Imbolc

In Scotland February is known as Wolf month and although the days are cold and dreary there are small signs of new life appearing across the country side as birds began to build their nests and ewes birth their lambs.

As the Cailleach, Old woman of Winter exhales her final icy breath, all will be transformed as Brigid, Fair Woman of February rekindles the fire in the earth, preparing it for new life . . .

For centuries it has been customary for Irish folk to fashion a St. Brigid’s Cross of straw or rushes and place it at the entrance to their cottage to protect their homes, animals and loved ones.

Brigid’s Cross on our front door.

“Imbolc, which means “in the belly” is a time of hope and expectation.
For those of us in the colder climes, it can be a time of waiting,
gestating the seeds of springtime and new life, a witnessing of
returning light and birdsong in this, the deepest part of winter. So,
too, it is a time for resting “in the belly,” in the quiet center of
ourselves.

A light shines out in Kildare In the name of Brigid, her spirit
asking for love, justice, peace, truth, care of the earth.
– Brigidine Nuns, Kildare , Ireland

Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us. – Rose Arizmendi

Friday Evening

I can hear the pitter patter of the rain falling outside my window as I sit here writing this post. I love it when it rains . . . for some reason it relaxes and calms me.

Tonight, I read a prayer attributed to St. Ciaran, who founded the monastery at Clonmacnoise and wanted to share it with you.

Mothers of Life,

You bless the Earth that gives us food,

shelter, clothing, and tools for our

work and play, and that provides

the many paths that lead us through life,

Forgive.

Mothers of life

You bring water from the sky and from

deep in the Earth to cleanse and

refresh us and keep us moist and living,

Forgive.

Mothers of life,

You nurture us in the long bright days of

summer and in the rich darkness of night

and winter, you teach us the mysteries of

the moon and stars,

Forgive.

Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us. – Rose Arizmendi

Rainy Day

“Every time you wake up, ask yourself, “What good things am I going to do today?     “Remember that when the sun goes down at sunset, it will take a part of your life with it.”   – Native American Proverb

This morning, I woke up to a gray, cold, rainy day here in northern California. It seems the wonderful sunny days we’ve been experiencing lately have gone on holiday.

As the rain pooled around my boots this morning while I was in the garden, I noticed our calla lilies looked a little worse for wear because of the unseasonably dry weather we have been having. There is much talk about water rationing if we don’t receive more rain this year.

I feel sad when I think about how water is so much an every day part of our lives, yet we tend to take it for granted and often use it wastefully. For many people around the globe it is becoming more precious than any other resource. What will we do when there comes a time when there’s not enough to go around?

We are an amazingly resourceful species, but generally only when we have to be.

The good news is we have survived and evolved because of this resourcefulness and we are capable of accomplishing great things when we set our minds to it.

“Let the rain kiss you.  Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drops.  Let the rain sing you a lullaby.”  – Langston Hughes

Quick Feng Shui Tips

“Our homes are mirrors of ourselves.They reflect our interests, our deeply held beliefs, our spirits and our passions.”  – Denise Linn

Here are some quick things you can do to improve the energy flow in your home or office.

• Open all the doors and windows for 10-15 minutes in the morning for a complete shift in the energy of your home.
• Give your home a quick surface cleaning by decluttering and clearing as you walk through your home. The more you do, the greater the energy shifts.
• Use indoor plants to move stagnant energy, particularly in the corners.
• If your pressed for time and decluttering is not an option, then place rose lepidolite, amethyst or a crystal ball in the area. Lepidolite is considered an excellent stone to clear out unwanted energies and is said to provide protection from negativity.
• Use an atomizer or spray bottle to lightly spray spring water all over your room. Spraying your rooms with water is one of the simplest and most effective ways for shifting your home’s energy and to cleanse away any strong residual emotions. You may also add a couple of drops of essential oil of lavender to the water or rescue remedy flower essence if you like.
• Light a candle.
• Play inspiring music.

“We shape our dwellings and afterwards our dwellings shape us” – Winston Churchill

Everyday Goddessing  is about sharing magical techniques and sacred wisdom with other beautiful Goddess women. I believe that within every woman there is a goddess, a wise woman, beautiful, creative, powerful, with a deep soul, and that everything we need and are looking for is already inside  each of us. – Rose Arizmendi

Mandala Healing Kit

I purchased this kit several months ago and had forgotten all about it until yesterday. The kit contains pictures of mandalas, colored pencils, a guided audio CD, a 96-page workbook, stencils and special paper.

This kit is one of life’s little gems and nurtures one’s spirit in many surprising and amazing ways . . .

I had to abandon the idea of the superordinate position of the ego. … I saw that everything, all paths I had been following, all steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point — namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the centre. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the centre, to individuation.
… I knew that in finding the mandala as an expression of the self I had attained what was for me the ultimate. – C. G. Jung.

The “squaring of the circle” is one of the many archetypal motifs
which form the basic patterns of our dreams and fantasies. But it
is distinguished by the fact that it is one of the most important
of them from the functional point of view. Indeed, it could even
be called the archetype of wholeness.

– from Mandalas. C. G. Jung. trans. from Du (Zurich, 1955)