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| Mary Cassatt Mother and Child |
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Honor the Goddess-Your Mother
Mother's Day
One day out of the Calendar year to honour your Mother. We are all born of women, issue from
the Feminine body, everyone has a Mother.
We all come from the Goddess.
All of humanity has this one single fact in common, regardless of race, religion or creed.
Mother is the Prime Force, the Source, the womb, a Mother's heartbeat, birth, nourishment, survival,
love.
All six billion and counting of us humans have one common Mother -The
EArth Herself.
Words & music by Paul Simon
No I would
not give you false hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away,
oh, little darling of mine.
I can't for the life of me
Remember a sadder day
I know they say let it be
But it
just don't work out that way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again
No I would not give you false
hope
On this strange and mournful day
But the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away, oh, little darling
of mine.
I just can't believe it's so,
and though it seems strange to say
I never been laid so low
In such
a mysterious way
And the course of a lifetime runs
Over and over again
But I would not give you false hope
On
this strange and mournful day
When the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a motion away,
Oh, oh the mother and child
reunion
Is only a motion away
Oh the mother and child reu-nion
Is only a moment away
The Goddess Remembered
The Goddess Remembered a National Film Board of Canada documentary 1988.
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May Day Magic, Beltane, Faeries and FERTILITY FESTIVAL |
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| by Margaret Tarrant |
May Day Magic, Beltane, Faeries and FERTILITY FESTIVAL
Beltane means "fire of Bel" or "bright fire"
- the "bale-fire". (English - bale; Anglo-Saxon bael; Lithuanian baltas (white)) Bel (Bel, Bile, Beli, Belinus, Belenos) is
the known as the bright and shinning one, a Celtic Sun God. Beli is the father, protector, and the husband of the Mother Goddess.
So this is a traditional Fertility and Sacred Marriage Festival of the Sun to the Earth. The Bel fire is a sacred fire with
healing and purifying powers. The fires further celebrate the return of life, fruitfulness to the earth and the burning away
of winter. The ashes of the Beltane fires were smudged on faces and scattered in the fields. Household fires would be extinguished
and re-lit with fresh fire from the Bel Fires.
As Beltane marks this handfasting (wedding) of the Goddess and God,
it too marks the reawakening of the earth's fertility in its fullest. This is the union between the Great Mother and her Young
Consort, this coupling brings new life on earth. It is on a Spiritual level, the unifying of the Divine Masculine and the
Divine Feminine to bring forth the third, consciousness. On the physical, it is the union of the Earth and Sun to bring about
the fruitfulness of the growing season.
This Festival is one of the 8 Wiccan Nature festival celebrations in the Great Round of the Year. It is the
3rd of the Fertility festivals in ancient celebrations the first of these being Imbolc Feb 2nd, the 2nd the Spring Equinox. This is the mid-point between Spring and Summer. Mother nature shows Herself alive
again, flowers are blooming, new life is sprouting, birds are mating and busy building nests, bees are buzzing. This is a celebration for the upcoming apex of Light and Life to come at Midsummer’s Eve, the Summer
Solstice. Every stage along the way of the unfolding of the Year it’s birth, growth, harvest, death and renewal in the
Year is celebrated by pagans, Native Americans and indigenous peoples all over the world since the beginning of time. Beltane
was a very auspicious time in Celtic lore.
Beltane is marked in the Heavens as the rising of the Pleiades
star cluster just before sunrise on the morning horizon, whereas winter (Samhain/Halloween) begins when the Pleiades rises
at sunset. The Pleiades is a cluster of seven closely placed stars, the seven sisters, in the constellation of Taurus, near
his shoulder. The Pleiades looks like a tiny dipper-shaped pattern of six moderately bright stars (the seventh can be seen
on very dark nights) in the constellation of Taurus. It stands very low in the east-northeast sky for just a few minutes before
sunrise. The Pleiades were very important to many ancient cultures. Some Native American tribes say that their Ancestors were
Star Beings who came from the Pleiades. In Japan, the modern car Subaru means Pleiades and 6 of the stars are shown on it’s
symbol. {We’ve always driven Subaru’s partly for this reason.}
The Ancients
believed that the Wheel of Time would not turn without human intervention, People did everything in their power to honour
and call and beckon the Sun and His light, for the earth would not produce life without the Sun’s warmth, his Love.
