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 Lammas . . . celebration of the first harvest.
Lammas (August 1) is the Sabbat of first fruits
and green corn, the ending of summer. Lammas is a
time of completions. It is the fertile, prosperous
harvest that assures life's survival is nearly ready but
not yet certain. It is still vulnerable to change.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Grasses burst forth fiercely proclaiming the
supremacy of grain. The corn and wheat raise their
green-gold heads fountain-like into the brilliancy of the
seemingly endless skies of dazzling blue. Ripeness
seems to appear instantly after the long months of
promise. The crops stand proudly waiting to be cut
down and transformed. The ravens caw on the
rooftops across the way. There is no other sound of
nature. No wind. No insects. Just heat. In my heart I
feel a sense of unease and conflict. Joy for the bounty,
sorrow for the loss. This is the spoke of the Wheel of
the Year just past its peak. The first death that leads to
new life. I give thanks for all that I have. I sacrifice what
I must in return.
The Eternal Cycle is played out in the fields - the grain
is cut, transformed to wheat, transformed to flour,
transformed to bread, eaten by me, transformed to
energy, released back into the Universe to be reborn
in a drop of rain, that makes a seed to sprout, grow
into grain, the grain is cut . . . this is the principle of
Sacrifice that leads to Rebirth. Lammas is all about
give and take. As this eternal cycle of life, death, and
rebirth plays itself out before me. As I share in the
bounty, so too do the Deities I honour with my
sacrifices. I am surrounded by gifts from the Gods and
Goddesses. What do I give them in return?
Continued. . .
Momma White Cougar at
TurningTheWheel.ws
"The seasons and all their changes
are in me." -Henry David Thoreau
We hope you will join the temple, in community, to
honor the seasons, the Earth, and our own personal
growth for our 2007 Ritual Sabbats. This year's theme
is "Reclaiming the Earth."
Our multi-cultural Earth celebrations are held at the
Neighborhood Unitarian Church in Pasadena and are
open to families and community. Our Sabbats are
multi-media ritual theater combining mythology,
music, visual art, dance, liturgy, spoken word, and
participatory theater which fuses drum and dance
with personal enactment to re-connect us to the
seasons and the Earth.
SAVE THE DATES!!
Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church
Artwork from Ritual Path DVD by artist John
Banks and music by Fritz Heede of Artek
Images. Available from Amazon.com.
Goddess Choir Rehearsals
Pagan Pride 2007
Other
Karen Tate has accepted the job as
Media Director for Temple of the Goddess.
Congratulations, and thank you Karen! Your belief in
and continued support of the temple is deeply
appreciated.
Ruth Ann Anderson is TOG's new
Ritual Art Director. RA, as she is known among us, is
bringing new levels of artistic vision and execution to
the temple's seasonal rituals. RA, may your visions
ever flow and the ritual surprises never end. Thank
You!!!
Essays, articles, interviews, and poetry for temple
newsletter can be submitted to
newletter@TempleoftheGoddess.org.
Co-Editor for Between the Columns, Temple of
the Goddess newsletter needed. If interested contact
Director@TempleoftheGoddess.org.
Click here to find out about Community Events. If you
would like to post an event with Temple of the
Goddess, please let us know by submitting the date
and pertinent information to:
Events@TempleoftheGoddess.org.
~~ Childhood is a journey, not a race.
~~
My Planet Earth by Amanda
Formaro
Sean Martin Howey, age 6
As the Wheel of Life spins, the seasons bear witness
to the covenant of the Goddess, Her promise of life
and the never-ending cycle of birth, death, and
renewal. To each of us in times of both joy and sorrow
She sweetly whispers, "Be not afraid of my cycles and
embrace the changing nature of all things, the
permanence within the impermanence. The seasons
bear witness to this promise I manifested for you. For
surely, the darkness and death of winter is followed by
the light and renewal of spring."
We Remember:
Temple of the Goddess wishes to acknowledge,
honor, and welcome those who have joined, tithed,
or donated to the temple this month. You keep the
temple doors open for all of us.
Realm of Air
Realm of Fire
Realm of Water
Realm of Earth
Realm of Spirit
Click here for information on becoming a member
of TOG. Temple of the Goddess has a variety of ways
that you can participate fiscally in our vision. To
learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to
the temple, go to Gifting Opportunities.
