All to often, we have an inspiring meeting with the Divine, with the Gods, in ritual, on a special day, and get smashed out of it during the grey, dull days of everyday work that follow. One antidote to that is to spend a short, special moment every day where we can meet with our Gods. That can be quite informal and spontaneous, but what I propose today is to create a five-minute ritual that is easy to perform every day. It should be a ritual that is easy to perform and that is fitting for you and your Gods. In the following paragraphs, I will give you an idea for potential elements for such a ritual.
- Preparation: Do something to prepare yourself for the fact that you are entering into a sacred moment. One possibility would be to wash your hands and face, symbolically washing away your daily stress. Another possibility would be to change into special clothes, remove your shoes or wear a special item like a scarf or a piece of jewellery. Just do not make it too complex.
In addition to all the above: take some deep, calm breaths and let your mind come to rest.
- Offering: Give an offering to your Gods. The nature of that offering can very greatly, from libations to incense to food to dancing for them, or singing, or a lot of other things. It will also depend, of course, on the nature of the Gods the offering is meant for, so it would be a good idea to do some research.
- Sing a chant, or a song that helps you to feel a connection to the deities. There are a number of well-known chants, and you can find a lot of them on the net, for example here or here. Of course, you can also write your own. Whatever you choose, sing it yourself, do not just play it back.
- Think up a ritual gesture of blessing. An elaborate example of what I mean is the fivefold kiss. Create something simple that can be used as a self-blessing.
- Talk to your Gods. Speak of the things you want to speak about, but listen for their comments and answers.
- Meditate on a symbol of your Gods. That can be either a stature or picture of the God, or a symbol, such as a cat for Bastet, or lightning for Zeus.
- Calm yourself and listen. After some deep breaths, just calm your mind and let your thoughts go. Pay them no attention. Just... listen.
- Completion: A final part is necessary to close the ritual. One possibility is to stand up an thank the Gods for their presence. What works best for me is if there is a connection to the opening part of the ritual, so that the two parts frame the whole ritual. So if you started by putting on special clothing, end by removing it. If you started with lighting a candle, snuff it now.
Do not make your ritual overly complex, or include too many elements. Instead, keep it short and simple. You want to be able to do it every day.
Now, here is an example of what I often do:
For preparation, I sit down cross-legged in front of my altar and calm my mind by taking some deep breaths. Then, I light a short stick of incense. I give the incense to the Gods as an offering, drawing a spiral with it and speaking: “Lord and Lady, thanks for your presence. I offer this incense for your pleasure.” before placing it in a bowl of sand.
The next part varies. Most of the time, I do a short meditation, either on a symbol, or just trying to be calm and listen, or a chant. For closure, I stand up and use a gesture Dianne Sylvan described in (I think) “The Circle Within”: tracing a pentagram over yourself, linking the edges to the elements and the Gods.
The possibilities for such a ritual are huge. Experiment with it, and try different ideas, until you find something that works for you.
Showing posts with label Gods. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gods. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
February Eve
The sun has turned at winter solstice, and yet it has been difficult to recognize the change. From now on, the return of the light is more noticeable even though it is still winter, and nature is still sleeping quietly.
This day is also known as the festival of Brigid, an Irish Goddess and Saint. In the cycle of the God, this is the time when He grows, from child to adolescent. At spring equinox, He will be a young man, but today He is still a child.
Pathworking February Eve
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for the door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. It is dawn on the other side, with a rosy haze, filtering through the huge trees of the forest. Before you, there is a path through the winter forest. There is snow on it, but it looks like it was used by animals regularly. You can see the tracks on the ground.
Follow the path. It leads you through the forest, among huge trees. Everything is quiet and peaceful.
The area is hilly, and your path leads you downwards, getting steeper...
You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow. The snow there is covered with tracks, too, but they are mostly the tracks of human beings.
You hear laughter from the woods, and a girl emerges, chased by a boy with golden hair. They are obviously playing a game of chase.
The young God and Goddess start building snow figures. You can simply watch them as they enjoy themselves, or you can join them, if you want. They accept you at their playground immediately. In either case, take a careful look ath the figure they are building. ...
Gradually, it grows colder. You decide it is time to go and say goodbye to the God and Goddess. They bid you farewell and run towards the cave entrance, chasing each other again. You turn towards the path that has lead you here and return, up that hill and through the forest, until you stand before the door again. You open the door and return to your safe place. ...
From here, return to your body. Take some breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
What figure did the young Gods build? If you feel like it and have enough snow outside, try to build it yourself. What could that figure mean for you?
This day is also known as the festival of Brigid, an Irish Goddess and Saint. In the cycle of the God, this is the time when He grows, from child to adolescent. At spring equinox, He will be a young man, but today He is still a child.
Pathworking February Eve
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for the door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. It is dawn on the other side, with a rosy haze, filtering through the huge trees of the forest. Before you, there is a path through the winter forest. There is snow on it, but it looks like it was used by animals regularly. You can see the tracks on the ground.
Follow the path. It leads you through the forest, among huge trees. Everything is quiet and peaceful.
The area is hilly, and your path leads you downwards, getting steeper...
You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow. The snow there is covered with tracks, too, but they are mostly the tracks of human beings.
You hear laughter from the woods, and a girl emerges, chased by a boy with golden hair. They are obviously playing a game of chase.
The young God and Goddess start building snow figures. You can simply watch them as they enjoy themselves, or you can join them, if you want. They accept you at their playground immediately. In either case, take a careful look ath the figure they are building. ...
Gradually, it grows colder. You decide it is time to go and say goodbye to the God and Goddess. They bid you farewell and run towards the cave entrance, chasing each other again. You turn towards the path that has lead you here and return, up that hill and through the forest, until you stand before the door again. You open the door and return to your safe place. ...
From here, return to your body. Take some breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
What figure did the young Gods build? If you feel like it and have enough snow outside, try to build it yourself. What could that figure mean for you?
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Pathworking: The Dark One
On a night of the new moon, sit down in a quiet spot, preferably somewhere where you can see the night sky.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon the night sky while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is a very dark night here. Only the slimmest crescent of the moon is visible in the sky. Its light touches you, and in response, you feel your wings grow once again, delicate, slightly luminescent, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Then, the last light of the moon vanishes. There is no crescent visible anymore, and yet you can feel the presence of the dark moon, there up in the sky.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, you raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the waning moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and you can see a shadow where the dark moon has to be. It grows bigger and bigger, until you are no longer sure whether it is there. Then you can make out features, rocks, mountains, crater. As you flow even nearer, you can see a round, darker shadow on the black moon surface. You fly closer, and you can see that it is a building, so you land at one side of it. Follow the wall until you find an opening. Very little light shines through, and as you enter, you see that the huge room is illuminated only by candles, one in each corner and one in the centre.
