The Daily Acts of Priestessing

Compassion, Empowerment, Priestess, ritual

The swirl of a cape, the waft of incense, the amber necklace and serpent ring — these are all part of my experience priestessing rituals. In these ritual, I have time to prepare myself to step into the role of priestess, to take up the sacred mantle.

One our recent trip to Mexico of my fellow priestesses reminded me of the daily acts of priestessing. Driving in heavy traffic we passed a car wreck, and she spoke words of ease. I remember thinking that the last thing on my mind were the people involved in the wreck–I was worried about traffic and reaching our destination.

The moments that call for the touch and words of a priestess happen irregardless of my dress and preparation. They happen organically, urging me to swim in the current of life, open to what may happen, rather than my usual habit of driving forward irregardless of what is going on around me. I remember again the words of Jalaja Bonheim:

One of the main ways we (as priestesses) serve our communities is through our daily work….the cashier will sense (that) the thousand daily interactions she has with her customers matter, and have meaning. *

As this morning unfolds, I open to the opportunity of daily acts of priestessing.

Blessings –

Anne

*from “The Path of Priestess and Priest: Initiation into an Ancient Tradition” by Jalaja Bonheim from Stepping into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings on Priestesses.

We are the Image of the Divine by Genevieve Mitchell

Compassion, contemplation, Divine, Goddess, Priestess, ritual

shutterstock_84743155 We as women are images of the Divine. We, young, middle aged, old, of all colors, shapes, sizes, inclinations and temperaments. When you look in the mirror, I hope you see that you are a manifestation of Goddess, of Light, of Divinity. Notice the faces in your circles, in your home, at work. What if we could each see the divinity within each of those faces? I love the word “Namaste”- loosely translated from Sanskrit to mean “the spirit in me honors the spirit in you”.

How can we honor that spirit in each other? Take a deep breath, and ask, when do I image the Divine, when do I look like the Goddess?

….When I offer support and compassion to someone who is lonely, needing support or has suffered a sorrow.

….When I spend time in nature and honor “all my relations”, the plants, the flowers, the trees, the birds, the fish, the insects, the animals, the earth, the water, the air and the sun.

….When I choose to do what is right and holy, not necessarily what is easy or acceptable.

….When I work for environmental sustainability or social justice, when I do my part to make the world a better place for my children’s children’s children.

…..When I look in the mirror and see myself as a manifestation of the Divine.

In these challenging times, I honor you, in your role as priestess, as prophet, as teacher, as leader. I also honor your role as servant, helper, pray-er, as community member. I also honor you as one who is weary, sorrowful, scorned, or unrecognized for the gift that you are. I honor you as a manifestation of Divine Light in the world.

“May the blessing of light be on you – light without and light within.
May the blessed sunlight shine on you like a great peat fire,
so that stranger and friend may come and warm himself at it.
And may light shine out of the two eyes of you,
like a candle set in the window of a house,
bidding the wanderer come in out of the storm.
And may the blessing of the rain be on you,
may it beat upon your Spirit and wash it fair and clean,
and leave there a shining pool where the blue of Heaven shines,
and sometimes a star.
And may the blessing of the earth be on you,
soft under your feet as you pass along the roads,
soft under you as you lie out on it, tired at the end of day;
and may it rest easy over you when, at last, you lie out under it.
May it rest so lightly over you that your soul may be out from under it quickly; up and off and on its way to God.
And now may the Goddess bless you, and bless you kindly.”

Scottish Blessing (adapted)

Namaste, Genevieve

Genevieve Mitchell is a Partner with Goddess Ink Publishing. She is a Priestess, a Network Weaver, 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.

Photo Credits: Stock Photos

Summer Solstice and Full Moon: Illumination from Within and Without by Anne Key

Priestess, ritual, Seasonal Greetings, Summer Solstice

Today is Mid-Summer, the Summer Solstice. Here in the Northern Hemisphere, we are living in the moments of the most light of the year, the “longest day.” As the sun sets today the Full Moon will rise, bringing the “shortest night” filled with the loving light of the moon.

