The labyrinth

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A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The Labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world in the search of our divine feminine and sacred self. The Labyrinth Society talks about Labyrinths as Sacred Geometry and how the act of walking back and forth aids one in achieving resonance. "Sacred geometry is the act of studying the divine act of creation and then using that knowledge to create in the same way. By studying nature, we find that the basic building blocks of creation are geometric." This symbol resonates more for me than any circle journey.

The labyrinth has been able to offer comfort, healing, spiritual growth, and inner and outer peace to those that walk the twisting path. Many believe that whether one practices a specific religion or is just spiritual, the labyrinth can offer spiritual and inner growth that can add to the healing of the world. Phil Cousineau agrees, “As she covers the ground outwardly, so she advances fresh interpretations of herself inwardly.”

Sacred Moon Cycle- Week Four

Week Four (day 22-28):Distillation and Clarity Phase.
Winter energy. 

Lessons from this cycle are available to be seen and felt.
Either glad of the where you're at with your life or fed up (again).
Feeling ready to let go and surrender or feeling frustrated and annoyed.
Less interested in everyone else, less available emotionally to others.
Inwardly focused. 

"Don't ask me to do anything, leave me alone"
"I get it now, I'm letting go of this and not taking into my next cycle."

And of course this all goes for the corresponding moon phases and the seasons as well.
Understanding the way of cycles brings with it an awareness of the flow of energy, the wisdom in that flow and the opportunity to be in synchrony with that flow.

I believe, honouring her fertility cycle is a woman's responsibility.
It is in fact one way she can participate, in helping to correct the imbalances that have been created through not honouring the feminine. An issue that we must address so that we can live harmoniously on our planet. Through honouring your menstrual cycle, you help heal the "wounded feminine" the symptoms of which ravage the Earth and most of her people. By honouring her cycle a woman honours the feminine, the dark, the juicy, the mysterious, the feminine power of creativity, sexuality and our Mother Earth.

Week Four 

Be ready for your approaching bloodtime, adjust your plans around it.
Cook in preparation for your retreat time.
Make a pot of hearty soup that you can easily feed yourself and everyone else from during your bleeding time. 

Slow down.
Start to imagine how you want your next cycle to go.

"The whole menstrual cycle is an alchemical process in itself, during which every woman who bleeds goes through a transformation inside herself. To menstruate means to live through a cyclical transmutation in which the past is shed and the new in embraced. Experiencing this transformation through conscious ritual awakens us to our connection with the cycles taking place all around us and to our relationship with all life." Lara Owen - "Her Blood is Gold"

Sacred Moon Cycle- Week Three

Week Three (day 15-21): Coming Down and Harvest Phase. 
Autumn energy.

Post ovulatory descent - can be positive or negative, a sense of pride or failure. 
May experience feelings of failure or elation depending on what you achieved from your creative peak in the few days after your egg has died unfertilised. 
"I lost my chance", "I feel useless". 
"I am so awesome, look what I did!" 

May feel relief or regret (at not being pregnant, literally and metaphorically). 
Feelings of wanting to get rid of unnecessary things around you or in your life. 
Wanting change. 


Things or ways of being that are no longer working for you show up. 
This may be confronting or a relief or both. 
Depending on how long you've been ignoring these promptings will depend on how you react to them showing up again. 

This happens to get your attention so you can let go of them in this and the next phase. 
"Everything seems to be hard", "Nothing feels like its working". 
"I've been so busy, I'm so glad I can rest now".

Week Three 
Celebrate what you have achieved, created, succeeded in this cycle and let go of what you haven't. Don't be hard on yourself. 
Start to notice the things that aren't working in your life in readiness to let them go with your blood. 
Don't start any new projects, rather finish things off.

-Jane Wardwicke Collins at www.Moonsong.com/au

Sacred Moon Cycle-Week Two

Week Two (day 8-14): High Energy Creative Phase. 

Summer energy 
Increasing physical, sexual and creative energy building to a peak at ovulation. 
Urgent creative feelings. 
Heightened awareness of self and others. 
More interested in physical appearance. 
"I feel happy, excited, full of energy", "I can do anything!"

Week Two Honoring

Use your creative energy, make something (make your own pads). 
Express your sexuality, beautify yourself, be indulgent. 
Celebrate the energy of your ovulation (just like you would the full moon). 
Dedicate your egg to something you wish to give the creative life force to.

The Feminine Process

Image: Suffering- Soul Painting

“Depression comes as a gift that stops one from hurrying briskly, confidently into the market. Stops one from rushing to the shopping center to buy one more bargain blouse for an already overcrowded closet. Stops one from emptily mouthing what one no longer believes in anyway.

