The Rowdy Goddess

An Ecstatic Vision of the Goddess, dancing in harmony with the Universe.

Archive for the tag “Dark Moon”

31 Jan 2013
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Blessings, bright and Dark

Bright Blessings is a signature, greeting, and sign-off frequently used by pagans and Wiccans.  It’s a lovely way to send good wishes and blessings to readers, listeners, friends, and strangers.  Several years ago, I started signing my posts with “Blessings, bright and Dark,” in acknowledgement that the bright/light and the dark are all part of the one, each providing definition and understanding to the other.  In my way of thinking, the light reveals while the dark illuminates.  The light relentlessly demands our understanding of the facts and information while the dark asks that we reflect and deepen our understdark and light heronanding.  Realizing wisdom from the light is, perhaps, easier; while in the dark, you have to delve into the realm of the hidden.

In the dark, we have to soften our focus, lose our reliance on our sense of sight and learn to trust other senses outside the five.  Our intuition, perception and ability to guess (intuit) are senses we need to use.  In both the light and the dark we need to be strong and courageous in seeking wisdom and magic.  To me, the dark and the dark moon are paths to explore and it takes awhile to understand the nuance and texture of the dark.  It is not something to fear, even though we are taught that the dark is evil.

One of the High Priestesses of my acquaintance talked about the dark blessings.  Through difficult times, we become better, stronger, more sure of ourselves and more divine.  Lately, a number of us in my circle have been confronted with issues of aging, chronic pain, death, and disability.  For myself, I’ve learned not to fear words like stroke, surgery, cancer, and pain.  At this point, it was family member(s) and not me and I found the suffering of a bystander and loving person to have its own unique pain.  In addition to learning courage, I found humor, more love, and unexpected gifts and new stories to be told.  These blessings are not like winning the lottery to be greeted with unalloyed joy and exuberance, these dark blessings are ones that make our wounds and pains to be a thing of beauty and survival.  It’s a “gee thanks, I think,” kind of blessing.  Actually, it’s deeper and more profound than that.

Years ago, a former lover died suddenly and unexpectedly.  It was a tumultuous and difficult relationship so the grief was tempered with guilt, and anger.  The cantor who gave the eulogy said some beautiful things that touched me to my very soul.  I cannot remember all the words exactly but it went something like this:  It is not fair to lose someone from your life like this.  You will be different now.  You will be harder, and you will be softer; you will be uncertain and you will be more certain; you will be more negative and you will be more positive.  I made those words up from the well of wordless comfort she gave me.  What is says is that this touches you in such a way that you cannot help but be changed.  It will make you have a different texture.  Your understanding of yourself and life will be changed.  Such it is when the dark touches you and invites you into its realm.

To me, that is the call of the Dark Moon path.  To go into that realm of illumination and to be changed, to emerge different.  To face the darkness, the shadows and the hidden is to go courageously into that which frightens us, freaks us out and makes us more whole.

The dark and the light is a continuum not an opposition.  As Kallan Kennedy writes on The Secret Life of the American Working Witch, this misinterpretation of darkness and light has caused a sort of one-dimensional thinking.

Go bravely wherever you go

Into the dark or into the light

Learn from the bright blessed day

And the dark sacred night.

And everyday and in every way

You change, transform and make your mark

To you, blessings, bright and Dark.

Posted in Dark, Death, Light and tagged , , ,
13 Mar 2006

Finding Richness in Maiden, Mother, and Crone

Finding Richness in the Maiden, Mother, Crone Aspects
Part II

Of course there is a richness and diversity within the Triple Goddess aspects of Maiden, Mother, and Crone; especially if you move beyond some generic aspects of each of these archetypes. In my meditative work with these aspects of the Goddess, I’ve learned that my understanding is very personal. I key it to the moon cycles and to the seasons.

In my book Rituals of the Dark Moon, I talk about working specifically with the Dark Moon in the signs of the Zodiac and with the Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspects of the Goddess. In doing so, I discovered that, for instance, the Maiden aspect works within an astrological sign, she takes on those characteristics. So there is an Earth Maiden, Air Maiden, Water Maiden, and Fire Maiden. Likewise there is and Earth Mother, Air Mother, Water Mother and Fire Mother, as well as an Earth Crone, Air Crone, Water Crone, and Fire Crone. Then on the 13th month it all weaves together with the Witch.

Looking at the Maiden, Mother, and Crone aspects in this way brings us to the nuances of the Goddess. We see the subtle as well as the obvious. We can dive deep into these aspects and find a very personal interaction with the Goddess. We find out who she is in the infinite variety of She.

The Dark Moon is the perfect time for these kinds of meditations on the Goddess and her stories. The Dark Moon calls us to spiral inward into ourselves. As we do, we find that infinity exists within us, and the inside of us is as vast and eternal as the heavens. The Dark calls us to be honest and to bravely face/confront anything found there. When we do, we find richness and radiance. The anticipation and fear is the worst thing and when we work through that inner fretting and into acceptance, we find treasures. The facets of our internal jewels shine brightly, enhanced by the Dark not supressed by it.

