Summer 2003 "Leading a Purposeful Life"

ur newsletter will promote principles of personal success for women. These ideas will illustrate success in the working world, in interpersonal relationships, and in developing self esteem and confidence. Each member will bring special knowledge about attaining personal goals and adding a sense of discovery and excitement to women's lives.

	"As I think about the topic “Living a Purposeful Life,” I’m drawn to thinking about my own daughter, Lindsay, and what she might tell me she sees as being my purpose in life. I think she’d say – because she’s been told it often enough – that being her mom was my #1 job in life."
	"most people I talked to concluded that living a purposeful life was about external actions or things. For some it was material and financial. Yet, even rich King Solomon said that without purpose in life, “Everything is vanity and a striving after the wind.” That is how many people feel."
	"All she really had was a half-finished script for a one-woman show devoted to the theme of coping with loss. But within four weeks, she managed to attract a stage director, lighting designer, sound composer and publicist to help her, and to rewrite the show (numerous times) under the title, “The Accidental Activist.”"
	"...living a purposeful life is less about doing than being. It’s about being all I can be, in the time I have, with love in my heart, and appreciation that I have a body, mind and spirit to walk in this world, on this plane, no matter what lies beyond; its about getting and giving joy in all the ways I know how. "
	"Recognize the ways in which you are independent, courageous, and free to choose your own path. If you need more strength in these areas call upon Lilith for assistance. Use Sarasvati’s power to let your creative self-expression and intuition flow. ... Recognize your magic, the same healing energy used by Morgan Le Fay. Lastly, believe in your connection to the Divine. "

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Lenann McGookey Gardner is a Harvard M.B.A. and an independent management consultant specializing in improving companies' sales and marketing results. She works with smaller businesses, as well as large companies, worldwide.  Call Lenann when you want to grow your sales by closing the most desirable, highest profit business. Lenann is a winner of the American Marketing Association/New Mexico's "Services Marketer of the Year" award. Visit her on the Web at www.YouCanSell.com.

Living a Purposeful Life ... Why Does It Matter?

y mother died when I was two years old. Recently, I had occasion to meet with her best friend Lydia, now in her 80s, someone with whom I had never had a detailed conversation. Of course, I was looking for information – who was my mother? What did she like to do? What was she good at doing? Why did you choose to be close friends with her? And what was her life all about?

     I’ve always had these questions about Sally McGookey, a person I feared took on many saintly qualities by virtue of the fact that she died young; people have been telling me all my life that, “If you can be half as good as your mother, you’ll be a saint”! (I’m probably not.)

     About 20 years ago, when I was living in Los Angeles, I got a call one Thanksgiving eve from a woman who identified herself as Rosanna, my mother’s oldest sister’s daughter – a cousin whom I had never met. I invited her for Thanksgiving dinner and, over that meal, heard that my mother was a lot of fun, that in fact, she had been Rosanna’s role model because my mother was 8 or 9 years older than she was, and seemed very glamorous to her. I asked her all about my mother – what perfume did she wear? (Emeraude.) What did she like to do? (Go out on dates, I guess. She was a great student.) But, most importantly, what was her life all about?

     Since my mother died at 39, and had spent time training as a teacher, and working as a florist, too, during World War II, and then getting married, and trying for seven years to have children, including having two surgeries to accomplish that, and then having me, and then two years later having my brother Matt, and then six months after that dying of ovarian cancer, I wonder if she ever had/took the time to think about her life’s purpose.

     Maybe her purpose was to be an educator, to help children get started in life, to be a good wife to my dad, and to be a great mom, if only she’d had the chance.

     As I think about the topic “Living a Purposeful Life,” I’m drawn to thinking about my own daughter, Lindsay, and what she might tell me she sees as being my purpose in life. I think she’d say – because she’s been told it often enough – that being her mom was my #1 job in life. That I felt strongly that, once I’d given birth to her, I was going to give mothering all I had – that there would be no priority higher than her upbringing, during the years that that was occurring. I think she would also say that my purpose was, and continues to be, to serve people and, professionally, to help them out with the skills I have in an area that is important to so many businesses, sales and marketing.

     I’d say it differently.

     Years ago, in a seminar, I was asked to complete the following sentence: “I am a _____, ______, and _____ woman.” I thought about that for quite awhile, and decided that the adjectives that best describe me are “gentle, giving and fun-loving.” And that my purpose in being alive is to share the love I have to give, and do whatever I can to make the world a better place.

