Over the past few months I have done three things I never thought I would: get married, buy a house, and take a cruise.  I confess that through a good portion of my life I was so locked in a box of fear that I could not accomplish these feats, much less, imagine them in my reality.  Scott and I just arrived home from our Baja cruise which inspired me on many levels.  Even though I’m fascinated by pirates and things nautical, and believe I spent a past life at sea, I always felt anxiety about cruises.  But because I’d already acquired a large reservoir of courage from getting married and buying a home, I faced my apprehension and leaped onto the boat and into the adventure.

At first I did feel stress in my new environment on the ship.  But I couldn’t run.  I was too far from my safety net.  So I rocked with the flow (literally).  And guess what?  It was a marvelous trip that blessed me physically, mentally, and spiritually.  Near the end of the cruise we played an 80’s music trivia contest where we won first prize for most correct answers.  The trophy was a gold-colored cruise ship.  I recognized it as a sign;  kudos from the Universe for successfully leaping out of my safe little box and into the unknown.  I took a risk and was rewarded!

The most potent day of our cruise was the last day spent entirely at sea.  We were surrounded by water and could not see land.  The world, all that we knew, was out of sight and out of mind.  I literally felt like we had sailed away from “reality” and into another realm of awareness. Adventure is good for us.  If we remain huddled in our comfort zones, they shrink, we stagnate, and die before we die.

“Getting away from it all”, whether it’s an adventure trip to another country, a cruise at sea, a hike in the mountains, or day in a spa shifts our perspective on our lives and ourselves.  We often get so caught up in the dramas of our individual realities that our vision clouds and we lose efficacy in resolving our issues.

Leaping out of our boxes opens our eyes, our minds, and our hearts.  We see what we could not before.  We understand what did not make sense.  We see and consider new alternatives.  And, being out of the box expands our hearts, making us more capable of love and compassion.

I’ve always felt that travel to other countries should be mandatory for all high school students.  Visiting other cultures and seeing how they think, feel, and live increases one’s understanding and perception of the world.  So often kids think the entire world revolves around them, and then they grow into adults who continue with the same egocentric mind trip.  Experiencing the conditions of other countries changes individuals’ perceived place in the universe and also helps them appreciate their own country.  As a result, they become better functioning human beings.

One of the things which impressed me on the cruise ship is that all the crew were from other countries, which gave the boat a foreign aura.  People from warring countries were not only living and working together peaceably, but were friends.  It’s an eye opening experience which shows that harmony in this world is not only possible, but natural.

As a writer, travel and adventure inspire me.  New thoughts and new ways of looking at life fill me with ideas I need to continue writing fresh material that’s meaning to others.  I know people in all of the arts would agree.  In fact, we are all artists of Life, creating the masterpiece that is our reality every day.  Often we get stuck in our creativity and keep creating the same dramas, the same old ruts.  Adventure unblocks the flow so that we can create fresh; manifest new and more meaningful realities for ourselves.

Over time we also lock ourselves in a box of facts and beliefs we think are true.  We grow small-minded.  When our minds close, we lose creativity, our ability to think and analyze, and our productiveness.  Adventure gives us wisdom.  It grows us, expands our awareness, and increases our confidence in all matters pertaining to life.  And, spirituality isn’t the only way to raise our consciousness.  In fact, locking ourselves away to focus solely on spiritual matters blocks our spiritual evolution.  Just as a writer must experience life to write something meaningful.  We need to live life fully to expand our souls.

Ultimately, a great adventure trip cleanses the mind, body, and spirit of stagnate energies.  When I was at sea, I felt the ocean cleanse my chakras and energy system.  The same can be experienced at a beach, in the mountains, jungle, desert, and even in a beautiful foreign city.  When we leap out of our boxes and into adventure, it frees us from the mental and sometimes physical chains that hold our spirit hostage.  Many happy adventures to all of you!  Blessed Be!

Faces of the Goddess

Editor: Sharon Niman

Assistant Editor:  Barbara Jean Maurer

12001 Ehrlich Road

Crows Landing, Ca. 95313

latigrepress@thevision.net

www.myspace.com/siannan_macaoidh

COMMUNITY

Dear Readers,

The dictionary defines “community” as a group of people living together as a social unit and having work and interests in common.” Also as “a group of nations associated because of common traditions.”  I would add that a community is a group of people united in physical, emotional or social intimacy which share common goals and purpose.

