Dance...

 

The Divine Me: Embracing Your Inner Goddess... [excerpt]

 

• Dance

Long, long ago, I would dance. I would put on several layers
of the large discarded house dresses, party dresses, and
petticoats of my grandmother and my aunts, slip my small
feet into their oversized high heels, and spin in the middle of
my bedroom, making the long skirts fan out around me.

This was my dance...

[page 169, from the chapter: "Facing the Mirror: How do you connect with the physical you?]

Purchase your copy of The Divine Me at Amazon, in print and kindle:

click  HERE

Today's Inspiration ~ The Sun

The major arcana card, The Sun, reeks of happiness; but sometimes this happiness comes at a price, and sometimes it comes after a long period of intense seeking and personal revelations. There is virtually no fairy tales in real life with happy ever after endings and stagnant heroes and heroines who remain frozen in one perfect moment of time and space.   And this is not the artificial kind of "happiness" that the tarot card, The Sun, represents. It has more depth than that.

A moment of happiness snatched from the teeth of sorrow is much more profound, with a much larger impact on the human psyche, than a life lived in one eternal "Leave it to Beaver" episode.  And that’s what this tarot card is all about.

 

Source:  this blog post is a brief excerpt from 

"Tarot: A Witch's Journey"

TWC ~ April Newsletter!

The Witch's Corner April Newsletter is UP! ~ 

http://www.thewitchscornernewsletter.yolasite.com/april-2018.php

 

Summer Magick

Hello, Every Catters!  It's June, and the world is rife with summer magic and Magick.  This is a special time of year for me, and the blog posts listed below will reflect that.  You'll find inspiration, life coaching, practical advice, and lots of magickal information dealing with June and the Summer Solstice in particular (recipes are included with this one, so read it to the end, you have to try my "Fairy Punch"!) 

To catch up with these posts at my "other" blog, Magickal Connections,
just click on the Link Titles ~

Recent Posts @ Magickal Connections

• Women ~ At Some Point, the Plastic Breaks
• Hello, June ~ Here Comes The Summer Solstice!            
• “Seek Magic Everyday”     
• Magickal Correspondences ~ Stuff to Add to Your Book of Shadows (includes videos)

 

 

Organizing Your Life to Achieve Your Goals

Originally, this video tarot reading was posted specifically for one of my clients who purchased a video reading.  Just so you know how it works, purchased video readings are taped, edited, and uploaded anonymously at Youtube; and when all is said and done, I email my client a link to their video, which is open for public viewing.  I usually do this and don’t give it another thought.  But this video is different.  I’ve watched this video several times, and the more I’ve watched it the more a dawning realization came to me ~ the message in this video is universal.  Of course it applies directly to my client and to all the personal hurdles and obstacles, all the personal dreams, desires, and goals that encompass this individual and their unique set of circumstances; but there is so much more to it.  So many of us, myself included, can benefit by what Spirit has to say through this reading, and this set of six cards.

 

 

If you would like your own personal video tarot reading, follow this link ~
http://tarotreadingswithamythystraine.blogspot.com/p/video-readings.html

 

 

 

A Woman's Magickal Milestones ~ Birthdays

Birthdays

Another year passes.  With the first birthdays, in the Maiden stage, each one becomes a celebratory milestone, but after a woman reaches 30 in our culture, we begin to associate a feeling of trepidation with the passing of another year. Why?  What’s not to celebrate?  Forget that our society foolishly worships youth and suffers from a chronic case of Peter Pan Syndrome; instead, celebrate, be joyful, embrace each year, embrace each change within yourself.  You are not aging, you are growing.  This is the difference, this is what our culture, our society, doesn’t see, or tries to deny.  With time women grow wiser, more assertive, more complete within themselves.  They Bloom!

Grow, Sweet Woman, grow in time, grow in wisdom, grow in laughter, grow in strength, grow in love, grow in power, grow in creativity, grow in magick.

Excel
Succeed
Experience
Enjoy

The 10th Year
The Threshold:  Childhood…Maidenhood
I still have one foot in the world of my childhood, but I can see through the open threshold before me.  The view is hazy yet.  It’s still so early, and I am still so young.  I see a shadow of the woman I will become.

The 20th Year
The Threshold:  Adolcescence…Adulthood
I’m taking baby steps, trying out my adult legs, finding my center.  Which direction will I go?  Where will I establish my roots?…roots of career and relationships.  The foundation I build now will determine the stability of my future.  Is it really all just a roll of the dice, or does destiny lay in my young and inexperienced hands?

