Full Moon in Libra - March 29-30

The Wheel keeps turning and turning, from Full Moon to New Moon to Full Moon again! Full Moons cast light in the darkness so we could see the things we need to work on before we move on to the next phase. During the New Moon we set up some goals and we began working on them, now it is time to check and see how far we have come. What do we need to change in order to manifest our dreams or goals? Is everything on track or do we need to change the course of action?

The Full Moon in Libra has a message that resonates with me very strongly. The message is to move from competition to cooperation. Why do we need to compete? Why do we need to be more than the others? Can we just cooperate and bring a message together instead of fighting and trying to bring others down? It is important to remember that now is the time to take a risk and take a stand if necessary. Do we want to continue suffering as we have been or are we ready to listen to our Mother and work together? Become one with nature and realize that we are not technology, we are not machines. It is also time to move from building hierarchy and dominating to start working from love and equality. We are all the same in the eyes of the Goddess, why do we need status? Why do we need a Queen? We need courage and assertiveness to move from domination to equality and love. Domination and power have been our mantras for so long we don't know how to live as equals. There is so much work to be done to bring Goddess to the same level as God. We say women have the same rights as men but we don't see women presidents everywhere, we don't see women holding the same space as men in the clergy in the big religions such as Christianity or Judaism, we don't see women as equal to men yet. I dream of the day that I can wake up and we will all be equals and that every religion is the same and we all work together to bring balance to this world that is screaming for harmony and balance. The systems we have don't work when people are dying from hunger in this Earth that is bountiful and all providing.

It is time! It is time for us to bring the change we want to see in the world. It is time to take a stand and take a risk. It will not be easy but the message is to become a spiritual warrior and remember that "Peace happens one heart at a time." (Rama Vernon)

Blessings!!

Journey to Wholeness

Sometimes we don't realize how far we have gone from our roots until it is too late. During the past few years, I've been dedicating a lot of time to studying and learning about the Goddess and finding a way to serve Her in her thousand names. I kept reading and writing, and trying to find out how I can help, what my purpose was, what my mission is. I kept going around and around trying to find a way without realizing that it was just in front of me during this journey. I had forgotten where I come from, I have forgotten my roots and I was divided. I've been in the United States for 7 years now and I forgot that not everyone is as lucky as I am to speak and understand English. Most of the materials around the Goddess are in English and if you don't speak or read the language, you will not be able to reach Goddess. I realized that when I was talking to some people who speak Spanish and I was trying to find the Spanish versions of the books I have in English. That was a gap!! So then it dawn on me, I am supposed to be that bridge, I am able to take the English and translate it into Spanish so people who are not able to understand English can still feel Isis love and connect with the Goddess in her many forms.

It's interesting how we can get caught up in our world and forget where our roots are and what is important. I am currently reading a book called Women's Reality by Anne Wilson Schaef and the author mentions a System called the White Male System and how this system seeks to control and feel superior, and how people who are in that system are usually suffering from high blood pressure, heart attacks among other things. Funny enough, when I look back, I can see I was part of that system a few years ago but somehow, the spell broke when I ended up in the hospital with a heart condition. That was the eye opener for me, why would I believe that being stressed out all the time was normal? Why would I believe that working 24/7 with no fun was ok? Now I can see what I love doing (translating, teaching and sharing material) and that I can live in harmony and peace outside the system. The author also compares the system as smog, you need to breath fresh air in order to realize that there is smog because when you are within the smog, you will not notice it. I think that every visit to Isis Oasis was my time to get out of the smog that clouded my vision and did not allow me to see my purpose. Now I can see it clear and I am going for it!!

Blessings!!

Divide and Conquer Mentality

We all know the mantra "divide and conquer" and I think it is part of our everyday lives even when we are not aware of it. Lately, I've been meditating about this and how it affects us. I can't help but wonder why humans can not accept wholeness as a way of being. We are always dividing ourselves in groups such as you are Catholic and I am Pagan, or creating different statuses - rich and poor, manager and employee, student and teacher. Sometimes we need these titles but even when we have a different title, it is hard for us to live together and accept each other.