The room is filled with statues you cannot quite make out. However, at least some of them seem to be monsters, and you are not sure whether all of them are statues or some of them are moving when you are not looking.
There is a moving figure in the centre of the temple, so you walk there. The figure turns out to be a woman waring a black cloack, with the hood up. You shiver. She seems to notice, because she speaks up:
“There is no need for you to fear me. Unless you wake my wrath, I am quite peaceful. But woe betide those who do raise my anger by violating basic human rights. Those I pursue without remorse, and they shall have no rest.
If ever you have truly need of me, do not hesitate to call me – I shall come, whether it be for protection from evil, rightful revenge, or company at your last breath.”
She looks at you intensly...
Silently, take your leave of the Goddess and leave Her temple. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: As you can see, it seems rational to meet the Goddesses during their assigned moon phases. However, that is not necessary. All of them exist, no matter whether we can see their moon phase or not, and they are associated with the moon phases but they are not the moon itself. Use the symbol, but avoid being bound by the symbol.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon the night sky while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is a very dark night here. Only the slimmest crescent of the moon is visible in the sky. Its light touches you, and in response, you feel your wings grow once again, delicate, slightly luminescent, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Then, the last light of the moon vanishes. There is no crescent visible anymore, and yet you can feel the presence of the dark moon, there up in the sky.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, you raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the waning moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and you can see a shadow where the dark moon has to be. It grows bigger and bigger, until you are no longer sure whether it is there. Then you can make out features, rocks, mountains, crater. As you flow even nearer, you can see a round, darker shadow on the black moon surface. You fly closer, and you can see that it is a building, so you land at one side of it. Follow the wall until you find an opening. Very little light shines through, and as you enter, you see that the huge room is illuminated only by candles, one in each corner and one in the centre.
The room is filled with statues you cannot quite make out. However, at least some of them seem to be monsters, and you are not sure whether all of them are statues or some of them are moving when you are not looking.
There is a moving figure in the centre of the temple, so you walk there. The figure turns out to be a woman waring a black cloack, with the hood up. You shiver. She seems to notice, because she speaks up:
“There is no need for you to fear me. Unless you wake my wrath, I am quite peaceful. But woe betide those who do raise my anger by violating basic human rights. Those I pursue without remorse, and they shall have no rest.
If ever you have truly need of me, do not hesitate to call me – I shall come, whether it be for protection from evil, rightful revenge, or company at your last breath.”
She looks at you intensly...
Silently, take your leave of the Goddess and leave Her temple. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: As you can see, it seems rational to meet the Goddesses during their assigned moon phases. However, that is not necessary. All of them exist, no matter whether we can see their moon phase or not, and they are associated with the moon phases but they are not the moon itself. Use the symbol, but avoid being bound by the symbol.
The Dark One
The fourth face of the Goddess is her terrible one: destruction, war and death. She is the Dark Mother, the one who takes back what the Mother has given. A mythological example might be Persephone, who reigns the underworld, or the war Goddess Morrigan. She is not gentle, and Her wrath is terrible.
Most often, this forth face is not part of the mythology of the moon Goddess. Her warrior aspects can also be attributed to the maiden, and her death aspect may be attributed with the crone, and rightfully so. A fight for freedom and independence is definitely something that would find the approval of the Maiden, and the wisdom of the Crone would help those passing the veil. So if you are uncomfortable with the idea of meeting this dark Goddess, skip this pathworking, go and do some of the earlier ones this week.
The Dark Goddess is different. Experience for yourself.
Most often, this forth face is not part of the mythology of the moon Goddess. Her warrior aspects can also be attributed to the maiden, and her death aspect may be attributed with the crone, and rightfully so. A fight for freedom and independence is definitely something that would find the approval of the Maiden, and the wisdom of the Crone would help those passing the veil. So if you are uncomfortable with the idea of meeting this dark Goddess, skip this pathworking, go and do some of the earlier ones this week.
The Dark Goddess is different. Experience for yourself.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Pathworking: The Crone
On a night of the waning moon, sit down in a quiet spot, preferably somewhere where you can see the moon.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the waning moon while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night here, but the night is illuminated a bit by a waning moon shining dimly in the sky. The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the waning moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and see the moon in front of you, huge, and growing even bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a building, shaped like a crescent, waning moon. It is a temple of white marble, dappled with black bits.
You land in the middle of the courtyard framed by the crescent. There is an open entrance in front of you, and you fold your wings and walk towards it. You notice the lack of statues, but as you look upon the floor, you can see designs and symbols inlaid, grey in white.
You enter the temple. It smells slightly of incense. Inside, there are some statues, and again mosaics on the walls and floor, displaying partly abstract symbols, and designs, partly scenes such as a woman with a torch guiding another woman through a maze of corridors.
In the centre of the temple, there is a cauldron, bubbling over a fire pit. An old woman stands beside it, stirring it and adding something. She is singing softly, but you cannot understand it. It appears as if she has not noticed you, but before you can make up your mind to do something, the singing stops and she says: “Come over. I won't bite you”, without turning away from the cauldron. You go closer and look into the cauldron. The contents look like boiling soup.
The crone stirs a last time and then turns towards you. “Ah, a guest.
Expect no fancy words of me. I am the old one, and I have no need or want for them. I know that which is hidden, the secrets dark. Mine is the art of change, the mystery of transformation.
I grant you a drink from the cauldron of change. Choose what you want to transform. But be careful, for change may come at a prize.”
She looks at you and giggles, then begins stirring the cauldron once more. From somewhere, she produces a cup, fills it from the cauldron and hands it to you. It is hot, and even if you wait, or stir it, it does not cool down. Choose something to transform, then focus on it as you drain the cup. You may decide to skip, then give the cup back to her. ...
You can take some time talking to her, or just explore the temple. ...
It is time to return. Take your leave of the Goddess. You leave the temple. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: The moon pathworkings might be a bit difficult to memorize because of the speeches they include. I recommend recording these pathworkings. Alternatively, it is possible to adapt them by listening to what the Goddesses say of themselves instead of memorizing the speech.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the waning moon while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night here, but the night is illuminated a bit by a waning moon shining dimly in the sky. The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the waning moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and see the moon in front of you, huge, and growing even bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a building, shaped like a crescent, waning moon. It is a temple of white marble, dappled with black bits.
You land in the middle of the courtyard framed by the crescent. There is an open entrance in front of you, and you fold your wings and walk towards it. You notice the lack of statues, but as you look upon the floor, you can see designs and symbols inlaid, grey in white.
