Goddess Centered Practice

In the woods behind my house rest a collection of nine large flat rocks. Daily, I walk down to these “priestess rocks” for some sacred time alone to pray, meditate, consider, and be. Often, while in this space, I open my mouth and poetry comes out. I’ve come to see this experience as "theapoetics"—experiencing the Goddess through direct “revelation,” framed in language. As Stanley Hopper originally described in the 1970’s, it is possible to “…replace theology, the rationalistic interpretation of belief, with theopoetics, finding God[dess] through poetry and fiction, which neither wither before modern science nor conflict with the complexity of what we know now to be the self.” Theapoetics might also be described, “as a means of engaging language and perception in such a way that one enters into a radical relation with the divine, the other, and the creation in which all occurs.”

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Wisdom from the Cauldron

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

"Wonder is a gift of living. Living is a gift of wonder."

--Anne Wilson Schaef

I often reach points in my own energy level where I feel I need some down time to re-evaluate, consider, restructure, and prioritize where I wish to focus and how I want to spend my time. And, so, each fall I take a month “off” that I call a Cauldron Month. This is a time in which I “take it all to the cauldron” and letb2ap3_thumbnail_August-2017-268.JPG it bubble and brew and stew and percolate. While we keep our online shop open like usual and continue to process orders, I consciously pull my energy inward to let myself listen and be and to see what wants to emerge. I take time off from writing new blog posts (unless I’m struck with an irresistible wave of inspiration!), from making any ritual recordings, and from generating much public written content. This year during my Cauldron Month in August, I took myself on a solo retreat and vigil to the river, where I journaled and walked and sang and dipped and admired the flowers and made mandalas and just took a time out to “percolate” in my own wisdom and that of the woods and water.

A year ago, I did a guided meditation called the Moon Goddess Ally Journey. During the meditation, in the temple in which I met the moon goddess, right as the meditation was coming to a close, the Cauldron rune from Womanrunes appeared quite clearly etched on the floor of the temple--very large, covering the whole floor. It was very dramatic and powerful and felt like a wake-up call, which I have been listening to ever since!

The Cauldron rune is a rune of alchemy and change, but also of containment and contemplation—a marrying of what might seem like opposites, but that which really co-exist. I encourage you to b2ap3_thumbnail_July-2017-353.JPGconsider what a Cauldron Month would look like for you. What would happen if you took it all to the Cauldron...what are you cooking? What flavors do you want to add? What do you want to create? What needs time and focus to bubble and brew? Can you allow yourself to steep in your own flavors?

The Cauldron asks us what we're cooking, but it also offer boundaries, containment, a safe space in which to stew up our truest magic!

I also use the metaphor of the Three Cauldrons of Life to evaluate my own energy. These Three Cauldrons are based on Jonathan Fields' "Three Buckets of Life" idea:

In life, we all have 3 buckets (which I'm re-visioning as cauldrons!)

The three are Vitality, Contribution, and Connection. Jonathan proposes that, basically, we’re only as good as our lowest cauldron. So if you’re pouring so much time, energy, and effort into a single area, there’s a good chance the one or two of your other cauldrons are getting low — and until you get them back in shape, all your effort in the first area will have limited results.

The Three Cauldrons are:

1. Vitality

This is where most of the physical self-care fits, though would also include good mental health. The number one factor here, according to Jonathan, is getting good SLEEP. And then, certainly, quality nutrition, exercise, meditation, coping skills for stress, etc.

The right mix of activities and priorities will look a little different for each person, as is the case for the other two cauldrons.

2. Connection

As Bréne Brown says, humans are hard-wired for connection, love, and belonging. Some studies have even demonstrated that this sense of belonging is even more important in some ways than physiological needs.

If you feel a lack of connection with self, family, friends, or community, that indicates that your Connection cauldron is low, which can lead to feeling depressed, detached, and isolated. Spiritual connection and relationship also fits in this cauldron.

Make sure not to underestimate the importance of that first component: connection with self. Without that, it’s hard to be genuinely connected to others in a way that is authentic and invigorating rather than codependent and draining.

3. Contribution

This cauldron is about the many ways in which we contribute to the world — through b2ap3_thumbnail_August-2017-169.JPGvocation, calling, purpose, creative ventures, volunteer work, and so on. The important thing to recognize with this cauldron is that it can look very different from person to person, but without something  filling it, feelings of emptiness and disconnection begin to loom.

Depending on what your paying job is, some people feel a strong sense of contribution through their work. Others may choose a job that may not feel as “fulfilling” but get fulfillment in areas outside their work through contribution with family, friends, and organizations.

Overworking can certainly happen in any field, but people in helping professions often justify this because they view it as “noble” work. However, it is important to note that if you’re pouring everything into a single part of your life and overworking to the point of sacrificing your Vitality or Connection cauldrons, you will do longer be able to do your best and most effective work.

Affirmation: I take it to the Cauldron. I listen to the deep within and also to the magic that surrounds me.

May you be inspired by some time in Cauldron, may you be inspired by time with yourself, may you be inspired by that which surrounds you, connected to Goddess, connected to the earth, connected to the animals, plants, the wisdom of the wind, the song of branches, and the symphony of river, stone, leaf, and breath.

Resources:

 

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Molly Remer, MSW, D.Min, is a priestess, teacher, mystic, and poet facilitating sacred circles, seasonal rituals, and family ceremonies in central Missouri. Molly and her husband Mark co-create Story Goddesses at Brigid’s Grove (brigidsgrove.etsy.com). Molly is the author of ten books, including Walking with Persephone, Whole and Holy, Womanrunes, the Goddess Devotional, and 365 Days of Goddess. She is the creator of the devotional experience #30DaysofGoddess and she loves savoring small magic and everyday enchantment.

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