and Meditation - the Art of Asking and Receiving

Throughout this year, The Goddess House has been offering meditations on Monday evenings.   These meditations are aimed at being non-secular with subtle metaphysical themes (ie, chakras and auric bodies), and sometimes use the repetition of mantras or chants.   As such, this article about meditation by Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om seems most appropriate to share.

 

 

Meditation and prayer can offer us different experiences

and both can be powerful tools.

2014 Australian Goddess Conference

At this year's Australian Goddess Conference, to be held over the weekend of 24 to 26 October in Sydney, the theme is "The Wellspring" - a place of community gathering, exploration of wise ways, and the celebration of the receptive waters of womanhood and the moon.

 

Acknowledging Our Pain

Acknowledging Our Pain - Rescuing the Rescuer

 

by Madisyn Taylor

 

Sometimes the motivation to help others may be an extension

of a deep desire to heal a wounded part of ourself.

 

Some people seem called to help others, often from very early on in their childhoods, responding to the needs of family members, strangers, or animals with a selflessness that is impressive. Often, these people appear to have very few needs of their own, and the focus of their lives is on rescuing, helping, and healing others.

 

While there are a few people who are truly able to sustain this completely giving lifestyle, the vast majority has needs that lie beneath the surface, unmet and often unseen. In these cases, their motivation to help others may be an extension of a deep desire to heal a wounded part of themselves that is starving for the kind of love and attention they dole out to those around them on a daily basis. For any number of reasons, they are unable to give themselves the love they need and so they give it to others. This does not mean that they are not meant to be helping others, but it does mean that they would do well to turn some of that helping energy within.

Love Shows the Way - We Are Here to Serve

The following is a wonderful posting by Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om

 

Love Shows the Way - We Are Here to Serve 

 

Every movement in the universe

is a movement toward love.

 

We are living in a time of great change. Many thinkers and seers agree that humanity and the planet Earth are evolving at a quickened pace, and that this evolution will necessarily be severe and seemingly chaotic at times. It is natural for people to react with fear, because these changes will doubtless bring some level of difficulty and loss to many of us. However, it is essential that we all remember that our souls chose to be here at this time and to be part of this process. Every movement in the universe is a movement toward love. This is true even in situations that appear on the surface to be the opposite of loving. 

 

The Conpassionate Kuan Yin

Revered as both a bodhisattva (an individual who has attained Buddha hood, but decided to stay with the human race in order to bring enlightenment to every human being) as well as a goddess, Kuan Yin has been worshipped in many cultures and religions, with her worship still extremely popular today.  Images of her grace almost all Taoist Temples; she can be found in almost all Chinese Buddhist temples; she is revered within Shintoism; and her significance is even understood within Christianity where she has a strong resonance with the Virgin Mary.  As such, there are numerous spellings of her name (Kwan Yin, Quan Yin, Guan Yin or Guanyin) and just as many interpretations and titles of her name such as - “She who harkens the cry of the world”, “Goddess of salvation from misery”, “Goddess of one thousand arms and eyes” and more popular, “Goddess of mercy and compassion”. 

 

Time for Wellness - Self-Healing Day

The following is a posting from Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om that talks about the ultimate gift we can give our own selves, that of self-healing.

 

 

Time for Wellness - A Self-Healing Day

by Madisyn Taylor

A beautiful gift to yourself is a day of healing and nourishing just for you.

 

Human beings carry within themselves the seed of healing. Our choices affect us more than we realize, and it is because of this that we tend to place responsibility for our wellness in the hands of others. As beneficial as regular visits to a healer can be, we have the power to heal ourselves at will. When we dedicate a day to the pursuit of wellness, we can relax and renew ourselves in a nourishing and comfortable environment. A sincere desire to open ourselves to the highest realities of our physical and spiritual selves is the key to self-healing so that healing energy can flow into us unimpeded.

Journeying with the "Dark" Goddess

As winter draws near, we tend to turn inward, often displaying a reluctance to venture out into the cold and wet weather.  As we find ourselves doing this, we are offered an excellent opportunity to explore the inner reaches of our psyche, those hidden aspects of our selves that are often ignored, neglected or we simply don't want to acknowledge.  Psycho-analyst Carl Jung called such aspects of our inner selves "the Shadow", and venturing into these uncomfortable areas is highly recommended if we are to become a "complete" person.

 

One way that I personally find beneficial in doing this is working with Gods and Goddesses, especially those which are often classified as "dark".  This four letter word conjures up an assortment of emotions, many negative and therefore I have found that when I talk about the "dark" Gods and Goddesses, it is assumed rather erroneously that I am referring to an assortment of evil or malevolent beings.  Whilst, indeed, over time, some of the Gods and Goddesses have found themselves caught up in such perceptions, when, however, the distracting layers are removed to show their truer and orignal story, something completely different is revealed.

Rite of Her Sacred Fires in Adelaide

Every year The Goddess House, together with the Temple of the Dark Moon, include the Rite of Her Sacred Fires in with the May Full Moon Gathering ritual. 

 

 

The Rite of Her Sacred Fires is a unique international devotional celebration of the mysteries and magic of the Goddess Hekate.  It was born out of the Hekate Her Sacred Fires anthology project and written by Sorita d’Este who offered it as an act of devotion for all who wished to participate in May 2010.  The first year saw the Rite of Her Sacred Fires translated into numerous languages, with several thousand people from around the world participating by doing the ritual on the Full Moon that month.  To read more about the Rite of Her Sacred Fires, please visit the Covenant of Hekate (where the above information has been sourced from).

