The wheel turns, the seasons change and as we look to the skies and welcome the warmth of spring we should be looking to the gardens of our minds. Have we planted the seeds that we will nurture and grow into beautiful blossoms? Now is a time to look within ourselves, walk through the mists, and break from the hibernating ideas and make them sow. Spring is a time for cleaning out the cobwebs, breaking old habits and making a fresh start. Just as the green breaks through the soil, so should you have a break-through. Prepare your garden, gather your seeds, your gardening tools, and make ready for all the various flowering ideas. If you feel like you have a black-thumb rather than a green one, Tidewater Pagan Women are your guides in creating a beautiful garden. Walk with us to the fields, let the sun warm you, relax your mind and open yourself to the concept of the �I CAN� and �I WILL�. There are so many resources, sometimes it can be overwhelming. Take it one thing at a time, don�t try to harvest before your seeds have even begun to grow. Women�s mysteries, our shadows, our very essence is a complicated thing. You are among those that walk with you on the same trail. A path to spiritual growth. Sisterhood is a safe haven for achievement. As the weather warms, begin by taking small steps even the smallest task can achieve greatness. Ask yourself these questions: How often do I take time for myself to make assessments of my life? Do I take time to just sit quietly and meditate? Do I know how to meditate? When I meditate do I have expectations? Journal these ideas. Journaling is a valuable tool. You don�t have to be a creative writer, there will be no editor to critique your ideas. As you write, write freely even if it�s a statement, a list, a concept, anything at all, it�s a beginning. Think about your mood, write it at the top of the page. Begin with �Today I feel�. Through journaling you will be surprised at what you discover about yourself. Date the pages, go back from time to time and look at the beginnings again, have you changed your thought process? Have you made new discoveries? Are there certain things about yourself that repeat? Are you taking an active role in your own spiritual growth? Meditation Is A Valuable Tool Now that the weather is more pleasant, take time to sit outside in nature. Listen to the sounds of the wind, the birds, the insects, the trees, the water flowing in a near by stream. Close your eyes and be one with nature. Clear your mind, and let the sounds flow through you. Just sit, relax and just be. Meditation is simple, but it does take practice. The world is a chaotic place, and it can be difficult to let it fade away and leave only you. Through time and dedication, you will be able to successfully meditate. You may see visions, messages from your subconscious, a new idea may spark, or a realization. Create a garden in our mind, plant positive thoughts, positive goals, and remember �YOU CAN� and �YOU WILL�. Today Sometimes we need a little help to get started. If you read the above and said to yourself �I CAN�T� or �I�M NOT GOOD AT�.� Well, those are weeds! As you know, weeds can deplete the water source to our flowers, sometimes even strangle them! Pull them out! Get rid of them! Remember to keep a positive thought process. Rather than thinking of all the weaknesses you have, think about your strengths. Look in the mirror each day, and say something good about you. As women, we all have something about ourselves that we are unhappy with. Too much weight, not pretty enough, grays in our hair, some of us are even losing our hair. But rather than seeing those attributes, see the ones you love. Say things like �I have pretty eyes�, �I am strong�, �I can do this�, �I will do this�. Begin your day with an affirmation. Today I will�.. Create my day Hold my head up high and walk confidently Be kind to others and kindness will be returned Smile, laugh, and find joy in today The Season of Spring Spring is not a happy time for everyone. Just because the season outside our window wears the face of spring doesn't mean that it's spring in the heart. How are we, like the buds of the earth, opening to the Goddess and to others? What secrets buried deep in the soil of our soul are being revealed to us? During this season it is helpful to take a little time to meditate on the return of life The spring is a time for getting outdoors. More and more activities are available in your local community, you only need to look. If there isn�t anything of interest for you, create your own! Gather some friends, go on a nature walk, try to identify flowers, herbs and creatures along your way. Have a picnic, or create something that mimics nature. Gather things found in nature like rocks, leaves, twigs, soil and create a sculpture and write a message in the earth for anyone to discover. Find a meditation spot, create an altar and honor the great mother Gaia. Take an active role in caring for the great mother earth that carries us on her back. "First in my prayer, before all other deities, I call upon Gaia, Primeval Prophetess . . . The Greek great earth mother." ~Aeschylus~ Gaia, the beautiful, rose up, Broad