The Sacred Glen
Volume #2 Issue #7
July/August 2008
The Sacred Glen is a publication of Daughters of the Greening online school. All articles within this ezine are written by students of the school and are their own personal property, unless otherwise credited. Daughters of the Greening is dedicated to teaching about the sacredness of all life and offers classes in Sacred Ecology, Holistic Healing, Discovering Past Lives, Faery Magic and Women's Spirituality. The school is open to anyone who is 18 years of age or older.
The Sacred Glen Council
Morgana Ravenwings
Dryw
Belou
Mehitabel
Susan Allen
In this issue:
Sacred Days of the Ancestors
The Goddess Speaks
Plant Medicine
Sacred Holidays
Songs of the Muse
Holistic Recipes
Sit a Spell
Garden of Eatin'
Harvests from the Printing Press
Spider Woman's Web
Sacred Days of the Ancestors
Holy Days, July 2008
6/29 to 7/3: Zoroastrian celebration.
7/1: Day endangered species became internationally protected (1975); day to celebrate all the world's creatures.
7/2 ( 10:19 p.m. EDT ): New Moon.
7/2: Visitation Day Christian feast marking St. Elizabeth’s recognition of Blessed Mary’s divine destiny as catalyst for human liberation and redemption.
7/2: Day discrimination on the basis of ethnicity, gender, and religion was prohibited in public accommodations and employment (1964).
7/2 eve to 7/3 eve: Feast of Old Greek Goddess Hecate, who guides all through transitions and crisis.
7/2 to 7/5: Iroquois Green Bean Ceremony" in thanksgiving for the bean harvest; celebrated with tobacco offerings, singing, drumming, dancing, and feasting.
7/3 eve to 7/4 eve: Hekatombaion Noumenia Old Athenian New Year" Old Greek festival honoring all the Gods and Goddesses.
7/3 eve to 7/4 eve: Remembrance day for Sufi saint Hajji Bektash (d. 1337). He initiated women into his order equally with men and advocated gender equality in Islamic society.
7/4 (4:00 a.m. EDT): Earth Aphelionâ when the Earth is farthest from the Sun.
7/5: Mindfulness Day€" Zen Buddhist day for being mindful that alienation and hunger for possessions results from ignorance of interconnectedness.
7/6 (Th B 7/18): Chokhor Duchene" Tibetan Buddhist celebration of the Buddha’s first teaching.
7/7: Tanabata" Shinto rite honoring the Kami of the Stars.
7/13: Baha’i feast honoring the one Deity as Kalimat--Sacred Words.
7/13 to 7/15: Obonâ" Zen Buddhist festival honoring departed ancestors.
7/14 (A 8/24): Old Egyptian birthday feast of Neter Osiris—partner and true love of Isis , and father of Horus; guide of all husbands, fathers, and judges.
7/14 to 7/21: Mahayana Buddhist festival of Tara/Kuan Yin/Kannon, Supreme Goddess of Nature and Perfect Buddha of many emanations; celebrates Her enlightenment and Her vow to help all sentient beings.
7/14 to 7/25 (I 7/24): Old Norse/Icelandic Mid-Summer Althingiâ€" Community gathering for democratic decision making. Forseti and Tyr, Gods of Justice and Self-Sacrifice, were honored.
7/14 eve to 8/19 eve (7/28 peak): Delta Aquarid Meteor Showers.
7/17 (A 8/27): Old Egyptian birthday feast of Neteret Isis—partner and true love of Osiris, and mother of Horus; guide of all wives, mothers, healers, advocates, and teachers.
7/18 ( 3:59 a.m. EDT ): Full Moon ( Red/Mother Moon).
7/18: Day South Africa ’s apartheid was internationally outlawed (1976); birthday of Nelson Mandela, non-violent anti-apartheid activist.
7/18 eve to 7/19 eve: Synoikia" Old Greek festival celebrating the peaceful cooperation of states. Offerings were made to Aphrodite and Eirene, Goddesses of friendship and peace.
7/19: Day women demanded recognition of their equality to men in the legal, political, economic, religious, and domestic spheres (Seneca Falls, New York 1848).
