Betrayal

 I met her through a school friend because she worked near my home so we met for lunch, then my old friend wasn’t available but we kept up our twosome lunch dates. We also met socially sometimes. Her partner was very suave, French, a guitarist, well dressed, his hair always amazingly stylish, and he had an import and export business, said with a grin and a strong wink of the eye! They took their holidays in hot exotic places, always returning with a heavy sun tan despite her white skin and full freckles. She was depressed, not a good timekeeper, and would fight me to pay my part of the bill in the restaurant! Oh! Please just let’s keep it equal without a fuss! I have no time for attention seekers. Each time I thought would be the last time we met. 

Then one afternoon, we were alone in the restaurant, and she said, “Can I tell you something”, I looked and said nothing. “Do you mind if I tell you something private?” Lots of things came to mind. Her partner was a likely philanderer, was he involved with drugs I wondered? I knew he played in a band that probably took drugs. I wasn’t really wanting any kind of confession, and she blurted put “I’ve been diagnosed with melanoma! It’s quite serious” I felt sad for her. She was impossible to give up work since they needed the money to pay for a buy-to-let property that caused them considerable expense at a time when he was not bringing in much money. They were moving to be near her mother 90 minutes drive from her work station and the long commute strained her low energy levels. She decided she wanted to get married, having been with him for decades, her first love. She went to France to stay with his mother to receive treatment that was said to be better than the NHS but the appointments required considerable time off work. She was too unwell to travel. She got married in a wheelchair. His best friend’s sister was there at the wedding.

Ozymandias - A Poem

Ozymandias by Percy Bysse Shelley

I am sharing poems I remember from my childhood....

I met a traveller from an antique land,

Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,

And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,

Tell that its sculptor well those passions read

Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,

The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;

And on the pedestal, these words appear:

My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;

Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!

Nothing beside remains. Round the decay

Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare

The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

La Belle Dame Sans Merci - A Poem

 La Belle Dame Sans Merci by John Keats

I am remembering poems from my childhood: 

Ah, what can ail thee, knight at arms,
  Alone and palely loitering;
The sedge is withered from the lake,
  And no birds sing.

Ah, what can ail thee, knight at arms,

  So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel's granary is full,
  And the harvest's done.

I see a lily on thy brow,
  With anguish moist and fever dew;
And on thy cheek a fading rose
  Fast withereth too.

I met a lady in the meads
  Full beautiful, a faery's child;
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
  And her eyes were wild.

I set her on my pacing steed,
  And nothing else saw all day long;
For sideways would she lean, and sing
  A faery's song.

Dowsing at Bradwell

I facilitated a small group to investigate whether a ley-line could be detected by using dowsing rods in the vicinity of St Peter's Chapel, Bradwell on Sea, which was built from stone recovered from a Roman fort which defended Essex from invasions from Europe. 

When the Romans left (early 400s AD) this fortress fell into dilapidation. In the mid seventh century, the Celtic Bishop, Cedd, sailed down the coast from the Holy Island of Lindisfarne to preach Christianity to the pagans of the East Saxon shore, and he decided to build a chapel using the spare stone from the Roman fort he found on the beach at Bradwell. He dedicated it to St Peter, who was a fisherman, and at this site, sea and river meet, and at that time it was rich in all varieties of fish. 

Yoga Styles

Hatha Yoga: Physical, for strength, flexibility and balance.
Iyenga Yoga: Go slow and listen to your body.
Jivamukti Yoga: 1980s USA style, chanting, poses, philosophy.
Yin Yoga: Easy, ideal for elderly or injured. For flexibility and circulation.
Kundalini Yoga: Meditation, hand gestures, breathing, chanting, invigorating.
Yoga Nidra: Relaxation, meditation, visualisation, positive thinking.
Bikram Yoga: Hot! Challenging. You need to be in tip top condition.
Ashtanga Yoga: Dynamic, challenging.
Vinyasa Yoga: Athletic, originating in Ashtanga. Breathing orientated.

Kabbalistic Creation Story

This is a Kabbalistic creation story told to me many, many years ago. I hope I recall it OK. In order to be true to my teacher, the word “man” means here, both men and women, and all angels are described as male.

It begins at the time when God had created the heavens and our planet, and had finished creating human beings who worshipped him day and night. One day, he called his angels to him. God doubted, and said sadly, 

“Man worships me, but only because he knows no other God. Without freedom to worship an alternative, how can I be sure my beloved people, truly love me?”

All the angels were puzzled and God said “Call forth Lightbringer, the greatest of my archangels”. And the Lightbringer came forth. And God said to him,

“How do I know that Man truly loves me and no other?” 

