Earth Angels Everywhere

Are you an earth angel? How would you know if you were? Are we all earth angels? Are some earth angels aware of who and what they are, or are they not aware at all? What is an earth angel?

Early one morning I was walking from the train station to the college in inner city Brisbane where I was studying, and I noticed the people in front of me were weaving their way around a man coming from the other direction. When I say weaving around, they were actually going to great lengths to avoid him, crossing the road, taking side steps, heads looking down to avoid eye contact with him.

When I looked at the man in army green cotton jacket and pants staggering toward me, I noticed his bent frame and grey hair, but I also noticed something else that was happening within me. My heart was beating rapidly, and I felt the energy of loving kindness sweeping through me; I also felt a pang of familiarity and great love. So, instead of avoiding this man, I stopped in my tracks and waited for him to approach me, searching to connect with his eyes, so I could say “good morning” from my heart. The man met my eyes at last, and stopped to receive my greeting. Then something amazing happened that I will never forget - the man straightened his bent frame, and looked me square in the eyes, and my heart took a great leap as love burst through every fibre of my being. He had the bluest, clearest eyes I have ever seen, and they reminded me of the eyes of Jesus that I had seen on holy cards as a child. No longer, able to speak, I merely nodded to this divine man, and he reached into his pocket and took out a picture of an angel and showed it to me, before putting it back in his pocket, and then he moved on.

Since that day, I have been aware that angels walk amongst us, and many of them are conscious of who they are, playing out parts for all of us to learn about compassion, kindness and love. I also believe that many earth angels are unconscious, and eventually they come into knowing whom they are, through the compassion, kindness and love shown to them by others. As each earth angel wakes up, he or she then walks consciously, aware of who they are, and their roles.

Not so long ago, for the second time, I was blessed to receive, by email, an opportunity to invite three angels into my home who would grant me three wishes, staying for three days to keep me company and work their magic. During my preparation time I was asked to prepare my invitation for the angels, writing down my wishes, greet them at a certain time, light a candle, offer them a white flower each, and then wait for them to show up. The first time I did this, I was overwhelmed when they finally arrived, as I immediately felt their presence. The second time, I was very busy and stayed out over night, and had to take the candle and letter to them everywhere I went, and yet their presence was still strong and loving. When I finally said good bye to them and thanked them for their patience and understanding, it was sad to say goodbye to them, as I sent them onto a lucky friend.

When I was a small child I used to lie in bed in the evenings and say my prayers to the angels – while my guardian angel, who I could clearly see, would watch over me and keep me safe:

Oh Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom’s God’s love commits me here, with ever this night be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen.

When I was three years old, my angels took me to the clouds to play with them while I was experiencing trauma that my little psyche and heart simply could not deal with.

Angels, are everywhere, there is no doubt in my mind of that; whether they appear as the drunken man asking for money on a corner, or are your guests at your invitation who come to assist you to heal and grow, or whether they keep you company and safe. They are also incredibly polite, and will not step forward without your invitation, unless you are a helpless child, needing to be kept safe in your mind and heart. Then they will step in and sweep you up in their great arms and fly you to the clouds to sing to you and remind you of your innocence and beauty.

During this time, we are experiencing so many changes, as we wake up together into the light. It is an exciting time, and a time when we have a chance to really step up and out to meet our dreams and create the type of world we can feel free to be ourselves in. At the same time, there will be an opposite (perhaps opposing) force to this, just as yin meets yang, and we may well see this as darkness and disparity, even calamity perhaps. It is at these times, we do well to remember, that it is in the darkness that the light shines brightest, and that everything that seemingly opposes us, can actually serve to awaken us.

So, whether you walk in a world where your mind is your ruler, or whether you glide with ease and grace in a world where your heart beckons you to serve humanity, remember you never walk alone; there are earth angels everywhere, perhaps you are one?

Woman's Grace

Woman dreaming, a gentle dream

Inspired by the sweet nectar 

Of trust, that

She is deserving, that

She is divine and perfect.

Rich blood pulsating through

A brave, open heart,

Pounding now with the memory

Of passion, with the knowing

It still exists, that it is still possible

To create, and be, in love.

With every breath 

Her knowing grows stronger,

That she is beautiful

Just as she is.

Woman dreaming now for 

All women to remember this.

To remember

Their own sacred birthright

To shine within, and without.

