Ask Your Mama by Mama Donna Henes

Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more.

                                *Ask Your Mama™                         

The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of

Ceremony & Spirituality

by

©Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman

A Question of Blood Rites

Dear Mama Donna,

I am anticipating my granddaughter celebrating her first menstrual cycle in the not too distant future. I would like to do something special for her in the way of ritual. I don’t know much about creating that kind of ritual, but I want her day to be a special one that she will remember as bringing her into the fabulous sisterhood of women. Can you help me create such a ritual or tell me where I can learn more about doing such a thing?

Loving Grandma from Florida

Dear Grandma,

How lucky your granddaughter is to have you to help support her spiritually as she passes through this highly charged and profound life change. This is as it should be, as it has long been, and can once again be — the ongoing ages of women welcoming when it is their time, each new generation into our sacred continuum.

Ceremonies of first blood are a powerful binding rite, the sticky blood, which binds each generation to the next. ...The Ancients...The Ancestors...The Grandmothers...The Matriarchs...The Mothers...The Daughters...The Perpetual Keepers of the Spiral of Life.

This, unfortunately was not my own personal experience. Like so many in my generation, I learned about menstruation from a small sensible pamphlet put out by Moddess, an early purveyor of sanitary products. It stressed how simple and ordinary the experience was. How you could live your modern, active life completely unembarrassed and unimpeded by the necessities of your periodic condition.

Being quite well prepared, (and a girl scout, too) I knew exactly what was happening, when I discovered my first droplets of blood while playing at Susie Glassman’s house. When I came out of the bathroom, I proudly made my announcement to Susie and her mom. Suddenly out of nowhere, a fast moving force bore down on me as Mrs. Glassman inexplicably slapped my incredulous face. She then quickly kissed and embraced me, clucking and fussing like a mother hen.

When I told my mother my momentous news as well as my shocking experience, she was furious that Mrs. Glassman had struck me. She knew all about that Jewish tradition where the mother slaps her daughter to welcome her into the long-suffering sisterhood of women. A rational feminist, she hated that I was subjected to this old fashioned superstitious and humiliating rite. But if she didn’t slap me, she didn’t hug me, either, nor make a sweet congratulatory fuss. She agreed with the book that this was just a normal, if unpleasant, bodily function which she usually referred to as “the curse.” Hardly worth a party.

Of course, first blood also means first egg. I still find it practically impossible to comprehend the enormity of the sheer potential represented by the blood and the egg — the awesome power of the possibility of life. This is not to say that we are locked into a biologic imperative to reproduce, but that we possess the inherent ability to do so — should we choose. Like that car commercial where the drivers are playing motor polo on a field at the edge of a cliff. “Not that you would, but you could if you wanted to.”

No wonder the entire Mbuti society chants “Blessed with the blood!” in celebration of a young girl’s first period. The coming of age of ritual for pubescent White Mountain Apache girls is also performed by the entire nation. Each girl wears an eagle feather in her hair for long life, and in the center of her forehead over her third eye, she sports an abalone shell to represent Changing Woman, the Great Creatrix in Her mystical periodicity.

When my fairy goddess daughter came into her first blood, we celebrated with a Red Ritual. We are special, soul-connected karma sisters and have always shared a rich ceremonial life. I conceived and developed the concept of the rosy red ceremony and we worked together to arrange the details for a very special evening. Each step in the process of preparation suggested a deeper layer of discussion, story telling and understanding. Red=Blood. Blood=Life. Life=Eggs.

We each dressed completely in red, and we both wore bright red lipstick. (One of us was particularly happy about that part.) We sat on rust colored cushions. A large circular mirror on the floor between us served as our altar decorated with red flowers and candles. We stretched out our legs to create a circle, and painted each other’s finger and toe nails a glossy fire engine red.

We blessed each other with a red oil of my own recipe that I call the Power of Love. This does not refer to couple-type love. This is Love of Self love. The power of personal passion, direction, expansion. The power to pursue the dream of one’s own purpose. The power to achieve one’s fullest potential. The courage to be true to one’s vision and convictions. True love.

We blessed the four elements, of which we are part. We tasted each one, taking into ourselves the power of Mother Earth. Drank water with sea salt. Ate a grain of healing earth from Chimayó, New Mexico. Breathed in the fragrant air of burning sage. Rubbed ash collected from the volcanic fire of Mt. Pinatuba, Mt. Vesuvius and Mt. St. Helen’s. We blessed each other as the dear daughters of Mother Nature. We are strong and beautiful like She is. We swore to use our female powers to protect Mother Earth and all Her creations.

We pinned some of the flowers from the altar into our hair, and sucking on sweet strawberry candies, we told each other our favorite parts of being a girl, of being a woman. We got silly and giggly, the sugar no doubt, and exchanged all sorts of secret dreams and desires, fond memories, and fabulous flights of fantasy. Sort of a New Age Goddess version of “I Enjoy Being a Girl.”

Danika (her name is changed to protect her sensitive adolescent sensibilities) took up a tall, unlit crimson candle and talked into it her aspirations, ambitions, goals and intentions for this new stage of her life. She was serious and sincere, and I was touched and honored to be in her presence. When she finished her list, she lit the candle, thus igniting her intentions. In the glow of the flame her pronouncements, she sealed her transformation with a sip of red berry juice and bite of egg hard-boiled in water colored with beets.

Finally, I presented her with a red velvet drawstring purse for her to use as an amulet bag. One by one I offered her various objects that were symbolic of the power of womanhood and related its significance as she held it in the palm of her hand. ... A tiny pink rose bud for the blossoming of her true self...A cowry shell, representing the holy yoni through which we bleed, through which we receive pleasure, through which we were all conceived and born... A crystal to draw the energy of the universe toward her... An eye charm to help her to see what it is important for her to see... A rose thorn for protection...A silver bell for joy. Over the years, as her she grows into her woman power, she will add her own magical charms to this starter collection.

