|
|
from
the goddess...
by
Stephanie Hiller
|
|
She
Holds the Earth by Suzanne
Deveuve
|
|
Goddess
in our hearts!
A visitor to our
Awakened Woman Conversation message board
recently commented that Goddess should always be
spelled with a capital "G", and since then I
have been giving the matter some thought,
especially since this editor's note uses the
small "g" in its title.
It may seem presumptuous
to name this column as I have done, as if my
words were those of the Great Mother HerSelf, or
a channeling of some sort from the Great Beyond.
I do not make either claim. These words are my
own. But for me, the work of this magazine is an
expression of the divine feminine as She reveals
Herself through us, and as such, it is a sacred
charge.
All life comes from the
Goddess, anyway -- she is the Mother of the
Universe -- and we align ourselves with her when
we express ourselves in sacred space. Goddess is
within each of us, an inner flame deeply held
even when not fully realized. As we open to it
and let it burn bright within us, we become one
with that source.
On the other hand, She
is far greater than all of us combined. The
ocean's tides and the eruptions of volcanoes,
destiny itself, are all Her creation, and these
powerful forces are not within our control. So I
like to put a capital letter on Her name when I
am speaking of that great power who exists
everywhere at once, and a small letter when I
refer to the divine force contained within you
and me.
Now that I have
clarified that distinction, I shall have to make
a concentrated effort to be consistent
throughout the pages of this magazine. I'll try,
but I cannot promise. Being consistent has never
been one of my most finest attributes, and
besides, it isn't always easy to draw the line.
I don't always know where I end and She
begins…
This month, we begin
monthly updates of our magazine. We have added
some new articles this time, but in July we will
archive the entire spring issue and start a new
one. For three months, we will add articles to
the site, building our quarterly magazine in
stages. In October we will archive that issue,
and start the new one. Ideally, we should go
from quarter to quarter, but in conformity with
our cultural habits, we will update from the
first of the month.
The high point of
this season is summer solstice. The longest day
of the year, summer solstice also marks the
point when the days begin to get shorter. The
center of the spiral is the point where it
begins again . . . Doesn't that just demonstrate
how change is the essence of life? Always in
process, we never seem to get anywhere. Just
when we've learned how to tend our six-month old
baby, he learns how to sit up, and our mothering
must adapt; and when we've mastered our
childrens' adolescence, kids go forth to lead
their own lives. There's a strange poignancy to
it all, and no escape from it. Spring ends where
summer begins, and with summer's fruit comes the
inevitable fall. And perhaps it's that sense of
perpetual incompletion that pushes us to higher
and deeper levels of spiritual realization. "I
am that which is attained at the end of desire,"
says the Charge of the Goddess (printed in full
on our Invocations page), and all spiritual
teachings say the same. Paradoxical as it may
seem, therein lies the possibility for
joyfulness. . .
Awakened Woman changes
with our seasons. In spring, we were charged up
with the urge to conquer. So much is wrong in
the world, and it needs correction. We were
energized with the desire to fix it all, with
the resurgent optimism that arises as soon as
the dark mantle of winter begins to lift. With
that fresh energy, we plant seeds.
Now, moving toward
fullness, we wait to see what will grow. The hot
blaze of the summer sun slows us down, as the
middle years of life slow us down, to consider
and assess what to do with what is left. Having
set the process in motion, we prepare to let go
of the results. We pray for fine
harvest.
There are signs of hope.
Last week's news included a decline in cancer
deaths and marked decline in domestic violence;
and on Sunday, May 21, the headlines were full
of new global efforts toward nuclear
disarmament.
We have been praying and
chanting for thirty years and more, changing
ourselves and our lifestyles, praying for peace,
calling in a new age of consciousness, and
envisioning a cooperative, sustainable way of
life. A new culture, based on respect for self
and other, is emerging; to be victorious, it
must become more powerful than the dreadful old
order which continues to run the powerful
institutions of our society. With our faith,
with our conscious work, it will
triumph.
May it be so!
Blessed be,
Stephanie
Contents
Back
Next
