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<Arianna> Breathing together ....
Breathe in light Breathe out fear
A Coming Together
A Group mind
All Seeking the unity of Spiritual Growth.
As we prepare to listen to others.
Breathe in.......
Deep Feeling our connection to the air, the wind the water, the oceans the
fire and molten lava the earth, the soil, and the pulse and hummmm of all
life in the web of GAIA, our mother, our earth.
WE ARE ONE WE WILL BEGIN.
The Goddess Emerging: A spiritual path for men and women.
Being born in 1954 meant growing up in the wonder years of the baby
boomers......Suburbia, Catholic Schools. During the 60's, it seemed natural
to question the War in Vietnam, but never to question the role of women in
the church. Men were the priests, ushers, leaders, delivered the sermons.
Women were the nuns, moms, and had a lot of bake sales. Going to Mass year
after year, meant hearing Divinity expressed in terms of the Father, Son
and Genderless Holy Ghost. It also meant reading aloud gendered words such
as brotherhood, fellowship, and Lord on every page. Where were the feminine
gendered counterparts ofthe divine spirit? Where were the mothers,
daughters, the Sisterhood of spirit expressed in the liturgy? May crownings
of the Mother Mary statue in front of the school were pretty. Mary was
subdued though. She was "The handmaiden of the Lord" and of course, "Ever
Virgin". Her head looking downward in humility with every statue and
shrine.
<Joe4> She was virgin in chastity, not in birth
<Pranaflow> The feminine power aspect was so subliminal as to be invisible,
if it was ever there at all.
<ladynada> patriarchy at its best, the question is, can it do better?
<wheel-> Sounds interesting, at least in the west, we were lacking the
feminine spirituality, unless the Holy Ghost was feminine spirituality
under cover.
* ladynada feels Holy Ghost is the Mother
<Ashana> yes
<Joe4> she was the mother of the SON of GOD
<Auio> I was always taught that the virgin Mary had no divinity, but was
only a vessel used by God to produce the earthly Jesus
<sonet> God is obviously both male and female
* spyrt wonders if the "Holy Ghost" represents the spirituality in all of
use M/F....?
<Arianna> actually, some see Sophia, Goddess of wisdom, as the Holy Ghost
<ladynada> Mary may also have been a fragment incarnation of The Mother
<argus> Women have been generally well hidden in the bible
<Joe4> I don't see gender as the important factor
<Danie> The judeo-christian theology was male-dominated to conform with the
male-domintated culture of the times
<sonet> "let us make humans in our own image", so God created humans, male
and female he created them", clearly God is both M&F
<ladynada> I agree with Arianna about Sophia in the Gnostic teachings being
the Holy Ghost in Western Christianity
<Joe4> MOTHER is the egg of life
<argus> I understand Mary Magdalene in the original bible text..was a good
friend of Jesus and well regarded by him.This was changed in a later bible
text change.
<Arianna> ;) yes argus
<ladynada> some say Mary Magdelene MARRIED Jesus
<OceanOLuv> many catholics pray to Mary, as she takes the prayers to Jesus
<argus> ga
<spyrt> Most religions were used to "control" ppl....not to sound
sexist...but men wanted to control everyone/thing...
<ladynada> Perhaps Mary and her images are given to us, to remember The
Mother? Many other cultures had a Madonna before Mary was even born
<Paza> spyrt: most religions were geared for the masses... which got us
away from the way religion ought to be...a personal quest
* spyrt believes if you need to go to the source of all...than do it....why
go through channels...
<Arianna> At that time, the question "Why?"never occurred to me.It was just
how it was. It wasn't until the constraints of the Pope's decisions against
birth control were fully felt, that genuine annoyance set in. It became
clear to me that the imbalance and lack of personal power in women's lives
were reflected in the way we worship. The imbalance of the gender
identification to the Divine was eroding the feeling of worthiness and
oneness with spirit.
<ladynada> women have no role model in the GodHead
<wheel-> well put ladynada
<Arianna> Yes, lady. That is what is changing
<Paza> on the spiritual plane, M=F
<spyrt> The further you are separated by channels from your "god" the less
control you have over your religious beliefs and your life in general..
<limerick> I think the best role model is God... regardless of gender
<shrug, imho>
<Joe4> I agree Paza
<Arianna> M+F= Divine union of All that IS
<Paza> ego has created the illusion that M > F
<Pranaflow> Sometimes our concept of God can get in the way of the direct
experience of exploring the Divine.