To celebrate their divinity,

To bless their perfection,

And to allow, simply allow, grace.

Heather Price 12.12.11

The Power and Joy of Surrender

This afternoon I finished reading Paulo Coelho’s novel - The Zahir, and am taking time to reflect on some of the outstanding insights he has in his interesting, and at times almost rebellious reflection of his personal journey of love and life. This is one of my favorite passages from this book:

When I had nothing more to lose, I was given everything. When I ceased to be who I am, I found myself. When I experienced humiliation and yet kept on walking, I understood that I was free to choose my destiny.

In the book, Coelho’s main character, a famous author, discovers a major pathway that would enable him to live freely in the present by re-visiting and surrendering attachment to his past by telling old stories that he felt had not been fully told or understood. Eventually this would lead to him no longer having the need to tell his stories anymore.

This morning, long aware of the healing power of storytelling, I decided to take advantage of my mother visiting me, and once again told her a story of a time in the past that troubled me greatly, so I could hear it again myself and watch myself telling it. As I observed my mother’s reaction to my story, I soon realized that she and I shared the same ‘gullible’ and over-trusting, face-value nature that has got us both into trouble many times. It soon became apparent that I was carrying a pattern handed down to me by my mother and, without any need to change or judge it, I was able to accept that I had taken on this trait from a very young age, and that I could now choose to let it go at a deeper level. This has been quite a journey for me already as I have had to teach myself to look deeper into what presents itself to me in this world. I have learned to journey beyond apparent perceptions of reality. For example, while I respect statistics and am happy to be guided by them, I will look further into who created them and why they were researched (maybe to support a marketing campaign?) before I make a decision about them.

When I made this connection between my mother’s naïve nature and my own instantly felt an energy release, like a heavy, ancestral cloak had been taken off my shoulders. However, the real transformation came about from setting boundaries around my story telling. At the end of my sharing my story, I watched my mother as she began to take what I had said at face value, wrongly assuming that my honest sharing of my circumstance meant that I was asking for her help, and she slipped into her old habit of worry and taking responsibility for my circumstances; a pattern that I also carry around my three adult sons. Determined to change this destructive behavior that has prevented me from speaking my truth my whole life in case I burdened those I love, I was able to ask my mother to make me a promise. I asked her to assure me that when she left my company, every time she found herself reflecting on my story, she would stop herself from worrying. Lovingly, I reminded her of what a powerful manifestor she is and how easily she attracts her fears to her. I also reminded her that if she used this power in a positive way she could really help me to break some patterns in my life that seem to be out of my control. My mother agreed that she would map her negative thoughts over with a memory of me holding a meditation circle that she had attended the night before I shared my story. In that environment, she had seen me confident and in my power, and I wanted her to think of me in that way always. She agreed to replace her usual thoughts of concern with the following affirmation – I believe in my daughter, and trust in her journey, and know that all is well.

My part in this was to watch my old pattern of feeling guilty and fearful after speaking my truth, and to give myself permission to share my stories without shame, and from a place of power rather than as a victim. At the same time, I was fully aware that in the telling of my story in a really conscious, mindful way, with a witness who is aware of my history and who could completely understand and validated my experience, I found that I was no longer attached to it. It was a marvelous experience, and I can already feel great healing occurring, both for my mother and me. We are both feeling the energetic shift, and my mother is no longer feeling over burdened and responsible for my life. She has set me free, and yes, I have set myself free by asking for what I want. It is a wonderful break through for us both.

As I write this, I am more aware than ever how blessed I am to experience my healing face to face with my mother. Over the years, we have had many ‘difficult’ conversations, and it is in our joint courage and determination to heal and let go of past wounds that we have developed a powerful love between us; a love I have searched for all of my life. In this journey with my mother, I have healed and re-birthed the sacred feminine within me, and I have discovered, or re-discovered, that I am truly lovable after all.

