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This Transformation....It's making Me wait... Or is it?

8/31/2011

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Magic is a wonderful thing; a productive process and ever changing energy! When thinking of working a magic spell one might picture a complicated or formal process,carefully choosing the day, time and phase of the moon, and special ingredients! Incantations and rituals all would be chosen to assist in the desired outcome. However, there are many types of magic spells and I've found the most effective ones often involve no formal process at all. Sometimes you don’t even think about it and you’re working magick!

Some people believe magic involves wielding an actual force outside of oneself. There may be some truth to that and it certainly can be helpful, but I believe that magic is largely a matter of psychology, or positive thinking. It really is all about the power of intention & will! And imagination, of course!

An effective spell can be as simple as saying an affirmation out loud until it sinks in, choosing what items of jewelry to put on, or cooking a special meal. When I sit and put on my makeup or create a scent to wear each day, I am working magic. I often do cooking or cleaning magic. Put the right intent into the most mundane task and it becomes a powerful spell!

Monday night was the new moon. New moons are considered good times to do "banishing" spells, let go of negative energy, bad habits and transformative work. I have been dealing with some  difficult circumstances of late. There have been a lot of changes in my life. In many ways this is causing me to become a different person, yet it has also helped me to affirm the most essential, most genuine parts of myself. Coming through the fire, I learn who I am and despite what some people may contrarily say and think, who I am not.

I've been getting lots of excellent advice about cleansings and uncrossings. I've also been encouraged to do some transformation work. Anticipating this new moon, I've been collecting items for a ritual. A friend even gave me a magnificent, perfect skin her snake had shed! How perfect a symbol for transformation is that?

Often the well laid out plan gets pushed aside by something unexpected and ridiculously simple. That night, I realized I had started working my transformation spell without even knowing it. The day was full of false starts. Eris and Mercury in some kind of tug of war! It drifted along in a way that resisted all sense of purpose. I finally gave up trying to push it and went with the flow which included getting off the wrong freeway exit and meandering around San Francisco until a visit I had intended to last a couple of hours became about 30 minutes and a planned prompt arrival in Berkeley at 830 became 850!

But it all worked out gloriously.

The friend I was visiting in SF is new in my life. She is literally going through transformation right now and has decided her ultimate gender is "to be determined!" She is an amazing, inspiring and hella fun person! She doesn't judge me. In fact she really gets me, and my sense of humor.We met quite by serendipitous accident. I wanted to go to a friend's birthday party in the city, didn't have a ride, then got one at the last minute, but time was limited. However, I showed up at the right time evidently, because we met!.

Spending 3o minutes having awesome coffee, bitching, talking, laughing and hugging someone who is the embodiment of transformation is a pretty good start, eh?

I rushed off to Berkeley,sure that my waiting friend would be frustrated with me and that the restaurant would close. But, he was awesome, totally patient and understanding. Instead of making me feel self conscious about not having money or like some kind of pariah because of my troubles. He graciously treated me to dinner, listened, offered help and advice, and even continued our conversation after the restaurant closed. To have someone, who is making bold changes in his own life, and whose judgement I hold in high esteem confirm that my circumstances, though affected by some bad choices are not my fault, that I'm working hard to change them and doing the best I can, for someone to actually see me for who I really am and recognize what I'm doing to improve is pretty powerful medicine.

The road ahead continues to be daunting, however, I left feeling so much better about myself and my outlook for the future. I rushed home to grab the things I needed for my spell! It was late, but I still had time, in fact by the time I got back to my house-sitting job the time would be perfect! I got to my front door and dug in my bag for my keys only to realize I had left them in the South Bay!

At first I was frustrated. Then I had to chuckle because this day had been determined to go its own way right from the start! Nothing to do, but head back & just work something out!

After a few miles on the road I realized I was hearing song after song about, change, transformation, cleansing, being seen for who you really are, etc. something clicked and a sense of peace slipped over me. Though I might well decide to do something with that snake skin next month, I didn't need to do a big spell tonight. I had simply been doing one big transformation spell all evening without even thinking about it. I was cleansed and transformed by the Phoenix fire of conversation, love and acceptance by other phoenixes.

Wow! And blessed be!
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Corn Mother, Uti Hiata

8/28/2011

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Today's Goddess:  Uti Hiata / Corn Mother
"REVERENCE"

If I had been coming up with a contemplation for Corn Mother it might have been less pithy and more about sacrifice,  gratitude or the cycle of life, but since I am dealing with someone else's work for inspiration, here goes....

Many of the plains Indians have a Corn Mother or Corn Maiden Goddess. In fact versions of Corn Mother show up all over the world. It's interesting that Loar chose the Pawnee Indian Goddess to write about when Cherokee and Hopi stories are more commonly found.

*"Corn Mother is a symbol of the Great Goddess, who gives the substance of her body and her life to provide food for her children."

