Choose Peace

Dearest Ladies,

I think genetically my worry bone kicks into high gear during stressful times and in asking for some guidance/direction last night from Living With Joy by Sanaya Roman – I came across the following that I wanted to share with you. Choose peace ladies.

Love to you,

Patty

“Inner peace means releasing attachments to anything – to having a person act the way you want or to having the world work the way you expect. When you let go of those attachments, you will find your life working even better than you could have expected or planned. It does not mean giving up control of your life; it means coming from your own center of peace at all times.

Right now, make the decision that you can bring inner peace into your life. Make the decision that you´re going to open your heart even more, be more compassionate, more understanding, more loving, and more forgiving of everyone you know. Form a picture in your mind of yourself going through the next week, and see yourself coming from totally new level of peace. See the smile on your face and the joy in your heart.

Take one thing in your life that you would like to feel peace about, something that possibly you have been reacting to, and make a mental image of releasing, forgiving and letting go, finding inner peace with this issue. Ony you can create inner peace. From that space you will see the world you experience reflecting it. Other people, events, and situations do not need to trigger a reaction in you. If, instead, you maintain this center of peace, you will change those events that used to disturb and upset you. If they do not change, it will no longer intrude on your sense of well-being. You can find your center, your soul´s light and your inner being reflected and carried out in the world you experience."

Spiritual Constipation

Dearest Goddesses,

I apologize in advance for the metaphor, but I just couldn´t resist.

Being pregnant, I have been experiencing some issues with elimination – nuff said. So as I was feeling a little uncomfortable, I couldn´t help but relate that physical feeling to the emotional feelings that I´ve been having and I felt like it was more than physical - I was spiritually, creatively, emotionally constipated, stopped up, clogged, blocked.

The key is movement. That is certainly what we hope for when the issue is physical and I think it´s also the key when it goes beyond the physical. Movement. Physical movement, energy movement…Taking those baby steps.

SO – what is the solution? What is your spiritual, creative, emotional equivalent to eating lots of fiber and drinking lots of water? Remember, the key to feeling refreshed is movement – that´s the goal. What are you going to have to do / what are you going to have to give up in order to get things moving?

Fiberous food for thought.

Love to you,

Patty

Lost: Funny Bone – Reward Offered

Dearest Goddesses,

Over a year ago, I randomly made a list of the Goddess Oracle which is how I am presenting them. I am shocked at how they constantly seem to be showing up in my life. Uzume – this week´s goddess represents laughter. This weekend I turned to John and said that I felt like I had lost my funny bone. And then with the most intense sadness, I broke down and tried to recall the last time I had let myself go and just have a good time – to that core of fun. I was reminded of my lost funny bone when I was watching this commercial with all of these kids just playing in a pool – splashing. When did I stop laughing? When did I start taking myself so seriously? When did things stop being fun?

If you´re feeling like me – check out Uzume´s ritual – and take it on as a creative project. Write out the "story" of your life right now and then watch it play out like it was on a stage. (Extra points if you really do act it out – like a monologue). And then what if Will Farrell or Adam Sandler were the stars of your story?

And write a list of things that make you laugh – things that are fun. Or write out times when you remember letting yourself go and having a great time. And then recreate it. Start adding in some fun. FIND YOUR FUNNY BONE!

I know I am desperate to find mine!

Love to you,

Patty

Uzume - Laughter

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/

Before the Rock Cave of Heaven

where Amaterasu Omi Kami, the Sun Goddess

had hidden her radiant face

where all the assembled Gods and Goddesses had tried

and failed

to lure her out

I stepped up to the Cave

with utmost seriousness

with grave determination

with proper decorum and a lofty mien

and with a bump and a bump and a bump bump bump bump

lifted my kimono and revealed myself in ways

that caused the mouths of the exalted ones

to water and fall open

Then I played puppet with my labia

and paid myself a little lip service

I heaved my breast over one shoulder

then the other over the other

and landed on my ass

with a bump and a bump and a bump bump bump bump

amidst the explosions of laughter and merriment

of the esteemed crowd

With breasts tied in a knot

my legs spread like a welcome mat

I called in the Spirits

and offered them my body

but they refused to take it

The crowd howled and laughed as I continued my dance

till Amaterasu Omi Kami couldn´t stand it any longer

and rushed out to see what was what

And thus did laughter

win the Sun Goddess from her dark cave

and bring light and warmth back into the world.

Mythology

Uzume (pronounced oo-zoo-may), ancient Japan´s shaman-Goddess, is credited as being the one to entice the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu Omi Kami, out of the cave where she had hidden. Uzume did a bawdy dance making fun of shamanic ritual. She exposed her breasts, she played with her genitals, amidst the howls of laughter of the deities assembled. So loud and enticing was the uproar she created, that Amaterasu´s curiosity got the better of her and she came out from her cave.

Meaning of the Card

Uzume begins her comic dance in your life to tell you it is time to nurture wholeness with laughter. Laughter causes us to relax, enables us to gain perspective, helps ease us through difficulties. Have you been taking life too seriously? When is the last time you had a good laugh? Are you able to laugh at yourself in a gentle way? Perhaps life is challenging you with such ferocity that you find it hard to see the humor in your present situation. Uzume says that wholeness is gained when you choose to laugh and see the humor in all of life´s challenges.