This Red Ritual is only by way of a suggestion, you understand. Feel free to design an occasion that speaks directly to you and to your granddaughter and which is true to the relationship that you share. Use images, symbols and objects that resonate with you. Trust your woman wisdom and share with her what you know. Welcome her, in the name of all life, into the sacred flow of succession. This is the root of all initiation.

Be “blessed with the blood!”

xxMama Donna

                                                                                                         

                                                            &  bleeding

                                                            &  grazing     

                                                            &  moaning

                                                            &  chanting

                                                            &  humming

                                                            &  drumming the

                                                                sounds of the

                                                                night

                                                                      —MD

*Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. Send your questions about seasons, cycles, and celebrations to Mama Donna at cityshaman@aol,com.

*****************************************************

Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, eco-ceremonialist, award-winning author, syndicated columnist, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. In addition to her popular public rituals for equinoxes and solstices, she is the official Grand Spirit Marshall of the world famous Greenwich Village Halloween Parade and the Mistress of Blessing Ceremonies for NYC Earth Day Festivities.

She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed quarterly journal and writes a column for UPI (United Press International) Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.

For information about upcoming events and services contact:

Mama Donna's Tea Garden & Healing Haven

PO Box 380403 

Exotic Brooklyn, New York, NY 11238-0403

Phone: 718/857-1343

Email: CityShaman@aol.com

www.DonnaHenes.net

www.MamaDonnasSpiritShop.com/

www.TheQueenofMySelf.com

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donna_Henes

http://youtube.com/watch?v=yAR-aIiQ_xE

Read her blog at:

http://www.myspace.com/queenmamadonna 

http://queenmamadonna.blogspot.com 

http://mamadonnahenes.gaia.com/

Book Review: Imprint by Annie Frame

  Imprint by Annie Frame

  ISBN: 9781843864189 (75 pages)

  Pegagus Publishers

  Book Review by Dawn “Belladonna” Thomas

This is a small book but the message is large. It is the story of the evolution of the Soul. The Soul begins at the library and must relearn the lessons from past lives in order to move on. The imprints are the previous lives. There are four imprints in the evolution of this soul. The first is an eight year old girl and the second is a discontent mother. The third imprint is an abused boy that grows into a troubled man. The fourth imprint is that of a rose. The fifth imprint is of the soul’s spiritual self and brings all of the previous imprints together. The last imprint is that of a witch and is reflected through the three phases of a woman’s life – maiden, mother, crone. It is an interesting story and a short read.

Book Review: Six Degrees - Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas

Six Degrees Our Future on a Hotter Planet by Mark Lynas

ISBN: 978-1426202131 (446 pages)

National Geographic (2008)

Book Review by Dawn “Belladonna” Thomas

I have been interested in global warming so when a friend recommended this book I thought I would check it out. The book is written in a way that it is possible to see what earth would happen if global warming is not contained. It shows what changes will occur by a degree at a time. There is a tipping point that we all should be concerned with. If we cannot make the changes necessary before this point is reached, there may be no stopping global warming.

The book begins at one degree. I was amazed to read the changes and losses that the earth has already suffered and we are not even at the one degree mark yet. The first loss is an amphibian in Costa Rica’s Monteverde’s Cloud Forest known as a golden toad. This toad could only be found in this area and the last time that anyone has seen one was May 15, 1989. That is an eye opening fact that with depleted natural resources nature is suffering. Another change noted is the condition of the world’s coral reefs. As the waters get warmer the algae that lives in the coral dies off. When the algae die off the coral then dies off since it doesn’t get the sugar the algae produced that it needs to survive.

At the second degree the number of monsoons will decrease in China. This will cause less water to flow into the rivers. There is a reference to a heat wave in Europe occurring in 2003. In this event there were 22,000 to 35,000 people thought to have died. The number of heatstroke victims in Paris alone rose to 10,000. This heat event could occur more frequently in the earth warms two degrees.

At the third degree mark, the earth goes through big changes. There would be monsoons in China. There would be droughts in Amazonia, Australia, and famines in Africa and India. That would mean the end of the Amazon rain forest. Australia would be the driest continent and there would be increased wildfire. The world three degrees warmer would also set the stage for the possibility of super hurricanes. These storms would be more intense the any of the hurricanes we have seen since the ocean waters would be a lot warmer than they are now.

At the fourth degree the global sea levels would be about two feet higher than they are today. This would cause the Nile River to flood. Major cities like Mumbai to Shanghai, Boston, New York and New Jersey to London and Venice. The great ice sheets in Antarctica. The rising seas would cause the ice to begin to thin. Once these sheets melt it threatens the continent.

At the fifth degree a new planet is forming. All the ice at both poles would have melted. This would cause the sea levels to rise to unusually high levels and force people to move further inland. The tropics would become uninhabitable with the heat. More area covered by water would cause extra heat in the atmosphere. With the warmer sea waters comes the possibility of the escape of methane pockets. This would create large tsunamis.

At the sixth degree the oceans would begin to be oily. The methane gas pockets that started in the fifth degree have been building. Once it reaches a saturation point there would be enough explosive possibility to destroy what is left of the planet. The methane air clouds created by eruptions in the ocean become another type of explosive. If these explosions do take place there would be mass extinctions.

For anyone interested in global warming this is definitely a book to be read. After reading this book, I am looking at ways to change my way of life. I am also spreading the word as much as I can. 