blossomed, she that is the steadfast base Of all things. And fair Gaia first bore The starry Heaven, equal to herself, To cover her on all sides and to be A home forever for the blessed Gods. Oh Goddess, Source of Gods and Mortals, All-Fertile, All-Destroying Gaia, Mother of All, Who brings forth the bounteous fruits and flowers, All variety, Maiden who anchors the eternal world in our own, Immortal, Blessed, crowned with every grace, Deep bosomed Earth, sweet plains and fields fragrant grasses in the nurturing rains, Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine, Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of Your children, And make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care, with the fertile seasons Your handmaidens, Draw near, and bless your supplicants. ~Orphic Hymn to Gaia~ translated and interpreted by Virginia Stewart, M.Ed. Gaia�s Story GAIA (Gaea) was Mother Earth in Ancient Crete and Greece (the Greek common noun for "land" is ge or ga) . Her Roman name was Terra, she was Apia and Ghe in the Near East. Some of her alternate names are also: Ge and Ma. Mythology: In the beginning there was only formless chaos: light and dark. Then chaos settled into form, and that form was Gaia. Gaia, the Earth was the firstborn from Chaos, the great void of emptiness within the universe. She gave birth to Uranus (the Sky), Pontus (the Sea) and Ourea (Mountains). Gaia was honored on the Isle of Crete 5,000 years ago by the Minoan civilization. This civilization valued education, art, science, recreation, and the environment. They believed that the Earth is directly connected to its existence and daily life. The current theories of the Gaia concept stem from this ancient view that the Earth is a living entity. Gaiam (pronounced "guy-um"), is a fusion of the words "Gaia" and "I am" and represents awareness and support of the interconnectivity of ourselves with the Earth and all living things. Believe that all of the Earth's living matter, air, oceans and land form an interconnected system that can be seen as a single entity. In Greek mythology we can track the cycle that archeology has now confirmed �: the movement from the matriarchal to the patriarchal � from Mother Earth goddess Gaia, who embodies fertility and protects life, to a dominant male sky god who embodies vast power over the earth. As aggressive Achaeans invaded what would become Greece, their male-dominated religions fused with the existing female religions. The Hellenic invasion of Crete destroyed the peace-loving, goddess and Earth worshiping culture of the Minoan-Mycenaean. Gaia was supplemented and replaced by male sky gods in a patriarchal rise, when the immortal kingdom of Zeus was established on Mt. Olympus about 1400 BC. (The earliest buildings, even during the Mycenaean period on Crete, were still dedicated to Gaia). The suppression of Gaia in Crete was part of the cycle moving away from a female culture to a male dominated society that started in fourth millennium B.C. This trend was further strengthened by the continued suppression of the sacred feminine during last two thousand years. This cycle is reversing. GAIA Speaks Why do you rape Me? Over and over, you rape Me. The tearing, the burning, the slashing - gouging of My insides, scraping Me clean, causing me enormous pain and suffering. And though I forgive you, My children; My beautiful, ignorant, imperfect children, know this: the four-legged creatures of the plains, the birds that soar above the foothills, and the glassy-eyed fish of the ocean have more respect for Me than you. Your forward-thinking has instead taken you backwards, away from the enlightenment I sought for you. As you grew from the barrel-chested men and women who ran from lightening and sought shelter in caves, your intellect and abstract thinking grew, allowing you to make amazing discoveries on your journey. And yet the quest for power and the sting of greed has caused you, over the ages, to turn your back on me. I birthed you, along with all the creatures of the Earth and nourished you at My breast. I gave you trees, and clay and brush to build your shelter. I gave you fire to keep you warm. I gave you beasts to feed and clothe you and great, pouring rains and rivers to quench your thirst. I planted within you the seed of innovation to carry you forward through your evolution and it has somehow backfired. Giant yellow machines now tear the trees from My flesh, and burrow holes into Me. Concrete is poured over miles of My skin, suffocating Me, stifling My life-force. The creatures that I created to share the Earth with you are now being hunted for sport � they die in vain every day by the millions. They are herded, penned and often times tortured. You do no honor them as you should. You do not honor Me. And isn't it enough that you have turned on the creatures you see as lesser beings?. You have turned on each other. Your wars and battles, led by your patriarchal leaders are eating away at Me. You are consuming Me, as cannibals once consumed the flesh of their kin and enemies. Which am I? Why do you treat Me as an enemy, as something to be conquered? I Am your Mother. I Am your Creator. I love you, My