Ritual Suggestion: Journey to Uzume

Click the link below to download the meditation for Uzume for $1.50

http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=67

Find a time and a place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and release it with a "ha, ha, ha". Take another deep breath and lift your shoulders up and down three times as you exhale. Take another deep breath and release it with a "ha, ha, ha" while moving your shoulders up and down as if you were having a good laugh. Take another deep breath and, as you exhale, see, sense or feel the Rock Cave of Heaven. Take another deep breath and, as you release it, see yourself standing in front of the cave. Enter the cave. It is warm and pleasant. A small dancing sun appears before you to light your way through the darkness of the cave. You follow the dancing sun, enjoying its playfulness, becoming more relaxed, more at ease. The sun leads you to the light at the end of the cave where you step out into the Underworld. There you are met by Uzume who warmly walcomes you with a big smile. She takes you by the hand and leads you to a stage area with some cushions in front of it.

She sits on the cushions and gestures for you to do the same. She asks you what you need. You tell her you need help seeing the humor, the comedy, in a particular situation in your life. She agrees to help you. As you give her the details, the entire situation is played out before you on the stage. Once you have finished, she claps her hands twice and the entire scene is replayed as a comedy, complete with clowns and your favorite comic actors. It is very funny and you find yourself laughing and feeling light and carefree. When the scene is finished, Uzume claps and the scene vanishes. You thank Uzume and she asks you for a gift, which you give to her with an open heart. She escorts you back to the cave entrance where you are met by the dancing sun. You and the sun dance your way back through the cave, feeling energized, refreshed, revitalized and as light as air. At the cave entrance you take a deep breath and come back to your body. Take another deep breath and, when ready, open your eyes. Welcome back!

Open to Receive

Dearest Goddesses,

I sure am glad that Kuan Yin is our goddess this week to remind us to have compassion for ourselves and others. I had this awful dream last night that I had my baby but then forgot about it – didn´t feed it or anything and when I finally realized that it had been sitting there silent and hungry and dirty for like 2 days, I rushed to feed it – horrified more at what a lousy mom I was – not that this poor child was hungry. So Kuan Yin reminded me to show myself compassion and fear will manifest in many ways!

I went to one of my favorite books today – Living with Joy by Sanaya Romin for inspiration. I asked Orin for some guidance and for a message that perhaps my goddesses needed to hear and this is what came to me. I hope you enjoy…

This excerpt is taken directly from Living with Joy by Sanaya Roman, Chapter 10 – Opening to Receive.

"Imagine, if you will, that you are a king, and your treasury is fill. In fact, you have so much you do not know where to begin distributing the wealth. All of the people in your kingdom are walking around saying how poor they are, but when you offer them your money they act as if they do not see you, or they wonder what is wrong with what you are offering.

I look out and see the storehouses all over – untapped, unused and even unrecognized. You have hard the expression "Heaven on Earth." There is nothing that stops you from having it, except your ability to ask for and receive it. What are these storehouses? What things lie within them that we would love to pass out?

One is love. We do not measure growth as you do (career advancements, more money, etc.). We look to spiritual evolution, which includes joy, self-love, the ability to receive, reframing the negative into the positive, the refinement of the ego, a willingness to embrace the new, and the ability to work together for a common purpose.

There is so much love available it is as abundant as the air you breathe.

Do you ask for love? The more you give and receive love the greater your spiritual growth. Every moment you spend focused on something that is not working, thinking of someone who does not love you, makes you like the men who turn away from the King´s money. You always have the opportunity to think of times you were loved, imagine a future of abundance, and thus partake of spiritual wealth.

What do you think of? Every in-breath takes you up to the world of essence where form is created, and on the out-breath you send to the world your wishes. Every time you recognize the love you have, you increase it. One of the laws of receiving is that recognizing when you have gotten something increases it in your life, and every time you do not acknowledge something you make it so much harder to have more sent to you.

The more you focus on what is wrong, the more wrong you will create in your life; the more it will spread to other areas that WERE working. The more you concentrate on what is right in your life, what is working, the more other areas of your life will work. It is the same in receiving. The more you acknowledge how much you are receiving, the more you will have."

Open to receive ladies – you deserve all that life has to offer.

Love to you,
Patty

Fighting Against What Is

Dearest Goddesses,

Talk about standing in your own way and giving yourself permission to be successful. I´ve been feeling a bit displaced here in Atlanta. While I didn´t have a TON of friends in Costa Rica, I was VERY lucky to connect with a few awesome likeminded people that I loved being with. I haven´t really had that opportunity / given myself that chance here in Atlanta and I find myself comparing every experience to the past. While I worked with some very wonderful ladies, I didn´t develop close relationships with them where I would want to hang out beyond work and I wasn´t really meeting anyone outside of work – other than the occasional person introduced to me by John. I couldn´t help but CRAVE (desperately) what feels like a once in a lifetime connection that I felt for the people I worked with at Legacy. (Ladies – can we please get together somewhere in the world and start a new school?!!) And of course wanting to get back to New York to be with my world back there. BUT – simply a change in location is not going to be what I need exactly to fulfill me. That´s got to come from within. And trying to recreate past experiences is just a disaster of unfulfillable expectations that I´d rather not experience.

So, in the spirit of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and the song Love The One You´re With, I have decided to start loving Atlanta – and since I know that Atlanta is loveable, it´s up to me. Just as I´ve been focusing lately on reasons why it might not be the place for me long term, I can instead, choose to love it. I can´t help but be reminded of the three lessons that the Brigadier General had for me that day.