With all the chaos and upheaval in the world, there has become a resurging interest in creating a sense of community among people.  A community provides a sense of safety, a feeling of “home” and belonging.  Community also helps people define who they are in society and the universe at large.

The whole idea of separating oneself from others and living as a hermit to advance one’s spiritual evolution is a myth.  Although it’s important to take time apart from others, we need support from our people.  Our relationships within our community are our learning tools in this Earth school.  We need our people for survival, growth, and inspiration and enlightenment.  We cannot blossom without them.

There are different types of communities: groups of nations, religious and social communities, living communities, communities related to common interests and even counterculture communities where people create their own groups for those who do not fit into the larger social community.

Do you feel part of a community?  What do you feel makes a community?  How would you define it?  How can we create a greater sense of community or our own unique communities?  In this Issue of Faces of the Goddess, devoted to the theme of Community we are looking for articles which answer these questions.  Share with us your experiences (good and bad) within various communities.  Give us your opinion on our national community or other communities within our country and world.  What works?  What doesn’t work?  Have you ever lived on a commune?  Squatted?  Been part of an underground community?  Tell us your story.  We’d also like material related to relationships and getting along with others; and goddesses of community and relationships.

The deadline for issue #57 is October 19.  Let us know if you plan to write.

I overheard a conversation recently that exasperated me.  A young woman was telling an older gentleman about the challenges she was experiencing and her frustrations over why certain things keep occurring in her life.  The man’s responses predominantly referred to “The Devil” and how this evil Being was creating chaos in her life.  And his obvious solution was for her to run in fear from this devil and prostrate herself before Jesus Christ.  This was not the advice this woman needed.  Rather than helping her, he was fanning her fear and sense of helplessness.

This was not the first time I’ve heard someone blaming the devil.  However, I continue to be surprised that so many cling to this Medieval mindset of “God vs. the Devil”.  Over the years, people have asked my mom and me, “What is the Devil?”  And many of them have urgently, and sometimes hostilely, warned us that our religion promotes Satan rather than God.

For those of you with an open and inquiring mind, I’m going to set the record straight about the Devil.  Does it really exist?  Yes.  But not in the form you think.

What aggravates me when discussing religion with most fundamentalists is that they argue God is all-powerful, yet in the same breath they rant about the Devil and how he is responsible for all the evil in the world.  So how can God be all-powerful if there is a devil undermining his omnipotence?  In fact, many so-called Christians seem to be more obsessed with the Devil than practicing the teachings of Christ.  Who, then, are they really worshipping?  God, or the Devil?

The Christian devil was created by the Medieval church to frighten and disempower the people so that the Church would have complete power and influence in their lives.  In fact, they appropriated an early pagan horned god of the hunt named Herne or Cernunnos and twisted him into their demonic image, all for the purpose of scaring pagans to convert to Christianity.  So the Devil became an evil, horned being who spread darkness and chaos upon the earth.  In some Christain teachings he is a fallen angel who constantly challenges God’s power.  All fundamentalist religions contain some mythology about the Devil, Lucifer, or Satan.  The problem is that they take the myth literally rather than symbolically.

Myths are allegories which contain themes and archetypal images that must be interpreted to discern their meaning and how they apply to our lives.  They are not meant to be taken literally.

The Devil is an archetype, a symbol for the darkness in our own psyche.  We all have that part of us that hates, is judgmental and prejudiced; that’s immersed in fear, guilt, and shame; that causes us to act from our lower nature.  We often disown or deny that part of ourselves by projecting it outward into the world as a seeming force of evil—The Devil.  What Jesus meant by “Get thee behind me, Satan” was that he put his Shadow behind him rather than projecting it into the world.  He was taking responsibility.

The Devil has become a scapegoat for humanity’s disowned qualities.  Rather than take responsibility for themselves and how their own actions and choices have led them to certain consequences, it’s easier for people to blame The Devil or Satan.

In The Revealing Word, Charles Fillmore defined devil as “a state of consciousness adverse to the divine good.”  He went on to say “the devils we encounter are fear, anger, jealousy, and other negative traits, and they are in ourselves.”  The Devil is our own negative ego with it’s negative thoughts, beliefs, and emotions.  Satan is not a supernatural force outside ourselves, but our own lower nature which is adverse to the Higher Will of God.  Whenever Jesus mentioned “the devil” he was referring to man’s negative state of consciousness.  Jesus didn’t resist temptations from Satan, but from his own carnal mind.