Coming of Age by Angie Skelhorn

Ally, dressed in her black, winter, wool cape, mitts and hat, plodded through the deep snow on the frozen ground. The air was crisp. Frost glistened like diamonds upon the window panes of the neighboring homes. Excited, she hurried to meet with her grandmother. Today was no ordinary visit. Ally's grandmother, a wise woman, would begin to prepare her granddaughter for the rite of passage, Coming of Age.

Ally arrived at her grandmother's small cottage by the edge of the woods. Inside, she was greeted with a hug and a kiss.

"Tell me," the aged woman asked, "do you come of your own free will?"

"Yes Gramma Elmdale, I do," the young girl beamed.

The floor boards creaked as Ally followed slowly behind the aged woman to the back of the small building. The room had a cozy feel.

Ally's grandmother sat her plump body down in a wrought iron chair at a smoky glass table. She extended her wrinkled hand to offer Ally a seat across from her.

Ally crossed the tiny room and sat. She was nervous. Moments later her Gramma Elmdale spoke. Her words came from the heart and not mere memorization. "Ally, since birth your outlook on life was born from your family's belief. Born to wise women, descended from Europe, witchcraft-Paganism is your heritage. To direct your course, our wisdom has been passed down to you. On the Esbats, the full moon rites and the Sabbats, the change in seasons, you met within sacred space with ancestors, relatives by blood or by marriage, who have passed over to come hither to protect and guide. You were given knowledge, no one is ever alone, and that assistance would always be there.

This birthday you will be thirteen, a magical number for any wise woman. This is the transition from child to adolescence. This period will be a major turning point. There will be new emotions, big thoughts, and your appearance changes. The rite of passage, Coming of Age, is important to a wise woman. As a child you accepted the ways of the craft because of your family's faith. Now, if you wish to continue with the faith, you must decide for yourself."

Wide eyed, Ally leaned slightly over the smoky glass table, "I do, I do want to continue on the path of the craft," she answered, curiously excited.

"Then you will have to embrace the faith with dedication and personal effort."

Gramma Elmdale rubbed her arthritic knee. She cleared her throat, then spoke, "The night before your thirteenth birthday, in the hour of midnight when the moon is full, you will go on a quest alone into the woods to commune with Spirit. Your decision will be recognized and guidance given."

Ally appeared uncertain. She had accompanied the older women in her family when spirits had been conjured, but she had never attempted the feat on her own. "How am I to do that?" she asked with a lack of assurance.

"With an open heart and mind," her grandmother smiled.

Gramma Elmdale struck a match on the side of the matchbox she held then lit a tall white pillar candle, center on the glass table. The yellowy flame rose straight up in an even flow. Ally's grandmother looked deeply into her young eyes. "I would like you to request a biological ancestor to appear with a message of hope. In earth time, people have a way of deteriorating unless one strives to improve. Spirits deteriorate and improve in a timeless, spaceless realm. Once spiritually fed, hopefully you will have faith in your abilities."

Ally leaned back into her chair, defeated. She hardly knew what to do next.  What was asked of her was a completely new experience. Her grandmother sensed she was over come with doubt.

"Don't become distracted by frustration. I know what I ask sounds difficult, but it's not. Believe. Breathe comfortably, relax and try not to think about anything after you request Spirit to appear. I will assist only if needed," she said with respect.

Ally attempted to do as she was told. She focused on the tall dancing flame. She drew deep breaths of air. After a few moments of quiet thought, Ally spoke. "Here my call, this I pray. Ancestor who resides in the Other World, the Spirit who is close, I request you come hither, please share your knowledge. You, who know all, open my mind, remove the veil of illusion and appear before me with words of wisdom."

Ally concentrated on the bright blue flame. She became lost in a trance. Slowly, her great, great, great grandmother, who she knew from photos, materialized. She saw the aged woman clearly. Her great, great, great grandmother appeared prudish dressed in her Victorian wear. Ally heard the aged woman say, "You, my dear, never walk alone. Your future is set. Combine intellect with feeling. Life is full of ups and downs. Concentrate on your desired outcome. No challenge will be too great."

In an instant the wick returned to a tall yellowy flame.

Ally saw her grandmother across the table from her with a broad smile on her wrinkled face. Ally was ecstatic about her encounter with great, great, great grandmother.

Gramma Elmdale couldn't have been more pleased that her granddaughter’s first attempt to contact Spirit on her own was successful.

When Ally left the small cottage at the edge of the woods her grandmother told her not to forget the knowledge given.

DAY TWO:

Ally shivered from the cold winter wind. She rubbed her wool mittens quickly together. She tapped the toes of her black boots in the snow on the front stoop. Ally perked up when she heard hooves coming up the drive. Once the enclosed buggies were parked, Ally jumped up from her seat to greet her visitors. Her three cousins, the same age as she, Tory, Arlene and Kaley, helped their mothers, Annabell, Gabriella and Lena, from their ride.

"Where's your mother?" her Aunt Lena bellowed.

Ally's mother opened the front door. She grinned from ear to ear.

The kitchen was filled with chatter as they prepared a light meal.

"By the way," Tory said to Ally as she poured herself of cranberry tea, "how was your visit with Gramma?"

"Tell us!" Arlene begged as she helped herself to a sandwich from a platter set center on the table.

Ally's mother looked over at her daughter and listened. Ally had a sparkle in her eye. "I was anxious to confront the task that Gramma asked of me. I sat completely still and lost all sense of where I was, when great, great, great grandmother Elmdale materialized. I listened. Her Spirit revealed that which I needed to know. I'm pretty sure I understand her message. I won't be alone a single day of my life. Spirit will always be close by to support."

Ally's mother gave her daughter an encouraging smile.

Kaley couldn't curb her enthusiasm, "During my exchange with Spirit at Gramma

Elmdale's cottage I learned to look to nature's cycles, spring, summer, fall and winter, for insight, and I too, have support from Spirit."

