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.