Feed That Spirit

Dearest Goddesses,

I used to think that we needed to make sure we actively filled our well so that we weren’t running on empty. Take an artist date, read nourishing books, etc. But one thing that has become clear to me is that your well is always full – it’s a never ending spring, that never runs dry. HOWEVER, it is up to you to actively access the well. Some of us are totally closed off completely to this well – some of us feel safe accessing the well in certain areas of our lives, but deny the flow in others. It’s up to us to access the well – and be willing to let the well flow in every area of our lives.

This week is about nourishment. And our bodies, minds and souls all require nourishment in order for us to access our never ending well of abundant flow. And perhaps it’s human nature, but we will do almost anything in our power to dam up the flow! (I was so inspired by the Biggest Loser on Tuesday that I recommitted to health and wellness. Yesterday I had to go shopping and bought two candy bars and scarfed them down. Then I wondered why at 7pm I wasn’t hungry for any healthy food but felt bloated and lethargic and gross – blocking the flow…)

So not only are our bodies, minds and spirits nourished by good, healthy foods – lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains and water but also by movement or exercise, by good books and good music (remember pleasure!), by the act of creating, by meditating. We have to start treating ourselves as a whole entity – not a sum of our parts! We can eat healthy and be in great shape and STILL not be nourished.

As I shared last week, I was re-reading Life, Paint and Passion and just got totally inspired and for the past 3 or 4 days, I’ve been painting again. This isn’t painting for product – painting pretty pictures – it’s about the creative process. Just painting. And then NOT putting meaning behind the painting (oh, I used that color because…) which just adds to this database of garbage we “already” know about ourselves that we have filed under I for insights (and let’s be honest – unless we implement an experiential plan of action around those insights – that file in particular is deep in the basement of our mind simply collecting dust. Instead of trying to figure ourselves out more – simply create through your intuition. Well, I must say, the process has awakened in me a calm connection. I feel nourished (except of course for those candy bars which kept me away from painting last night…blocking the flow…)

Patty’s Challenge: First of all, I would recommend the book Life, Paint and Passion. It’s a great read, but you don’t need the book or to read the book to simply create. Although I’ll work on coming up with a specific creative project tomorrow – get a piece of paper, some water colors or crapaas, or crayons or collared pencils or paints and just create. Choose a color, put the color to the paper and draw a line or a blob – just move the brush or pencil, or whatever and allow your intuition to take over. Don’t judge or think that it’s silly. Don’t create a pretty picture just to create a pretty picture – allow your intuition to guide you.

If you don’t take this mini project on – do not make yourself wrong (or me wrong for suggesting it!) – but choose something that is going to nourish you – not just your body – but your mind and soul as well.

Love to you,

Patty

Nourishment

Dearest Goddesses,

Every time I picked a goddess card a couple years ago, Corn Woman would come up – she represents nourishment and our relationship with food. I was always like, yeah, yeah, yeah – let me get creativity or passion! But honestly, it’s more than just our relationship with food, it’s about nourishment. I think our lifestyles today don’t always consider that aspect. We eat a bar that’s filled with all of the nutrients we need in a meal – but is it nourishing? We might be getting all of our vitamins and minerals, but…? And then on the flipside – if a meal is cooked with love in the home, but it might not have all the recommended daily vitamins, but it’s delicious and you’re surrounded by your family? It all depends I think on how you allow the nourishment in.

Patty’s Challenge: Take a look at your routine. Are you eating out? Grabbing food to go? Living on caffeine and a candy bar? Do you cook your own meals? Are you resentful? Just assess without the judgement. Where you are is simply where you are – it doesn’t require definition*

Where can you bring nourishment into your life? Allow yourself to be nourished – and the best way is to follow Corn Woman’s ritual.

*We get so stuck I think in trying to figure ourselves out that we end up adding definitions that tend to limit us or create excuses. “I’m not a good cook, I hate cooking” or “I don’t have the time”. Try to unlearn some things about you so that you can start surprising yourself.

Love to you,
Patty

Corn Woman: Nourshment

The following is excerpted exactly from The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky and the illustrations are by Hrana Janto. For more information on their work, please visit the following websites:

Amy Sophia Marashinsky: http://www.amysophia.com/
You can download the meditations included in the ritual suggestions at http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2

Hrana Janto: http://www.hranajanto.com/

___________________________________________________________________

I give you my breast

the earth

and suckle you with

corn and grain

plants and animals and fish

all to sustain you

all to feed you

all to nourish you

the great giveaway

my love for you

the food

so you will live

prosper and grow

From my breast

the earth

because I love you.

Mythology

Southwestern indigenous aboriginals and pueblo peoples – the Arikara, Pawnee, Cheyenne, Mandan, Hidasta, Abnaki, Cherokee and Huron – see corn as a Goddess. Corn Woman encompasses the figures of Corn Mother, the Corn Maidens, and Yellow Woman. They all relate to corn as a sacred being who gives of herself to her people to sustain them and nourish them. The Arikara Creator God, Nesaru, fashioned Corn Mother from an ear of corn which grew in heaven. Corn Mother then came to earth and taught people how to honor the deities and to plant corn.

Meaning of the Card

Corn Woman brings her love for you in the form of food to tell you it is time to nourish yourself. Eating is a sacred act. Something living dies and you take it in, whether you hunt/kill the animals you eat with your own hands or buy your vegetables in the supermarket. Part of being human means causing death in order to live. To treat the act of eating as a chore, as something to be feared or avoided, is to denigrate the gift of love from Corn Woman and the plants and animals.

Do you fear food? Does just looking at food make you feel like you are gaining weight? Are you too busy, too stressed, to involved with more important things than nourishing yourself? Do you nourish others but not yourself? Do you have a love-hate relationship with food? Corn Woman says that eating is one of the most basic acts of self-nourishment and that the way to wholeness for you lies in coming into right relationship with food.

Ritual Suggestion

The time is breakfast, lunch, or dinner and the place is where you eat your meals. You can do this alone or with loved ones or friends. You can either prepare the food yourself or have others prepare it. When the food is ready, sit at your place. Take a moment to look at the food, to see, sense, or feel the life force of the food before you. Then close your eyes and take a deep breath. Notice any feelings come up. Now feel the energy from the earth moving up into your toes, into your calves, your thighs, and so on, into each part of your body until you feel centered, focused, aware, and fully in your body. Take another deep breath and feel all your cells breathe with you. Now open your eyes.

Serve yourself some food. Honor the plants and/or animals by saying words of gratitude. As you take a bite, slow down, be with the food, with the sensations, with all your senses. Chew slowly, giving yourself time to really taste, smell, and savor the flavours. Try to taste all the ingredients. With your next bite, focus on the life force. Do you feel a tingling as you chew, like energy surges pulsating in your mouth? Feel how you and the food become one as it dissolves in your mouth. Let yourself take in the life force of the food and feel it nourish your own life force. Give yourself permission to fully enjoy the pleasure you get from eating. Continue to eat in this focused, sacred way, being present in your body, paying attention to all your senses, until you have eaten what you need. When you are finished, take a deep breath and let the energy you have gained circulate throughout your body. Give thanks to Corn Woman and to yourself for nourishment.