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.

Winning Formula

Dearest Goddesses,

We all have winning formulas, ways in which we interact with the world that puts us out ahead, but doesn't really leave us feeling fulfilled or taken care of. I always thought that my winning formula was being accommodating - I would make sure everyone else was taken care of and not consider my own needs. And while that very may well be it, I've been confronted by another winning formula lately that I actually got clear about in my last post which was ultimately about facing my vulnerability, specifically relating to my body.

I have always been strong and being strong, or rather being stronger (than everyone) is the winning formula I have been facing since that last post. My body is made for strength - 6 feet tall, NYU record holder in shot put and discus (I decided to use that instead of putting my weight ;)) I've never been a small girl. And because I'm not a small woman, I believe I have used my strength to set me apart. And this strength has become my armor. If I am not perceived as strong (and this goes beyond the physical) I feel like a failure. Somewhere along the line, I decided that vulnerability = weakness. And since who I have defined myself to be is strong, there is no room for vulnerability - or rather, I have not made room for vulnerability.

My mantra didn't work and I ended up getting sick. It didn't last very long at all, but as I was driving to work yesterday morning, feeling rotten, I realized that there is a place for being sick. A time to regroup and force yourself to take care of yourself. Just because my mantra didn't stick, doesn't mean that my mind is weak, it just means that in order for my body to stay strong, it needed to fight off whatever I got which caused the symptoms that I had. And it really was only for a day - others were sick for a lot longer, so I can still work my winning formula at being stronger! I suppose everything is all about perspective anyway...

What is your winning formula? How is it keeping you at a distance from the people in your life?

Love to you,
Patty