While my mother is attempting to let go of worry for her family, I am also continuing to walk my talk in that department. Recently one of my sons moved interstate, (he had been living an hour away), and I have to say it was a difficult few days for me. We have a great relationship and I will really miss him. After his rather sudden and unexpected departure, I felt heaviness in my heart that lingered, and was aware that my son would feel my feelings too on an energetic level. I took my sorrow to the bush, as I have learned long ago that nature heals what ever I offer her so beautifully. The mountain had told me to let go of my sorrow to him, through a stone or tree, and he would transform the energy for me. As I walked around my mountain, I eventually found the perfect stone and kneeled down and placed my hands on it. As I placed my hands on the stone I felt my heart finally letting go, and I imagined my son happy in his new home with his partner. Stepping back from my own feelings, I began to feel the excitement of his journey and the wonderful opportunities he had ahead of him. It also became very clear that his older brother was going to be thrilled to have him nearby after twelve years of living apart; they have always been very close. As my heart began to fill with joy and my mind settled into a place of peace and acceptance, a butterfly flew toward me. Standing now, I stepped out on to the path feeling like a different person, and became aware of a small brown snake crossing the path in front of me. It was such confirmation to have a butterfly (transformation) and snake (letting go of fear of what may never happen, and transmutation of energy and form) supporting me in that moment.

Two weeks passed and my son flew home to attend a course, staying with me for three wonderful days. We had a chance to say goodbye properly, and to celebrate his success and journey ahead. Early one morning I invited him to take a bush walk with me to the ‘wishing well’ in a creek bed in a nearby mountain. As we walked on the high path toward the creek, his phone rang. It was his older brother, and he had a cheery conversation with him while I looked on, feeling so happy as I listened to my sons talking affectionately together. All of a sudden, my son stopped talking and took my hand and pointed at a brown snake, exactly like the one I had seen two weeks earlier, two feet away on our path. He said goodbye quickly to his brother, and told me to be careful. Smiling, I shared my story of the earlier encounter with a snake with him. I also told him about the messages that snake energy brings, and he thought they were wonderful, vowing to rethink his attitude around fearing what may never happen.

Letting go of worry and trusting your loved ones will find their own way is the greatest gift you can give anyone. Not only will their journey be lighter and easier without the burden of your fear, they will feel your love rather than your pain and this will energize rather than drain them. When you suffer, others close to you suffer with you. When you create love and light, they will be illuminated by your gift of trust in them and their path ahead. When it boils down to it, suffering is a choice – you can choose to suffer through your experience, or you can choose to observe and validate your experience from a place of self-understanding and love, before releasing any heavy energy created around your experience from a place of trust and serenity. It is up to each one of us which path we choose - the path of powerlessness, or the path of self-empowerment.

Thank you for joining me here, and I would love to hear your feedback any time you feel to share it. Blessings to you on your path of ‘waking up’ to your true nature. May your journey ahead be filled with magic, beauty and light.

                                                                      

Layered Cabbage & Vegetable Pie - Food from the Earth, for the Soul

Serves 8 people

Vegen/Vegetarian/Gluten Free

12 cabbage leaves – soaked or steamed in boiling water until soft

4 medium tomatoes sliced in thick slices

2  tablespoons chopped basil or tasty herb sprinkled over tomato

4 cups of mashed pumpkin and orange sweet potato mash + salt/pepper

4 cups grated zucchini cooked with one chopped onion until soft

1 teaspoon garlic added to onions.

2 tablespoons oil to cook onion and zucchini

1/2 cup almond meal

Large baking dish.

Method:

Lay tomatoes on bottom of dish and sprinkle with herbs

Put one layer of cabbage leaves on top.

Top with a layer of cooked zucchini and onion and garlic.

Spread half the potato mash spiced with salt and pepper on top of zucchini.

Put another layer of cabbage on top, followed by zucchini and potato.

Sprinkle with almond meal or warm in a frypan lightly oiled and have on side to be sprinkled on top.

If you have an oven – have it on 200C and place dish in for 10 minutes to brown the almond meal. Watch it doesn’t burn.

Bless and enjoy.

Serve with chunks of corn cob and yellow squash and green salad.

CREATE MAGIC IN YOUR LIFE

There is Magic created the minute you tune in to 

where you are right now and be mindful of all that you are - a magnificent, powerful creation of life and creator of light and energy. Think about the thoughts you have and the words you speak - and the visions you create. Live in awareness and be mindful of the powerful creator you are. 