7/19 to 8/1 (A 8/29 to 9/11): Old Egyptian festival marking the return to Egypt of Neteret Isis, Neter Osiris, and the rains that inundate the Nile River.
7/22: Christian feast of St. Mary Magdalene, disciple and priestess€" Savior Jesus made her His priestess by purifying her seven times; she anointed Him in preparation for His sacrifice and witnessed His torture, death, and resurrection.
7/23: Beginning of Leo (the Lion/Lioness).
7/23: Mayan Sun Festival" honoring Sun God Ahau Kin; celebrated with devotional offerings of food, song, prayer, and a ritual procession that symbolically travels to the four quarters of the universe.
7/25 eve to 7/31 eve: Panathenaea Old Greek festival of Goddess Athena--as daughter of Wisdom (Goddess Metis) and font of reason.
7/26: Christian feast of St. Anna, mother of Blessed Mary and grandmother of Blessed Jesus; guide of grandmothers and elderly women.
7/29 eve: Laylat al-Miârajâ" Commemorates the night journey of Muslim Prophet Muhammad to heaven. He conceived Deity to be a compassionate, genderless unity.
7/29 eve to 8/17 eve (8/12 peak): Perseid Meteor Showers.
7/31 eve to 8/2 eve: Lughnasadh.
7/31 eve to 8/2 eve: Feast of the Grain Harvest.
7/31 eve to 8/6 eve: Mid-Summer/First Harvest/Lammas.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Permission to use and distribute these excerpts is granted for non-commercial purposes, provided the following information is included:
Excerpted from
THE MYSTIC'S WHEEL OF THE YEAR 2008
A Multifaith Calendar Reflecting Eco-Egalitarian Spirituality
© 2007 Page Two, Inc.
info@WheeloftheYear.com
www.WheeloftheYear.com
The Goddess Speaks
Hekoolas
By Dryw
The body of this California Miwok Sun Goddess was completely covered with shining abalone shells so that she glowed in the sky. But she did not always live in this world, which was once dark and cold, with only the faint glow in the east from her reflection.
Coyote sent two men to bring the Sun to our side of the Earth, but she refused. Then Coyote sent enough men to tie her up wit ropes and drag her back across the world. Once here, she made her home above us and provided the sunlight our world needed.
Another tale from the Miwok, in which the Sun Woman is named HEIMA, tells how she had to be convinced to light this world. The story begins when the Sun shut herself up in her stone house and refused to come out. The sky was dark, and Hawk Chief was very far away. He went to his grandfather and demanded daylight. Coyote, his grandfather, said he'd see what he could do and went to visit the doves. He told them his grandson didn't like the dark, and they said they'd fix the problem.
The doves had been to the Sun's house and knew where it was, so they set off. When they got there, they sat down and waited, hoping she'd come out of her own accord. They waited and waited, but nothing happened. Finally they decided to shoot stones at her house to make her rise. Trouble was, they couldn't agree on who should do the shooting. The older wanted to try, but the younger claimed to be stronger. And so the young dove took up a slingshot and whirled it around.
The stone, flying from the slingshot, hit the Sun's house and went right through he wall. The Sun was frightened and rose from Her home to check on the damage. But she found that there was only a small hole, so she went back in.
The older dove then took up the slingshot and whirled it round, and round and round. When he let the stone fly, it sailed through the air so fast that it smashed right into the Sun's house, right in the center. The Sun, frightened out of her wits, rose straight up into the air and stood overhead. And so Coyote and his grandson were very, very happy. (text from Goddesses and Heroines by Patricia Monaghan)
Mi'wok Creation Myth
California Sierra and Coastal Tribe
After the coyote had finished all the work of the world and the inferior creatures lie called a council of them to deliberate on the creation of man. They sat down in an open space in the forest, all in a circle, with the lion at the head. On his right sat the grizzly bear, next the cinnamon bear, and so on around according to the rank, ending with the little mouse, which sat at the lion’s left.
The lion was the first to speak, and he declared he should like to see man created with a mighty voice like himself, wherewith he could frighten all animals. For the rest he would have him well covered with hair, terrible fangs in his claws, strong talons, etc.