<ladynada> it is hard to find a balance between knowing that God is both
male and female... and knowing yourself as a female
<Lakshmi> There are many emerging women spiritual leaders from India these
days...Amritananda, Anandi Ma, and Gurumayi Chidvilasanda..there are others
<Pranaflow> Good point, Lakshmi
<Arianna> Many people today are attempting to heal that imbalance in their
psyche by using feminine terms when describing divine characteristics. Most
do not believe there is a Big Mother in the Sky, any more than we believe
in the Great Father sitting on a throne of judgment. Choosing to think of
Divine aspects in feminine terms is a tool to rebalance centuries of
suppression. It is not idolatry. It is a reclaiming of the power of the
feminine aspects of our nature. Men and women are free to let go of their
stereotyping. This type of spiritual "Re-Imagining" has given rise to a
trendy psychology. "Reclaiming the Goddess Within" workshops are springing
up in a grass roots way, without a hierarchy or cult power structure. This
is nondenominational, since people from all religious backgrounds are
exploring the value of a spiritual path that includes the feminine.
<Ashana> arianna, how do u experience "the goddess"?
<Lakshmi> Yes, Arianna, you said it in a way, I was groping for...
<Arianna> Ashana, I experience Her in a deeply personal way. that is not
for everybody. It would take a whole other night to describle how I walk
with the Goddess <S>
<prem> M+F+neither+both
<prem> She is not IN the sky She IS the sky!
<ladynada> What if... there really is A Mother?
<Arianna> lady, we are trying to re-imagine what a feminine divintiy would
be like
<Pranaflow> There is always an inner need for balance, and such is a strong
driving force behind this awakening trend.
<ladynada> Arianna: but if there IS a Mother, contacting Her reality
within, would be more than re-imagining...
<Lakshmi> It is interesting that agricultural communities usually
worshipped the goddess and that Industrial communities often
worshiped"god"..maybe there is the emerging integration of the two..
<Arianna> the farming communities depended much more on fertility, which is
a Goddess aspect
<Pranaflow> And today's computer-based lifestyle is both industrial
(masculine) and creative (feminine)
<Arianna> Weave in the respect and concern for mother earth, and mother
nature, and you will see a culture awakening to the fact that She is here
for us, if we claim Her. Several years ago, the cover of the Sunday Parade
Magazine had a picture of Earth, along with an explanation of the Gaia
Hypothesis by astronomer, Carl Sagan. You know the theory...the earth is a
living being, and Her name is Gaia. The Goddess Gaia comes from the
primordial Greek earth mother, and means "Deep Breasted". We at
#)Gaia*Friends( claim her as our Patroness, as we honor the Earth Body and
Spirit through Her. We are all Gaia's Friends, as well as her children.
<ladynada> She is here for us, if we claim Her. (I think She is Real)
<Ashana> yes
<Arianna> Especially, it is important for men to not feel left out, since
they too are freed of the masculine stereotypes that box them in.
<Lakshmi> The Goddess has many names but however she is acknowledged is
wonderful..Shakti*friends, saraswati*friends, durga*friends,
lakshmi*friends..the names are many..the feeling evoked the same..the love
of the devine feminine principle...very nice
<ladynada> men need to contact their own feminine aspects within
<wheel-> It is healthy for us spiritually to think of the Earth in terms of
it being alive. Perhaps it will help us save ourselves from our "selves".
<Auio> our society dictates to us men that we should act a certain
way.....I hate it.
<ladynada> the more young men that break free of these conformities and be
themselves... the better
<wheel-> ladynada: naturally, it is possible taht the stereotype is
perfectly appropriate for some men.
* wheel- agrees with lady.
<ladynada> women need to contact their masculinity also :)
<Joe4> yes lady
<Pranaflow> True, ladynada. And yet, without a truly masculine role-model,
some women emulate the fearful macho type instead.
<Argus> lady..totally agree with both of your thoughts... experts
within...and women contacting their masculine
<Ashana> um hmmmmmmm :)
<Arianna> To present the point of view of a man who has chosen the Goddess
as a Spiritual connection, I should like to formally introduce Argus. In
his early 60s, Argus been a Christian and a Sunday School teacher in the
past. Now he wants to share with you how he feels about the Goddess and how
men can be helped by Her.
