Fresh Eggs Beltane 2023

 

Beltane 2023

 

Fresh Eggs            
 

 

Newsletter of the Women's Spirituality Forum

Edited by Lisa Crow and Tinnekke Bebout

 

WHAT'S FRESH?

Our beloved Zsuzsanna has stepped fully into the 21st Century with her own Patreon, and you're all invited to join her there! Z has been doing audio recordings on her favorite subjects, starting with Death and our relationship with it. Many otherwise unpublished or unreleased media from Z can be found exclusively there for the members.  Join Z on Patreon today

 

From Z:

 Beltane

I believe we are connected to life through Sex. We are sexual from the moment we are born. There are even some claims that we are sexual in the womb, based on ultrasound images of male fetuses touching their penises. When we experience sexual release, it helps many systems of the body, including the immune system, and so it contributes to overall health. Sex is not Porn. It is not about hurting your partner. It is about respecting the ingeniousness of the Earth Mother for gifting us with sex. Sex creates art, music, and all other creative expressions. Falling in love creates its own harmony, and those feelings are sacred. Sex isn’t chasing the mechanics of orgasms. When souls and bodies merge and agree, with joy, then orgasms come naturally, and the release is powerful. 

Sex is the root of Life. The word woman comes from womb-man. The word has changed because language changes and evolves as a natural process. Reclaiming the womb in woman isn’t BS posturing but a recognition of the life forces and the roots of who we are. In mammals, sex is binary. There is female and male. Intersex humans have mixed parts based on how their chromosomes express, but they are still parts based in female and male sex systems. Sex is not gender; gender is how patriarchy sees sex and its expression in a social framework. Gender is a lie. Sex is what you are born with, and how your body is made from the cells up. When people have what Western medicine has chosen to call a “sex change”, it is nothing of the sort. They have healthy parts of their bodies removed because Patriarchy has convinced them that they were born into the “wrong body”, because Patriarchy denies life, and denies the sacredness of all people. Instead of embracing these beautiful spirits as they are and letting them know that they are right and good, and that the urges and expressions they are pulled to are right for them regardless of their sex, they are told that their “gender” is wrong, and so they are wrong. I feel sorrow for them because they have been tricked into lives of pain and dependence on chemicals just to survive. They have been told that this will help them, when it is turning out that it mostly makes things worse. 

On Beltane, as on Samhain, the Veil is very thin, and the dead can come through and reincarnate when their descendants have sex. That was one of the purposes of the Beltane Rites, along with encouraging the fertility of growing things and ensuring the harvest. Beltane is always a community celebration. The dancing, revelry, drinking, and such remind us that it is good to be alive.  Children born from the Beltane revelries were seen as good luck and sacred because through them, the Goddess reincarnates into humanity. Many cultures have celebrated the quickening of the Earth in Spring and the fertility of all Nature. This holiday survived in Europe very well, especially in places like Germany, where Walpurgis Nacht is still celebrated. In British Isles, May Day festivals also continued, with some of the old traditions being kept. In Hungary, boys would go from house to house and sprinkle water on the girls. This was said to bring health and wealth, but it was also a reminder of the old fertility rites, since the water was a symbol for semen, and the good luck it brings is a bountiful harvest and great fertility. Though Christianity tried to suppress the celebration of the Earth and fertility, the people knew deep down that this was real and celebrating it was important.  It was also seen as a necessary part of the cycle of Life and Death. Death is not to be feared; at Hallows we embrace the darkness and the night. Remember the dead and speak to your ancestors. 

There is no Death as we have been taught to understand it. Death is not what we think at all. The spirits that have no body can still come to us and be part of our lives. Nothing truly dies, just the physical form dies and goes back to the Earth from where it came. No one looks the same from life to life. We grow, we change. Just understand that there will be a next time, no matter how much some religions want to scare us into forgetting that. Babies often remember where they came from at a young age. They can have parting pains as they settle into the new life and separate from their former selves and the families they had before. 

Make love on Beltane and remember that sex is also a sacred connection between souls. If you don’t have a partner, make love to yourself and foster that connection we are taught to suppress. If you desire a partner, ask Aphrodite or Ishtar for love. Fertility is a Blessing, if you are ready for what comes from it. Babies are messy and want Mother. The beat of the heart, the sound of the womb is what they crave when they are in need. Good fathers know this and will help the mothers by laying the baby on their chest and letting the baby hear their heart beat to calm it. I love seeing photos of fathers with their babies sleeping on their chests. That is life-affirming maleness. Babies need nurturing and lots of rest because they are growing whole bodies from scratch and that takes tons of energy. Parents need to keep the baby close, so the baby can sleep deeply and make the most of its rest to be healthy and strong. True, loving partnership, and strong family is what takes these blessings, these children, and grows them into whole, functioning people. Whole people create strong community and that brings the energies of Life and Love full circle in harmony with the Earth and the Goddess. 

Hawthorn - May 2023 by Sharon McCarthy

Beltaine Blessings!


To thrive in harmony with our beautiful Blue Planet

We look for streams of meaning and flows of reciprocity

To help us navigate the spiraling currents of our precious life.

