~ March 2007 Supplemental Page~

Seeds of Spring by Lora Cain Continued . . .

A faint calling we cannot ignore Awake!
An echoing voice that speaks of the light the light
a vision of bright heat color
and we cower at the struggle it will take
to reach such beauty
and what courage we will need to dare to stand
so exposed
our long shuttered eyes blinded more surely
than any darkness ever could
naked heat that could scorch our tender skin
wind that could snap our fragile stems
rain and storm that could tear us out by the roots
and we could die
before ever having had the chance to be born
But we know if we are ever to be everything we are meant to be
there is only one path
To tear apart this shell
to break the security of all we have ever known
and reach for this light
But we are afraid
that the light does not exist
that the journey will destroy us
that the joy of being present is less than the comfort
of the still and the dark
And the voice speaks to us Awake
for you were made for the light
and it is the struggle that will make you stronger
more determined to plant yourselves in this ground
you have finally broken free of
and instead call it your own
To know warmth you could never find in the
damp embrace of the Underworld
to feel your own grace as you reach up to this heat
and a soon to be waning light
For you will know darkness again
with the coming of the night
and be reminded of my promise in the bright glow
of the Moon and the stars
That the light will always return once more
Death and Rebirth in every day
as you discover the truest joy of what it is
to fully live
to soak in the rain and sun and heat
to thicken with bark
to grow branches and limbs
to feel the sprouting of buds
and then - to flower
to bless this Earth with your beauty
to perfume the air with your own sweetest essence
to feed bird and bee
and then to wither and die and drop
and then to leaf
to offer shelter to every living creature
who too has been called forth
in pain and strife
certain of yourself as a majestic gift
to your world
All of this we will never know
unless we tear off these blinders
throw off our fear
and listen to that sweet voice cry to us
Awake!
For you are my only hope of new life
and of
Spring


Chenille Stem Butterflies Continued . . .

What You Need

• Black chenille stem
• Any color bumpy chenille stem (for butterfly body)
• 4 Pom poms, optional
• Wire cutters (Parental Supervision Recommended)
• Needle nose pliers
• Tacky glue (if using pom poms)

How To Make It

• Cut the black chenille stem in half. (You will only use 1 piece for this project)
• Bend the bumpy chenille stem in half in a V shape.
• Fold down one end of the bumpy chenille stem to the base of the V. Bend around the V. The end should be pointing up.
• Bend the bumpy chenille stem down to the base again. Bend around the V. This will form one side of the butterfly.
• Repeat with other end of the bumpy chenille stem.
• Be sure to use the needle nose pliers to hide any sharp ends.
• Fold the black chenille stem in half.
• Twist the bent end about 1/2" from the bend.
• Slide the butterfly in-between the black ends of the chenille stem.
• Twist the black chenille stem above the butterfly to hold it in place.
• Separate the ends of the black chenille stem.
• Bend one end of the black chenille stem over about 1/4". Bend again.
• Repeat with other end. This makes the antennas.
• If desired, place pom poms in the openings of the wings and use tacky glue to hold in place. Let dry.
• If desired, hang with yarn or fishing line to make a mobile as described above.

www.kidsdomain.com

Goddess is The Secret by Rev. Karen Tate

Continued . . . If you are still having doubts about how thoughts and energies affect us, stop and run some scenarios through your mind. What do you think and how do you feel when you hear the sound of a baby’s cry, or the domestic dispute of your neighbors seeping through the apartment walls? What emotions crop up when you witness human suffering, or politicians spinning lies on television? Can you remember getting caught up in the cheers of a crowd at a football game and the surge of emotion when your team has just scored the winning touchdown? Or think back to your reactions when you have been sitting on the edge of your seat in a dark movie theatre as you watch an intensely scarey movie, or laugh with a really smart comedy. Perhaps you can recollect the feelings and thoughts around a loved ones death or divorce, or in comparison, the birth of a new child. What about if your co-worker was promoted over you, or your friend got that book contract that you coveted? How do you feel after meditation? Examine how you feel when you are compassionate and generous toward someone versus being petty, insidious or jealous. All these common situations spark emotions and thoughts that in turn trigger a reaction and our outlook, that affect our life path. It’s a domino affect. And negative emotions or thoughts like self-doubt, indecision, low self-esteem and lack of gratitude can block the flow of attraction.