Fundamentalist religions refer to an Armageddon when the angels of light and darkness do battle over the world and our souls.  All the Godly people will be saved and lifted into Heaven while the “bad” people will be destroyed on Earth.  The Armageddon myth represents the battle between our higher and lower natures which goes on within us every day.  Until we resolve this inner struggle, it will be projected outward from us and observed on the world stage as battles between countries, terrorism, destruction of the environment, and all manner of crime and violence.  It is we, ourselves, who are either angels of light or darkness as we choose between our Higher Self or the carnal mind.

So like the young woman I mentioned at the beginning, is the Devil responsible for our troubles?  Seeming bad things do happen in life, but they happen for one of the following reasons 1) Our own choices lead us to consequences.  The Devil didn’t do it to us.  We did it to ourselves.  2) Our negative beliefs, thoughts, and words we spoke created our reality.  Change our mind and words and we change our life. 3) Trying circumstances occur to build strength and prepare us for the next level in this Earth School.  They are an initiation.  The Devil doesn’t test us.  God doesn’t even test us.  We test ourselves.  4) Sometimes what seems “bad” at first is really a blessing in disguise and contributes to our higher good in the long run.  There is a Divine Order to the Universe and everything works together to bless us, not damn us.  We are not at the mercy of a Devil.  We are not at the mercy of God.  But as Children of God, we are co-creators with Him.

If you want to cast the devils our of your life, you must cleanse them out of your mind, heart, and consciousness.  Think positive thoughts.  Speak uplifting words.  Saturate your entire being in Love and Light.  Align yourself with Divine Good.  Only God is real.

The new issue of Faces of the Goddess devoted to the Divine Masculine is now available.  $5 sample, $15 subscription.  12001 Ehrlich Rd, Crows Landing, Ca. 95313

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Faces of God, page 1………......Siannan

Experiencing God, page 6...…Siannan

Imagine Sean Connery as King Arthur in First Knight.  He depicted the majesty of the God energy.

Some Thoughts on God Power, page 9…John

The masculine energy of the male god in our culture today is abundant and has been for some time.  This may be gradually changing.

God is in Every Man, page 10...Bobbie

Embodying the Christ-like consciousness instills pure love in our hearts.  It is love that brings out the kindness, caring, and compassionate nature that is part of every man’s soul.

The Hidden Spirituality, page 11……Russ

This book turned me on as a military veteran in the potential for transforming more soldiers into spiritual warriors.

The Spiritual Warrior, page. 12……………….………….Gayle

A spiritual warrior has a gentility and humility that doesn’t require a fire-breathing stallion or dragon to ride.  Jesus did not ride on an elephant or camel.  He rode on a donkey.

What I’ve Learned From Men, page 16……………..Siannan

Men have been my greatest teachers about life; how to handle myself, other people, and the world.

The Gregarious Green Man, page 21……………………….….Gayle

The Green Man, a creature with the dual nature of man and leaf, is an archetypal symbol that arises from the depths of the psyche.

The Horned God of the Hunt, page 25…………………….……..Siannan
The Horned God represents the archetypal male energy; strength, dominion, courage, and sexuality.

Ganesha, page 27……………………..…..Mary

Ganesha not only eliminates obstacles, but, as the watcher of the gateway, he also places obstacles in the path of those in need of testing.

God of Vampires, page 28…………………………...Corinne

Vampiric entities have been recorded in most cultures.  But, as I searched, I kept finding “female” entities not male.

Lt. Starbuck: The Bad Boy Hero, page 29…………..Siannan

He was what Joseph Campbell referred to as the “Anti-Hero”, or the rogue with a heart of gold, very similar to Han Solo in Star Wars and Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Robyn Hode, page 31………………………...Corinne

According to ballads, he’s a hero who robbed the rich and gave to the poor.  Six hundred years later, scholars have yet to prove Robin Hood ever existed.

God & Goddess, page 32…………………Warlock

Guinevere & Which Fellow?, page 32…………..….Kathleen

In the infamous love triangle of Arthurian lore, Guinevere has been forever wedged between King Arthur and Lancelot.  She loved both men, but in very different ways.