There is Magic in accepting all that is in your life right now, all that has passed,

and all that is to come. When you learn to accept and validate that there have been confronting events in your past, or old limiting beliefs that have held you back, and stop condemning yourself for your shortcomings or decisions that have caused roadblocks, you will keep the energy you need to create Magic through being optimistic about your present and future circumstance, and kind and generous with your thoughts and actions. Remember these steps: 

enquire -> understand-> validate -> accept-> let go-> transform-> restore-> move on;

There is Magic right in front of you, and when you consciously seek it out,

with acknowledgement and a grateful heart, it expands beyond your imagination. Every time you pay attention to what you have rather than what you don't, you are consciously putting in an order to the Universe for more of the same - not the same event necessarily - but the same energy that you have paid attention to. Take time to bless all you have, all that has passed, and all that is coming your way - and bless what is being manifested for others around you - be delighted rather than spited; 

Magic appears with ease and grace when you set out to create it and be open to its possibility,

with a joyful spirt, and you focus on the beauty of life and creation. Take time each morning to imagine, or vision, how you want your day to unfold, and before you get out of bed, ask yourself - "How much joy can I bring to the world today? What am I prepared to do today to create magic in my own, and other people's lives?" Be prepared to make a difference through your clear intention.

There is Magic within you at all times, and you allow it every time you 

step out and up to meet it. It takes courage to create the life you deserve, and it takes courage to accept the fact that you can do this if you put your heart into, with an open mind, and a great spirit. You can do this - this is what you are here to do. Allow yourself to shine today - allow the Magic.

Have a Magical Day - and please share your magic freely 

with others as there is more than enough to go around ✰☼✬☉☯♡♥✱✼♪♫❀

TO LISTEN TO HEATHER TALKING TO DR ROBYN MILLS ON CREATING MAGIC GO TO 

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thedifference/2011/11/15/wake-up-with-heather-price--talking-magic-with-robyn-mills

Heather’s Pasta Stack and Chakra Salad from the Bush Kitchen

Vegan/Vegetarian/Gluten Free Serve with Salad I have created this recipe so it can be multi-plied for large numbers and easily used at outdoor gatherings to be made in a bush kitchen. It is delicious, easy to make, and nutritious.


You will have 9 medium servings (or 6 very large serves) – Simply multiply ingredients for the number you need. I usually divide pan into three layers of three for good size portions.

INGREDIENTS

One Pack Gluten Free Noodles (Vege noodles good)

Good vege oil (grapeseed)

1 large onion or cup of spring onions chopped finely
1 tsp crushed garlic

2 tins tomatoes or even better – tomato pasta vegan sauce.

Spices and fresh herbs

Bunch spinach chopped finely

2 large zucchinis chopped finely or grated

1 large table spoon Rice Flour

Rice Milk

Sea salt and pepper

Cup crushed nuts or sesame seeds.
A blessing of gratitude.

PROCESS

Boil Water in Large Saucepan with dash of oil and pinch of salt. Cook noodles til just soft – drain and put lid on to finish.

Tomato Sauce: Heat tomatoes until gentle boil, add herbs and spices to taste.

Rice Sauce – Soften flour in 2 tablespoons of oil in a warm saucepan. Using wooden spool to stir, very gradually add half litre of rice milk to make a sauce (safer way is to do all of this cold first and heat gently – if lumps – put through a sieve). Bring to boil gently and allow to thicken slightly until sauce consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir fry onion and zucchinis in couple tablespoons of oil until softly cooked. Add garlic. Put into rice sauce.

Steam or quickly boil spinach until soft and, with little of the water cooked in – about quarter cup, put into rice sauce.

Warm nuts in frypan – and keep separate to add as a sprinkle over the top.

Have large baking dish ready and if you were at home you would have your oven on to heat up. In this case sprinkle nuts over top and would not need to warm them in the pan – however, it is still yummy without baking.

LAYERS:

Put layer (half quantity) on bottom, followed by a layer of noodles (one half) on bottom of dish. Top with green vege and rice sauce layer (half). Repeat layer.  Have nuts for topping in a bowl with a spoon to be added over the top of pasta.

CHAKRA SALAD – Vegan:

Small punnet red tomatoes or 4 quartered tomatoes (Base Chakra).

One mango, or fresh orange wedges chopped (Sacral).

One ripe yellow corn cob (Solar Plexus).

One cos lettuce, or any other lettuce ok (Heart Chakra)

One punnet blueberries (Throat Chakra – or sing a song or say a prayer if none).

One eighth wedge of small red-purple cabbage – very finally chopped (3rd Eye).

Quarter cup finally chopped white end of spring onions (Crown).