Now consider that your emotion and thought, in conjunction with other’s intentions and attention, all combine to intentionally or unintentionally create a collective wave of energy. Remember when thousands turned out in grief for Lady Diana’s funeral? Even if you were not in Paris or London at the time, the emotion surrounding her death was tangible across the globe. Or recall the positive, possibly miraculous affect your prayer circle may have had when they focused healing prayer and intention for someone who was ill?

What we expect we get. What we put out, comes back to us. What an incredible tool and an immense responsibility! What happens in life is not just random. We can alter our reality and the direction of our life. We are not doomed to a particular path or destiny. Fortunes can change if we change them, with our thoughts and intentions. On a larger scale, together with other like-minded women and men, we can change the face of the world. To quote a phrase of liturgy from Temple of the Goddess in Pasadena, CA, “We are the gardeners of our life.”

One might also choose to see the law of attraction in the esoteric context as the reciprocity of the Divine Feminine, or She of Ten Thousand Names, who is the Creatrix of All Things. If Goddess is the universal womb, the activator, the Shakti, it is from She the spark of life springs forth and it is from Her all energies of the cosmos emanate and flow. Interestingly, the sistrum, sacred rattle of the Egyptian Goddesses, Isis, Hathor, and Bast, was identified as a magickal and musical instrument that embodied the elements of the cosmos within its womb-shaped structure. The pagan philosopher Plutarch was noted to say the shaking of the sistrum insured the energies of life within the cosmos would not become stagnant and decay.

As Mother Nature, Goddess provides not just our earthly home, but all that we need to sustain ourselves. As such, she teaches us what is nurtured thrives and what is neglected withers. When we give to her, she gives back to us. If we water a tree, it bears fruit. If we fertilize our relationships and projects with love, attention, and proper care, we reap the reward. When we give to each other, she gives back to us and we are nurtured by those around us. We find good things flowing toward us from places we might not have imagined. Likewise, if we honor her, show gratitude for all she provides, and trust in her abundance and good will, life will be sweet and overflowing in fruitfulness. We then feel good about ourselves, we can easily turn those good feelings of generosity and goodwill out toward others who need our support or help. In return, Goddess protects us in the embrace of her golden wings. It is a circle of reciprocity, giving, and nurturing with positive returns.

Likewise, if we are greedy, abusive, wasteful, care little for others, are mean-spirited, short-sighted, jealous, bitter, petty, spiteful, and fearful, one might find life does not hold success, happiness, contentment, joy or love. Like attracts like. If we climb on the backs of others to get ahead, if we denigrate others in an attempt to feel whole, if we act negatively, and spew forth negative thoughts and intentions then we might begin to feel alone, struggling, consumed by fear and loathing, envying others, and feeling less than or un-fulfilled. But it all begins within, with our God/dess self. If we acknowledge the Divine within, if we love ourselves and have compassion for ourselves, we naturally and more easily can extend those positive feelings toward others, which begins the circle of giving, loving, and the attraction of abundance.

In the ancient world, the Egyptian Goddess, Isis, was so beloved, her worship grew beyond the Nile River regions of Egypt, crossing the Mediterranean Sea, traveling into Greece, Italy, Gaul, Turkey and beyond. Her worship was found as far west as the British Isles and as far east as India and the Middle East. She was thought to embrace all within her golden wings as they approached her in times of need. She was an accessible Goddess, who understood the worries, desires and needs of mortal women and men. She came to be known as the Oldest of the Old, to embody all the goddesses within herself. Isis was all things, and all things were Isis. The Creatrix of all, Isis was Sophia, Nature, the Lady of Mystery and Magic, Mother, Warrioress, and She Who Held the Fates of Man in Her Grasp. Some of her most noted or picturesque temples that remain standing today are in Philae, Egypt; Pompeii, Italy; and on the island of Delos in Greece.