The grizzly bear said it was ridiculous to have such a voice as his neighbor, for he was always roaring with it and seared away the very prey lie wished to capture. He said the man ought to have prodigious strength, and move about silently but very swiftly if necessary, and be able to grip his prey without making a noise.
The buck said the man would look very foolish, in his way of thinking, unless be had a magnificent pair of antlers on his head to fight with. He also thought it was very absurd to roar so loudly, and he would pay less attention to the man’s throat than be would to his ears and his eyes, for he would have the first like a spider’s web and the second like fire.
The mountain sheep protested be never could see what sense there was in such antlers, branching every way, only to get caught in the thickets. If the man had horns mostly rolled up, they would be like a stone on each side of his bead, giving it weight, and enabling him to butt a great deal harder.
When it came the coyote’s turn to speak, he declared all these were the stupidest speeches he ever heard, and that be could hardly keep awake while listening to such a pack of noodles and nincompoops. Every one of them wanted to make the man like himself They might just as well take one of their own cubs and call it a man. As for himself he knew he was not the best animal that could be made, and he could make one better than himself or any other. Of course, the man would have to be like himself in having four legs, five fingers, etc. It was well enough to have a voice like the lion, only the man need not roar all the while with it. The grizzly bear also had some good points, one of which was the shape of his feet, which enabled him easily to stand erect; and he was in favor, therefore, of making the man’s feet nearly like the grizzly’s. The grizzly was also happy in having no tail, for he had learned from his own experience that, that organ was only a harbor for fleas. The buck’s eyes and ears were pretty good, perhaps better than his own. Then there was the fish, which was naked, and which he envied, because hair was a burden most of the year; and lie, therefore, favored a man without hair. His claws ought to be as long as the eagle’s, so that he could hold things in them. But after all, with all their separate gifts, they must acknowledge that there was no animal besides himself that had wit enough to supply the man; and he should be obliged, therefore, to make him like himself in that respect also—cunning and crafty.
After the coyote had made an end, the beaver said he never heard such twaddle and nonsense in his life. No tail, indeed! He would make a man with a broad, flat tail, so he could haul mud and sand on it.
The owl said all the animals seemed to have lost their senses; none of them wanted to give the man wings. For himself, he could not see of what use anything on earth could be to himself without wings.
The mole said it was perfect folly to talk about wings, for with them the man would be certain to bump his head against the sky. Besides that, if he had eyes and wings both, he would get his eyes burnt out by flying too near the sun; but without eyes he could burrow in the cool, soft earth, and be happy.
Last of all, the little mouse squeaked out that he would make a man with eyes, of course, so he could see what he was eating; and as for burrowing in the ground, that was absurd.
So the animals disagreed among themselves, and the council broke up in a row. The coyote flew at the beaver, and nipped a piece out of his cheek; the owl jumped on top of the coyote’s head, and commenced lifting his scalp, and there was a high time. Every animal set to work to make a man according to his own ideas; and, taking a lump of earth, each one commenced molding it like himself; but the coyote began to make one like that be had described in the council. It was so late before they fell to work that nightfall came on before any one had finished his model, and they all lay down and fell asleep. But the Cunning coyote staid awake and worked hard on his model all night. When all the other animals were sound asleep, lie went around and discharged water on their models, and so spoiled them. In the morning early he finished his model and gave it life long before the others could make new models; and thus it was that man was made by the coyote.
Tribes of California , by Stephen Powers (1877)
Plant Medicine
Holly
By Dryw
We all know that Holly is prickly, which we may not like, but this is not any old thorn, but a barb that spurs us on, with an impulse to wake us up! Like the clearly defined leaves of this tree, we will suddenly be able to see the most varied of things with clarity and good judgment. Perhaps we still experience painful disappointments, but at the same time we also gain a hitherto untapped power. With this power we can take up the sword of Truth and spiritedly cut through the veil of illusion that was clouding our discernment. With Holly we outgrow our fears and start to work with a new clarity that life is not just black and white, good and bad. With Holly's medicine we can recognize the variety of hues in our rich and often complex lives. Holly, therefore, often marks a crossing or turning point, and shows renewed energy and deeper personal integrity.
