Diversity and Unitive Vision

Seeing with the eyes of unity is recognizing diversity as dynamically interrelating or fitting together within the whole. When we’re able to maintain this kind of vision we understand that not only are we here for a unique purpose, but we also matter to the overall tapestry of life.

There’s a common myth that says unity and oneness means we are all the same. True unity is not sameness, it’s not acting or thinking alike. Unity or oneness is a field of non-dual awareness, it’s a way of being that highly values and respects differences of opinion, race, cultures, and lifestyles.

Our threads may be separate from others, but together, they add to the design in a way that’s deeply meaningful and could not be complete without their presence and vital color. There’s nothing that needs to be retouched or airbrushed away. Within this level of awareness, we get to be exactly as we came here to be. Filled with our own purpose, identity, and freedom. This is our birthright. We are essential to the All, but we aren’t all meant to be the same.

In Honor of Love and Loss this Valentine's Day

Today doesn’t have to be a sugar sweet hallmark day. Maybe instead it’s a tender reminder to come closer to our hearts. To open to the idea of oneness with those who feel far from our physical arms. The law of Oneness says we are all divinely inseparable. This includes our loved ones in Spirit who feel separated in body, but can actually be closer to our minds and hearts than ever before. A new level of intimacy is shared as Spirit bears witness to our daily thoughts and feelings. Their love is conscious, fully awake and responsive to our grief as well as our desires for reunion and companionship with them. An eternal, enduring warmth abides where love is alive—and honestly, that’s often within a broken or grieving heart. Perhaps this day can also remind us to be gentle toward our genuine feelings around love and loss, and to know that we are met there too.

My prayer this Valentine’s Day:

May Spirit hear you and hold you wherever you are.

May your love light a candle for you and tend to the flames that bind.

May you never forget that love is always with you, because only love survives.

When the Goddess Calls You: 6 Ways to Reclaim Your Goddess Power Within

There is a common belief that the Goddess exists outside of humanity, far off in a hidden temple yet to be discovered. Indeed, there are many independent deities who live beyond individual consciousness. However, the power of the Goddess, first and foremost, fully resides within, She is your divine life force energy.

The Goddess within is the sacred feminine Light Body, or “golden chalice”, which, when reclaimed and empowered, flows and emanates throughout your entire being. She is the primal catalyst for change and transformation as well as rejuvenation and healing. When activated, the once sleeping Goddess begins to spiral-dance with the dead and living aspects of your soul longing to return to Her arms.

When the Goddess calls, She is calling you to reclaim your own divinity, your birthright as a soul to evolve and expand into your highest potential in this lifetime. Many who hear Her call fear She may ask them to lose their identity and free will.

She may demand too much time and energy, or be completely overbearing and expect them to be pristine mirror reflections of Her image, nothing more. Some of them are intimidated by the Dark primordial Goddess, who often appears as a devouring, villainous old hag when misunderstood, demonized and repressed by society at large. Or perhaps She’s less than God, a smiling Mother with no real agency of Her own.

These reactions arise when you believe the Goddess has absolute, punishing, power over you, or no power at all, and although conditioned beliefs are understandable, it’s important to know how deeply rooted they are in humanity’s long history of distorted patriarchal control and desacralization of the feminine.

When the Goddess calls, She isn't asking you to give your power away, She asks you to harness your own. There is a refinement of your energy rising forward to be embodied and integrated even more. It’s always up to you to choose this path or not, as nothing can be forced against your will. The conscious mind may feel you wouldn’t choose certain lessons or experiences, but your soul knows when greater access to your divinity is yearning to reawaken.

6 ways to reclaim your inner Goddess:

1. Honor your worth. As cliche as it sounds, self-love is the foundation for any path devoted to awakening. Reclaim the Goddess by reclaiming your value and know that who you are is absolutely perfect right here, right now. This can be challenging and requires heartfelt dedication to remind yourself how innately cherished you are in the universe.

Remember that each time you attempt to shift from worthlessness to worthiness, you are reclaiming the Goddess even more. A simple way to develop self-love is to engage in a daily routine that nourishes your well-being such as getting a full night’s sleep, eating a whole and balanced diet, exercising, meditating, and spending time in nature.

Your routine is a clear indicator of where you tend to self-sabotage or abandon your needs. Take note of when this arises and be gentle toward yourself. This is all a practice. When you shine in your worth, the Goddess shines through you.

2. Validate your innermost desires. One of the most powerful ways to reclaim your inner Goddess is to validate your passions and desires. The Goddess is a Creatrix, and in order to create, there must first be a strong desire to do so. True desire is not selfish or indulgent, it is the generative energy of love.

Without an impulse or longing from our hearts, there is no life, yet most women feel guilty for pursuing anything outside of work roles or family obligations. Start small if you have to, immerse yourself in things you love doing for at least an hour a day, this is where your Goddess energy blossoms and more inspiration comes to you. Release any expectation for certain results to manifest right away. The joy and sense of play that flows through you is where the Goddess really comes alive!

3. Observe cycles in Nature and see Her rhythms reflected in yourself. The Goddess is cyclic and ever-changing. Just as the moon phases shift and seasons transform, our breath, menstrual cycles, and rites of passage are all governed by the endless spiral of life-death-rebirth. As we find ourselves reflected in the same universal pattern, we reclaim the inner Goddess in all of Her manifestations, Her many guises of Light, Dark and In-between, we reclaim our true nature as Wild. Pay attention to the parts of Nature that speak to you the most. Are you drawn to the ocean, mountains, or forest? Is there an animal or plant that you particularly feel a kinship with? These connections can help you deepen your communication with the natural world as well as your respect for being vitally interwoven with the Anima Mundi, or Soul of the World, with Mother Earth Herself.

4. Listen to your intuition. Take time to get quiet and receptive enough to hear any guidance your higher self is seeking to share with you. The Goddess speaks in symbols and subtle energy. The more you engage your intuitive abilities, the more the Goddess is restored and balanced enough to soften the overactive mind and ego that usually runs rampant in our lives. I share more about the receptivity of the Feminine and tips on how to develop this state in my previous blog post: Feminine Receptivity: A Channel to Higher Worlds.

5. Discover Goddesses that resonate with your soul. Create a list of qualities or archetypal energies you carry at this time (astrological associations may help) and then research Goddesses who either match these specific themes or who hold an important energy that can help you balance and reintegrate your own. You may feel drawn to a Goddess and have no idea why. Trust this too.

Read Her mythology and history, learn from devotees and priestesses who honor Her. If you aren’t able to find a Goddess, what types of women inspire you? What energies do they embody that you would like to refine within you? Although these activities may seem rather simple on the surface, they can do so much to reactivate your own inner Goddess power.

For example, I naturally hold the healer/peacemaker archetype which makes it difficult to maintain boundaries and sovereign relationships at times. I find Warrior Goddesses such as The Morrigan have helped me restore these less dominant qualities within myself. Again, this is less about finding a Goddess to worship or work with, although it can lead to that, but a direct way to see the Goddess represented as specific wellsprings of energy you can tap into within your own being.

6. Call Her back. A simple yet decisive way to answer the Goddess and to reclaim Her in your life is to call Her in. Light a single candle (any color will do) in a sacred space and open your heart to Her mystery. You can pray, chant, sing and dance, write a letter, invite her to walk in nature with you. Anything that feels authentic and genuine to you will be exactly what is needed to deepen your divine relationship and power within.

[My personal altar for the Divine Feminine]