We usually don’t think of the Sun as a Loving God anymore. It is important to honour these Nature Festivals, or turning
of the Wheel of the Year, our ancestors did so for thousands of years. Not so long ago when we lived off the land, grew our
own food, harvested our own food we needed to be directly in touch with the earth and Mother Nature herself. It was and is
She who birthed us, our ancestors, gives us the gift of Life and nourishment, and Honouring and respecting her power was and
is of great importance. If we’re not in Right Relationship with other Nature then woe be to those who feel her wrath-
and we have- Hurricane Katrina, the Great Tsunami in Indonesia, earthquakes, mudslides, drought, flooding etc. There was an old margarine commercial “It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature?” As
we’ve been trying to fool Mother Nature for many years now and continue to do so in the Industrialized world, balance
can be attained by participating in these kind of Ancient Festivals. Neo-tribalism is a necessity now. Nature abhors a vacuum.
It’s up to each one of us to fill the vacuum of industrialized chemicals, farming, GMO, disregard for Nature, the Feminine
the Goddess. This is definitely a “walk tour talk” side, an extension of
Earth Day.
Faeries
Beltane
and Halloween divide the year into two primary seasons winter and summer. In the Celtic and Native American Traditions winter
and summer began earlier than in our modern calendar. This is the Festival of Life and Halloween the Festival of Death.Beltane,
like Halloween is a time when the veil between the Faery Worlds and the human world is thinnest. It is a magical “no
time” At this day the Faeries come out carefree and full of mischief. In Ancient times people would place rowan tree
branches on their doors and windows as protection.
May Day
is a magical day so be aware of incidents that may occur. The Queen of the Faeries
is said to ride out on her white hose and trying to entice people away to Faeryland. Legend says that if you sit beneath a tree on Beltane night, you may see the Faery Queen in all Her Glory or hear the sound
of Her horses’s belles as She rides throughout the night. The Scottish ballad, Thomas the Rhymer, describes how Thomas
chooses to go the Faeryland with the Queen and has not been seen since.
FERTILITY
Young men
and women wandered into the woods before daybreak of May Day morning with garlands of flowers and/or branches of trees. They
would make love in the woods, and dance around the Maypole. Pre-Christian society's thoughts about human sexuality and fertility
were not based on guilt or any such concept as original sin, but seen as a joyous natural expression of human passions. Life
was seen as a joyful dance, rich in all beauty to be celebrated not defined ordered, made lawful.
The Maypole is an important element to Beltane festivities, a tall pole decorated with long brightly
colored ribbons, leaves, flowers and wreaths. Young maidens and lads each hold the end of a ribbon, and create a revolving
dance around the base of the pole, interweaving the ribbons. The circle dancers should begin, as far out from the pole as
the length of ribbon allows, so the ribbons are taut. There should be an even number of boys & girls. Boys should be facing
clockwise and girls counterclockwise. They each move in the direction that they are facing, weaving with the next, around
to braid the ribbons over-and-under around the pole. Those passing on the inside will have to duck, those passing on the outside
raise their ribbons to slide over. As the dances revolve around the pole the ribbons will weave creating a pattern, it is
said that the pattern will indicate the abundance of harvest year.
The Maypole dance
as an important aspect of encouraging the return of fertility to the earth. Traditionally the Maypole is hung with flowers
and fruits, breads cookies hung from trees and bushes. The pole itself is not
only phallic in symbolism but also is the connector of the three worlds. Dancing the Maypole during Beltane is magical experience
as it is a conduit of energy, connecting all three worlds at a time when these gateways are more easily penetrable. As people
gaily dance around and around the pole holding the brightly colored ribbons, the energy it raises is sent down into the earth's
womb, bringing about Her full awakening and fruitfulness.
Flowers, flower
wreaths and garlands are typical decorations for this holiday, as well as ribbons and streamers. Flowers are a crucial symbol
of Beltane, they signal the victory of Summer over Winter and the blossoming of sensuality in all of nature and the bounty
it will bring.
BELTANE FIRES
On
Beltane eve the Celts would build two large fires, Bel Fires, lit from the nine sacred woods. The Bel Fire is an invocation
to Bel (Sun God) to bring His blessings and protection to the tribe. The herds were ritually driven between two needfires
(fein cigin), built on a knoll. The herds were driven through to purify, bring luck and protect them as well as to insure
their fertility before they were taken to summer grazing lands.