     When Lindsay first started thinking about college, I shared with her my view that, although I don’t think most people think of it this way, careers in management allow one to have a very positive effect on people. Most people work in one sort of business or another, and there is much bad management in evidence. And when people’s jobs aren’t going well, it’s hard for much else in life to go well, because we spend more time at work than we do sleeping, eating, and spending time with our families – work is so central, and good management and motivation can help people to be happier while they do what they do to keep the bread on their table.

     Lindsay chose Political Science. And along with choosing that major, I think she sees her purpose, which is evolving now, at 21, as defending others against injustice.

     And what does all this thinking about purpose mean – how can it contribute to our lives? I think that knowing one’s purpose is a bottom line thing: when the chips are down, we can return to that, and put the complexities of the present moment up against that purpose, to see what really matters, and how much priority competing “projects” (by “projects” I mean “places where one’s time can go”) really should get.

     That’s handy! As someone who is completely overwhelmed this week, thinking about sharing the love I have to give causes me to remember that I must attend a board meeting for a non-profit organization tonight, and I realize that I’ve been giving my business projects priority over preparing for that meeting. I’ll have to end this column now … that non-profit project awaits!

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Janet L. Hall is a Certified Kinesionics Practitioner/Herbalist/Nutritionist and owner of Alternative Wellness Center in Albuquerque. She is a member of the Association of Specialized Kinesiologists of the U.S., and also a member of the American Herbalists Guild. The People Living Through Cancer organization recently awarded Janet a plaque for her caring, dedicated and professional treatment of those she works with who are dealing with cancer. Janet is also the consulting Kinesiologist and Nutritionist for A New Hope, a foundation for eating disorders. Janet can be reached at (505) 294-WELL, or docchall@netscape.net.

hen I knew I would be writing about this subject, I mentioned it to various people and received a surprising mixture of replies. What was noteworthy was that most people had no idea what living a purposeful life meant! After some time for silent thought, some people said that it meant contributing to the world in some form, while to others it meant finding what they termed “the elusive thing called happiness” - a great career path, or feeling self-fulfilled in some small way.

     Interestingly enough, most people I talked to concluded that living a purposeful life was about external actions or things. For some it was material and financial. Yet, even rich King Solomon said that without purpose in life, “Everything is vanity and a striving after the wind.” That is how many people feel. They are just existing: working, striving and carrying on with their lives, but they do not feel that their lives have any real purpose. They could be looking at a much larger picture.

     If you think about a flower, its whole purpose is to go from a small seedling growing and maturing to its full capacity, and then it finally blooms. It has an innate biological intelligence to do just that. It is much the same with us as humans. We go from a small seed, growing and maturing to our full capacity, and then to “full bloom,” so to speak. On the physical level, human biological intelligence is much like the flower. But, we human beings are capable of much, much more.

     Humans have a divine blueprint for growth on all levels, not just the physical. We also have the ability to experience that same process on a mental, emotional and spiritual level. But how do we actually do that? By listening inside to the higher self, and accessing spirituality, we then know how to grow on these other levels.

     Our higher self has many ways of getting the message across to us. We can hear it in our self-talk, dream it, envision or see images of it, hear sounds that pertain to it and, if we really listen and act on it, we begin to express who we really are inside. Thus the internal growth begins. The depth of our living a purposeful life depends on how well we listen to the higher self, and how willing we are to express our true selves to our maximum potential, just as a flower fully blooms.

     So then, finding our purpose in life would mean that in all that we are and all that we do, we would be able to express completely our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual selves. For that is when our creativity actually flourishes! So then, risk would be involved, as in anything else we do that is meaningful. We risk being “out there” by expressing all we are and being ourselves no matter who may see us differently, or what path we have been expected to take.

     One of the most overlooked areas needing expression for a purposeful life is spirituality. Studies performed at a university in California proved that spirituality provides 100% positivity for the body! The body thrives on it! These studies involved hooking up a positive/negative charge register directly to the body. The subjects all had cancer, and during the test they were asked specific questions, or were required to do something specific.