This year, the inescapable light of Summer Solstice and the Full Moon shines in every corner of ourselves, radiating our luminous selves and illuminating the dark hidden spaces, in our most public and most private selves. This is the moment to embrace ourselves as whole—to love, honor, and cherish each thread of our cloth.

Carve out time today or tonight, in this twenty-four hours of unremitting Light, to spend a moment to find your center. Breathe in to that place, feeding it with love and support; for with a strong stance in our center, we can open wide. Open to being grateful for everything that has been illuminated, the desirable and the difficult. Expand to encompass the wholeness, the holiness, of it all.

This Mid-Summer day and this Full Moon night, let’s hold precious each thread of our existence; breathe in the magic that is the cloth as whole, as holy, and unfurl ourselves to what only we can be. For therein lies the gift to the all.

Bright Blessings to you.

Note on Dates: Astrologically, Mid-Summer may be calculated as the date the Sun is at 0 degree cancer. Summer Solstice (Latin: “sun ceases”) is known as Mid-Summer or Litha (from the Anglo-Saxon name for the month of June) and St. John’s Day (the feast day of St. John the Baptist).

Anne Key is the Founder and CEO of Goddess Ink. She is a writer, dancer, instructor, Priestess –She wants to live in a world where women are wild, knees don’t age, the fragrance of flowers fills the air, and we all love—and are loved for being—exactly who we are.

Anne Key’s first book Desert Priestess is memoir of her time as the Temple Priestess at the Temple of Goddess Spirituality Dedicated to Sekhmet in Nevada. Take a journey with Anne as she shares her experience as a twenty first century Priestess. For more information on Goddess Ink visit www.goddess-ink.com or visit us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/goddessinkbooks/.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz — finding voices by Anne Key

Empowerment, Mexico, Priestess, ritual

As I prepare everything for the Sacred Tour of Mexico I am leading next week, I am researching Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. She is a name I know well, but as I dig, new pieces appear.

I had not remembered that she was born out of wedlock, listed as a “child of the church.” What an auspicious beginning for a woman who dedicated her life to the church and helped expand its view of women.

A dedicated and highly self-disciplined student,

Cruz, a youth, cut off a lock of her hair each time she failed to remember one of her Latin grammar lessons because, “It didn’t seem right to me that a head so naked of knowledge should be dressed up with hair, for knowledge is a more desirable adornment. (more here)

Her scholarly pursuits, though, brought her under constant attack. She considered her own intellect a mixed blessing:

“I thought I was fleeing myself, but — woe is me! — I brought myself with me, and brought my greatest enemy in my inclination to study, which I know not whether to take as a Heaven-sent favor or as a punishment.” (more here)

And, in forward-looking reference to Lady Gaga, she reminds her detractors that she was born this way:

“Who has forbidden women to engage in private and individual studies? Have they not a rational soul as men do?…I have this inclination to study and if it is evil I am not the one who formed me thus – I was born with it and with it I shall die.” (more here)

In the 1690, as her patronage waned, Sor Juana was not allowed to publish her work and she was forced to give away her library of books. She died in 1695 after caring for nuns that were stricken with the plague.

Her passionate pleas for the education of women have inspired us all. In 1988, Octavio Paz introduced her to a new generation with his book Sor Juana: Or the Traps of Faith.

And here are a few words from one of her most famous poems, Hombres Necios:

Males perverse, schooled to condemn
Women by your witless laws,
Though forsooth you are prime cause
Of that which you blame in them: (more here)

Coyolxauhqui, Embracing that you could be broken, that your heart is in pieces by M. Veronica Iglesias

Goddesses of the Americas, Mesoamerican Goddesses, Mexico, Priestess, ritual, sacred sites

Coyolxauhqui Today I want to talk about archetypes, forces that we re-create during our lives. When we know them, we can begin to understand ourselves and to take the next logical steps to continue on our paths.