Children. But My wrath will be felt. I cannot sustain you if there is nothing left of me, so you will feel My suffering in the earthquakes that tumble your structures. In the mudslides that bury you. In the lava that shoots from the mouth of my peaks that overwhelm and incinerate you. I do this not as punishment, my children, but as a lesson to you. Your lessons will be hard, and many will suffer. I do this, as I have always done this. And now you must see it for what it is. I am Here. I am She. And you are Me. Destroy Me, and you destroy yourselves. Leave behind your bombs, and your bottled viruses. Banish the hate, the greed and set aside your differences. Honor each other and you will honor Me. Nourish Me, as I have nourished you. Embrace Me again, and know that I have provided for you. Love Me and you will love yourselves. "Rowan" Feb. 2006 (A. E. Grissom) Goddess Wisdom Surrender and open to something greater. Open yourself to new experiences and integrate your knowledge with heart and soul. Connect with all the abundant, divine, cosmic, orgasmic Goddess energy available to you. Surround yourself by positive thinkers. Take time to connect with and listen to your own deep enriching wisdom. Meet challenges face to face. Don�t hide in the shadows. Go within and strengthen your center. Laugh and see the humor in all of life's challenges. Acknowledge your fears and walk through them. Stop using your creativity to create self-doubt. Give yourself the mothering you need to heal past wounds. Take time to identify and lick those wounds. Surrender to the journey. Learn to come home to yourself. Embrace the unknown. Give yourself pleasure daily. Honor and listen to all parts of yourself. Honor your sexuality...connect with that vital, primal, spiritual, regenerating energy and express it. Accelerate transformation points which bring opportunities. Embrace experiences, risks and occasions that cause you to stretch. Boundaries are vital...they let others know who you are and where you stand. Accept and acknowledge your feelings. Move through your grief so the healing can come. Move at your own pace. Open to the mystery and trust that it will bring you exactly what you need on your journey. Focus your time and attention on your body, respect and give play to your senses and sensuality. Embrace change, accept it , dance with it and be blessed with an abundance of possibility. Connect with Mother Earth, open to her vital energy and give thanks. Awaken to your potential and power. Pay attention to all that life is telling you. Don't let doubt erode your sacred self. Don't waste valuable energy and time being a victim...recognize it and change the pattern by empowering yourself. Nurture yourself with order that assists rather than chokes your life force. Flow with your own unique beat, don�t fight it. Choose your beliefs to serve your highest good. Be aware of illusion, lift the veils, experience the reality and feel the power. Take responsibility for your life...be "The Goddess of your domain". Celebrate the power of your life's cycles. Every step on the path of life is also a step toward death and rebirth. Take in the sparkle and crackle of inspiration. Engage in play. Get in touch with your Wild Woman and integrate her. Let go and dance your life�s dance. Honor, respect and give time to yourself. Learn to express anger and transform it so it empowers and energizes you. Recognize your own needs and put them first. Expand your awareness, experience the whole of creation to gain the perspective of other life forms. Hold infinite space and patience for yourself first, then extend it to others. Develop compassion for yourself. See who you really are, accept what you see and strive to heal what needs to be healed. Look wide-eyed into the mirror of your soul. Recognize and live from abundance. Connect with, come to terms with and accept your power. Accept the loving nature of justice which seeks to right all wrongs by administering the lessons needed. Goddess Aromatherapy A synergistic blend of essential oils designed to promote positive feeling of self, relieve tension, anxiety, stress, anger, depression, insecurity, fatigue, moodiness, balance body, mind and spirit, balance central nervous system, balance, ground, instill peace, confidence, joy, connect crown and base chakras. Nurture your inner goddess with this relaxing and "balancing" perfume oil that celebrates the essence of women. Sweet orange, heather, lavender, jasmine, rosewood, patchouli, rose geranium, may chang, bergamot, and muhuhu. Carrier Oil: Sweet Almond. Experiment with these oils, make it your own. You select the number of drops for each scent to your liking. Goddess Spring Rolls Crisp Lettuce Leaves (Iceberg or other) Cream Cheese Bean Sprouts Oil & Vinegar Spread cream cheese on leaves, spread bean sprouts, sprinkle a little season of your choice and a little oil & vinegar, roll and eat! A meal fit for a Goddess! Spring is in the air, let it flow through you. Take care of the gardens of your mind, take care of our great mother Gaia, and Goddess Bless! |
| Tidewater Pagan Women Spring Newsletter 2006 |
| Thank You Alison for the wonderful Newsletter!!!! |