Toss Lightly, bless, and have dressing on the side.

DRESSING – Vegan:

Fresh orange juice.

DRESSING – Other:

2 tablespoons vege oil.

I tablespoon white wine vinegar.

I tablespoon honey.

I teaspoon crushed or bottled garlic.

Eagle Grace

Falling stars caught on eagle wings,

Star dust now personified

By the gentle touch of this graceful

Bird in flight.

Magic light in circles of love,

Bright golden light,

Falling below on hearts from above,

Now open in beauty and with gratitude.

Wonder at such magnificence,

This golden bird caught in Wind’s breath,

Amongst faultless sparkling beams of light,

Like early morning sun across vast waters.

Grace, oh grace, bird of love and light,

Take me to Great Spirit on your elegant wings

And I will sing for you, and together

We shall shine brighter than is possible alone.

Heather Price 07.11.11

USING INCLUSIVE LANGUAGE

Last night I presented a workshop to a group of 26 women, some of whom new little of shamanism, and had never been on a medicine drum journey. I became aware immediately that it would be necessary to be mindful of using inclusive language so as not to exclude them from the experience. 

Using inclusive language is not a new quest for me. While I have been doing it for some time, it is more that I am now considering its use it from a different perspective. Where once I may have used it so i can be included and not find myself isolated through my difference, I now find myself using it with respect for other people's difference, and their needs. Of course, I am always mindful of other's needs, but I think of it less as an effort to let go of my own language now days. 

It is interesting also that by using other people's language, and keeping mine in brackets as per below, I can see how I am really still having the same experience, however am using another language to describe it. This reframing in my mind allows me to feel an interconnectedness that I may have once missed in my relationships in business. 

However, much like a person exhausted from speaking another country's language when they are away from home, it is so good to come  home to myself, and hang out with like-minded people who understand the shaman's path and practice. 

This morning I reflected a little more on my roles and using inclusive language:

Using inclusive language  - the consultant /servant-leader (corporate shaman/shamanic path and practice trainer-teacher) has learned non-attachment, and has the capacity to re-shape (shape-shift) his/her language so that the message sent is the message received, unencumbered by the need to dominate or be attached to the language or environment (landscape) in which the messages are delivered (birthed).

Seeking not to be understood but, for those he/she teaches (journeys with) to understand – the consultant /servant-leader (corporate shaman/shamanic path and practice trainer-teacher) understands the power created within the business when the facilitator relinquishes (surrenders) the need to be understood, or to be praised for his/her knowledge or input, and instead find his/her rewards when what he is intending to teach is finally understood by those for whom he is facilitating (inspiring/holding space).

“As I watch each person see) their own answer to the question that has presented itself, I become energized as they get closer to finding it; no longer eager to give that answer to them – instead I keep my heart open, holding space for self-discovery and empowerment, and urge them to go deeper into their ‘all knowing self’ and the inner world, out of their heads, and into their hearts and bellies, using their breath, watching, holding, and patiently waiting for the answer to rise to the surface. I know that when I do this they will walk away with a deeper understanding that will last; the belief that has come through self-discovery is something I could never create or offer them by projecting my knowledge upon them.

From time to time, I find myself, as trust and respect builds and grows between us, offering a word or two from my world to introduce them to the beauty offered there. All the while, I watch and observe the energetic dance between us”.

PLEASE POST YOUR COMMENTS - I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR THEM. Thank you.

WAKE UP WITH HEATHER PRICE

I am here to wake you up,

To wake you up to your true nature

To remind you of who you really are.

I am here to wake you up,

To encourage you to step up

To step out

To be resilient

To have trust in yourself

To be brave and to keep your heart open.

I am here to wake you up,

To remind you to be grateful

To remind you to love and respect the earth

You walk on.

This earth, Mother Earth, provides

All you need on this journey,

I am here to remind you of that.

And to remind you that you are on a mission

To create light, to create joy, to create love

At every opportunity.

To know your right to be loved and to love freely.

For you are a divine being of light and love,

This is your true nature.

I am here to assist you to remember

Who you are, Where you have come from,

And Where you are going.

Wake up now!

Know yourself and know your mission

As a spirit being in human form,

For you are the co-creator of your life

And you are one with all of life,

All creatures breathe the air you breathe

All of life depends on your being here right now,

You are a part of nature’s dreaming.