Here is an excellent definitions of the archetypes:

The term “archetype” has its origins in ancient Greek. The root words are archein, which means “original or old,” and typos, which means “pattern, model or type.” The combined meaning is: “original pattern,” that which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are derived, copied, modeled, or emulated. The psychologist Carl Gustav Jung used the concept of archetype in his theory of the human psyche. He believed that universal, mythic characters —archetypes— reside within the collective unconscious of people the world over. Archetypes represent fundamental human motifs of our experience as we evolve; consequentially, they evoke deep emotions.

Although there are many different archetypes, Jung defined twelve primary types that symbolize basic human motivations. Each type has its own set of values, meanings and personality traits. Most, if not all, people have several archetypes at play in their personality construct; however, one archetype tends to dominate the personality in general. It can be helpful to know which archetypes are at play in oneself and others, especially loved ones, friends and co-workers, in order to gain personal insight into behaviors and motivations. (http://www.soulcraft.co/essays/the_12_common_archetypes.html)

Archetypes exist in every culture, and I want to share about one that is from the Aztec culture: Coyolxauhqui. The name Coyolxauhqui means “painted with bells” since she is commonly depicted with bells on her cheeks. The Aztec mythology tells the following story about her:

“As the pious and virtuous primordial mother Coatlicue (“the one with the snake skirt”) swept the temple at the Coatepec, she found a bundle of precious feathers, which she put away under her skirt. Without her knowing, these feathers made her become pregnant. This mysterious pregnancy embarrassed her children, the Centzon Huitznahua (“the four hundred – or uncountable Southern”), and her daughter Coyolxauhqui, who decided to kill her mother. When they arrived at the Coatepec, Coatlicue had already given birth to Huitzilopochtli in full war armor, who decapitated Coyolxauhqui, throwing her body down the hill, smashing it into pieces. Only a few of the Centzon Huitznahua could escape to the South, where since then the can be seen as stars in the sky.” (From Karl Taube Aztekische und Maya-Mythen, Stuttgart 1994 (http://universes-in-universe.org/eng/art_destinations/mexico/tour/templo_mayor/12).

The patriarchal system started around 3,000 of years ago, since then feminine energy was pushed aside, bringing great imbalance to the planet and the entire universe. Pilar Manzanares believes that the myth of Coyolxauqui represents the female rebellion against patriarchy, explaining the defeat of the feminine. (http://www.miriamlopezhernandez.com/uploads/1/1/7/6/11767522/pres._libro_pilar_alberti_mujer_divina_mujer_terrena_jul_2012.pdf) Discussing the patriarchal order, Jean Shinoda Bolen observed “there is not room for vulnerability, tenderness and innocence. There is not room for empathy or compassion for enemies, competitors or rivals” (Gods in Every Man).

Coyolxauhqui appears into your life when you feel broken into pieces, and the patriarchal system has pushed you to your limit. She comes when you feel that the care of the mother has disappeared leaving you an orphan, experiencing great loneliness, isolation, sadness, disappointment and fears. You feel unable to continue for fear of being attacked by society. Coyolxauqui invites you to stand up for yourself, be in your feet, reclaim your birth right of existence on this Earth and be acknowledged, honored and respected as a woman. Her energy is about becoming your own mother and taking care of and nurturing yourself. She helps you to re-create who you are or who you want to be after a personal crisis.

Thoughts, Affirmations and Meditations to work and embrace her energy.

“To become the mothers of ourselves is to sustain ourselves, to take care, guide and pamper ourselves, to believe in ourselves and give birth to ourselves as courageous women, and open to life and nurture our inner feminine wisdom.” Germana Martin http://lapalabrachamanica.blogspot.com/

Affirmation

“Today I’ll take care of myself; today I begin to be born”.

