As a daughter of The Great Mother Goddess…one of many ways I connect with Imbolc/Brigid’s Day and Valentine’s Day(February 2-14)is through…Oshun. This deity is the Yoruba cosmological force of water, moisture, and attraction…these“energies” and or “attributes” are brought through the planet Venus(who rules Taurus),which is also,archetypical,the Goddess of our eternal flame… passion,seduction,grace, beauty, love, and creativity…all of us have this archetype within us…the one that calls to our desires. In this instance,S-he is known as the Venus(Love) of our inner-beings. The mother, the one who sends sensual and sexual pleasures, warmth, comfort and human love.

You see,contact with this Essence heals one relationship with self and thereupon,with the divine…the fe-male energy-field within ourselves. This union of self opens us up to supreme consciousness which one can experience as messages to the soul that appear through the higher side of the consciousness.

One should realize that through a giving heart and or spirit it is your FREE choice to experience love, in its many manifestations, through the reflection of self-love,extended love,and or divine love…for love is present everywhere and should be in all bonding unions in one’s life. 

Extend yourself…to opening up Supreme  Consciousness…

 Blessings,

 Creolemoon

Notes:  Valentine, Eros,Mars,Cupid are lesser aspects of the Supreme Goddess of Love… for the Venus of Eternal Love knows no bounds.

The year of the Dragon takes place every twelve years. Children born during Dragon Years are said to enjoy health, wealth, and long life. Dragon references occur prominently in early philosophical texts as well as in the images of shamanistic worship.

The Dragon is a symbol for Kundalini fire-energy. The Kundalini Serpent Power of the Dragon is a Mother Goddess Cosmic energy within each individual. Incidentally, the Dragon is associated with the seasons. S/he ascended into the sky in the spring to make rain for the crops and returned underwater in the fall. Ancient Chinese prayed to the dragon for good harvests, banging gongs to awaken the Spirit in the spring. They brought offerings and small images in clay. Revered and feared…s/he is most often associated with the weather and is also known as the “Rain Master”… eyes flashing lightning, wings causing the wind, and breath the rain. The dry season occurred when s/he was hibernating in the water, its natural element. The tail of the dragon symbolizes the time of fall equinox. It represents our past. And, the head of the dragon symbolizes the spring equinox…the future of the becoming.

The color of Dragons are associated with their powers, some examples are as follows: Azure dragons are associated with spring, red and black are ferocious, representing storms in clouds, and yellow dragons are like the sun, elusive,and solitary. Dragons are associated with several cosmic sphears: Celestial Dragons (Tien-lung) who guards and supports the heavens, Spiritual Dragons (Shen-lung) who control rain and wind, Earth Dragons (Ti-lung) who direct the course of rivers and streams safely toward the sea, and Subterranean Dragons (Fut’s-lung), who guard the treasures of the earth, gems, jade, gold.

To dig further down into the Spirit…the Dragon of Living Fire Rises because it is time for your reBirth into a highER Self-actualization…a higher self-consciousness. The heart of this Goddess Kundalini lives within you…s/he is you. This energy-field is spiraled up within you. When one’s kundalini Rises…it is the absolute pure knowledge of compassion.

“When we talk in the light of Kundalini, we have to understand that this light spreads in your life, outside your life and, expresses itself in a very beautiful manner. When it works, the whole thing works out and you develop faith. That faith is within you. Nobody can challenge you if you have faith. It will be done. Your pure desire is now being fulfilled, you are now connected, and you are now Divine. The brain cannot perceive divinity unless it is illuminated by the Spirit.” Shri Mataji

Happy New Year! May 2012 be FILLED with wisdom and compassion.

CreoleMoon

 Serpent Goddess of Justice, Time, Heaven and Hell…She who rears up

Not too long ago a dear friend visited me and we touched on the subject of if my family and I celebrated Christ in our Xmas. I would like to respond with the following cosmology…you see, I am a High Priestess of the Great Mother Goddess…Isis, Kwan Yin, Kali, a crowned daughter of Iemanja…whatever one wishes to call her by name…I follow Shakti… an Ultimate Energy-field that pushes me into further growth. I follow the Sun and Moon the Stars…the Womb…the everlasting Cosmic…and what you see and read from my thoughts…is just a brief exploration of what unlimited possibilities are within…Consequently, I cannot express the detail of what I celebrate on Xmas…in such a blog post. But, I would like to share a gift with you…a gift of enlightenment…

You see, one of many of these personifications that I CELEBRATE are as follows;Wadjet is the Cobra Kundalini goddess( a serpent that is within each of us that ascends to the immortal divine)of Lower Egypt whom eventually took the title, The Eye of Ra. Wadjet,the personification of the north, a forceful snake-headed protector of kings,childbirth,and children-a motherly defender. Wadjet can be seen rearing from the forehead of the rulers,such as King Tutankhamen.