A number of tales about Corn Mother tell of the mother sacrificing herself so that her children will not starve, commanding her husband and sons to kill her and press her body into the earth and bury her bones. From her bloody flesh mixed with the soil grows corn and from her bones grows the sacred tobacco plant. You can read a version of this story here. 

Other stories tell of corn mother pulling the corn off her own body or from her womb every day in secret and when her sons discover this they become horrified and refuse to eat causing her to become old and die. You can read a version of this story here.

The corn cycle is a great example of the cycle of life. It sprouts, grows,  nourishes, dies, and returns to the earth to restart the cycle. 

*"By honoring these cycles and giving thanks in a spirit of reverence, humanity maintains its bond with Corn Mother and ensures that the blessings will continue. Otherwise our arrogance might cause the land to become barren." 

From the Great Spirit Mother website: 

"Corn was a highly valued staple in the Americas and together with the other vital crops of beans and squash, the grouping was named the "Three Sisters, Our Supporters" in accordance with the belief that the plants also embodied female spirits. Mother Corn Herself, the nurturing Creatrix and Sustainer, was held in the highest esteem as shown in the following creation story. 

"Once all living things were in the womb of Mother Earth. Corn Mother caused all things to have life and start to move toward the surface of the Earth. With Corn Mother's help, the people were born onto the surface of the Earth, but because the people did not know how to care for themselves, they started to wander...Finally the Arikara came to a beautiful land where they found everything they needed to live. A woman of great beauty came to them and the Arikara recognized her as the Corn Mother. She stayed with them for many years and taught them how to live and work on the Earth and how to pray. When she died, Corn Mother left the people a corn plant as a reminder that her spirit would always guide and care for them. The Arikara say that the beautiful place where they learned to live was the valley of the Loup River in Kansas." An Arikara story 



*Contemplation: " The Gods are jealous. If you forget to give smoke they will be angry."
*This contemplation and the topic for this blog entry was inspired by, “Goddesses for Every Day” by Julie Loar. 
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Here is a little bit creepy film about Corn Mother on Vimeo:

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Serendipity Do Dah!

8/27/2011

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Random moments of serendipity happen when I follow my instincts.

In all my crazy gypsy moments over the last few months, the thing that has always helped me feel like I am more at home is setting up an altar. I may not have roots where I rest, but the altar makes me feel more grounded! And it makes me feel like things are happening!

I have lighted in such a tiny space that I have had to make do with a piano bench squeezed in at the foot of my loft bed as both altar and media table. Ugh. I know!

Then the other morning I had an urge to stop by Mama Buzz for coffee even though I had only a wee bit of change. As I arrived a reorganization was going on. The table which normally held all the cards for various art and music events as well as money-making ventures was being replaced by 2 sleek little bookshelves.

Score! Magnificent new altar/media table!

It means a tighter squeeze when climbing up into my bed,  however I can hide the monitor under a picture of Lakshmi and the altar is now  dedicated to both Prosperity and Creative Inspiration! Since that's what the table was used for in the first place it comes fully charged! Huzzah!

It's comfy to meditate in front of my splediforous new altar because it sits at the foot of my bed. Built in cushy comfort! And it's the first and last thing I see each day.
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Magickal Marks

8/27/2011

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Venus Rose, The Collector & I started our weekend off with a couple of magical art shows! First off was the dreamy surrealist works of David Daniels! Unfortunately this was only a two night show. Every piece was like walking into part of a dream!

The ever generous Collector bought me a small postcard of a mermaid with a fish in her lap. I now have her posted above my bed along with Nut & Geb. She'll remind me when I wake up and before I fall asleep of who I am and who I'm going to be!

The second show featured a lot of interactive works by Sophia Pousson!  Climbing up intp a room where the walls were covered with chalkboard paint we were enticed to add our own magical marks! Venus chose to draw a big beautiful Oshun veve. I drew for the first time in public, I believe, my Pandora sigil and of course a nod to milady Eris with a aptly inscribed golden apple!

Ah, the cycle of temporary art installations!Death and renewal! There is magic in collaborative creativity and temporary inscriptions. The entire piece will be deconstructed in a couple of weeks but meanwhile it crackles with the energy & communicative scribbles of unexpected artists and more deliberate ones!

What a fitting end to Mercury's latest retrograde!


 
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Eris' Golden Apple! KALLISTI!
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Pandora's sigil. This will be inscribed on my skin soon, but I haven't decided where yet. Any suggestions?
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Oshun's Daughter; A Poem by the oh so shiny herself, Venus Rose

8/26/2011

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Gold draped across her opulent breasts
Oshun's daughter luxuriates in Her blessings 
on the river bank


Awakening to her own love, she discovers her
sacredness as her luminous reflection shimmers on the water


She is a peacock, shameless, proud  and brazen in her beauty
She is charitable like the honeybee, like the vulture


She revels in the delights of her sensuous copper body
Dancing with hummingbirds to bring love into the world


She looks into the mirror, for a glimpse of her elegant heart
and finds solace there


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Fatima! Goddess of Fate and Time (and pretty much the whole kit N kaboodle!)