1. Give yourself permission
   
2. Adapt for success (it hasn´t looked the way I wanted it to look and I haven´t found my Legacy or WE with powerful, creative women)
   
3. Fail Forward – get out there, talk to people instead of waiting for new friends to coming knocking on my door.
   

Now, I have a VERY EXCITING announcement to make. My gloriously gifted, talented, creative, inspirational friend Rowena Murillo has FINALLY opened her Etsy shop and is selling her AMAZING art series called Flying Girl. You will be floored at how connected you are to just about every one of her paintings. And FINALLY she is allowing us to purchase them from her! I was lucky enough to order some prints for some loved ones for Christmas and was so impressed with the quality of the prints. They were simply fantastic. Go visit her new shop and pick out some gifts for your friends and family – you will NOT be disappointed. Besides the fact that they are TOTALLY UNDERPRICED at only $18 a print right now. I´m so excited that her work can finally be shared with the world! And I noticed that a lot of the prints available on etsy are new ones I haven´t seen before – so be sure to check out her blog for more of Flying Girl…www.warriorgirl.blogspot.com.

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6493421

Challenge: Where are you holding on to how you think things should look? Where are you killing off present happiness by comparing your experiences to the past? Where can you give yourself permission to succeed in the here and now and allow yourself to adapt instead of fighting against what is?

Love to you,
Patty

Kuan Yin - Compassion

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 made the vow

and kept my word

I reached enlightenment

but rather than pass over

to the state of eternal bliss

I retained human form

till all beings attain enlightenment

Keeping human form

enabled me to know more deeply

the pain others experience

Because of my deep feelings

because of my understanding

of misery and suffering

because of my decision

I am called The Compassionate One

She Whose Name Alleviates All Suffering

But wouldn´t you prefer to wait

feeling what others feel

suffering what others suffer

knowing their pain as your own

wait till the end of all suffering and pain

till all beings attain enlightenment?

For me there was no other choice.

Mythology

Kuan Yin (pronounced koo-wan'yin), or "she who hears the weeping world" is the Chinese Buddhist bodhisattva of Compassion. She lives on her island paradise of P'u T'o Shan where she is said to grant every prayer she hears. She is so powerful that even the mention of her name will ease suffering and hardship. Choosing to remain in this world after having attained enlightenment, Kuan Yin has vowed to retain human form until all beings attain enlightenment. In Japan she is known a Kwannon.

Meaning of the Card

Kuan Yin appears mercifully in your life to tell you it is time to nurture wholeness with compassion – compassion for others, compassion for your loved ones, compassion for yourself. Do you find yourself feeling irritated or apathetic to the suffering of others? What keeps you from your compassion= Do you allow yourself space and ease when you are less than your idea of perfect? Do you find yourself wanting to hurt others because you have been hurt? Do you fear opening your heart to the plight of others because it will hurt you? Compassion is the ability to listen deeply and allow others and yourself the space to go through what needs to be gone through and to feel what needs to be felt. Kuan Yin says the way to alleviate your suffering is to develop compassion for yourself. From that compassionate placed within, you can manifest compassion without.

Ritual Suggestion: Journey to Kuan Yin

Click the link below to download the meditation for Kuan Yin for $2.25

http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=50

Find a time and a place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and release it slowly. Then take another breath, breathing deeply into your heart, and release it slowly while feeling your heart expand. Take a deep breath and release it with a sigh from your heart. See, sense or feel yourself inside your heart. Hear your heartbeat pulsing around you. Inside your heart is a rainbow bridge. You step onto the rainbow bridge and begin to cross the great waters. As you travel the bridge, you become more and more relaxed. The great waters are serene and calming, the bridge itself is a delight to walk on, the air is refreshing and pleasant.

On the other side of the rainbow bridge lies Kuan Yin´s island paradise of P'u T'o Shan. She greets you as you arrive and hands you a beautiful flower. As you inhale the flower´s fragrance, you feel your heart open. She takes you by the hand and leads you through the rich, lush, fragrant vegetation to her pavilion. After seating you with care and consideration, she washes your feet then serves you what you need to be served. She asks you to tell her your troubles and you do. She listens deeply and attentively. You feel nourished and loved at the very core of your being. You feel completely and utterly heard, seen, listened to It feels wonderful and deeply healing. You feel lighter and more at ease with yourself. Sit with Kuan Yin until you are ready to return. She takes you back to the rainbow bridge and embraces you. You thank her and begin your way across the bridge, feeling recharged and revitalized. The trip back across the rainbow bridge is short and you arrive back in your heart. Take a deep breath and, as you release it, you come back into your body. Take another deep breath and, as you release it, open your eyes. Welcome back!

Caring for the Shepherds

Dearest Goddesses,

One of the other major things I took from the Brigadier General´s presentation was this story she told about reconnecting with one of her classmates from West Point a few years ago. They were exchanging emails and this woman had told her that there were three things that she focused on during her four years at West Point that allowed her to get through that difficult time. Survival, Survival, Survival. Reflecting upon her classmate´s words, she thought of Maslow´s hierarchy of needs (I included a copy from Wikipedia below). That when you are focused on your physiological and safety needs – essentially your survival, there is no way to step into the higher levels of thought to truly make a difference for yourself, an organization or even the world. You don´t get to the love/belonging level or achieve confidence in esteem or self-actualization.