Meditation

Light a candle and some incense of sage or cedar to ready yourself for ritual. Sit down in a comfortable position and start breathing deeply. Visualize yourself surrounded by a blue light of protection. Call in your personal guides and Coyolxauhqui.

On a piece of paper write your full name. Remember a difficult situation that made you feel broken, hurt, and in pain. When you remember the details start cutting the paper in pieces. Let the emotions come freely. If you need to cry, to scream, or feel angry, let it come. When you are done, put the pieces of the paper back together so that you can see your full name. Use some tape to put all of the pieces together.

Now visualize a beautiful nurturing energy coming to you, and bring that energy into your hands. Cover the paper with your hands, surrounding your name with this sweet energy. Bring the healing that you need.

Take a deep breath and honor this moment. Now take that piece of paper and put it in your altar. This symbolizes that you can be broken in pieces and that you also have the power to bring you back again.

Close the meditation and say “thank you” or “Namaste”.

If you want to experience a more vivid and close connection with the healing energy of Coyolxauqui, I invite you to a sacred journey in Mexico where we will visit different sacred places for ceremonies and meditation. See more information: http://www.goddess-ink.com/events.html

Blessings, love and light.

Maria Veronica Iglesias

About M. Verónica Iglesias: Maria Veronica Iglesias was born in Mexico City, Mexico. She has a Bachelor´s degree in Library Sciences and a Master´s Degree in Mesoamerican Studies from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (La Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico). She grew up in a family that always honors the Earth, the plants and all the living beings.

She was initiated as a sahumandora (bearer of the Sacred Sahumerio) when she was 8 years old. She studied about medicinal plants, crystal therapy and healing with gems. She also was initiated in the sacred knowledge of Mesoamerican shamanism and she became a Portadora de la Palabra, bearer of the Sacred Word. She is also a Priestess of Ix´Cheel, the Mayan Goddess of Medicine. She is currently researching gem stones and their therapeutic use, Pre-Hispanic medicine, Feminine Shamanism in Mesoamerica, Feminine rites of passage and Goddesses from Mesoamerica.

Web site: www.papalotl.net

On FB: https://www.facebook.com/Papalotl-Honoring-your-transformation-1544095532529769/

Goddess Ink: 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/

First Day of Summer

Beltane, Goddess, Priestess, ritual, Seasonal Greetings

Greetings! May 4th is the First Day of Summer, the cross-quarter day between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice. If we think of the summer as the Season of the Light, then we can see that now it is definitely lighter in the mornings. This holiday is usually called Beltane, but I think of it as the Greeting of the Flame because this is the season that heralds the beginning of the long bright days.

Living in Albuquerque NM, today feels like the first day of summer. The sun is warm and inviting. The roses and wisteria are in bloom. This is the beginning of the season of Light.

This first day of Summer, I feel as if I’m finally getting traction. My feet are hitting the ground, and I am beginning the sprint. It seems there has been so much preparation this spring, so many things to work out, so many complications, so many things holding me back. And now, the long days illuminate the path. Indeed, the way is open. Take a moment at this cross-point in the year to revel in the light of your own accomplishments that have brought you here, and give a word of thanks to those that have illuminated your path.

Note on Dates: Traditionally Beltane is celebrated on May 1st or the eve before. Astrologically, the First Day of Summer may be calculated as the date the Sun is at 15° Taurus (Tropical system), which currently Falls around May 4th to 5th (this year on May 4th).

Finding Time For Ritual In A Busy Life by Genevieve Mitchell

contemplation, Divine, Goddess, Priestess, ritual

shutterstock_93132085

Do you need more ritual in your life? How do you put more ritual in your life?

The world in which we live is a world needs new voices, new rituals, new rites and new ways to celebrate and empower women to recognize the Divine Feminine, the Feminine Face of God, the Goddess. How can we do this?

It feels to me that we need rituals for creating community, honoring the rites of passage, mourning our losses, celebrating the seasons. We are busy people, but our connection to the divine is the primary place to get fed spiritually.