With the being of Holly at our side, we can do spiritual battle if we have to, and regardless of whether we win or lose, we can maintain our poise and higher purpose. Yet beware! This blessed sword will only remain in our care to serve us on our unique path to Truth. It is not there to scare off others, it is not there to injure, but to aid perception. In this way Holly's sword is double-edged and will reflect our own actions back to us.
Without the power of Holly we remain in half-light, illusion and fantasy. We cast our eyes around our self-made world and just look to our own advantage. Finally, we even become cowards to ourselves.
The Tree Angel Oracle by Fred Hageneder
Sacred Holidays: Lughnasadh
Lughnasadh Correspondences
By Belou
Herbs/Flowers: Acacia, Aloes, Corn, Cornstalks, Frankincense, Heather, Myrtle, grain, Ginseng, Wheat, Oak Leaves, Sunflower, and all red or seasonal flowers especially poppies.
Incense/Oils: Wheat, Honeysuckle, Heather, Sunflower, and Opium.
Colors: Green, Yellow/Gold, and Orange .
Stones: Aventurine, Citrine, Peridot, Sardonyx, and Citrine.
Incense/Oil: Wood aloes, sandalwood, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, eucalyptus, safflower, corn, passionflower, and frankincense.
Tools/Symbols/Decorations: Corn, cornucopias, red, yellow flowers, sheaves of grain (wheat, barley, oats), first fruits/vegetables of garden labor, corn dollies, baskets of bread, spear, cauldron, sickle, scythe, threshing tools, sacred loaf of bread, harvested herbs, bonfires, bilberries, God figures made of bread or cookie dough, and phallic symbols
Goddesses: Lugh (a Celtic solar deity worshipped by the ancient Druids), John Barleycorn (the personification of manly liquor), Demeter, Ceres, the Corn Mother, and other goddesses who preside over agriculture.
Essence: Fruitfulness, reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, change, The Bread of Life, The Chalice of Plenty , The Ever-flowing Cup, and the Groaning Board.
Dynamics/Meaning: Lugh's wedding to Mother Earth, Birth of Lugh; Death of Lugh, and Celtic Grain Festival.
Purpose: Honoring the parent Deities, first harvest festival, first fruits grains & drink to the Goddess in appreciation of Her bounty, offering loaves of sacred bread in the form of the God (this is where the Gingerbread Man originated!).
Rituals/Spells: Astrology, prosperity, generosity, magickal picnic, meditate, and visualize yourself completing a project you've started
Foods: Loaves of homemade wheat, oat, corn bread, barley cakes, corn, potatoes, summer squash, nuts, acorns, wild berries (any type), apples, rice, pears, berry pies, elderberry wine, mead, crab, blackberries, meadowsweet tea, grapes, beer, and cider.
Element/Gender: Fire/Male.
Threshold: Noon.
Songs of the Muse
By Mehitabel
The Mother Earth supports us through all our daily toil
Yet do we stop to listen in our plunder and our greed
The Mother Earth is failing, Her heart is full of woe
Her treasures have been ravaged, Her life blood spilt and more
Yet we can help dear Mother Earth in many different ways
And if our efforts but seem small, together they are large
We have the power, so use it now and save our Mother Earth
And spread the message far and wide, of healing and of love
Blessed be!
Holistic Recipes
Essential Oils Guide
Submitted by Belou
Essential oils to avoid
Epilepsy: Sage, Hyssop, Camphor, and Fennel
High Blood Pressure: Thyme, Sage, and Hyssop
Pregnancy: Clove, Basil, Clary Sage, Aniseed, Hyssop, Myrrh, Thyme, Marjoram, and Juniper
Prior to exposure to sunshine: Citrus Oils
Sit a Spell
Earth Healing Ritual to Ala.
By Mehitabel
Tonight’s earth healing ritual is to Ala , the earth Mother, the highest Goddess of the Ibo pantheon of Nigeria . She is responsible for many aspects of civilization, as well as guardianship of women and children in general.
Visualise the following with me. We stand together on a rolling African plain. Behind us is a typical village, the huts made from natural, locally available materials. We can hear the laughter and voices of the inhabitants. Before us, the plain stretches as far as the eye can see. Acacia trees, dot the landscape forming little oases of shade. Herds of zebra and wildebeest are grazing. A group of hyenas circles the herds, hoping for an easy meal, and below one of the acacias, a pride of lionesses relaxes in the heat.
