Month: March 2017

Spring Equinox 2017: Ready, set, grow!

contemplation, Goddess, Gratefulness, Seasonal Greetings, spring equinox

Spring Equinox 2017

Today is the Spring Equinox, when the northern and southern hemispheres are bathed in equal light. It is a day to search for balance within and without. Spring is the transition from the dark womb of winter to the brilliance of summer, and we are at the moment when all the underground growth breaks surface.

I’ve had a bit of a dark womb winter this year, and I feel like a part of myself was either hibernating or hiding. There have been times I have wanted to come out of the cave, to pull back the heavy blankets, but I just wasn’t ready.

But now, I’m ready. The sunflower seed bursting from its shell:

For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.  Cynthia Occelli

This is where I am today, just beginning to break open through the seed. Its carcass is still on my leaves.

Take a moment today and consider where you are. Let growth take its natural course. Breathe into the beauty, vigor, and newness that is Spring.

Blessed be – Anne

PS: This sunflower seed was planted at the full moon during a wonderful and powerful ritual. I’m ready to shake myself awake!

More about Spring Equinox: Spring Equinox is often called Ostara, or Eostre, named for a goddess of Germanic origin who is the namesake of Easter. For the Northern Hemisphere, Spring Equinox is Mid-Spring, signaling the height of the season, occurring at 1° Aries in Tropical system. History and ritual ideas: http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/spring.html .

Introducing Kwan Yin by Genevieve Mitchell

bodhisattva, Classes, Compassion, Goddess, Kwan Yin
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Kwan Yin Reclining    From Sandy Boucher Collection, photo by Genevieve Mitchell

Getting introduced and getting to know a new Goddess always feels like a big deal to me.  It’s easy to see everything, nature, birth and life as grace filled.  It’s a little more daunting to get to know a Goddess, her names, her ways, her gifts and her nuances, it’s kind of like learning about a friend and becoming best friends.   That’s how it’s been for me with Kwan Yin.  Slowly, over time, over chants, reading, learning, and sitting with Her, oh my Goddess, what a gift.

I don’t really remember when I first was introduced to Kwan Yin as a Goddess.  But my first introduction to her power, her message and her compassion was when I read Sandy Boucher’s She Appears:  Encounters with Kwan Yin.  It’s a magical book, full of powerful stories and beautiful art work that inspires and nourishes the soul.  It also introduced me to an amazing Goddess, one who is full of compassion and grace, willing to be Source and sourced as comfort, hope and caring, especially during times we find it hard to care for ourselves.

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Kwan Yin and She Appears, Statue from Sandy Boucher Collection, photo by Genevieve Mitchell

There are some great resources on Kwan Yin.  Here is a wonderful class on Kwan Yin by Kimberly Moore and Sandy Boucher .  Deva Premal’s Om Mani Padme Hum chant is lovely!  There are a variety of stories and myths about how Kwan Yin came to be the Goddess of Compassion.  Find some of them here at Wikipedia.org.  Goddess Ink hosts a lovely Pinterest link with images of the beautiful Kwan Yin!

May you find the compassion you need in the wonderful connection with the beautiful Goddess of Compassion: Kwan Yin.

Many Blessings,

Genevieve

Photo Credits:  Genevieve Mitchell and Pinterest

Genevieve Mitchell is a Partner with Goddess Ink Publishing.  She is a Priestess, a Seeker, a Flower Essence Practitioner, a photographer, a socially responsible  investor, a mother, a grandmother and a devotee of God/Goddess/Divine/Spirit. You can contact her at genevieve@goddess-ink.com.

For more information and to follow Goddess Ink Blog visit www.goddess-ink.com  or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/goddessinkbooks/.  Also, please sign up for the Goddess Ink Newsletter for a monthly dose of inspiration.

 

Finding the Divine in the Daily by Genevieve Mitchell

Goddess
Telephones
piano tree
pondering
evening light in CA
textures in the ladies room

How do you find the Divine?  How does your life unfold in ways that allow the God/Goddess/Infinite, however you name “it”, where is that sacredness found?

I’ve been pondering this for a long while, my whole life if truth be known.  I am a seeker, a wanderer on the spiritual path, looking, tasting, reading, praying, chanting, searching…

I am also a photographer.  Not a professional mind you, only someone who loves looking through the lens of a camera and seeing and finding delight.  Over the years that delight has been in the form of photographs of my kids, of my family, of my home… It’s also been looking at the world where I live, the sky, the flowers, the buildings, the birds, the interesting combinations of color, light, texture and elements that provoke a mood, a thought or a story.

Taos bouquet

Taos Bouquet

Recently I have decided to challenge myself to take a photo daily, one that I call, Finding the Divine in the Daily.  It’s a challenge for me.  I love taking photos, but finding something that is considered photo worthy, during my day…..well, that is an entirely different game.  It makes me look at my world, and identify, name, and honor the sacredness of my daily life.  It’s finding the magic in the everydayness of yesterday and today.

I’ve been shooting pictures since I was a teenager.  Now at 60, I’m finding reasons to shoot photos that don’t include family or posing or “for the record”, I’m looking for the sacred.

I must admit, I am not really sure what I will do with all these photos, but I love the that I spend at least part of my daily life, seeking the sacred in the daily.

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Bosque del Apache, NM

Photo Credits:  All photos by Genevieve Mitchell

Genevieve Mitchell is a Partner with Goddess Ink Publishing.  She is a Priestess, a Seeker, a Flower Essence Practitioner, a photographer, a socially responsible  investor, a mother, a grandmother and a devotee of God/Goddess/Divine/Spirit. You can contact her at genevieve@goddess-ink.com.

For more information and to follow Goddess Ink Blog visit www.goddess-ink.com  or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/goddessinkbooks/.  Also, please sign up for the Goddess Ink Newsletter for a monthly dose of inspiration.