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Being
the mirror . . .
and asking the goddess to share her light with you
I don't 'do' New Year's
Resolutions. Probably should (Goddess knows that
I've got enough shoulda's and ought-to's hanging
around in the back of my mind, some of them
positively screaming for attention). The very
idea of resolutions always leaves me vaguely
depressed. What if I prove to be not strong enough
and I failed? I may be a recluse, but I'm a real
coward at the thought of going it alone.
The New Year always
reminds me that I love the goddesses for their
willingness to be "on call, 24/7", always ready to
help me carry that load....to drag me back from the
brink of self-destruction if need be. And all I've
got to do is call on one and ask for help. No
lengthy lists, no post-it note reminders, no painful
introspection. Gotta' love those gals!
It may be an approach
that's a lot more enjoyable, but it does have its
own protocol:
First, you have to
know which goddess to call on. All of them
would love to help, of course, but it wouldn't be
much use invoking the goddess
Hestia
when you need
to go into battle. Though
Artemis,
Athena, or
Atalanta
would do quite nicely!
(The section on
Goddess Myths at our web place is a good place
to start.)
And it helps to be on
a first name basis with her when you call.
The Chinese goddess Mazu made this abundantly clear.
Like the compassionate goddess Kuan
Yin, Mazu is
one of the goddesses to call on for protection. Mazu
(Ma Tsu) is known by many titles,
including
“Motherly Matriarch, Daughter of the
Dragon, and the
Empress of Heaven.”
In folk tradition it is believed that when you are
facing great difficulty, you can call her by the
name Mazu and she will immediately
come to your rescue. If, however, you address her
“Empress of Heaven,” she will have to take time to
put on
fine clothing and will be delayed in coming to your
aid!
You can read her story
here:
Mazu
How to
call a goddess for help
Mantras take the
shape of personal requests for help from a goddess.
They usually start with her name and/or title:
~ Kali, Goddess of Death and Destruction
identify her
special attribute or power:
~ anger, courage, righteousness
and
ask for her help:
~ give me the
anger I need to do what should be done
and express
gratitude in the hope of maintaining her presence in
your life:
~ thank you for helping me end a
hurtful relationship.
Affirmations are
statements in which you lay claim to the
strengths of a certain goddess. They are statements
of intent, and they change the way you see yourself.
By engaging your active imagination, they help you
visualize a happier, more successful you, empowering
you with the self-confidence of a goddess.
“Goddess, you are absolutely gorgeous!” I say with
emphasis each morning when I first encounter my
bedraggled image in the mirror. On any rational
level this statement is a patent lie, but saying it
never fails to put a smile on my face and good humor
in my heart. Somehow just saying this, followed by a
good cup of coffee, is a perfect way to start my
day.
Affirmations work on the principal of “as if.” Most
of us go
through life with our feelings, thoughts, and
behaviors all tangled. We think our feelings cause
our thoughts and our actions. Actually, the reverse
is often true.
Or as Charlene Proctor,
author of
The Women's Book of Empowerment: 323 Affirmations That Change Everyday Problems Into Moments of Potential
says, 'By
changing your mind . . . you can change your lives."
(Click the link above to
read Charlene's letter about a promotion that's
going on until January 17 to promote this book.
She's included some links to some of the wonderful
affirmations in the book.) |