It has been hard for me to see that even when we call ourselves Goddess Priestesses, we are still working in the dynamics of status and power. It hurts my heart to see Priestesses talking bad about other Priestesses or just not working together for the same goal. One of my visions is to be able to bring Goddess to a point where it will not make a difference when one person says "I am Pagan or I celebrate Goddess in all her names and forms." I feel there is still a lot of work to do in that realm because even though we think there is freedom of religion and everyone is accepted no matter what they believe, a person saying he or she is Pagan has not as an easy time as somebody saying I am Catholic. There is resistance there and I think our goal should be to bring that concept out instead of focusing of what group does what, or who is stealing people form another circle. We should eliminate the scarcity mentality and know that there is a circle of everyone and that people are free to choose who they want to work with. That should never separate Goddess women from working together. It would be great if people from all religious paths would come together and work for a better world but too much energy is spent in recruiting, in gathering people instead of seeing what the real goal is. Spirituality is not about dividing and conquering, it is about wholeness, happiness, joy, love and being together.

I think the time is coming for everyone to work together. We can see that the world is not great the way it is. We have so many resources and still we are fighting. Why? Why fight? Why not share? Why do we need to be bigger or greater than the person next to us? In the eyes of Goddess, we are all the same. Why do we have to have natural disasters to realize that we could help each other? Haiti was a poor country before but it took several earthquakes for the world to come together to help them. Why do we need to wait for outside forces to come together as one? Those are the questions I am pondering today and that I wish there was an easy answer. We choose our destinies and the way we see the world. There was a saying that express this concept "I change myself, I change the people around me, I change my community, I change my city, I change my state, I change the world" It all starts with us, are we ready to work together? Are we ready to let go of our egos and need for power and focus on what is really important? We are all free to choose and today can be a new beginning.

Blessings!!

Group and Power Dynamics

When I started walking the Goddess path, I was mainly a solitary witch and I had to learn on my own. I was in Argentina where at the time (more than 13 years ago), Goddess was not part of the day to day activities so I was lucky enough to find material on the Internet and be able to understand English. When I moved to the United States, I was able to participate in different groups. Some were small closed covens, some were open circles. Each group has its own dynamics and as I said in the past when I talk about about classes "a teacher can make or break the class" applies to spiritual groups as well. A leader can make or break the circle. A leader has the power to create heaven on earth or to just use his or her position to manipulate others and create hell. It is not surprising that one of my last classes in school deals with group dynamics and group communication. I say it is not surprising because synchronicity has always been present with me in school. I need to learn more about analytical skills for work, then the critical thinking class comes around. I need to polish my writing skills, then the college writing class comes next. There is always a class that fits with my path completely and makes me feel that Goddess has a bigger plan for me. Well, now that I am working on becoming a full time Priestess and have created the Isis Circle of Harmony and Light, I have this small group communication class that is showing me how when we join a group, there are lots of things to take into account. Some of those things are how the leader organizes the group, is the leader there to dominate and control or to support and harmonize the circle? Is the leader power hungry or is she trying to accomplish a higher purpose and working from her devotion to Goddess and this path? There are several theories that talk about why people join groups, some say that people join groups to feel included, others because they need to be able to control others, and then there are the ones that need to give and receive affection. One of the theories that really speaks to me is the Maslow's Theory. This theory talks about human needs and it says that until you meet the needs of the lower levels, you can not reach the higher ones and this theory divides human needs in five categories - physiological needs, safety needs, belonging needs, esteem needs and self-actualization needs. If a person does not have his or her physiological or safety needs met, then they can not start belonging. I think when it comes to spiritual groups, I think most the people that come together have met the first three and they are between the belonging needs and the esteem needs. If a leader does not have a strong and healthy self esteem, he or she will just try to dominate, to control, to manipulate and to build his or her ego out of his or her position in the group. People who need to control, dominate or be the center of attention are just trying to fulfill their esteem needs. Once those needs are met, they can move to the self-actualization needs and come from a place of power and growth. Like one Priestess said "if you find a group that claims to be the only one truth and talks bad about other groups, just run as fast and quickly as you can" because you are about to get into an unhealthy environment. For me, part of being a Priestess is to evaluate myself every day and make sure that my Priestess path comes from my devotion to Isis and Sekhmet and not because I need to feed my ego, grow my esteem, or feel important. I decided to write about this because I have had bad experiences in group dynamics and I have learned how I do NOT want to be and how to determine what group is for me. If you are looking for a community or circle, make sure you do your homework and evaluate how the group is. Pay attention how they treat others, what is the role of money and how the money is used if you pay a fee, how are people who leave the community treated, is the leader the center or does he or she share responsibility with others, if there are other priestesses, do they hold the same level as the leader or is there a hierarchy in place? Everything counts and the signs are there if you want to see them. There are groups for everyone and I am sure you'll find the best for you. Just look around and you'll find it!