Many Egyptian deities,such as Wadjet, are connected with specific hours, days, and months. Her time is considered to function as the fifth hour of the fifth day of the month, or lunar cycle. Consequently, December 25th, on the Egyptian calendar, is considered to function as the “going forth of the Goddess.” In the Pyramid Texts,it said that the papyrus plant emerged from her, and that she is connected to the forces of growth.”

Egyptian Serpent Power

 Blessed be,

CreoleMoon

Ital Pumpkin Bread

les ingrédients

8 oz (225 g) wholemeal flour

3 tsp baking powder

4  oz (115 g) vegetable margarine(we use a vegetable oil called Earth’s Balance)

4  oz (115 g) raw cane sugar

1/2 lb (225 g) cooked pumpkin

1/2 cup  milk (we use rice milk)

3 oz (85 g) raisins

cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup Flaxseed

Sift the flour and baking powder. Cream the margarine and sugar together in a bowl. Mash the cooked pumpkin until smooth and add to the creamed mixture. Fold in the sifted ingredients and moisten with the milk. Stir in the spices (nutmeg, cinnamon…) and raisins. Spoon the mixture into a greased 2 lb load tin and bake for 40-60 minutes at about 350 F (180 c).

Witching you Magikal Blessings…Happy Solstice,

CreoleMoon

The autumnal equinox occurs whenever the sun crosses the equator on its journey southward. Therefore we have a day as well as a night which are of equal duration. Consequently, on this date the sun enters the sign of Libra. Aha, yes, the feast of the archangel Michael.

Mythically, this is actually the day when the God of Illumination is defeated by his twin and alter ego, the God of Darkness. It happens to be the time of the year when night conquers day.

Likewise, we share in this universal rhythm of rebirth and reincarnation when we acknowledge the waning power of the Sun. This is actually a time of going within ourselves and making preparations for our particular survival, psycho-spiritually and physically, while in the winter months; the moment for introspection and deep thought.

The Equinox is really a potent time to meditate, set intentions, invoke our guides and gather together to receive infusions of wisdom and enlightenment. Opportunities… because we create a passage originating from a lower degree of consciousness and resourceful power into a higher one. The stronger the light, the better visible our shadow becomes along with the greater the potential for positive self-transformation.

The Equinox is your precise balance point where day and night (light and dark) are exactly equal {and as well as in perfect balance. Incidentally, this is the reason the Equinox is such an important sacred day in a great number of world’s “spiritual” traditions. The reason being, it happens to be the perfect occasion to set new intentions and apply yourself to a positive shift toward greater love and release self-limiting fears.

In Love and Light,

Creolemoon

Having Irish and Scottish Gaelic roots, being born in the month of May and now having my youngest daughter’s birth in May, I hold this month as sacred and a union that springs’ forth further inner-growth. A Solar Sabbat that I celebrate for myself is known as Beltane; celebrated at or around April 30^th – May 1^st and or May 5^th, an additional date when the sun reaches 15 degrees Taurus. This specific celebration consists of customs belonging to the Gaelic Bealtaine as well as the Germanic May Day festival. In Irish Gaelic, Bealtaine is the word pertaining to the month of May. In Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn signifies May Day.

