The Goddess in me is the Goddess in you

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Artemis

Selfhood

I am who I am
and I know who I am
I can take care of myself
under all circumstances
and I can let others care for me
I can choose
There is no authority
higher than my own
my powers of discernment are finely honed
I am autonomous
I am free from the influence
of other's opinions
I am able to separate
that which needs separation
so a clear decision
can be reached
I think for myself
I set my sights
and aim my bow
my arrows always find their mark

Mythology

Artemis (pronounces ar'teh-mis), another multidimensional Goddess reduced by the Greeks to the domain of moon, virgin, huntress, and childbirth, really represented the Feminine in all her aspects. She was the huntress who protected animals and the virgin (whole and complete unto herself) who made love in the woods. When Artemis was a little girl, Zeus, her father, wanted to give her a gift and asked her what she wanted. Artemis replied: I want to run forever wild and free with my hounds in the woods and never, ever marry.

Eurynome

Ecstasy

When I awakened and arose
out of swirling seething chaos
seeing no other way to express
the sheer delight
the wild exhilaration
the explosion of energy
I felt
I began to dance my exuberance
that feeling of floating on a sea
of rapturuos joy
lost and transported
in the intensity
of ecstasy

Mythology

Eurynome (pronounced you-reh' no-may) or "wide wandering," is the Pelasgian (pre-Hellenic people of Greece) Great Goddess of all things. She divided the sky from the sea and, while dancing on the waves, created the north wind. The north wind grew lustful, so she seized him in her hands and formed a serpent she called Ophion. Eurynome made love with Ophion and then assumed the form of a dove to lay the universal egg out of which all creation came. Ophion, not content with being a creation of Eurynome and then cocreating with her, boasted that he was the supreme creator. Eurynome knocked out his teeth and banished him.

Kali

Fear

I am the dance of death that is behind all life
the ultimate horror
the ultimate ecstasy
I am existence
I am the dance of destruction that will end this world
the timeless void
the formless devouring mouth
I am rebirth
Let me dance you to death
Let me dance you to life
Will you walk through your fears to dance with me?
Will you let me cut off your head
and drink your blood?
thenw ill you cut off mine?
Will you face all the horror
all the pain
all the sorrow
and say "yes"?
I am all that you dread
all that terrifies
I am your fears
will you meet me?

Mythology
Kali (pronounced kah'lee), the Hindu triple Goddess of creation, preservation, and destruction, is the animating force of Shiva, the destroyer, (Lord of the Dance). She is the insatiable hunger of time that births then devours. Skulls, cemeteries, and blood are all associated with her worship. Kali's energy is uncontrollable. After killing two demons, she got drunk on their blood and began dancing on their dead flesh. She danced herself into a frenzy until she realized she almost danced Shiva to death.

Kuan Yin

Compassion

I made the vow
and kept my word
I reached enlightenment
but rather than pass over
to sthe state of eternal bliss
I retained human form
till all beings attain enlightenment
Keeping human form
enabled me to know more deeply
the pain others experience
Because of my deep feelings
because of my understanding
of misery and suffering
because of my decision
I am called The Compassionate One
She Whose Name Alleviates All Suffering
But wouldn't you prefer to wait
feeling what others feel
suffering what others suffer
knowing their pain as your own
wait till the end of all suffering and pain
till all beings attain enlightenment?
For me there was no other choice

Mythology
Kuan Yin (pronounced koo-wan'yin) or "she who hears the weeping world," is the Chinese Buddhist bodhisatva of Compassion. She lives on her island paradise of P'u T'o Shan where she is said to grant every prayer she hears. She is so powerful that even the mention of her name will ease suffering and hardshit. Choosing to remain in this world after having attained enlightenment, Kuan Yin has vowed to retain human form until all beings attain enlightenment. In Japan she is known as Kwannon.

Lakshmi

Abundance

I am the ever-flowing outpouring of plenty
the inexhastible
the never ending
from the fullness of my being
I give richly and opulently
generously and copiously
luxuriously and liberally
I am limitless
for I cannot be contained
I am everywhere
and will never cease to be.