“Depression stops time… and one settles into one’s own waters as a sailing vessel without wind… without wind… without momentum…and one sinks into one’s depths.

“And somewhere, deep inside, in the beehive tomb, one sits alone… and weeps.

“Depression comes as a gift asking that a woman recognize her own substance and trust it as the quiet, steady voice of her own truth. As she trusts it, hearkens to it, attends as it unfolds, she learns that of herself never allowed to develop when her allegiance  was with the collective…”

“Depression serves a woman is it presses down on her, forcing her to leave behind that which was not herself, which had influenced her to live a life alien to her own nature. Her suffering, now substantial, insists that she no longer deny its truth.

“She can no longer ‘keep stiff of her upper lip,’ or ‘pack up her troubles in her old kit bag and smile, smile, smile’ or, as one woman struggling with her weight said, ‘rise above it all.’

“…Depression asks that the attitude towards one’s life be changed, that the source of authority be recognized as no longer outside, but now deeply within, that one relate to each event, task, and moment of one’s life personally, subjectively…”

“Present-day society is afraid of depression. Whatever it resembles – reflection, introversion, a drawing within for quietness – may also be feared.”

“Suffering is feared and the sufferer outcast. Collective attitudes have evolved fostering archetypal masculine doing and achievement values. As woman entered the work realm outside her home, there was little alternative but to adopt those values. There was little recognition that her processes as woman was of a different nature or that doing/achievement values were not complete or valid for her.

“The issue is not whether woman can achieve, but that preoccupation with achievement may deny a descent into her deeper nature which a woman must make to touch her true strength. The masculine must perhaps fly to fulfill a part of its heroic nature. But woman, pressed to fly, may lose herself and be prevented from descending into her depths, prevented from fulfilling her own feminine nature.

“For through her descent, she touches the power of the feminine, the power that comes of being, not doing… the power of wisdom in the face of a very old woman, a face on which one reads, ‘I know what I know.’

“A woman through her descent, touches a deeply feminine authority, as different from the authority of the masculine as is the moon from the sun.

“It is an authority not of abstracted, rational, objective knowledge, but an authority which allows her to speak from her own unique experiencing of life, from her own deepest personal conviction.

“A woman prevented by her own fears or cultural attitudes from making this descent, is left to speak only from her achievement-oriented side rather than from a deeper experiencing of herself as a woman.

“Because present-day society has not understood, has feared the process which woman must undergo to claim her power and wisdom, has recognized only the masculine process, women have been left little alternative but to speak ‘as men…’

“Woman herself has become alienated from her need to sink into herself. She has begun to expect herself to have the energies, emotions, and attitudes of the masculine. It is a tragic token of the lack of recognition of a separate and unique feminine process…”

“A woman could be helped to understand her depression as a passage of initiation to claim her own soul and wisdom to be shared, later, with other women as they prepare for their own passage. She’s is taught, instead, to fear her experience and to loathe herself.”

“…It is this meaning, emerged from her own suffering, that allows a woman to descent, each time anew, into her own depths, to be present to the truth and wisdom lying there. For only by her willing descent can she uncover, again and again, the meaning of her life.

“Can we come to a new understanding of the feminine process toward wholeness? Can we, as women, take it upon ourselves to deepen within ourselves and each other and appreciation of the descent in the feminine process?”

~Judith Duerk from Circle of Stones: Woman’s Journey to Herself

Sacred Drum

I recently read about a few Indigenous tribes and their culture of the sacred drum. The belief is so beautiful I wanted to share. This is a very simplified version that is present is many cultures and not just Indigenous but my context comes from the Anishinaabe culture. 

The woman gave man the drum to feel the heartbeat of goddess mother earth that resides in all women, for men to honor HER and feel her sacred energy.

In present day it is controversial (Post-European America) for woman to participate in the sacred drum but many woman are finding a place at the drum to heal the masculine and feminine energy issue of modern day. Its seems to awaken the sacred feminine inside and let the energy flow.

Sacred Moon Cycle-Week One

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In traditional cultures that honor woman and her moon cycle the time of menstruation is one that is inwardly focused, quiet. For the first time I honored the three days rest! NO laundry, NO cooking, NO yoga, NO cleaning. It was a drastic change for me but was much more attuned to what my mind and body needed. I am a child of the eighties and the tampon commercials with woman in bikinis playing volleyball and playing tennis in white tennis skirts are burned into my Psyche of what woman are suppose to do during their cycle. Play hard and ignore the fact that you feel like shit. Well, that's exactly what I did. Hiding my pain and suffering through my feminine obligation was my attitude. Honoring wasn't even near my radar. I have been disconnected to this honoring for two decades and found myself in pain and dis-ease. There is a bit more to the story but for information sake, finding these traditions and honoring my body and its feminine cycle was a huge change. It also had a positive impact on my partner because  when I retreated he could honor his feminine energy to keep an even balance with his masculine energy while he tended to the things that keep our home in functioning order.