You enter the temple. It smells slightly of incense. Inside, there are some statues, and again mosaics on the walls and floor, displaying partly abstract symbols, and designs, partly scenes such as a woman with a torch guiding another woman through a maze of corridors.
In the centre of the temple, there is a cauldron, bubbling over a fire pit. An old woman stands beside it, stirring it and adding something. She is singing softly, but you cannot understand it. It appears as if she has not noticed you, but before you can make up your mind to do something, the singing stops and she says: “Come over. I won't bite you”, without turning away from the cauldron. You go closer and look into the cauldron. The contents look like boiling soup.
The crone stirs a last time and then turns towards you. “Ah, a guest.
Expect no fancy words of me. I am the old one, and I have no need or want for them. I know that which is hidden, the secrets dark. Mine is the art of change, the mystery of transformation.
I grant you a drink from the cauldron of change. Choose what you want to transform. But be careful, for change may come at a prize.”
She looks at you and giggles, then begins stirring the cauldron once more. From somewhere, she produces a cup, fills it from the cauldron and hands it to you. It is hot, and even if you wait, or stir it, it does not cool down. Choose something to transform, then focus on it as you drain the cup. You may decide to skip, then give the cup back to her. ...
You can take some time talking to her, or just explore the temple. ...
It is time to return. Take your leave of the Goddess. You leave the temple. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: The moon pathworkings might be a bit difficult to memorize because of the speeches they include. I recommend recording these pathworkings. Alternatively, it is possible to adapt them by listening to what the Goddesses say of themselves instead of memorizing the speech.
The Crone
The Crone is the Old One, the Wise One. Her children have grown up, become independent and so she is free once more. But she has the experience of a lifetime that helps her judge any situation, and from that comes the wisdom that avoids rash actions, but knows when to act.
The crone also has come to know loss, and grief, and in times when we need consolation, we can turn to her. She can teach us how to let go, and how to get rid of attachments, habits, destructive relationships, fears, whatever necessary.
A mythological example may be Hecate, who guides Persephone on her way out of the underworld.
The crone is experienced enough to know the truth, and old enough to speak it, so do not be surprised if you are confronted with uncomfortable truths, spiced with a good bit of humor or even irony.
The corresponding moon phase is of course the waning moon, so we will visit it this week.
The crone also has come to know loss, and grief, and in times when we need consolation, we can turn to her. She can teach us how to let go, and how to get rid of attachments, habits, destructive relationships, fears, whatever necessary.
A mythological example may be Hecate, who guides Persephone on her way out of the underworld.
The crone is experienced enough to know the truth, and old enough to speak it, so do not be surprised if you are confronted with uncomfortable truths, spiced with a good bit of humor or even irony.
The corresponding moon phase is of course the waning moon, so we will visit it this week.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Pathworking: The mother
The threefold Goddess: Meditations on Maiden, Mother, Crone and Hag
On a night of the full moon, sit down in a quiet spot, preferably somewhere where you can see the full moon.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the full moon while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night here, but the night is illuminated by a full moon shining brightly in the sky. The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the full moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and see the bright, full moon in front of you, huge, and growing even bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a structure, round like the full moon itself, and you fly into that direction...
It is a building, a temple of white marble, the same color as the white moon itself, built into a dome. You land to one side of it and fold your wings. Follow the wall until you see an opening into the temple. You can see it easily because a warm, golden light comes from the inside. You step through the opening, into a temple. Here, there are statues and pictures on the wall, and they are interspersed with living things: plants, from tiny cacti to huge trees, populated with birds and other animals. Somewhere you see a mother hare giving birth to a small litter of baby hares. The artwork shows similar scenes of giving birth, of nurturing animals and women, of abundance and fertility in general. You wander around, investigating...
You seem to have made it to the middle of the dome. There, you behold a woman sitting beside a fireplace, breastfeeding a baby. She looks up at you and smiles. “Come over”, she invites you, pointing at a chair. You follow the invitation. She keeps silent, so you simply enjoy the atmosphere of the temple: the sounds of birds, the crackling of the fire, and the suckling babe. The animals here are not sky, they pass directly by the place where you re sitting.
Finally, the baby is satisfied. The Goddess turns her attention towards you and speaks:
“I am the mother who cares
for the life of the earth.
Without me, no corn would spring forth,
no animal would get pregnant,
no mother would be able to feed her child.
I am the one who takes on the job,
who cares for others,
who nurtures the world.
I grant you this: shelter in harsh times,
and always a friendly ear to listen.
I charge you this: grant shelter in bad times
help nurture the world with love and compassion.”
Talk to her about the things that aggrieve you. She will listen, and might have some advise.
...
Finally, you thank the Goddess and take your leave. You walk through the temple once more and step outside. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: Again, write down what you experienced, especially what you remember about your conversation with the Goddess. Also remember that advise can only help you if you take it.
On a night of the full moon, sit down in a quiet spot, preferably somewhere where you can see the full moon.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the full moon while you let go of anger, stress, anxiety and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night here, but the night is illuminated by a full moon shining brightly in the sky. The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of the air, against your wings, the air that is rushing around you as you fly into the sky, into the direction of the full moon. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortlessly higher and higher...
You look ahead and see the bright, full moon in front of you, huge, and growing even bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a structure, round like the full moon itself, and you fly into that direction...
It is a building, a temple of white marble, the same color as the white moon itself, built into a dome. You land to one side of it and fold your wings. Follow the wall until you see an opening into the temple. You can see it easily because a warm, golden light comes from the inside. You step through the opening, into a temple. Here, there are statues and pictures on the wall, and they are interspersed with living things: plants, from tiny cacti to huge trees, populated with birds and other animals. Somewhere you see a mother hare giving birth to a small litter of baby hares. The artwork shows similar scenes of giving birth, of nurturing animals and women, of abundance and fertility in general. You wander around, investigating...
You seem to have made it to the middle of the dome. There, you behold a woman sitting beside a fireplace, breastfeeding a baby. She looks up at you and smiles. “Come over”, she invites you, pointing at a chair. You follow the invitation. She keeps silent, so you simply enjoy the atmosphere of the temple: the sounds of birds, the crackling of the fire, and the suckling babe. The animals here are not sky, they pass directly by the place where you re sitting.
Finally, the baby is satisfied. The Goddess turns her attention towards you and speaks:
“I am the mother who cares
for the life of the earth.
Without me, no corn would spring forth,
no animal would get pregnant,
no mother would be able to feed her child.
I am the one who takes on the job,
who cares for others,
who nurtures the world.
I grant you this: shelter in harsh times,
and always a friendly ear to listen.