The Bonfires are
lit in the South. Participants, in an act of purification and for luck jump over the fire calling out loudly what it is they
wish each time they jump. Lovers jump the fires together, holding hands to cleanse their relationships of petty disharmonies.
Whatever it is you wish to cleanse from your life-claim it and so it shall be.
WATER
Water
is another important association of Beltane, water is refreshing and rejuvenating, it is also imperative to life. It is said
that if you bathe in the dew gathered before dawn on Beltane morn, your beauty will flourish throughout the year. Those who
are sprinkled with May dew are insured of health and happiness. There are other folk customs such as drinking from the well
before sunrise on Beltane Morn to insure good health and fortune.
MODERN RITUAL
If you can’t
manage a bonfire, simply lighting a small fire will do. Intention is everything, so light a small fire in your home safely,
write down what it is you want to dispel from your life and burn it in the flames. Or you could do a Jack be nimble Jack be
quick and jump over a candle on the floor, very carefully for luck. If you are in a partnership cleanse it of disharmony,
rekindle your vows. Drink water empowered with Love by focusing on sending love to even a glass of water or a pitcher of water,
as Dr, Emoto has shown sending love to water changes its’ crystalline structure. Empower the water with love and pour
it on yourself your plants, your garden your threshold, your loved ones. Festoon your doorknobs with flowers, or hang flowers
outside your home.
DANCE
Dancing around a
Maypole may not be easily done these days, so simply imagine the May Pole the ancient boys and girls with the colored ribbons
in their hands interweaving in and out to form the spiral pattern around the pole. Enjoy, celebrate, send prayers to the Sun
and the Mother Earth. Dance with the Faeries, invite them into your home and your heart.
Right on cue the Planet Venus, Goddess of love and beauty just entered her home sign of Taurus yesterday. The lovely
planet is at her best in Taurus. Make love, be sensual, romantic, soak in a lovely flower strewn bath, this is Taurus energy.
Participating with the thousands of neo-pagans, witches and all other indigenous peoples at this time helps boost the energy,
Honoring the Sacred Marriage of the Earth and the Sun without honors the Sacred Marriage within. This is the entire goal of
Alchemy, of turning lead into Gold. When we each do our parts to come into balance within ourselves in our local environment
the Earth and the Sun, balance is restored throughout the Universe.
Enjoy!
Halloween is Witches New Year. Remember the Burning Times by Tara Greene copright
Halloween Samhain The Witches New Year
These days Halloween has become another day in the year in which to sell lots of scary rubber and plastic paraphernalia, fake
blood, creaky coffin lid opening soundtracks, the Monster Mash, etc etc. another commercial holiday. Children dressed in costumes
go door to door with their pillowcases {environmentally friendly} asking Trick or Treat! The kiddies are given way too much
sugar, and carefully pre-packaged non interfered with goods. Adults these days get into the Halloween theme by dressing up-
straight guys love to be able to go out in drag on Halloween and generally party, funkily “spook-up” their environments
and drink a lot. Lots of scary movies get shown.
But let’s not forget the origins of Halloween. It is Hallowed Evening. A Holy Evening, the Ancient Pagan/Wiccan New
Year during the month when the Sun is in Scorpio, sign of Birth Death and Transformation. It is close to the mid-point between
Autumn and Winter Solstice. Death is Rebirth. Wiccans honour this eve as the night when the veil between the two worlds is
thinnest and much scrying, gazing into crystal balls and connecting with the spirits of the dead goes on as this night offers
easiest access.
The Wheel of the Year Turns and this is a Sabbat or Sabbath Night, covens gather to do Ceremony. This is a Sacred not a Scared
Night.
I wish in the midst of your pumpkin carving and revelry that you take time out to honour this day as it was originally intended.
Remember in the midst of all the superficial trappings of Halloween, the hundreds of thousands, some say up to 9,000,000 mainly
women, children and men who were accused of being witches by the Catholic Church who were tortured and burned at the stake.
Old women, crones, medicine women, herbalists, midwives, pagans,their families, the poor, all innocent people who lived in
harmony with Nature, who Loved their Mother the Earth, who knew the Wise Women Ways, the ancient ways to heal, to tend the
sick, the dying, the mothers giving birth. It was a mysogynist Nazi Christian tyranny that went on for over 300 years in Europe
and to the New World where the last woman was burned at the stake at Salem. Remember this Holocaust because it wasn’t
so long ago. You didn’t have to be Jewish or Muslim you mainly just had to be a woman and therefore evil in the sainted
eyes of the Holy Christian Church.
| Witch Burning |
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I remember my own burning, the Inquisitors {one of whom turned out to be in this present life, my first husband, and a couple
of Real Estate Agents, one Jewish, one Black} I relived this memory of my past life during a Holotropic Breathwork session.
