Gaia

by Deepak Chopra May 29, 2008



Adapted from The Third Jesus, by Deepak Chopra (Harmony Books, 2008).

There are a number of different techniques to deal with negativity. It takes time before you find the right response to suit a specific situation. The more patient you are with yourself, the better. One day you may need tears, the next day it’s a matter of patient waiting or talking to your inner self. Here are some methods of dealing with negativity to add to your repertoire:

Patient waiting. Notice your negative reaction and watch it for a moment. Be attentive to your feelings as they are, without judging or forcing them to change. This response is quiet, but it isn’t passive. You are removing the shock value of the moment, softening the feeling so that you don’t act on it impulsively or push it away. You are letting it dissipate naturally, at its own pace. You are also practicing detachment.

Talk out the problem. Any negative experience in the mind is part of yourself. It’s neither alien nor evil. Try talking to your fear or hostility. Ask to know what it means. Find out why it chose to show itself at this particular moment.

Ask the underlying energy to leave. Not all negativity wants to stick around. We are all aware of passing moods and sudden flashes of emotion that soon subside. Ask the negative energy to leave, but first give it a chance to say what it has to say.

Summon help and assistance. Your mind has countless levels. At higher levels, you possess much more control and authority than you realize. Learning to trust in aspects of your higher self that you can’t see is important. Ask for help in removing unwanted negative energy.

Some people address their angels and guides; others pray to God; still others make a request to the higher self directly. Depending on your own beliefs, don’t hesitate to say that you are feeling overwhelmed and need help.

Physical responses. Turn to the wisdom of the body. Although the mind always wants to rush in and take charge, life is a cooperative venture between mind and body. As some body workers like to say, there are issues in the tissues. So let your body do what it wants in order to release the grip of a negative experience. This can be physical, or even toning, which means humming or singing at certain pitch and then letting the body carry the tone up or down.

Negative Emotions | Healthy and Green Living

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

And other Musical Meditations

Bridges of Time Music Meditation

Enjoy!

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

Wednesday May 28, 2008


© Ellen Dugan 2008Ellen Dugan is known by her readers as the Garden Witch, and has written a number of books on magical gardening, herbalism, and modern witchcraft. Her latest book, How to Enchant a Man, is in bookstores now, and the Garden Witch's Herbal is scheduled to come out next year. Ellen took some time out of her busy schedule to talk to us and tell us what she thinks -- check out what she had to say at Author Interview: Ellen Dugan.

Meet Author Ellen Dugan

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

"So we are connected to the moon. That gives us power, a connection to the earth and the moon, men don't know about."
--Cecilia Mitchell, MOHAWK

The Elders tell us that the Woman has access to special powers. The Earth Mother gives her love in a special way to the Woman. The Moon also gives special powers to the Woman. She uses these powers to nurture, heal and guide the people.

Great Spirit, today, give a special Blessing to our Women.


Elder's Meditation of the Day

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

June, 2008

The Moon Goddesses
and the Womanly Art of Intuition
What exactly IS intuition . . . and do women really have more of it?

No easy answers to either of those questions.

Psychologists define it as knowing or understanding based directly on your experience of something without reasoning or application of your logical, analytical mind. Intuition is the work of your left brain . . . in essence, your "gut feelings", the voice of your inner guide.

Suzanne Falter-Barnes tells a story of instinctively disliking a woman she met in a business setting. She admits that the woman was very 'socially skilled', as if she had read every book, attended every course on 'how to make friends and influence people' -- lots of friendliness, eye contact, and seemingly genuine interest and empathy. But still Suzanne didn't "feel right" about her and chose not to work with her.

Suzanne says it turns out she was right. "Soon afterwards I met many people who had worked with her and they confirmed she was a real backstabber. "

So what had happened? What was it that told Suzanne this woman was not to be trusted?

You guessed it: Intuition. We've all had similar experiences, sensing that something is 'not quite right' with what we are seeing or hearing and consequently not feeling comfortable making the decision that seems so logical but feels so 'wrong'.

So who's got the edge in terms of intuition . . . males or females?

Women have traditionally been credited with having the upper hand, especially when it comes to "reading nonverbal cues" and knowing which ones to trust. One explanation is that women (as well as racial and ethnic minorities) quickly learn to read the signs and "trust their instincts" since their safety/security/success so often depends on how "the more powerful others" are going to behave towards them.

But a couple of recent studies have indicated that this may not be the case. (Men slightly "outperformed" women in evaluating the "genuineness" of smiles in one of the studies.) We'll just have to wait and see, I suppose.

Personally, I like to think this unexpected result was found because more men have learned to be more in touch with their feelings, aka their "feminine side", aka the advent of the "sensitive, new-age guy". Gotta' love 'em!