I am here to tell you

You are not alone on this journey

And this is not the only world to travel in,

Go within and find and know

Your animal guides and teachers.

Look up and feel the love of your eternal father

In sky and sun,

And your ancestors in the stars,

They will show you the way.

Breathe down into the earth

And feel your life-force being renewed

By your earth mother and crystal beings.

It is time to wake up!

And there is no other who can walk this path for you,

You are the one.

And though only you can walk this path

You never walk it alone.

And at times fear will be your companion.

It is time now to wake up and embrace your fear,

To love your fear through your understanding of it,

And to live in joy despite your fear.

For fear has enabled you to stretch yourself

Beyond your imagination,

And to awaken you to your brave-heart.

Walk now in the light

Walk in consciousness and awareness,

Trust in your self and your life’s dreaming,

And know I walk beside you,

And know I love you

And I believe in you,

And have held your dreams until you

Could hold them for your self.

That time is now.

                              Copyright © Heather Price 2011

Re-birthing The Sacred Feminine - The Way Home. by Heather Price (c)

Returning home after a day out attending a wonderful and creative presentation by film maker and Jungian analyst Sarah Gibson (http://www.abc.net.au/tv/re-enchantment/), on the impact of fairy tales on our psyche and their hidden meanings, I wondered how the story of Hansel and Gretel has played out in my own life. 

When I think of my childhood and how I used to hear my parents arguing behind the closed door of their bedroom, I can relate to the terror that Gretel felt as she lay in her bed. Unlike Gretel, I had no brother to reassure me that God was taking care of us and that we would be alright, and I would sometimes lie awake for hours wondering what I could do to make things right, and would pray for the pain and fear to go away.

Like Hansel and Gretel, I found myself feeling abandoned in a forest of emotions, lost and hungry for reassurance from my father and affection from my mother. When I felt alone with my imagination I would turn to the animals and they would guide me. Like Hansel and Gretel, have been seduced by the longing for sweetness in my life, and paid the price when I have given into the darkness, the Dark Mother, within me. As a woman growing older each day, there have been days when I have longed to be young again, to devour the child within and purify myself with childhood innocence, stolen from me so long ago.

Like Gretel, for a long time I felt powerless as a female, and looked up to the males around me as being superior and relied on them for leadership. And like Gretel, there came a stage when I had to step up and take command, and find a way to overtake and transform the darkness within me into light, resilience, and self-empowerment. And, again like Gretel, I had never, until recently, felt like I had been nurtured by my mother, nor did she hold space for me to birth the Sacred Feminine Within me, for she was facing her own demons.

The next day:

I awoke this morning, the day after the workshop, and it seemed so clear to me – as I revisited the story of Hansel and Gretel – this time rising higher, with the view of the eagle, and looking down on it as an overall story of my healing and rebirthing of the Sacred Feminine Within, and deeper commitment to the path of the Sacred Way. This is what I discovered:

For Me: (The Step)Mother and Father represent the Adult/Parent in me – a somewhat ‘unconscious’, unenlightened being with the logical, compliant, masculine, provider part of me seemingly in union with, but at the same time conflict with, the fearful, self-centered, feminine part of me, concerned with survival and determination to get ahead. I recognize these parts of me where I am right now, and in the past when in my marriage. The two parts that argue with each other whether or not to abandon my spiritual path (represented by the journey of the children – Hansel and Gretel) as it simply does not ‘provide’ what I need to physical survive at times. Based often times solely on faith and hope, and listening to inner guidance, my dedication to a path of service has not always been financially beneficial and has been filled with challenges. Certainly there have been many times when I have felt abandoned, and even forsaken, by The Divine.

The children, representing the innocence of the divine sacred masculine and feminine energies within me, are always listening to me – and when I have been in the Unconscious Father and Mother who choose to abandon the spiritual path in order to survive in the physical, practical world, no doubt they have been fearful that I will abandon them too, and there are no doubt times when I have.

There have been times when I have taken the innocent me into the forest and left her there in the darkness, believing that if I only put my past childhood wounding behind me and get rid of my child-like fear and get on with my adult life – all will be ok, I will survive. However, my conscious journey has shown me that it is not possible to abandon the Inner Child and get away with it – for the Inner child carries both the fear and the faith that will assist me to not only survive, but also to thrive.