Artwork:  Greenmen, sun god, Horus, angel warrior, Chinese wiseman, Scottish Warrior, Pan, Battlestar Galactica helmet, knight, ankh, and borders drawn by Kimberlee Traub.  Dragons, Robin Hood, pirate, Herne, vampire drawn by Corinne Adams.

I AM God

Awake now and behold my true Light

I formed out of the Love of the Goddess

Together we created the Universe,

The stars, moons, and planets

Our Love for one another was great

And from that Love we made

The mountains, the rivers, the oceans,

All trees, flowers, and grasses.

We birthed the birds, the animals

And most important, with our Love

We created You--Our Child.

I AM God.

Awaken my to my true Face which is Love.

I cannot hate.  I know no vengeance.  I do not judge.

That is the sick game of mortal men who do not understand Me.

In every moment I extend my Love to you.

I surround you with my protective Light.

I walk gently by your side, always there when you need me.

All you must do is ask.  I always listen.

I AM God

Awake and see that I wear many Faces

I AM the Lover

Whose passionate fire warms your loins

I rock you lovingly in my arms

And cherish you with my touches.

  I AM the Warrior

Whose fiery blade

Defends your honor and protects you in all battles.

Call upon me in any fight or challenge.

I will ride to your front lines

And conquer your greatest enemy…Fear.

I AM the Green Man

Whose seed fertilizes the Green Earth

Whose flesh feeds the flora and fauna.

Look for me in the trees,

See my smile in the flowers,

Listen to my voice on the wind through the leaves.

When you eat of the Earth, you eat of me.

I give my life so that you may live.

I AM the Trickster
Whose laugh rocks the Universe

And tickles your heart

Reminding you not to be so serious.

Make a joyful noise unto Me

And you have uttered your most powerful prayer.

I AM your Father.

Take My hand and let me

Guide you on your Hero’s Adventure.

Keep your face turned toward Me,

Remembering Who You are, God- Child,

And your way home to the Kingdom.

“Courage is being scared to death—and saddling up anyway.”—John Wayne

A family member preached hell, fire, and damnation to me as a child.  He frightened me with images of a horned devil with red skin, fangs, and a pitch fork who swept up all the ungodly souls who had not accepted Jesus as their savior and took them to his fiery domain.  Even after I firmly established myself in metaphysical teachings, I still harbored negative feelings at any mention of a horned deity.

Then one evening as I flipped through the television channels I discovered an old television series from the 1980’s called Robin of Sherwood which was playing on a PBS station.  Since Robin Hood was one of my childhood heroes, I was immediately enraptured by this version of Robin Hood which was steeped in magic and mysticism.  In the story, Herne, a forest god with the body of a man and the head of a deer stag initiates Robin as his son.  He sends him on missions to help the poor and fight the tyranny of the aristocracy.  Whenever the people experienced dire need, Herne appeared in a flash of lightning to offer words of comfort and wisdom.  This show piqued my curiosity about Wicca and Paganism.  I chose to look past my childhood fears of a devil and research the horned god.

According to Janet and Stewart Farrar in their book, The Witches’ God, the horned god is the oldest of all god forms.  Images of him can be found in cave drawings from prehistoric cultures.  He was a god of the hunt, fertility, and the Otherworld.  As consort of The Great Goddess, he was Lord of all creation.  Sometimes he was depicted with the horns of a goat or ram, and throughout the Celtic countries he was drawn with deer antlers.  In Greece they called him Pan, the Celts named him Cernunnos, and in England he was their forest god, Herne the Hunter.

The horned devil of Christian mythology was created by the Medieval church.  To achieve their goal of converting pagans to Christianity, they appropriated the pagan horned god and perverted him into their frightening archetypal image of evil.  The devil represents the disowned aspects of the Shadow nature in the deepest recesses of the human ego.  One way to dissipate that fearful energy is to bring it to light and examine the truth.  So let’s bring the horned god out of the shadows of the Medieval mind and view his true nature.

To pre-agricultural societies, a successful hunt meant life or death.  The people worshipped and thanked the Spirit of the prey for providing sustenance.  Even after the advent of agriculture, people venerated the meat from the hunt in sacred rituals.  They invoked gods and goddesses of the hunt to aid their success on the hunting grounds.  The horned god was Lord of the Hunt; portrayed as both hunter and hunted.  In the article, “Wicca for the Rest of Us” on wicca.timerift.com, it says the cycle of hunter and hunted is recognized in all shamanistic cultures.  In order to catch prey, the hunter must identify with that which is being hunted.  The hunter must “know” and think like the prey.