May your brightness always shine wherever you are!

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10 Mar 2006

Maiden, Mother, and Crone, Isn’t She More?

Maiden, Mother and Crone: Isn’t She More?
Part One


Yes….Seeing the Goddess and Maid, Mother, and Crone is practically a doctrine in the Goddess and pagan communities; most people not realizing that this particular envisioning of a triple goddess is not universal and this M-M-C concept came primarily from the Greeks and popularized by Robert Graves in The White Goddess. Some cultures did not envision the Goddess as triple, and others did not see the triple Goddess as M-M-C.

For me, in particular, I didn’t always relate to one aspect or another. I never birthed a child out of my body so some of the more biological versions of Goddess/Woman as Mother held no meaning for me. As I became older [*ahem!*], my pagan friends started assuming I would want a croning ceremony. It has intensified as I’ve journeyed deeper into my fifties. I’m reluctant; not because of growing older or the death thing but because I keep asking “is this all there is?” I’m a crone and then I’m dead. EEEk!!
You already know the answer. No. Just as people, women and men, are incredibly diverse in their roles and self-understanding so is the Goddess infinitely diverse, adapatable and creative. So when I wrote my first book, Rituals of the Dark Moon, I talked about my concept of linking concepts to the nine phases of the moon. This provides a number of ways of relating to the Goddess at different times in our lives–or even multiple ways at one time in our lives.
  • Maiden corresponds to the New Moon. The light is reborn and shines as a tiny sliver, just as the Maiden is new and eagerly embarking on new ideas or a new life. This is a youthful, hopeful and joyous time.
  • Amazon corresponds with the Crescent Moon. The light sharpens and becomes more distinct. This is a time for pursuing passions and fighting the good fight. Confidence and strength are all part of this time.
  • Lover corresponds wit the First Quarter Moon. Half light and half dark. Fully sexual and living without the burdens of responsibility or worry. She looks to others not for completion but for partnership. She is in tune with herself and wants to harmonize with others. She is full of romance, love, lust, and sex.
  • Priestess corresponds with the Gibbous Moon. Waxing and nearly full. She is journeying with Spirit and integrating mind and body with emotions and spirtual life. She knows that there are many things hidden and sacred. She is an initiate in the mysteries of the mon and of sacred womanhood.
  • Mother corresponds with the Full Moon. The moon is all light and fully luminous. Fertile, nurtuing and shining without shadow. Optimism and a vision of hope throughout the world. Fullness. Happiness. Productivity. Fertility.
  • Teacher corresponds with the Disseminating Moon. This is the first phase of waning where the dark begins to overtake the light. Knowing and communicating. Lessons have been learned, and it’s time to pass wisdom on to others. This is a time of acknowledging the dualities of life as part of the song of life. Grief, sorrow, joy, love, life, light, death and dark begin to move together in life.
  • Elder corresponds with the last quarter moon. The moon wanes to half dark and half light, and we all know that the darkness is coming, inexorably. She knows of disappointments and lies, but she also knows of hopes, birth and truth. She reaches out to others, to share her experiences.
  • Crone corresponds with the balsamic phase. The moon is three quarters dark. The Crone knows power. She knows how to use it, badly and for good. Her choices define her, sadden her, uplift her, and enlighten her. She is fully in her power.
  • Witch corresponds with the dark moon. These are three days when the moon is no longer visible to the earthbound. It is a time of radiance and reflection. In my book, I called this phase the Weaver, because of the ability to bring things together in beautiful patterns. The Witch is equally if not more fitting because of the magic and mystery involved in bringing all the extraneous and diverse pieces into the pattern. The Witch brings together everything that the Maiden, Amazon, Lover, and Priestess knows and combines it with the experiences of the Mother, Teacher and Elder. She takes the power of the Crone and transforms this into a magical understanding of the mysteries of All-That-Is. The moon in all her phases is found here. The seasons pool their energy here. It is alchemical, radiant and fabulous!

The waxing phases of the moon teach us of exploration and activity. Through growth and change we learn and gain understanding. Waxing phases teach us that life is good and we can handle it with hope and happiness. After the full moon, it all begins to change and as we experience these changes, we learn that what we fear isn’t all that bad. Even the hardest lessons teach us of our toughness and ability to survive and thrive. In our sense of knowing we become aware of the songs of the Universe and how to sing all the harmonies.

Pretty cool, huh! I tied it all up in a nice neat little package. It works. I related this to a friend of mine and it didn’t work for her at all. So there’s more. And what about the eclipses? What about Void of Course? That’s why this is Part One!

Have a good one and stay tuned for more………….

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