I charge you this: grant shelter in bad times
help nurture the world with love and compassion.”
Talk to her about the things that aggrieve you. She will listen, and might have some advise.
...
Finally, you thank the Goddess and take your leave. You walk through the temple once more and step outside. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, blue, green and beautiful. Stretch your wings again and rise into the sky. Fly back, home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, flying back, and finally, you return to your safe place. As you land, you feel your wings dissolving.
Return to your body. Take a few deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1, open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: Again, write down what you experienced, especially what you remember about your conversation with the Goddess. Also remember that advise can only help you if you take it.
Mother
The threefold Goddess: Meditations on Maiden, Mother, Crone and Hag
The mother obviously corresponds to the woman during pregnancy and after childbirth, as long as she looks after her children. This can be quite literally, but it can also be metaphorically, a person taking on responsibility, creating projects, caring for the execution, organising things etc. The mother is the woman with attachments, with dependants and responsibilities, and she nurtures others, cares for them. It is through the mother that the earth, the world is fertile, that new things, new ideas spring forth.
A mythological example is Demeter, who despairs when her daughter Persephone is taken from her, and wanders the world searching for her. The moon correspondence is the full moon, so we will travel there this week.
The mother obviously corresponds to the woman during pregnancy and after childbirth, as long as she looks after her children. This can be quite literally, but it can also be metaphorically, a person taking on responsibility, creating projects, caring for the execution, organising things etc. The mother is the woman with attachments, with dependants and responsibilities, and she nurtures others, cares for them. It is through the mother that the earth, the world is fertile, that new things, new ideas spring forth.
A mythological example is Demeter, who despairs when her daughter Persephone is taken from her, and wanders the world searching for her. The moon correspondence is the full moon, so we will travel there this week.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Pathworking: The Maiden
The threefold Goddess: Meditations on Maiden, Mother, Crone and Hag
On a night of the waxing moon (like this week), choose a quiet spot. It would be best if you could look at the waxing moon. If not, take a look at it before you sit down, or visualize the crescent.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the moon while you let go of anger, stress and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night there, and there is a waxing moon in the sky. (If your safe place is closed, like a building or a cave, go to a window or an entrance to see it.)
The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your new wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of air against your wings, the wind rushing around you, as you fly into the sky. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortless, higher...
You look ahead and see the crescent moon in front of you, huge, and growing ever bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a structure, built in the shape of the crescent moon, and you fly into that direction. ...
The structure is a building, a temple of white marble, the same white colour as the moon. You land in the middle of the courtyard framed by the crescent. There is an open entrance in front of you, and you fold your wings and walk towards it. The courtyard is filled with statues, and you can see that all of them show something in a state of growing: children playing, young animals, spring plants, just opening their buds.
You enter the temple. It is illuminated carefully and smells slightly of roses. There are mosaics inlaid in the floor and the walls, and more statues. Here, a lot of them show a young woman, dancing joyfully, playing with children, teasing and flirting with young men.
You walk around the temple , watching the stories unfold in the pictures.
Then, you hear the voice of a young woman: “Welcome, my guest.”
You turn towards the voice and see a woman that might have been the model for most of the pictures and statues. She smiles at you, and you greet her.
She grows a bit more serious and speaks:
“I am the bud that opens. I am
the unfolding leaf, all things that grow.
I am the maiden, free, untamed.
My life full of passion, of joy.
I walk my own way, I do what I will,
And I lend my support to the young and the wild.
I grant you a look into the mosaic
Your hearts deepest desire will be revealed.
I charge you a deed out in the world
Give your help to the young, bring joy to their life.”
Gravely, she steps aside and points at a rather small mosaic that was hidden behind her. Study the mosaic carefully. What does it show? Look at the picture, the scene displayed, the little details, everything. Distantly, you hear that she starts humming and moves away and around the temple. ...
Finally, you move away from the picture. It is time to leave now. Take your leave of the Goddess, and step outside. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, partially illuminated by the sun and beautiful. Stretch you wings once again and rise into the air. Fly back, back home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, crossing the distance again, and finally return to your safe place. As you land, your wings softly dissolve.
Return to your body. Take a few breath to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: Once again: Take pen and paper and write down what you remember about the journey immediately!
On a night of the waxing moon (like this week), choose a quiet spot. It would be best if you could look at the waxing moon. If not, take a look at it before you sit down, or visualize the crescent.
Take some deep breaths and relax. Gaze upon or visualize the moon while you let go of anger, stress and distractions.
Then, close your eyes. Go to your safe place. It is night there, and there is a waxing moon in the sky. (If your safe place is closed, like a building or a cave, go to a window or an entrance to see it.)
The moonlight touches you, and in response, you feel delicate, luminescent wings grow, strong enough to carry you easily. Stretch your wings experimentally.
Now, with some strong beats of your new wings, raise yourself into the air. Feel the resistance of air against your wings, the wind rushing around you, as you fly into the sky. There is an updraft that carries you higher... and higher... effortless, higher...
You look ahead and see the crescent moon in front of you, huge, and growing ever bigger and bigger as you approach it, until you can no longer see it in its entirety. You can see a structure, built in the shape of the crescent moon, and you fly into that direction. ...
The structure is a building, a temple of white marble, the same white colour as the moon. You land in the middle of the courtyard framed by the crescent. There is an open entrance in front of you, and you fold your wings and walk towards it. The courtyard is filled with statues, and you can see that all of them show something in a state of growing: children playing, young animals, spring plants, just opening their buds.
You enter the temple. It is illuminated carefully and smells slightly of roses. There are mosaics inlaid in the floor and the walls, and more statues. Here, a lot of them show a young woman, dancing joyfully, playing with children, teasing and flirting with young men.
You walk around the temple , watching the stories unfold in the pictures.
Then, you hear the voice of a young woman: “Welcome, my guest.”
You turn towards the voice and see a woman that might have been the model for most of the pictures and statues. She smiles at you, and you greet her.
She grows a bit more serious and speaks:
“I am the bud that opens. I am
the unfolding leaf, all things that grow.
I am the maiden, free, untamed.
My life full of passion, of joy.
I walk my own way, I do what I will,
And I lend my support to the young and the wild.
I grant you a look into the mosaic
Your hearts deepest desire will be revealed.
I charge you a deed out in the world
Give your help to the young, bring joy to their life.”
Gravely, she steps aside and points at a rather small mosaic that was hidden behind her. Study the mosaic carefully. What does it show? Look at the picture, the scene displayed, the little details, everything. Distantly, you hear that she starts humming and moves away and around the temple. ...