The ancients certainly recognized a gender difference favoring women's intuition. There are very few intuitive gods in any pantheon compared with numerous intuitive goddesses, who usually identified as the . . .

Moon Goddesses

Not only the 'officially designated goddesses of the moon' (such as Selene, Luna and Ix-Chel) but any goddess whose 'way of knowing' and type of wisdom can be described as "diffuse" or "conceptual, rather than factual" merits designation as a moon goddess. The Greek goddess Artemis) is a well-known example. The moon in one of its phases usually appears in the symbols of those who were intuitive and instinctual.


The Greek goddess Hecate is the quintessential example of the qualities of the "right-brained" intuitive.

The right brain, with its intuitive power, receives inspiration and it envisions what could be and what should be. It serves to illuminate and to instruct and provide direction for the logical left brain.

The right brain has no sense of time. It is detached from personal involvement, and neither justifies nor condemns oneself or others. It is visionary . . . creative and expansive in its scope.

Hecate, Greek Goddess of the Crossroads

The Greek goddess Hecate was the only one of the ancient Titans allowed by Zeus to retain their authority once the Olympians seized control. He shared with Hecate, and only her, the awesome power of giving humanity anything she wished (or withholding it as she pleased).

In some of her legends she is invisible, perhaps only glimpsed as a light, a "will-o-the-wisp". Perhaps it was this luminous quality that marked Hecate as a "moon goddess", for she seemed quite at home on the earth.

Hecate was known as the goddess of the crossroads (especially the 'Y' intersection) and helped travelers choose the 'right' path. She is often portrayed as having three heads because of her "timelessness", her ability to see into the past, present and future.

Hecate's made her home in the Underworld, the land of the sleeping and the dead (in archetypal terms, the spiritual world). Her comfort with this world of spirits made her tolerant in the company of those most would shun out of fear or misunderstanding.

Though she lived in the intangible reality of this spiritual world, she also travelled comfortably in the world of tangible reality, the earth.

Known for her tolerant nature, she was often accompanied on her travels by a following of 'ghosts' and other social outcasts. Hecate was revered (and feared) as the protectress of the oppressed, of 'misfits' and of those who 'lived on the fringes' of society.


Till next time,

Trust your gut,
Own your power, and
Make the world a better place!

Sharon

The Goddess Path

Goddess Gift Newsletter: Moon Goddesses and the Womanly Art of Intuition

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

Moon Goddess Quiz:

The Moon Goddess Quiz II: How's Your Intuition?

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

The official newsletter of School of the Seasons

June 12, 2008

Contents
Welcome
Seasonal Quote: Henry James
My Season: Complaint Free Zone
Special Offer from Ariane Goodwin and SmARTist(TM)
June Calendar
Slow Time Book News
• Chapter on the Moon is Up
Living in Season: Summer SAD
School of the Seasons Offerings:
• Midsummer Packet
• Summer School of the Seasons Course
• Summer Natural Planner
• Calendar Companion
Signs of Summer

Complaint Free Zone, Summer SAD, Signs of Summer

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

Elder's Meditation of the Day - June 14
"
The basis of knowledge is the fire, rock, water, and green. But when that power was given to man, he used it to twist his own mind. Tunkashila gave man just one drop of that wisdom."
--Wallace Black Elk, LAKOTA


All of Nature has the wisdom to follow the Natural Laws. All of Nature knows how to live in harmony and use this wisdom in a good way, with exception of the human being. Often we misuse this wisdom. Wisdom always remains with those who use it in the proper way. Nature has used this wisdom well, so now we need to go to Her so we humans can relearn and change our lives. May we start doing this today, before it is too late.

Creator, let me be open to the lessons that Nature can teach me.

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

FULL MOON IN SAGITTARIUS

Wednesday, June 18, 2008
10:30 am PDT/1:30 pm EDT
Sun at 27.50 Gemini
Moon at 27.50 Sagittarius

Read our Full Moon articles at MoonCircles.com - Moon Astrology, or follow the links below:


Sagittarius Full Moon Reflections:

Rebel Without a Pause
by April Elliott Kent

Buckle up, folks – it’s going to be a bumpy ride. This highly volatile Full Moon period pits the Sun and Venus against the Moon and Pluto, all in contentious aspect to combustible, unpredictable Uranus. The Sun/Venus urge to make nice is struggling against the Moon/Pluto compulsion to bluntly testify to one’s convictions – and there stands rebellious Uranus in the middle of it all, impatiently fingering a lighted match and a stick of dynamite....
(read the full article at: MoonCircles.com - Moon Astrology )

Intuitive Message for the Sagittarius Full Moon:

