Building the Temple of the Living Goddess
The autumn air stirs feelings of nostalgia and remembrance for many, myself included, and my daily life seems to take on a different energy all together. My senses seem to deepen into the Earth, searching for my familiar roots to wrap myself in, and taking stock of what I’ve gathered so far for this year.
It has occurred to many that the time for awakening is all-pervasive and not exclusive of anyone ready for the ride. It has also occurred to many that the Goddess has made her presence widely known and She is completely ready for us all to acknowledge Her and invite Her in. “Into where?” you may ask. Into our homes, hearts, minds and very souls, of course. And if you happen to be a man reading this article, this includes you as well. It’s not the same old feely-shmeely, “I need to become more feminine” type of thing that has run rampant lately. It is time to recognize and honor the Goddess within ourselves, and within others. This may seem like old news to some, but is it really? How often do we tell ourselves to “look for the Divine in ourselves and in others” in order to better understand each other, and to find compassion and acceptance? Does this Divine ever look specifically Feminine or Masculine? And how often do we keep searching outside of ourselves? I’ve noticed for myself that I’ve sort of morphed the idea of “The Divine Within” into one lump-sum; not really noticing there is a lack of a delicate balance between two specific energies. Which kind of makes me wonder--am I truly recognizing the Divine within myself or just glossing it all over with generalization? Hmm...
Obviously, I had to investigate this, and in so doing, have rediscovered how deeply the roots run.
There are hundreds of Goddesses from many different traditions that are all important and equally desiring our recognition. I’ve recently started working with a healer here in Sedona which has been a lively, albeit intense part of my journey. Through working with her, I have discovered how much of myself I still hide. So far, she has helped me to see the ways that I hide, and why hiding my true Self does not honor me, or the Goddess, though it appears “safer” to do so. Even though these insights get uncomfortable at times, I know she only wants me to recognize who I am and embrace my highest potential.
Bringing the ancient feminine into the modern feminine is key to bridging the “gap” in Divinity within myself as well as women in general. Remembering the sacred rituals for the Divine Feminine, and the way to incorporate them back into our lives, is a big part of what’s missing. Going within to actually see the face of the Goddess inherent in all of us and how that connects to all of the Goddesses, real and mythical, is a crucial step in our awakening. Yes, gents, this still includes you, so hang in there. Honoring the
Sacred Feminine within you will help in the healing process between your own Sacred Masculine, and your Sacred Feminine. You will become whole.
It doesn’t require a lot of research to find that these sacred rituals, rites and celebrations all but disappeared after the time of Mary Magdalene. The fear of the Feminine took hold and was thrust under darkness for millennia. The Shakti energy bestowed upon us was smashed down under the thumbs of the Old Paradigm and extinguished for many. The Divine Priestess became non-existent; just a figment of someone’s imagination, or worse, made into a common whore and witch; something to hate and never trust. In fact, many Goddesses became figments of someone’s imagination--just stories and myths. The Divine Feminine was no longer recognized as anything sacred, but as evil. The Power of the Divine Feminine was lost.
As women, we became cut off from our own power and began taking on more masculinity--trying to fulfill ourselves by “doing it all” because nobody else would. This could open a huge Pandora’s Box here, or maybe one of those what-came-first type of conundrums, but here we go: when man decided to fear woman, woman began to not trust man. This is the catalyst for our imbalance. Not only outwardly, but within. It’s really quite that simple. Now, what do we all do with that information? Well, suffice it to say, that will have to be continued as I do more work with the healer I mentioned before. Her name is Zeffi Kefala, and yes, there are answers. She has been working with the Sacred Feminine and Sacred Masculine since 1987.