<Argus> Thank you, Arianna. I speak of MEN AND THE GODDESS by invitation
and speak of both my personal experience and of my view of the topic
generally. My spiritual and metaphysical view of the universe is one of
wholeness. I do not find this to be a world of opposing forces..of
opposites..of dichotomies. Gaia is no less a whole having a north and a
south pole at opposite ends of its axis. The "opposing" poles are parts of
the whole.
About 15 months before knowingly meeting the Goddess for the first time, I
met my male and female energies as a result of a meditation exercise
assigned by my then meditation counsellor. I found them quite
different...my male being a norse warrior type without purpose or
direction. My female was a sensitive, intuitive harp player who wanted
nothing to do with my male energy. After some additional assignments, my
male and female energies learned to work together with both being fully
empowered and in balance. There was a wholeness to this result.
I can remember with great clarity my first meeting the Goddess. I was alone
before a real life altar to her when I felt a great beam of light
connecting me with her. I knew that I was feeling the creativity, the
sensitivity and the harmony of the Goddess. I sensed the contrast with the
rational thought and action needs of my male energy. The Goddess had
entered my life to provide those things which the God energy by itself had
not. The wholeness of male/female energy now was transformed into wholeness
of being.
For men, the Goddess adds empowerment and takes away nothing. Reflect a bit
on the Old Testament's emphasis on JUSTICE. Missing was the compassion of
caring and sharing. Men without the Goddess spend their time maintaining
power over others..getting on top...being king of the mountain. With that
comes the fear of being toppled..of being overthrown..of being replaced.
The Goddess teaches us to be... with power over ourself rather than power
over others as the goal. The Goddess gives us a purpose for our actions and
thoughts..creative goals. We men become part of construction instead of
part of destruction. We build instead of destroy. We co exist instead of
confront. As men feeling the power of the Goddess, we surrender none of our
power from the God, rather do we magnify that power with goals and
objectives which give us a sense of purpose. With men feeling fully
empowered with energy from both the God and the Goddess, they are now free
to be WHOLE beings. They are now able to shed gender roles if they wish.
They are now free to engage in cooperation rather in competition. Without
the Goddess, men cannot be whole... just as without the Goddess, women
cannot be whole.
Let Gaia henceforth be filled with whole men and whole women.... whole
people..who can love themselves and each other and live with respect for
Gaia.
<Arianna> we will now open up questions/comments for argus...
* Pranaflow totally agrees with Argus
<ladynada> I agree 100% with Argus' comments!
<Danie> Argus... wonderful!
* wheel- agrees with Argus, in that there is only a whole. The apparent
seperation is only existant in our language and that affects how we
interpret what we perceive.
<Paza> Argus: stuff that I realized from the self-dedication to the Goddess
rite i did friday night....
<Arianna> Pranaflow, do you have any feelings about the Goddess you want to
share?
<Pranaflow> I have a very intense close personal relationship with Goddess
energy. Perhaps this is partly due to my Jewish upbringing.
Despite its patriarchal appearance when viewed superficially, Judaism is
also a matriarchal culture and I shall give two important examples of this.
One of the basic principles of Judaism is to keep a healthy mind in a
healthy body. Jewish women are respected partly for the love energy they
pour into their cooking. (Kirlian photography shows the life essence in
food before and after love energy is poured into it. Hence, today's
technology can satisfy questions regarding religious rituals in the
kitchen, which are designed to invoke the flow of divine love energy into
food.) Love-energised food can be shown to strengthen the immune system,
taste better and generally provide better nutrition. Hence, pouring love
energy into food can be considered to be the first stage of digestion for
the entire family. And the Jewish mother (or grandmother) gets all the
credit for it.
I'm sure almost everyone has heard "chicken soup" referred to as "kosher
penecillin", meaning the cure for all ills. A slight exaggeration, perhaps,
yet even in jest here is the signature of the Goddess.
The word "Shekinah" is Hebrew for "Goddess" and is mentioned as "Queen of
the Sabbath" in the Friday evening ceremony. The general idea was that the
Shekinah would encourage love-making leading to pregnancy, for a minority
community who needed to grow in numbers as well as individual strength.
Furthermore, as the greatest influences over an unborn child are the
thoughts and feelings of both parents at the time of conception, the aim
was to encourage a sacred atmosphere conducive to drawing in a high-quality
soul for incarnation into the family.
I feel that the matriarchal aspects of Judaism go unnoticed today, even by
many Jewish people, because of our cultural emphasis on the masculine.
