It's been hard times for me. . . way too many
reminders of our vulnerability and mortality. Too much bad news
about people I've never met and about people I care about, myself included. I've bounced back
and forth between my usual optimism and self-confidence and
bouts of being overwhelmed with pity, awash with empathy
for the state of the world and all that I know in it. (Even
Charlie Sheen and the sleeping arrangements of his goddess
girls! Now that's carrying it too far, don't you think?)
I tried to put off writing this issue until I 'lightened up a
bit', but finally just decided to go ahead and do it anyway.
I think the message I'm meant to get from all this is
that I should pay close attention again because it's obvious that . . .
The Goddess Has a Journey for Us ... to
the Wilderness
In her inspiring book, Something More:
Excavating Your Authentic Self, Sarah Ban Breathnach paints
the picture of the Wilderness as
"a radical spiritual amputation of the weaker and toxic parts of
our personalities--our neediness, our hubris, our willfulness,
our self-loathing--that are holding us back from manifesting the
Divine Plan of our lives." It is, she tells us, "a
bleak, numbing word that instantly calls to mind a feeling of
hopelessness, nothingness, barrenness, and most of all a sense
of powerlessness."
She goes on to say that we "are sent into the Wilderness for one
reason, and one reason only -- to find our selves, the persons we were
truly meant to be."
Erica Jong once said that surviving means being born over and
over again. This is exactly the challenge of the Wilderness. The life we
once knew is over. Let us begin to find our new way together . .
. with courage and with love.
This being human is a guest-house.
Every morning a new arrival,
a joy, a depression, a meanness?
Welcome and entertain them all! ~ Rumi
Welcome and entertain them all? All at once??
You've got to be
joking, right?
When I first met the Goddess Bast she stuck me as quite an
enigma . . . a definite 'good time girl', but one with an
awesome (even life-threatening) job description. Joy and
sorrow all wrapped up in one.
Widely know today as the Cat
Goddess, in ancient Egypt the goddess Bast had the
sacred responsibility of protecting the household from
vandals, thieves and snakes, insuring a bride's
fertility, and running the world's first fire brigade.
Talk about multi-tasking!
Cats were honored in her temples and many were in permanent
residence. The grounds held a large cat cemetery where
Bast's beloved feline companions were mummified and entombed
so they could join her in the spirit world.
They deserved it. . . anytime a fire broke out the cats
were dispatched to run through the flames, drawing the
fire out of the building. Returning to the temple a bit
singed, the kitties were heroes in the eyes of the
townspeople.
Wouldn't you imagine someone like Bast who had all
those awesome life-and-death responsibilities would
be rather somber, burdened with the sheer heaviness of
it all?
Turn up your speakers up & play
with Maukie. Move your cursor just below her
paws or over her head, rub her tummy and listen to
her purr. Scratch her head and she'll reward you with
the cat's meow.
P.S. Introduce her to your feline familiar if you have
one. Some are quite amused.
Not Bast! She knew the secret of balancing
it all. In her off-hours the goddess Bast was prone to
party. Her temples were filled with music and dancing. And
every year during the spring 'Flooding of the Nile' her
followers left the kiddies at home and climbed onto barges
floating down the river, entertaining the townspeople who
lined up on the banks to enjoy their loud music and raucous
gyrations. Today we know such festivals as 'Mardi Gras' and
'Carnivale', but the first such events were held in honor of the goddess Bast.
Bast teaches us to relax and not
take ourselves (or anything else) too seriously. She asks
us to accept the true nature of things, to change what we
can while letting go of what we cannot control -- and to not
waste energy and to only put positivity out into the world.
And that is the lesson of the Cat Goddess.
Use this link to read the myths of the
Egyptian goddess Bast.
Bright
Shiny Objects that caught the Goddess' Eye!
Goddesses for Every Day by Julie Loar
Every woman wants to feel like a Goddess. Strong.
Wise. Brave. Loving. In
Goddesses
for Every Day: Exploring the Wisdom and
Power of the Divine Feminine around the World,
astrologer
and spiritual teacher Julie Loar offers wisdom,
support, and practical tools with the intention of
helping women from all walks of life do just
that.
I love this book.
It's guided me through a crisis or
two with uncanny accuracy in delivering
exactly the
message that I needed to hear at the time. (And
it's a wonderful read on crisis-free days as
well!) Highly recommended.
We love it so much that we're giving away a free
copy to one lucky subscriber this month. Use this
link to enter the
Goddesses for Everyday Give-Away.
This collection of 366
goddesses "holds up a mirror so you can
try on a new goddess every day, seeing your own
nature reflected through timeless examples of women's wisdom and feminine power,"
says the author Julie Loar.
"These goddesses are meant to act as daily
guides, way-showers through the passages of
life, engaging the sacred feminine in you."
Learn more about this meditative journey through the
year, with each day introducing a new goddess, her
myth, and her meaning as a sacred feminine presence
and guide in our daily lives. Visit Julie's site at
http://www.julieloar.com.
Sometimes the lessons of the goddess are hard
and painful . . .
Sometimes they are full of hope and joy,
But we are called upon to embrace them both.
When all is said and done and I total up the accounts, I find myself much more
upbeat than when I started this issue.
Thanks for listening!
In closing,
a reminder to...
Wander
when and where you must, but Always keep joy
and hope within your heart.
Sharon
The Goddess Quiz really DOES make
it easy
for you
to KNOW and BE the Goddess you are.