The Temple of Isis
Island of Delos, Greece

(Excerpted from Walking an Ancient Path, due out in April 2008)

Delos, the sacred isle, one of the most important archaeological sites in all of Greece, is the home to many goddesses, including our Goddess of preference, Isis. As our sacred tour group waited by the dock for our boat to take us from Mykonos to Delos, we were anxious with anticipation about the visit. When the boat was late, not just a few minutes, but ultimately an hour, we soon learned something about living in Greece, or traveling in general. Be flexible and expect the unexpected. This snafu turned out to be one of our quirkiest pilgrimage stories. Here was a country that could decide upon a whim, it could just ignore things like daylight savings time

Finally, the boat arrived and we soon found ourselves on our way to Delos, where the only inhabitants are the archaeologists who still work there. As our boat approached the island, my eyes scanned the landscape before me and I searched for the Isis Temple. I had heard it sat atop a high precipice and was viewable from the sea. I saw it It was still somewhat intact and I could just barely see her headless statue within the temple, one of the best preserved on the island.

Having exited the boat, I walked toward the Temple of Isis, enjoying the exhilaration of the strong wind, cool and crisp as it whipped across my body. From her sacred house there was a commanding view of the island and the vivid, clear, blue ocean beyond. Her temple is adjacent to that of her consort, Serapis (a Greek conflation of Zeus and Osiris) and at first, we just absorbed the beauty of this setting. How wise were her ancient followers who chose this prime location for our Goddess' sacred temple Sweet music filled the air as our harpist allowed the wind to sing its own song as the currents strummed the strings of her instrument. It was so magical, it was almost as if Goddess herself was serenading us, with the wind as her fingers upon the harp. The moment was one I will never forget all the days of my life.

We are fortunate to have time here and we took our time making our offerings to Goddess. We left her dried flower petals and stones inscribed with words of devotion, including our name and the date, so that those coming long after us would know there were still priestesses of Goddess, particularly of Isis, in contemporary times. Archaeologists in future times would know we traveled far to make this pilgrimage, much as our ancient brethren were apt to do to in honor of her. We sang songs and rattled our sistra, the sacred rattle of Isis. As I sat there, reluctant to leave, a rather unexpected ritual of sorts unfolded. Delos, or Isis, seemed to have claimed a favorite piece of jewelry; an amethyst and crystal earring embellished with a moon and stars - my favorite. As I reached up and realized it had already been “lost” to this sacred place, I offered up the mate. In reverence, I very lovingly took the remaining adornment from my ear and left it at the feet of Isis, protectively covering it with a large stone, feeling as I did this, I left a part of myself here with her for all time.

In Retrospect
Looking back now on our three week pilgrimage, we all came home with mementos of our trip. Some were tangible and others of the intangible variety. Even if some thought they only came home with images of Goddess, or a great bottle of Greek wine, great lapis lazuli jewelry or tons of photography, I trust we came back with much more than that. Our experiences were rich and varied. We learned much about ourselves, each other, and Goddess. Perhaps even more than we wanted to know. Traveling with people is like that. But if we put our faith in Goddess, while we might not have come home with what we wanted, or even with what we expected, as a priestess of Isis, as someone who has now felt Her power, I must trust we all came home with what we needed.

The Isidis Navigium - Saturday, March 31, 2007

In keeping with the sacred energies of Isis and her gifts of abundance, please join us at the Ninth Annual Isidis Navigium.

Come make history at The Goddess Temple of Orange County as friends of The Isis Ancient Culture Society recreate for the ninth consecutive year the Isidis Navigium. Held for the first time in Irvine at the temple honoring the Sacred Feminine, this ancient rite, open to men and women, is a re-creation of an annual Spring festival called the Ploiaphesia or Launching of the Ships, originally held each March by devotees of Isis in Greece, Rome, and Egypt antiquity.