I know that I have been stuck in that cycle of focusing on that worry, the "what ifs", the "what are we going to do ifs", etc. And all it´s really done is keep me present in the idea of scarcity and of not enough. This cycle of fear is very powerful and one that I think the whole world is experiencing right now which ultimately does not serve the greater good.

 

And related to this idea, for those of you who might be like me in a sort of "what is my purpose" state – the second speaker at this event I went to was full of energy – Lily Winsaft – and she described this time in her life when she was searching and searching for her purpose and after months of actively searching, she woke up in a cold sweat with the possibility that maybe, just maybe she didn´t have a purpose and then what has all this searching been for?! And after the shock of that idea washed over her, she felt a sort of freedom – that if there wasn´t some divine purpose set out for her, well then why couldn´t she simply take matters into her own hands and make one up! And so she decided that her purpose would be to inspire others to see the greatness in themselves.

Jack Canfield has an exercise to get to our own inner purpose or mission statement. List three times in your life that you had the greatest experience of joy. What did you experience at that time? (freedom, love, compassion, passion…) And to take note that our emotions are a good gauge for when we are on track – if we have goosebumps or are feeling passionate, etc. we are generally on course. If we´re bored or resentful, we´re off course. And that out of this, you can come up with your own mission statement or own purpose for your life. In working with a heart surgeon and going through this exercise with him, he listed his three times in his life when he experienced freedom and they were all in his personal life (playing with his grandchildren, etc.) Jack asked him if there were any times that he felt that at work, and he listed two times – once when he operated on a man who couldn´t afford to pay him (but was reproached by his partners) and when his skills allowed him to save someone. Both of these people would most certainly be dead without him. Other than that, he felt a lot of pressure – that there would always be a need for his services, but he couldn´t possibly help everyone. Jack asked him a question – If you were faced with a patient who would die if you did not operate on him, but that you would die if you did what would you choose? He said, of course, I would not operate on him. Well, you need to get that sometimes by not doing, you end up taking care of yourself and allowing yourself to be fully present to more people than if you simply gave and gave and gave. And what he came up with as a mission/purpose was "to bring joy, compassion, happiness and freedom to people in the world and experience it myself in the process."

And remember…"sometimes the shepherds need caring for too." Another gift of insight from the Brigadier General.

Love to you my shepherds.

Patty

Onward The Journey

Dearest Goddesses,

I´ve been hiding – camped out in my hermit crab shell. And after some loving prodding from my external GPS (thank you, thank you, thank you) I am emerging. Onward the Journey.

So, a brief update to my ladies – I´m 11 weeks pregnant which is very exciting and nerve-racking and scary and… I was also laid off – and while I am grateful that I am no longer working where I was working, it´s never good to the self-esteem to be on the receiving end of a pink slip or have to start from scratch on the job search. But…onward the journey.

I suppose I´ve also been confronted by the next Goddess in the series – The Erinyes which represent Crisis. Jeez, I didn´t need any more crisis on my hands and I certainly didn´t want to create any crises for any of you! But I don´t think I'm that powerful. Truth is, crisis will show up when it shows up how it shows up – why not have the tools to deal with it. I suppose since I made the decision to be confronted with The Erinyes, I have been going through my own crisis of sorts – a redefinition of who I am in light of the changes in my world these days. Sometimes I feel so far away from that Patty who was facilitating creativity groups, teaching and learning and being creative. And I suppose there are some aspects of that Patty that I don´t miss – but I´m looking to reclaim that creative spirit and that passion. I feel like it´s been a long time since I´ve allowed myself to be passionate. Which leads me to what I want to share today.

Last week I had the distinct privilege to be invited to a group put on by Atlanta Woman Magazine called "Empowering Yourself". It really was perfect. The keynote speaker was Brigadier General Anne F. Macdonald who was a part of the first class of women to graduate from West Point in 1980. She shared her experience, which she called the most difficult period of her life, but how going through that experience really paved the way to the incredible leader that she is today. (She didn´t underestimate the power of hindsight in her ability to make these realizations. At the moment of her graduation, she walked out of there ready to never look back.)

She described that time of her life as her spiritual desert, but wanted to emphasize three points of leadership that the experience taught her:

1. It is up to you to give yourself permission to succeed. No one else will grant you that permission and you may encounter people who do not always have your best interest at heart, not to mention the fact that the biggest obstacle that you will probably face on your journey to success is your own self standing in your way. GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION.
   
2. Allow yourself to adapt in order to achieve success. The world may not look exactly how you´d like it to look, so it is up to you to adapt in order to succeed. She said that when she got to West Point the circumstances were NOT set up to ensure her success. It´s not always going to look the way you want it to look.
   
3. Fail Forward. There will be failures in your attempts at success. If you learn from those mistakes, you make sure that you fail forward and not backward.
   

 

She shared so much more that I will share with you in the next few posts.

Thanks for listening, it really feels good to be sharing again!

Love to you,

Patty

The Erinyes - Crisis

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/

We snap you

crack you

flapjack you

We are that wild chaotic place

that sharp edge

the point that activates your fears

the point of no return

the point where anything can happen

We always demand your death

or complete surrender

you can´t get beyond us

around us

or over us

you must meet us and go through us

We are the cosmic steamroller

the place of greatest opportunity

We are crisis.