AND so –the innocent Hansel and Gretel set off into the dark night, guided home by the pebbles in the moonlight, only to discover that they were to be abandoned once more by the Mother and Father – and this time, without any pebbles to help them find their way home. Setting out into another dark night, still with the light of the moon, whom I like to see as the Ancestral Grandmother - Inner Wise One, to guide them, they continue to have faith that God will take care of them.

There have been many times, when I have been lost in the darkness that have I heard my Inner Child remind me that God loves me, and it is this unwavering faith that has not only led me back to the light, but has taken me there through even greater darkness that has been disguised by apparent wealth and abundance. At first, on encountering the witch’s delicious ginger bread house, the children are insatiable in their hunger and cannot get enough of the sweetness of life. The adult part of me feels the child’s delight and emerges from the house as the Dark Mother – Witch, wanting to take the innocence of the child’s connection with bounty and harvest, and to devour the sweetness of their innocence and trust for herself. Again, driven by the need to survive, the children cunningly find a way to deal with the darkness that continues its threat to overtake them, this time succeeding in destroying The Dark Mother-Witch. In doing this, may we ask “are they no longer innocent; have they have somehow succumbed to the darkness – fighting back and overtaking it, to find themselves now in possession of the Witch’s stash of jewels and gems?”

This time, however, the children are more connected with nature, and they have learned how to ask for help from nature.  The dark journey has shown them how to use their instincts, and their intuition, and they find their way home, still with complete innocence and trust that their father will take them back and love them. When they return home, there is no mother to greet or betray them. Somehow, “Woman” has completely disappeared – the burning of the Dark Mother – complete.

One may ask – What of the Divine Feminine? What of the Great Mother? Where is she in the story? Has Gretel transcended somehow through her rejection of the Great Mother? Is she ready to take on the adult-mother role most likely expected of her in a household of those times? These questions continue to fill my mind. Perhaps another night’s sleep will reveal the answers (LOL).

In my own journey, when I have abandoned my Inner Child to the darkness, and then reconnected with my faith in God through her persistence to fine a way to the light, there have been times when I have used my enlightened state to turn back once more to the material world, searching for the treasures it offers, knowing I can have the best of both worlds. And when I have not kept the balance, one way or the other, the journey into the dark has begun once more. For me – burning the Dark Mother – Witch  has not worked – it has postponed the inevitable.

Instead of burning the Dark Mother – Witch, I have found a deep connection with her and with my Whole Self through my willingness to embrace her and validate her pain, her journey of fear and darkness; for was she not once an innocent child herself overwhelmed by life’s challenges? When I discovered that my deepest wounding around my heart came from my incapacity to love myself because I never truly felt loved by my birth mother, I set out on a journey to heal my child’s heart, and the gift that came was being able, for the first time, to be know that I truly loved my birth mother unconditionally. This transformation of love energy came about by surrendering into the womb of our eternal Mother Earth - Gaia. Setting out to complete 100 visual mandalas to assist this process, at the 56^th mandala my re-birthing of the Sacred Feminine came about, and I felt a profound shift in my energy field. In the mandala, as my Sacred Feminine broke through, whole and complete, she was assisted into the light by the ancestral Grandmothers and Grandfathers, represented in the drawing as great trees, and the light was the light of the Divine Father – Father Sun.

I say – re-birthing – for it is clear now that I have always had the Sacred Feminine within me, as I have always had my Childhood Innocence. However, I have at some level chosen to go through the labor of life to re-discover these sacred parts of myself, and the journey and discovery continues.

During my struggle, like Hansel and Gretel, I felt abandoned by the masculine, by my father, however it was more than that. At times I felt forsaken, abandoned by the Heavenly Father, as one struggle after another presented itself to me. And yet like Hansel and Gretel, I never gave up my faith in my father, or the Heavenly Father, and eventually it was my discovery of the healing power of Father Sun, as a divine representative of strength, guidance, and light, that I was able to heal and grow and expand.

It is the energy of Father Sun that connected me with the power of acceptance and unconditional love, and the capacity to validate myself and the affect the many traumatic experiences I had as a child had on the healthy growth of my ego.  Through this validation, I was able to find my way home to the arms of my own father, a few years before he died. In those precious years, I was able to return my father’s unconditional love, to accept and validate him for who he was, and to finally stop condemning him for his weaknesses and the abandonment by him I felt as a child.

