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Temple of the Goddess Announcements
MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! - Goddess Choir: If you'd like to be a part of the ever-growing Temple of the Goddess Choir, please contact us at choir@templeofthegoddess.org
COMMUNITY EVENTS: Additional information about Community Events is available at the Temple of the Goddess website. If you would like to post an event with Temple of the Goddess, please let usknow by submitting the date and pertinent information to: events@TempleoftheGoddess.org.
JOIN OUR ONLINE COMMUNITY! Keep up to date with what's happening at the Temple. Get to know us better while you enjoy daily words of inspiration, interesting and helpful articles as well as the latest Pagan news. All you have to do is "Like" us on Facebook and/or follow us on Twitter under @TO_Goddess. See you there! |
 Date with the Muse
The sun shines
in bright defiance
of the dark horizon
shadows wrestle
with the light
I am showing up
for my date with the muse
she is lounging
in the pear tree
discussing with the blossoms
the anticipated flavor
of the fruit.
excerpt Lisa Kagan 2009-Reprinted We'Moon 2011, Image: Dance of All Seasons by Josephine Wall |
SAVE THE DATE: 2012 Temple of the Goddess Ritual Sabbats
"The seasons and all their changes are in me." -Henry David Thoreau
Our multi-cultural Earth celebrations are open to families and community. Our Sabbats are multi-media ritual theater combining mythology, music, visual art, dance, liturgy, spoken word, and participatory theater which fuses drum and dance with personal enactment to re-connect us to the seasons and the Earth.
- Autumn Equinox September 22
- All Hallow's Eve October 27
Rituals scheduled at the Neighborhood Church. Click here for more information and to download an event flyer. Neighborhood Unitarian Universalist Church 301 N. Orange Grove Blvd. Pasadena, CA 91103 818-771-5778 Website: www.TempleoftheGoddess.org
We hope you will join the temple, in community, to honor the seasons, the Earth, and our own personal growth for our 2012 Ritual Sabbats.
Artwork from Ritual Path DVD by artist John Banks of Artek Images and music by Fritz Heede. Available from Temple of the Goddess Music & Media Store.
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Celebrating Summer Solstice in the Park
by Jeanne Leiter aka Pythia
For the past few years Temple of the Goddess has celebrated Summer Solstice in a park. This year was no exception. We celebrated at Crescenta Valley Park in La Crescenta, California.
The park is a long grassy slope heavily peppered with oak trees. There's plenty of sun for us sun worshipers and plenty of shade for the shady folk. In the later morning after fellow Pagans had arrived, we assembled to cast a circle, especially honoring the ever increasing fullness of the sun and Mother Earth lying grassy-green beneath our feet, feeling blessed to be in this park on such a beautiful day. Continued . . .
Changing Woman Photo by Charles "BeautySeer" Elliott. (More)
More Summer Solstice Photos by David Jacks.
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DONOR ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Temple of the Goddess wishes to acknowledge, honor, and welcome those who have joined, tithed, or donated to the temple this month. You keep the temple doors open for all of us.
 Realm of Fire Kamala, Ruth Ann Anderson
Realm of Earth J. Tatum, J. Clark
Click here for information on becoming a member of TOG. Temple of the Goddess has a variety of ways that you can participate fiscally in our vision. To learn more about making a tax-deductible donation to the temple, go to Gifting Opportunities.
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You are sitting around a fire after a hard day of work. The air cools and the sun sets, the frogs and crickets begin singing as the sky darkens. Suddenly the person you have been eagerly awaiting leaps to the center of the circle. You have heard the story a hundred times, but the antics of the animals and the wisdom in the story never fail to give you pleasure. As she weaves her tale, the knowledge that every thing is alive, carrying its own power and wisdom, soothes your soul.
Let us join together, in this virtual circle, and share these Animal Tales. Let us once again feel how the stories connect us to the natural world and remind us that we are all part of a vast Circle of Life. Listen now as the Shaman whispers tales of animal power and wisdom in your ear.