For me, I want more ritual in my life. More ritual of all kind, daily ritual, family ritual, ritual before meetings, seasonal ritual. For work, my partner Anne Key, Chief Editor, CEO and I start our work time with some type of ritual. Usually it’s a candle, an invocation, a chant or a meditation. Sometimes we get a little more elaborate, smudging, incense, divination. I also have a weekly women’s group called Spirit Women. It’s a mixture of a mastermind and a weekly ritual. We have a priestess of the day who plans a ritual to celebrate us, our work and our world. I love having ritual in my life.

How does one create a ritual? As Nan Brooks says in The Circle of Theatre and Ritual in Stepping Into Ourselves: An Anthology of Writings on Priestesses, published by Goddess Ink, “Intention is the foundation upon which ritual is built and will flow”. What do you want to create with your ritual? How do you prepare? How will you create the sacred space? What needs to be prepared in advance? In the end, just the intention to focus on your connection to the Divine, to the powerful universal force of Spirit can lead you into the awe and wonder of grace.

How do you create ritual? What is your favorite ritual? What resources are helpful for you when you are putting together ritual. I invite you to share your thoughts!

Genevieve Mitchell is Partner at Goddess Ink Publishing. For More information and to follow Goddess Ink Blog visit www.goddess-ink.com or visit us on Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/goddessinkbooks/

WAKING UP TO THE CYCLE OF LIFE, KWAN YIN’S GIFT TO ME by SANDY BOUCHER

contemplation, Divine, Goddess, ritual

Kwan Yin by Sandy Boucher photo 1

When I walk in the woods on the ridge above Oakland, Kwan Yin is always there. She shines in the sunlight slanting down among the Sequoias; she’s present in the muddy puddles marked by dog feet and bike tires and the waffled soles of hiking boots; she’s everywhere in the silence when I stand still to breathe. And sometimes she stops me cold with the kind of lesson that can only come from the natural environment.

Today as I walked I came upon a downed tree, smack across the trail in front of me. Steep precipice down on the left, steep hill up on my right: no way around. I stood contemplating the obstacle. Although a few dusty leaves still dangled, the tree was clearly dead, its bark grayish and marked with fluorescent green mold, its upended roots crumbling.

Some limbs had broken off in the fall, showing jagged inner bark; others poked out to touch the ground. Bugs had set up residence in the grooves of the bark. If left to itself here across the trail, the tree would gradually surrender to insects, weather and time, until it fell apart in dry hollow chunks. It would be received by the ground beneath it, in which its sustenance would lie awaiting the next seeds or animals or marauding weeds and grass.

Standing looking at the ruined tree, I found it beautiful, its fate profoundly moving and somehow joyful, and I knew that Kwan Yin had prepared this sight for me.

I had been worrying about my own aging—foreseeing disease, disability and finally the inevitable blinking out of the light. But here across the trail before me I saw the whole cycle of life, and how the disintegration of one being benefits the awakening and integration of others. Kwan Yin held me still and invited me to look, breathe, realize that I too will fall and crumble and come apart, fulfilling my destiny. I may be beautiful or not as I sink back into the universe that brought me forward.

When I could stand there no longer, I climbed and picked my way over the trunk among the jumbled branches, feeling the rough bark under my hands and knees, until I broke through into the open trail. Kwan Yin’s warm breath touched my face, as if she whispered to me. Thank you, I answered, and my stride was loose and lively with the sense of the rightness of it all.

Sandy Boucher is Author and Editor of She Appears: Kwan Yin, Goddess of Compassion published by Goddess Ink. You can contact Sandy sandyboucher9@gmail.com. Photo Credit: Sandy Boucher.

Goddess Ink Publishing, www.goddess-ink.com, offers books, classes and resources on feminine spirituality, goddess studies and the Divine Feminine. Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/goddessinkbooks/.

