| 2009 Director's Message
The Wheel of Life turns, a new year begins, and temple facilitators came together in January to look back at last year's rituals as well as to vision about the coming year and a theme that would guide our music, song, art, dance, spoken word, and myths. What seemed to collectively emerge was the current political climate as manifested by the election of President Obama: Reclaiming Hope, Healing the Earth/Healing Each Other, Yes We Can. The ascension of Obama's voice to the American people gave us hope and I couldn't help but note the Pagan tenets woven throughout his message.
As I listened to Obama speak of change in South Carolina after winning the Democratic Presidential primary, I was reminded of author Dion Fortune's oft quoted definition of magic. "Magic is the art of causing changes in consciousness according to the will." Obama's words of empowerment, "Change we can believe in. Change is what's happening in America. Yes, we can. Yes, we can change. Yes, we can." This speech was nothing short of a life-affirming liturgy as voices of the many responded in a resounding, empowered "Yes, we can."
Obama went on to say, "Yes, we can heal this nation. Yes, we can seize our future. And. . .with the message we carry. . .the same message we had when we were up and when we were down, that out of many, we are one." The most important tenet in Paganism is the philosophy of Immanence, that the world and everything in it is alive and the Life Force which courses through us also exists in everyone and everything-the belief that we are all connected-We Are One. What a profoundly challenging follow-up to his message of self-empowerment, of "Yes, we can." (Click for Full Article.) |
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Temple of the Goddess Announcements
2009 Dates for Rehearsal are:
Sunday, February 22nd - 2-4:00pm / Musician Rehearsal 4-6:00pm
Sunday, March 1st - 4-6:00 pm
Goddess Choir: If you'd like to be a part of the ever-growing Temple of the Goddess choir, email choir@TempleoftheGoddess.org. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD!
Coming Soon!: Power of the Feminine Film Festival. Monthly series of powerful cinema. See article below for more information.
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. |
 Spring Equinox Ritual & Celebration
Saturday March 14, 2009, 7:30 PM
Doors Open 6:45
A new year begins and we come together to honor the turning of the seasons and the Earth's never-ending cycles of life. Inspired by the hope and new direction of our country this past year, our 2009 theme emerged-we are a people empowered individually, and together, as one, to heal ourselves, each other, and our beloved Earth. "I Am. You Are. Together, We Are One." We will continue to remember the Ancient Ones, as well as honor the power of the life-giving elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.
The evening opens with a song and dance honoring Life, the Earth, and the elements that sustain us. "Life, flowing through time. As fleeting and bright as the dawn. . .Earth is the ground beneath my feet. Water the blood that's flowing through me. Air is the sky I run beneath. Fire, the will that keeps me running." (Wendy Rule, Firehorse)
As our story and enactment unfolds, we meet Lilith, the mythical First Mother. Known in Kabbalistic texts as Adam's first wife, Lilith is the winged Goddess of Air who flew from the Garden of Eden with Her Owl Familiar because she refused to "lie under," to be subservient to Adam. Confident in Her own self-knowledge, Lilith leaves behind the limitations of tradition, society, and the world as She knew it. She ventures forth, flies upon the wings of Her own divine truths, sharing Her knowledge of change and empowerment with the world.
Journey with us as we remember and embrace the relevance this archetypal Goddess offers us today. Lilith passes on her hard-won knowledge so that we, too, can bring healing to the world by reaching out and sharing our own loving wisdom.
Temple of the Goddess, and The Mythic Players, invite you to join us for an evening of art and ritual theatre in celebration of the Spring Equinox. Come plant your own seeds of knowledge and help to make the world a better place.
Newcomer's Meeting in Lobby at 6:45pm, before the ritual. If this is your first Temple of the Goddess Ritual or you just have questions, meet with the Priestesses of TOG in the lobby before the ritual. Bring your questions, fears, hopes, and desires.
Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church
301 N. Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91103
818-771-5778
For more information, download flyer at www.templeofthegoddess.org/events
Image: Lilith by Beth Hansen |
SAVE THE DATE
"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 2009 Ritual Sabbats.
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 DATE!!