Artwork from Ritual Path DVD by artist John
Banks and music by Fritz Heede of Artek
Images. Available from Amazon.com.
Buddhist statue of Guanyin in Sanya, China
Sanya is located on Hainan, the smallest province of
the People's Republic of China located off the
southern coast of the country. Yalong Wan is a local
park that located at a beach 7.5 km southeast of
Sanya City. The highlight of the park is the a 108-
meter Buddhist statue of Guanyin. (For point of
reference, the statute of liberty is 46 meters high.)
This statue was completed in May 2005 and is one of
the tallest statues in the world.
I ASKED THE GREAT QUEEN MOTHER HOW DO I
ACCEPT THE TASK AHEAD
She leapt down from the turbulent
Without so much as a thought,
- Barbara Perry, Chicago Poet & Artist
Mary Magdalene: Bride in Exile
Mary the Magdalene is beginning to take her place as
Goddess of the western world and Margaret Starbird
is the researcher/writer who has carried her out of
her 2,000 year exile. Discovering that even in her
own time Mary Magdalene was intended to be the
representative of the Mother Goddess , is like doing
genealogy and uncovering a biography of your long
lost beloved great-grandmother from pages which
only described her as "Mrs.". But in the mis-told
Christian story, Mary Magdalene didn't even get
the "Mrs." title. Not that that was all she was.
More . . .
Review by Joan Norton, MFT
Mary Magdalene Image by Richard
Stodart
Afghan girls traded, sold to settle debt.
JALALABAD, Afghanistan - Unable to scrounge
together the $165 he needed to repay a loan to buy
sheep, Nazir Ahmad made good on his debt by selling
his 16-year-old daughter to marry the lender's son.
"He gave me nine sheep," Ahmad said, describing his
family's woes since taking the loan. "Because of nine
sheep, I gave away my daughter."
Seated beside him in the cramped compound, his
daughter Malia's eyes filled with tears. She used a
black scarf to wipe them away.
Despite advances in women's rights and at least one
tribe's move to outlaw the practice, girls are traded like
currency in Afghanistan and forced marriages are
common. Antiquated tribal laws authorize the practice
known as "bad" in the Afghan language Dari - and
girls are used to settle disputes ranging from debts to
murder. Continued . . .
Associated Press Writer, Seattle Times
Washington Post Series
WASHINGTON , D.C. , July 12, 2007: (HPI note -- We
present today a series of articles on the opening of the
United States Senate with a Hindu prayer by Rajan
Zed of Nevada . Leaders of various religions have
delivered the Senate prayer, but this was the first by a
Hindu. Astoundingly, it was interrupted by shouting
Christian protesters from the Senate gallery, resulting
in widespread news coverage to an event that might
have otherwise gone little noticed.) Continued . . .
Sunday, July 1, 2007
For some NHS [National Health Service] hospital
patients it would seem the help of one god is just not
enough. Pagan chaplains are, for the first time, to offer
counselling and prayers to the sick in Scottish
wards.
NHS Tayside has agreed with Scotland 's 30,000
Pagans a ground-breaking deal that will allow
bedside healing rituals, meditation and special
prayers. But some of the more exotic aspects of
Paganism - not least the carrying of flaming torches -
will have to stay outside.
Pagan patients will also receive advice on getting well
soon, including keeping a "healing goddess" next to
their bed. Read more . . .
In a Sacred Circle of Sisters,
The Shamanic Tantric Dance is a
meditation in motion, a sacred dance spontaneously
sourced from body impulse.
INTRODUCTORY CLASSES in
PASADENA
Tarot in Egypt
Take an incredible journey to Egypt where, guided by
the Tarot, you will experience mystery school
initiations in the temples and tombs. There has never
been a trip like this before, combining Mary Greer's
wisdom of Tarot with Nicki Scully's shamanic healing
rituals and Normandi Ellis' readings of the
hieroglyphs in the most sacred temples on the
planet.
Click for more information, or contact Mary Greer
at mkgreer@pacbell.net
Travel to Sacred Places of the Divine Feminine begins again . . . Guided by Karen Tate. On your sacred tour, history, spirituality and culture come alive, creating a continuum between past and present. Time and distance dims. The line between traditional and non-traditional faith fades. You become one with the Mother.
Paris and Chartres - May 2008 /Turkey - October
2008
The Magdalene Center Monthly Community
Calendar of Events, August:
Aug 4 7:00 PM Artist reception
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