“What was the gift in your brother calling you fat—when you were a little girl?” someone in my circle asked.
“I don’t know … Empathy, maybe,” I said. I know what being ridiculed feels like. I can connect and empathize with others who have had a similar experience.
“For if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without.” – the Goddess speaking in The Charge of the Goddess as written by Doreen Valiente
The gift for me may have been that I learned not to rely on human approval.
What do we seek within? It’s the divinity that the God and Goddess placed within you.
I had another thought. Without experiencing my brother’s ridicule, I would not have a certain form of compassion.
“You can’t pour from an empty cup.” – often attributed as a Zen master’s comment
Some authors suggest: “Strength comes from struggle.”
Here’s a prayer you can use:
My Lord and Lady, May my tough experiences Transform into compassion and strength. So Mote It Be.
Moonwater reveals a method to elevate the power and effectiveness of your spells … using words that rhyme. She shares a powerful prayer to help you connect with your creativity. You also invite the God and Goddess to support you.
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“Do I tell him? Will this destroy our relationship before it’s begun?” This thought terrorized me. How did I get into this mess?
I just had a date with this new guy. This was years ago. He was doing a video project. It did not look good.
Do I tell him the truth? Would he want to hear what I perceived?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Go big or go home.”
If I couldn’t tell him the truth, maybe we wouldn’t be able to have a healthy relationship.
So, did I tell him?
Yes. I was brief. “I don’t think you can make money with this project.” The quality was not good enough.
Over the next couple of days, he surprised me. He listened. He canceled the project.
It was a hard decision for him. He had to take responsibility for disappointing several people. No one wants to put time and effort into something that gets cancelled.
You may have heard that … many people throw money into something. But they do not quit when logic shows that the project is not working.
By the way, who is this guy? He’s my husband. We’ve been happily together for more than 25 years.
Oh, I’m so glad he canceled the project. That video project could have wasted a significant amount of time and money.
What do you do when you’re confronted with a big decision?
Do you give in to fear?
Go to the God and the Goddess.
Here is a prayer you can use:
Lord and Lady, Let me hear the truth through the noise of distraction. May my supportive intention be felt by this person. May we grow strong like the mighty oaks. So Mote It Be.
Moonwater reveals the essence of faith on your path and the support of God and Goddess. What can you trust? If you do trust, how will your actions change? Learn a powerful prayer to embrace the support from the Gods.
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The Triple Goddess symbol of the waxing, full, and waning moon over dark background. (Photo of the moon: NASA)
“I’m exhausted,” my friend, Amy, said. “Your Sjögren’s syndrome is a lot to bear,” I said.
Part of caring for my friends is to listen well. I ask questions, and they discover details for themselves.
I asked, “Would you be okay with exploring two ideas?” I waited. Maybe she was too tired at this moment on the phone.
“It’s okay,” she said.
“What does the fearful part of you say?” I asked.
“That I’m done. My life is going to stay in this box of illness. That I’m going to have this level of pain until I leave this planet.”
We talked some more.
A few minutes later, I asked, “What would Goddess say?”
This stumped her.
She paused.
I waited.
Eventually, she said that Goddess would encourage her. Goddess, would say, “Be compassionate with yourself. Because you are My child. Pain has different colors and textures. You’ll have times when you won’t think about the pain.”
Later, I reflected on this.
Often, I return to the words of the Goddess, in The Charge of the Goddess, as written by Doreen Valiente:
“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. … Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – The Goddess speaking in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente
“I feel so vulnerable,” Sheri, a friend, said. I nodded. I deeply related to this. I reflected on this later.
What if we could align ourselves with Goddess? What if we could know Her power? And, we can!
Goddess and the God placed divinity within us. That is our essential identity. Yes, our essence.
Here is something that stands out: the Goddess’s Principles. Here is a definition of principle:
A principle is a fundamental truth or proposition that serves as the foundation for a system of belief or behavior or for a chain of reasoning. – Oxford Languages
We can find some of Goddess’s principles as she speaks in the writing of Doreen Valiente:
“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever towards it; let naught stop you or turn you aside. … Let My worship be within the heart that rejoices, for behold, all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. And therefore let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – The Goddess speaking in The Charge of the Goddess, written by Doreen Valiente
Here is a prayer to support you in your own identity.
My Gracious Goddess, Show me my own beauty and strength, My own power and compassion, Let me strive for honor and humility, mirth and reverence in all I do. Let me see myself in You, and You in myself. So Mote It Be.
“No, I don’t think I’m strong enough to move on from this hell I’m in,” my friend, Amy, said.
“If you realize that Goddess loves you, and you do the things so you can feel Her support—you can do the hard things in life,” I replied.