Many other women also relived the same experiences. It was horrible, my own two children were forced to stand and watch as
their mother was tied to the stake and the fire lit. Of course I wasn’t meek or mild, I screamed and cursed them all
for their inhumanity and ignorance, for their sadism and cruelty.
Those 100,000-200,000 to 9 million innocent souls who were terribly tortured and burned are back now on this earth.
Deep in the cells of your being in your cellular consciousness be you male or female at this time, you remember the Burning
Times when you lived in total fear, when you hid you pagan religion, your ability to help, to heal, when tyranny was all around
and anyone could accuse you of being a witch thereby ensuring your almost certain death. Watch The Burning Times a Canada
Film Board movie which chronicles in detail this stain upon humanity.
Light a candle for those hundreds of thousands of souls who were innocent and remember what it was like. Given 6 degrees of
separation you or someone you love, your children or your dog or cat, a friend or even your landlord was surely enough one
of those people.
It’s time to acknowledge the deep pain in the shadows of our unconscious. The only way to heal it is to acknowledge
that shadow, let the tears flow, the grief, the agony. This brings it out of unconsciousness otherwise that shadow control
our actions unconsciously and allows us to keep inflicting pain on others and self, believing that we are not worthy, not
lovable, deceitful, sinners,powerless. There is a collective shadow of women being afraid to hold their power and beauty.
As this is a New Year in the Ancient Count of Days Light a Candle of Illumination and Enlightenment and go beyond the rage,
the anger into Love and Forgiveness. For the only way out is to forgive the accusers for their ignorance. This takes great
strength and courage, for as you Forgive them you also forgive yourself and allow yourself to be free of the past.
They will have gotten their karmic comeupance.
| Year of the Golden Fire Pig 2007 |
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Groundhog Day/ST. Brigid's Day/Candlemas/Imbolc
Copyright 2002-2007 Tara Greene - All Rights Reserved
Feb. 1st –2nd Traditional Irish and Pagan Holiday Celebrations
Traditionally what we know as Groundhog Day was and is, on Feb 1st or 2nd is celebrated in the Modern Irish Calendar as Saint
Brigid’s Day,or Bride’s Day, both a Catholic and Pagan Celebration of an ancient Goddess tradition, also called
Imbolc, still celebrated by Wiccans/Pagan based Earth honouring religions. Christians overlaid the Ancient Goddess worshipers’
holiday renaming it Candlemas or the fest of the Purification of the Virgin. This celebration also relates to the midpoint
between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox.
It is a “cross-quarter” day in the 8 rounds of the Wheel of Time in the Solar based year. Since the Celtic Year
was based on both lunar and solar cycles, it is most likely the holiday would be celebrated on the Full Moon nearest those
2 midpoints, when early spring flowers would begin to rise up through the snow, and snakes would come out of the ground. This
is the precursor of the Groundhog, which the Romans replaced with a Hedgehog, which we... On Feb. 2nd this year there is a
Full Moon in Leo at 12:45 am EST.
That Ancient peoples of Ireland kept this day as very sacred. At the Megalithic and Neolithic sites, such as the Loughcrew
burial mounds and the Mound of the Hostages in Tara, Ireland, the inner chambers of the passage tombs are perfectly aligned
with the rising sun of both Imbolc and Samhain attesting to the value placed on this day.
Triple Goddess/Saint Brigid/Bride
She is according to Robert Graves, the most Ancient Triple Goddess worshipped since time out of mind. The Goddess rules over
scholars and poets. She is the Goddess of fire and inspirations in Ireland, the Goddess of poetry, creativity, smithcraft
and healing. She also rules healing with water, and divination. She is said to rule over people who work with cows and chickens,
brewers, fugitives, midwives, infants, printers, sailors, travelers, New Zealand, & Irish nuns. This day symbolizes a time
of transitions, initiations, new beginnings, of planting seeds that will sprout later. Brigid/Birgita represents the light
half of the year,Her power brings the people out of the dark season of winter into spring, so, it is a very important time
of the year.
She is the Goddess of Augury
In the Druidic tradition, poetry and augury were associated. She is patron of prophets and seers.
