Getting to know the Goddess Course 4:2

Goddess-Pages online course. Visit: goddess-pages.co.uk
The Goddess of the Sea

I have always been attracted to the sea. I love the large skies, and the blue of the sea where the horizon meets the blue of the sky. There is a sense of the eternal, and of an everlasting and awesome beauty that is unconquerable by mankind. We can never change that picture.

Aphrodite is not a Goddess I relate to, perhaps her manipulative personality is one I fear. In my childhood 'the Star of the Sea', was Mary, Mother of Jesus, though why she is called this, I have wondered. We had a hymn, that I remember well. Maybe Mary Magdelene should have the  title of ‘star of the sea’ instead.

I did once make a Goddess doll but I buried it in a ceremony. I seem to collect dolls; people give them to me as gifts. Some are very special. I believe some can talk! :-)

We are very lucky that so many ancient artefacts have survived many tens of thousands of years. These earliest of objects made by human hands are statues of the Goddess. It is thought that She was the earliest of deities, and a peaceful, caring society developed under a strong matriarchal society. I would hope that we could look forward to a time when women are once again respected, given power and that men are supportive of this role for women in our world. Maybe the New Age will provide the opening for this to happen. By looking into the past, we can see where patriarchy has made mistakes, in war, materialism which destroys the planet and enslaves other species, does not properly care for children, gives women a second class status. We can address the problems of the future, and I think the Godesss, in all her guises, can help us to do that.

Essay - Dance & Movement Therapy

Foundation Course: Introduction to dance and movement therapy foundation course. 

Clarify and define the meaning of therapy and the meaning of dance. When does dance become therapy?

The word ‘therapy’ derives from the ancient Greek word meaning service. Therapy is an abstract noun, and a popular concept word for the therapeutic process. The word ‘therapeutic’ as defined by the Oxford dictionary means alleviating and of the healing arts. Many activities of daily life can be considered therapeutic and therefore healing, for example listening to music, walking nature, associating with friends etc., all that rewards by way of release, pleasure, esteem, amusement, connection, relaxation, rest, acceptance, refreshment, and understanding. 

The Gospel of Mary

The Gospel of Mary! We do not know which ‘Mary’ this refers to, maybe the mother of Jesus or Mary Magdalene, but many give Mary Magdalene the credit. The Gospel of Mary is considered ‘apocryphal’ that is, it is not accepted by the established Roman Catholic Church. It consists of two small manuscripts from a much larger missing document, one in Greek from the third century, the other in a Coptic translation from the fourth. We have some sayings reputed to be from Jesus, and teaching about the nature of sin, evil and wrongdoing which relates to our physicality. 

22nd July Feast Day

Today, 22nd July, is the feast day of Saint Mary Magdalene. It was in very recent years (2016) that she has she been made into a 'saint' by the Vatican, as previously, she was only commemorated because since the early days of Roman Catholicism, she was regarded as a prostitute, a person extremely reviled in her time. 

Now the Vatican have realised - after 1,700 years - that the woman described in the gospels as having seven devils cast out of her by Jesus, two important things, firstly that prostitution might have had nothing to do with '7 devils', and also that this woman gave her money to support Jesus and his disciples in his 3 year ministry. So did the Church think that Jesus was living off immoral earnings! 

Healing & wellbeing with Tarot

Since the dawn of recorded history, healing has been considered a magical art. Healing was a secret  known by shamans, medicine women and men, priestesses and priests, and the wise people whose knowledge was handed down the generations. Many people went on pilgrimages and learnt about the plants that grew by the wayside, how to cure a fever, attend to cuts, blisters, etc., and how to care for the animals that accompanied them on their journey. We know from ancient texts that the Egyptians knew many remedies for illnesses. Originally Egypt was called the Land of Khem, because they knew how to create and use chemicals. To gain more knowledge about their use, the alchemists of the Middle Ages were prepared to risk their own lives. 