Gabriella was delighted the girls connected with an ancestor who had passed over into the less dense world than theirs. She was pleased the girls all had decided to continue with their heritage faith.

"My, my, you girls have grown. Your childhood has disappeared before my eyes. I still remember you young ladies as wide-eyed and innocent. When you were first introduced to the basic meaning of the elemental tools: water, fire, wind and earth; the cup, wand, sword and pentacle; the cosmic order and our history through myths to help shape the course of your development. If you cease to practice the craft you could become oblivious to your heightened awareness. You may lose the connection with Spirit who acts directly as an advisor."

Lena interrupted. "As a teenager, your imagination and wonder could disappear. The outside environment may change the way you think, act and communicate. You begin to spend most of your time trying to fit in with your peers and this is when a struggle to maintain self-identity takes roots."

Anabell's voice was lively, "Spirits of our ancestors are our guides and supporters.

When one chooses to commune with those who dwell in the Other World, information is given to help live life with an open heart, and mind."

"Tory, Arlene, Kaley and Ally, this upcoming eve of the full moon will set the stage for your rite of passage," Lena announced. "Arlene, my daughter, you advance in on the north of the great forest.  Ally, you take east, Kaley, the south, and Tory, west, with empowered charms and chants for a Coming of Age ritual, to meet with your personal Spirit guide."

"Wise women," Gabriella added, "gain wisdom through Spirit connection."

Ally curiously looked at the older woman. She was first to speak. She whispered nervously, "You want us to venture outdoors around midnight on the eve of the full moon...alone...to summon Spirit?"

"Yes," her mother answered. "You each must independently explore your faith to find confidence, conquer fear, to become more secure with self."

Gabriella filled the sink with hot soapy water and washed the dishes used.

"Mom," Kaley asked, "is great, great, great grandmother Elmdale the Spirit guide for all of us?"

"I really couldn't say," Gabriella answered her child. "You need to experience the rite for yourself to know who watches over you."

"More than a voice of reason will be revealed," Anabell smiled.

Ally's relatives stood outside in the icy wind. "You have little time left to prepare for your Coming of Age ritual; use the time wisely," Gabrialla said. Ally watched her cousins help their mother's board their ride. She waved goodbye to them when the horses headed down the drive.

EVE OF FULL MOON

Ally's home, usually filled with chatter about their day's events, was silent. Lost to her thoughts, she looked out the kitchen window. The daylight faded to the dark night. Her father was in the barn finishing the last milking. Her mother rested quietly by the fire. She rocked lightly back and forth and read from the family's Book of Shadows.

"Ally," she said over her shoulder, it's time to prepare for your quest."

After Ally enjoyed a hot bubble bath, she dressed, pulled her black woolen cape over her shoulders, and then rushed out the front door into the dark night. Even though a bright full moon shone, she held a lantern with a flame burning bright to assist her on her journey.

Ally followed the cow path in the pasture, over a hill, past the frozen pond. The trees were before her. She walked through the sleepy forest until she came upon her destination. In the distance she could see the faint glow of light from the lanterns used by Tory, Arlene and Kaley.

Ally knelt on her long wool cape in the snow. She took a moment to compose what she wanted to say. She stilled herself. Ally breathed deep breaths into her lungs, and then exhaled. She spoke loud and clear into the cold air. "I know myself, I am my thoughts, and I am the actions I perform. I live in joy; I acknowledge the beauty within and marvel in the beauty that surrounds. I come to you, Spirit Guide, of my own free will. My heart is open, my head is clear, my feet are planted. Spirit, on this most magical night I pledge myself to the ways of the craft; to harm none, nor self, intentionally. I kneel before you, come hither and guide. I pray for guidance...I pray for guidance"

Ally heard only a faint murmur of chants from her cousins through the wintery forest.

Ally continued to chant. She had faith an ancestor who passed over would arrive.

Minutes later the veil of illusion between the physical and Other World evaporated. Ally saw a solid, round sphere glimmer, then increase in brightness. The vision of a stern aged woman, grey hair tied in a tight bun, appeared. The wrinkled woman wore a black, tight fitting, long sleeved, black corset with a shawl trimmed with lace, draped over her shoulders. Her long, dark skirt flowed to the snow that covered the ground.

Ally was pleased and excited. By her own free will she accomplished her goal. She beheld her great, great, great grandmother Elmdale who floated toward her. With an aged voice, calm and thought through, the Spirit spoke. "My great, great, great granddaughter, the answer to your quest is you are a wise woman. The energy of the Universe courses through your veins. Bend and shape that which you want to bring to reality. Don't be afraid of whom you are or you will never live. Stay true to the ways of the craft. You hold your fate in the palm of your hand. Your destiny, you will arrive and find the truly unique individual you are."

Once Spirit provided reassurance and guidance she entirely disappeared.

Ally was amazed. There was nothing unusual about a Spirit materializing. She'd seen the older wise women in her family conjure relatives who had died. Ally was amazed because she invoked her great, great, great grandmother Elmdale all on her own.

Ally stood. It was snowing. A full moon lit the dark night. There was a skip in her in her step as she made her way home.

Author Bio- Angie Skelhorn is the fifth child born into a farming family located south of Peterborough Canada. Her love of nature, her imagination, and her desire to share her knowledge of the benefits of witchcraft and spiritualism became obvious in her writing. Her website is http://witchskel.weebly.com

Found Goddesses: Maiden Goddesses - Part I by Barbara Ardinger

Libida Loca

Goddess of Teenagers

Mother, is your house infested by adolescents? Are you drowning in angst and hip-hop? Do you wish you’d used better birth control fifteen years ago?

