I want to introduce you to my lovely Lilly, named after Lilith, our archetype of independence and women's empowerment. Lilly came to my husband, Roy, and I as if by magic. We were at the vet, picking up the ashes of our beloved Xena, who had only a few weeks before crossed over into the arms of Mothers Bast and Sekhmet. Sitting in the unusually empty lobby of the vet's office, this kitty suddenly poked her head up over the counter and looked at me, then Roy, then me, again. I could feel her asking "Don't you recognize me?" It was truly remarkable because, a tri-colored torty, she looked just like Xena's sister - Isis - who had passed away months before. Yes, we lost both our beloved daughters within 6 months, after sharing 20 wonderful years. We truly felt as if Xena had facilitated this meeting between Lilly, Roy and I from the Other Side.
...Her Sacred Roar: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth
With the world in crisis, with women disempowered and disenfranchised around the globe, including here in the United States, it is more vital than ever to find our own "sacred roar" and rebirth Her onto the world stage as deity, archetype and ideal. With our pink-handled machetes we blaze a trail forward toward a new normal!
Karen Tate
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Know that the solution is a Matriarchal Spirituality and a Matriarchal Society~ we are already seeing the start of this as a Globa
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Ms. Tate, Nice manifesto. I may not completely share your sociopolitical or theological worldviews, but I very much agree about t
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Jamie, Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Regarding maybe the alternatives to our corporatist world would be worse, I think w
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Ms. Tate, That which is not sustainable must someday end. It's not doom porn to point out the obvious. It cracks me up that Obam
The water protectors at Standing Rock were desperate for firewood. So desperate, they were going to sell this exquisite ceremonial dress, held by Priestess Ava Park in the above photo, for $2500. The Goddess Temple of Orange County in Irvine, CA raised the money to secure the dress - only they're not keeping the dress. They'll be the trusted custodians of this sacred clothing until such time it is returned to the owner, Annie Sharpfish. Until then it will be respectfully displayed in solidarity with the Standing Rock and Native Tribes.
"We've just received the sacred white elk ceremonial dress from Jumping Buffalo in the Dakotas," says Priestess Ava Park of the Goddess Temple of Orange County, as she begins to open the Priority Mail package with a letter opener on Friday. "This was sent to us in exchange for $2,500 for firewood. We did send the money, we knew that [Jumping Buffalo] was as good as his word, and he was. We sent the money in advance of the dress ... and so we open it now."
...You are not alone if you believe domination and authoritarian patriarchy are destroying countless lives and our planet. There is a more sustainable alternative and it's not new. In fact it's ancient. Exiled for a time, but making a return, the Sacred Feminine has become indelibly integrated into our lives, reminding humanity during this time of crisis that the ideals of the Great She offer a pathway to secure a more sustainable future. As people lose faith in organized religion, as the paradigm of power shifts across the globe, as climate change quickly approaches a point of no return, people are leading using their divine intelligence gleaned from Goddess teachings to find solutions and sanctuary. They're listening to their consciences, heart wisdom, and intuition to manifest a new normal. They're practicing partnership, generosity, and compassion to establish a new way of being. They're tapping into their empathy and morality as they hit the reset button. We are witnessing this awakening across the globe as people from all walks of life and cultures turn to Goddess, deity, archetype and ideal, to evolve from the malignant chaos we face today.
Maybe this comes as a surprise to you. Your recollection of Goddesses are from middle school as you read about Aphrodite, the Goddess of Love and Beauty or Hera, the petulant wife of Zeus, always angry as she chased after her philandering husband. Well, those patriarchal versions of those myths were hardly reflective of these powerful and empowering deities and archetypes of the Sacred Feminine. Unfortunately as Goddess and her ideals were swept beneath the rug, so were her ideals of nurturing, caring, sharing, and concern for the common good. Over time, egalitarian societies of peace and partnership inspired by Goddess were over-run by war-like tribes who revered war gods. You see, our mythology shapes our culture and if we have male deities, then we have male leadership and we've seen the more exploitative and dominating type of authority and leadership can bring. Research will tell us that in many cultures where the Divine Feminine was at the center of the lives of her people, a more balanced and peaceful society was the norm.
But how is that relevant to me today you might ask? Well you can connect the dots between losing a feminine face of god and pay inequity for women. Without Goddess we have patriarchal religions where women are brainwashed to believe they're second class citizens and are meant to submit to their husbands and often never lead an authentic life or reach their fullest potential. We have men and some States telling women what they can and cannot do with their own bodies. Women suffer female genital mutilation, are subject to arranged weddings, are forced in some cases to wear burkas against their will. I'm sure you can think of other forms of oppression women suffer all across the globe and right here in the United States.
But you shouldn't think patriarchy has only been corrosive or destructive to women. There is a direct connection between societies who oppress or exploit women and the destruction of the planet and the species on it. And men are also prevented from being their authentic and whole selves under patriarchy as men strive to live their lives according to man-made dogma or rules determined by religion or society. Take for instance the fella who is more inclined to be a painter or author and finds it pretty boring going to tailgate parties. He suffers mercilessly at the hands of the other guys who think he's weak or too feminine. Or think of the woman who is childless by choice. She must answer endless questions about why she prefers not to be a mother.
Suffice it to say, the Sacred Feminine, deity, archetype and ideal, provides a pathway forward for a more whole, healthy and sustainable future for the most of us, and we're seeing folks embrace her ideals in many walks of life. Turn on the news and we can witness this paradigm shift in politics as Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign calls for ideas that reflect the need for policy that benefit the "we and the us" rather than the "I and the me" - or as we might say the 1% versus the 99%. He makes a convincing case we can have a future with the promise of a better world where all our boats float and we are no longer subject to the domination and exploitation of predator capitalism and corporations run amok taking advantage of employees and denying them benefits enjoyed by workers in countries around the globe. Greed and exploitation are not the way of the Sacred Feminine. Instead, generosity, compassion and partnership are hallmarks of belief for advocates of the Great She.