Celtic seers divined by looking into deep water and into flames. This is a great time to do divination.
Triple Goddess
She has two sisters with the same name. One aspect of her carries a blacksmith tongs and a sword, because she is also patroness
of war; another aspect holds 2 healing snakes, from which the modern Doctor’s symbol is derived, the caduceus, the third
aspect carries a wand with a crescent moon and a tablet.
Elements
Brigid rules the Waters. Many healing springs are dedicated to Brigid. Natural bodies of water also signify Her presence,
particularly where three streams joined together. She also rules Fire, so it is customary to make candles for the coming year
and bless them on this day.
Protecting Goddess
In her aspect as Brigantia, she carries a spear, an orb of victory, and wears a war crown. She symbolizes protection of the
country from invaders and slavery.
Midwives
As Patroness of Midwives, she was invoked at the door of the home where the woman was giving birth, by the midwife. Who speke:
Bride, Bride, come in! Thy welcome is truly made, Give thou relief to the woman, And give thou the conception to the Trinity.
Brigid is the guardian of every newborn, their cradles protected with a woven Brigit’s Cross, an equal armed cross.
Upon a safe delivery, the infant was blessed or “sained” by the midwife, with 3 drops of water on the child’s
forehead, dedicating the Child to the Triple Goddess. The “Holy Trinity” in its modernized Christian aspect, was
just an overlay of the Goddess Triple Aspect since time out of memory. A candle was carried ‘round the bed sun wise
three times. As Brigid is a Solar Goddess. We think of the Sun as masculine but originally all aspects of the Universe were
considered Feminine.
Brigid Ruler of the Hearth
Especially in Gaelic Scotland, Brigid’s dolls are placed near the hearth on her Feast Day. The doll is usually dressed
in white, decorated. A white wand is placed in her bed as a fertility charm. As she is patroness of agriculture, pastures,
livestock, and abundance. An offering is made to her of dairy products. The Brigid doll is kept throughout the year near the
hearth hung on a wall, or by a door, as a talisman of protection, then burnt the next year.
Light a Candle and Invoke the Goddess at this time-
I kindle this candle in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Smiths,
I sain this house in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Healers,
I smoor this candle in the name of Brighid, Goddess of Poets.
One folk tradition still continues in both Christian and Pagan homes on St. Brigid’s Day is that of St. Brigid’s
Bed. Girls and young unmarried women create corn dollies to represent Brigid, these are adorned with ribbons, baubles shells
or stones. A bed is made for the doll to lie in. On St. Brigid’s Eve Jan 31, the girls gather together in one house
and stay up all night with the doll, are are later visited by all the young men, who ask permission to enter the home, and
then treat the young maidens and the dolly with respect. The next day the girls carry the doll through the neighbourhood from
house to house, where she is welcomed with great honour. Adult women stay home to welcome the Brigid procession and offer
snacks and coins to the young girls and maidens.
Brigid is said to walk the earth on Imbolc eve. Feb 1st. Before going to bed, each member of the household may leave a piece
of clothing or strip of fabric outside for Brigid to bless. The cloth are brought inside the next morning, believed to now
have the powers of healing and protection.
BRIGID is alive and well.
The name “Britain” is a derivation of Brigit’s name. Britain was named for an ancient Celtic tribe, the
Brigantes, who were the largest Celtic tribe in the country in pre-Roman times who worshipped Her as their Deity. The tribe
originated from an area now called Bregenz in Austria near Lake Constance. The word “brigand” comes from this
tribe of fierce warriors. Her symbol is a flaming spear. Her worship spread, leaving behind places named in Her honour-Brittany
in France, Brechin in Scotland, the name Brent, in England, any name containing Bride. Britain’s symbol, the Goddess
Brigantia, still found on their 50 cent coin is Brigid in her aspect as Goddess of the Land. In Old German/Yiddish the word
“Fabrent” meaning burnt honours this Ancient Goddess. Of course Britany Spears is carrying the modern archetype
of Brigid, and strangely enough one of Brigid’s symbols is a flaming spear!
A Sample of prayers used at St. Bridgid’s Day
Light 1 candle-
We gather together in this time of darkness. We look to the return of the light.
We look to the first light of Spring.
(Light two more candles.)
Goddess Midwife: Healer, Nurturer, and Herbalist.
Goddess Poetess: Bringer of Wisdom, Guidance and Prophesy.
Goddess Smithcraft: Keeper of Fire, Craftswomen, and Transformation.
