Beauty & Glamour on The Spiritual Path

Beauty, Glamour, Makeup
Doesn't seem to have a place in Spirituality

Before The Summer Solstice,
I asked My Sisters to share a favorite Makeup
or Beauty tip.
After several puzzled looks,Someone said,
"Aren't We supposed to be learning about the Goddess"
Another remarked How we should not support
A system which determines a Woman's value
on the basis of looks.
All good points, BUT -
Beauty, Glamour, Makeup
Play a part in Ritual, Spirituality.
In My tradition,
We bathe in scented Waters,
Anoint feet with perfumes.
Eyes are rimmed with powders,
Beautiful silken gowns,Fit for a Goddess are worn.

Many aspects of the Goddess
Honor Beauty, Glamour.
We pay respects with offerings of perfume,
Mirrors, Gold, Silver, even Silk.
Aphrodite
Bast
Isis
Lakshmi
Oshun
Among their many attributes,
Beauty. Glamour.

Beauty,
By Goddess standards does not mean
One must be a size 4 or have perfect skin.
It does mean Honoring
Who you are.
It means paying reverence to the Great Mother.
We are her Daughters
So, put on a silken robe or gown
Wash your hair with lavender scented water
Embrace All things Beautiful.
Beauty, is our birthright

The Hierophant, A Matter of Tradition

Ferol Humphrey posed the following question

on Her Living Tarot page -
Using tarot ,
Ask Who I was/Who I am?

And so I did.

One of the cards came up "The Hierophant"

The Hierophant-

Wise Man, High priest
Spiritual Advisor, Teacher
Tradition
Sometimes a bit rigid

Oops, This is who I was?
The exercise brought to light many issues

I had been contemplating.
You see, I am a traditionalist.

The Spiritual Path I follow
is rich in traditions.
Goddess, Earth Centered and
Yes, traditional.

My partner, A practicing Palero
Also follows a very traditional path.

Pagan paths are rich in traditions.
Ancient traditions such as the Druids,
Isian Mystery traditions ,
Palo Mayombe,
Rosicrucians, etc -
to newer paths, such as Gerald Gardner's Wicca ;
All embrace tradition.

Which brings to light an issue.
Today, Many define Paganism as
"Do whatever".

What is the actual definition of Paganism?
There is no one true answer,
other than perhaps a nature based
Spirituality.
So today,
Being a Pagan means any number of things.
"Eclectic pagan" is a favorite term.
I do what I like, take a bit of this,

Add a dash of that & I'm a pagan.
One from column A, 2 from column B
This is not a Chinese restaurant.

Paganism may not be defined by the more

conventional religions,

but pagan religions or practices

do have their traditions.

Many elders in the pagan community

Are taking a step back.

Waiting for the dust to settle.

All the while

following Our Traditions
Sharing what is to be shared among initiates.
Respecting & learning from other traditions
Always honoring Our own.

Yes, We get a "feel" for something.
Yes, We should add our own spin & make it

uniquely ours,
But we must also honor tradition.

I am the Hierophant.

I shall remain bound by My traditions,
Happy to do so...
But I will remember
Not to be too "rigid" when viewing

others along the pagan path.

Tradition is a guide, not a jailer

- William Somerset Maugham

May you look upon your traditions with reverence

The Ankh

I breath life
Into that
Which I desire
For thy breath is sacred

I breathe life
Into that
Which is to be healed
For thy breath is sacred

I breath life
Into that
Which I create
For I am
The daughter of The Great Mother
Hecate/Isis/Aset

Lunar Eclipse Reading: Scorpio 20

I pulled a Sabian symbol

Asking, "What message can I share for the eclipse?"

Scorpio 20 : A Woman Drawing 2 Dark Curtains Aside
Keyword: Daring

In a literal sense, The Earth casts Her Shadow
darkening The Moon.
Are you Daring?

Are you willing to use this time to illuminate

things in your life?

To listen to the messages along you path?
Are you willing to look into the unknown?
Are you willing to take a risk, make a change?

A you willing to go after your dream?

Magick, Messages & The Lunar Eclipse

A Lunar eclipse will occur Wednesday 6/15/11.
There are many different views about the eclipse..
Should You or shouldn't you perform magick?
Is it a good omen or bad?
What does the energy bring?

What exactly IS a Lunar Eclipse?
The Eclipse occurs when there is an alignment

between the sun, the earth & the moon.
The Moon passes behind the Earth.
During the Eclipse we see all the phases of Moon.

The obvious choice would be to focus on

The energies of the Moon -

After all, Each phase is apparent to us..

But obvious is not always best..
You see the keyword here is Alignment.

The Sun, The Moon, The Earth

Aligned..

When something is aligned or coordinated
it creates specific results.
The Sun, creates
The Earth, grounds

The Moon, illuminates

Perhaps the best energy of the eclipse is to Align

your plans.

Focus on what you would like to create

Contemplate what needs firming up, grounding

See what the best course of action is.
Use this time to be inactive -
To Plan your future course of action.
Use this time wisely.

Perhaps the Stars hold a message

For all of us.
The Sky is aligning,

Not once but 3 times since June 1st..

The greatest alignment of Our lifetime

is yet to come.

2012
Look to the stars..
Listen for your message.
Magick of this kind is not offered everyday.

And She said
Leave no traces
of your adoration,
For others shall follow
Your path

SHE who is the Sun
SHE who is the Moon
SHE who is the Stars
SHE who is the creatrix
Of all there is

We who reside
Within HER womb
Honor HER