Tonight, to honor the heat of the summer sun, we have a story about how light came to the world. This telling comes from the Haida people, an indigenous people of Pacific Northwest Coast. Because of the Trickster Raven's slyness and thievery, he brings to the world the gift of light, so we are no longer wandering around in the dark.
That's the way with Tricksters, they may do some crazy things, but they often bring us the greatest gifts. Tricksters like Raven and Coyote remind us that if we goof up or make a mistake, it's just another opportunity to learn, grow, and change.
How Raven Brought Light to the World
In the beginning the world was in total darkness.
The Raven, who had existed from the beginning of time, was tired of groping about and bumping into things in the dark.
Eventually the Raven came upon the home of an old man who lived alone with his daughter. Through his slyness, the Raven learned that the old man had a great treasure. This was all the light in the universe, contained in a tiny box concealed within many boxes.
At once the Raven vowed to steal the light. He thought and thought and finally came up with a plan. He waited until the old man's daughter came to the river to gather water. Then the Raven changed himself into a single hemlock needle and dropped himself into the river, just as the girl was dipping her water-basket into the river.
As she drank from the basket, she swallowed the needle. It slipped and slithered down into her warm belly, where the Raven transformed himself again, this time into a tiny human. At last, after sleeping and growing there for a very long time, the Raven emerged into the world once more, this time as a human infant.
Even though he had a rather strange appearance, the Raven's grandfather loved him. But the old man threatened dire punishment if he ever touched the precious treasure box. Nonetheless the Raven child begged and begged to be allowed to hold the light just for a moment.
In time the old man yielded, and lifted from the box a warm and glowing sphere, which he threw to his grandson. As the light was moving toward him, the human child transformed into a gigantic black shadowy bird-form, wings spread ready for flight, and beak open in anticipation. As the beautiful ball of light reached him, the Raven captured it in his beak!
Moving his powerful wings, he burst through the smoke hole in the roof of the house, and escaped into the darkness with his stolen treasure.
And that is how light came into the universe.
Website for more information about the Haida people.
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 WORLD PREMIERE FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 28TH
Joe Atwill, Robert Eisenman, and the filmmakers will answer questions following the premiere screening - Q & A will be filmed.
Laemmle's Music Hall 3
9036 Wilshire Blvd. * Beverly Hills, 90211
310-478-3836
Full week run Sept. 28th to Oct. 4th, 2012 |
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From Garden To Hearth
By Adele Shakal  The warmth of summer's bounty is upon us... gardens are producing, farmers markets and grocery stores are bursting with seasonal produce, and outdoor gatherings are filled with smiling faces, well-laden picnic tables and sizzling grills.
One way to enjoy the abundance of summer squash and zucchini this time of year is in vegetable skewers drizzled in olive oil for grilling, but another way is to make a tasty soup during the relatively cool morning hours, to serve at lunchtime before the temperature climbs to its afternoon heights. Since southern California does cool down somewhat during our long, bright summer evenings, this can also be a lovely late-evening soup here.
Summer squash and zucchini may be yellow, white, pale or dark green; varieties may be heirloom, open-pollinated, or hybrid; shapes may be straightneck, crookneck, spherical-round, elongated, or scallopini (pattypan or saucer-shaped). They taste sweeter when harvested smaller, but any size will work for this soup.
Blended Summer Squash Soup - drizzle of olive oil
- about a pound of fresh-picked summer squash or zucchini
- a large onion
- about six cups of vegetable stock
- about a tablespoon of softened butter and about a tablespoon of flour (or three tablespoons of milk)
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
- a large stockpot
- immersion blender
- optional additions: about a cup of fresh sweet corn sliced off the cob, and/or about a cup of peeled and sliced fresh cucumber
Roughly chop the summer squash or zucchini and the onion. Heat the oil in a large stockpot, then add the squash or zucchini and the onion; sauté briefly, until the squash or zucchini seems tender and the onion begins to become translucent. Then add vegetable stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 minutes. Separate out a cup of the vegetable stock; whisk in butter and flour to that cup until smooth (alternately whisk in milk to that cup until smooth). Stir the stock-butter-flour (or stock-milk) mixture back into the stockpot to thicken the soup, then remove from heat. Use immersion blender to blend soup until smooth. Add sweet corn and return to simmer for 5 minutes, and/or serve topped with cucumber slices.
birdsong mornings, sunny days, sunset evenings . . . celebrate! |
Views on Gun Laws Unchanged After Aurora Shooting
July 30, 2012
 There has been no significant change in public views on the issue of gun control and gun rights following the July 20th shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Currently, 47% say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46% say it is more important to protect the rights of Americans to own guns. That is virtually unchanged from a survey earlier this year in April, when 45% prioritized gun control and 49% gun rights.