Is it a boy child? Would you have to use a backhoe to get down to the carpeting in his room? Does he ever leave any food in the fridge for anyone else? Does he spend so much time at his computer that he’s turning into a cyberteen? Would this be an improvement? Do you wish his air guitar would crash and burn?

Is it a girl child? Just how many telephones does she really need to keep in touch? Would you like to see CDs of all boy bands turned into serving dishes for the dog? Does your daughter address you as “motherrrrr” and look at you’re the same way she regards her exploding complexion? Is her closet twice as big as yours? Twice as full?

Mom, how did your children get this way? Overheated. Overdecibeled. Overcharged. Are you ready to sell them for body parts? Why aren’t they like kids used to be, say, back when you were a teenager, back when kids knew their proper place? What’s the matter with kids today?

Libida Loca, whose grandmother is Hormonia, really knows Her stuff. She’s stylin’ and She’s sassy. Libida Loca knows Leonardo[1] personally. She knows to the penny how much any pair of athletic shoes costs and how to pay for them. She understands that any given speed limit is a direct challenge to testosterone and that really big speakers just spread it around. She knows all the good Web sites and all the good malls. She’s the leader of the future of the human race.

Calm down, Mom. Take heart. There’s light at the end of that adolescent tunnel. Do you remember the story of the Pied Piper? How he took care of rats and mice … and kids? Libida Loca has a nice little penny whistle. She knows some cool tunes. She’ll take the kids to the Cave of Transformation under the mall. She’ll bring ’em back when they’re thirty-five.

Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D. (www.barbaraardinger.com), is the author of Pagan Every Day: Finding the Extraordinary in Our Ordinary Lives (RedWheel/Weiser, 2006), a unique daybook of daily meditations, stories, and activities. Her earlier books are Finding New Goddesses, Quicksilver Moon, Goddess Meditations, and Practicing the Presence of the Goddess. Her day job is freelance editing for people who don't want to embarrass themselves in print. Barbara lives in southern California. To purchase a signed copy of Finding New Goddesses, just send Barbara an email at bawriting@earthlink.net.

Herb of the Season - Lily by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Herb of the Season: Lily

Lilium sp. (some of poisonous)

Planet: Moon

Element: Water

Folk Names: The Lily of Faith (Dante), Meadow Lily

Deities: Venus, Juno, Nepthys, Kwan Yin

Powers: Protection

Botanical:

The lily belongs to a genus consisting of less tan 100 known species occurring in all parts of the Northern hemisphere. They are mostly found growing in fairly good soil in association with shrubs and other plants which shade their roots and help to keep the bulbs cool and moist. Most lilies are fairly hardy especially if planted deep enough.

Folklore:

The Chinese consider day lilies the flower of forgetfulness. Temples also feature the flower in incense burnt either as an offering or to represent a prayer. An English superstition says that smelling lilies gives you freckles. Because of its white color and visual appeal, the lily is sacred to many of the world’s goddesses and consequently has come to symbolize purity. In the language of flowers, the lily represents beauty. The ancient Chinese, Japanese, Indians, and Egyptians used it as a symbol of fertility.

The cultivation of lilies dates back to very ancient cultures. Many of the mediterranean religions associated lilies with goddesses. Some believe the first lily came from the tears of Eve, shed when banished from the Garden of Eden. Some Christian lore associates the white lily with Mary, mother of Jesus. She is sometimes depicted carrying them in her arms. The white lily is also considered a symbol of purity.

From Myths and Legends of All Nations we learn the story of the purple lily. Thetis proposed that Achilles armor should go to the one who done the most to save his corpse.  When Odysseys was declared the victor, Ajax was so distraught that he killed a herd of innocent sheep. When he realized what he had done, he felt his honor could never be recovered and, despondent, killed himself.

“From his blood, according to legend, grew the purple lily bearing on its petals the first two letters of his name.” (Robinson, page 123)

Uses:

There are many ways to use this popular flower. The white lily is widely associated with Ostara, Christian Easter, and renewal and rebirth. The lily has strong association with fertility goddesses.

This is a remedy for corns on the feet: macerate the petals of a white lily in good white wine vinegar for a week.  Strain and swab the corns both morning and night with this mixture.  An ancient story says that lily roots were ground with honey and applied to torn muscles, or mixed with oil to ease aching muscles and condition hair.  Apply bruised leaves to swellings, or apply the juice to decrease the itching of bug bites.

Plant lilies in the garden to keep away ghosts and evil, protect against the evil eye, and to keep unwanted visitors from your home.  Lilies are also good antidotes to love spells; for this purpose a fresh lily should be worn or carried. This breaks love spells which have been cast involving a specific person. To bring clues to solving a crime committed in the past year, bury an old piece of leather in a bed of lilies. The first white lily of the season will bring strength to him or her who finds it.

Sources

Beyerl, Paul. A Compendium of Herbal Magick. Custer, WA. Phoenix Publishing. 1998

Cunningham, Scott. Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs. St. Paul, MN. Llewellyn Publications. 2000

Grieve, M. A Modern Herbal. Mineola, NY. Dover Publications, Inc. 1971

Griggs, Barbara. A Green Witch Herbal. Rochester, VT. Healing Arts Press. 1994

Robinson, Herbert Spencer. Myths and Legends of All Nations. Savage, MD. Littlefield Adams Quality Paperbacks a division of Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc. 1976.

Telsco, Patricia. The Herbal Arts. Secaucus, NJ. A Citadel Press Book published by Carol Publishing Group. 1998

Mama Donna's Spirit Shop

Moon Schedule From Spring Equinox to Beltane by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Moon Schedule from Spring Equinox to Beltane

(Times are Eastern Time)

New Moon – March 26^th 12:06 p.m.

2^nd Quarter – April 3^rd 3:32 p.m.