The 30th Year
The Threshold:  Maidenhood…Motherhood
I step through a doorway to find myself standing in the mad rush of Life.  I am careening along at full speed, swerving to avoid potholes, watching the clock, knowing that I have a destination and a dead line to meet, knowing I have an appointment with Responsibility.

The 40th Year
The Threshold:  Motherhood…Middleage
I’m at a crossroads, no longer young, but not yet old.  The world around me appears to lose focus as boundaries and expectations are blurred.  What once was perfectly clear is now laced with questions.  The Universe is giving me a choice.  I watch in alarmed fascination as new paths open before me, each yellow brick road beckoning me,  “Come this way!”

The 50th Year
The Threshold:  Middleage…The Crone
I suddenly realize who I am, I mean the “me” that I must have lost along the way.  I suddenly realize that the only opinion that counts is my own.  I suddenly realize who my friends are and who they aren’t.  I suddenly realize that I am not afraid to face the world alone.  I suddenly realize that I have reached a plateau enabling me to scrutinize my past and glimpse my future.  I suddenly realize…I have arrived.

The 60th Year
The Threshold:  The Crone…The Golden Age
I’m at a crossroads, no longer middle-aged, but not yet old, not really, I say with defiance.  My body speaks to me now, still proud of its strength, its endurance.  My body speaks to me with relish, embracing the last blazing autumn of life.

The 70th Year
The Threshold:  The Golden Age…Old Age
I will reap what I have sown, whether this be children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, or the golden glow of accomplishments.  I will stop to smell the roses.  I will stop to watch the sunset.  I will stop to pet a dog, or hold a cat.  I will stop to speak to an old friend.  I will stop to say, “I love you.”; “Hello”; “Good-by”; and “I’m sorry.”

The 80th Year
The Threshold:  The Crone Glorified
I am elevated.  From this vantage point I stand in the stillness of dawn.  I stand in the midst of gentle rain on black earth.  I stand in the warmth of a loved one’s hand on my arm.  I stand, not in the shadow of The Crone, but shoulder to shoulder with her.  I am one with the goddess.

The 90th Year
The Threshold:  Rebirth
I look at the world and see it as hazy images in a crystal ball.  The images are people I’ve loved, places I’ve been, things I’ve done.  And as I stare at the images within this universal sphere, I can see that they are fading, getting dimmer, and soon they will disappear.  I know that as these images and this world are fading, there is another beautiful glorious crystal ball, and within it I can see the sunrise bursting over the horizon, lighting the way for a new journey…in the next Life.

This blog post is an excerpt from my book,

The Spiritual Feminist

To order your copy, follow this link:
click  Here

more Goddess energy and information, visit my website at:

http://www.ladyamythyst.com/thegoddess.htm

_________________________

the photos are courtesy of Pinterest

Do You Have a Goddess Connection?

[The following is an excerpt from an Author Interview in The Spellery]

The Spiritual Feminist…my most important piece of work.  If I never write another word, I have accomplished all I was put here to do with this book.  This is a book of feminine celebration, healing, and re-empowerment.  It’s a book to help women connect with the Goddess and to find out just what aspects of their lives will be improved and embellished with this connection.  It’s a book to help women find themselves, because sometimes we get so­ lost along the way, mired in responsibility, motherhood, work, husbands, family, and everything else the world throws at us.  Every aspect of Woman, every aspect, deserves to be celebrated.  We have to learn how to embrace ourselves and every other woman on the planet.  We have to learn to stop being so judgmental about ourselves and other women.  We have to learn to support each other and stop tearing each other down. We have to stop being sneaky, jealous, and spiteful with our Sisters.  We have to recover from abuse.  We have to discover our strengths.  We have to learn to recognize our weaknesses and work around them.  We have to learn how to make our lives better, and how to teach our daughters all of this so they’re smarter than we were, so they have a jump-start on Life.

We have to look God in the face and realize…Womanhood is Divine.