A wise old man once taught me that we have a choice to carry the burden of resentment and blame. He told me that peace of mind was our choice, and that there is no need for forgiveness if we learn not to condemn in the first place. When he told me this, I felt a huge weight fall off my shoulders as I finally let go of a lifetime of pain and heaviness in my heart space.

Like Hansel and Gretel, once I found a way to transform the darkness, I was richly rewarded with treasures that cannot be bought. Where the children used the oven to burn the witch, I offered the darkness to the womb of the earth, and the fire in her belly, and asked for all darkness to be transformed to light.  I eventually learned how to do that for myself as I chose to see everything around me through a different lens, reframing my experiences. The witch’s companions no longer scared or threatened me. The spider was no longer venomous, instead it was a symbol of creation, and its web reminded me that I have an important part to play in the weaving of creation. The raven, while still a symbol of magic, also heralded nature’s law, and a determination to bring balance and strength into my life. The bat no longer represented death and a quest for revenge, instead it heralded the possibility of rebirth and the capacity to find my way without having to visually see where I was going.

The insights I have gained from the challenges of my life cannot be bought or sold.  They are priceless and while my journey ahead is unknown, it is a whole lot lighter since I have found union within myself. Now, when faced with a challenge, I ask myself, “will my choice lead me towards union, or will it cause separation?”, and then I know which direction to take.

For me, my deep connection with Mother Earth and Father Sun has allowed me to fully birth my Sacred Feminine from within. The full retrieval of my innocence is still in process, however every day I grow closer to accepting and loving myself unconditionally. When I look in the mirror I cannot help but smile, and more often than not I see an innocent child’s reflection for a split second, as she smiles lovingly back at me.

In conclusion, there is nothing lost that cannot be found within, and when we finally get that, the rewards are immeasurable. Like Hansel and Gretel, my innocent, unwavering trust that all is perfect and divine, and that I am ok, has sustained me through the most difficult times in my life. I will never abandon my Inner Child again, for she has never abandoned me, and is finally feeling what it is like to be in union with the whole of Self, transformed through self-love. Nor will I abandon the Great Mother, nor the part of her in me that is the Dark Mother who is lost and in fear of survival.

Looking again now at my mandala, I can see a breast emerging from the earth – Mother’s earth’s breast that continues to feed us all. We are her children – and we cannot abandon her in these dark times when she screams in pain from all the dark and desperate energy we have spilled over her, and all the energy and life we have taken from her. 

I urge each and every one of you not to abandon the Great Mother right now as she reaches out to her children. There is no doubt that she will survive, unlike the mother figures in the story of Hansel and Gretel. There is no space now for separation – we have come too far on the journey. There can only be union and communion, if we are to find our way out of the dark woods into the light, and finally find our way home. At the same time, there is a knowing inside of me that it does not matter what we do – the door to ‘Home’ will always be open, for the love of The Divine in unconditional. At the same time, I also have a knowing the way we choose on the path home is important to our next step in the journey – the journey of the Great Mystery.

This knowing urges me every day to step up and out to be the best person I can be, to live consciously and respectfully, with resilience and trust, in gratitude, love and joy always.

Blessings to all of you, and may you walk ‘awake’, in beauty, trust, and love always, and in all ways.

Heather Price

Returning to Woman Spirit – Returning to Joy ©Heather Price 8th June 2011 Accompanied by the sounds of Return to Joy – by Sarah Hopkins

Returning to Woman Spirit – Returning to Joy

©Heather Price 8^th June 2011

Accompanied by the sounds of Return to Joy – 
by Sarah Hopkins www.sarahhopkins.com

Dearest Woman,

Blessed Woman,

Woman of Truth,

Woman of Light,

Sister, mother, grandmother, daughter, aunt, wife, partner, lover, friend,

And so much more.

Blessed be your heartprint on this earth,

For your heart is one with earth’s heart,

Your womb of earth’s womb,

Your truth of earth’s truth,

Your joy is earth’s joy.

Take the hand of your sister now,

And look deeply into her eyes,

Remember her beyond this form

And know her from your soul’s mind.

Know you are one.

Sacred sisters in joy,

Holy sisters in love,

Humble sisters in pain.

Walk together to discover,

Dance together to create,

Journey together to birth,

Sing together to enrich,

Share together to nurture and comfort,

Pray together to reconnect woman spirit,

Laugh together to remember joy.