In England, Herne was a man, a hunter employed by King Richard II.  One day, while the king and his men were hunting, Herne jumped in front of a charging stag to save King Richard’s life.  Herne is mortally wounded.  A magician restores him to life, but takes his hunting prowess as payment.  Even though Herne was given life, he felt dejected without hunting.  He hung himself from an Oak tree in the forest.  But his spirit lived on where he was seen leading a ghostly hunt in the woods nightly.  He appeared to people in need and helped the common folk when they were in danger.  He became known as Herne the Hunter, savior of the people.

Known for their prolific sexuality, goats, rams, and deer stags represent fertility, fecundity, abundance, and the sexual energy.  As consort of the Great Mother, the Horned God impregnates her and from her womb bursts all life; flora, fauna, and humankind.  According to Edain McCoy in her book, Celtic Myth & Magic, Cernunnos and Here were often depicted as pouring seeds or coins upon the Earth to assure a prosperous growing season.

Our sexual energy stimulates the Kundalini (Life Force) to rise up the chakra energy system of the body.  It’s responsible for our creativity, passion, sexuality, and physical fertility.  The Medieval church, and even a lot of today’s churches, labeled sex as dirty and evil.  But, good sex is healthy for our minds, bodies, and energy systems.  The horned god helps us embrace our sexual energy and harness it to achieve well-being and manifest our desires.  He can be invoked in all matters concerning prosperity, creativity, and sexuality.

According to the article, “Herne, God of the Wild Hunt” on paganwicca.about.com, those who walked through the forest at night had to be wary of Herne’s nightly hunt for if they got in the way, they were often swept up in the hunt and rode in Herne’s spectral horde for eternity.  Herne was also known as Lord of the Otherworld.  The Otherworld is not the Christian hell, but the spirit realm where souls reside when they pass from the physical realm.  As a Hunter, Herne was thought to hunt souls of those who were dying and lead them to his realm.  In some myths, he is also Lord of the alternate realms and Faery Lands.

The Horned God represents the archetypal male energy: strength, dominion, courage, and sexuality.  To men he is the model of masculinity and can help them evolve into all aspects of manhood, from being a lover, father, hunter, to being a prosperous achiever and wise man.  CerNunnos/Herne helps women also embrace the male aspect of themselves.  He shows them how to be strong and confident in the world.  He stimulates their sexual fire and desire.

In Journey to Ixtlan by Carlos Castanada, Don Juan advises us to become hunters.  In whatever we want to have or achieve, we must practice the stealth and wisdom of a hunter, being patient and carefully stalking our goals.  To this the Horned God of the Hunt can assist.  Call on him to help on your hunt.  Herne/CerNunnos is at his peak power in late spring and summer.  Honor him then in fertility rituals.  Sow seeds that will grow into the reality you desire.

Faces of the Goddess

Editor: Sharon Niman

Assist. Editor: Barbara Jean Maurer

PO BOX 486

Crows Landing, Ca. 95313 USA

latigrepress@thevision.net

FACES OF GOD

Dear Readers,

Imagine Sean Connery as King Arthur in First Knight and you can picture the majesty of the God energy.  Most people in the world do not comprehend or experience true God Essence.  It’s been twisted into a chauvinistic model by a world that’s been out of balance for too long.  This imbalance is due to the repression of the Goddess Energy.  One cannot know the true majesty of God without first knowing the Goddess.  As my friend and teacher Genaro Herrera, jr. says, “Goddess is space and God is what fills the space.” Before there is matter, there must be space into which to put that matter.  We cannot have God without Goddess.  To express genuine God energy, man must also embrace the Goddess.

God energy flows through the physical realm of world, logic, the observable, the conscious mind.  Its essence is action, intellect, sensuality in all its forms, and sexuality in its most genuine expression.  The God Energy provides courage, determination, aids in the physical achievement of goals, and is essential in healing and balancing the mind and body.