 

Our solar year provides us with natural rhythms that remind us of

Auspicious times to initiate, to flourish, transform and begin anew ~

Sustaining us with ancient planetary intelligence.

 

We learn when to rest, to root, to sprout, to mature, to Blossom!

With good fortune we bear fruit, enjoy the harvest, then return our bodies to Earth.

The Wheel of the Year sustains the pattern for us, while our beings keep evolving.

 ~~~


Here now, between Spring Equinox and Summer Solstice

The sun’s aroused our rain-soaked land and Beltaine’s beauty abounds.

The Earth Goddesses are reveling!

 

The emergence of May graces us with the Benevolence of Blossoms

Walking in nature we find riots of floral mysteries dancing in multi-hued splendor ~

Blessing our senses with the magnificence of Wild Beauty.


We each tend a spiritual garden in our own way, nurturing what we love and value.

Our love engages the world in conversation via our energetic movements and melodies.

Our heart’s essence floats like a fragrant revelation to the world around us.

 

Like flowers, we generate bright energy to bloom our gifts into the world.

During liminal times like Beltaine, we may feel awed by what springs forth.

Our imagination, self-trust, and courage invites our dreams to flourish into form.

 

Sometimes what we birth into the world is visible to others, though not always.

Our visions need the devotion of our precious time and space to be brought to fruition.

An awakened heart ensures we will tenderly care for the creativity blooming inside of us.

 

Once upon a time maidens bathed their faces with the dew of Hawthorn blossoms before Beltaine's sunrise.

These flowers - long associated with the month of May symbolize hope, and happiness.

Hawthorn gifts us with Medicine for the Heart, the organ system highlighted in Summer.

 

Flowering plants are our ancestors.  They create many of the same neurotransmitters that we do.

They generously gift us with their wisdom and medicine, as well as their beauty.

As the Summer half of the year begins, let’s explore what it feels like to flower.

 

Playful Energetic Practice ~

 

We stand, feeling our wise roots sensually reaching into the fertile, moist earth beneath our feet.

We sense how our roots are connected to the midline of our body, intuitively adjusting our posture.

We open our awareness to ‘face’ in all directions, feeling more engaged with sentient life around us.

We feel energy rising all the way up to our head, like a flower to the sun.

Our petals are unfolding - perhaps around our pelvis, our heart, our crown.


What shapes are we forming?

What colors and scents are swirling out into our energetic field?

What are the qualities of our floral architecture - are we sturdy, delicate, flamboyant, or shy?


Like a child, we learn through play.  We let our imaginations find paths to joy and new insights.

Flowing like a sun-blessed-flower we open our hearts, minds and bodies ~

To receive a sweet gift we’ll bring with us into our day, into our summer.  Blessed Be!

 

We celebrate Lunar Beltaine this Friday at 10:34 am PDT, with a penumbral eclipse.

May’s Full Moon in Scorpio is called the ‘Full Flower’ or ‘Milk Moon’.

Sun in Taurus highlights our earthly sensuality and Scorpio Moon intensifies the deep well of our emotions.


Blessed Blooming ~ With Love,

Sharon

Zsuzsanna Budapest is calling the women back to our sacred land to meet in 2024! Join her in the redwoods of California to sing, dance, celebrate over a half century of Goddess culture, and howl at the moon! Goddess Festival Information

Now that Z has re-released The Holy Book, she is embarking upon the process of bringing back into print The Grandmother of Time! This process will take some time since there was no electronic version of the manuscript, but it has been converted and it is being updated for the new century of witches. 

To buy The Holy Book, visit Z's Shop Online! 

Goddess of the Month  - May 2023: Yemaya 

Tinnekke

 WHO IS YEMAYA? 

Yemaya by Osbed Merced

Yemaja is an Orisha or Goddess, originally of the Yoruba religion, who is prominent in many African-
American religions. Africans from what is now part of Nigeria brought Yemaya and a host of other Orishas in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. She is the ocean, the essence of motherhood, and a protector of children. Her name is a contraction of Yoruba words: "Yeye emo eja" that mean "Mother whose children are like fishes". This represents the vastness of her motherhood, her fecundity and her reign over all living things. She is often depicted as a mermaid. She is associated with the moon, the ocean and female mysteries. Typically portrayed as a beautiful woman, Yemaya governs the household and intervenes in women's affairs. She is a merciful Goddess, invoked by women for aid in childbirth, love and healing. She rules over the conception and birth of children and ensures their safety during childhood. As a creation Goddess, Yemaya's womb spilled forth the fourteen Yoruba goddesses and gods, and the breaking of Her uterine waters caused a great flood, which created the oceans. From Her body the first human woman and man, who became the parents of all mortal beings on earth, were born. She is worshipped and revered in many places and is called by many names now. Some examples of Her names/titles are:
Africa: Yemoja, Ymoja, Iemanja Nana Borocum, Iemanja Bomi, Iemanja Boci
Brazil: Yemanjá, Iemanjá, Janaina
Cuba: Yemaya, Yemayah, Iemanya