Beltane highlights the arrival of energy and pleasure. Beltane features the growth of the youthful god towards maturity. Awakened from forces laboring in the wild, he longs for the goddess. Suddenly…right before our eyes…she becomes alive from the union of her fertile soil and his seeds…no longer dormant in her womb…life is flourishing…and blossoming all around us. They fall madly in love…joining forces. This particular growth of the Green Man together with the goddess of May is a magikal sacred union…essential for the lushness of earth mother. This time is known as a solar Sabbat and that is known as a Quarter Day. Basically, the entire year is split into four parts. Each Sabbat signifies a transforming moment which is accompanied by a transfer in energy levels. Consequently,if we sub/consciously open ourselves up to this flow, these times of transformation will likely have a psycho-spiritual influence within us. Hence, we are one within the cycle of life. Furthermore, incoming spiritual development encourages us to arise to what’s everlasting inside all of us. Once we benefit from this, we additionally uncover the place we belong within the universal energy of life that flows throughout us and effects all things within the cosmos.

Blessed Be,

CreoleMoon

On March 20th/21st we welcome Spring Equinox. The first point of Aries. This is when the Sun (Ra) will cross directly over the Earth’s (Isis-the Divine Mother) equator . Thus, day and night are equal in balance. People have Celebrated the Spring Equinox for thousands of years. This is the time when mother-earth Awakens from the seeds that have been planted inside of her. Early Egyptians built the great Sphinx so that they would point directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the Spring Equinox.

This is a time of personal renewal…growth. Ask yourself, “How can I re-new myself… my Spirit?” This is a holistic journey towards renewal…this self-actualization. It is time to shed all the dormant energy that you opened your psyche up to when you set out to awaken all the contemplations of this past winter solstice. It is time to ask yourself, “What do I need to liberate myself from?”

During this time, the full moon is sacred to Eostre, the Lunar Goddess of fertility-from whence we get the word estrogen, whose two symbols are the egg and the rabbit…symbols of life and fertility. Full Moon energy is used for banishing unwanted influences in your life, protection magik, and divination. Planning, releasing and working backward in time are done on the Full Moon as well. It is said that the best Full Moon magik can be conjured for seven days: the three days prior to the Full Moon, the night of the Full Moon itself, and three days after the Full Moon. Sometimes the results of Full Moon magik take approximately one moon cycle to take hold and come to completion.

March is the time for new beginnings, breaking illusions, and seeing the truth in your life however much it may hurt. The energy flow breaks into the open, a good time for growing, prospering, and exploring.

Illuminate,

CreoleMoon

I have a lot of questions on how one starts the journey of self-knowledge? How does one start the exploration into the “Craft” of self-awareness? Incidentally, in my previous post, I posed the question…how does one find that true-self within the cave? I would like to pick up from there. I can share my own experience with you.

I have many guides(deities) and or archetypes (personified fields) that I journey and identify with in order to enhance my psycho-spiritual-growth. The psychic contact (cosmic being) that I fuse with ,and or vibe’ with becomes a “numinous energy” that helps me develop further empathy, compassion, honor,and reason for myself and others. Incidentally, when I attach my consciousness into the archetype(s) the union creates a certain energy-field that penetrates my collective unconsciousness and finds my hidden and higher-self. The former is an example of remolding one’s subconscious. Consequently, in order to feed’ such a strong energy-field, the subconscious, it takes dedication, a flow of magnetic mental force. One can use affirmation(s) and or tantra(s) to begin to tap’ into self-awareness and or the inner-path. Observation…is the first awakening of the soul…learn to concentrate on the mind.

Remember, archetypes typically operate unconsciously but we can become aware of them and interact with them consciously, as with defenses. One must’ intentionally focus on the healing of self-psyche by tapping into the inner-resources and or phenomenal field our “temple” holds for us. Furthermore, our yearning for self-concept,self-worth and or self-actualization…is the driving force behind that push to experience oneself in a way that is consistent with one’s conscious view of what one is…thus the built-in motivation’. Spirituality resides within the person. Only then, can peak experiences and or trance being occur… I like the saying, moments of personal-illumination… a complete unification of consciousness. For in these moments of solitude and or deep meditative thought…a personal energy heals and thus becomes ego-transcending; thus releasing one’s own free-will. I practice the former daily via centering and or drawing down the moon’. By doing the former, I connect to my inner-power! Over the next few post…I will send out Power Affirmations…that I can only hope… will continue to spark an awakening within your being…

Blessed be,

CreoleMoon

Notes: My inspiration for this piece was Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami

