Do you hear them? The Ancestral Mothers are communicating with us on a daily basis.

As a young child, the women in my family would say “Something told me…” They never gave that something a name but they listened to the voice and heeded the message. My Mother always told me that the first thought is the correct thought. I follow that advice as much as possible but sometimes I slip up. I’m learning to listen better and better.

One of the things that I have been hearing the Ancestral Mothers say is that we, women, must reclaim all of who we are. We must understand and acknowledge the reason for being born in a female body this time around and that we must “remember the ancient ways and keep them sacred.” By denying our feminine aspects we do ourselves a great disservice. We are Virgin, Mother, Warrior, Matriarch and Crone.

To me, the Ancestral Mothers carry the same name, Ma. I recognize and honor Her many attributes. She is the Goddess of Ten Thousand Names. Some call Her Isis, others Mother Mary, still others call Her Kuan Yin or La Morenita. I see Ma in another way as well. I see Her as Kali Ma, Sekhmet, Hecate, and Oya. This is the aspect of Ma who destroys that which no longer serves our greater good. She is also healer, filled with compassion and love.

She is not always the quiet one and many fear Her for they do not understand Her ways. There is no reason to fear Her for She is one who will not go away. She like all the others is here to stay. She destroys the illusion in order to assist us on our journey to wholeness.

The Ancestral Mother speaks to me of the Womb Lodge where women must go to honor themselves. She speaks of children being born to Mothers that have not been taught how to be (Read more ...)

Definition – Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary:

Noun – a woman authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion; a woman regarded as a leader (as of a movement).

Priestesses are known by many names, some of which are Shaman, Medicine Woman, Sangoma, Wise Woman, Oracle, Diviner, Curandera, Wu and others. These women are helping the village, the community and themselves to become healed and whole.

Looking back on the history of Ancestral Priestesses, you will find that they not only performed ritual or entered states of trance, channeling the messages of the Great Ma, they were leaders facing the obstacles and challenges of patriarchy. Undaunted, these women led rebellions, taught the arts and sciences of living, and inspired others to tap into the depths of their soul.

Today, many women who have been initiated into a Priestesshood are not doing all that they can do to assist others to their greatness; and then there are others who are doing exactly that – and are not recognized as Priestesses. To name a few, there’s Oprah Winfrey, Maya Angelou, Angelina Jolie, Sistah Souljah, Susun Weed, Prema Dasara, Dr. Cynthia Maung, Audri Scott Williams and thousands of others. You may ask why these women and not the typical religious leader? Because there are many ways to assist others along their path in life. All of these women are leaders and are acting on behalf of the Goddesses that they most personify.

To me, Oprah represents the embodiment of a Priestess of Wealth. She shares information through the media, founded the Angel Network and is also a film producer, not to mention that she is always giving away wonderful presents.

Audri Scott Williams is a local Georgia resident who is very (Read more ...)

Too many women have sex simply because. The reasons are many. They don’t want to feel left out. They feel that sex with anyone is better than sex with no one. They do it out of revenge for having been raped or molested. They just don’t know any better. They don’t realize that the womb is the Sacred Source of life. They are not aware of the most precious gift of creativity: Sexual energy – and what a powerful energy it is.

The Sacred Source is called Yoni in India. The translation of the Yoni in Sanskrit is womb, origin, source or vulva.

According to Rufus Camphausen in his book, Yoni: Creative Symbol of Feminine Power, the word Yoni is broken down in this manner:

Y = the animating principle, the heart, the true self, union
O = preservation, brightness
I = love, desire, consciousness, to shine, to pervade, pain, sorrow
N = lotus, Motherhood, menstrual cycle, nakedness, emptiness, pearl

The I and the N change position. Though it is spelled Yoin it is pronounced yonee.

In many cultures the Yoni is considered to be magical. It has a very powerful magnetic force. It has the ability to heal and to protect. In Ancient Egypt, Africa, India, Greece and the Pacific Islands, there was a deeper insight into the power of the Yoni. This energy of dispelling evil forces, averting disasters or even banishing unwanted guests originates in the woman through proper use of Yonic energy.

Yoni drawings were displayed on buildings to keep evil at bay and you can still find some of these carved figures known as Sheela Na Gig in present day Ireland, England, Scotland, France and Germany.

Those who possess a degree of esoteric knowledge recognize the geometric symbol that represents the Yoni is (Read more ...)

This particular ritual is for a woman who wants to be with herself to honor this time. She prepares herself by taking a shower to wash her body clean. She then washes out the tub and fills it with water adding bath salts, herbs and/or essential oils. With her dominate hand she charges the water intentionally blessing the end and the beginning, the death and the rebirth. She steps into the tub with reverence and allows her body to be embraced by the water of life.

Once the bath is complete, she dresses or not and begins the second part of her ritual smudging herself with Sacred White Sage. She then proceeds to honor the Four Directions, the Heavens, the Earth, and the Soul Essence. She draws a circle of protection moving clockwise, with the sweeping motion of a broom, one of the symbols of a Wise Woman. Sacred Space is created.

With candles lit and a song in her heart, she begins to chant and tone, the music of her soul. The dance begins. History is about to be told. She dances the dance of the young Maiden, the Mother and now the Elder. It is a beautiful story that her Ancestral Mothers are telling her. She and they are one.

The messages begin to come. She stops the dance and begins to write. The Wisdom of the Ancestral Mothers comes forth to share with her the beauty, fulfillment and purpose of this most empowering time of her life.

She sings praises for all that she has been, is and will become. She is a Woman Empowered because she accepts who she is.

She extinguishes the candles and sits in the stillness and darkness of the night. The energy of the Sacred Womb embraces her as she breathes in the essence of love and breathes out all things that are no longer for her highest good. She is quiet, contemplating, just simply being in (Read more ...)

As a woman awaits the birth of her child, there is a ritual that is practiced in America and it is called a baby shower. It is the closest that we come to celebrating the state of being that a woman is in: the anticipation of the “almost here time.”

There is another ritual that is becoming popular known as the Blessing Way Ceremony in honor of the Navajo Tradition. Some call it a Belly Blessing or Mother Blessing but it came to me as the “One Who Carries Life Within Blessing”. These celebrations usually take place in the latter part of the Oneness. Women who are family members and/or friends come to celebrate the wonders of Motherhood.

When women gather in SiStarhood there is a healing effect that is in place. The bond that is formed in ritual is very strong and lifetime friendships develop.

The celebration is usually planned by female members of the family, close friends or even a woman who facilitates these types of rituals and ceremonies. In fact the Mother to Be can create her own ceremony if she is so moved.

On the day of the ritual, those who arrive to participate in a day of celebration are smudged with the smoke of sage, cedar and lavender. If the smoke is irritating to the Mother especially, then an aromatherapy blend of the same ingredients can be added to spring water and sprinkled instead or they can be symbolically “swept clean” with a broom.

The women then gather around the expectant Mother, encircling her and giving praise and thanks for the sacred space that is being created at that moment. Giving thanks for love and bless the space with moon water, moving in clockwise motion, making a joyful noise, gathering around, sharing birthing stories and (Read more ...)