Finally, you move away from the picture. It is time to leave now. Take your leave of the Goddess, and step outside. Look into the sky. There, in the distance, you can see the earth, partially illuminated by the sun and beautiful. Stretch you wings once again and rise into the air. Fly back, back home to your safe place. There is a feeling that is gently leading you into the right direction, a pulling, like a homing instinct. You follow it, crossing the distance again, and finally return to your safe place. As you land, your wings softly dissolve.
Return to your body. Take a few breath to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
Note: Once again: Take pen and paper and write down what you remember about the journey immediately!
Maiden
The threefold Goddess: Meditations on Maiden, Mother, Crone and Hag
When I talked about the moon, I talked about the three faces of the Goddess: maiden, mother and crone.
The maiden roughly corresponds to the age of a woman between childhood and childbirth – without taking both parts overly literal. She is the virgin, the woman without attachments, without dependants, who has the freedom to do as she wills without having to take others into consideration. The maiden Goddess values her freedom, defends it and puts it to good use.
A mythological example is the huntress Artemis. She hunts on her own, or with her maidens. Woe betide any man that dares to invade her privacy. On the other hand, she gifts the results of her hunt to the people who would go hungry throughout the winter otherwise.
(It should be noted that the threefold Goddess of maiden, mother and crone is a relatively modern concept that cannot be found per se in ancient mythology. Ancient Goddesses might or might not fit into the scheme, but the concept itself was not usual. Additionally, the correspondence of the three forms of the Goddess to different ages or phases of life does not mean that we can turn towards one of these forms only, depending on our own age. On the contrary, we all need the freedom of spirit of the maiden, the nurturing abilities of the mother, the wisdom of the crone.)
The moon correspondence of the maiden is the waxing moon, and in this week's meditation, we are going to meet Her by travelling to the crescent moon.
When I talked about the moon, I talked about the three faces of the Goddess: maiden, mother and crone.
The maiden roughly corresponds to the age of a woman between childhood and childbirth – without taking both parts overly literal. She is the virgin, the woman without attachments, without dependants, who has the freedom to do as she wills without having to take others into consideration. The maiden Goddess values her freedom, defends it and puts it to good use.
A mythological example is the huntress Artemis. She hunts on her own, or with her maidens. Woe betide any man that dares to invade her privacy. On the other hand, she gifts the results of her hunt to the people who would go hungry throughout the winter otherwise.
(It should be noted that the threefold Goddess of maiden, mother and crone is a relatively modern concept that cannot be found per se in ancient mythology. Ancient Goddesses might or might not fit into the scheme, but the concept itself was not usual. Additionally, the correspondence of the three forms of the Goddess to different ages or phases of life does not mean that we can turn towards one of these forms only, depending on our own age. On the contrary, we all need the freedom of spirit of the maiden, the nurturing abilities of the mother, the wisdom of the crone.)
The moon correspondence of the maiden is the waxing moon, and in this week's meditation, we are going to meet Her by travelling to the crescent moon.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Dialogue with the Gods
Before, we talked about one-sided ways of communicating with the Gods: Talking to them through prayer and listening to them in our lives. This week, we will start a dialogue with the Gods.
In some of the previous pathworkings, we tried to communicate with the Gods. Pathworking, guided meditation, can be used to enter in a dialogue with the Gods. Repeat the meditation “Meeting the Gods” this week, but vary it:
Once you are in your safe place, you see not one, but two doors. One of them bears a sun disc, glowing golden. The other one is marked by a silver shining moon crescent. Look at both doors, and decide which one you want to take. Perhaps you can see a sign, an invitation, one door being locked, the other one not, or one symbol glowing invitingly. Open that door. There is a passage beyond, one that is adorned with the symbols and stories of either the Goddess, or the God, depending on the door you chose. Take some time to explore that passage, the displays.
At the end of the passage, you reach an open door, leading to a room that is smaller, more private than the throne room where you meet the God and Goddess together last time. It might be an audience chamber, or a sitting room. You are expected, by either the Goddess or the God, depending on the door you chose. Take a good look at Him/Her. He/She greets you. “Welcome. I have been expecting you.” Greet Him/Her and talk to Him/Her. Talk your own part, and listen for the answers and reactions.
...(If recording, leave a long pause for interaction).
Finally, you feel that it is time to return home. You thank the God/Goddess for the opportunity to talk to Him/Her. Then you return the same way you came here: Through the door, down the passage, into your safe place. From there, return to your body.
I probably told you this before, but I am happy to repeat it: Write down your experiences. Memory is a strange thing, and some things might stick with us, but others might slip away. Therefore, take your journal and write down your experiences.
In some of the previous pathworkings, we tried to communicate with the Gods. Pathworking, guided meditation, can be used to enter in a dialogue with the Gods. Repeat the meditation “Meeting the Gods” this week, but vary it:
Once you are in your safe place, you see not one, but two doors. One of them bears a sun disc, glowing golden. The other one is marked by a silver shining moon crescent. Look at both doors, and decide which one you want to take. Perhaps you can see a sign, an invitation, one door being locked, the other one not, or one symbol glowing invitingly. Open that door. There is a passage beyond, one that is adorned with the symbols and stories of either the Goddess, or the God, depending on the door you chose. Take some time to explore that passage, the displays.
At the end of the passage, you reach an open door, leading to a room that is smaller, more private than the throne room where you meet the God and Goddess together last time. It might be an audience chamber, or a sitting room. You are expected, by either the Goddess or the God, depending on the door you chose. Take a good look at Him/Her. He/She greets you. “Welcome. I have been expecting you.” Greet Him/Her and talk to Him/Her. Talk your own part, and listen for the answers and reactions.
...(If recording, leave a long pause for interaction).
Finally, you feel that it is time to return home. You thank the God/Goddess for the opportunity to talk to Him/Her. Then you return the same way you came here: Through the door, down the passage, into your safe place. From there, return to your body.
I probably told you this before, but I am happy to repeat it: Write down your experiences. Memory is a strange thing, and some things might stick with us, but others might slip away. Therefore, take your journal and write down your experiences.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
May Eve
Beltaine is already over, but I forgot to post the (already prepared) Beltaine pathworking last week, so I'll just slip it in this week.
Last week was May Eve, or Beltaine. April, the month of often changing weather, is over, and spring has definitely taken hold. There is fresh green everywhere. Have you ever realized that the colour of spring green is quite different from the greens you see later in the year?
It is a time of joy, of celebration and of growth. According to the myths, this is the night when the Goddess receives the seed of the next sun god, the one who will be born next winter solstice. So this is a feast of fertility rites, where the goal is to recognise, to celebrate and to participate in the joyful union of Goddess and God.
