Prayer of Becoming

In sharing the following Prayer of Becoming - I thought I would mention here that this Prayer (or statement), is a simple little exercise you might to perform before your altar or sacred space.

Basically all that is involved is as you speak the words, to think about what you are saying .. how do they resonate with you? Do you actually believe in the words?

If you feel that there are certain words which make you feel uncomfortable or unsure of, then have a go at writing your own Prayer of Becoming.

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Prayer of Becoming

May clarity grow within Me
Open my eyes to life's many Wonders
May I feel the pulse of all creation within Me

Open my spirit to Awareness
Fill my heart with Understanding
May my life be of service to Earth and the Goddess

Open my ears to the needs of those around Me
Make my hands strong & gentle in Your Service
May I remember always, the Goddess works through Me

Breathing in the Goddess

This exercise has been taken from Z Budapest's Dianic University sample lecture.  I personally like it because it helps to make us aware of the Universe, the cosmos around us - not to mention our place within it.

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Hold up your hands to the Heavens and breathe in deeply seven times, each time follow your breath with your consciousness to each part of your body, starting from the head, moving to your throat, your heart, your breasts your solar plexus, to your genitals and finally to your feet. With each breath you are bringing in blessings from the Universe.

In Silent Contemplation

As the venue used by The Goddess House for our monthly devotional services and healing circles is the covenstead of the Temple of the Dark Moon runs, this means that just prior to each service I strip the Temple's altar and create something more fitting for The Goddess House. 

Usually the altar resembles something  of a gathering of Goddesses as I love sharing my collection of statues with others.  For the upcoming April service however, I decided to make the focal point the beautiful piece of artwork that was gifted to The Goddess House by a regular attendee, Tara-Jade.

Adding a beautiful lotus candle that I recently found in my local Asian grocers, surrounded by devotional candles for all those who will be attending on Tuesday night, I cannot wait to see what my creation actually looks like in the subtle hue of the flickering candles.

As we will also be including a special rite in honour of the passing of Merlin Stone, I have added to the altar two statues of the more ancient Goddesses that I have, being what Marija Gimbutas described as a Snake Goddess (left of picture) and and Bird headed Goddess. 

Now that the altar has been prepared, all that is left for me to do is to finalise the handouts for the month and decide what passages from Stone's books "When God was a Woman" and "Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood" I will share ....

Prayers to the Goddess

Throughout time and across the ages there have been recorded various praises, chants and prayers written to the various guises of the Goddess.  In the West, those from the Catholic faith will be familiar with the "Hail Mary" prayer ..

"Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee,

Blessed are Thou, Amongst Women,

And Blessed in the Fruit of thy Womb, Jesus;

Holy Mary, Mother of God,

Pray for us sinners,

Now, and at the hour of our death, Amen."

In Honour of Merlin Stone

"Yet rather than calling the earliest religions, which embraced such an open acceptance of all human sexuality, 'fertility cults', we might consider the religions of today as strange in that they seem to associate shame and even sin with the very process of conceiving new human life. Perhaps centuries from now scholars and historians will be classifying them as 'sterility cults."

- Merlin Stone ("When God was a Woman")

On 23 February 2011, sculptor, professor in art and art history, and feminist author, Merlin Stone, passed away.  She was 80 years of age and had been suffering a long illness along with complications due to dementia.

Reflections on Autumn and the Goddess Oya

In looking for a suitable Goddess associated with the Autumn Equinox and the season of change,

I came across this wonderful piece written by Asha Oshun'Mali that I thought I would share.

Autumn is the season of change. Perhaps, because I was born in this season; is why I find it to be such a powerful one. Autumn brings to my mind, the power of the Goddess Oya. Oya, the Yoruba Goddess of the winds of change, is one of the most powerful orishas of the Yoruba pantheon. In myth, Oya is said to be one of the three wives of the god Shango-the patron of thunder and lightning.

Her sister Oshun, one of Sango’s other wives, is the Goddess of birth, love, creativity, sexuality, and growth, often associated with spring and summer. Oya however, is the sizzling sound you hear just before lightening strikes, (her husband goes no where with out her) the tornado, hurricane and typhoon; and the raging wind-even when no storms are near.