     The scientists involved in the research first asked the test subjects about their disease and the register remained at 0% (full negativity). When the patients were asked about their lives and families, the charge meter went anywhere from 0% to just below 50%. Finally, the scientists asked the test subjects to pray... and every single one of them suddenly registered a charge to the body of 100% (full positivity)! So then, spirituality is definitely an important factor.

     There are many benefits to expressing yourself on these levels and of course, to outwardly express who you truly are means listening to your higher self. Life’s gifts then become immense!

     It is our purposeful life of expression and creativity that makes us feel we are truly living, not just existing. All doors in life feel open, and all choices become widely available to us. Each and every facet of us begins to project positivity to the world. Self-actualization is apparent. We respond to everything that means something to us in life. We may be moved to have a tender moment of compassion for someone who is in pain or ill. We may break out in uninhibited laughter, and not hold back the urge to be ourselves. We all have a side of ourselves that wants to feel productive, that we are accomplishing something, and so we express that in our work. Our playful side may have a need to run barefoot in the grass, and not care what anyone else thinks about it.

     In other words, so that each and every moment of life is being fully expressed, lived in the present and truly cherished, think about how much you really are expressing “you” in your life. Do you listen to your higher self? Do you hold back from just being you? Have you re-evaluated your life based on the internal gauge of your higher self?

     Think about every area. In your relationships, if true intimacy existed, then you would be free to express yourself openly, to just be you, and not be walking on eggshells. Is your work an opportunity for self-expression? How much self-expressed playtime do you allow for? How limited is your time for creativity? How much space is there in your life for the things that really mean something to you? From time to time we all need to reassess where we are. Opening up and expanding our expressiveness leads to a purposeful life!

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Jane Blume, Editor/Publisher of our Defining Women newsletter, celebrates 37 years of professional work in communications this year. Jane founded Desert Sky Communications in 1989 to help businesses, non-profit organizations and individual entrepreneurs "get the right messages to the right audiences." Desert Sky's services include public relations, marketing and advertising strategies and execution; writing and editing; corporate identity; photography; facilitation; and innovative radio programs. For more information, call Jane at (505) 294-1976, email to  or visit www.desertskycommunications.com.

eaders of this newsletter may recall that in my last article, I wrote about how our daughter, Kathryn, resolved a personal crisis concerning her acting career, her health and worries about impending war with Iraq by embarking on some prolonged sessions of meditation. The result was that she became inspired – with the help of another actor, Sharron Bower - to create what became the Lysistrata Project, the first-ever worldwide theater event for peace.

     When I first wrote about the Lysistrata Project for Defining Women in February, 352 readings of Aristophanes’ 2,300 year-old anti-war comedy had been scheduled on the same day, March 3rd, in 30 countries. Here in the U.S., readings were going to be held in 44 states (Albuquerque, New Mexico included), Washington, D.C. and the Virgin Islands.

     To bring you up to date: by the time March 3rd rolled around, the Lysistrata Project had become an unqualified success: 1,029 readings in 59 countries (plus all 50 states), including secret gatherings in China, Israel and northern Iraq (in which a group of international journalists took part). Afterward, and based upon feedback from the Project’s worldwide “spearheads,” Kathy and Sharron calculated that more than 200,000 people had attended the readings, which raised over $100,000 for peace-oriented charities. (This figure includes the $3,300+ that the Albuquerque reading raised for the Albuquerque Center for Peace and Justice.)

     When the Lysistrata Project began in early January, Kathryn and Sharron were two unknown actors. By March 3rd, the theatrical community worldwide definitely knew who they were. And thousands of others came to know them, as well, after they were interviewed by reporters from some of this country’s major media outlets, including The New York Times, “The News Hour with Jim Lehrer” (PBS), “All Things Considered” (NPR), the Associated Press, “Democracy Now” (Pacifica Radio) and Newsweek – plus numerous local publications and radio stations across the country and overseas.

     Despite all the attention, it soon became clear that the U.S. fully intended to invade Iraq, and Kathy still didn’t have an acting career to speak of. As she began to wonder whether the Lysistrata Project had really amounted to anything at all, the unexpected happened: she received a telephone call from the artistic director of a small, New York City theatre company, whom she had come to know during this time. “Kathy,” the caller said, “we’re mounting our next play in April, and we’re supposed to be rotating our performances with another project. The other project has just been cancelled. Do you know of anything available?”