Believe Again
by Julia Bondi

It is only when the Gemini mind is thoughtful, open and interested that we begin to access the wisdom of Sagittarius. It is only in the presence of diverse people with diverse ideas that a true discussion can begin leading to understanding or resolution. What are the solutions to our problems whether they are as large as global warming or as small as our own fears? The old, familiar ways of thinking about concerns large and small, global and individual are not sufficient for today. We need the wisdom, the insight and the hope of our Sagittarian intuitive mind to whisper the new solutions to our Gemini thinking. ...
(read the full article at: MoonCircles.com - Moon Astrology )

3-Minute Full Moon Ritual
by Dana Gerhardt

Draw your hands to your heart. Massage this area. Feel that you have become the goddess, capable of balancing the earth and harmonizing its opposing forces. In particular you are tuned to the forces of Gemini and Sagittarius, signs devoted to knowledge, truth, understanding, and communication. Out of balance, they bring righteousness, gossip, judgment, confusion, and lies. This negativity circles the globe like a dark smoke. Know that if you breathe in this smoke you have the power to transform it in your heart and breathe it out as the pure white light of the goddess.....
(follow the full ritual at MoonCircles.com)

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe

Gaia

An Ancient Solar Celebration:

Nearly every agricultural society has marked the high point of summer in some way, shape or form. On this date – usually around June 21 or 22 – the sun reaches its zenith in the sky. It is the longest day of the year, and the point at which the sun seems to just hang there without moving – in fact, the word “solstice” is from the Latin word solstitium, which literally translates to “sun stands still.” The travels of the sun were marked and recorded. Stone circles such as Stonehenge were oriented to highlight the rising of the sun on the day of the summer solstice.

Traveling the Heavens:

Although few primary sources are available detailing the practices of the ancient Celts, some information can be found in the chronicles kept by early Christian monks. Some of these writings, combined with surviving folklore, indicate that Midsummer was celebrated with hilltop bonfires and that it was a time to honor the space between earth and the heavens.

Fire and Water:

In addition to the polarity between land and sky, Litha is a time to find a balance between fire and water. According to Ceisiwr Serith, in his book The Pagan Family, European traditions celebrated this time of year by setting large wheels on fire and then rolling them down a hill into a body of water. He suggests that this may be because this is when the sun is at its strongest yet also the day at which it begins to weaken. Another possibility is that the water mitigates the heat of the sun, and subordinating the sun wheel to water may prevent drought.

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Saxon Traditions:

When they arrived in the British Isles, the Saxon invaders brought with them the tradition of calling the month of June Aerra Litha. They marked Midsummer with huge bonfires that celebrated the power of the sun over darkness. For people in Scandinavian countries and in the farther reaches of the Northern hemisphere, Midsummer was very important. The nearly endless hours of light in June are a happy contrast to the constant darkness found six months later in the middle of winter.

Roman Festivals :

The Romans, who had a festival for anything and everything, celebrated this time as sacred to Juno, the wife of Jupiter and goddess of women and childbirth. She is also called Juno Luna and blesses women with the privilege of menstruation. The month of June was named for her, and because Juno was the patroness of marriage, her month remains an ever-popular time for weddings. This time of year was also sacred to Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The matrons of Rome entered her temple on Midsummer and made offerings of salted meal for eight days, in hopes that she would confer her blessings upon their homes.

Midsummer for Modern Pagans:

Litha has often been a source of contention among modern Pagan and Wiccan groups, because there's always been a question about whether or not Midsummer was truly celebrated by the ancients. While there's scholarly evidence to indicate that it was indeed observed, there were suggestions made by Gerald Gardner, the founder of modern Wicca, that the solar festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) were actually added later and imported from the Middle East. Regardless of the origins, many modern Wiccans and Pagans do choose to celebrate Litha every year in June.

In some traditions, Litha is a time at which there is a battle between light and dark. The Oak King is seen as the ruler of the year between winter solstice and summer solstice, and the Holly King from summer to winter. At each solstice they battle for power, and while the Oak King may be in charge of things at the beginning of June, by the end of Midsummer he is defeated by the Holly King.

This is a time of year of brightness and warmth. Crops are growing in their fields with the heat of the sun, but may require water to keep them alive. The power of the sun at Midsummer is at its most potent, and the earth is fertile with the bounty of growing life.

For contemporary Wiccans and Pagans, this is a day of inner power and brightness. Find yourself a quiet spot and meditate on the darkness and the light both in the world and in your personal life. Celebrate the turning of the Wheel of the Year with fire and water, night and day, and other symbols of the triumph of light over darkness.

Litha is a great time to celebrate outdoors if you have children. Take them swimming or just turn on the sprinkler to run through, and then have a bonfire or barbeque at the end of the day. Let them stay up late to say goodnight to the sun, and celebrate nightfall with sparklers, storytelling, and music. This is also an ideal Sabbat to do some love magic or celebrate a handfasting, since June is the month of marriages and family.

Litha History

__________________
The present moment is a powerful goddess.
~ Goethe