The pathworking for this sabbat is quite low-key, but it can be changed to be much more explicit if you want to.
Pathworking May Eve
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for the door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. On the other side, the sun filters through the fresh green of the trees, and draws patterns through the woods. Flowers line the path leading from the door. You follow the path, walking among the trees, and listen to the friendly chatter of the birds. Your path leads you downwards, slowly getting steeper...
From beyond the trees, you can hear laughter and singing. You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow. Here is where the joyful sounds come from. A may pole is erected in the centre of the meadow, its ribbons dancing in the gentle breeze.
The meadow is full of flowers, and the people gathered are adorned with the prettiest of these. Some of the people are singing, while others are walking around and greeting each other . Among them, you can see the Sun God, unmistakable in his golden glow, and the Goddess.
One of them sees you and waves at you, so you join them.
(Leave time for interaction)
Suddenly, the Goddess clasps her hands. “I'd like to dance. Who will join me?”
Somehow, you end up among the dancers, clasping one of the ribbons of the may pole. What colour does it have?
The music is provided by the singers, and the dance is simple, a lively weaving around the pole.
(Leave time, insert music if possible)
The dance gets slower and slower, until it finally ends. The ribbons have woven a pattern around the pole. Yoru last partner bows to you and leaves.
Next to you, you can see the God kissing the Goddess, and then she draws him with her, away from the people, into the wood. Some people cheer as they see them vanishing, and some other pairs follow their example.
You watch them leave, and then it is time for you to return. You slip away silently and follow the path that led you here, up the hill and through the forest, until you stand before the door that has brought you here. You open the door and return to your safe place.
From here, return to your body. Take some deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
Last week was May Eve, or Beltaine. April, the month of often changing weather, is over, and spring has definitely taken hold. There is fresh green everywhere. Have you ever realized that the colour of spring green is quite different from the greens you see later in the year?
It is a time of joy, of celebration and of growth. According to the myths, this is the night when the Goddess receives the seed of the next sun god, the one who will be born next winter solstice. So this is a feast of fertility rites, where the goal is to recognise, to celebrate and to participate in the joyful union of Goddess and God.
The pathworking for this sabbat is quite low-key, but it can be changed to be much more explicit if you want to.
Pathworking May Eve
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for the door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. On the other side, the sun filters through the fresh green of the trees, and draws patterns through the woods. Flowers line the path leading from the door. You follow the path, walking among the trees, and listen to the friendly chatter of the birds. Your path leads you downwards, slowly getting steeper...
From beyond the trees, you can hear laughter and singing. You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow. Here is where the joyful sounds come from. A may pole is erected in the centre of the meadow, its ribbons dancing in the gentle breeze.
The meadow is full of flowers, and the people gathered are adorned with the prettiest of these. Some of the people are singing, while others are walking around and greeting each other . Among them, you can see the Sun God, unmistakable in his golden glow, and the Goddess.
One of them sees you and waves at you, so you join them.
(Leave time for interaction)
Suddenly, the Goddess clasps her hands. “I'd like to dance. Who will join me?”
Somehow, you end up among the dancers, clasping one of the ribbons of the may pole. What colour does it have?
The music is provided by the singers, and the dance is simple, a lively weaving around the pole.
(Leave time, insert music if possible)
The dance gets slower and slower, until it finally ends. The ribbons have woven a pattern around the pole. Yoru last partner bows to you and leaves.
Next to you, you can see the God kissing the Goddess, and then she draws him with her, away from the people, into the wood. Some people cheer as they see them vanishing, and some other pairs follow their example.
You watch them leave, and then it is time for you to return. You slip away silently and follow the path that led you here, up the hill and through the forest, until you stand before the door that has brought you here. You open the door and return to your safe place.
From here, return to your body. Take some deep breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Listening to the Gods
In our prayers, we talk to the Gods. In our lives, they talk to us. The only problem is that most of the time we are not listening. How are they talking to us? There are little signs, symbols along our way, sentences we hear, sometimes without context, on our way to work, a randomly opened page in a book, an animal crossing our path. The possibilities are endless. Take one day this week and try to go through the day with all your senses open, aware of the possibility that the Gods might be giving you a message. If you want to, light a stick of incense in the morning and ask a question. Look in your life, during your day, for the answer. Beware, it might come in some quite unexpected places and situations.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Talking to the Gods
The most common form of communicating with the Gods is through prayer. I already talked about that quite a bit, so I will not repeat myself here.
A way to intensify your prayers is to include small offerings. A typical example is incense. For this week, speak a prayer each morning (or each evening, whichever you prefer) in which you ask the Gods to bless your day (or something similar). Each time, light a bit of incense while you pray, offering it to the Gods. You can combine that with either a formal or an informal prayer. For me, incense combines well with informal prayer: the lighting of the incense provides a mini ritual framework, while the informal prayer keeps open my mind and heart towards what I am doing.
Of course, you can find another way of making an offering that is meaningful to you, for example donating to a non-profit organisation.
A way to intensify your prayers is to include small offerings. A typical example is incense. For this week, speak a prayer each morning (or each evening, whichever you prefer) in which you ask the Gods to bless your day (or something similar). Each time, light a bit of incense while you pray, offering it to the Gods. You can combine that with either a formal or an informal prayer. For me, incense combines well with informal prayer: the lighting of the incense provides a mini ritual framework, while the informal prayer keeps open my mind and heart towards what I am doing.
Of course, you can find another way of making an offering that is meaningful to you, for example donating to a non-profit organisation.
Interacting with the Gods
"The Gods are divine", and therefore the Gods are one aspect we want to get into closer contact with during this course. In contrast to the Self and the Universe, the Gods provide a divine counterpart, one that makes real communication possible. Therefore, the exercises for this part will be threefold: Listening, talking and communicating or dialogue with the Gods.
However, before we start with those exercises, we should give some thoughts to the Gods: what are they? What is their nature, their intentions? I told you some weeks back that there are a lot of different ideas about that, and that you will most likely have to learn through experience. However, as probably most authors, I have my personal pet theory I will tell you. Feel free to skip this part and move on to the exercises if you are not interested.
So here is my theory: The universe is a huge interconnected "structure". Everything is linked to everything else, more or less directly. There is a very tiny part of that structure that is me. It consists of my body, my heart, my spirit. However, there are much larger parts that are the Gods. They include all those things that are aspects of them. One tiny part of that structure called a God is that anthropomorphic face, the form, the looks they use to interact with human beings. However, their real nature is much bigger, and much more complex than that. Who knows, there might be other "interfaces" for other species, too. Interacting with their anthropomorphic faces, with the Gods, allows us to get into contact with that part of the universe that is that God. Those parts are not exclusive, just as I can have a body and you can, one Goddess can be love and promiscuity and another one love and faithfulness.
