 Celebrating the Seasons:
Autumn Equinox
Saturday September 20, 2008
7:30 PM, Doors Open 7:00
Come join us as we remember, re-claim, and celebrate our deep connection with the cycles of life and the seasons of Mother Earth. The theme of all our 2008 Sabbat rituals is remembering the Names, and myths, of the Ancient Ones and through them, our legacy, our divine heritage. "Forgotten, she does not die, but sleeps, whispering in her dreams (Dreams that are the lives of men) until these words, remembered, wake her." (Clay Gilbert) As children of the divine, we celebrate the year's harvest as we remember Her: we whisper Her many names, we awaken Her, and we call Her, once again, into the world.
Fall is the time of Thanksgiving, a time of gifts and blessings worldwide. Day and night are equal and the balance of giving and taking, of light and dark, summer and winter, life and death are the focus of this Sabbat. Though the year is waning and winter approaches, the emphasis is less on death than on the message of rebirth in the harvest seeds and the plenty of the season.
Our evening of myth and ritual theater begins with a Harvest Processional honoring the bounty of the Earth Mother, the power of growth, and the power of life. Bring an offering of fruit or vegetable for our Harvest altar and to offer your personal thanks for the bounty in your life.
 Our Equinox myth and enactment unfolds with a modern retelling of the myth of Maat, the Egyptian Goddess who holds the scales of balance at the end of our lives where our hearts are balanced against her sacred feather. Our protagonist, Ako the Weary, o'er burdened by life and the past which weighs too heavy upon his heart, mistakenly wanders before his time into Maat's world. There he also meets the Egyptian God, Anubis who challenges Ako to find the balance and joy in life before allowing him to cross the Chasm of Time back to his own world.
Journey with us as we remember: There is still power in the ancient names. Every breeze whispers Her name. Every moonbeam holds Her spirit. These words, remembered, wake Her.
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 Kamala 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
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Temple of the Goddess Announcements
Choir Rehearsals have resumed and will be held on Sundays, 4-6.
September 28th, 4-6 pm
October 12th, 4-6 pm
October 19th, 4-6 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!
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. |
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Soothsayings: September - October 2008
 September and October are deeply religious months, combining a series of ancient observances that evoke the season of preparation. Perhaps the most significant is the approach of the Autumnal Equinox, which brings us into anticipation of winter and the onset of the long descent of the Sun into the southern hemisphere of the sky. The Sun enters Libra (Autumnal Equinox) on September 22 at 8: 44 am PDT. In ancient times, this was the start of the Mystery cycle, when darkness delays the daylight hours and the declining Sun was a metaphor of the dying god, as told in the legends of the gods Tammuz (Babylonia), Adonis (Syria), Dionysius (Greece), and Osiris (Egypt). As a result, his consort the mourning goddess heralds in the season and presides over the sacred rites that portray the winter vigil which promises to restore and revive the dormant gods in another cycle. The supreme goddess of this cycle is Isis, whose search for her husband Osiris, her magical restoration of his form, and her participation in the cosmic struggle for balance and justice embody the Libran theme of the season. For thousands of years, the Isian legends, rites, and festivals repeated the timeless journey of Isis, whose wanderings, lamentations, and resolutions are a metaphor of our own spiritual quest and its realization.In this cycle we may balance our material and spiritual lives, since the Equinox ("equal night") refers to the perfect balance of day and night hours that occurs at this time and symbolizes light and dark forces that comprise our existence. Continued . . . (*) 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. |
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 Spirit
Dawn Bodnar Sutton
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.~~
 Craft Stick Balance Beam
By: Amanda Formaro
Difficulty: Very Easy
Age: 5 and up
Coming into fall and the Fall Equinox, we are reminded to walk in balance. If your child is a gymnast or just loves watching them in action, this is a fun craft to make to celebrate the art, and to learn to walk in balance. Continued . . . |
When One Door Closes . . . Another Opens
by Pythia
 At the Temple's last ritual all the priestesses, priests, facilitators, and congregation said a heartfelt, sad goodbye to some of our young people who are going off to college. Preparation for that farewell ritual consisted of making a "Thank You" plaque and a framed printout of the Temple's Ten Guiding Principles, and the Wendy Rule song, Shine, was sung to the all our young people. Other than that, it was 'business as usual' as we created the Summer Solstice evening's celebration.