Mythology

The Erinyes (pronounced eh-rin'yees) were the forces of retribution personified as three immortal dark maiden Goddesses. They took revenge and punished anyone who killed their kin in matriarchal pre-Hellenic Greece. In poet Aeschylus´s play, The Oresteia, Orestes – the son of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon – kills his mother, thus enraging the Erinyes who go after him. When his trial results in a deadlock, Athene, Goddess of Wisdom, is called on to cast the deciding vote. Her vote sets Orestes free from ay punishment for the matricide. The Erinyes, unappeased, demand vengeance. Athene consoles them with promises of special rituals in their honor. They are then renamed the Eumenides, or kindly ones.

Meaning of the Card

The Erinyes are howling after you because you and/or a loved one are in crisis. The way to nurture wholeness for you now lies in reaching out and asking for help. Whether it is from the human, animal, or spiritual kingdoms, help is required at this juncture of excess, psyche-breaking stress, and instability. Identify and name the kind of crisis you are in. If your crisis is psychological, call a crisis hot line or make an appointment with a healer of psyches. If your crisis is financial or job-related, seek financial assistance or find a career counselor. If it involves your health, visit a health-care practitioner. It is vital for you to get the help and support you need, for you are not in a place where you can help yourself. Do something. Or ask a friend or loved one to do it for you. Crisis in your life also brings the experience of crisis into the lives of your loved ones. Don't blame yourself or try to take care of them. Be selfish. Deal with your crisis and let them deal with theirs. The Erinyes say all crisis are accelerated growth/transformation points that bring opportunities. However, before you get to the opportunity, you must get through the crisis, and for that you must reach out for help.

Ritual Suggestion: The Cocoon

Click the link below to download the meditation for The Erinyes for $.75

http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=40

The time to do this is now, wherever you are. No time to look for perfect conditions. Use this ritual suggestion to give yourself some breathing space while dancing with your crisis. There is no limit to the number of times you can do the Cocoon.

You can sit or stand anywhere. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath and release it gently. Sense, feel, or see a cocoon being built around you of the most nurturing and comforting materials. Do you like silk or cotton flannel? Does lambswool or a blanket of your favorite flowers soothe you? It could even be a cocoon of rosy pink light or your favorite soothing sounds. Once you have wrapped that cocoon around you, fill it with the love of those who care about you. You can also include animals, plants, stones, the Goddess, trees, the sky, the universe.

Once your cocoon is filled, allow yourself to take the love and comfort of your cocoon into every cell in your body. Feel yourself handing over to the Goddess the challenge that overwhelms you. Feel the comforting sensation as she takes the challenge from you. Keep breathing in the comfort of your cocoon until you feel full. When ready, take a deep breath and exhale gently, open your eyes, and come ot of the cocoon. Or you may prefer to stay in while you go about your tasks in the world. Remember if you leave it, you can always come right back by taking a deep breath and sensing, feeling or seeing your cocoon around you.

Here Comes The Sun

 

Dearest Goddesses,

 

I woke up a little blue this morning – no particular reason. It might have to do with not being able to remember the last time I saw the sun! But as I was sitting in the car waiting for John to get our morning decaf´s, I looked up at the sky. What I saw at first was the grey-black clouds, but when I looked closer, those clouds were moving real fast and peeking out from behind was this beautiful blue sky with peppered white clouds. I thought of flying on an airplane and a lot of times, even if you take off in a crummy storm, you get high enough to where the sun is shining and you are flying through puffy, white clouds.

 

That view – that sunny, blue sky is the backdrop. The clouds and storm systems are just passing through, making its way. You´ll always have the good days and the bad days – the sunny and the not so sunny – but if the sunny days are truly the backdrop – then the other is just a storm doing its business. And living in Atlanta now and knowing that the one thing that would probably fill Lake Lanier is a hurricane – there is a definite time and a place for storms in our life. Rain helps things grow.

 

So take the storms and ride them, for they are just passing through and be confident that your backdrop is sunny blue skies with fluffy white clouds. It´s true! I witnessed it today! (Now I also witnessed the Easter Bunny when I was a kid too, but I think that was just our goddess Nut playing in mystery…!)

 

Find your blue skies ladies!

 

Love to you,

Patty

GPS Continued

 

Dearest Goddesses,

I wanted to share two responses I got from yesterday´s Daily Goddess…(by the way, why doesn´t spell check work in the title? Sorry for yesterday´s Dialy Goddess…)

From Susan:

Patty, I love this idea of a life gps.  I think we have one --  built right in -- we just don't turn it on! or tune it in...it's that inner voice don't' you think?  Often drowned out by the static of life when we are not moving mindfully...so, slowing down, quieting down and tuning in and you have your own personal internal Janie! 

From Rowena:

Ahem.

I believe you are not aware of the Welsh version of my name. It is in fact Gps, but people don't seem to understand the no vowels thing, and rowena sounds better.

Now, knock it off and go join one of those online creative groups I've been sending you.

Silly mama.

That's what G calls me anytime I don't listen to him.

 

It´s absolutely perfect, because of course there is that inner GPS and sometimes when you´re blind and deaf to the directions that it gives, the people in your life step in and help direct you. I feel like it´s been a looooooonnnng time since I was silent enough to be able to hear the directions. I´ve been too busy listening to worry and doubt and my own judgment. Moving mindfully, slowing down, taking purposeful steps. Or enroll a person in your life to be more overt until you actually slow down.

