Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority and Mystery by Starhawk. Published by Harper & Row, 1987.
Starhawk is a well-known pagan author, activist and speaker, and one of the founders of the Reclaiming Collective. In Truth or Dare, she weaves the story of the Descent of Inanna with stories about challenging the structures of power-over that permeate the modern world. This book is a wonderful resource for those who want to understand how society become one of power-over, what the difference is between power-over and power-with, and how we can find ways to re-create our world as one of interdependence rather than dominion.
Starhawk also challenges the culture of war as a tool of the power-over model, and offers ways that we can deprogram ourselves from the internalized Judge, Conqueror, and Censor. Included are exercises, rituals and meditations that can be used by individuals and groups who want to understand how their encounters with Mystery can lead them to create sustainable communities of empowerment.
I recommend this book to anyone who is ready to take the dare and face the truth!
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
A Gnostic Prayer to Isis-Sophia
A Gnostic Prayer to Isis-Sophia
Praise you, Mother Sophia;
Praise you, Great Goddess –
Hail to you Aset, Holy Virgin, Mother of God;
You who birth souls to the Infinite and Eternal,
Whose grace is the Light of the Day of Be-With-Us!
Yea though I walk in the day of your mourning,
Yet with your Forethought I behold your joy,
And with your Afterthought I gaze into your heart –
The perfection of Light and Love, Life and Liberty!
Placing lotus blossoms upon your alter, and
making offerings of incense and lights;
Envisioning the offering of everything good,
in the heavens and on earth,
I worship in your Light-presence and
call forth your Light-power,
Send the Opener of the Way before me,
Let the Spiritual Sun shine from within me:
O Mother, give birth to your Holy Child –
Empower me to go forth in the Divine Light!
There is Light and there is Fire,
and your Great Spirit passing through;
One Aeon dissolves and another arises,
but all is in you as in a Holy Womb –
You, the Portal of All-Worlds;
You the Life of All-Worlds:
You giving birth!
I pray, Holy Mother,
that you might part your veil,
that I might see you in all your forms,
And perchance glimpse into the In-between
to behold your True Essence;
Such is my prayer, such my inmost heart's desire,
To know you and to love you,
To be at-one with you!
Ave Sophia!
--Tau Malachi
Praise you, Mother Sophia;
Praise you, Great Goddess –
Hail to you Aset, Holy Virgin, Mother of God;
You who birth souls to the Infinite and Eternal,
Whose grace is the Light of the Day of Be-With-Us!
Yea though I walk in the day of your mourning,
Yet with your Forethought I behold your joy,
And with your Afterthought I gaze into your heart –
The perfection of Light and Love, Life and Liberty!
Placing lotus blossoms upon your alter, and
making offerings of incense and lights;
Envisioning the offering of everything good,
in the heavens and on earth,
I worship in your Light-presence and
call forth your Light-power,
Send the Opener of the Way before me,
Let the Spiritual Sun shine from within me:
O Mother, give birth to your Holy Child –
Empower me to go forth in the Divine Light!
There is Light and there is Fire,
and your Great Spirit passing through;
One Aeon dissolves and another arises,
but all is in you as in a Holy Womb –
You, the Portal of All-Worlds;
You the Life of All-Worlds:
You giving birth!
I pray, Holy Mother,
that you might part your veil,
that I might see you in all your forms,
And perchance glimpse into the In-between
to behold your True Essence;
Such is my prayer, such my inmost heart's desire,
To know you and to love you,
To be at-one with you!
Ave Sophia!
--Tau Malachi
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
42 Ideals of Ma'at: First is Virtue
The 42 Ideals of Ma'at (formerly known as the 42 Laws of Ma'at) were created by nine priestesses of the Temple of Isis in 1995, and were based on the Negative Confessions. Each week, we will be looking at one of these ideals.
I honor virtue.
Virtue is defined by the Oxford dictionary as "moral excellence; uprightness; goodness". Wordnet defines virtue as "the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong".
The values of "right" and "wrong" often vary in different cultures, different times, and even in individuals. Even doing something that is considered "wrong" can be right for that particular circumstance. Knowing the difference between "right" and "wrong" can be taught at young ages, but as we mature and develop, we must establish an internal meter for measuring moral decisions, based on our own understanding of morality and virtue.
How can we honor virtue in ourselves and others?
We honor virtue when we have made a difficult moral choice, basing our decision not on our own ego desire, but on what furthers our Higher Purpose and helps us connect more closely with the Goddess.
We honor virtue when we speak our Truth, even in the face of confrontation or derision.
We honor virtue when we develop an understanding of how people make moral decisions, based on their own level of development, and encourage them to take the next step. Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development is a wonderful tool in learning how morality -- and virtue -- develop.
We honor virtue when we continue to seek a life in harmony with our Higher Purpose and the Goddess.
What are some specific ways you can honor virtue?
I honor virtue.
Virtue is defined by the Oxford dictionary as "moral excellence; uprightness; goodness". Wordnet defines virtue as "the quality of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong".
The values of "right" and "wrong" often vary in different cultures, different times, and even in individuals. Even doing something that is considered "wrong" can be right for that particular circumstance. Knowing the difference between "right" and "wrong" can be taught at young ages, but as we mature and develop, we must establish an internal meter for measuring moral decisions, based on our own understanding of morality and virtue.
How can we honor virtue in ourselves and others?
We honor virtue when we have made a difficult moral choice, basing our decision not on our own ego desire, but on what furthers our Higher Purpose and helps us connect more closely with the Goddess.
We honor virtue when we speak our Truth, even in the face of confrontation or derision.
We honor virtue when we develop an understanding of how people make moral decisions, based on their own level of development, and encourage them to take the next step. Lawrence Kohlberg's Stages of Moral Development is a wonderful tool in learning how morality -- and virtue -- develop.
We honor virtue when we continue to seek a life in harmony with our Higher Purpose and the Goddess.
What are some specific ways you can honor virtue?
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