     To Kathy’s own surprise, the words “Yes, I have a one-woman show” popped out of her mouth. All she really had was a half-finished script for a one-woman show devoted to the theme of coping with loss. But within four weeks, she managed to attract a stage director, lighting designer, sound composer and publicist to help her, and to rewrite the show (numerous times) under the title, “The Accidental Activist.” Naturally, the show is about her life between the fall of last year and the spring of this one.

     I saw the show in mid-May, and in addition to being deeply touched by it, learned some things I hadn’t known before. Kathy openly and honestly described how, at the end of last year – with the help of her husband and mother-in-law – she came to realize that although she is very talented, she wasn’t succeeding in her acting career because 1) Her looks and “quirkiness” made her difficult to cast, and 2) She was holding on to unrealistic goals and expectations about becoming a “mega-star” and saving the world.

     When the “Lysistrata” idea came to her, it seemed to be a realistic, achievable goal: to organize one reading in New York to benefit two peace-oriented organizations. Because she attracted a creative partner, because they dared to dream, because the timing was right, because people all over the world were looking for a creative way to try to stop the invasion, and because the Internet was available as an organizing tool, the project took off rapidly.

     As a result of that fateful phone call from the artistic director of Queens Company, Kathy also realized that she had been given an opportunity to redefine her definitions of success and take charge of her own future. She decided that “The Accidental Activist” should be the first effort of her own production company, which she calls A Mighty Ruckus. After the success of the New York debut, which garnered a positive review and enthusiastic messages from audience members, she decided to see if she could tour with the play. In early June she created a website for the show (http://www.theaccidentalactivist.com), and began emailing all the new contacts she had made around the world during the Lysistrata Project.

     Although it has only been a few weeks since she started, “The Accidental Activist” has been booked this summer in some venues in Vermont (where she and her husband live), Massachusetts and New York State, for a two-week tour to the West Coast (Bay Area and Oregon), and has tentative bookings for the fall in Los Angeles, North Carolina and Florida.

     Clearly, the Lysistrata Project and “The Accidental Activist” have set Kathy on a purposeful path she has never been on before. It will be fascinating to watch what develops as she goes on this journey.

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Carol Akright is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), stockbroker and insurance agent specializing in intergenerational planning, retirement funding and wealth building. She is Registered Principal with Associated Securities Corporation of Los Angeles, a full service brokerage firm. A financial educator as well, she lectures nationwide at both public and corporate seminars on investment strategies, "Dream Funding," and other financial topics. She is the author of FUNDING YOUR DREAMS GENERATION TO GENERATION (Dearborn Trade, 2001), and can be reached at (505) 897-1970 or akrightcr1@aol.com. Her website is www.fundingyourdreams.com.

must say that of all the topics we’ve covered in our newsletter since the beginning, this one has caused me to delve the deepest and question myself the most. It all began a month ago, when Janet Hall and I went to Graceland (Elvis Presley’s home in Memphis). What started out as a pilgrimage to revisit the life and music of our teenage idol turned into a quest for understanding of our own purpose in life.

   We not only were reminded of how crazy we were about this sensitive, sensual, handsome legend, a man who changed the course of music history throughout the world, but also of how he stirred up deep feelings of yearning, hope, dreams, and desires about our own world –feelings we had left behind decades ago--feelings which resurfaced, almost against our will, to make us wonder if the reality of our lives today comes even close to the ideal vision we imagined in our youth.

   Forgotten dreams, or ones diminished through time or circumstance, now crowd my thoughts and hopes for the future. To say I came back from Tennessee depressed is an understatement. I started to question just what is my purpose in life today, where am I headed, and what do I want? What is even possible now, still, with the years I have left? All this emotional turmoil evolved from an innocent journey to pay homage to a man who influenced my life and the lives of many of my generation - a man, who, himself, died far too young with many of these questions yet unanswered for himself.

   It occurred to me about a week after my return from Graceland that Elvis was a man who you would view as having achieved great fame, fortune, and dream fulfillment. Yet, he constantly searched and studied the great religions of the world, seeking answers to why he had been chosen to influence millions of people. He would ask his wife, Priscilla, “Why me? What am I supposed to be doing with this career?”