For the first time in the history of Faces of the Goddess, an entire issue will be devoted to the Divine Masculine.  We are looking for articles on the Masculine Principle, Majesty of God Energy and how we can experience it.  We especially want articles on Gods from mythology and heroes who exemplify the God Energy.  Men, this is your chance to speak out and share your experiences of being a man in this world.  Tell us what you’ve learned.

The deadline for this issue is June 22.  Let us know if you plan to write.  Writer’s Guidelines are available upon request.

Blessed Be!

Sharon!

We live in stressing times.  We’re uptight about the economy and our finances.  We fret over unemployment and job security.  We hear frightening news about terrorism and crazy despots with missiles.  We are stressed out and it’s affecting our well-being, our relationships, and our health.  We need to relax!  So how do we do it?

Step One: Move with the flow, not against it.  The Universe moves in perfect Order.  There is a Divine Plan in operation although it may not always appear so.  Our lives get tough when we fight this Order rather than working with it.  The more we resist the Flow, the rougher the waters of life seem, and the harder we have to swim which takes its toll on our minds and bodies.  Stop fighting the current.  Even though you may not like the scenery of your life now, just relax into the Flow, and the river of Life will lead you to a new and better destination.

Step Two:  Lighten Up!  We take ourselves, lives, and the world too serious.  With all the doom and gloom news, it’s understandable why we’re so somber.  The truth is that this is a recreational Universe created in joy.  Life is not meant to be hard.  We experience hardship because of the choices we make in our minds.  Our beliefs, attitude, expectations, thoughts, and words determine how we experience our experiences.  Yes, there are Earth School lessons, but we can choose to learn them adventurously, joyfully, rather than painfully.  We can shift our consciousness away from the “heaviness of existence” to the “lightness of being”.  The Zen Buddhists say that if we laugh for ten minutes upon waking then we have done the equivalent of two hours intense meditation.  So, let’s see the humor in this weird world and start laughing at things rather than crying about them.  But most important, let’s stop worrying and start playing!

Step Three:  Stop taking it personally.  Our biggest source of torment is when we convince ourselves that everything that happens; everything that people say or do, is all about us.  We become extra vigilant for any minute discrepancy in behavior.  We wrestle with not only what someone said, but how they said it.  We make ourselves miserable worrying about someone else’s attitude or choice of action.

What people think, say, or do, even if it appears to be directed at you, speaks volumes about them, and little or nothing about you.  Before you get upset at what someone says or does, stop and ask yourself:  Am I interpreting this correctly?  Is this about me or really about them and their issues?

Step Four:  Back off.  When a situation, condition, or person constantly upsets us, then we’ve gotten too attached, too entangled in the emotional chaos.  We need to back off and give ourselves some breathing space so that we can attain a clearer perspective.  Although we can’t always do it physically, we can step back in our minds.

Continuous anger, frustration, and upset means that you have given away your power to an outer circumstance or person.  You must back off and call in your energies.  When you do this; 1) At a distance, things no longer disturb you; 2) When you get out of the way, the situation improves or you are able to see a solution you couldn’t see before while in the middle of the problem; or 3) The other person either shapes up or removes him/herself from your life.  Problem solved.

Step Five: Separate fact from fiction.  Someone close to me works in an atmosphere where upsetting rumors and speculation circulate.  Everyone is on edge.  They don’t know what to believe.  We greatly reduce our stress when we learn to discern truth from rumor.  When we speculate, over-analyze, or make assumptions, it means that we do not have all the information so we fill in the blanks with our own fears and projections.  Remember, rumor-mongers intentionally spread fear and negativity to manipulate and disempower others.  Don’t buy into their garbage.  Get all the facts.  Go to the source to find out the truth.  Only act or react to what you know to be real and not fiction.

Step Six: Live one day at a time.  Most of us are busy people who juggle a lot of responsibility.  Some of us have major events coming up in the future like weddings, graduation, going to college, moving, buying a home, finding a job, having a family.  It’s easy to slip into worrying about all we must do and whether or not we can handle it all.  By thinking of the monumental tasks ahead, we overwhelm ourselves.  The only time is now.  The only day is today.  Yes, it’s important to have a plan or strategy for doing what must be done, but we can only live and do today.  So rather than stressing over all that needs to be done, take one step at a time.  Do what you can today and leave tomorrow’s tasks for tomorrow.

