We are in rebellion here in the United States of America.
We are slowly turning our hearts from a God that is fastened
after a paternal, authoritian, benevolent tyrant of the ancient
near east. We are awakening to realize there is a trap that
is present when we willingly accept the intended father figure
of God. To reject this idea does not define us as atheists;
remember that as one door closes, yet another one opens to
us! When we can no longer fully accept the sky father as God
we discover a deepening experience of a renewed relationship
with God at the ground of our being that does not have a beginning
or ending and cannot be expressed in one singular image.
In understanding that I am sacred and a grain of the universe
the Christian, Jewish & Moslem approach estranges me from
the root of these images. Since they are all fundamentally
part of our childhoods and have a powerful affect on us until
we begin to question and explore for ourselves. The discovery
of our own vital images reveals themselves and these defy
definition. Is this not what God asks of each one of us? To
do our own exploration of the truth?
I find myself returning continually to Cailleach and acknowledging
in her terrifying image that she summons and stirs within
the places where my fears rest. She is the snake, the spider-woman,
and a symbol of where all is devoured in death that returns
us toward our beginning again. When we can get our minds out
of the normal ruts of comfort we can discover her benevolence.
Yes, She is Black!
She is not a luminous being.
She is the feminine, negative principal that is life giving,
ever important though devalued in our culture. She is the
substance that which stands underlying, the support, and the
foundation of the spaces that is completely basic to all of
life. She is the forgotten face of the feminine god. Remember
the blank page is necessary to write the story upon! Both
are equally important.
The Callieach is the death principal that has been swept under
our cultural carpet.
Many religions invent glorious heavens and punitive hells
for us to aspire toward or to invoke us to behave ourselves
within their designs. When we explore blackness we can discover
it is a necessary counterpart of our very being. The Tao states,
"Know the white but keep the black, a good tailor cuts
little."
Callieach is the womb principal, the great void, the dark
standing into the presence of god who has no definable image.
When we subscribe to images as manifestation of the divine
this gives us something to hold fast to, to grasp at. When
we let go and stop chasing after these accepted images, an
amazing grace enters into our lives. One is a profound religious
attitude that requires an image of total trust and letting
go of all that tethers us to our life. Is this not of equal
importance in the grand design of living in unity & harmony
with one another?
I would love to know what this inspires within you and welcome
your comments.
S.Geoghegan
Email: Siofrageoghegan@yahoo.ie
Website:www.ancientgoddesspilgrimage.com
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The Wise Woman Tradition
(http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter_Feb-02.htm#extra)
encourages us to work towards good health from the inside
out. And it helps us to remember that our healing choices
influence not only ourselves but the entire planet.
Spirit and Practice of the Wise Woman
Tradition
http://www.susunweed.com/Article_Spirit_WiseWoman.htm
The Goddess is Alive in Every Woman
http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter_Jan-02.htm#surprise
The Wise Woman Tradition is a Spiral
http://www.susunweed.com/Weed_letter_Dec-01.htm#surprise
Having
just read your article regarding the differences between the
Scientific, Heroic and Wise Woman healing traditions, I suddenly
understand something more about myself. I've often adhered to
the thinking of the heroic tradition, blaming myself, my thoughts,
feeling myself pathetic for not rising above mere physical illness.
But my heart always told me something different. It is the reason
why I love to nourish my family, spend time simply touching
the plants in my herb garden, or breathing in the night air.
Health is so much more than an absence of disease. I
feel as if you've just given me permission to live as my heart
tells me to. Thank you Susun. ~ Crystal