 

Dancing in the Luna Light Again

April marks the return to the Full Moon Gatherings that are held during the winter months in Adelaide's beautiful Botanic Park, and what a rather auspicious occasion this month's Gathering will be with the moon being called a "blood moon".

 

According to NASA, the total lunar eclipse will turn the full moon a coppery red in colour, one of four such moons during the next 18 months, with the other dates being 8 October 2014, 4 April 2015, and 28 September 28 2015.

 

Puja style rite in honour of Tara

For the last few weeks, the Monday Night Meditations (which are held every Monday evening at The Goddess House) have been focusing on Tara, the "mother of liberation", and in particular Green Tara, the "Buddha of enlightened activity".

 

As a way of celebrating this work, this coming Monday evening  (7 April 2014) a puja styled rite will be held in honour of Tara.

 

A puja is a prayer ritual often performed within Hinduism to honour and worship either one or more deities, as well as to spiritually celebrate a particular event and guest.

 

Everyone is welcome to attend this upcoming honouring of Tara that will be held at The Goddess House.  We do ask to attendees to bring a small bunch of freshly cut flowers as an offering to Tara that will be placed upon the altar.

Green Tara at The Goddess House

Tara means “star” or “The one who ferries across”, or “She Who Saves”.  She represents compassion in action, since she is in the process of stepping from her lotus throne in order to help the suffering sentient beings. Tara’s name is said to derive from the verb meaning “to cross” or “to traverse” or “to get to the other side”.  Like a star she shines and helps us guide our lives in a safe direction.  A third meaning of Tara is “the pupil of the eye”, suggesting her as the watching presence, who watches over those who navigate the treacherous waters of life in search of the further shore of liberation.

 

Tara is known to protect from fear and danger, heal illness, increase longevity and increase prosperity.  On the ultimate level, she awakens our wisdom so that we can realize the true nature of reality.  In Mahayana Buddhist tradition it is believed that practice of Tara mantra or reciting sacred Tara Mantra brings Green Tara’s instant help to overcome all problems and help actualize all our material needs and heartfelt wishes.  Tara is the embodiment of enlightened activity.  She is a bodhisattva, rather Buddha, who, although totally free from the imperfections of Samsara, remains in samsara to help all those that suffer.  

 

Returning Home and Opening the Heart

The following is a wonderful posting from Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om.

Return Home - Open Heart

Approaching life with an open heart means

that we have opened the door to a greater consciousness.

Spiritual teachers have always pointed to the heart as the seat of consciousness, and recently Western science has found evidence to support this realization. It turns out that the heart has its own central nervous system and is not simply under the rule of the brain as formerly believed. Anyone who has taken the time to explore the heart knows this and, more important, has realized that the heart is the source of our connection to a consciousness greater than the ego.

 

Using Goddess Moon Devotional Rosaries

Goddess Moon Devotional rosary with red jasper

The use of a string of beads for prayer or in meditative practice is extremely wider spread than what many people may realise.  Rosaries, as used within the Catholic Church, are believed to have been created somewhere between the 12^th and 13^th centuries as a form of devotion to the Mother of God, Mary.  Referred to as the “Queen of Heaven", Mary appears to have been a continuation of other deities who held that title, in particular the Canaanite Astarte and Egyptian Isis.

Meditation - Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

I noted with interest in my local community paper last night that a number of primary schools were trialing meditation classes as a possible way to assist "stressed out children". How sad, I thought, that in today's society children as young as primary school age (from 5 to about 11 years of age) were being effected by stress.  Yet how wonderful that the benefits of meditation, a practice that has been followed by various groups of people for thousands of years, was finally getting some serious recognition here in the West.

Brighid - Fiery Goddess, Saint and Druidess

Often associated with Spring and in particular the early Spring festival of Imbolc, there is also a fiery side to this seemingly passive Goddess.  Brighid is the patroness of metal workers and crafters of all kinds.  She is often pictured at her sacred forge where she rules over the art of smithcrafting, or she can be found around the hearth fire through which she brings the blessings of warmth and light into the home.

 

Brighid is also the Goddess of Creative Expression and as such, is the patroness of poets, writers and bards, lending grace and inspiration to all manner of creative writing.

Hidden Gems in the Experiences that we don't Understand

The following is from Madisyn Taylor of Daily Om.

 

All of the events in our lives lead to other events, they are all connected.

 

Sometimes we have an experience that we do not understand, but if we look deeply, or wait long enough, a reason for that experience will usually reveal itself. All the events in our lives lead to other events, and all that we have manifested in this present moment is the result of past events and experiences. We cannot easily tease apart the many threads that have been woven together to create our current reality.

 

Prosperity Charm for the New Year

With the start of the new calendar year, it is a perfect time to start afresh.  The following is a wonderful little charm that can be made to be placed upon your altar or any other place in your home where it can serve as a focal point, or even slip into your bag or pocket to be carried around with you.

 

Living In The Present Moment

The following is a wonderful post from Daily Om on how to stop being a victim and becoming a creator of your own life.  We have all heard it, but how often do we actually do it?  Present moment awareness is fundamental if we wish to evolve as human beings, for the present is the only place where we can truly connect with ourselves, with the inner experience of peace and fulfilment that I call “Love-Consciousness”.

A New Year with Exciting Events on Offer

This year, 2014, is the 432nd year of the Gregorian calendar has arrived and with it, the promise of fresh starts and exciting events, all under the influence of a new moon in the astrological sign of Capricorn that draws our attention back to assuring that we focus on our foundational work. As Bekah Finch Turner reminds us, any resolutions we make for this coming year, should reflect our "true" goals as opposed to the resolutions we make that subconsciousnessly we never mean to keep.