8/26/2011

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Today we visit the Goddess, Fatima and consider, humility.

* “Contemplation: To be humble is not to be meek, but rather to quietly and confidently hold my true power.”

Fatima was the only surviving daughter of the prophet Muhammad & the ancestral mother of the Shi'i Muslims. She was devoted to her father and nursed him at his deathbed.

Many legends and myths surround Fatima. She was said to have been an incarnation of the ancient moon goddess. She was said to have had three sons by miraculous virgin birth. She was said to have possessed magical powers. Fatima is sometimes associated with Mary, mother of Jesus and Fatima is also called, “The Queen of Heaven.” She is also described as,  Al Zahra, the “radiant one.” Along with Mary she is revered as one of the four “perfect women.” Sometimes she is referred to as, “The Islamic Mary.”

She has transcended from human woman to saint-like status and has deep connections  to the ancient Arabian Triple Goddess in her forms of, Al Uzza(Goddess of the morning star, The mighty!), Al Lat (Moon Goddess, universal source of nourishment) , and Al Menat. (Goddess of fate and time.)

In her pre-Islamic Goddess status Fatima is considered the Creatress, the tree of paradise, a Moon Goddess And the source of the sun. It is said she “existed from the beginning of the material world.”

The Hamsa, hand shaped symbol used to ward off the evil eye is known as , “The Hand of Fatima.”


*This contemplation and the topic for this blog entry was inspired by, “Goddesses for Every Day” by Julie Loar. This was one of her more challenging entries in that she didn’t really back up the support for Fatima as a Goddess or her association with humility. I had to do quite a bit of searching around and there was still not a great deal of information on Fatima as a Goddess. There are however a lot of psychics and belly dancers named Fatima! Surprising, I know!
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And for a bit of humility, you might want to watch this video about base jumping off the top of Fatima's Hand, a 2,000 feet rock tower in Mali, Africa! 
And this site of photographs from a 1996 climb of Fatima's hand is stunning and awe inspiring!
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And here is some pretty music, Fatima by, egyptian pianist, composer, Omar Khairat with pretty pictures on You Tube:
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Sleeping through the shiny......

8/21/2011

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So, evidently I slept through the third annual Oshun Festival in Oakland.

Doh!


My lovely shiny housemate, Venus Rose, went to the Oshun festival in Oakland. She tried to text me, but Mercury retrograde decided I should not be able to receive any texts over the weekend.

It sounded wonderful! I will just make sure I don't miss the fifth annual Oshun Festival because, obviously, that one will be super shiny 'splody Oshuny!


At the festival, they handed out marvelous little packets. What a great idea to make your own 
and put it on your Oshun altar or carry it in your purse!

This is what the kit contained and what it said about each item:

  • Rubber Band-To remind you to be flexible, but not to the point of snapping.
  • Pencil- To remind you to list your blessing everyday.
  • Eraser- To remind you that everyone makes mistakes and it's OK.
  • Hard Candy - To remind you to savor every moment in your life.
  • River Rock- To remind you that making things happen smoothly takes time and patience.
  • Candle- To remind you of the light you bring into this world.
  • Honey-  To remind you of the sweet succulence of life
  • Gum- cuz...uhh..sometimes you just need it.

I love it! 

The event was sponsered by:Emese: Messengers of the African Diaspora, Daughters ofthe fresh waters and sacred grove:
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Holy Goddess of Lepidoptera!

8/20/2011

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Just stunning! I will be meditating on this image for certain! Found on this site:
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Takes the term, "Attractive Nuisance!" to a whole new level!

8/19/2011

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Even in the chaos, sometimes especially, there can be incredible beauty!
(Take Eris herself for instance.) 


Sometimes you just have to look for the beauty in the turmoil!

Eris, my Queen, I will admire your golden apple from a safe distance and blow you a kiss of gratitude!


Why would I be grateful to the Goddess of discord?


She makes sure I don't stand to still. I never know what's going to happen next. There's no chance for boredom! She ensures that I never take anything for granted. She lends me her penchant for needling and poking people, stirring things up under their skin.
Did I get a rise out of you yet?

Life is beautiful!
Hail Eris!

This excellent & funny video tells the story of how Eris became the Goddess of Discord and beloved patroness of Discordians. For example, "What caused the Trojan War? Thanks to Eris & her apple, it was chaos, confusion and top quality bitching!"
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Mermaids and Moon! OH My!

8/17/2011

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This was labeled, "Mermaid Dying." :-( But it's beautiful!
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