Step Seven:  Be your own advocate.  Leaving ourselves to the mercy of external forces leads to hopelessness, frustration, and heartache.  We should never assume that anyone else will understand and fulfill our needs.  Nor should we assume that a so-called expert is going to know and act in our best interest.  We should never give up control of our choices.  It’s important for us to be our own advocates; to educate ourselves; to be fully prepared; to keep our noses stuck in any business that directly affects our health, happiness, and finances; and to act in our behalf. It’s okay to be the squeaky hinge or wheel that gets greased!  If we leave the elements of our lives dependent on the whim of others, then we’ll be living according to their rules and consciousness rather than our own.  So take back your power.  Take charge of your life.  Be your biggest ally!

Step Eight:  Keep the Divine connection.  To maintain our peace of mind, it’s crucial that we take a few moments every day to pull our consciousness away from the tribulation of the world, and center ourselves in the sacred.  The essence of God is peace, so when we establish our Divine connection, we attune ourselves to peace.  It’s important to spend 15 minutes in the morning and then five minutes periodically during the day to calm ourselves and reconnect with the Sacred.  When we take these “time outs” we lower our heart rate and blood pressure, our cells relax and correct themselves, our minds let go, and our ears are open for messages from the Divine.  It’s this Guidance that will lead us away from stress and onto the path of Peace.

Issue #55, devoted to The Goddess is now available.  $5 sample, $12 subscription.  Make checks out to "Sharon Niman".  POB 486, Crows Landing, Ca. 95313

Face of the Goddess, page 1………......…Siannan....

Experiencing the Goddess, page 8…….Siannan....

The Goddess energy flows through the subjective realm of spirit, dreams, magic, the unconscious, the unknown, and the mystical.

The Muse, page 10……………………..William....

Goddess, page 11…………………………………..……..John....

When we can subdue the inner most giant of our self-absorption, or the little creature who holds us back and always says, “Nay”, then I think we are coming close to the high hill where the Goddess will visit and inspire.

Yin Energy, page 12………………………Scott....

Yin is represented as the dark half of the taiji symbol which swirls toward the bottom, and equates to the Goddess or Moon in Western thinking.

Lovely Lotus, page 13………………Warlock....

The Goddess Who Helped Me Become a Real Man, page 13…Bobby

Men are feeling the Goddess energy in a number of ways, and we are changing for the better.  We are becoming real men.

Praying For Your Return, page 14…Warlock....

What I’ve Learned So Far as a Woman, page 15….Siannan....

The magazine has changed as my consciousness shifted from feminism to mysticism.  I’ve learned and grown a lot since 1992.....

The Rising Sun, page 21……………..Siannan....

The centerpiece of most Shinto shrines is a mirror, the symbol of their principle goddess, mother of all gods, and caretaker of the people.

Oh, Mighty Isis!, page 22…………....Siannan....

The image of the Madonna cradling the Christ Child was copied from an earlier depiction of Isis holding Horus.

Gateway of the Sphinx, page 25……..Siannan....

Goddess. Riddler. Guardian., page 25…………....…..Siannan....

The best way to approach the Sphinx was always in humility, for she detested arrogance and fakery.  Only the authentic hero or heroine could pass her tests.

Ptesan Wi (White Buffalo Woman), page 27…..Mary....

The legend began long before herds of buffalo roamed the land.  There was an extended period of famine and the people of the Lakota nation had been unsuccessful in their hunting.

Sacred Goddess, Artemis, page 28……Corinne....

The pagan goddess of the Amazons merged with the Greek goddess, Artemis.  She is the protector of women and the Mother of humanity.

Dancing with a Goddess, page 29……........Russ....

Hecate: Eyes in the Dark, page 3……..Siannan....

Hecate rode the moonless sky with her band of wolves whose saliva, it was believed, brought dreams, visions, and sometimes madness to the mortals upon which it dripped.

Selkhet: The Protectrix, page 32……Siannan....

She is the Presence which guards our sleeping bodies from mischievous beings of other realms, and negative thought forms which can attach themselves during our sleep.

Nyx, page 34……………………………Rowan....

Meditation with Isis, page 34………….Siannan....

Artwork: Amaterasu, Lakshmi, Isis, Sphnix, Hecate, Selkhet, & various feminine pieces and borders by Kimberlee; Luna drawn by G. Warlock; Artemis drawn by Corinne; Isis drawn by Shirlee; and White Buffalo Woman drawn by Tina.