Searching for the Divine by Genevieve Mitchell

contemplation, Divine, Empowerment, Goddess, Priestess, ritual

Ellie’s Flowers

Dream

It seems to me that my entire adult life was a search for meaning, for connection with the Divine and for a path for manifesting the Universal Grace that seems to be omnipresent in my life. Now, I don’t get me wrong, I made plenty of mistakes, relied heavily on social norms for decision making and have more than a few regrets about decisions I made along the way.

But always, the entire road, I was searching. I come from a Catholic background. Mary was a powerful influence. But the religious norm was He, Him, King, Father God….male domination, male influence and not a female face on the altar, except to clean…. not the stuff that inspires one to be engaged as a strong woman in the Catholic Church.

The wonderful part was I did meet amazing women along the way, powerful women, spiritual women, articulate women, nuns, lay women, political women, creative women who challenged the cultural norms and who spoke their truth even in the face of societal objections.

I hope now that some how, the work I do and the woman I am in my life can inspire others to see the Divine in themselves, in the work they do, in the world in which they live and in the path they walk.

Along the way, I recommend finding companions, groups, friends and colleagues that can support you. Reading great books is always inspirational to me. You might find just what you need in our list of Goddess Ink publications. Or sign up for the Goddess Ink Newsletter for a monthly dose of inspiration. What are you waiting for?

Genevieve Mitchell is a Partner with Goddess Ink Publishing. She is a Priestess, a Network Weaver, a Flower Essence Practitioner, a photographer, a mother, a grandmother and a devotee of God/Goddess/Divine/Spirit. You can contact her at genevieve@goddess-ink.com. Additionally You can find Goddess Ink on Facebook.

Photo Credits: All photos above are by Genevieve Mitchell.

EXPRESSIONS OF KWAN YIN BODHISATTVA’S COMPASSIONATE ENERGY By SANDY BOUCHER

bodhisattva, Compassion, contemplation, Divine, Empowerment, Goddess, Kwan Yin, Priestess, ritual

Kwan Yin by Sandy photo 3 There’s a woman in Africa whose life brings me to tears because she so perfectly embodies Kwan Yin, the Goddess of compassion. It might seem unlikely that this unassuming South African nurse would manifest as the Chinese goddess, but of course we know that Kwan Yin is no respecter of national boundaries. Her true domain is the human heart.

This woman, named Sister Abegail Ntleko, grew up in a mud hut. When she was a small child, her mother died and her father became an alcoholic so dysfunctional that Abegail was forced to raise herself. In conditions of extreme poverty and neglect, she managed to go to school and become a nurse. She chose nursing because at an early age she knew she wanted to be of use in the world, to do something about the physical and mental pain she saw all around her. This sounds just like Kwan Yin, a “bodhisattva” who seeks healing and enlightenment for all beings.

Abegail, now in her eighties, adopted and raised numerous unwanted children while working in the medical and social service fields. She has taken in dozens of children orphaned by AIDs and lovingly raised them to be educated and empowered people. She has been honored by African and international institutions, praised by such exemplars as the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu. Tutu said of her, “Sister Abegail exemplifies the true heart of South Africa—a heart that overcame apartheid, that sees the best within all people, and that has never closed in the face of suffering.”

A heart that never closes in the face of suffering: isn’t that the precise description of the Celestial Bodhisattva of Compassion Kwan Yin?

In this month of remembering Kwan Yin, I find so many embodiments of compassion around me—in my family, in my neighborhood, from as far away as Africa. All shining pilgrims on the bodhisattva path with me.

May you also open your eyes and heart and recognize the everyday acts of kindness, the people who stay responsive to the world, and see in their faces the loving features of the Goddess of Compassion.

Sandy Boucher is Author and Editor of She Appears: Kwan Yin, Goddess of Compassion published by Goddess Ink. You can contact Sandy sandyboucher9@gmail.com. Photo Credit: Sandy Boucher.