Full “Wind” Moon – April 9^th 10:56 a.m.

4^th Quarter – April 17^th 12:42 p.m.

New Moon – April 24^th 11:22 p.m.

Moon Void of Course Schedule

Date                                   Starts                                  Ends

Planting Days

March 24^th, 25^th

April 1^st, 2^nd, 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 15^th, 16^th, 17^th, 20^th, 21^st, 29^th, 30^th

Harvesting Days

March 22^nd, 23^rd, 26^th

April 18^th, April 19^th,22^nd, 23^rd

Music Review: Celtic Myths and Legends - Storytellying and Music by Claire Hamilton

Music review by Mut Danu, HPS The Apple Branch, a Dianic Tradition and founder of La Branche du Pommier, France

In The Three Noble Strains, The Dagda, Good God of theTuatha de Danaan must rescue his magical harp, Daurdabla, who has been stolen. First Daurdabla and the Dagda play a song so forlorn that everyone feels uncontrollable grief and loss, then together they play a song so inspiring that everyone is filled with indescribable joy and hope, and at last they play a song of sleep and then tiptoe silently out of the hall, while everyone slumbers peacefully...

The second tale is that of The Lady of Llyn y Fan Fach. I had read this story in the past but was surprised to learn that the lake in question actually exists in Wales. This is the oft told tale of the young shepherd who marries a Faery woman, a lady of the Lake. Everything goes well, years pass, they have children, but... she can only remain in the mortal lands as long as her husband treats her with love and respect, never striking her. The small events, all related to her being of the Faery folk, such as crying at a wedding and laughing at a funeral, lead her loving husband to give her three taps...

The last story is about Sir Gawain (of Arthurian Romance) and the Lady Ragnell. When King Arthur encounters a mysterious Dark Knight while hunting in the forest, a quest is launched...“to discover what every woman most wants”. Though every woman in the land is happy to oblige, filling a book of desires for rooms of shoes and silver crowns... only one Lady has the correct answer. In order to have the question and save the life of his king, Sir Gawain must agree to marry to most Loathly Lady in the land...

Although it is certainly possible to be transported while reading a myth of ancient days, to be read to is to rediscover a forgotten pleasure of childhood, and to have the story told to period music is to be carried off to the Otherworld itself. First with her voice, the artist captures the mood and inflection of each character. Then together with her harp, evokes a mood that brings every description to life. The words become fleshed out as people and jewels and places. Rather than sitting in my chair, a passive listener, I found myself in the Great Hall as the Three Strains were played, and by the lake waiting for the appearance of the Faery woman, and in the hall of King Arthur, face to face with the Loathly Lady Ragnell.

This is a recording that should never be played as background music, but as music that merits listening as the main activity. My untrained ear was completely focused on what was happening with each story and so I could not discern the many traditional, medieval and sometimes new compositions of the artist. Each musical selection is so carefully woven into the fabric of each story, that instead of hearing a change in composition, there was only the change of mood, or of action in the story. As for the harp! How to describe music with words? Soothing, transcendent, transforming one emotion to another... Claire Hamilton's talent as a harpist creates a listening experience that should not be missed.

The audio recording “Celtic Myths and Legends: Storytelling and Music” copyright Hamilton Harps is licensed to The Cole's Press. Claire Hamilton resides in Wales, UK where she performs as a solo storyteller, and runs workshops on myth and music. You can discover her writing and music at www.livingmyths.com.

Spring Equinox Solitary Ritual by Dawn "Belladonna" Thomas

Background for this ritual

This ritual is written for the morning to enjoy the increasing light, warmth, and the greening of the earth. Persephone reemerges from the Underworld, the animals are waking from their winter rest and others are migrating home.

Themes

 - To seek balance and growth

 - To bless seeds of intention

 - To summon earth energy and manifest intentions

Preparation (Items needed for this ritual include the following):

 - White altar cloth

 - Four green candles for the directions

 - Lavender or purple candle

 - A black candle

 - A white candle

 - Matches to light candles

 - Colored eggs (or another gift for the Goddess)

 - Pomegranate seeds

 - Small cauldron

 - Cut flowers to mark the circle

 - Seeds for intentions

 - Feather from a migrating bird

 - Background music

Casting the circle

Lay flowers on the floor as you cast your circle and say:

Equal is the light and dark

With these flowers a circle I mark

Sunlight warms the greening earth

And the Goddess emerges for the land’s rebirth

Light the black candle

Calling the Goddess

After calling the goddess, light the lavender or purple candle and say:

Hail Persephone

Queen of the Underworld

You give form to the world

As the life on earth is renewed

It lights a spark within me

And awakens my soul

Join me in this circle

And bring warm light to this rite

Be with me today.

Calling the Elements

After calling the element, light a green candle and say:

Hail to the Spirit of the East, Element of Air. Blow away the stale winter air with your spring breeze. Please join me today. Light the candle in the East.

Hail to the Spirit of the South, Element of Fire. Warm the earth so the sleeping seeds can begin to emerge. Please join me today. Light the candle in the South.

Hail to the Spirit of the West, Element of Water. Let the spring tides flow into my soul. Please join me today. Light the candle in the West.

Hail to the Spirit of the North, Element of Earth. The beauty of the emerging life makes lush green meadows. Please join me today. Light the candle in the North.

Light the white candle from the black one to represent the light half of the year taking power from the dark half, saying:

I welcome the waxing light!

Extinguish the black candle while the white candle burns throughout the ritual. It can be relit on successive evenings until it is completely burned down to represent lighting the path of spring.

Sitting in front of the altar, hold the flower seeds in the palm of one hand with your other hand cupped over it. Concentrate on your wishes or intentions. Let the energy and vision flow from your mind into the seeds. Visualize your wish or intentions coming to fruition. After the ritual plant the seeds. If you are unable to plant them, leave them in a place where you can see them to remind you of your wishes or intentions.

