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Subscribe to this list via RSS Blog posts tagged in Triple Goddess

Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

b2ap3_thumbnail_Screen-Shot-2015-04-22-at-1.10.37-PM.png

We’re coming up on Beltane, that magical and fiery pagan holiday that I’ve always loved and was recently feeling strangely anxious about. I’m not a crone…yet. But I’m no spring chicken, either, and I was beginning to look at the brilliant, sexy, flirty day of Beltane for what it is: a spring holiday of fertility, and wondering to myself, how do I fit into this?

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  • DeborahMarchant
    DeborahMarchant says #
    Thanks for the information. Over here in Puerto Rico there is an abundance of Beltane, and there is healthier air here too. Th

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Those Pesky Satanic Verses

Among the preeminent deities of ancient Arabia were the Triple Goddesses of Mecca: al-Lât, al-'Uzzá, and Manât. We don't know much about them—the mosque far out-did the church in ruthlessness when it came to destruction of the past—but they certainly did cause problems for Muhammad. And, in fact, they still do.

When Muhammad had gained enough power to become a player in local politics, grandees from some of Mecca's most prestigious families came to him and said: “Look, make a place in your system for the Three Goddesses—they don't have to be on top, just make a place for them—and we'll back you.”

Like Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Muhammad was well-known for having self-serving revelations. His wife 'A'isha once remarked that it sure was convenient how Allah seemed to back him in every argument. So he goes up to Mount Nûr and, lo and behold, the angel Jibrîl whispers into his ear:

Have you seen al-Lât and al-'Uzzá,

and Manât, the third, the other?

These are the exalted cranes,

their intercession much to be desired.

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  • Bruno
    Bruno says #
    Clap clap clap!

Posted by on in Studies Blogs

Last week, my wife and I were blessed by a visitation of the Goddess in physical form. 

Ravyn had been ill for a long time. In addition to intractable body pain which may or may not be caused by auto immune illnesses or spinal compressions, she had undergone questionable dental work which left her mouth throbbing from an incompletely-removed root fragment. This had persisted for over a year, until she changed her insurance and was referred to a compassionate and competent female dentist in a different practice. 

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  • Ted Czukor
    Ted Czukor says #
    Thank you, all.
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    This is an utterly beautiful piece. And it is totally from the heart. Bless you.
  • Bruno
    Bruno says #
    Awesome! Indeed God/ess must be present, if we allow them to manifest. Also recalled me of healing power of Apollo.
  • Debra
    Debra says #
    Really enjoyed this. Excellent suggestions to the medical field.

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
Of Goddesses and Squirrels

Hey, it was the 80s, and we were Gay Urban Pioneers. Of course we over-planted the yard.

If you Google Earth our address (yes, that is a verb: what a language!), you won't see the house at all. The neighbors' houses, yes, but in between them: the magic forest. Think of it as warding: urban invisibility.

Living in a sea of trees as we do, of course we're well populated with squirrels. We've got a whole clan of them living around us; just now in late January, the trees are filled with their drays. (Yes, English actually does have a word referring specifically to a squirrel's nest. When I hear people bemoaning the poverty of our language, I smile and say nothing.)

I call them the White Ears clan. They're standard issue Midwest gray squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis, but unusual in that their outer ears are white, not gray like the rest of their fur. Clearly there's a gene for albinism in this population, and every few years we actually see a white squirrel among them. In fact, there was one just last summer.

White squirrels don't usually last for very long: their hyper-visibility puts them at a disadvantage when it comes to predators. But for me a Year of the White Squirrel is always an opportunity to take a little extra time to appreciate the beauty of squirrels. Living among so many of them as we do, it's easy to forget just what amazing little beings they actually are.

Albinism and melanism are both recessive traits, but they're actually pretty common among the urban squirrel population here; most neighborhoods have at least one black or white squirrel. I'd never given this fact much thought until I heard something that Arvol Looking Horse said in 2009.

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Posted by on in SageWoman Blogs

b2ap3_thumbnail_Ixchel---Medicine-Woman-lr.jpg

This Lady and I have been wrestling for quite some time. Now that I have her on the canvas, I have to chuckle at the struggle to finally manifest Her. It turns out to be the point of our journey, the reminder that there is always a struggle, a labor of love, to create that which you desire.

You see, the muse came to me this time as Ixchel, but I did not know that until the very end. She is a moon goddess in the ancient Mayan culture, and as such, possesses the triple aspects of maiden, mother and crone. She controls the tides and is known as a midwife and healer. Pretty standard stuff. But I was to learn more.

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  • JudithAnn
    JudithAnn says #
    Francesca, Nice to meetcha too. And thank you for your response to my post. I am still learning to let go of my preconceived notio
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    As soon as I think I have learned to go with the creative flow 100%, my gods make it a more challenging flow, LOL. Would love to
  • Francesca De Grandis
    Francesca De Grandis says #
    LOL, I paint in trance, and I so understand your process. It is relevant even for artists who neither channel art nor paint sacred

Posted by on in Culture Blogs
The Gods are among us

For Pagan Spirit Gathering this year, one of my workshops really isn't work to me. It's more of further expressing a part of myself I ordinarily am unable to do. I'm one of those extreme extroverts the introverted either are are okay with me in small doses or are straight up annoyed with. That's just who I am, and yeah, I do try to rein in my personality some, but I don't always succeed in that. I'm not any type of activist really, or hardlined into politics, or get overly enthused with intellectual stuff. (Not saying I'm stupid or less than worldly, but academia has its place... over there - something to occasionally peruse from a shelf.) In all honesty, I'm just your typical urban American who also happens to be Pagan, which I've come to find over the last couple of decades usually goes the other way around.

So this workshop - it allows me to be me in a big way. I did it for the first time last year, and it was well-received, but there were definitely bugs to work out. What is it? It's hosting a photobooth for the big party known as Pan's Ball. And yeah, that's how I've always seen it - a party. A drunken barn dance. An outdoor night club. A costume party. A kegger in the woods without the keg. For those who follow the Hellenic path, it was much more than that; it was a ritual. And this year, one of the main features has been changed up in order to keep everyone safe and happy - taking out the punch (aka Jungle Juice). There was a very long discussion over the change, which also included starting the festivities early and kicking it off with a costume parade. Sure, it's still BYOB, and yeah, we'll actually be able to see some of the costumes since it'll still be daylight during the parade, but for some folks who preferred the old way of doing things, it was a disappointment. Change is hard, but for those who saw Pan's Ball as a ritual, I'm certain things can be adjusted to bring the ritual part back into it.

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Posted by on in Studies Blogs
Deific Multiplicity.

Before the blog entry proper, Id like to state that the ideas proposed are still in a somewhat incubatory stage. That said, I invite your criticism and thoughts on the topic. Still needing to flesh out the ideas and needing better metaphors, I offer up the discussion here for better ways to express these thoughts. Thank you.

 

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  • Al
    Al says #
    All good points. Personally I think that the truth lies somewhere between elevated ancestor spirits and archetypes when it comes t
  • Travis
    Travis says #
    haha pardon domesticality*
  • Travis
    Travis says #
    Al, that's a brilliant analogy! You articulated what I fumbled with in less than stellar language. What I feel like will will be a
  • Al
    Al says #
    I'll take a stab at this. First, the 'facets of divinity' approach might be missing the point by not further defining 'divinity'.

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