Be a part of the magic. Travel to the temple of The Lady of Mystery and Magic. Launch your heart's desire toward good fortune and the manifestation of abundance. Enjoy ancient ritual enactments and performances honoring Isis in this celebration of Spring and your journey into the year ahead. Join us as we combine art and culture, music and dance with ritual theatre to welcome the Season of Spring and honor our mother, Isis, and ourselves.

This is a temple fundraiser. Donation: $10.00
Bring: Flower without a stem, $1.00 offering for altar.

Where:
Goddess Temple of Orange County
17905 Sky Park Circle #A Irvine, CA 92614
1-877-N-Temple
www.goddesstempleoforangecounty.com

Time: Starts promptly at 7PM

For More Information Contact:
karentate108@ca.rr.com
www.karentate.com


Urban Ordination
Super Sunday by Pythia

Continued . . . After the women had shed the everyday world which all have to deal with, after putting out of their minds all the myriad details that had to be attended to before arriving, music wove in and about the seven prone figures. Ting Shas chimed, signaling the women who were placing their feet upon their chosen path. A guided journey walked each woman on their mental path, walked them through the woods to meet with the Goddess. This private, individual meeting, this exchange of information, of love, of support, prepared them for the coming ordination.

Although each woman heard the same words, each woman’s journey was unique. On the many journeys that I have participated in, both as guided journeys and as personal Shamanic Trance Journeys, I have never heard two women or men express the same experience. It is impossible. The narrator’s words filter through the individual brain exciting unique memories, desires, goals. Upon walking back up the path, and rejoining their bodies, the women segued back into their bodies. All the women held their singular experiences inside. It was for them alone.

Then, all the women had some moments to take care of body functions, check their lipstick and their hair–after all, one wants to be as beautiful as one can be when one meets the Goddess. The CD played, and when the music stopped, the women, in a randomly selected order walked from the front room into the front yard.

This house, this front yard is special. The house is on a small hill, the garage cut into it. The top of the garage flows into the green grass, trees, and flowering shrubs. And on the top of this urban garage is a seven circuit Cretan labyrinth. Lovingly created by the owner, the labyrinth is outlined with small, smooth stones. Unlike a maze, labyrinths have no dead ends, one cannot become lost or stranded in a labyrinth. It has one way in and one way out–the same path, but different depending on whether one is going in or coming out. Walked with reverence, the labyrinth is a meditation tool–another way to meet oneself, meet the Goddess, meet and join with all of Creation.

As the women walked toward the labyrinth, they passed an ordination altar blessed with a statue of the Minoan Snake Goddess and one of the Goddess of Willendorf where earlier each woman had placed her consecrated ritual tools. These sacred items included stones, jewelry, personal Goddess statues, flowers, an athame, and candles. The meaning of these sacred items remained silent, known only to each woman. They walked past the ordination altar, past their family and friends sitting on the lawn, to stand strong, shoulder to shoulder facing the labyrinth. It was early evening by now, the sun still shedding its light, but rapidly sliding into the Pacific Ocean promising a cool night. An almost full moon shone in the south, blessing the area with gentleness.

Xia, the founder of Temple of the Goddess spoke to the women, reiterating the seriousness of their actions. The women, dressed in black, or white, or blue, or red, or a combination of the above took it all in. Each knew this was the right path.

Then Xia walked the stone path to stand in the center, the heart, soul, and womb of the labyrinth. Each woman approached the labyrinth, but before entering was greeted by Lilith, the First Mother of us all. When Lilith received answers to her questions, she allowed each woman to pass.

Singly, the women entered the labyrinth, walked the circular path and met with Xia, themselves, and the Goddess. After Xia spoke with each woman, blessing them with channeled energy, she placed a silver band on their heads. The crowns were graced with a crescent moon and a hanging amethyst cabochon. A fitting witness for a woman doing Goddess priestess work in western society.

During the Walking the Labyrinth Ritual of Ordination, the super bowl ended, eliciting a small group of young men to whoop and holler in the street a few doors away. Later, when this was mentioned, most of the seven ordainees had not heard a sound beyond the front yard and its contained ritual. The world, for these women, consisted of the labyrinth and a few feet of green grass, trees, and shrubs. Super Sunday had an entirely different meaning to these powerful women.