Mythology

Worship of Lakshmi (pronounced lock'shmee) began prior to the Aryan invasion of India. She is considered the animating force or Shakti of Vishnu, the Preserver. Her sacred animal is the cow, symbol of abundance and plenty. She appears here with elephants pouring water, another symbol of her powerful abundance. Although described as floating on the eternal sea of time, resting on a lotus, Hindus say that the Gods churned the sea of creation from which Lakshmi appeared in all her splendor.

Maya

Illusion

What is it about me that's so hard to grasp?
I dance the universal energy
always moving
always active
You can never see me
as I am veiled
and that veil is a by-product
of what I do
who I am
Go deeper
Don't get caught in the magnificence of my creativity
My creation is the illusion
behind which lies the knowlegde that
all matter is energy
and all energy is one

Mythology

The Hindus and Buddhists of India worshipped Maya (pronounced my'ah) as the "Material Universe," as "Mother of Creation," "Weaver of the Web of Life," and as illusion. She is the virgin or maid part of the tree-part Kali (the three aspects being virgin, mother, and crone). Maya is also worshipped in Nepal, Tibet, Asia, and the Himalayas. Her special attributes are intelligence, creativity, water, and magic. Here she is depicted lifting the veils of earthly form to reveal the true nature of the universe.

Pele

Awakening

I surge I pulse I throb
I am never still
I am perpetual vibration
a rhythmic beat
the constant hum that you hear
I am always moving
way down in the deeps
with fiery vitality
in places you can only feel
When necessary
with dramatic, fierce, volcanic eruptions
I wake you up
With lava and fire
I say "pay attention"

Mythology

Pele (pronounced pay'lay) is the volcano Goddess of the Polynesian peoples of Hawaii. Accordto legend she appears to people as a beautiful and mysterious young woman just before her volcano is about to erupt or as a gnarled old woman who lights her cigarette with the snap of her fingers. Although her priestesses, the queens of Hawaii, were converted to Christianity when Mauna Loa erupted in 1880, Princess Keelikolani recited the old chants, gave offerings of silk cloth, and poured brandy into the bubbling lava. Pele, thus appeased, grew calm.

Shakti

Energy

I am the ultimate source
dancing through all forms
I am the animating force
vibrating the world into being
I activate
invigorate
potentiate
Let me fill you
with cosmic ecstasy
Let me reconnect you
recharge you
renew you
I am thje sweet-bliss honey nectar
that snakes up your spine
connecting all your chakras
into one big orgasmic orgy
of power
vitality
ENERGY!

Mythology

In Hindu India, Shakti (pronounced shock'tee), the Goddess, is active, powerful, vital--the animating force of the universe. The masculine is the passive, inert, dormant force. Each Shakti has her God with whom she unites in sexual untion. Without union, neither can do anything. to the Tantric mystics, the ultimate union with Shakti happens at the moment of death. Shakti, portrayed here seated within the lumious world egg, is protected by the serpent, kundalini, the emanation of her own divine energy.

Tara

Centering

I sit with my attention focused on my breath
breathing in and out
inhaling and exhalting
taking in and letting go
the dance of creation
the dance of the universe
the dance of life
I sit in still ness
in focused awareness
breathing in and out
as the ocean that is life
churns and pulses around me
as oceans of incarnations
swirl and twirl through me
beside me
all around me
My eyes see all
know all
and watch
As I breathe
Still. Focused. Aware. Centered.

Mythology

Tara (pronounced tah'rah), who originated in India and whose name means "star," is a major Goddess in the Tibetan patheon. She is known to hlep those who call upon her in tumultuous times of need, to steer a clear path, to find the stillness and strength within. She is also the Goddess of self-mastery and mysticism. From the first tear of compassion, a lake was formed. From the middle of the lake, a lotus emerged. When it bloomed, Tara emerged. Although offered reincarnation in male form, she swore to be ever incarnated as a woman. from: The Goddess Oracle by Amy Sophia Marashinsky
illustrated by Hrana Janto
1997 by Element Books