By the powers of the four elements, our circle is raised. Let us work together within its bounds to bring healing to the Earth.
Guardian to the element of air, powers of the East, the glory of the sun rising above the African plains. We welcome you to our circle this night and ask you to share your powers as we work to heal the Earth. In love and trust we bid you Hail and Welcome!
Guardian to the element of fire, powers of the South, the strength of the noon-time sun shining down on the African plains. We ask you to join our circle this night and lend your power to our work. We bid you hail and welcome!
Guardian to the element of water, powers of the west, the life-giving drinking holes in the parched African lands. Come to our circle this night we ask, and lend your powers and emotion to our work. We bid you Hail and Welcome!
Guardian to the element of earth, powers of the north, the graceful silhouettes of the giraffes against the setting sun. Join us this night with our love, and lend your powers of healing to our work. With love and trust we bid you Hail and welcome!
Great Mother Goddess Ala, creator of the living and Queen of the dead; Lady of the Earth, we ask you to grace our circle with your presence this night as we raise power to heal the Earth. We bid you Hail and Welcome!
Ala is the Earth Mother Goddess of the Ibo tribe in Nigeria . She is Creator of the living and Queen of the dead, provider of communal loyalty and Lawgiver of society. The highest Goddess in the Ibo pantheon, She is the daughter of the High God and is considered to be the mother of all things. She is both the goddess of fertility and the goddess of death. She gives birth in the beginning and welcomes the dead back to her womb. She is the Divine Mother who gives life, provides all that is life sustaining, establishes laws, guides morality and finally claims her children in death. If her children live peacefully, there will be bountiful harvests from the earth and womb. She rules the Underworld, and it is believed that the souls of the dead rest within her sacred womb. Her symbol is the crescent moon and she is often depicted in works of art as a seated woman holding a small child in her arms. Each year her followers pay homage to her with an event known as the Yam Festival. In Nigeria , where she is still worshipped, she has temples situated in the centre of the villages, where she has a statue surrounded by the images of other gods and animals. She is one of the most popular Goddesses of the Ibo.
Come with me now to the Yam festival. Picture yourselves in the middle of an African Village way back in time at the dawn of civilisation. Before us stands the statue of Ibo, decorated for the day with garlands of flowers. Around us the people of the village are laughing and talking excitedly, busy preparing for the feast that will follow. Take a moment to understand the lives of these people, their closeness to the Earth, their affinity for the patterns of our world, the turn of the year, the cycle of the moon, their respect for the land around them.
A movement catches your eye. Where the statue of Ibo once stood is the living Goddess. She looks with pleasure at the festivities in her honour, and then she turns and smiles at us. She knows why we have come and it pleases her. She claps her hands, and all gather around her, including us in their circle, and we all begin to dance, moving gradually faster and faster around the Goddess Ala. Feel the happiness of the people, feel the power of the love of Lady Ala, feel the pure energy that we are raising in our dance and through our love for the land. Feel this energy as a pulsing band within our circle. Feel it grow stronger as we continue our dance. Mother Ala claps her hands again and as we end our dance we release this band of energy. See it rising now above us, a shimmering silver/white band pulsing with power. Send your love for the Earth into this band. See it grow brighter and stronger as it rises and grows until it circles the entire Earth. See it release its healing energies, restoring the damage caused by man. Hold this image for a few moments more and then turn again to the Lady Ala who smiles at us in love as she merges back with her statue.
Let us now thank the Mother Ala by offering a chalice of wine.
Lady of the living and dead, we ask that you accept this small gift as a token of our love and thanks. Blessed be!
Let us now start to close our ritual
Mother Ala, Lady of the Earth, we thank you for your presence this night. Let us part now in love till we meet again. We bid you Hail and Farewell!
Guardian of Earth, Lord of the North, we give thanks for your presence this night. As the full moon
Guardian of Water, Lord of the West, we give thanks for your presence this night. As the setting sun shines on the savannah we bid you hail and farewell.