Maiden, Mother, and Crone – A Triple Goddess.
Her symbols are Brigid’s cross, the flaming arrow, Brigid’s bed.
It was customary to write wishes upon scraps of cloth
and tie them to the bushes near her sacred wells.
This is Her Time of Year, a very special moment.
Her day is the Second of February,
A day upon which to seek wisdom from inside the Earth.
In the time before Patrick, serpents were sent
because they dwell in both worlds, above ground and below.
In Christian Times, the serpent became a Groundhog.
Our lady is a goddess of many aspects: Crone, Matron,
but she is pictured most often as the maiden.
Chant: Welcome Brigid, Welcome Brigid (the burning arrow of the power – Bridgette)
(Candles are lit. Maiden Goddess appears.)
Brigid: Blessings of the season upon you, my People.
I am She, that is the natural mother of all things,
Mistress and governess of all the elements,
The initial progeny of worlds,
Chief of the powers divine,
Queen of all that are in the other world,
the principal of them that dwell above,
Manifested alone and under one form
Of all the Gods and Goddesses.
| The White Snake of The Goddess |
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Her Sacred Animals
The Serpent
Two white snakes that spirals upon her wand. This is the symbol adopted by all physicians and healers to this day. Look for
the caduceus at any Doctor or Pharmacist. On this day in the early morning the serpents come out.
"The serpent will come from the hole
On the brown Day of Bride,
Though there should be three feet of snow
On the flat surface of the ground."
| The Raven, keeper of Magic |
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The Raven
This Sacred bird is associated with Brigid, Raven is the bringer of Sacred Law and Magic, as it is in the Native American
Traditions.
Her Sacred Numbers
Her sacred number is 19. Which is the symbol of the Tarot Trump of the Sun. Nineteen Vestal Virgins kept her perpetual flame
in Kildare Ireland. Prayer beads for Brigid have 19 milk white stones, Spells invoking Brigid take 19 days of prayers and
supplications to complete.
| #19 Tarot Trump The SUN |
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Three is also her Sacred Number. Three also being the Symbol of the Great Goddess Mother or Empress in the Tarot.
| The Goddess/The Empress # 3 Major Trump |
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Our modern tradition of the Groundhog coming out of the ground looking for it’s shadow is the most interesting significance
of this overlay to the Ancient Festival.
Meditation, Ceremonial Advice & Prayers of Invocation-
Wear white, light 3 white candles. Have a pot of earth nearby to ground your prayers into and some seeds for planting afterwards.
Invoke Brigid, the Ancient Goddess of Healing, of Poetry of Magic, Fertility and Abundance at this time of transition of seeding
new life of the Ascent of the Light over Darkness to help heal the shadow, your own shadows, may they be seen clearly by the
light of consciouness, that your shadow side be healed, that the Light of the Purifying Flame of Brigid’s spear transform
those shadows into New Light, new growth, love,which will transform the Collective Shadows of the World.
As Brigid is the Patroness of War and Smithcraft,visualize that all weapons are transformed into Ravens, Snakes, into White
Swans-a gift of Grace,or willow or birch wands. Visualize that all weapons of Destruction be turned in to the Healing Cadeusis
wand symbolized by her two intertwining snakes. Visualize the transformation of War into Healing at this time.
Use earth to ground your prayers. At the end of your ceremony plant seeds in the earth which will grow as the Light waxes
every day. We are headed towards Spring with new Hope, Life will renew and continue, with the Goddess’s Blessings.
| Shivaratri Feb 16,2007 |
|
Feb. 16th is an auspicious Hindu Celebration SHIVARATRI
The Great Night of Shiva celebrates the Hindu God’s marriage to Parvati. It is always celebrated on a dark fortnight
in the month of Phalguna.
According to Hindu Mythology Shivarati “Shiva’s Great Night” symbolizes the wedding day of Lord Shiva and
Parvati. Many believe it is the night when Lord Shiva performed the dance of primordial creation, preservation and destruction.
Devotees give a ritual bath to the Lingam {phallic symbol} with a special concoction of milk, sour milk, urine, butter and
dung. Devotees of Lord Shiva chant verses and hymns of praise to their Lord on this night. It is especially important to women,
they pray to the Goddess Parvati to send them good husbands, marital bliss and a long and prosperous married life.