So what are the Gods? Beings? Archetypes? Aspects of one God? A bit of all: they are individual beings, they are a symbol for that which is part of their nature and they are a part of the divine universe, which might be called the One God.
Ok, let me get back to the topic: how can we communicate with the Gods? There are two possibilities: Either there is a real dialogue, or the communication goes into one directions: you are either talking to the Gods or listening to them.
However, before we start with those exercises, we should give some thoughts to the Gods: what are they? What is their nature, their intentions? I told you some weeks back that there are a lot of different ideas about that, and that you will most likely have to learn through experience. However, as probably most authors, I have my personal pet theory I will tell you. Feel free to skip this part and move on to the exercises if you are not interested.
So here is my theory: The universe is a huge interconnected "structure". Everything is linked to everything else, more or less directly. There is a very tiny part of that structure that is me. It consists of my body, my heart, my spirit. However, there are much larger parts that are the Gods. They include all those things that are aspects of them. One tiny part of that structure called a God is that anthropomorphic face, the form, the looks they use to interact with human beings. However, their real nature is much bigger, and much more complex than that. Who knows, there might be other "interfaces" for other species, too. Interacting with their anthropomorphic faces, with the Gods, allows us to get into contact with that part of the universe that is that God. Those parts are not exclusive, just as I can have a body and you can, one Goddess can be love and promiscuity and another one love and faithfulness.
So what are the Gods? Beings? Archetypes? Aspects of one God? A bit of all: they are individual beings, they are a symbol for that which is part of their nature and they are a part of the divine universe, which might be called the One God.
Ok, let me get back to the topic: how can we communicate with the Gods? There are two possibilities: Either there is a real dialogue, or the communication goes into one directions: you are either talking to the Gods or listening to them.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Meeting the Gods
Preparation: Follow the preparations already given in the pathworking for your safe place. Be comfortable, relax, make sure you have enough time and will not be disturbed. Either memorize the pathworking or record the text.
Take a few breaths and relax. Go to your safe place. By now you should have repeated the pathworking for your safe place often enough that you can reach it easily and fast. If you cannot, go back to that exercise until you can.
You reach your safe place. You feel comfortable and secure here. You have left any stresses, troubles, angers behind when you came here and you are relaxed.
By now you know your safe place well enough, but today you notice a door you have not seen before. Either you never recognized it, or it was not there before, but it is here now. It might be a real door, or a passage through the trees in your wood, an opening between two boulders on the beach, or something else – it fits into the environment of your safe place. On the door or somewhere next to it, you see two symbols: a golden disc of the sun, and a silver moon crescent. Both symbols are glowing slightly, illuming the door. As you think about it, you remember: those are the symbols of the Gods, the sun disc as one symbol for the God of the seasons, Him, who is born each yule with the sun, growth with her increasing strength, courts the Goddess and is united with her on Beltaine. His strength is at its peak in summer, and as the days grow shorter, he grows weaker, until he dies at the last harvest festival, at Samhain, only to be reborn again at Yule. Her symbol is the moon, a symbol of her different faces, the maiden who teaches the joy of life, the mother who brings fertility and the crone who brings wisdom to our lives.
You want to meet them, therefore you open the door and step trough the passage. (If you decide you do not want to meet Them now, back out now, leave the door closed and return to your body). You step into a huge passageway built of white marble. Columns are placed at regular intervals along the sides, and between some of them colourful gobelins, illustrating some stories are placed. You do not linger, but stride down the hall towards the doorway at its end. The wooden leaves of the gate are wide open, and a warm and inviting light pours forth from the chamber beyond. On the doors, the same symbols are present: a golden sun and a silver moon.
After a moment of hesitation you enter. It is a large room, built of white marble, decorated with columns, statues and flowers all over. Across the room, two thrones are placed, one golden, decorated with a golden sun, the other one silver, with a moon barge in front of it. The thrones are empty and unused. A young man with blond hair, wearing simple golden robes and a woman with dark hair and silver robes are standing at a window and talking.
As you enter, they turn towards you. A smile appears on Her face, and she greets you: "Welcome. We are glad you found your way here."
You approach them cautiously and notice the agelessness and wisdom of the woman, the strength and confidence of the man. Greet them, talk to them and listen to what they have to say to you.
(Take your time here. If you record the meditation, leave a long pause here).
... Finally, all is said for the moment. Thank the Gods for the meeting, and bid them farewell. Then take the same way back that lead you there: Through the doorway, along the hall and back to your safe place. Close the door behind you if there is one. Make sure you enter your safe place. Remain there for a few moments and ponder what you experienced. ...
Take the route that leads you back to your physical body and return to it. Experimentally, move your fingers, your feet. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
The exercise should leave you feeling blessed. Take that feeling with you into your life. You have met the Gods: you are truly blessed.
Take a few breaths and relax. Go to your safe place. By now you should have repeated the pathworking for your safe place often enough that you can reach it easily and fast. If you cannot, go back to that exercise until you can.
You reach your safe place. You feel comfortable and secure here. You have left any stresses, troubles, angers behind when you came here and you are relaxed.
By now you know your safe place well enough, but today you notice a door you have not seen before. Either you never recognized it, or it was not there before, but it is here now. It might be a real door, or a passage through the trees in your wood, an opening between two boulders on the beach, or something else – it fits into the environment of your safe place. On the door or somewhere next to it, you see two symbols: a golden disc of the sun, and a silver moon crescent. Both symbols are glowing slightly, illuming the door. As you think about it, you remember: those are the symbols of the Gods, the sun disc as one symbol for the God of the seasons, Him, who is born each yule with the sun, growth with her increasing strength, courts the Goddess and is united with her on Beltaine. His strength is at its peak in summer, and as the days grow shorter, he grows weaker, until he dies at the last harvest festival, at Samhain, only to be reborn again at Yule. Her symbol is the moon, a symbol of her different faces, the maiden who teaches the joy of life, the mother who brings fertility and the crone who brings wisdom to our lives.
You want to meet them, therefore you open the door and step trough the passage. (If you decide you do not want to meet Them now, back out now, leave the door closed and return to your body). You step into a huge passageway built of white marble. Columns are placed at regular intervals along the sides, and between some of them colourful gobelins, illustrating some stories are placed. You do not linger, but stride down the hall towards the doorway at its end. The wooden leaves of the gate are wide open, and a warm and inviting light pours forth from the chamber beyond. On the doors, the same symbols are present: a golden sun and a silver moon.