Call forth the power of Persephone

Pick up the pomegranate seeds and say:

Blessed be the coming of spring

The spring of Persephone

She blesses the earth with life

I feel you, Persephone, nearer and stronger

Your love for the land and people

Blessing and restoring us once more

The pull of the pomegranate weakens

And you are with us again

I feel you, Persephone

And welcome you home

After the ritual, sprinkle the pomegranate seeds as a gift for the wildlife. Or if you prefer bury them to return them to the Underworld

Release the Goddess and the Elements
Persephone, I ask that your blessings remain in my heart and that I live in harmony with all that dwell on the earth. Thank you for joining me today. Hail and Farewell. Extinguish the lavender or purple candle. 

Spirit of the North, the earth brings forth new life. Thank you for joining me today. Hail and Farewell. Extinguish the candle in the North.

Spirit of the West, the waters are nourishing the land. Thank you for joining me today. Hail and Farewell. Extinguish the candle in the West.

Spirit of the South, the days are warming and nourishing the new growth.  Thank you for joining me today. Hail and Farewell. Extinguish the candle in the South.

Spirit of the East, the air is blowing precious breath and life on the earth. Thank you for joining me today. Hail and Farewell. Extinguish the candle in the East.

The Circle is open but remains unbroken.

Blessed Be!

The Season of Onn and the Spring Equinox by Bendis

The Ogham and the Seasons of the Sun

The ancient Ogham alphabet used as a calendar, both lunar and solar, is a unique and effective tool for personal development and spiritual growth. Within it, we explore our connections to trees, birds, animals, colors, stones and much more as we follow the seasons of the year. 

I would like to share with you, the correspondences found within the Ogham alphabet as connected to the Spring Equinox when used as a seasonal calendar.  As you read, look for connections to see how each ties in with and flows with the season of Spring as we live it.

The Tree ~ Gorse

The Message ~ I am a blaze on every hill

Ancient peoples recognized its power. It symbolizes the coming summer Sun.  The ancients made wine from the sweet smelling flower. 

Gorse is a sign of in-gathering sweet and valuable things.  It is now time pull from within, all of those things you have learned and know about yourself so that you might come to a new and higher understanding of your own wisdom.  Now is the time to open to that growth.  It will ease your life, if you allow it.  Because in this season we also have a tendency to scatter our focus, it is important to “collect” all that you have of yourself and to focus on new beginnings and the manifestation of your desires.

The Stone ~ Citrine is a stone of wisdom and peace. It is pale yellow to a deep orange in all of its glorious golden and yellow colors. The yellow color is from the presence of iron, the darker the color - the higher the grade.

Citrine is transparent, coarse-grained variety of the silica mineral quartz. A semi-precious gem is valued for its yellow to brownish color and its resemblance to the more rare topaz.

The name citrine is derived from the French word citron - lemon.

Citrine is valuable in the treatment of depression.  It eliminates self-destructive tendencies. Citrine is said to stimulate memory. It aids digestion, and removes toxins from the body. Citrine is a good healing stone, especially for heart, kidney and liver. It helps fighting diabetes.

Citrine symbolizes light-heartedness, joy and happiness. Citrine is a great protective talisman. It calms and soothes.

Citrine is the signature of wisdom and peace. It stimulates the mental body and aids the opening of the bridge between higher mental body and intuitional levels. It helps to enhance creativity, and motivates writers.

The Bird ~ Cormorant and the Color ~ Dun

The cormorants name is derived from Latin 'corvus marinus', which means 'sea crow', called Phalacrocorax carbo in Linnaeus description, lives near the water, on coasts and estuaries, inland lakes and rivers. Depending on whether their habitat is coastal or river, they nest on cliffs or in trees along the water. The cormorant is a large black or blue-black bird, with a long neck and bill, and it is known for standing on rocks, with arms stretched out to form a Celtic cross.

The Goddesses ~ the Nine Maidens Who’s Breath Fueled the Cauldron

These nine sisters are the ones who guard the vessel of life and grant every living soul special gifts.  Each breath that they breathe across the cauldron of our own life essence gives us with our own particular gifts.  If we ignore these blessings of the maidens, we will not flourish easily; life could be an uphill grind, and we feel as though we have to reinvent the wheel at every turn.  If, however, we can look at the ingredients of our own cauldron containing our gifts and blessings and open to their life giving breath of new life, we can find a wonderful unfolding richness in all we do.

Here at the Equinox, winds move upon the land. The strong March wind blows away dead leaves and exposes the soil to the new sun.  Our concept of Spirit is linked as a metaphor of the breath – “breath hovers over the waters.”  In this, the wind is seen as a great power behind the natural world and becomes that power’s creative spirit.

A strong gust of wind suggests an opportunity for creative potential. The Cauldron of creativity is fueled by the breath of nine maidens who are the Goddess in her ninefold manifestation.   To the ancient peoples of the world, life was not thought to begin until a newborn child took its first breath, thus being infused with the spirit of the Goddess, life began.

Following the sequence of imagery in the Song of Amergin as the year unfolds; we find that the “wind over the sea” follows the bursting-forth of the “lake over the plain.” The waters have escaped the abyss, bringing the essence of fertility, but this fertility is still inert and without known purpose.

Now the Goddess as a Divine Wind must breathe herself into this potential, bringing growth. What this means to us, is that we must now open ourselves to this gift of the life giving breath of the Goddess.  It is now time to contemplate this creativity, and actively resume conscious action in our lives. 