   If Elvis, living at the top of his game, anguished over these questions, is it any wonder that we also ask ourselves what are we to be doing with our own opportunities and talents? It hits each of us at different times in our lives - we want to know how to live a life of purpose and importance. We want to have an impact, leave a mark, to know that our being here matters to others. So, do we ask others what is our purpose? Do we look at our results and request confirmation from the outside that we’re measuring up?

   I have several coaches I work with in my life; one is a woman named Pam Lendzion, from St. Augustine, Florida. She’s an intuitive therapist, and twice a month for an hour, I pay her to help me understand what I am doing, why I am doing it, and where I am headed. When I asked her what she sees as the purpose of life, she remarked, “Why, it’s to be fully human, being present in each moment! It’s not about doing something. There is nothing to prove to anyone else, even ourselves.” I like that idea - it takes all the pressure off us achievement-oriented folk, who feel alive mostly when we’re “doing” something in the world.

   Most of my life, when I have asked myself the question, “What do I see as my purpose in life?” - I actually find three “reasons for being”:

1. To enjoy loving relationships with family and friends.

2. To take my talents (God-given and developed) and utilize them in the outside world (outside myself) in a way that gives me joy and serves others.

3. To explore the world in all its diversity and beauty and have fun doing it.

   Just about everything else I can think of is subsumed under these three activities. Given that I have spent a lot of my years doing all three, I feel somewhat blessed and accomplished.

   Certainly, many people will add another purpose, which is to explore their spiritual life, their relationship with God. Some would say that their life purpose is to live in accordance with His purpose for them. I have a slightly different slant: I believe we’re all here because of a Higher Source (whatever you may call that Being), and we each have roles to perform tasks assigned. Over the years, as I’ve chosen to pursue seem a perfect fit for me.

   Perhaps yours are slightly different. The point, I believe, with deep conviction, is to live a life of meaning, to take this gift of days, weeks and years, and write a chapter that is worthy of a great book, an annal of history, if you will. To have NO purpose in mind, to wander through the passage of time aimlessly with no true direction, focus, or thoughtful choice is to waste a precious opportunity.

   I am reminded of a friend of mine who died of cancer at age 44. She was divorced, with two children, ages 7 and 9. When I visited her shortly after her diagnosis, and as we stood on a peninsula in Juneau, Alaska, she turned to look at me, the sunlit water glittering behind her, and her eyes filled up with tears. She said with such despair, “I cannot imagine not seeing my children grow up.” Her son was barely a year old. Six years later she was gone. I became trustee for her children and godmother to her daughter, who is now a lovely young woman of 20. I have had the joy of seeing these children grow up, and being childless myself, it has been a great blessing.

   This month, I’ll attend her son’s high school graduation and go on a cruise with her daughter. Each time I am with these children, whom I love dearly, I think about how much their mother would have enjoyed seeing them blossom and grow. Then, when I see another woman or man, heading toward a life of crime or drugs, or squandering their talents and opportunities in life because they haven’t given any real thought to their own life’s purpose, I wish that Jacqui, my friend, could have had the years they have ahead of them. She would have treasured every day.

   Once another friend of my tried to commit suicide, and after my upset and worry dissipated, I became angry. How dare she try to throw away her years when others would give anything for just one more day!

   If you’re one of our regular readers, you may recall that I, too, faced cancer (breast cancer) four years ago, and, every day, when I do my affirmations after meditation, I thank God for the gift of each new day. “Use today well,” I tell myself. Learn something new, enjoy my husband and cat and mother and other loved ones. Help others with their money problems. Appreciate feeling strong and healthy. Get out in the sunshine and walk in nature. Look at the miracle of the flowers in my garden. Be grateful for the freedoms in this country, even when I am discouraged by the failings of leadership or disagree with foreign policy. Give, share, love, and count my blessings. Not a day goes by that I don’t do many, if not most, of those things.

   These feelings, thoughts, and understandings give purpose to my life, as I hope they do to yours.

   You see, to me, living a purposeful life is less about doing than being. It’s about being all I can be, in the time I have, with love in my heart, and appreciation that I have a body, mind and spirit to walk in this world, on this plane, no matter what lies beyond; its about getting and giving joy in all the ways I know how. If I stumble or fail at something, I won’t give up. I won’t live in despair, and I won’t throw away a single day, for it could be my last.