After walking in solemnly, a few singing or sounding, but mostly silent, most of the women skipped, danced, or twirled their way out, singing, smiling, and laughing. Joy swirled around the newly ordained priestesses, spreading out of the labyrinth to permeate their family and friends watching this holy rite.

Lilith, the gate keeper, greeted each priestess with their chosen priestess name and asked yet more questions. With answers received, Lilith bade the priestess to light their ordination candle to symbolize illuminating their path in this world.

When all had exited, Xia spoke a last blessing and declared that by the power of the Goddess and the State of California, the women were officially ordained clergy in Temple of the Goddess. With Xia exiting the labyrinth, happiness and fulfillment swam in the night air. Each woman was given a box containing their ordination certificate. Later, we feasted . . . for Temple of the Goddess, but most especially, for each woman, now a priestess of the Goddess, another priestess to help make the world a better place, one person at a time.

So, what kind of women joined together on this February 4th evening to be ordained? Certainly, strong, independent, intelligent, compassionate women. But, what of these particular women? All of them are working women, some with children, some without. The careers include: business woman and owner of a graphic design firm; a college professor, author, and artist; an actor; an entertainer who sings, does stand-up comedy who wrote and performed her own one-woman show; a special ed teacher and tantrika; a mother of three who is a dulla, and dancer/choreographer; and a film and video editor and producer. They come from varied backgrounds with a multitude of skills. One of their most important skills is commitment. Commitment to change the world in which we live for the better, for the seventh generation to come. It’s a big commitment. It’s a huge challenge. But, these women are large of spirit and energy, and know that the Goddess walks by their side every step of the way.

Temple of the Goddess welcomes the following priestesses:

Anonna            aka   Lora Cain
Caitlin              aka   Kathleen Forrest
Inanna             aka   Marcella Lentz-Pope
Kamala Raven    aka   Deena Booth
Mnajdra            aka   Anne Gauldin
Ra                   aka   Ruth Ann Anderson
Witchhaizel       aka   Haize Rosen

To read more about each priestess, click on the Temple of the Goddess website at the link below.

www.http://templeofthegoddess.org/Priestess/temple_clergy.htm


Mystical Magical Media Club by Tiffani Ayres

Continued . . . A former Anglican priest and professor of Greek and New Testament at the University of Toronto, Harpur admits researching the Pagan and mythological roots of Jesus the Christ had a profound effect on his own spirituality. His own words sum it up best from an email he recently sent me, “My prayer and hope is that it will assist in the re-birthing of Christianity in our times. This is truly needed given the resurgence of militant fundamentalism in North America and beyond.”

At the core of the book is the exploration of the early influences of the Christos myth from various sun gods, such as Hercules of Greece and Horus of Egypt. Harpur explains how ancient Egyptian religion was a large source of Christianity and in detail lists the stunning similarities between them (i.e. baptism, virgin birth, the twelve disciples, and the resurrection). Particularly fascinating is the chapter titled, “Horus and Jesus Are The Same”. In this section he explores some of the 180 similarities between them as traced by Gerald Massey, an early Egyptian scholar.

In the final chapter, “The Only Way Ahead”, Harpur urges fellow Christians to look beyond “literalizing” and the “pseudo-history out of the Jesus story” imposed by the Church in the third and fourth centuries, a time of ignorance and unquestioning faith. Harpur leaves the reader with nine areas he believes are “most pregnant with hope for the future.” I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to know more about the Pagan influence in Christian mythology.

NOTE: Books, films, media that are “mystical, magical, spiritual or simply divine” . . . that’s what I’m talking about! Media that touches our hearts or inspires or challenges us to see the world in a different light. When I read something wonderful I cannot wait to tell my friends about it. I hope to share my enthusiasm for divine books and other media with Temple of the Goddess readers. If you have read something divine lately, please share it with me at tiffaniayres@yahoo.com.