With the full moon now in midweek, those who cycle with the full moon would be in week one. Here is the information for the honoring of this week. (letting go was big for me this phase)

   Week One (day 1 - first day of bleeding - day 7): Death Rebirth Phase 

On retreat or wishing you were or creating situations in your life so people will leave you alone (for example fights). 

Life review. 

Visions of how it might be this new cycle.

Letting go of ways or beliefs and attitudes that no longer serve - both metaphorically with your prayers and intentions and literally with your blood.

Spring energy, building as your blood stops flowing.
A time for metaphorically planting seeds for the new cycle.

During bleeding: "I feel quiet, inward", "I don't want to be disturbed".
After bleeding: "I feel soft, a bit vulnerable", "I feel as if I'm peeking back out at the world ", "Here I come again".

Ways to honour the menstrual cycle 
The flow of the energy through the cycle gives us the clues for how to honour it. It's a good idea to let the people you live with know if you are going to change the way you do things at your bleeding time. Their support will be important to the success of you implementing these life changes. 

Week one 
Retreat from the busyness of the world, even just for an evening.
Have a relaxing bath by candle light with essential oils. Try geranium and rose.
Create your moonlodge or red tent, this is as much a state of mind as a physical space.
Wear particular clothes or jewellery when bleeding, red stones or appropriate crystals. This can also serve the purpose of notifying the people you live with that you're bleeding.

Suggestions from Cassarne, my crystal advisor:
Two crystals resonate with the bleeding time and the choice can be made depending on which the wearer is more drawn to.
Carnelian: this relates specific to the sacral chakra and our creative centre, it brings balance to the female sacred organs and empowers the feminine in its process.
Moonstone: provides a balancing healing energy, especially of the emotions which may be in a vulnerable and fragile space. It assists in the balance and awareness of our hormones in their "dance" through our cycle. It is also a lovely stone to wear when its one's bloodtime as it reminds us of our connection with the moon and all her & our rhythms. Moonstone reassures us when we are in retreat at this time.
Garnet could also be worn purely because of its deep blood red hue and its resonance to our physical experience at this time. Plus it keeps one grounded and strengthens the healing energy of the Earth with our heart.

Experiment with dreaming by asking particular questions of your dreams.
Invoke a particular Goddess archetype to be with you during your bloodtime, perhaps Maeve or Kali.
Draw or paint.
Meditate - with or without questions and perhaps focussed on what it is you will let go of with your blood this cycle.
Do gentle exercise such as walking in nature and consciously connecting with it.
Feed yourself well.
Use special linen at bloodtime, like red coloured!
Use red towels.
Be kind to yourself - go with your flow!

The bleeding phase of the cycle is as if a monthly enactment of a vision quest. On day 3 of your cycle, just like in a vision quest, do a meditation and ask for a vision. You will be gifted with a vision to inspire and fuel you for your next cycle, write about it, draw it and refer back to it. 

Once you've stopped bleeding, when you are ready, gently reintroduce yourself back into the world.

Information from Spiritual Menstration.

Virgo Full Moon

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VIRGO FULL MOON is here bringing lots of illumination of what has been in the shadows. As we move toward the Equinox, we are reminded to find our balance and hold steady. Remember who you are, stay in your heart and find that place of stillness within so that you can move forward and greet what comes your way with calm and compassion~

As we are all reclaiming our Sacred Cycle, at this Full Moon we will be honoring and celebrating our Moontime. Women have been honoring their menstrual cycle for centuries and now we take this precious time of self-reflection, cleansing and transformation back into our lives. By Celebrating our menstrual cycle and collecting all that we can find about the true meaning of a woman’s bleeding and the sacredness of this returning cycle, we bring back awareness on earth for all other women. We need to have the right approach for our beloved bodies and care for her bleeding with gentleness and compassion; by doing this we nourish ourselves on deep levels and live as a teacher for our children and for future generations. Once we commit to honoring our Moontime, we commit to honor ourselves. From this commitment, clean pure energy flows effortlessly. At this full Moon we will be celebrating all aspects around our Moontime, we celebrate all Moonlodges, The Red Tent Movement and all that is out there that reminds us of the miraculous beauty and Divine perfection of our Moontime. 

