I have recently read the book: The Goddess Path by Patricia Monaghan. This is a book that was designed to help the reader to help nurture your own connection to the goddess and to share in her wisdom. Within each chapter that is dedicated to a specific goddess there is history about the goddess, myths involving the goddess, invocations for the goddess, ritual suggestions and questions to aid the reader with exploring their relationship with her.
There will be a few blog posts with my personal responses to some of the questions found in each chapter of this book. I urge you to follow along with me as we experience the Goddess within.
The seventeenth chapter is about The Cailleach and you can find the questions I will be answering in this post on page 217 of the book.
Make a list of women who, when you were younger, embodied the strength of women to you. What qualities do you associate with them?
Grandma - independence, success, confidence, courage, mirth, love
Mom - nurturing, compassion, compromising, harmony, peace, love
Wonder Woman - physical strength, wisdom, intelligence, justice, courage, bravery, power, determination
Mother Mary - humility, beauty, compassion, peace, joy, sacrifice
Taking that list, describe the ways in which you yourself have those qualities. What could you do to enhance those qualities and their expression?
I believe that I possess the qualities that I associate with Grandma in the way I have established my own business and how I was able to leave my first two marriages. I saw that I did not require a spouse to be successful in my life. I embrace the qualities that I associate with Mom in that even though I don't "need" a man to be successful I can also have a healthy relationship with a man and have a family as she did. Wonder Woman is the representation of the physically strong woman who has a sense of justice and morality. She doesn't lose her femininity while doing so. I believe I am able to embody these qualities in my daily life. And Mother Mary is whom I feel I resonate with when doing spiritual work with the clients and students.
I believe I would be able to enhance these qualities by being more open to Spirit and listening to my intuition more.
Make a list of words you have heard used to describe women. They can be in printed materials, in other media, or in conversation Now divide them into two lists: positive and negative. What messages are you hearing about women from your environment?
POSITIVE: independent, confident, sexy, clever
NEGATIVE: nagging, restrictive, overly emotional, illogical, stubborn, unrealistic, soft, weak, emotionally unstable, hysterical, weak, manipulative, ambitious
I believe the messages I hear are contrary and depends on the groups discussing women.
Taking that list, circle the words you like as descriptions of yourself. Now draw a line under the words you would feel uncomfortable with if used to describe yourself. Are there decisions you make about your behavior based on those messages?
I do not think my decisions about myself are made concerning the messages I hear. I believe my decisions are based on the role models I have chosen for myself.
In what ways do you typically hide your age?
I don't hide my age but I believe that others think I am younger than my age.
What fears do you have of growing older?
The only fear I have is that I won't be as independent as I am now as I grow older.
Do you fear death? What are your attitudes towards dying? What fears do you have? What do you fear more than death?
I do not fear death. I am more afraid about whether my children will be cared for after I am dead. I fear abandonment more than death.
If you had to lose one sense as you age, which would you most willingly give up? Which would be most painful to lose?
I think it would be easier to give up my sight because it isn't as good as it once was ... though working on the computer would be difficult. Perhaps hearing would be better to give up. If I couldn't touch ... hug people ... that would be the most difficult to give up.
Have you made plans to support yourself in your old age? What will you need to be happy and healthy as you age? How can you start now to provide for that?
I have made no plans to support myself in my old age.
Have you made a will? A living will? Have you dealt with the technical details of inevitable aging?
I have not made a will.
Grandma - independence, success, confidence, courage, mirth, love
Mom - nurturing, compassion, compromising, harmony, peace, love
Wonder Woman - physical strength, wisdom, intelligence, justice, courage, bravery, power, determination
Mother Mary - humility, beauty, compassion, peace, joy, sacrifice
Taking that list, describe the ways in which you yourself have those qualities. What could you do to enhance those qualities and their expression?
I believe that I possess the qualities that I associate with Grandma in the way I have established my own business and how I was able to leave my first two marriages. I saw that I did not require a spouse to be successful in my life. I embrace the qualities that I associate with Mom in that even though I don't "need" a man to be successful I can also have a healthy relationship with a man and have a family as she did. Wonder Woman is the representation of the physically strong woman who has a sense of justice and morality. She doesn't lose her femininity while doing so. I believe I am able to embody these qualities in my daily life. And Mother Mary is whom I feel I resonate with when doing spiritual work with the clients and students.
I believe I would be able to enhance these qualities by being more open to Spirit and listening to my intuition more.
Make a list of words you have heard used to describe women. They can be in printed materials, in other media, or in conversation Now divide them into two lists: positive and negative. What messages are you hearing about women from your environment?
POSITIVE: independent, confident, sexy, clever
NEGATIVE: nagging, restrictive, overly emotional, illogical, stubborn, unrealistic, soft, weak, emotionally unstable, hysterical, weak, manipulative, ambitious
I believe the messages I hear are contrary and depends on the groups discussing women.
Taking that list, circle the words you like as descriptions of yourself. Now draw a line under the words you would feel uncomfortable with if used to describe yourself. Are there decisions you make about your behavior based on those messages?
I do not think my decisions about myself are made concerning the messages I hear. I believe my decisions are based on the role models I have chosen for myself.
In what ways do you typically hide your age?
I don't hide my age but I believe that others think I am younger than my age.
What fears do you have of growing older?
The only fear I have is that I won't be as independent as I am now as I grow older.
Do you fear death? What are your attitudes towards dying? What fears do you have? What do you fear more than death?
I do not fear death. I am more afraid about whether my children will be cared for after I am dead. I fear abandonment more than death.
If you had to lose one sense as you age, which would you most willingly give up? Which would be most painful to lose?
I think it would be easier to give up my sight because it isn't as good as it once was ... though working on the computer would be difficult. Perhaps hearing would be better to give up. If I couldn't touch ... hug people ... that would be the most difficult to give up.
Have you made plans to support yourself in your old age? What will you need to be happy and healthy as you age? How can you start now to provide for that?
I have made no plans to support myself in my old age.
Have you made a will? A living will? Have you dealt with the technical details of inevitable aging?
I have not made a will.
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