Now, as we prepare for Fall Equinox which is quickly followed with All Hallows Eve, I as one of the facilitators feel the full impact of the missing young ones. We will miss those young actors, singers, and dancers who will not be gracing our stage next week. There will not be as many helping hands to unload and reload the masks, costumes, props, altar items, greeting table, and snack items needed for each and every ritual. A hole formed without me noticing. Our rituals will still happen, and they will be jas good as always, but . . . parts of the Temple as we have known it, will not be present. Nature, though, abhors a vacuum. So we celebrate the new young people coming in to the temple, and these fresh faces have their own beautiful uniqueness and special brand of talent which the Temple is grateful for. More . . .
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Herb of the Month
by: Fee, Certified Master Herbalist from the Global College of Natural Medicine
The light is changing. The breezes are waxing cooler. September is upon us. As our year turns towards her end, I wish all those born in September much happiness.  September blesses us with morning glories and asters. Blooming in September, the morning glory vines can be used in binding spells. When grown in a garden, it brings happiness and peace. The beautiful aster is a favorite of butterflies. It was sacred to all the Greek gods and is primarily used for love spells. The coming harvest moon could be used to bless your trees and shrubs, to celebrate your happy home and for the bounty of your garden, whether it an ornate creation that you tend to every minute, flowers in a vase, herbs for spells and charms or the simplicity of vegetables for your table. Use red, orange, yellow and brown candles. Mums, asters and morning glories are the flowers of choice. Apples, pumpkins, grapes and grapevines can be used now too. Be sure to use herbs to match your magical intent. I use cloves for purification.  With all these elements in place, waiting for sunset/moonrise, call on The Crone, Demeter, Persephone, Hecate and the god of the vine, Dionysus: "Great Goddess, as your golden moon rises, we hail this season of plenty. The garden's final bounty is gathered in, as the leaves turn colors gently. There is a bite in the air as autumn, the season of the witch, sweeps in. Let our days of thanksgiving, prosperity and family unity begin." Referenced from Garden Witchery ~ Magick From The Ground Up
Ellen Dugan, Llewellyn Publications 2003
Morning Glory courtesy of goodcarbs.co.uk, Clove courtesy of barbaramfrank.blogspot.com For gardening or herbal questions, contact Fee at khotbc@yahoo.com |
 Temple of the Goddess ~ Full Moon Celebrations
Monthly Celebrations on the night of the Full Moon.
2008 Dates: October 14th ~ November 13th ~ December 12th
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
First Meeting ~ November 12, 2008
 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 first book will be:
When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone
Description: Here, archaeologically documented,is the story of the religion of the Goddess. Under her, women's roles were far more prominent than in patriarchal Judeo-Christian cultures. Stone describes this ancient system and, with its disintegration, the decline in women's status. Index; maps and illustrations.
Click here to buy this book from Amazon and help support the temple. For more info, date, location, email: PaganBookClub@templeofthegoddess.org |
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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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 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.
Next Series: Tuesdays, September 2, 9, 16, 23 at 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.
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 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, from 7 to 10 pm
SERIES OF FIVE CLASSES
Monday, October 13th through Noveber 10th, 2008 from 7 to 10 pm $150
No Dance Experience Necessary. For more info click here. |
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Los Angeles Appearance of Wendy Rule
Friday September 19th, 7:30 PM
Alexia Robinson Studio
2611 West Magnolia Boulevard Burbank CA 91505
Very limited tickets. Only 50 are available! Click HERE to go to buy yours now. Presented by the Crooked Path Pagan Podcast.
www.wendyrule.com |
 Los Angeles Pagan Pride Day
10th Anniversary Pagan Pride Day.
October 5th, 2008. ~ 10:00am to 5:30 pm.
The Meadows @ Whittier Narrows
Activities will include: Rituals - Workshops - Children's Activities - Authors - Entertainment - Vendors. |
 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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