The Socratic care of the soul involves self-knowledge; the upward’ discovery and union of the psycho-spiritual self and the difficult challenges the ego-centered self has with healing from certain shadows and or archetypes (the collective unconsciousness) that impose self-limiting thought vibrations and or negative energy within the psyche. You see…one must be willing to question life … their reality in order to fully nourish a growth process within for proper self-understanding. And, in order to discover true illumination/ true consciousness and or thought, one must be willing to voyage into a process’ of freeing one’s mind, spirit, and temple(body), from ignorance (imprisonment), such as self-loathing opinions, dogmas, and fear of exploring the unknown’ … the world within, the cave. Thereupon, one can connect with that divine inner-source and or ultimate truth; this ultimate truth being goodness and or balance… therefore, to have spiritual transpersonal insights and experiences… is a process of igniting and connecting with true wisdom, true freedom’ and belief ‘ within oneself.

So the question arises…how does one find that true-self within the cave? Well, meditation…is one way. Meditation is a time-honored technique that can take one into infinite dimensions of consciousness, thus, establishing healing personal energy. The practice helps one develop discipline and concentration. In relation to meditation and a conditioned stimulus, an example would be lighting a candle and or some incense for ritual’ and or trance; eventually, lighting the candle or incense signals one’s brain that it’s time for meditation. For example, in the practice of tratak and or candle gazing , the exercise helps one learn to sit quietly and focus on something other than their outer world. This practice is known as inner gazing. I practice candle magik daily. I sit in a comfortable position, I place a burning candle in front of myself and then I concentrate on my flow of breath, when I’m calm… I gaze at the candle … from there I open my third eye… focusing on the flame that represents the source of my creation, my inner light.

May your inner light burn bright…

CreoleMoon

Not very long ago, my husband was asked, via a Christian “friend”, if we were serious about raising our children as pagans! Mind you, there was malicious sarcasm embedded within his question. Well,…the question would read, “Do you as a Christian celebrate Valentine’s Day?”

Incidentally, the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia (in honor of Februata Juno-the Roman goddess of women and marriage, was an annual three day festival in order to increase fertility. It was started by Romans in the 4th century BCE. It was held on February 13th -15th. Some believe the festival honored Faunus, who was a god of herds and crops and much like the Greek god Pan; thus, the “Feast of the Wolf.”

Consequently, Pope Gelasius officially condemned the pagan Roman festival and banned it observance at the end of the fifth century. Incidentally, many of its practices quickly appeared in a newly established holiday added by him to the official’ church list of feast days in A.D. 496; Hence, St. Valentine’s Day. What amounted to a revamped Lupercalia gradually turned its self into the Valentine’s Day we know today; which included Cupid(Eros) the Roman god of desire, affection, and erotic love and son of Venus (the Roman goddess of love and beauty)and Mars.

Incidentally, today, Valentine’s Day, among many other pagan holidays, is a festival that has been incorporated into many church’ activities without regard to its pagan origin(s). Consequently, historically, the pagan festival was celebrated with a lottery in which a man would draw the name of a woman and she would become his love (sex-which is a sacred union in paganism) companion for the day, a year, or the rest of their lives. These partners exchanged gifts as a sign of affection, and often married. However, Christianity tried to further change the celebration of Lupercalia by first replacing the lottery names of women with saints. The idea was that during the following year the young men would emulate the life of the saint whose name they had drawn.

Incidentally,in short…because the point of the moment is that Valentine’s is of pagan origin, there are at least three different Saint Valentines, all of whom were Christian martyrs of February 14. One of them is described as a priest from Rome, another as a bishop of Interamma, and the third from Africa. Eventually, due to its pagan origins and practice, the Catholic church decided to abandon St. Valentine’s Day in 1969. Incidentally, the French government banned it’s practice in 1776. And, in Italy, Austria, Hungry, and Germany also banned the ritual over time. Furthermore, Valentine’s Day had also been banned in England during the 17th century when the Puritans were strong.

However, in 1660 Charles II revived it. From there, it also reached the New World. Incidentally, Esther A. Howland produced one of the first commercial Valentine’s Day cards in 1840′s. The Valentine’s industry has been very profitable ever since.

In Peace and Light,

CreoleMoon

notes:
Incidentally, in further writings I will go more into a transpersonal perspective of what Cupid, Kamadeva, Venus and Psyche mean(s) to me. However, for the moment…this post is purely informational to help shed light upon the origins of the pagan holiday known as Valentine’s Day.