Guardian of Fire, Lord of the South, we give thanks for your presence this night. As the noon sun burns down upon the African lands we bid you hail and farewell
Guardian of Air, Lord of the East, we give thanks for your presence this night. As the rising sun sheds light on the grasslands we bid you hail and farewell.
As we release the circle, let the excess energy return to the earth. Our circle is now open but never unbroken. Let us part in love till we meet again.
Blessed be!
A Summerland Meditation
By Mehitabel
Join me on a journey to the Summerland through a guided meditation.
Let the circle be cast by the powers of the elements, let the Guardians be welcome within, let the Goddess bear witness to our journey this night, Lords and Lady please join us in love.
Come with me into a forest on a warm summer's evening. The scent of the wild honeysuckle floats on the breeze, and we hear the droning of bees. The blackbird still sings in the trees above but most birds have gone to roost for the night. As we walk along the open ride lit by patches of the fading sunlight we find our way blocked by an oak, an ash and a hawthorn. It is the portal to the otherworld, a doorway ruled by the fae and as we look we see a door set in the thorn tree. Let us approach the door and state our intent, that with purity of heart we wish to visit our loved animals now beyond the veil.
The door swings open and we step through into a land of perpetual summer. The grass land stretches as far as the eye can see. Trees cast gentle patches of shade, and we hear the sound of a brook filled with clear and pure water. Everywhere there are animals of all
species, all playing happily together although they seem to form little groups with those they knew in life. They are all well, bright and content. Then, in the distance, you see something that you recognize – maybe a waving tail, a familiar silhouette, some feature
of your loved animals and at the same moment you are spotted by them.
Go now, meet them and spend some time with them. Rejoice in their company and know that they are safe in this magickal land in the care of the Great Mother.
Our time is up for now, but know you may return at any time. As we leave this realm give thanks to the Mother who has witnessed our journey and in whose embrace our animals rest. As we pass back through the portal, sense a shift back to the physical world.
With thanks to the Mother and the Lords of our elements who protected us this night, let our circle be released and let love stay forever in our hearts
Blessed be!
Celtic Ritual for Earth Healing
By Mehitabel
For this ritual I invoke the Earth Deities of Cerridwen and Cernunnos but also call upon Sequana, a Celtic Earth Goddess of Britain who was only seen if the rivers ran dry.
Bring a crystal/stone, and a tree seed and a pot of compost.
Altar set up.
The altar is decorated with flowers, fruits, bright colored candles and ribbons, with items to represent all the seasons of the year.
This ritual creates healing energy for the Earth.
Meditation.
We stand in a harvested wheat field at dusk, the scent of the straw fills the air and around us the stooks of straw stand like statues. The last remaining birds search the stubble and small mice and other creatures of the night emerge to forage. The Harvest Moon hangs
golden in the sky and the air is warm and soft. The hedgerows are laden with berries and beyond the field is an orchard, the trees heavy with apples. As dark falls a moon beam illuminates the field, and down it glides the Lady Cerridwen. She is dressed in a gown of
autumn colors and her beauty is radiant. She steps into the field and comes towards us. She smiles and we feel her abounding love. In her presence we know that the bounty of the harvest is her gift to us, a token of her love. We hear her words:
"Hear me child, and know Me for who I am. I have been with you since you were born, and I will stay with you until you return to Me at the final dusk. I am the womb from which all things are born. I am the shadowy, still tomb; all things must come to Me and bare their breasts to die and be reborn to the Whole. Most importantly, child, I am you. I am part of you, and I am within you. Seek me within and without, and you will be strong. Know me. Venture into the dark so that you may awaken to Balance, Illumination, and Wholeness. Take my Love with you everywhere and find the Power within to be who you wish."
Under the kindly gaze of Cerridwen, we gather into a circle and take each other's hands.
An autumn mist descends and forms a ring around us. The circle is cast! We stand together outside time in a place between the realms of man and of the Mighty Ones.
Please call the quarters.
Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the East, the Powers of Air. Autumn winds of warm gales and chilly nights. Clearing away old thoughts and habits. Help us to listen to the voice within and heed it's wisdom.
We bid thee hail and welcome
Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the South, the Powers of Fire. Autumn fires of fallen leaves. Burning away the old debris. Spark the flame within us and show the way to inner knowledge and wisdom.