- March 14, 2009 Spring Equinox
- June 20, 2009 Summer Solstice
- September 19, 2009 Autumn Equinox
- November 7, 2009 All Hallow's Eve
Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church
301 N. Orange Grove Blvd.
Pasadena, CA 91103
818-771-5778
Website: www.TempleoftheGoddess.org/Events
Artwork from Ritual Path DVD by artist John Banks of Artek Images and music by Fritz Heede. Available from Temple of the Goddess Music & Media Store. |
Soothsayings: February 18 - March 19, 2009
 by Rosemary Clark
Passion and Compassion
In Greek myth we are told of the monster serpent Typhon, who sought to overthrow Zeus and the Olympian gods. As he battled the divine patriarch, the gods sought refuge in Syria and Egypt. Among them, Aphrodite and her son Eros plunged into the river Nile to escape the predations of Typhon, and took the form of fishes. Their images were placed in the heavens as the Ichthyes ("fish"), forming the constellation Pisces. As the Roman Venus, the goddess finds the house of Pisces to be both her refuge and exaltation, her place of greatest power. Here, Venus in Pisces offers the utmost devotion and protection from terrestrial terror, a portal to the realm of divine inspiration. Passion (the red or southern fish) and compassion (the blue or northern fish) are blended in the image, joined by the cosmic cord of eternity. The Sun enters Pisces on February 18th at 4:47 am PST, on a day that brings Venus and Mars together in a conjunction. No matter where you are, a soft landing is promised. A few days of respite from the worries of our times will follow, as Aphrodite and Eros find refuge once more. More. . . Photo: Poseidon with the Ichthyes by Johfra Bosschart, 1919-1998
(*) All phenomena are cited for the Tropical (Western) Zodiac
© Copyright 2008 by Rosemary Clark
Rosemary Clark is author of The Sacred Tradition in Ancient Egypt: The Esoteric Wisdom Revealed and The Sacred Magic of Ancient Egypt: The Spiritual Practice Restored. She has also written The Everything Meditation Book and her work is included in Menopause: A One-Stop Resource for Feeling Good and The Complete Dream Dictionary. When not writing and organizing spiritual expeditions to Egypt, she is saying sooth to an international cadre of students and associates. |
DONOR ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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
Kamala
Realm of Fire
Morfreyja
Realm of Water
Carol Benson Holst
Susan Saeed
Realm of Earth
Realm of Spirit
Dawn Bodnar Sutton
J. Tatum
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.
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Power of the Feminine Film Festival
by Kamala
Let's gather for a fun evening as we come together to view and discuss films that illuminate and engage us in the Power of the Feminine.
Join us at the movies! Dress casual, (PJ's acceptable), bring blankets, pillows, beach chairs. Popcorn and other snacks will be available to purchase for the benefit of the Temple. Some films will be family friendly and others will be 13 years or older (parental discretion).
Our first film will be:
The Secret Garden
[April 11th Time: TBD]
Family Friendly!
For many people, the goddess is now expressed not necessarily as inherently female, but as what that feminine expression embodies: the concept of life as a whole, intricately woven together in sacred unity." -- The Mythology of Nature, Xia
 For me going to the movies can be a sacred experience. Film holds the power of myth and the imagination. I's "bigger than life" quality can transform us in a profound and magical way. As my understanding of the feminine grew, it was films like Thelma and Louise and The Piano that showed me what it meant to find my own voice and to stand in my feminine power.
"The world of the twenty-first century is out of balance. It is a world diseased by fear, hate, war, greed, violence, and all the subtle and obvious manifestations of suppression and subjugation of nature and the peoples of the world. These destructive aspects of human expression are typically considered the shadow aspects of the masculine: power not in service to the life force. It is our belief that what is needed to restore the essential balance of humanity and the planet is the life-enhancing aspects of the feminine: equality, reciprocity, and caring, to name a few." Xia, Director's Opening Message, Temple of the Goddess
So what is the power of the feminine? In the above quote "the life-enhancing aspects of the feminine: equality, reciprocity, and caring, to name a few." can certainly be considered aspects of the Feminine. Films such as The Secret Garden speak very pointedly to the loss of these feminine qualities, the Garden untended, the "mother" banished from the world. The film shows us a young boy and his father literally ill because they have cut themselves off from Her and the power of regeneration. As She is restored, so are they.
Other films like Children of Men, Cold Mountain, The Green Mile, and Jerry Maguire also speak of the great power of caring, regeneration, relationship, unity, and cooperation. These are the feminine aspects that will bring us back into balance, back to the Garden.