Valentine’s Day
The Wheels of Love doth squeak loudly this Valentine's Day. This V Day is highly affected by the recent fleet footed back
step by Mercury, the winged messenger to the Gods & Goddesses who turned tail yesterday Feb. 13th @ 11:38 pm EST. This dance
step, called a Mercury Retrograde period, occurs because the planet of communications, thinking and analyzing appears to move
backwards in the Heavens, causing havoc amongst those linear minded straight thinking types.
The New York Times wrote an article in reference to this often-gnarly time period called “Don’t shoot the Messenger.”
Mercury’s backwards stage affects everyone and also things- objects related to communicating-computers, plans, etc.
It is a necessary time out, time to re-do, re-think, reflect, rest. It’s like looking through your rear view mirror
in order to realign your positioning, which creates balance.
The Astrological symbol for this Retrograde is Rx-a prescription to just “sleep on it” in order to get re-adjusted
and make whatever creative changes are in order to move forwards later in a more wholesome way. For the Mercury Retro. neophyte-
Mercury does this Rx. thing 3 times a year, for about 6 weeks each time which perfectly mirrors the amount of time that we
humans {in case there are any other entities reading this} spend sleeping, 1/3 of our lives.
Specifics-
Merc. will Retrograde from 10 degrees+ of Pisces, enter Aquarius again on Feb. 26th, turn Direct on March 7th at 25 degrees
of Aquarius, when everything begins to flow ahead again, but won’t recover past ground until March 29th when we can
actually go straight ahead. So that’s quite a long time in which to sharpen our pencils. So be extra careful in all
plans, back up your computers, double-check all meetings, and review, review, review. Mercury won’t enter Aries until
April 10th. Our thinking will have to be tuned into rehashing Aquarian higher mind, and Pisces compassion, finishing up the
Celestial
round until that time.
Valentines’ Day Feb 14- sextiles, double quincunx’s!
Besides the above mentioned, there are also other very squeaky sexy and kinky sounding Sacred Geometric aspects which are
actually cogs in the wheels that make the heart go round and round this year. This one’s called a quincunx- what does
that word bring to mind to you? -weird fetish sex acts amongst 5? Well whatever, a quincunx is actually when a planet is 150
degrees away from another one and the two are in incompatible elements, like fire and earth, or water and fire.
Today we get a double helping. There is a double quincunx- sounds twice as kinky forming. Created when two planets are 60
degrees apart, {called a sextile, an easy aspect} in this case from Mars in Capricorn- the men, all business, to Venus in
Pisces –the women, all spiritual and fuzzy wuzzy- but both planets are quincunxing Saturn in Leo, the Reality Maestro
Supreme, cosmic cop, Grim Reaper, Father Time! Don’t sound too romantic to me. This concoction {a sexy metaphor if there
ever was one} don’t taste too great.
The FINGER of God/Dess-
The plot thickens-when, 2 planets, Mars and Venus in this case, both quincunx another one, Saturn in this case, they form
something called THE FINGER OF GOD or “Oy Vay!” aspect-officially known as a Yod in Astro speake. Sounds like
Fire and Brimstone! Saturn says: Get real! Be mature, have the Martial chutzpah and Leonine courage to open your heart, reveal
your true business which is that we’re all hear to learn about and give and create and make love and receive love in
the end {Venus in Pisces}. So re think sending bouquets of flowers, and buying extravagant gifts this year, tokens of affection.
Why not get right down to the nitty-gritty. It may be better-or at least more real- to just wear your tattered and torn heart
on your sleeve.
Saturn in Leo is also about Big Ego’s, the old Patriarchal hard-liners, Power, and Saturn is presently in opposition
to Neptune, ruler of Pisces, who gently wafts us off to misty pastel pink and violet coloured divine lovers ground. Ahhwww.
So you can see the oppositional dichotomy that what we’re dealing with here. Swallow your wounded pride, Saturn also
Rx. in Leo, allows us to
maturely take responsibility for our own wounds, and turn misunderstandings into reflective moments engendering sharing and
a deepening intimacy.
Those of you born Aug. 12-17th have the “Finger of God/dess” pointing straight at you. For the Baby Boomers born
Oct 1950-June 1954 you have your Natal Pluto hovering around the degree where Saturn is now and this points to larger issues
about your responsibility to the collective whole. Saturn’s got a big pocket watch called the Wheel of Time…hear
it ticking in unison with your every heartbeat. On second thought, buy yourself a gift, you may need lots of chocolate to
get you through this Valentines Day.
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