We bid thee hail and welcome
Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the West, the Powers of Water. Autumn brook with crisp waves flowing. Flow within to cleanse away what is no longer needed. Help us to find the right course to inner strength and wisdom.
We bid thee hail and welcome
Hail to thee guardians of the watchtowers of the North, the Powers of Earth.
Autumn leaves with red and golden hues. Bringing forth the transformation of life. Guide us towards the inner transformation of the mysteries and wisdom.
We bid thee hail and welcome
Hail to thee Goddess Cerridwen, Lady of the Earth. We welcome thee to our circle this night to raise energy for the Earth. We bid thee Hail and Welcome!
Hail to thee God Cernunnos, Lord of the Hunt. We invite thee to our circle this night to raise energy for the Earth. We bid thee Hail and Welcome!
Hail to thee blessed ancestors. We invite thee to join us in this rite of Earth Healing. We bid thee Hail and Welcome!
Today we come together to raise healing energy for Mother Earth. We recognize the damage caused by mankind and are gathered to help redress the balance both in ritual and through our actions. I ask you to join me in a visualization.
Lady Sequana, I ask you to guide us on this voyage and welcome you to our circle. See the Lady Sequana standing before us. She is dressed in robes of spring colors and she smiles at us, pleased that we have asked for her guidance. She opens her arms, and a large ball appears before her. This is the Earth. She spins the Globe and points to South America ; the globe is replaced by images of the rain forest, as it was and as it is now. We hear the sound of the Earth Mother weeping as we look at the destruction, and our hearts weep too. The images fade and Lady Sequana spins the globe again. Pointing this time to Africa . We see images of the land at a time of plenty and an image of land destroyed by drought and war. On again, more and more terrible images. Our hearts bleed with sadness. As the last images fade and are replaced again by the Globe, Lady Sequana looks at us and recognizes our deep sorrow. She turns her attention to the Globe and we see in enveloped in a golden light, the light of love of the Goddess. We see the colors become brighter, healthier, we see the Earth restored to health. We send our own love to the Earth, joining the golden light, pouring more energy into our beleaguered planet.
Creating a blanket of healing love along with our intent for a better future. Focus on this intent, visualize the world healed and restored, the planet itself and all its inhabitants. Know that it will be so. Send some of this energy into your crystal. Charge it as a battery, and know that it will continue to send out this healing energy to the Earth once our ritual ends. Finally, send energy to those in need of healing. We will not name them here this night but we know their names in our hearts, those known to us, those who have
approached the temple for healing, and those who have not been named.
See the energy fill them with vitality and health, and know that this vision too will come to pass. Hold these visions for a moment longer.
As the images fade and you return to normal consciousness we bid farewell to the Lady Sequana with love and thanks.
Take the tree seed and plant it in the compost. Nurture this seed for it is a symbol of the restoration of the Earth. Place your crystal on the compost at one side of the pot. Feel the power within the crystal, and know that it is sending healing energy to the Earth. Know too that it will sustain your seed. These items are the symbols of your intent and purpose. Protect and nurture them.
We turn back now to the Lady Cerridwen who has been watching our ritual with approval. Lady Cerridwen, our journey on the Path begins with a single step, and we ask thee to guide us on our way that we may always hear thy call and do our duty. We ask for your aid in our task, as we work to restore our world. So mote it be!
Now, before we close our ritual, raise your arms and send the energy we have created here this night up into the air. See it spreading across the Earth like a blanket. See it joining the crystal web. See it bringing healing to the Earth and to all who need it. We shall not name these people tonight for we know their names in our hearts.
Hold this vision for a moment more and then return to normal consciousness.
For us all I bless the chalice and offer it to the Lady and the Lord and to our ancestors with our thanks.
Lady Cerridwen, we thank thee for thy presence with us this night, for thy gift of the bounty of the Earth and for thy enduring love. Go if you must but know you are welcome to stay if you will. We bid thee Hail and Farewell.
Lord Cernunnos, we thank thee for thy presence this night. Go if you must but know you are welcome to stay if you will. We bid thee Hail and Farewell.