Wild Goddess

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The Wild Goddess must be free. A healthy woman is much like a wolf, strong life force, life-giving, territorially aware, intuitive and loyal.Yet separation from her wildish nature causes a woman to become meager, anxious, and fearful. The wild nature carries the medicine for all things. She carries stories, dreams, words and songs. She carries everything a woman needs to be and know. She is the essence of the female soul…

Shakti Mantra

There are many ancient Shakti devotional songs and vibrational chants in the Hindu and Sikh traditions (found in Sarbloh Granth). The recitation of the Sanskrit bij mantra MA is commonly used to call upon the Divine Mother, the Shakti, as well as the Moon.

Kundalini-Shakti-Bhakti Mantra

Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Adi Shakti, Namo Namo!
Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Sarab Shakti, Namo Namo!
Prithum Bhagvati, Prithum Bhagvati, Prithum Bhagvati, Namo Namo!
Kundalini Mata Shakti, Mata Shakti, Namo Namo!

Primal Shakti, I bow to Thee!
All-Encompassing Shakti, I bow to Thee!
That through which Divine Creates, I bow to Thee!
Creative Power of the Kundalini, Mother of all Mother Power, To Thee I Bow!^[6]

~ Yogi Bhajan (Harbhajan Singh)^[7]

Translation:

"Merge in the Maha Shakti. This is enough to take away your misfortune. This will carve out of you a woman. Woman needs her own Shakti, not anybody else will do it... When a woman chants the Kundalini Bhakti mantra, God clears the way. This is not a religion, it is a reality. Woman is not born to suffer, and woman needs her own power.”

“When India and Indian women knew this mantra, it dwelt in the land of milk and honey.”

Why did I just find out about the Yoni? Why it matters.

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On my journey of attaining higher conscious self I find myself learning things that leave me asking "why did I not know this?" and thinking if I had this knowledge earlier my 20's would have looked a whole lot different. At age 36 I have just learned about the Yoni and the sacred feminine. You may be asking "what is the Yoni?" if you are anything like me. I must have missed that Oprah episode or my Mom did not get the memo that there are other concepts to femininity than the word vagina. I now find myself connecting this piece of the puzzle in to place to heal my body from its energy suffering. Here is the official definition from Wikipedia:

Yoni (Sanskrit: योनि yoni) is a Sanskrit word with different meanings, most basically "vagina" or "womb". Its counterpart is the lingam. It is also the divine passage, or sacred temple (cf. lila). The word can cover a range of extended meanings, including: place of birth, source, origin, spring, fountain, place of rest, repository, receptacle, seat, abode, home, lair, nest, stable.

In Hinduism, the ancient Indian texts contain the word yoni in various contexts. In Hindu philosophy, according to Tantra, yoni is the origin of life. The yoni is also considered to be an abstract representation of Shakti and Devi, the creative force that moves through the entire universe.Sacred Sanskrit words, p. 111

In Indian religions according to Vedas and Bhagavad Gita, Yoni is a form of life or a species. There are 8.4 million yonis total with ManushyaYoni (Human form/human species) as one of them. A human (manushya yoni) is obtained on the basis of good karma (deeds) before which a human goes through various forms of yonis (for example, insect, fish, deer, monkey, etc.). Bad karmas will lead one to be born inrakshasa yoni (evil form). The births and rebirths (the cycle of life) of a human happens in various yonis. A human who achieves theenlightenment (Mokshya) breaks the cycle of reincarnation and adjoins Brahma.

Why does it matter?

Why does it matter if we call it a sacred vessel or just a vagina? Well the feminine can give us an understanding of how all the diverse parts of life relate together, their patterns of relationship, the interconnections that nourish life.  She can help us to see consciously what she knows instinctively, that all is part of a living, organic whole, in which all the parts of creation communicate together, and how each cell of creation expresses the whole in a unique way.  An understanding of the organic wholeness of life belongs to the instinctual knowing of the feminine, but combined with masculine consciousness this can be communicated in words, not just feelings.  We can combine the science of the mind and the senses with inner knowing.  We can be given a blueprint of the planet that will enable us to live in creative harmony with all of life.

What does it mean to reclaim the feminine?  It means to honor our sacred connection to life that is present in every moment.  It means to realize that life is one whole and begin to recognize the interconnections that form the web of life.  It means to realize that everything, every act, even every thought, affects the whole.  And it also means to allow life to speak to us.  We are constantly bombarded by so many impressions, by so much media and advertising, that it is not easy to hear the simple voice of life itself.  But it is present, even within the mirage of our fears and desires, our anxieties and expectations.  And life is waiting for us to listen: it just needs us to be present and attentive.  It is trying to communicate to us the secrets of creation so that we can participate in the wonder that is being born.