Other recent major shootings also had little effect on public opinion about gun laws. There was no significant change in the balance of opinion about gun rights and gun control after the January, 2011 shooting in Tucson, Arizona in which Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was injured. Nor was there a spike in support for gun control following the shooting at Virginia Tech University in April, 2007.
The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted July 26-29, 2012 among 1,010 adults, shows that relatively few Americans view the shooting in Aurora as a sign of broader social problems. Two-thirds (67%) say that shootings like this one are just the isolated acts of troubled individuals. Only about a quarter (24%) say shootings like this reflect broader problems in American society. This is similar to the public reaction after the Tucson shooting in early 2011. More.
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Why the Pope Hates Nuns
Alternet.com, June 1, 2012
It's tempting to simply view the church hierarchy as a cult of misogyny. But at its heart, it's a cult of power; misogyny is but one tool for securing that power.
In 1979, Sister Theresa Kane was given a very special task. As president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, an umbrella group for most orders of U.S. Catholic nuns, Kane was asked to deliver four minutes of welcoming remarks, on behalf of American sisters, to the newly elected Pope John Paul II during his first papal visit to the United States. At a gathering inside the grand church in Washington, D.C., known as the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, Kane offered the pope a warm greeting, and then launched into this:
" As I share this privileged moment with you, Your Holiness, I urge you to be mindful of the intense suffering and pain which is part of the life of many women in these United States. I call upon you to listen with compassion and to hear the call of women...As women, we have heard the powerful messages of our church addressing the dignity [of] and reverence for all persons. As women, we have pondered these words. Our contemplation leads us to state that the church, in its struggle to be true to its call to reverence and dignity for all persons, must respond by providing the possibility of women as persons being included in all ministries of the church." Con't . . .
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Theorists Feast on Higgs Data
July 18, 2012
Metanexus.net, Sourced: nature.com
The popping of champagne corks may have subsided since scientists presented convincing evidence for the existence of the long-sought Higgs boson, but the work has just begun for theoretical particle physicists, who are reveling in the biggest glut of data they've had since the 1990s. Many are working evenings and weekends to interpret the results, and they have already generated a publication boom, with dozens of papers about the discovery appearing on the preprint server arXiv.org during the past two weeks.
Some are using the fresh data from the Large Hadron Collider at CERN to eliminate theoretical models. Others are probing for hints of new particles. Most are still hoping that their investigations will produce a grand theory to replace the almost infallible standard model of particle physics, a framework that predicts the behavior and properties of all fundamental particles and every force except gravity. Con't. . .
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Ariadne Institute: Goddess Tours
Goddess Pilgrimage to Crete with Carol Christ
September 29-October 13, 2012
Feel Her power in holy mountains,
sense Her mysteries in the darkness of caves,
pour out libations of milk and honey on Minoan altars.
Find a sacred energy that can change your life.
Sacred Dance Teacher Laura Shannon will be a participant on the Fall 2012 Pilgrimage and will give a special lecture on Sacred Dance and the Goddess.
Carol P. Christ (Ph.D. Yale) lives in Greece and has been leading Goddess Pilgrimages to Crete for 20 years. She is the author of Rebirth of the Goddess and She Who Changes and an expert on Goddesses, ancient and modern.
To join the Pilgrimage, please reserve your place at once:
Ariadne Institute
PO Box 5053
Eugene, OR 97405
www.goddessariadne.org
email: institute@goddessariadne.org
Tour dates in 2013: May 25-June 8 and September 28-October 12
See photos on
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