Gracious ancestors, we thank thee you joining us this night.. Go if you must but know you are welcome to stay if you will. We bid thee Hail and Farewell.
Please close the quarters:
Hail to thee guardians of the East, the Powers of Air. The inner voice inside us all calls us to partake of our inner wisdom. Let us heed the call. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell. Harm ye none on your way.
We bid thee hail and farewell.
Hail to thee guardians of the South, the Powers of Fire. The eternal flame of knowledge and wisdom that burns within us, shows us the way. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell. Harm ye none on your way.
We bid thee hail and farewell.
Hail to thee guardians of the West, the Powers of Water. The ever-present flow of water within us, guides us to our inner being. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell. Harm ye none on your way.
We bid thee hail and farewell.
Hail to thee guardians of the North, the Powers of Earth. The evaluation of life guides us to the caverns of knowledge and wisdom within. As ye depart to your mighty realms, we bid thee hail and farewell. Harm ye none on your way. We bid thee hail and farewell.
As above, so below, As within, so without. As the universe, so the soul.
The circle is open but forever unbroken.
We merry meet and merry part and merry meet again. Blessed be!
Remember to ground and release excess energy.
Garden of Eatin’
Summertime Pasta
Components of this pasta classic can vary according to the bounty of your garden, as long as the flavors are simple and fresh.
Source: Old Farmer's Almanac
* 2 small zucchini
* 1 small summer squash
* 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* 3 to 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
* 1-1/2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
* 6 large leaves fresh basil, thinly sliced
* 1 pound rotini pasta
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cut squashes into neat, fine julienne and set aside. Heat butter and oil; sauté garlic over medium heat until opaque. Add mushrooms and sauté until just starting to shrink and change color. Add squash and cook just until tender. Stir in basil. Do not overcook. Meanwhile, cook pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until al dente. Drain pasta and toss with vegetables and Parmesan cheese in serving bowl. Serve with additional Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.
Submitted by Dryw
CHOPPED VEGGIE SALAD
Source: The Daily Recipe
INGREDIENTS:
4 zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
4 yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
24 ounces cherry tomatoes
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
DIRECTIONS:
Combine the zucchini, squash, tomatoes, lemon juice, oil, salt, pepper, and mint in a large bowl. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: 8 Servings
Submitted by Dryw
Harvests from the Printing Press
SOULCRAFT Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche by Bill Plotkin, Ph.D
Bill Plotkin has explored an issue that’s concept is relatively new in our culture, but ages old in indigenous cultures--what is the impact of our natural world's crisis on our psyche and soul? As a people disconnected from Earth's hidden worlds, we are ill-equipped, psychologically, to stay in balance during the political, natural and cultural upheavals happening around us. Is it any wonder that more and more people are suffering anxiety of unknown origin? That we live under a shroud of un-nameable fears?
The author guides us skillfully through an explanation of how to discover our souls path and find meaning and understanding in the mystery and the ecstasy of bonding with the Earth through wilderness rites and personal initiations..
"Soulcraft grounds soul psychology in the natural world and creates a contemporary path of initiation into soulful adulthood". Robert Johnson
As the title implies, this is a book about crafting our souls and surviving in this world where so much of what truly has meaning is hidden in the mysteries of the indigenous peoples of the world. Excellent and thought-provoking reading, Bill Plotkin laid his own soul bare sharing his experiences.
Bill Plotkin is a depth psychologist, ecotherapist, and wilderness guide. He is founding director of Colorado 's Animas Valley Institute (www.animas.org) which has been leading nature-based soul-initiation programs since 1980.
Submitted by Dryw
Spider Woman's Web
Here are some links we love!!
http://www.gaiafield.net:80/
A place for spiritual peacemaking....
http://www.treeoflife.nu/home
A place of wellness and inspiration....
http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/
Learn to practice your spirituality in daily life...
http://www.simpleliving.net/main/
The simple living network
http://www.newdream.org/buyingwisely/index.php
Being a conscious consumer....
Order of the White Moon
http://orderwhitemoon.org
Links to Daughters of the Greening:
Information on Courses
Tarot Readings
Prayer Requests
Email: school@daughtersofthegreening.com
Subscribe to this newsletter at:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/the_sacred_glen