The Animal ~ Elephant

The Elephant supplies the feet of the Unicorn (the animal of the Ogham made up of five animals) because during Spring the Earth puts forth its greatest strength (Mother Earth's extraordinary power revives!). This is the one animal of the five that is never depicted in surviving pictures of the Unicorn. Usually it has horses' feet or the cleft feet of a goat thus leaving out the Spring animal, either from ignorance or for deception.

An Elephant brings you ancient wisdom and power to draw upon.  It embodies strength and power.  Elephant people often have a very strong sex drive. 

Elephant people show great affection to their families, caring for the young and the elderly.  They also have an inborn knowledge of roots and plants.  An Elephant will give you insight into the power of the three feminine energies:  child, mother and old wise woman (or crone).  

I hope you have enjoyed the variety of what one letter of the Ogham alphabet can bring to your imagination.

Warm blessings,

Bendis

Author’s Bio: In the Goddess community, Deanne Quarrie is known as Bendis, Fierce Huntress of the Two Spears, Priestess of the Goddess. Bendis spent the early part of her life as a student of world religion, finally finding Goddess in mid-life.  Diving headlong into what she considered life’s greatest treasure, Deanne has never looked back.  Her work as a priestess has been dedicated to the empowerment of women and helping them to learn of the ecstasy of Her dance.  Bendis has spent the last eleven years heavily involved on the Internet, weaving webs through continents, networking and pointing seekers far and wide, serving as moderator for many e-groups, as both peacekeeper and technical advisor for thousands of women as they grew in Goddess. Through the Apple Branch – A Dianic Tradition, Bendis has mentored many women as they studied to become priestesses themselves.  These women now share their knowledge and guide other women both in the United States and in Europe.

To learn more of the Ogham http://blueroebuck.com 

The Apple Branch – A Dianic Tradition http://applebranch.org

 

Why Men Need Women by Gayle Goldwin

In ancient times, women understood that Man needs Woman far more than Woman needs Man. They used this understanding to keep their emotional desires in perspective. They used this understanding to demand—and receive—the respect and appreciation they—and you—deserve. They used this understanding to create happiness in their lives. You can do it, too.

First, the basic physical facts: no life form can maintain its physical body without a continual supply of Life Force Energy. And it takes a massive and uninterrupted flow of this Energy to congeal and sustain the myriad atoms required to materialize a new baby's body. This life-sustaining Energy is always flowing direct from Spirit through women's bodies because women's bodies create and nourish new life.

Men, lacking women's reproductive powers, possess no Life Force Energy of their own. Yet they, like all other physical life forms, cannot live without it. Men can obtain this crucial Energy in only two ways: by turning Within to reconnect directly with Spirit—as all are able, but few make the effort to do—or, by getting it from women during sex.

In ancient times, women understood their power over men. However much a woman might enjoy sex, she will never need it as men do because Spirit's life-sustaining flow is always coursing through her body. Women then understood the magnitude of the gift—the vital Life Force Energy that maintains a body's health—that they give to men with their sexual favors. Women then recognized their power and used it to command due respect and appreciation.

And Woman was respected. Her lovers knew that they must earn her blessings. Her intellect was valued and her advice, sought after. Her talents and capabilities were admired, and her contributions to the community, appreciated.  She knew her purpose for coming to life and was encouraged to accomplish her mission. She lived her life in her mother's clan and inherited her mother's wealth. She needed no man's support because she profited from her own businesses and retained control of those profits in her name. No laws were decreed to make her economically dependent upon men for her food and shelter. She wasn't forced to stay hidden in her home, nor did she need a man's protection to leave it, for rape was unknown. She didn't worry about her looks. She didn't fear being abandoned and left penniless if a man felt a whim for something younger.

Those anxieties wouldn't arise until later times when invading patriarchs prohibited women from possessing the wealth and means to be independent of them. In ancient times, Woman was proud of her Femininity and her power. She enjoyed being a Woman.

Woman only needs Man to support her if his laws have made it difficult to support herself. She only needs his protection if he and his brethren tell themselves that a woman "wants it" if she ventures out on a street alone. She only needs him to love her if she has been taught she's not worthy of giving love to herself. She only needs him to "take care of her" if the laws of her society have decreed her to be the "property" of man, and thus not entitled to her own earnings and rightful inheritance with which she could easily take care of herself. 

But why do machismo enthusiasts, even today, want women to be so financially subservient, so economically dependent? It is, after all, a burden to be someone's sole support. Why have patriarchal societies in every era placed the highest priority on limiting a woman's ability to control her own money? Why? Because if she has money, she has the means to leave. And no man wants to lose his "possessions," much less his cook, maid and ready supply of sex. Men (at least those who don't bother to connect with Spirit daily) need sex. And they discovered long ago that the most reliable way of assuring themselves of a steady supply was to take women from their clans and make them dependent upon men for food and survival. How then, could she leave?

Women in ancient matriarchal societies needed joy and fulfillment in their lives, just as women now do. But women then were taught that they would find it within themselves—in the activities, pursuits and pleasures that they enjoyed. Their modern sisters, raised in patriarchal cultures, have been taught to look to a man for fulfillment instead of to themselves. They're taught to not notice what they desire and long for, to disregard what is important to them. Self-sacrifice in the service of others is applauded.

But women in early matriarchal societies didn't look for a man to fulfill them. They created their own joy and fulfillment by filling their lives full of the things and activities they loved. They knew there'd be men aplenty who'd see their Joy and come running to share it.

Do what they did, and the same will be true for you, too.

©2007 Gayle Goldwin. Adapted from WomanSpirit Oracles: Wisdom of the Ancients, Solutions for Today, a modern-day divinatory tool of Feminine Empowerment.  To get a FREE online Oracle Card reading, send a FREE Oracle eGreeting Card, or read more excerpts and channeled messages, visit http://www.WomanSpiritOracles.com