This book is so important to me, and I believe so strongly in its message and the difference it can make in a woman’s life, that if I could afford to and it was possible, I’d GIVE every woman on the face of the planet her own copy.  As I wrote this book, I was reaching deep inside myself, searching for answers to questions, acknowledging my own life experience, exploring my own weaknesses, strengths, fears, doubts, and ego with the realization that my experience was universal to all women.  I felt empowered in the writing of this book, and you will feel empowered in the reading of this book.  The Goddess is in every page.  I felt her energy in the tips of my fingers when typing, in my mind when contemplating the sections of this book and the content.  If it can be said that a book is divinely inspired, believe it.  That’s how I feel about “The Spiritual Feminist”.

I want to give you an idea of the journey you will take with the Goddess in this book by including in this post the outline for “The Spiritual Feminist”.  This is the outline that I created as I wrote the book, and the outline I eventually worked from in creating this book.  I don’t know if I’ve ever seen any other author do this– post the skeleton of their creation, but I’m going to do this to give you an idea of where you will be going when you pick this book up and hold it in your hands.  This is a unique look into the author’s world, into how I work, into how I organized and developed the manuscript for this book.

 

 

The Spiritual Feminist

(word count: 51,194)

Hail Mother Goddess

Preface

Part 1: Meet the Goddess

Essay

[Included for each of the following goddesses, these sections:

1. Her Story

2. An Essay or Anecdote

3. Embracing the Goddess

4. Correspondences]

Airmed

Aphrodite

Arianrhod

Artemis

Astarte

Athene

Aurora

Baba Yaga

Bast

Baubo

Black Tara

Blue Tara

Brighid

Cailleach

Ceres

Cerridwen

Copia

Cybele

Demeter

Eostre

Flora

Freya

Green Tara

Hathor

Hecate

Inanna

Isis

Kalima

Kuan Yin

Lakshmi

Lilith

Lucina

Mama Cocha

Mami Wata

Oshun

Pele

Persephone

Red Tara

Shakti

Shitala

Snake woman

Sophia

Thalia

White Buffalo Calf Woman

Part 2: Affirmations & Goals

Affirmations:

The Physical Aspect

1. It is my body…

The Spiritual Aspect

1. I will connect with the universe through the Divine Feminine, and through that connection with my ancestors and the root of all that is me…

The Mental Aspect

1. I will not allow other people’s opinions to form the image I carry of myself…

Goals:

Contributions from women around the country, stating their stage in life and their goals, have been collected and added here.

Part 3: A Woman’s Life Through the Elements

Essay

Earth

Earth Energy Affirmations

Earth Invocation

Air

Air Energy Affirmations

Air Invocation

Fire

Fire Energy Affirmations

Fire Invocation

Water

Water Energy Affirmations

Water Invocation

Part 4: A Woman’s Life Through the Year

Essay

[Incuded for each of the holidays:

1. The Goddess
2. The Holiday
3. My Celebration
4. Correspondences
5. Holiday Recipes]

Samhain

Yule

Imbolc

Ostara

Beltane

Litha

Lammas

Mabon

Part 5: A Woman’s Life Transitions

Essay

Maiden

Mother

Crone

Making and Breaking Divine Connections

Part 6: Turning Mundane Milestones into Spiritual Rituals

Essay

First Menstruation

Essay

A Ritual

Childbirth

Essay

Ritual & Celebratory Suggestions

Menopause

Essay

Things You Want to Leave Behind

Things You Still Want to Accomplish

Birthdays

Essay

The Thresholds:

the 10th year

the 20th year

the 30th year

the 40th year

the 50th year

the 60th year

the 70th year

the 80th year

the 90th year

Wedding Showers

Essay

Creating the Home = Creating Sacred Space

The Kitchen

The Livingroom

The Bathroom

The Bedroom

Baby Showers

Essay

Magickal Gifts

Part 7: Finding the Goddess in Tarot:

Motherpeace Tarot, A Personal Journey

Essay

The Major Arcana

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Swords

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Wands

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Cups

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Discs

Part 8: Wise-Woman Wisdom

Essay

Colors

Numbers

Planets

Moon Phases

Days of the Week

The Elements

Magickal Oils

[Included for each of the oils: Correspondences & Ingredients; Day; Candle Colors; Moon Phase; The Base; The Herbs– and “My Recipe”!]

Health & Healing

Exorcism/Purification

Mars Astrological Oil

Witches’ Oil

Psychic Oil

Sex Oil

Prosperity Oil

Summoning Powder

Black Cat Oil

4 Thieves Vinegar

Graveyard Dirt

Banishing Oil

Command & Compel Oil

Uncrossing Oil

 

 

 

Visit Amazon to LOOK INSIDE “The Spiritual Feminist” and sample the magick!