Hence we have an imbalance. To use a metaphor, flying a plane... If the
wing is tipped into a left bank, it is no good having the control column
central to regain balance. The control column needs to be moved to extreme
right. Then, the wing becomes balanced. At which point, the control column
can be recentered. And so, when there is too much emphasis on the
masculine, we need to emphasise the feminine for a while until balance is
re-achieved. Perhaps there was a time in the past, possibly during the
reign of Queen Cleopatra, when there was over-emphasis on the feminine and
we needed the Old Man God to redress the balance. However, the Old Man
outstayed his welcome and we have swung to the other extreme. So we now
need to live with the Goddess archetype until we feel the balance of
masculine and feminine. At which point God(dess) can be experienced.
Hopefully, once we get into balance, we can stay there instead of
continuing the swing from one extreme to the other.
<Arianna> thank you Prana!
argus> agreed prana
<wheel-> Pranaflow: hmmm, interesting point...
Danie> I lke that analogy, Prana... kinda like the pendulum. It must swing
right and left for a while before it can rest at center.
<ladynada> Prana: your analogy is apt, to heal, we need to move to a
matriarchial system, first.. then it balances as a union of the masculine
and feminine. Without such a swing, the patriarchal system will destroy
itself (its headed that way). The Mother needs to be put back into Her
Right Place - for the healing. In fact, we are so off-balance toward the
patriarchial, we need a BIG swing to balance it.
<argus> agreed lady
<ladynada> What we would also need, then, is for the Matriarchs to be
compassionate and not want revenge
<Arianna> the Goddess can be Source, that birthed all, or she can be an
aspect of Feminine Divine
<Arianna> On that note I shall introduce Banshee, who calls herself a
Priestess of Isis. Let's give Banshee a minute to tell us all about what
being a priestess of Isis means to her
<Banshee_> I was invited via e-mail to come here tonight as A Priestess of
Isis. Hello All.
<ladynada> There is a Mother! Welcome Banshee. <s> Isis, I believe is
another major fragment of The Mother
* wheel- used to invoke Isis and Ra, long ago.
<Banshee_> I work with Isis and Osirus. I have followed many
Goddesses...Yet from the First time i worked with Isis She Chose me.
I belive in the Tao. Many of you would call it the Yin Yang. 69. We all
have masculine and feminine aspects...
<Arianna> Banshee: What does being a Priestess of Isis do for your
connection to Spritual Attainment?
<Banshee_> I worship Isis and Osirus...Yet I commune with Isis more
<ladynada> Isis and Osirus - I believe are archetypes of Father and Mother
<Banshee_> Isis is a Figure of Power (magickal) and Mother (loving)
* argus agrees with ban
* Pranaflow also concurs with Banshee
<Arianna> if Isis were here now, what do you think she would want to tell us??
<Banshee_> Arianna I believe she wants us to Find the Magick that is
inherent in US!! We are all Powerful!
(<Arianna> ;)
<Banshee_> We can change our lives...Make the Past Present and Future
better. We create our world...not the other way around. Isis did not sit
idly by and let Osirus' death be final.
* argus agrees with ban
<ladynada> that is how much ISIS wishes to heal all that is broken
<Banshee_> She Reclaimed him... As we can reclaim our true selves!!! And
Our True Lives!!!!
<Arianna> Isis rolled up her sleeves and got to work!
ladynada> I must say one set of books I read, say The Mother's gift is/was
our Wills. we need to reclaim our Wills
<Banshee_> Isis will assist us in any Magick , to create a better reality
for ourselves
<Arianna> Thank you Banshee,...any questions for The Priestess of Isis?
<Banshee_> She is also the Mother...She can comfort all those in pain.
<ladynada> we cannot work our magick without our wills
<Banshee_> Okay... :)
<ladynada> Isis is the Mother, yes
<Arianna> Isis does it all, mother and wife and lover
* Pranaflow loves Isis :-)
Banshee_> Isis comforts then tells you how to make it all better....no long
mourning with Isis :))
<ladynada> what of Isis' child? he represents our healed selves
<Arianna> Rescues the divine masculine.....restores all his parts, and
impregnates with him
<argus> Hurrah for Isis! Isis is kewl!!
<Pranaflow> Way to go, Isis!