   So, what about the post-Graceland depression I went through and have now survived? I see it as just another learning experience. I realize that my dreams are still alive, no matter how many years I might have buried them in activities that kept me busy so I wouldn’t miss them. I know, for one, that I will adopt children very soon, and this one great dream of nurturing the next generation will be fulfilled. I’ll have a son and daughter with whom to enjoy loving relationships.

   I also know that recent studies I’ve pursued in kinesiology and herbology will play a role in my new area of work with people’s emotional baggage around money - an addition to my financial planning and investment business, which I can already see I will thoroughly enjoy and which is currently helping people I’ve been working with over the past year.

   I see my sudden opportunity to speak on cruise ships as a chance to explore more of the cultures and natural beauty around the globe. When dreams come back doublefold into my heart and re-awaken me to life-long yearnings, I realize, “Hey, I can still make these dreams come true!” What’s more, today I have even more knowledge, skill, and experience behind me to create what I want in my life. My purpose hasn’t really changed - I still view these three ways of being in the world as what I “should” be experiencing. Because my dreams involve raising a family, even beginning at age 55, I now take care of my health with the aim of living to age 135 - that’s eighty more years! I plan to travel well into my hundreds! And I expect to attend my grandchildren’s weddings! How’s that for living a purposeful life?!

   But, what I see most of all, is that even if I died tomorrow, I plan to live today to the fullest - walking down the path of enjoyment of each moment, loving, learning, exploring, and perhaps more than anything, aiming for inner contentment. I think Pam had it right: living a purposeful life is being fully present to being fully human, moment to moment - with wonder and gratitude for the gift of life.

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Dr. Gail Feldman is a clinical psychologist, award-winning author, and public speaker. Her last book, "From Crisis to Creativity: Taking Advantage of Adversity," is now available in the UK from TimeWarner re-titled, "Taking Advantage of Adversity." Her latest book, now in the stores, is "Releasing the Goddess Within." She is trained in hypnotherapy, regression therapy, and eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). For more information, please call her office at 505-266-8488; you may also send email to: GFWrites@aol.comom, or visit her Website at www.gailfeldman.com.

With this excerpt from her book, Releasing the Goddess Within, we bid a fond farewell to Dr. Gail Feldman, who has been a contributor to the Defining Women newsletter ever since we began publication in the fall of 1997. Gail has written some beautiful, insightful and eloquent essays for us, and we will truly miss her original ideas and warm spirit. – Ed.

volutionary biology demonstrates that positive growth in the long haul takes a meandering, languorous course, with intermittent loops and endings prior to the emergence of new transcendent human domains.

     The origin of the word,” meander” comes from ancient Turkey and the river called, the Meander. I believe this is an apt metaphor for our long and strenuous maturation process, during which most of us have occasional brain and back strain as we reach for some understanding of our life’s purpose and a sense of whether we are living it.

     In our early lives, the developmental demands of school and socialization occupy us, and then expectations for family and work may keep us on a focused course leaving little time for lofty reflections on personal growth and transformation. But in mid-life we tend to pause and check in with our Higher Self. Sometimes the lower emotions threaten to prevent any further growth at all and thus move us to knock on the door of Inner Guidance. Where have I been? Where do I go from here? What is my life about?

     The ages and stages of women’s lives can be enriched and informed by an awareness of the countless aspects of the Great Goddess. Many thousands of years ago God was recognized as feminine, and all creation, all cycles of life- birth, maturation, death and rebirth- were attributed to the Cosmic Mother. This knowledge can open and expand the mind’s eye to behold the radiant inner power of women. Even though we know that Spirit is genderless, remembering the Goddess can aid us in our opening to all that we desire to become - the energy already flowing though us.

Multiple Goddesses for Multiple Lives: Did you know that over the last 100 years, the average life expectancy has increased by almost 30 years? A woman born in 1900 expected to live to about 45 or so. By the year 2020, many of us may be living vital lives all the way to 100 or beyond. What kind of Goddess are you? An earth mother like Demeter, a mystic like Persephone, a domestic queen like Hera, a mistress of love like Aphrodite, an athletic nature woman like Artemis, a career woman or wise city-dwelling warrior like Athena. These are aspects of the Great Goddess in classical Greece that may have defined your life up until now. Are you ready for a change? Because we now have the opportunity to essentially live more than one purposeful life in one lifetime.