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Kid's Realm ~~Childhood is a journey, not a race.~~
 Conversation Heart Mailbox
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Easy
Age: 6 and up
Need a creative way to collect your Valentine's Day cards this year? Try making this great box, perfect for a girl or a boy--your friends will love it! More |
Herb of the Month
 by: Fee, Certified Master Herbalist from the Global College of Natural Medicine, Keeper of the Gardens
"Come forth into the light of things, let nature be your teacher." William Wordsworth
 Greetings from Fee's Garden!! We are halfway through the months of moon and love is in the air! If you blessed us with your presence in February, like my oldest little witch, then you can claim the violet and the primrose! The humble violet, found most often in your lawn, is a faery flower and is used for love and for protection. The primrose blooms in early spring and is also used for love and protection. In England, gardeners looking for signs of spring anticipate the first primroses the way Americans watch for the earliest daffodils!
 Lovage (Levisticum officinale) is our herb for this month! Very fitting, don't you think? It's known by many folk names: Love root, lavose, sea parsley, Italian parsley, loving herbs, love parsley, lubestico, levisticum and Chinese lovage.
Gender: Hot
Planet: Sun
Element: Water
Part Used: Root
Basic Powers: Love and purification
Specific Uses: Add the root to baths to become psychically cleansed. Also add to the bath with seven rose buds to make you more attractive to the opposite sex. Carry as a love attractor!
Garden Witchery-Magick From The Ground Up, Ellen Dugan, Llewellyn Publications 2003
The Secret Craft of the Wise-Magical Herbalism, Scott Cunningham, Llewellyn Publications 2002
For gardening or herbal questions, contact Fee at khotbc@yahoo.co |
 It's the year 4706, welcome to the year of the Ox
by Morfreyja
In my research of the Year of the Ox I was interested to learn that the Lunar New Year dates from 2600 BC, when the Emperor Huang Ti introduced the first cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
The Chinese New Year 4706, or 2009 in the Western calendar is the year of the "Female Brown Earth Ox" or sometimes called the cow or water buffalo. According to sources, this year of the Ox is the second year in this 12 year cycle of the Chinese zodiac.
Those born in the years 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, or 1997 share the characteristics of the Ox, which is one of the most patient signs, but when opposed the fierce temper comes to the forefront.
For the Ox in 2009, sources say that any recent setbacks or obstacles can be overcome, so look forward to a year in which to really shine, either personally or professionally. The grounded, rational, earth influence of Ox may bring good fortune to troubled economic times but only with a sustained, well planned effort. The article goes on to say that Ox influence can bring success but will only do so through hard work. "The last time the earth Ox was seen as the ruling influence was January 29, 1949 - February 15, 1950. The world suffered a recession in late 1948 and early 1949. The world economy recovered during the year of the Ox due to rational decisions and careful planning. By 1951, the recession was over." With such similarities to today's economic crisis, Ox tells us that a well planned, consistent path is the way to over come. This may take more time but it will "lay a foundation for long lasting results." Year of the Ox predictions call for the strengthening of the housing market and many years of good fortune with planning, hard work and discipline as well as the intergration of the lessons of the past. Heeding this the future brings harmony to the home and business.
Courtesy of: www.chiff.com/a/chinese-horoscopes.htm |
First Pagan Book Club A Success
by Jeanne Leiter
A fun evening of good people, good food, and great conversation best describes TOG's first meeting of the Pagan Book Club on January 27th in a lovely home in Pasadena. We started with the book When God was a Woman by Merlin Stone.
The entire evening was easy going and free-form, by that I mean that there was no leader, no agenda. It was a congenial group and plenty of cookies and popcorn to nosh on. When one of us had a question about what Stone meant by a certain passage (the book assumes the reader has prior knowledge, such as when the Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras were and what is meant by such terms) one of us would fill in the blanks. Her book deals a lot with Pre-History, that which is written as cave paintings and Goddess statuary found buried beneath hearths and in caves (our first temples).
I believe this book begins to set the record straight. Long before there was a male god there was a female Goddess. Early humans saw that with their women and with animals, life came from the female. At first, there had to be a disconnection between intercourse and months later-birth. But, even when Homo Sapiens sapiens figured out the connection, still, it is the female who grows the offspring inside her belly and then stands at the portal of death to deliver it into this world. Our ancestors saw the beauty and majesty of that and revered the female with representations such as Venus of Willendorf found in Austria, thought to be at least 30,000 years old. She is surely a depiction of the Great Mother Goddess with wide hips for giving birth and large breasts to feed many children. (More) |
 Temple of the Goddess ~ Full Moon Celebrations
I would really like to thank all of you who have braved the winter weather to join us for the Full Moon Celebrations. They have truly been magical nights. Due to a busy schedule in preparation for the Spring Equinox there will not be a gathering in March, however, lunar inforamtion will be sent to those requesting such. !! Mark your calendar for April 9th, as we will combine Full Moon Magic with Trance Drumming and work with our Power Animals... Morfreyja
Upcoming Dates:
Thursday, April 9, 7-10pm
Saturday, May 9, 7-10pm
Sunday, June 7, 7-10pm
Strong lunar energy pulls everything out of hiding and reflects it back at us. Emotions seem closer to the surface and social inhibitions melt away. While neither Waxing nor Waning, the Full Moon is a highly charged time for release and gain.