<Banshee_> I am not into Horus...the myths are so astrew
<ladynada> just the archetype of Horus
<Banshee_> Yes Isis had Horus after her husband's death
<ladynada> tap into the reality of what Horus represents and not
necessarily what is written of him
<Banshee_> BUT dont Forget!! Even Isis had help....Anubis helped revive
Osirus from death
<Pranaflow> To repeat an earlier comment in this context, if the strongest
influences over an unborn child are the thoughts and feelings of both
parents at the time of conception, Horus had an interesting start in life
<Banshee_> Prana hehe
<Arianna> Thank you Banshee
<Arianna> Is there anyone else who would like to share how the Goddess has
entered their lives/hearts?
<ladynada> our feelings are meant to be the barometer of our will and then
our thinking
<Banshee_> My point was We all need help sometime
<ladynada> if you are angry, it is a feeling, whether you THINK it is right
to be angry or not... your will is that you are angry. The Mother gives us
our Will, feelings, intuition
<Pranaflow> Ladynada, that is assuming you feel what you choose to feel.
Many people's feelings are triggered by events and the behaviour of others.
<ladynada> PRANA: important caveat!
<Banshee_> Our Will is important...if taken in the right context of the
word Will...True will is always In Harmony with the Universe, and universal
laws
<ladynada> BANSHEE! so true!
<argus> Ban...no one is alone in his/her incarnational trip
<Banshee_> Argus some/a lot of people feel guilt when asking for
help...espeacially magickal help.
<ladynada> Prana: whatever people feel, should be acknowledged by them, in
order for them to gain learning, otherwise denial results
<Banshee_> Ewwe denial
<ladynada> the patriarchy's seeking to control, suppresses Will
<Pranaflow> There are many ways of learning. One way is through meditation,
to gain insights and change our attitude through what we discover. If we
fail to learn in this way, life will manifest events in the physical world
to try to teach us. If we still fail to learn, the events are repeated more
heavily. Personally, I like to learn from a feather falling out of the sky
rather than waiting to be hit on the head by a two-by-four. <g>
<Banshee_> Yes Patriarchy and The Piscean age was all about Giving up your
will to someone else
<Arianna> thank you Banshee, Priestess of Isis
<Paza> i haven't spoken yet
<Banshee_> Paza Go
<Paza> regarding the self-dedication...about a month ago I started
channeling the Goddess in earnest
<Banshee_> May I ask what aspect of the Goddess?
<Paza> First, I channeled Gaia and she stresses she is tired of the plague
which has been infesting the earth = Evil in the form of masculine activity
without the balance of the feminine and she told me to look at what has
happened to the planet. Many people massacred....pollution.... name your
poison :(
<ladynada> how about ignorance instead of evil?
<Banshee_> Or Negitivity...?
<Paza> That's a better term lady. Or misunderstanding
<ladynada> or imbalance. I agree with dropping the term evil, BTW
<Banshee_> Sorry go on :)
<Paza> she said that i am one who's going to help heal the planet. Then
last month I channeled the Diana aspect quite often
<Banshee_> Hail Diana
<Paza> she is loving and wishes to help out everyone who welcomes her. She
also wishes everyone to take an active role in helping people see the
errors of their ways and healing those in need
<Arianna> Paza...Has your self dedication to the Goddess(s) improved your
evolution and growth.....explain for us
<Paza> Yes...she has made me seen the need for balance, the balance between
Masculine and Feminine, Light and Dark, and importantly for me the Physical
and the Spiritual
<Arianna> :)
<Banshee_> The Tao...Yin Yang! Yes!! Isis stresses this too
<Paza> the balance is the key to our evolution to return to Oneness
<argus> good paza..BALANCE AND TOTAL EMPOWERMENT OF MALE AND FEMALE... very
important
<Banshee_> But we must find the masculin and feminine within as well
<Pranaflow> Excallent, Paza.
<Paza> I realized this before tonight, but never STRESSED it quite like
this before
* argus smiles at ban
<Pranaflow> From insight to verbal expression can sometimes take time
<Banshee_> Hail Ma'at goddess of justice and Balance!
<ladynada> The same Spirit teaches us, the same thing, but from different
ways, as we resonate differently
<Paza> the pentagram also represents the Unity between the physical and
spiritual, the God and the Goddess. Oneness. Balance. Wholeness.
<argus> exactly paza
<Arianna> Thank you Paza, those of us who are Walking a Path with the
Goddess welcome you!
<Paza> thank u arianna
<Danie> I think it is amazing how in these times, so many mythologies and
theologies from different cultures are finally coming together and
harmonizing... helping us form a more perfect and holistic view of the
Divine...!
