| Director's Message
Summer greetings one and all. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Summer Solststice celebration and made it such a wonderful evening. We've included a few highlights from one of our rehearsals below.
In this month's issue of Between the Columns you'll find a little old and a little new. Welcome to Fee, who will be offering "Herb of the Month", a new column of herb and gardening lore and guidance. Also, please note that Rosemary Clark's "Soothsayings", an astrological look at the month ahead can now be found on a new temple web page called "Astrological Column", along with other lunar and solar information. The temple is also offering a new class, Shamanic Trance Drumming led by Pythia. See below for more information. In September, Temple of the Goddess will be offering a monthly Full Moon Celebration led by Morfreyja. For a quick overview, you can now see all temple events and classes on our new Temple of the Goddess Event Calendar.
Wishing you a brilliant, joyful, creative, and productive summer. Blessings, Xia |
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Temple of the Goddess Announcements
Choir Rehearsals have resumed and will be held on the first and third Sundays at 4-6.
July 20th, 4-6pm
August 3rd, 4-6pm
August 17th, 4-6pm
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!
TEMPLE FACILITATORS: Please note that the Calendar and Events page on our website has two calendars: Temple Events Calendar, a general calendar of events and classes for the general public and a new Facilitator Calendar which includes all board and committee meetings, as well as choir, myth, and musican rehearsals.
NEEDED: Temple of the Goddess is in need of a Digital Projector for both ritual theatre and other program expansion. Please contact the director at director@templeofthegoddess.org if you can help fulfill this need or know of a company who might donate one to the temple.
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. |
| Summer Solstice Highlights
We'd like to share some images taken during the rehearsal of this year's Solstice myth of Amaterasu, the Japanese Sun Goddess, and her brother, Susono'o, the great storm God who learns a lesson in power.
Above left: Sun Goddess puppet created by Christine Papalexis in the opening processional, operated by RA, Spencer and Taylor Doughtie. Above Right: Susuno'o, the Japanese Storm God (Zachary Tatum-Nolan) calls thunder and lighting. (Dancers: David Wikkeling-Marotta & Anwyn)
Above left: Kami [in the Shinto religion are the sacred essence which exists in all the Universe] appear to Susuno'o as spirit guides and show him his reflection in a sacred pond. (Kami: Kathryn Payne, Patrick Humphrey, Morfreyja, Marisa Gold, Ember Knight) Above right: Inanna as the Japanese Sun Goddess, Amaterasu.
 Opposite: Suson'o calls forth the Kami Spirit of the Pond (Dancer-Ariel Miasnik) and guides her to Amaterasu's cave. Amaterasu, after much coaxing, leaves her cave and sees herself reflected by the Pond Spirit. Amaterasu then brings her light back into the world. All accompanied by the Temple Soundscape Musicians.
Art Direction and Costume Design: RA
Story Direction: Pat Lentz
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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 2008 Ritual Sabbats. This year's theme is "Remembering the Ancient Names" of the divine. 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!!
- September 20, 2008 Autumn Equinox
- November 1, 2008 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. |
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 Water
J. Clark
J. Tatum
Anne Gauldin
Realm of Spirit
Dawn Bodnar Sutton
R.A. Anderson
Ana Diaz-Ruiz
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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Kid's Realm ~~Childhood is a journey, not a race.~~
Summer Rain Stick By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Average
Age: 7 and up
Get kids into the summer spirit by making a summer rain stick.
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Soothsayings: July - August 2008
The hottest time of the year in the northern hemisphere coincides with a forty-day period when Sirius - the alpha star in the constellation Canis Major (the "greater dog") - rises with the Sun. Hence, this time is known as the "Dog Days" (July 4 - August 11). But throughout the ages, Sirius (Greek for "scorcher") also represented the appearance of a foremost goddess - Sothis of the Greeks, Sopdet of the Egyptians, Rudra (Shiva) of the Vedas.
