Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Spring "Soulstice" - food for the soul!

As a group of amazing women and I get ready to hold our Spring Soulstice event in Forest Park on March 22, I came across an article I shared on my website some time ago and it seemed relevant to what is coming up.  We use Goddess archetypes and their attributes to help us in our everyday lives.  It is fun to learn about the many goddesses and what made them special and then decide which parts of them we would like to embody in our own lives.  Please join us by clicking here!

How to be a Goddess  
By Anita Revel

There are many faces modern women present to the world. In the space of one day, you can be the professional at work, partner and career at home, and fun-lover with friends. No matter what the situation, women need to draw on a wide range of resources to keep it all together. Tapping into goddess energy is one way to ensure you get through each day with your integrity intact.

SELF PRESERVATION. Being goddess is about being in tune with oneself, being able to recognize threatening situations and respond rationally and calmly. Trust your instinct and act with confidence. Be conscious of the influence of others’ moods and needs and stay balanced in times of duress. Manifest security and a dynamic presence by keeping your feet firmly on the ground, literally.
SELF GRATIFICATION. Creatively, emotionally and sexually, connect with others through feeling, desire, sensation and movement. Learn to accept change gracefully and don’t be afraid to let your depth of feelings show. In addition, a poverty consciousness will only serve to deny what you deserve. Abundance is good, (greed is not), whether it be material, esoteric, emotional or otherwise. Ask for what you want and deserve, and providing it’s not for selfish reasons, give yourself permission to receive it.
SELF DEFINITION. Being goddess is more than just alabaster skin and an Elle McPherson body. Apart from round abdomens and swinging breasts, common attributes of ancient goddesses include uncompromising strength, compassion and justice. Spend time working out who you are, who you want to be, and then honoring the true you in the image you present to everyone you meet. Write your own eulogy then circle the five most important elements that you would want people to remember you by. Then, live according to those attributes to make them a habit.
SELF ACCEPTANCE. If you don’t love yourself, then don’t expect others too either. If you let others treat you badly, you are telling your inner psyche that you do not deserve better. The modern goddess gal never, ever allows herself to accept second best. Rally your personal power and self-respect and learn to say words like “No” and “Enough.” Most importantly, mean what you say! On the other side of the coin, give compliments freely, for if ‘what goes around comes around’ you will soon enjoy receiving plenty in return.
SELF EXPRESSION. What you say is what you get. Expressions like, “I’ll never be able to get over this obstacle,” will manifest in exactly the way you describe. Instead of confronting and overcoming your fears, you will remain stagnant, bashing your head against the brick wall you say can’t be knocked down. Change your speech habits to dispel negatives and embrace positives. Say “I can do it,” and next thing you know, you’ll be leaping brick walls in a single bound.
SELF REFLECTION. Get over petty issues and open your vision to see the Big Picture. If you are absorbed in trivial worries, they are most likely a distraction mechanism to keep you from what it is you really need. If you had three months left to live, would you really care about your shade of lipstick, upgrading your mobile phone, or getting the best table at the hottest restaurant in town? It’s up to you to prioritize what the important things really are. Make a list of your dreams for the next week, year, and/or decade. Circle one thing on each list and commit to make it happen, one step at a time.
SELF KNOWLEDGE. See yourself as a minute organism in the ways of the world, both in the physical and non-physical planes, in the present and the future. Disconnecting with the world every now and then can be healthy if it lets you travel to a spaceless, timeless place of knowledge, wisdom, understanding and spiritual connection. To revitalize flagging energy levels, practice yoga and meditation when possible. Time poor? Take the phone off the hook and power-rest for five minutes – this time-out for self can be just as refreshing.

Monday, February 20, 2012

Make One Change Each Day..

I was driving somewhere yesterday and came to a corner at a stoplight and when I looked out the window, I saw a young man, standing with a keyboard in a box, not a case which all musicians who are really musicians have for their instruments; and he was staring at a brick wall talking on his cell phone, head moving back and forth, but eyes never leaving the brick facade.

My first reaction gave me a chuckle in that I was reminded of Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross Train station in Harry Potter. I imagined this man on the phone to someone on "the other side", saying something like "I'm right where you told me to go! I am not seeing it. Do I knock three times on this wall to open it?" Oh wait, that is from the movie Beetlejuice...

And I thought, wouldn't it be nice, at this point in my life, to be able to step onto platform 9 3/4 and go to another place than the one I am in right now? Just for a change? A friend told me tonight at dinner that people our age have done most everything. Nothing is new. It's the same old, same old. So why not spice it up tomorrow and do something different? If your normal routine is get up, shower, read the paper, have a cup of coffee and go to work, then why not change one thing in that pattern?

Make one change each day. By the end of a week you would have made at least 7 changes. Two weeks, 14 changes. I can do that. Step out of the skin I've been wearing for a very long time and step into something else. Don't get me wrong, I love the skin I'm in. It's just time to add a bit more spice to the pot and stir it up a bit.

My sis and I used to take the heads off of our barbie dolls, line them up (Ken dolls were included too) and drop the heads on top of them. Whichever landed closest to the body became its new head and therefore, new personality. This caused a few problems for Ken, since we only had two of him and about 20 females.

So, I think it's time to toss my heads into the air (I have many from the many persona's I've embodied in my life) and see where they land. Then pop on a new view and head to Platform 9 3/4. Let the good times roll....