* Pranaflow embraces the Oneness within all
<Banshee_> Danie :))
<ladynada> Danie: Agreed, and it feels great
<argus> danie..quite true
<Banshee_> I am Wiccan and We Use the Pentacle a lot..So do ceremonial
Magi, and Kabbalist. Christians used to put in on their churches for
Protection
<Paza> maybe that's why i am drawn to the pentagram so much. Wicca stresses
this balance
<ladynada> yes, I read a lil aout Ma'at. Ikhanaton's God
<Banshee_> Ma'at like Isis is egyptian...Femini of Thoth
<argus> true
<Arianna> I would like us to Give Brahma a moment to tell us about his
Connection to Tara, an Eastern Goddess! Brahma?
<Brahma> Tara sees us with complete compassion and love and asks nothing in
the form of yoga to be unified. Without doing anything she takes us across
and just asks that we remember her as our true nature
<Banshee_> It is so hard in this world to really stay in touch with our
true selves..Our true will.
<Brahma> Tara is seen as a little girl of 16 sitting on a lotus with the
eyes of compassion always looking at us from all directions. She is the
original savioress. She watches us in our dreams both waking and sleeping.
<Banshee_> Ahh tara is Hindu, star Goddess? Yes?
<Brahma> she comes to our immediate rescue by crying HUM
<Banshee_> Om Mani Padme Hum :O
<Pranaflow> Oh, Money, Pad My Home (sorry, couldn't resist that <g> )
<Arianna> Brahma, How has Tara Touched your Heart?????
<Brahma> Tara is my heart. Om Tare Tuttare Ture Swaha Om
<Banshee_> You'll have to teach me that one Brahma! :)
<Arianna> How is it that Tara is your heart? How do you come to that place?
<Brahma> by acknowledging that the life source and your heart and tara the
compassionate are one in all things whether you are eating, sleeping,
making love etc..., just acknowledging her
<Arianna> Thank you Brahma!
<Brahma> your welcome
<Arianna> Well, we have heard from many about their relationship to the
Goddess, are there any other folks here who would like to speak???
<Elora> if I may contribute, I would like to say that She helped me
immensely throughout my pregnancy and delivery
<Arianna> yes elora, She is always there at such times...
<Arianna> ok... to wrap up the night I want to share with you what occured
in my circle of women who have come to my home the past 5 years each month
for the full moons. Each year we have a ceremony/party where we dress up as
Goddess aspects. Some of the members of this group were a little bit shaky
about explaining to the public about what we were doing in connection to
the big picture of Spiritual Attainment. As their facilitator they looked
for me to help provide them with the explanation that would explain the
Spiritual significance of the ceremony we held. Many attended and there was
even a newpaper article about it. So with this in mind we asked the Goddess
how to present Her Goddesses in a way that would show us in unity with the
wholness of SPIRIT. This was Her Explanation:
Goddess: Many of you are planning to dress up as a Goddess at The Goddess
Celebration. Some of you, in the back of your minds, are thinking: "Sure,
it's fun, but what does it mean? How does this fit into my spirituality, if
I come as an aspect- such as the Goddess of Cats, or the Goddess of Love,
or the Goddess of whatever. What does it all mean? I know it's all fun, and
it feels good, but what am I doing here? HOW DOES IT ALL FIT??" What I'd
like to say is that these deities are living and real. They are as real as
anything that has been created. You should know, that the minds, hearts,
and thoughts of those in spirit are allowed, yes encouraged, to complete
more creation. Just as you have imagined Me, men and women over the
centuries have created their deities, and these are real and living. These
deities may be seen as friends, as sisters, and brothers. They are happy
for all the love that you feel for them. As your sister said- "My love is
as you to Me.", so any Goddess/God that you choose, will become
strengthened by the power that you give it. Any many still have power,
throughout the centuries. The collective unconscious of mankind, still
recognizes their beauty. I want to tell you, my children, why these pagan
deities fell before, and why you may invoke them now. Before, the world was
young, and there were many souls that were learned, and understood that the
flow of spirit is ONE, and that these deities were but pathway into that
flow. But, there were also very young, naive souls. Through fear and
ignorance, and culture and tradition, were swept into a life of worshiping
tribal, minor deities, as they were told to do. They missed the boat.