During the Full Moon Celebrations you will learn the energy flow of each monthly Full Moon, meditate to draw down the Lunar power, create magic within sacred circle and use divination tools to release the unwanted as well as bring in the desired.
Click here for more information about Temple of the Goddess Full Moon Celebration, and a pdf flyer or email FullMoonCelebration@TempleoftheGoddess.org or phone: 818-771-5778 Picture Courtesy of Isquiesque |
Temple of the Goddess PAGAN BOOK CLUB
 Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Do you enjoy reading and discussing books? Then please join us for the temple's new Pagan Book Club. Some of our young people are hungry to read what many of us older Pagans have long ago read so this is our chance to re-read, share our wisdom, and get some fresh new perspectives from the next generation (or two). We will be reading both fiction and nonfiction. If you're interested in joining us, our next book will be:
The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
The red tent is the place where women gathered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and even illness. Like the conversations and mysteries held within this feminine tent, this sweeping piece of fiction offers an insider's look at the daily life of a biblical sorority of mothers and wives and their one and only daughter, Dinah. Told in the voice of Jacob's daughter Dinah (who only received a glimpse of recognition in the Book of Genesis), we are privy to the fascinating feminine characters who bled within the red tent. In a confiding and poetic voice, Dinah whispers stories of her four mothers, Rachel, Leah, Zilpah, and Bilhah--all wives to Jacob, and each one embodying unique feminine traits. As she reveals these sensual and emotionally charged stories we learn of birthing miracles, slaves, artisans, household gods, and sisterhood secrets. Eventually Dinah delves into her own saga of betrayals, grief, and a call to midwifery.
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Temple of the Goddess
Moon Lodge
We gather to honor and celebrate the Moon Mother and her cycles which we embody with her sacred gift of rhythm and blood. Together we will celebrate stories of our own moon-time, from our experiences of menarche to menopause. We will share stories of Her ebb and flow, reconnecting ourselves with these divine and timeless cycles. Our repose in this dreamtime within the safety of a circle of sisters has the power to heal and reunite our deeper selves with the natural world.
The Moon Lodge is held on Wednesdays between 7pm and 10pm.
Moon Lodge Schedule: Wednesday, February 25, 7 to 10pm
Wednesday, March 25, 7 to 10pm
Wednesday, April 22, 7 to 10pm
Wednesday May 27, 7 to 10pm
Wednesday, June 24, 7 to 10pm
Dress comfortable and bring comfy pillow and blanket to snuggle in. Bring any sacred offerings you may wish to share with the Goddess on Her Altar. And a decadent snack to share with your sisters.
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 Trance Journey Through Drumming
New class offered by Temple of the Goddess
This is not a "learn how to drum" class, but deep meditation instruction. In this class you will learn about Shamanism and what a Shaman does when she or he moves into a trance and enters another reality. If you've wanted a different way of meditating to "sort things out" then this might work for you. In addition to the trance work, the class will study various topics including:
- Shamanic Trance Drumming-what it is and where it has been in practice.
- Spirit Guides-how to obtain one and what a Guide does for you.
- Relevancy of Shamanic Trance Drumming in today's world.
Classes led by Pythia, Temple of the Goddess priestess and a practioner of Shamanic Trance Drumming for 18 years. Classes ongoing. For dates and times, contact Pythia@templeofthegoddess.org and put Trance Journey in the subject. Click here for more info and a downloadable pdf flyer. |
 In a Sacred Circle of Sisters,
Come Home to Your Authentic Self
The Shamanic Tantric Dance is a meditation in motion, a sacred dance spontaneously sourced from body impulse.
One Day Encounter ~ $30.00
(no one turned away for a lack of funds)
Saturday, February 28, 3 to 6pm
Sunday, March 29, 3 to 6pm
Saturday, April 11, 3 to 6pm
Saturday, May 23, 3 to 6pm
Saturday, June 27, 3 to 6pm
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