Many Blessings!!

New Moon in Pisces - Dreams or Fears?

One of the things that I like doing a lot is paying attention to the Moon Phases and how they affect our lives. Each Moon Phase has a meaning and message for us. For example, New Moons are about new beginnings while Full Moons are about completion and manifestation. Then we have the Waxing Moon for abundances, prosperity, growth, and evolving from the project we initiated in the New Moon; and Waning Moon is about releasing and letting go, making sure that we make space to create a new venture when the New Moon arrives. Each Moon Phase is combined with a sign in the zodiac. The Moon moves fast from sign to sign going around the wheel in 28 days. She spends only 2 and 1/2 days in each sign. Sometimes, it helps me to think that the Moon is the character that brings our emotions and nourishment out, and the sign the Moon is on is the dress she is wearing. For example, a Leo Moon would be all about creativity and our healthy ego while a Moon in Sagittarius may find nourishment in learning new things, connecting with spirituality and higher forms of though.

On Monday, we have a New Moon in in Pisces. As I mentioned before, the New Moon is about new beginnings so we are giving the opportunity to start again. She is wearing the Pisces dress and this is a very interesting dress because Pisces is a great sign when it comes to intuition, inspiration, connecting with our dreams and these are all activities connected with the Moon. She enjoys them. The problem is that as every sign has positive traits, signs also have challenging ones, and for Pisces the traits that bring challenge are victimization, drug and substance abuse. The root of these challenges is the fact that when we are open to our intuition and our feelings, we may feel to deep and in order to numb ourselves, we use drugs, alcohol, food or whatever substance that numbs us. Some people over work while others get depressed.

We all know that we can have dreams and nightmares. When we go to bed, we open ourselves to a different universe. This universe holds our dreams and desires, but it also holds all those things that scare us, our fears, our anxieties. Many times, people do not follow their dreams because they are scared they will not be successful, they see all those things that will prevent them from manifesting what they want. They see that they don't have enough money, or they don't have enough time. There is always an excuse that is rooted on fear - this fear is clear and it can be described in one word - failure. What dreams are you not going after because you think you can not make them happen? Are you feeling you are not good enough and you will not be successful? Is your heart telling you to do something but your fear blocking you from doing so? This New Moon is asking us to sit and think, what are those things that we dream about and what are the obstacles in our road. As Les Brown said "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears."

This New Moon lifts the veil that covers our eyes, this is the time when we see clearly where we want to go, and if we are able to overcome our fears, we will get there. The Universe is with you.

Many blessings!

There is an App for that...