     Lilith is an example of one Goddess who has been reclaimed by a feminist view of spirituality. Although she does not appear in the Bible as we know it today, scholars have found traces of Lilith in the Old Testament. It is believed, based on information gathered from a text written around 2400 B.C.E., that she was originally Sumerian. She also appears in Hebrew Scriptures; in the Talmud, the collection of ancient rabbinical writings, that form the basis of traditional Judaism; and in the texts of the Kabala, esoteric mystery teachings based on the Hebrew Scriptures. In rabbinical legend, Lilith was Adam’s first wife. She and Adam were created at the same time, and she gave Adam the gift of wisdom before she flew away, leaving him alone in the Garden. In the reclaimed version of her story, Lilith leaves the Garden because she refuses to be subservient to Adam. God then creates Eve as a submissive partner for Adam. In the present day Lilith is seen to represent the equality of the sexes. Today Lilith stands for wisdom, freedom, courage, pleasure, and sexual passion.

The Ultimate Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, Crone. The Triple Goddess is a powerful archetype. She represents both the monthly cyclical nature of woman and the female life cycle. She is the moment before ovulation, pregnancy, and menstruation. She is also a virginal and prepubescent girl, a mother, and a post-menopausal woman. And she is all of these at the same time. She tells you that you, too, contain all the ages of woman within you. No matter what your actual age, you are also young, adult, and mature. You possess the innocence, energy, and vitality of the Maiden; the fertility, creativity, and power of the Mother; and the wisdom, compassion, and fearlessness of the Crone.

     Sometimes the Triple Goddess appears with three different names- Lucina, Diana, and Hecate, for example. Other times, she is known under the same name with different aspects of her womanhood emphasized. Hera, the Greek Goddess of women and the queen of the Greek pantheon, had three temples in the city of Stymphalus, Greece. One honored her as Maiden, one as Mother, and one as Crone. Like the moon, or your period, her nature is cyclical. She continuously moves from one stage to the next and then begins the cycle all over again. The Triple Goddess is found in most every culture from India’s Bhavani, the Giver of Existence, to the Celtic Brigid, known as the High One, to the Triple Pussa, a Chinese Buddhist Goddess associated with Kwan Yin, the Goddess of mercy.

     Sarasvati is the Hindu Goddess of the arts. She also rules over knowledge, learning, and science. Some see her as being particularly associated with the performing arts, such as dance, music, and the recitations of poetry. She is known as the Goddess of speech and eloquence, and is said to have invented spoken language, the ancient language Sanskrit, or the script in which Sanskrit it written. Words are said to flow from her mouth in a beautiful cascade. Because she shares her name with the river Sarasvati, she is known as The Flowing One.

     In Arthurian legend, Morgan Le Fay is the queen of Avalon, an island in the western sea. A Goddess from England and Wales, she is associated with water, magic, and healing. Some scholars believe that she was originally a sea goddess. Some say that she has been confused with Morrigu, the three-part Celtic Great Queen and Goddess of war. Others claim that she has been confused with Morgause, the Celtic Goddess of the moon. And still others believe that she originally was the Goddess Modron, who presides over health, healing, and medicinal plants. She may have learned her skills in a convent, or she may have been taught by Merlin, the wizard. Despite the tales of conflict in her relationship to Arthur, she takes him, after his last battle, to her home on Avalon where she uses her skills and heals him. Sometimes Morgan goes by the name Morgana or Fata Morgana, which is also the name given to a mirage, particularly one that appears off the coast of Sicily, which was thought to be caused by her magic. Morgan probably got her nasty reputation from medieval monks who thought that women with knowledge of healing were practicing the “dark arts.”

     Recognize the ways in which you are independent, courageous, and free to choose your own path. If you need more strength in these areas call upon Lilith for assistance. Use Sarasvati’s power to let your creative self-expression and intuition flow. Trust in your ability to re-create yourself at every turn. And consider the ways in which you minister to those around you, especially those you love. Recognize your magic, the same healing energy used by Morgan Le Fay. Lastly, believe in your connection to the Divine. Know that every cycle of your development, every aspect of your personality is a purposeful unfolding of the Triune Goddess within.

These are just a few of the manifestations of the Great Goddess described in my book, Releasing the Goddess Within (written with Katherine Gleason, Alpha Books, 2003). This summer look for Releasing the Mother Goddess, another empowering book, for pregnant women and young mothers. Have a delightful summer!

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