Instead of seeing the beauty of all the aspects, all the paths to help them
know spirit better, they began focusing on the deity itself. This is why
the beauty of these deities were lost, because the beauty of them was their
connection to spirit. The beauty of them was the unique pathway that they
provided into the pulsating river and flow that Arianna calls in her spirit
invocation. Why I say you may call them now, is because hopefully,
humankind has grown to a higher level of understanding. True, there is one
divinity, but this divinity can be seen through many different forms and
angles. Just as you look out through your front picture window, then go to
the back of the house, and look out your back picture window, you see
nature from a little different perspective. If you don't focus on my deity
as better than yours game, and love them all, in relationship to the whole,
and to the river of spirit, they may live in your minds and hearts. Keep in
mind, that every deity that can be conceived by the mind of man, is but a
minute portion of All That Is. All deities are here to serve spirit. Spirit
was not created to serve deities. What ever side stream you choose to guide
you into that pulsating river of life in spirit, is good for you. Emphasize
the common, not the differences, and this is how we will bring all to
truth, light and love.
<Arianna> That is the end of the Goddess explanation, Comments?
* wheel_ has always been too stubborn and independant to actually reach out
to the outside world for much of anything, spiritual or otherwise. Am
thinking though, perhaps I can reach out...perhaps I need to...perhaps I
should...
<Arianna> big {{HUG}}} to wheel for reaching out
* Pranaflow hugs wheel
* wheel_ hugs Arianna and Pranaflow back. :)
<Clura> Thank you for enlightening me, Arianna
<Clura> {{{{{{{{Arianna}}}}}}}}
<Pranaflow> If we all accepted all deities equally, that would be a major
step towards world peace.
<Clura> how true.. Prana
<Arianna> yes thank you all for coming to this night's presention....and
sharing in the discussion
<Danie> This was an enlightening forum for me, Arianna... thank you :)
<Elora> may I contribute some humour?
<Clura> sure, Elora
<Arianna> please do
<Elora> last year, I held a costume party for my birthday, at which I
dressed as Isis the fertility Goddess... about three weeks later, I was
pregnant! it was a very powerful evening,,, friday the thirteenth, full
moon :)
<OceanOLuv> :)
<Greyhart> You have to be careful what you wish for Elora!
<Arianna> wow, Elora, she worked fast....
<Elora> I assure you, it was not conscious :)
(<Greyhart> It rarely is! ;)
<Elora> she has blessed me in ways I could not have imagined :)
<wheel_> elora: hey, don't play with Fertility Goddessess unless ya wanna
get pregnant. :]
<Elora> now he tells me! LOL
<Arianna> Next week, Pranaflow will be leading the topic of Transforming
negative Emotions. The format for the evening will be slightly different as
we shall be experiencing a powerful guided meditation to transform fear
into love. So please be on time, and bring a glass of water.
<Pranaflow> Confused? You won't be, after you see the preview explanation
on Paza's web page. <s>
<Arianna> Oct 29th will be "Life after Death", sharing Ghost stories, as
well as near death experiences. Please bring your true ghost stories and
near death experiences on oct 29th, in honor of all soul's night
<sonar5> I had good luck that week..full moon...won 300$ on a 2 dollar bet
Arianna> Please tell your friends about )Gaia*Friends( . Every Sunday
night at 9pm ET!
<Elora> thank you Arianna :)
<Arianna> There are program ideas set until mid november but I would like
suggestions for future programs(email to Arianna@city-net.com). If you know
of a new age author who could come here for a cyber book signing, please
get us together so that we can obtain the best in program content for all
of us. One author has agreed to come in November...wrote a book called...
Torah, Tarot, and Tantra. What a combo! (smile)
<Elora> I was just going to suggest him! William Blank. A chapter of his
book will be available on the newsletter page of my bookstore as of
tomorrow afternoon http://www.elysiumbooks.com
<Pranaflow> Thanks, Elora. I was wondering where that went
<Elora> you are quite welcome
<Arianna> he is visiting ascension occasionally and is a rabbi as well
<Arianna> well, my alarm clock goes off in less than 6 hours...work as a
RN, I must part now. Thank you and {{{{Bright Blessings to all}}}
<sonar5> night arianna
<Elora> Blessings to you Arianna :)
<wheel_> thank you Arianna. Love and light to all.
<Elora> May the angels smile upon all of you :)
<Brahma> Goodnight All..., I'll see you in my dreams :)
<Pranaflow> Goodnight Arianna and all. See you next week! :-)