Lately, it seems there is an App for almost everything. There is an App to tell you where a nearby Starbucks is, where you can go shopping, what movies you can watch, you can buy online, and you can do several things we could not do before with a phone. Technology is changing our lives in every sense, and when it comes to magick, there is also an App for that!! Some months ago, I started looking for a Tarot application that I could have in my phone so when I am out, and I need to get some insights, I can just shuffle the cards on the phone and get some insights on a situation. Well, at that time, there were only just a few applications in the iTunes store so I decided to get the Goddess Tarot Application and the Mystic Goddess Tarot, both wonderful decks and indeed wonderful applications. I started using them regularly and I find them very useful so whenever I am out, I have a deck with me. Two days ago, I decided to start looking again to see if there were some new applications and whoa!! There were like more than 50 applications and these included not only Tarot, but Runes and Astrology, also some of those inspirational decks such as "Ask your Guides" "Ascended Masters" or "Animal Wisdom". It was really interesting to see how the industry is growing and how our magickal practices are being more accepted by everyone. I believe a phone says a lot about the person. The applications you have describe you. If you pick mine, you would find affirmations by Louise Hay, some Tarot applications, some Rune applications, and also some work out systems that I can use in the gym.

What does your phone say about you? If you have the iPhone, check out the store since you may find your favorite deck and be able to carry it with you everywhere! Yes, There is an App for that!!

Blessings!

Living with Purpose

Today, I was faced with reality that we never know which day is our last day. One of my husband's friends passed about 10 days ago. He was only 29 and had a daughter. Sometimes we imagine that we will day of old age, that we have time to live our passions, that there is always tomorrow to follow our dreams, but these events make me realize what if there is no tomorrow. Can I say that I have lived fully? That I have follow my dreams and live my heart's desires. It is incredible how one event can trigger a lot of responses. For me, this young person's death made me realize that I need to live each day like if it was the last and try to follow my dreams as much as I can. This event also made me realize how lucky I am that I am healthy, I have a job, I am happily married, and I don't have many reasons to complain about life. Sometimes we complain about small things without realizing how lucky we are. For example, today, on my way home, I was complaining about the rain. Yes, once again, it was raining outside and I am so tired of it, I just can't wait for the sun to come out. But, after complaining about the rain, I look ahead and I see a wonderful rainbow. It was a full rainbow shining bright. I have always associated the rainbow as a sign that things will be ok. But if it was not raining, there would be no rainbow so sometimes we have to deal with the yukky things we don't like in order to get a beautiful ending.

Every day, I try to make each act during the day, an action that has a purpose, an action that means something. From the jewelry I wear to the books I read, everything has a purpose, and I find myself now feeling my heart's desire to follow my dreams, to start writing, to teach, to share my knowledge. Isis is the Lady of Synchronicity and I feel she is guiding me lately. Yesterday, I got a sudden inspiration to start creating a 13 moon program, and today I was offered the chance to give a proposal to teach a Tarot class in 2011. The doors are opening and I feel I am coming out of the cocoon where I've been during the winter. Like a caterpillar, I am ready to leave the cocoon behind and become a butterfly. I am ready to shine and to follow my heart. Every symbol, every action, has a purpose and all these events are leading me to my passion. I can not wait, I can not let fear stop me. I just need to jump in and live fully.

Blessings!!

Alice in Wonderland Symbology

It is interesting to see how our perceptions change as we grow up and evolve. When we are kids, we do not look at movies to see the symbols within them, we just enjoy the show, but as we grow up, we see different things in the same pictures or stories. This is my experience with Alice in Wonderland. This is a story I was told when I was a kid, and watched the original movie, but yesterday I saw the new version and I was amazed at how much this movie resonated with me and my life. It was like watching the symbols of my life in the big screen.

The first symbol is the falling down the rabbit hole and how at times in life, when everything seems to be falling apart we feel we don't know how deep the rabbit hole goes. Is it ever going to stop? Are things going to get any better or will we wake up in wonderland where everything is strange and unfamiliar?

