Nancy Lankston
“we have forgotten that we were born
of celestial cataclysm.
we have forgotten how to dance
bare-footed on the earth to the cadence
of our souls. we have forgotten the ritual
fires and the acrid tang of holy smoke
on our tongues.”
~Beth Morey
☾☽
It’s time, sacred woman,
It’s time to share the song of your Soul.
Today in the car, this song came on and I got the chills – literally! Apparently, it was precisely what I needed to hear. Which song? It was Love’s Divine by Seal, who is one of my favorite mystic songwriters:
Then the rainstorm came, over me
And I felt my spirit break
I had lost all of my, belief you see
And realized my mistake
But time threw a prayer, to me
And all around me became still
I need love, love’s divine
Please forgive me now I see that I’ve been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name
Through the rainstorm came sanctuary
And I felt my spirit fly
I had found all of my reality
I realize what it takes
‘Cause I need love, love’s divine
Please forgive me now I see that I’ve been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name
Oh I, don’t bend (don’t bend), don’t break (don’t break)
Show me how to live and promise me you won’t forsake
‘Cause love can help me know my name
Well I try to say there’s nothing wrong
But inside I felt me lying all along
But the message here was plain to see
Believe me
‘Cause I need love, love’s divine
Please forgive me now I see that I’ve been blind
Give me love, love is what I need to help me know my name
Oh I, don’t bend (don’t bend), don’t break (don’t break)
Show me how to live and promise me you won’t forsake
‘Cause love can help me know my name
Love can help me know my name.
by Seal
Heaven is hers!
Earth is hers!
She is a warrior.
She is a falcon.
She is a great white cow.
She fought the dragon and slew it.
She seduced the scorpion and tamed it.
The golden lion slept at her side.
She is the singer.
She is desire.
She is the mountain of silver, gold and lapis.
On her hips tall trees grow and grasses.
From Her waters spout and savory grains.
Her lap is holy.
Her lips are honey.
Her hand is law.
Her breasts pour heavenly rain.
She is the healer.
She is life-giver.
She is the terror, the anger, the hunger.
Fierce winds blow from her heart.
Hers is the thunder, the lightning, the glory.
She is the morning.
She is the evening.
She is the star.
She wears the gown of mystery.
Heaven is hers!
Earth is hers!
Who can argue?
Inanna’s Chant by Janine Canan
Inanna is an ancient Sumerian Goddess of fertility, love and beauty. The people of Mesopotamia worshipped Inanna as far back as 4000 BCE (perhaps even earlier) as the undisputed Queen of Heaven. No other Goddess in any culture has come close to matching Inanna’s stature and power. The Akkadians also knew her, calling her Ishtar. And many anthropologists assert that Inanna later morphed into the Greek Goddess Aphrodite, and then the Roman Venus.
The story of Inanna’s journey into the Underworld has been told and re-told since ancient times. Inanna enters the darkness of the Underworld and must strip away her adornments and clothing piece by piece. Inanna is tested and must let go of who she once was. She is laid bare. Eventually Inanna embraces her naked and vulnerable true Self. And ultimately, she emerges from the dark and rises again as the Queen of Heaven.
Inanna’s myth is an ancient story. Yet it still holds deep wisdom about the transformation many of us go through. Hers is the story of a woman embracing her true self and recovering her Soul.
Every 584 days, the planet Venus traces Inanna’s mythic journey in the skies over our Earth. Venus appears in our sky as a bright morning “star.” Over many weeks, Venus descends toward Earth and then disappears from view. Weeks later, Venus emerges from the dark Underworld. She has been transformed and is now a mature evening “star.”
Venus, Inanna, Aphrodite, Ishtar… there are many names for this sacred Goddess, the Queen of Heaven. Her roots are ancient and deep. And her wild wisdom flows through the Souls of all women. By any name she is one original #BadassWoman!
There was something formless and perfect
before the universe was born.
It is serene. Empty.
Solitary. Unchanging.
Infinite. Eternally present.
It is the mother of the universe.
For lack of a better name,
I call it the Tao.
∞
Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.
It is beyond is and is not.
How do I know this is true?
I look inside myself and see.
~Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching
Ayni is a beautiful little word.
Ayni is the art of living in balance within and without;
Living in right relationship with Self, Soul and World.
Click on the link below to listen to a wonderful little talk; Two well-known shaman discuss Ayni and Shamanism as the Art of the Soul: Interfaith Radio
An excerpt from “Your Very Own Flavor of Poetry”
…You came here to hum the truth
that comes in only your
color
to sit inside the arms of a moment
to find breath in each drop of dark, to skip and sip and frolic
with every fleeting firefly
of light
You came here to give oxygen to words
to spin every stain
and splash
into your very own flavor
of poetry
You came here to look into your own eyes
and whisper –
Beloved…
~Julia Fehrenbacher
The Painted Path