Part of those answers take us back to the sacred rituals mentioned earlier. Things like meditation and prayer ceremonies; creating sacred spaces. Remembering our connection to Mother Earth and working again with sacred medicinal oils; healing ourselves with what has always been available and waiting for us to remember. Honoring our Moon Cycles as a time for deep cleansing of any karma taken on. Celebrating sensuality. Honoring our physical bodies as well as our spiritual and emotional bodies; taking time to cleanse ourselves, be with ourselves and love ourselves as if we are all there is. I am now learning to honor the Divine Masculine within myself and acknowledging the security, safety and warmth I feel from that. Gentlemen, this is where you acknowledge the Divine Feminine within yourselves, and feel the compassion, forgiveness, and love from that for yourselves.
Isn’t it funny that the lot of us take these stories and rituals of the Goddesses and simply separate ourselves from the truth? Somewhere we learned long ago that we are not like them--could not be like them. And yet here we are: on the great precipice of a world completely changing; our Mother Earth pleading with us to rise together in
sisterhood and brotherhood, and claim our power. To reconnect with what, and who, we inherently are.
The things I am learning are nothing short of a complete genetic overhaul it seems, and at times I hardly recognize myself. What can I tell you? Is this where I confess I eagerly built a simple altar to the Goddess Lakshmi during Navaratri, and then to Saraswati, both of whom I’ve not known, ever, but now embrace? Shall I tell you I just experienced a “come to Jesus” meeting through Kali which brought me to my knees?
Is this when I am to confess to you that I have heard my messages from the Magdalene, and She has implored me to be brave--hopes that I will be brave enough to embrace who I am? How’s that! I essentially have heard the prayers of the Goddess for ME to recognize and remember my own power! Will you please cue supreme humility and complete awe now? The lineage of the Goddess began with the mythical, like Saraswati and Lakshmi, continued with real-life women, like Mother Mary and Mary Magdalene, and leads to us here and now. Is there a way I can prove all of this to you? Nope. Just like all the other “stuff” that’s been written that is now part of a doctrine, a history, or even a scripture. It’s all an account made by a human. No “real” evidence or proof.
What have I learned so far? Well, hell--where do I start? For simplicity’s sake, let’s just keep it with the last two or three months, even though the last year and a half has been a kicker. The most prominent thing I’ve learned recently is that I have never really thought of myself as a Divine being. Truly. And why would I? How could anyone consider themselves a Divine being with all of today’s societal standards on top of centuries of suppression and oppression? Why would I ever think of myself as something divinely amazing? Well, consequently, I’ve discovered that I am amazing. And, don’t gasp too loudly, I am Divine. We all are. I have started to learn how to take care of myself in that fashion as well. Some of it is simple, but it’s all very sacred. Learning how to honor myself in ways I haven’t been aware of is how I begin to be more authentically in my power. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it’s ridiculously tricky. The simplicity of it is just that: being open to the feeling of “girl--it’s time to get some red lipstick!” to the more complex feelings that require quite a bit more discernment. Discernment in the form of knowing that trying to find what I’m looking for in someone else or outside of myself is false. It’s my choice to recognize when something serves me or does not. Until we learn how to heal the Union between our Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine, we won’t be able to fully regain our power. Without healing that separation that occurred so long ago, we won’t find wholeness, no matter how hard we try.
So where does this leave us? Mostly, I think, with daring to believe. Mostly, with the hope that the truth is coming forth and we can all know it if we but try to be open to it. Becoming whole again is not a myth. Finding ways to assist ourselves along the way is perfectly reasonable, and most likely required. Learning about the ways to honor yourself is available. All we have to do is ask, be open and be unafraid.
Zeffi Kefala will be hosting a new workshop here in Sedona in February 2009. She has been on a spiritual journey of discovering the Goddess within herself for the past
eighteen years. Her awareness of the Goddess has deepened, and she is now ready to share this with you. For the past five years, she has been taking groups to India, and has made the decision this year to bring India to Sedona. This workshop will be a seven day retreat, February 6th through 13th, called The Temple of the Living Goddess.
For more information, and to register, please visit the website ancienthealing.org.