Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Spring Birthing

Amber and Celtic shields, put on without even conscious thought.

The wings stay, forever.
This time there was no pain with death, just transition.
The Raven Lady with me always.

A blue bird alighted in the wet spring morning.
Things fall into place
Water rushing down from the mountains.
The Fair ones sing.

Everything is moving at its natural pace.
I am at peace.
The thundering has quieted.
The Now is still.

There are no wrong answers?
That burden left behind,
I am human, these bonds chosen
The future is bright.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Menarche – the Threshold of the Maiden

I had a couple of experiences this weekend that gave me an ephiphany about the nature of the Maiden phase/face of the Goddess as well as Maiden as a phase in a woman's life. A girl in my family crossed the threshold of Menarche last week. Menarche is the onset of menses, a girl's first period. I have not been close to a girl of this age before other than myself so it has been an interesting process to watch. I saw her two days after the big event and found that her energy had completely changed. I looked at her as saw a blossoming young woman rather than a child. Her growing awareness, poise, stature, sensibilities all seemed to have congealed at the same moment into the qualities we typify with the Maiden. She turns inward to dream and learn about the world, she is headstrong, and trying to figure out people, question conflicting messages the society and family members give her. She is very smart and uses her mentality and physical strength to push forward through challenges. From the glow about her skin to the hopes and fears that she had on becoming an adult all seem to swirl around her.

The other experience I had this weekend was priestessing in the role of the Maiden for a triple priestess polarity working in the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel's annual ritual for the Stag God Cernunous. I spent a lot of time thinking in the past week as I got ready for this role. I found some of the typical “maiden-style” dresses are no longer cute and comely on my maturing figure.
I have been spending the past year or so transitioning into the “Mother” phase in my life. I am turning 30 this year. I am no longer an innocent slip of a young woman. I have transitioned to roles of teacher, wife, stepmother, Priestess, and am entrusted with overseeing the growth of my students who circle with me. Hopefully I will be birthing a coven in the near future. In those ways, I am an expecting mother. And yet, to many an eye, I am seen as one of the young ones in my tradition. Like all of us in this culture that mortalizes youth, I hope to hold onto the physical attributes of the energy and health of youth as long as possible. I wash the gray out of my hair and am flattered on the rare occassions when I get carded. My 9 year old stepson jested with me a while ago that since I am in my 29th year, that I should enjoy the last days of my youth that I have left. All of these things were swirling through my head as I got ready to embody the aspects of Maiden in this rite.

So, in order not to look like a tart, I found an appropriate dress that was pretty and not to showy for my figure, and then I went barefoot! I invoked the verile Stag god with every molecule of my being. Then I danced and sang, clapped and stomped. I stirred up all of the carefree joy and sense of play and newness rushing of life that is the quick heartbeat of ripening.
The best thing about working with the phases of Maiden, Mother, Crone, Youth, Father, Sage in our lives is that all of the aspects are swirling and dancing around us at all times. We just have to call them forth from the DNA within us. Then we can be Maiden, Mother, or Crone, or subaspects of more than one at any time that we take the time to stir them up into our beings.

Blessed be.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Hum of the Engines

I found boot up a little difficult today, so I gave it more conscious time for all of my pieces to get up and running, and man I am running at fuller capacity today.  Here's just one of my morning muses.

When I was a child, I always wondered why the Greek Gods were seen as playing chess with the human race.  I thought it was a insensitive take on our interactions.  This morning I was meditating on the myths of Ouranos and of Prometheus.  I started looking at the influences of Mars, Mercury, Jupiter and Uranus in my life right now.  They all influence us differently and via for power and control.  Those measley humans at the bottom them seek the balance of all of those influences and exercise theirown will to mitigate a messy game of chess turned rugby. 

I turn to the Sun in the center, seeking balance and harmony of the other spheres.  Those spheres turn in an ever shifting, ever unique dance.  I walk the star road ever a different path.  May my silver sandles not wear out and my my vision be forever in starlight. 

Blessings