Today, we know a great deal about health care; we are told daily to cut salt, sugar and fat from our diet, take exercise, avoid over indulgence in alcohol, and long term stresses. Regular daily mindfulness and meditation are shown to provide increased concentration and greater relaxation. They can also help to deal with the difficulties that present themselves to us through bereavement, disappointments, poor health and relationship breakdowns. 

The Magdalene’s Story

We don’t know very much about the Magdalene. She is mentioned 12 times in the New Testament - the earliest of Christian writings. At no time is there ever any suggestion of her age, though she is usually shown as a young woman, equally, she could have been very old. She is one of several female followers of Jesus who assisted him financially when he was teaching and healing from Galilee to Jerusalem. As she ministered to Jesus and the disciples from her own resources, it can be assumed she had an independent source of wealth. She is not named after a father or a husband, but after a word meaning 'tower'. This could be a place name, or a name of distinction relating to her ability and kindness. Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward, Chumash, and Suzanna and many others also provided Jesus with resources, therefore they were vital to his ministry. 

The gospels tell us that Jesus healed her of seven demons. We do not know what these demons involved, perhaps illness or distress. Did she come from Migdal, a town in Galilee? It is not thought so, as there was no town of this name in the first century. 

 

Anti-Social Personality Disorder

 What is “an Anti-Social Personality Disorder? 

Traits: Those with ASPD have little regard for norms, standards, boundaries and issues of right and wrong and therefore have little regard for the wellbeing of other people. They will frequently antagonise, manipulate, exploit and demand, and suffer no guilt or remorse due to a lack of ability to reflect on their destructive behaviour. They often violate the law by behaving impulsively and recklessly, lying and cheating, and can act with great irritability and hostility due to lack of impulse control, and major addictions to drugs or alcohol. They can display charming behaviour when they want something and are consummate actors. But the charm belies a cynical and highly opinionated interior. 

The Great Bell Chant

For peace, truth, justice, kindness, compassion, and all spiritual values

The Lady in the Forest - A Legend

The Legend of the Lady in the Forest by Jo Gregory

Deep in a woodland glade, sunbeams filtered through the branches of the ancient oak, ash and thorn. A path woven by deer was well worn and threaded through the undergrowth. The only clue that someone lived there was the small curl of wood smoke and the tip of a small chimney within the leaves. It was an ancient dwelling with worn walls, clambering roses and small windows under ragged thatch and ivy. The roof gave a haven to many creatures including sickled swallows diving for insects to feed their young.

No one came here. Legends and folklore passed across generations had warned of a woman, elusive and strange sometimes seen wandering the woods with a basket and muttering. In local hostels word would pass of her ability to vanish with a swirl of her old cloak.

The girl was desperate. Her chest heaved and her breath was ragged. Her dress was torn through running in blackthorn thickets and brambles, her hair tangled in a halo around her head. She had run like the wind from the village, morning dew soaking her clothes. Her face showed her determination as she paused and then opened the old gate to the cottage beyond. Eyes fixed on the door to calm he nerves she knocked and waited. No sound came from within but the door eased open slowly and after a moment she crossed the threshold.

Judgments!

Pray! Don’t find fault with the man who limps, or stumbles along life’s road. Unless you have the shoes he wears, or struggle beneath his load. There may be nails in his shoes that hurt - though hidden from your view, Or the burden he bears, placed upon your back may cause you to stumble too. 

Don’t be harsh with the man who sins or pelt him with words or stones, unless you are sure, yea! doubly sure, that you have no sins of your own. For you know, perhaps, if the tempter’s voice should whisper as soft to you, as it did to him when he went astray, it may cause you to stagger too. 

Don’t sneer at the man who is down, unless you have felt the blow, that caused his fall, or felt his shame  - as only the fallen know. You might feel strong, but remember those blows, if dealt to you, in the self same way, and at the self same time, it could cause you to fall too!