Here I’ll share three points.
You are not alone.
The God and Goddess are always with you. You can call on Them to help you through the tough times in your life.
“Keep pure your highest ideal; strive ever toward it; let naught stop you or turn you aside.” – Doreen Valiente, speaking in the voice of the Goddess – in The Charge of the Goddess
Sometimes, it feels like everything in the world is trying to stop you from your desired goal. At those moments, look beyond the mundane world. Call on the Gods for Their support. Ask the Goddess, in Her nurturing aspect, to help you and guide you on your path.
Goddess is the Loving Form of Deity.
“Nor do I demand sacrifice, for behold I am the Mother of All Living, and my love is poured out upon the earth.” – Doreen Valiente, speaking in the voice of the Goddess – in The Charge of the Goddess
The Goddess has explained that she doesn’t demand that you sacrifice your desires or dreams for Her. She wants you to be happy. The Gods don’t want us to suffer.
Sometimes, we get the answer of Light, having gone through a time of darkness.
“The dark and the light in succession,
The opposites each unto each,
Shown forth as a God and a Goddess,
Of this did our ancestors teach.” – Doreen Valiente – in The Witches Creed
If we don’t have the hard times or dark times in our lives, we can’t fully appreciate the light parts. In one discussion, one of my friends emphasized that an important part of happiness can be feeling relief after a dark time.
When we see the good times stand out from the dark, we truly appreciate the good times when they arrive.
The dark times can be a powerful form of teacher. Dark times teach us certain lessons we need to learn. When the Light finally arrives, the Light illuminates our progress through those lessons.
We need both times of Light and dark to grow into our full potential and full destiny.
“Why is it getting worse?” my friend, Stephanie, said.
“I know there’s a lot happening. Anything in particular?” I replied.
“More violence in this country!” Stephanie said. And, this began a significant conversation.
What if Goddess Serves as Your Source of Certainty?
Is it possible to be certain of anything, anymore? Some people complain, “Unbelievable. I could not even imagine that people in leadership positions would be so … disgusting.”
I’ve learned that there is value in seeing ourselves as “spiritual beings having a human experience.”
As many of you know, I believe in the Summerlands, a place of love and peace in between the times we incarnate. We return and incarnate into a new body, and the lessons begin. We use our bodies as a user-interface for our spiritual being to learn lessons on this physical plane.
I realize that it can be tough to see this spiritual level when we’re in the midst of suffering and confusion. It’s as if we’re wearing “human-tinted glasses.” I suggest that we pause and consider looking at our lives from Goddess’s perspective. Goddess knows.
A Source of Comfort
Sometimes, I return to The Charge of the Goddess for inspiration and comfort.
“Let my worship be within the heart that rejoiceth, for behold: all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals. And therefore, let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you.” – Doreen Valiente (speaking in the voice of the Goddess—from The Charge of the Goddess)
A couple of meanings rise up for me with the above quote.
Notice the phrase “all acts of love and pleasure are my rituals,” and see that the Goddess gives us the answer. We can derive comfort in honoring Her with our compassion, reverence, humility and more. Acts of kindness and beauty honor the Goddess and make us feel good.
A Prayer
Dear Goddess Release me from my stale, limited beliefs And give me compassion and mirth in heaps. Acts of love and Acts of pleasure. I honor You in this way forever.
May the ideas expressed here comfort you and invite you to listen to your heart. May compassion for others flourish in your heart.
“My whole household is down with the flu. Except me. Well, I’m starting to cough. I don’t how much longer I can take the pressure,” she said.
Saying “Don’t worry” won’t do Zoe any good at this moment.
When’s the last time you have been seriously worried? Is it happening now?
I’ve noticed that worry gets more intense about things we really cannot control.
What can you do?
We, Wiccans, have an advantage: We can do an empowering ritual.
The “Let Go” Meditation/Ritual
What you will need:
One white candle
Banishing oil or extra virgin olive oil
Banishing incense or your favorite scent
Ritual tools
Cakes and wine
This is a truly simple candle ritual you can do to get some relief from worry.
Cast circle in the usual manner.
Consecrate and charge your candle with your holy water and your incense. Dress your candle with your oil.
Start belly-breathing (taking big breaths in and out—slowly) and light the candle.
Envision all your worry and fretting going into the candle’s flame. That is, envision all your worry as a black smoke flowing out of your mouth with each breath out. The flame draws all the black smoke.
Say: In this moment,
I let go. Goddess take this from me.
God strengthen me.
So mote it be.
Continue your meditation on the candle, breathing out all your worries as the black smoke.
When you’re done, thank the God and Goddess for Their support. Let the rest of the candle burn out.
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