Haiti: La Sirène, LaSiren (in Vodou)
USA (New Orleans Voodoo): Yemalla, Yemana 

 Festivals of Yemaya

Every February 2 in Salvador, Bahia, there is a celebration of Iemanjá, which involves thousands of people lining up at dawn to leave their offerings at her shrine in Rio Vermelho. Presents for Iemanjá usually include flowers, perfume, and objects of female vanity (jewelry, combs, mirrors). These are gathered in large baskets and taken out to the sea by local fishermen. Afterwards a massive street party ensues.
In Rio de Janeiro, Iemanjá is celebrated on New Year's Eve, when millions of cariocas dressed in white gather on Copacabana beach to greet the New Year, watch fireworks, and throw flowers and other offerings into the sea for the Goddess in the hopes that she will grant them their requests for the coming year. Paintings of Iemanjá are for sale in Rio shops, next to painting of Jesus etc. They portray Her as a woman rising out of the sea. Small offerings of flowers and floating candles are left in the sea on many nights at Copacabana.

Offerings for Yemaya

Yemaya is a loving Goddess who adores many different kinds of offerings. Some of Her favorites include blue and white candles, salt water, water melon, any type of melon, pictures or figurines of mermaids, fish and shell fish, seaweed, anything silver, clear quartz, pearls or mother of pearls, coconut milk, boats and ships, shells, perfumes and scented oils, cakes, silver colored or silver bells, champagne, blue and white flowers, lace, soap, blue and white beads, seven coins, tied blue and white ribbons, plantains, lambs, roosters, violets, and water cress. Yemaya will accept whatever a child makes from his or her heart (that depends on Her path in Her more gentler form that is). To ask Yemaya to grant a wish or bestow a blessing, write Her a letter and cast it into the sea.

The Paths of Yemaya

Yemaya Asseu
In this aspect She lives in dirty and polluted waters. She accepts offerings with the dead and She is pretty slow in answering the requests of Her children.
Yemaya Oquette
This is the violent form of the Goddess. She is destructive. The mother who gives birth to her children will also destroy them, In that aspect She is like Kali in Her destructive aspect.
Yemaya Awoyo
She is the ancient form of Yemaya. She is wise, honorable, loving, caring, and She is also very wealthy. She wears a rainbow (Ochumare) as a crown over Her head. She is also a powerful warrior.
Yemaya Mayalewo
She is a powerful witch. She works closely with Oggun. She lives in lagoons that are surrounded by a wooded area. She lives in solitude. She loves the peacefulness of the woods.
Yemaya Achabba
In this aspect, She is married to Oggun who heeds to Her wise advice. She is the serious and stern aspect of Yemaya. She disciplines when She has to and can be very dangerous. Her magic spells are very powerful, and turns Her back to listen to Her devotees.
Yemaya Acuaro
This is an aspect where the river (Oshun) Meets the sea (Yemaya). Therefore She is very close to Oshun, Her sister, Who She loves to dance and spend time with. She is a powerful healer, and She can dispel evil spells. She does not do any other magic.
Yemaya Okuti
This is Yemaya as Queen of the Witches, and hence Her magick is very powerful. She sends Her messages to Her children via mice. She owns the coral reefs and mother of pearls. When She dances, Yemaya Okuti always has a snake draped around Her arm. This symbolizes Her wisdom and sexuality. In this path Yemaya has a bad temper. She is harsh and unforgiving. It would be wise not to upset Her for She can make one's life very miserable. A fierce warrior, She battles alongside Oggun. During wartime She carries His weapons and working tools from Her waist. Also close to Oshun, Her home is the rocks near the coastline that break the water. She can also be found in lakes, rivers and forests.
Yemaya Olokun
This is Yemaya as She is found in the deepest parts of the ocean. She has vast wisdom, and at times a rather violent nature. This aspect can be very overpowering.
The Wisdom of Yemaya
"I nurture, heal, touch, bless, comfort and make whole that which is incomplete. I am within you and you need only look inside yourself to find my eternal presence."

The Story of Yemaya - by Luisah Teish

Once there was a beautiful woman by the name of Ye-ma-ya, who looked into the waters of the ocean. There She saw Her own reflection and asked, "Who is that beautiful woman? I thought I was the prettiest thing that the World had ever seen!"
And as She looked on that woman there came a rumbling in Her belly and it grew and it grew until it exploded and covered the land with lakes, rivers, and streams.
Yemaya looked into the water of the river and there again She saw that woman and asked, "Who is that beautiful woman? I thought that I was the prettiest thing that the World had ever seen!"
And again Her belly grew and it grew and grew till it exploded and sprinkled the heavens with stars and a Full Moon.
Yemaya looked in the Full Moon, and again She asked, "Who is that beautiful woman? I thought I was the prettiest thing that the world had ever seen!"
And again Her belly grew, and it grew and it grew until it exploded! And before Her stood thousands of beautiful women.
Yemaya asked, "Who are you beautiful women? I thought that I was the prettiest thing the world had ever seen!"
The women looked deep into the eyes of Yemaya and there they saw their own reflections.
So the women said to Yemaya, "You are! We're just you!"