The Great Lucifer could not answer.  God then said, 

“Lucifer, my very best and brightest archangel, YOU must oppose me and turn man’s heart and mind against me. I will know that my people, the greatest of my creation, truly love me because they will do good and stand by me and not attend to your wishes”. 

Lucifer was shocked. “I could never oppose you My Lord and Master, I could not turn Man’s heart against you. You are my Lord and Master.” “Yes, Lucifer!” God said, “This is what I command you to do!”

Pilgrimage

Pilgrimages in mediaeval times were encouraged by the church and many ordinary people took to the countryside to walk from one holy site to another, staying in inns and abbeys along the routes. They were often very unprepared, without suitable clothing or shoes, or even had good health to start with. But this was the religious holiday of the time. People would hear sermons, speak with all kinds of tradespeople, artisans, paupers and intellectuals. They would learn about healing herbs, poultices, how to mend broken bones, how to heal fever and exhaustion, as well as learning about veterinary care of the animals along many of the drovers routes that ran alongside the pilgrims way.  

I was born in a place of mediaeval pilgrimage. Each day as a young child I walked twice through the ancient churchyard. To me it was not spooky but more romantic as my mother said that people were remembered for hundreds of years because they were good people buried there. My father said my relatives, with my surname, had their tomb stones on the floor of the ancient church of St Mary. The area was an early compass, as pilgrims would go from one site to another; listening for church bells and watching for church towers and spires. Weather vanes also provided useful advice when setting out. 

Leadership Styles

 

Getting to Know the Goddess Course 2:1

Goddess Pages online course. Visit: goddess-pages.co.uk

I have long felt connected to the Virgin Goddesses who have more of an independent life, greater power of decision making.  I love the video of a song to Ariadne, Goddess of the Labyrinth, who gave the hero a thread so he could kill the beast that had its lair in the centre of the dark caves of dread and pain. I felt her pull on a thread that brought me to safety when I was in a dark warren of depression. Though I travelled to Chartres in order to walk the Knights Templar labyrinth there, it was closed on that day, so to went to the beach and made one myself in the sand. There is a marvellous 1 mile to the centre labyrinth at Saffron Walden, which was created in the 12th century and I have walked it on a full moon and on Earth day, and in the rain! I honour the Goddess of the Labyrinth, she is my savour!
In Part 2 of the course 'Getting to Know the Goddess', we enter another interesting part of the course on learning about Virgin Goddesses. Mary is known as a Christian mother and also virgin. Perhaps virgin means pure, innocent or young rather than the more modern meaning of not having had sexual intercourse. 

Women’s Day

We will celebrate International Women’s Day on 8th March. This year’s theme is ‘Embrace Equality’. Some readers will ask whether those that 'think' like a woman, 'feel' like a woman, or have the 'physical' attributes of a woman, can be included in this category! We hope by sharing our ideas and knowledge, that we can shed some light on this - or will we perhaps make the topic even more confusing! 

Women collectively come together for mutual support every International Women’s Day. Women across the world have needed to fight hard for equality and despite legal equality in many modern countries, women are still not equal to men in many ways. They still suffer discrimination and have poorer life choices. They don’t earn equal pay, and they don’t reach positions of power as easily, or as often, as men. Their life is sometimes arduous, their health not taken so seriously, and they can be at major risk of being a victim of crime from those who they have loved. They usually accept caring duties that involve looking after their partner, their children and their elderly or disabled relatives. 

Words - A Collection

Martin Buber retells a story of a Rabbi, who on his deathbed is asked if he’s ready for the world to come. The Rabbi replies with a hearty yes! as he will not be asked “Why were you not Moses?” he will only be asked “Why were you not yourself?” 

The epitaph on the gravestone of Howard Carter reads:  May your spirit live, may you spend millions of years, you who love Thebes, sitting with your face to the north wind, your eyes beholding happiness”. This is a quotation from the Wishing Cup of Tutankhamen, and “O Night, spread your wings over me as the imperishable stars.” 

For everything there is a season, A time for action and a time to be passive, a time to be together and a time to be alone, a time to fight and a time to love, a time to work and a time to play, a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to confront and a time to withdraw, a time to speak and a time to be silent, a time to hurry and have time to wait. 

The Holy Land

Many mysteries surround the antiquity of the Holy Land. Sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, it is the most fought over piece of land in the world! Where is Mount Sinai? Sir Colin Humphreys is a Cambridge University academic who questioned the position of Mount Sinai, the place where Exodus states that Moses heard the voice of God from the burning bush and was given the 10 Commandments.