After the fall, it is the uncertainty of not knowing what to do and trying different things to find out that we are either becoming smaller or growing out of proportion. I can see this in every experience where we feel that we are invisible, or with mistakes we make, we feel as we are reducing but then a big promotion comes, and our ego may grow so much we don't even fit in ourselves. Then we need to take the potion to go back to normal...

Then, there is the discussion about being the real Alice... Don't we ever wonder if this is who we really are? Who are we? What are we meant to be? Don't you ever fight your destiny thinking that you are not meant to do that or be that? Are you the real thing? Are you following your passions? Are you being true to yourself or are you lying to yourself trying to convince yourself that what your parents wanted you to do is what you really wanted to do? Maybe not, maybe you are not meant to follow your sister's path, or your father's dream, maybe you are just meant to discover yourself as different and separated from all the others. You are supposed to discover the real you, the real Alice who is behind all the layers that society and others put on you so you can not see who you really are.

And while we are in our journey to find out who we are, we always have to fight our demons, our shadow, the ugly side, the fears, the anxiety. All that is there to hunt us, to make us feel small, to make us feel like we are not enough to make our dreams come true. To follow our purpose. To live a life that will be remembered. Are we brave enough to get out of our comfort zone and face our demons? Are we strong to kill the dragon? The dragon is what separates you from your dreams and from the real you, are you ready for the battle? Are you ready to step into your destiny and follow your path? You'll have to kill the demons first but once you do that, you will find who you are and that is priceless.

Our journeys make us stronger. They show we have the will and power to make our dreams come true and to bring the true self back to life. We can move past the limitations, the conditioning, the layers that are preventing us from seeing the truth. Sometimes things feel real sometimes we feel like we are in a dream and we just want to wake up. It is time to follow your heart. It is time to move past fear so you can find the real Alice inside you.

Blessings!

Paying attention to the Symbols

It is interesting to see how if we pay attention, we can see that Goddess is sending us messages all day long. Last week, I was very sick and I was not able to get out of bed. I usually don't get very sick but somehow, this time, I felt like I was dying. I had no energy and my whole body hurt. It was like the Judgement card in the Tarot deck, I was dying to the old to be reborn into the new. Yesterday, as I was moving the calendar to show March, I couldn't help but notice the significance of starting a new month, like starting a new page in a journal. A new beginning, full of opportunities and charms. It was like leaving behind all the bad things that had taken place during February to start again, full of energy and hope. As a way to conclude the month, I performed a Full Moon Ritual and for the first time, I drum on my own as part of my celebration. I could feel the Goddess all around me with each beat of the drum as if my heart, the drum and the Goddess were all beating as one. It was a beautiful experience and I thought "this is it" this is bliss.

Today, back t work after a few days away, things seem different. I am not sure if it was the ritual the night before, my new attitude, or the fact that it was a new month that brought a new commitment, but things felt good. I was going with the flow, not pushing the river, just flowing with it. When I got home, I found my Tarot deck waiting for me (some of you may know I ordered an egyptian deck that is out of print and was created in Argentina, and I got an empty envelope last week with no deck!) from a different seller, and the previous seller refunded all my money. Things are going smooth...

Then I went to the gym, and while on the bike, I couldn't help but notice a pattern in my life. When I started pedaling, I set up the route to be 5.5 miles going up a hill. This was very challenging and it wasn't 1.5 miles in the journey that I started doubting myself - did I choose the wrong journey? Is this too hard? Do I have what it takes to finish this? All these questions were getting into my mind while I could feel my legs burning. At that point, I decided to shift my attention to the music on my iPhone and there was a song that said "I will never let you fall", somehow this connected with me. The next song was something about some sexy boots, but also said "You don't realize how beautiful you are." All these phrases sounded like the Goddess talking to me while I was struggling on the bike, wanting to quit, wanting to give up, but somehow I kept pushing, I kept trying until I reach the finish line. This situation showed me how many times I face walls or I feel everything is collapsing and I just want to give up, but if I keep trying and I keep pushing, in the end I know the Goddess will never let me fall down.

Blessings!