I´m up for the challenge. To slow down and stop listening to the chatter and to truly connect to Nut and the mysteries she has for us and also to the people in my life who I hope will keep nagging me!

Have a quiet day goddesses!

 

Love to you,

Patty

Life GPS

A couple of months ago, John and I were gifted a GPS and it has changed our lives. Suddenly we don´t need pages and pages of mapquest printouts in order to get somewhere and that is priceless in a new city – especially one where you can be at the corner of Peachtree and Peachtree at any given time. It´s changed our experience and freedom in the car, not to mention the improvement of our relationship – getting lost is just one less thing we have to fight about!

I can´t help but crave a GPS for my life though. Janie, which we have affectionately named our GPS tells us our next move – keeping our final destination in mind and when we aren´t paying attention, or we make an "unscheduled" stop, or whatever – she simply recalculates and non-judgmentally lets us know our next move, even if that move is "turn around when possible". I want to plug in my goals and dreams and have a gentle reminder to get me back on track when I get distracted or am not acting in line with what I am committed to. Simple reminders to exercise, eat right, create, write my goddess emails.

If I were a bit more disciplined I would say I would do it myself – create some habits so that I can plan and assess each day. What´s an undisciplined girl without a life GPS to do? ;) Knock it off, I suppose and just do it.

But then, the Goddess speaks. I wrote this before I looked up which goddess from The Goddess Oracle would speak this week – and funny how Nut comes go guide us to embrace the mystery of life. Please read her and open to the mystery, while keeping your goals in mind.

Nut - Mystery

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/

Reach for me

touch me

I am always beyond your grasp

Don´t try to figure me out

for you can´t

I am the ever present unfathomable unknown

I am the immensity of the star-filled sky

I am beyond human comprehension

In the vastness of my being

I am a mystery

even to myself.

Mythology

Nut (pronounced not) is the Egyptian Goddess of the night sky, also known as the Great Deep, the Celestial Vault, who daily gives birth to the sun each morning then consumes it again each night. Disapproving of the nicest of Nut as she lay over her brother Geb, the earth, Ra, the sun or high God, has them pried apart. Nut was then lifted into the sky where she remains, her body formed into an arch. Painted inside the inner lid of a sarcophagus, she mothers and protects the dead on their journey.

Meaning of the Card

Nut´s twinkling vast dark vault stretches out in your life to remind you to open to the mystery. Have you been planning every aspect of your life and left no room for mystery? Is your life wound up too tight? Are you trying to make everything safe by defining it, labeling it, knowing it all? Give way to the mystery, the unknowable. The Wise Woman knows there is much in the universe that will remain a mystery and leaves space for it in the weaving of her life. Nut says the way to nurture wholeness is for you to trust that the mystery you let in will be exactly what you need for your journey to wholeness.

Ritual Suggestion: Nut´s Embrace

Click the link below to download the meditation for Nut for $1.75

http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=55

You can do this as a journey in imagination or as a ritual if you life where you feel safe outside at night. If you choose to journey, find a time and a place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight and close your eyes. Take a deep breath and exhale quickly. Take another deep breath and exhale slowly. Take another deep breath and exhale with the slowness of a turtle.

If you choose to enact this ritual, go outside. If you are journeying, visualize, sense or feel the immensity of Nut´s body, the night sky, above you. See her form clearly. She is smiling at you. She holds her hand out to you, inviting you to come to her. She points to a spiraling path of stars that begin to twinkle in front of you. You step onto the path of stars. Now you are surrounded by Nut´s immensity, her vastness, her blackness. You see her waiting and you continue to climb the spiral path of stars until you are standing before her. She holds out her arms and you walk into her embrace, you also feel something you will never comprehend: her mystery. She urges you to open your heart to her and to trust her. You open your heart and experience a deep sense of oneness with the unknown. You feel safe and calm, centered and secure. You stay in her embrace until you feel full, satisfied, ready to move on. You thank Nut, and she tells you it is time to return. You walk the spiral path of stars back to Earth, back to your home, back to your body. Take a deep breath and, when ready, open your eyes. Welcome home!

Enjoying the Inquiry

Dearest Goddesses,

John tells me that yesterday's Goddess was not my most brilliant moment and my message was perhaps lost in an attempt to be clever. Oh, the power of distraction and bad tv! I guess I'd love to see real shows about relationships and women trying to really make a difference in their lives instead of showing women put in situations in which they need to fight each other for the attention of a man or for the attention of the camera in shows like "Bad Girls." It just seems like there are so many shows that exploit the insecurities of women. Well, there are probably plenty of good shows like that out there but I still got sucked into the bad ones.

Anyway, I'm sorry that my message was lost and unclear and, most embarrassing – typos!

I've taken on reestablishing my community and rebuilding relationships that may have been neglected while I was out of the country. Where I find that I´ve gotten stopped is – as always – my own perceptions – mostly about how I think things should be or look. And if I don´t show up as at least "together" then people would think less of me. So I´m working on these distorted sunglasses because no matter how NOT together I ever am, the only evidence that I have is that I am still loved.

Where might you need to change your distorted sunglasses – change your beliefs to transform your relationships?

Enjoying the inquiry.

Thank you ladies.

