Joyful Mystery of the Devoted Masculine Sitting in a sacred grove, under the Tree of Life, the Maiden Mary conceives of the Holy Spirit. Joseph of Nazareth weds Mary to shield her from the brutal force of the empire that would otherwise see an unmarried, pregnant maiden stoned to death. Joseph midwifes as Mary labors and he catches her son in his...
There are several festivals in November which lead us in a procession deep into the Sacred Dark. Following the folly of Halloween, then All Saints’ and Souls’ Days, I celebrate Samhain season for the entire month of November. If you overlay Christian and Pagan festival calendars a number of coincidences will be revealed. Dr. Georgi Mishev, scholar of Bulgarian and...
Joyful Mysteries In the beginning there was Chaos – the void – the gaping vulva of primordial darkness. From the expectant womb of creation, matter and ether separated with a great orgasmic shudder and sigh. Gaia – the Earth – was born into form. “[Her] body is the body of the world, and your body is one with that body.” Gaia’s was...
Christian legends tell us that in the 4th century, St. Catherine, daughter of the Governor of Alexandria, was a beautiful, learned, and privileged girl who was martyred for her Christian faith at the age of 18. Digging below the surface, we find that her story mirrors that of the 4th century philosopher, Hypatia. Yet another layer reveals, through the original...
Joyous Mysteries Nothing adequately prepared me for childbirth. At seven years old I witnessed my half-brother’s natural home birth and was not nearly as amazed by the spectacle as the adults who were present. While pregnant I read Spiritual Midwifery and other natural birthing books and I also attended hospital classes. Through all that I had experienced and learned, I was...
In Ancient Greek mythology, the Fates, also known as the three Moirai sisters, Clotho (the spinner), Lachesis (the allotter) and Atropos (the unturnable), spun, wove, and bound off the tapestry of each soul’s incarnation, determining the quality and length of every life. In the 21st century we might agree that the outcome of our lives are impacted by a combination of...