After a moment of hesitation you enter. It is a large room, built of white marble, decorated with columns, statues and flowers all over. Across the room, two thrones are placed, one golden, decorated with a golden sun, the other one silver, with a moon barge in front of it. The thrones are empty and unused. A young man with blond hair, wearing simple golden robes and a woman with dark hair and silver robes are standing at a window and talking.
As you enter, they turn towards you. A smile appears on Her face, and she greets you: "Welcome. We are glad you found your way here."
You approach them cautiously and notice the agelessness and wisdom of the woman, the strength and confidence of the man. Greet them, talk to them and listen to what they have to say to you.
(Take your time here. If you record the meditation, leave a long pause here).
... Finally, all is said for the moment. Thank the Gods for the meeting, and bid them farewell. Then take the same way back that lead you there: Through the doorway, along the hall and back to your safe place. Close the door behind you if there is one. Make sure you enter your safe place. Remain there for a few moments and ponder what you experienced. ...
Take the route that leads you back to your physical body and return to it. Experimentally, move your fingers, your feet. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
The exercise should leave you feeling blessed. Take that feeling with you into your life. You have met the Gods: you are truly blessed.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Spring equinox
This week is the time of spring equinox. Day and night are of equal length. The sun is strong enough to conquer the dark. In nature, it is early spring right now: the first spring flowers can be seen, and there is a certain smell of expectation in the air. In the cycle of the God, this is the time when he grows into a young man and starts courting the Goddess who returns his attention as the spring maiden.
Pathworking Spring equinox
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for a door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. It is day on the other side, with the light filtering through the huge trees of the forest. Before you, there is a path through the spring forest. The trees are budding, and there are the flowers springing to life everywhere.
Follow the path. It leads you through the forest, among huge budding trees. Everything is quiet and peaceful.
The area is hilly, and your path leads you downwards, getting steeper...
You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow, sprinkled with crocus and tulips. You can see a young man with golden hair collecting a bouquet of flowers. He whistles to himself and selects each flower carefully.
The maiden comes out of the woods. It seems as if the trees open some extra leaves where She walks, and flowers open to greet Her.
He sees Her, and hurries towards her. She laughs as He bows deeply and offers Her the bouquet, but she accepts it gracefully, and draws him closer to start a dance. Out of nowhere, probably out of the woods, a flute sounds and accompanies the dance. The God radiates light, and laughter comes from both of them. You can just watch their joyful dance, or you can join in, if you feel like it.
...
Their dance ends, and they sit down. It is time for you to go. You turn towards the path that leads you home and return, up the hill, and through the spring forest, until you stand before the door once more. You open the door and return to your safe place. ...
From here, return to your body. Take some breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
You have met the Lord and the Lady. Now, go outside and look around for Their influence in the budding trees, the flowers, the warmth of the sun.
Pathworking Spring equinox
Make yourself comfortable. Take some deep breaths and relax. Let go of stress, anger, anxiety.
Close your eyes and go to your safe place. Turn around and look for a door. It is there, quite unobtrusive, with an eight spoked wheel engraved.
Open the door. It is day on the other side, with the light filtering through the huge trees of the forest. Before you, there is a path through the spring forest. The trees are budding, and there are the flowers springing to life everywhere.
Follow the path. It leads you through the forest, among huge budding trees. Everything is quiet and peaceful.
The area is hilly, and your path leads you downwards, getting steeper...
You reach the bottom of the descent, and the trees give way to a wide open meadow, sprinkled with crocus and tulips. You can see a young man with golden hair collecting a bouquet of flowers. He whistles to himself and selects each flower carefully.
The maiden comes out of the woods. It seems as if the trees open some extra leaves where She walks, and flowers open to greet Her.
He sees Her, and hurries towards her. She laughs as He bows deeply and offers Her the bouquet, but she accepts it gracefully, and draws him closer to start a dance. Out of nowhere, probably out of the woods, a flute sounds and accompanies the dance. The God radiates light, and laughter comes from both of them. You can just watch their joyful dance, or you can join in, if you feel like it.
...
Their dance ends, and they sit down. It is time for you to go. You turn towards the path that leads you home and return, up the hill, and through the spring forest, until you stand before the door once more. You open the door and return to your safe place. ...
From here, return to your body. Take some breaths to return and readjust. Count from 10 to 1. Open your eyes. Welcome back.
You have met the Lord and the Lady. Now, go outside and look around for Their influence in the budding trees, the flowers, the warmth of the sun.
The sun God: The Wheel of the year
Different mythologies can be found for the wheel of the year, the seasonal cycles. Two of them are most prominent in Wicca: The Sun God, who is born in winter, grows with the sun in strength, courts the Goddess, grows old and dies only to be reborn again, and the mythology of the two Gods who rule for half a year and do battle at the equinoxes. For this meditation series, I will stick with the mythology of the Sun God. We will meet Him eight times around the wheel.
At the winter solstice, he is born, the sun child, the promise that the light will return, that life will be fruitful once again. The winter solstice is the longest night, and from now on, the days grow longer again. At February Eve, or Imbolc, this influence can be felt, and the days are much longer again, yet it is still winter. He has grown into an adolescent by now. At spring equinox, He is a young man. Day and night are of equal length, and the return of spring can be felt. At Beltane, He is courting the Goddess. Their love brings fertility to the land, and He begets his son. At summer solstice, He is at the peak of His strength, just like the sun on the longest day of the year. From now on, His strength decreases slowly, until the harvest festivals. The first one is August Eve, or Lugnasad, when the harvest starts. The next one is autumn equinox, when day and night are again of equal length. The God ages, and looses his strength until Samhain, the last of the harvest festivals. Now He dies, and the days grow even shorter, until winter solstice, when His child, the sun child, is born once again and begins the cycle anew.
At the winter solstice, he is born, the sun child, the promise that the light will return, that life will be fruitful once again. The winter solstice is the longest night, and from now on, the days grow longer again. At February Eve, or Imbolc, this influence can be felt, and the days are much longer again, yet it is still winter. He has grown into an adolescent by now. At spring equinox, He is a young man. Day and night are of equal length, and the return of spring can be felt. At Beltane, He is courting the Goddess. Their love brings fertility to the land, and He begets his son. At summer solstice, He is at the peak of His strength, just like the sun on the longest day of the year. From now on, His strength decreases slowly, until the harvest festivals. The first one is August Eve, or Lugnasad, when the harvest starts. The next one is autumn equinox, when day and night are again of equal length. The God ages, and looses his strength until Samhain, the last of the harvest festivals. Now He dies, and the days grow even shorter, until winter solstice, when His child, the sun child, is born once again and begins the cycle anew.
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