Love to you,
Patty

A Rose is a Rose

Dearest Goddesses,

So – it´s all about relationships this week in honor of Lady of Beasts and I can hardly focus because I'm watching The Bachelor…the quintessential conversation regarding relationships, eh? I´m not sure the goddess had this in mind with her message regarding relationships. I can´t help but feel as uncomfortable as when I watch Steve Carell on The Office, only these women are supposed to be for real..?

Anyway…

I´ve been pondering the idea of creating relationships new. With all of the new years resolutions and goals that you can´t help but think of at this time of year – if our relationships remain the same, can they ever transform? Or a more powerful question might be – if we remain the same inside of our relationships, can they transform? And while we may evolve and transform, if our experience of or our perspective of the people in our life don't transform and evolve, can they transform?

Well ladies – I will explore these question this question further, but right now someone is getting voted off The Bachelor. The Bachelor meets Survivor. Excellent. (I think I'm watching too much tv.)

Love to you,

Patty

Lady of Beasts

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 desire union

in ways comfortable and appropriate

I open to the dance with another

knowing that it will take me

to all the places I fear

some of the places I love

many of the places that need healing.

I listen with the ears of my heart

and communicate from a place of self-knowing

I consciously give myself away

and know how to take myself back

I see myself reflected

so perfectly in the other

that I begin my most important journey to seek out and claim

more of who I am.

Mythology:

The Goddess as Lady of Beasts was known to the people of Sumer, Crete, and the Indus Valley (India). Her name is largely unknown because worship of her predated writing. She was also known as the Cosmic Creatrix, the creative, fertile, life-giving force. Her special animals were held sacred as manifestations of the deity herself. She is depicted here pregnant, surrounded by pregnant animals, which speaks of her as a powerful fertility figure. She usually appears enthroned with a lion at her side indicating sovereignty and strength.

Meaning of the Card:

Lady of Beasts walks slowly and serenely into your life to tell you it is time to focus on creating supportive and nurturing relationships, with your unborn child, the animal(s) in your life, a lover, family, friends, and/or coworkers. Relating to others enables you to look at the parts of yourself that you don´t ordinarily see. Relationships are the mirror in which you can see who you really are. Wholeness is nourished when you see who you really are, accept what you see, and strive to heal what needs to be healed.

Are you in a relationship that presses all your buttons, brings up all your issues, leaves you feeling like a "woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown"? If both (or all) of you are committed to doing the work, willing to accept your pieces, your responsibility, this could be a gold mine. Perhaps you are in an abusive relationship, one that keeps hurting and hurting with no redeeming factors or one in which your partner is not looking at issues. This could be the time to gather your strength, lick your wounds, and move on. Perhaps better communication or acceptance could help your relationship. If you are contemplating a relationship, this is the time to open and engage. Lady of Beasts says the dance of relationship is the fast trace to evolving consciousness and personal power. It is joyful, painful, frustrating, exhilarating, annihilating, and completely worth it.

Ritual Suggestion: Creating Win-Win Situations

Find a time and a place when and where you and your partner, coworker, family member, or friend can be with each other uninterrupted. If the other person is not available to do this with you, you can do this as a journey on your own. You will need something that can serve as a "talking stick or stone"* You and the other(s) should be clear on what you all need, so that each of you can state that need clearly. Creating win-win situations brings all parties together to negotiate for those needs so that everyone wins. If there is any emotion around a need or if some feelings come up during the ritual, those emotions and/or feelings will need to be dealt with before a win-win situation can be achieved.

To create sacred space you can do a full ritual of calling in the elements/directions, burning incense, inviting in your power animals, the Goddess and God, and/or other spirit guides; or you can invoke the spirit of cooperation and completion. It is up to you. Remember to do what is appropriate and respectful for all.

Once sacred space has been created, it is time to pass the talking object. Each person states his or her needs, then you come to an agreement. For example: You want to go roller-skating on Thursday nights and need your partner to watch the kids. Your partner wants to go to science club meetings on Tuesday nights and wants you to watch the kids. You agree to wath the kids on Tuesday nights if he will watch them on Thursdays. This is a win-win situation.

There may be situations where you will have to do more negotiation and possibly some compromise, in order for everyone's needs to be met. It is important to really sit with any proposed compromise. Only you can decide if you can compromise, and in some cases you may not be able to. Not all situations can be resolved in a win-win way. There may be times when you give, the other person gives, and you both give. Relationships are a balancing act. The more you strive to create win-win situations, the more often you will succeed.

*An object held by one person at a time, signifying that s/he alone has the privilege of speaking. All present have the privilege of listening in a respectful way until that person is finished talking. When that person is finished, s/he passes that "stick" to the next person and so on, till all have a chance to express themselves and be heard.

Be the person of your dreams

Dearest Goddesses,

Today I began the cleanup of my life and decided to start with my email and the 1,980 unread messages in my inbox. They are the myriad of emails that I´ve signed up for, yahoo groups, motivational emails, etc. You miss a few days (or months…) and suddenly you've got 2,000 unread messages. So in my effort to get rid of the clutter, I started taking a look at my emails and decided to "unsubscribe" to tut.com. And of course, I get the perfect message which totally relates to Minerva and the exploration of our beliefs…

Patty, today, be the person of your dreams.

See life through THEIR eyes.

Make decisions with THEIR mind.

Let every thought, word, and action come from THEIR perspective, as if you had already arrived, and just watch how 2009 warps into the kind of year you talk and laugh about forever and ever and ever...