 · Goddess Appearing
Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky that rises after the constellation Orion. The forty days of her rising with the Sun were regarded as most sacred in the ancient cultures of the Levant - from Egypt to Babylonia, including Greece, India, and as far East as China. Near the end of the forty day Solar conjunction, the star appears on the horizon at dawn before the solar aura becomes visible (the heliacal rising). This was viewed by the ancients as "the herald of the Sun's divine companion."
The lore associated with this event has been passed down through the ages. A shade of the naturally blue-white star is significant - if it appears bright and clear, the ancients foretold an abundant harvest and a year without conflict. If it was dim or reddish, a poor harvest would be expected with hostilities from foreign lands. Continued . . .
Illustration 1. Sothis
(*) 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. |
Herb of the Month
by: Fee, Certified Master Herbalist from the Global College of Natural Medicine
"In Eastern lands they talk in flowers,
and they tell in a garland their love and cares;
Each blossom that blooms in their garden bowers,
On its leaves a mystic language bears."
-- James G. Percival
 Summer is in full swing, the world is green and everything is alive. All those born in the month of July can claim the larkspur and the water lily as their plants. Larkspur (Delphinium) is sacred to Venus and is used for protection and health. Water lilies, of course, fall into the water plant category. Use them in rituals that involve the water element such as healings, emotions, and psychic powers.
 Our flowering herb this month is Hens and Chicks. Its Latin name is Sempervivum tectorum, aka the houseleek. Ancient Romans grew it, and it was rumored to be a gift from the God Jupiter. Legend has it that this plant protects your house from being hit by lightning and it also guards against fire. It's sort of a magical fire insurance policy! It repels black magic and keeps away evil spirits. It prefers sunny gardens with well draining soil. They also do well in strawberry pots on a sunny patio. Hens and Chicks offers up small rosettes that develop deep roots and become separate plants. Grown for its succulent type foliage, this plant was once used as a first aid plant, not unlike aloe vera today. If grown in gardens, it will survive most winters. If, however, your winter temperatures are extreme and you have it planted in containers, please bring them in during the winter as a houseplant. Zones 4-8. Referenced from Garden Witchery ~ Magick From The Ground Up Ellen Dugan, Llewellyn Publications 2003
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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: August 6th, September 3rd, October 1st, October 29th, November 26th, and Monday December 29th
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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 Shamanic Trance Drumming
New class offered by Temple of the Goddess
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.
Date: Tuesdays: August 4, 11, 18, 25 Time: 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Class led by Pythia, Temple of the Goddess priestess and a practitioner of Shamanic Trance Drumming for 18 years. 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.
Introductory Class
Monday, August 4th, 2008 from 7 to 10 pm
SERIES OF FIVE CLASSES
Monday, August 11th thru September 8th, 2008 from 7 to 10 pm $150
No Dance Experience Necessary. For more info click here. |
 Led by the Red Road
with Miranda, Cliff & Charlene
Ritual, Dance & Sound Ensemble
Saturday, August 23, 2008
7:15 -9:30 pm $35
At The Goddess Studio, Escondido*
3202 Lemora Lane, Escondido
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 Sacred Landscape Sites of Peru
11-Day Travel Study Tour
August 21 - 31, 2008
A UCLA Extension study tour led by Lollie Ragana, BFA, MA, Writer, Mythologist and Educator
Click here for more information and to download flyer
OR
For further information call the Landscape
Architecture Program, Department of the Arts,
at (310) 825-9414.
Or write:
UCLA Extension
P.O. Box 24901
Los Angeles, CA90024-0901
Attn: Landscape Architecture Program
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 Gaia Festival & Retreat
October 11-12, 2008
Featured Presenter for 2008: Margaret Starbird
This year's theme for Gaia Fest is Mother Mysteries and will focus on connecting with our inner mother through meditation, journaling, drumming and ritual. What mysteries does She have to share with you?
Temescal Gateway Park, Pacific Palisades, CA
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