Peace, love, and green M&Ms -
The Universe

Thoughts become things... choose the good ones! ®

©www.tut.com®
Patty, here's a little secret: That person already exists, there's nothing new to learn, just "let 'em out."

I know that (prepare for a convoluted rationale) I have let my beliefs about what I THINK others believe about me change my perception of myself and who I am in this world. It´s changed the way I´ve interacted with the people in my life, it´s kept me from sharing, it´s kept me from being present. The truth is, I´m probably making it all up anyway!! Silly girl…

Be the person of your dreams for that already is…you!

Love to you,

Patty

P.S. Check out your Personal Year Number according to Numerology: Key to Your Inner Self by Richard de A'Morelli

Happy New Year!

Dearest Goddesses,

It´s New Years Day and I have been waiting for the chance to open a brand new calendar and sort of brush off 2008 for what it was for me – A year of transition, of completion of contraction. I am looking forward to growth , joy, abundance and expansion beginning in 2009.

As you can tell from the distance between this and my last post – I have allowed my life and circumstances to distract me from my goal which is to truly make a difference. And rather than go through the grocery list of why and how come the distance existed – which would also not be in keeping with my commitment – I have decided to complete what I started last year which was sharing The Goddess Oracle and my life inside of those messages and hopefully make a difference for the people in my life.

My new boss has asked us to write out our goals for 2009 and put it in a sealed envelope with our names on it and give it to her to hold for the duration of the year. At the end of the year, she´ll give this envelope back to us to review – what did we want to create that we accomplished and then some? And also, what was important to us in January that changed over the course of the year? I encourage you to do the same and either have someone hold it for you, or put them away where you can review it in December.

In closing, to tell on myself, I don´t feel ready to begin sharing again, but I felt it was important to get over myself and to not make this about me. That perhaps my message, however small they may be…well it might just make a difference. And so, hopefully, as you are contemplating what it is that is important to you in this year - get out of your own way and take action, regardless of whether or not you are ready.

So, I leave you with where I left off last year…This weeks goddess is: Minerva who represents Beliefs. What a great way to start the New Year!

Wishing you all love, abundance, joy and expansion.

Love to you,
Patty

Minerva - Beliefs

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 am what I think
my life is shaped and formed
by what I tell myself
Who I am in the world
is who I think I am
WHat I have in the world
is what I think I can have
The contents of my mind
ae what I choose
I discard, cut out, drop
that which doesn't contribute
What others believe about me
is their story
It tells more about what they think
than who I am
In my journey
I make sure that what I carry
is of my own careful choosing
and serves me well.

Mythology:
Minerva, the Roman and Etruscan Goddess of inelligence, creativity, wisdom, domestic skills, and handicrafts was the patroness of artisans, of all people whose handiwork was guided by their minds. Her very name comes from the ancient root for "mind". Minerva appears here with her sacred tree, the olive. She wears an aegis, which is a breatplate edged with snakes, and an owl on her headdress which identifies her as a Goddess of death and the deepest mysteries.

Meaning of the Card:
Minerva has come to tell you it is time to examine your beliefs and change them if they do not nurture your wholeness. How are old, outworn, unhealthy thoughts undermining your life, your energy, your happiness? Do you believe what other people think and/or say about you? Are you still running the tape of negative messages your parents or caregivers gave you when you were a child? Do you believe the worst about yourself, or the best? Are your beliefs too rigid to permit and support your evolution? We are all born with a story. It is our choice whether we want to live the story we were born with or create one that nourishes all we want to be. Minerva says that wholeness is nurtured when you see yourself with all your parts - both dark and light - and choose your beliefs to serve your highest good.

Ritual Suggestion: What's in My Attic?

Click the link below to download the meditation for Minerva for $1.75

http://deepspiritualnourishment.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=52

Find a time and a place where and when you will not be disturbed. You will need paper and a pen. SIt or lie comfortably with your spine straight and close your eyes. Take a deep breath, breathing into all the parts of your body, letting the breath fill you as if you were a balloon. When you are absolutely filled, release it. Take another deep breath and release it. Close your eyes and sense, feel, or see a flight of stairs leading up to an attic. It can be an attic you know well or one you imagine. Climb those stairs. At the top of the stairs is a door. You have the key to the door on a cord around your neck. Take the key and open the door. You enter a room. On one wall are shelves. On one of the shelves is a box marked "beliefs." Take the box down and open it. Inside the box are your beliefs. Reach inside, pull one out, and examine it. After you have finished examining it to your satisfaction, ask yourself the question: "Does this belief serve my highest good/wholeness?" If you answer yes, put it back into the box and take out another. If you answer no, then change the belief into something that serves you, something that feels good, something nurturing.

Repeat your new belief several times and feel it sinking into your heart, into your consciousness. Let yourself feel the joy of having this new belief. When finished, put the new and improved belief back into the box and return the box to the shelf. Close the attic door and lock it with your key. Come down the stairs. When you arrive at the foot of the stairs, take a deep breath and exhale slowly as you come back into your body. When you feel ready, open your eyes. Welcome back!

Note: If you find that your belief seems to resist your efforts to change it, repeat this ritual at another time. This is a process and te beliefs you are working with have been in place for a long time. Commitment is important here. You might even try writing your new belief and posting it in a prominent place where you will see it often.