 

click  Here

 

The Spiritual Feminist ~ Author: Amythyst Raine Hatayama,
Cover Artist: Anne Turrell

[Note: "Do You Have a Goddess Connection? was
originally posted in Magickal Connections]

 

Woman Speak

 

 An innovative Video Series

 

Explore the world of women, witches, and pagans on a variety of levels at Woman Speak. Reconnect with The Goddess. Find healing, empowerment, and sisterhood through Matriarchal Divinity. The topics are pagan, occult, new-age, paranormal, and supernatural. The topics will also center around feminism, relationships, family, careers, writing, and books.

 

Woman Speak– exploring women’s issues.

 

 

My Youtube channel:  click  Here

 

Individual “Woman Speak” episodes are  also listed here as Links:

 

Woman Speak 4-3-2015

 

I AM…celebrating You and your connection to The Goddess.

 

Woman Speak 3-27-2015

 

This week’s goddess is Pele, and we’re going to use her energy, along with the element of Fire, to manifest desires and wishes into our lives with a ritual. (Also included, a special thank you to The Spellery magazine for allowing me to be a part of their 1st edition and their magickal launch!)

 

Woman Speak 3-20-2015

 

The Goddess is Copia; the tarot card is seven of wands.  In this episode you are invited inside the Witch’s house to snoop in her Magickal Cupboard!  What do you think you’ll find?

 

Woman Speak 3-13-2015

 

The Goddess is Snake Woman, the energy and magick are all about unity and communication, whether women gather for rituals, discussions, or private conversations. I’m joined this week by 2 of my daughters for an UNEDITED round-table discussion.  It’s lively, off-the-cuff, and totally unpredictable! Also joining me this week are two black cats:  Dolly & Salem.

 

Woman Speak 3-6-2015

 

This week the goddess is Airmed.  The topics are herbs and green witchcraft.  Our project– we’re going to create a Witch’s Bottle for Love Magick.  You’ll also find a section at this video on precautions for love magick, encouraging common sense, as well as the use of mundane efforts to keep your life running smoothly, and to keep yourself safe.  The National Domestic Abuse Hotline number will be found at the end of this video.

 

Woman Speak 2-27-2015

 

The goddess is Aurora…and with this goddess comes the happy anticipation of Spring, new beginnings, second chances, clean slates, rejuvenation. Plant new life-seeds now, and watch your future blossom.  To honor & invoke this goddess, we’re doing a short ritual to The Four Winds (Aurora’s children)…join me.

 

Woman Speak 2-20-2015

 

The goddess is Cybele.  The topics include sexual orientation, transsexuals, transgender individuals, acceptance, and tolerance.  We talk about learning to accept ourselves and celebrate our unique individuality.  We also talk about how society has to move forward and improve how it accepts– and treats– people who live their lives “outside the box”.  Ms. Jenner…this one’s for you.

 

Woman Speak 2-13-2015

 

The Goddess is Aphrodite, the topic is birthdays and how we celebrate these milestones in connection with the Goddess and all the unique stages in a woman’s life.  The discussion is about– Beauty.  What’s beautiful, what’s not…How has our society and culture influenced our idea of physical beauty, our idea of youth and aging…How can we relearn to recognize and appreciate the inner beauty we all possess?  How can we redefine what’s beautiful?

 

Woman Speak 2-6-2015

 

Come plant rosemary with me…the Goddess is Thalia, the herb blessed Rosemary.  Where ever you might live, whether on an acreage, or in an apartment, plant a garden to invoke goddess energy.  Here’s what to plant at the four corners and at the elemental quarters.  And what shall we put in the center?…let’s find out.

 

Woman Speak 1-30-2015

 

Topics include:  Astarte; Tarot/Knight of cups; finding the warrior goddess in you; our “knight-in-shining-armor”–  chasing the fairy tale; the duality of woman’s nature.

 

Women are incredible! To traverse life we have to take on so many different personas and faces.  But we do it, and we do it So Well!  Discovering and honoring the warrior goddess within yourself does not mean that you have to sacrifice the soft, beautiful, uniquely feminine side of your nature– both energies are in your power and control.

 

Woman Speak 1-23-2015

 

Topics include:  White Buffalo Calf Woman; Tarot/the 2 of cups; 10 tips for women– surviving the modern world. Relationships– Is your Ex badmouthing you publically? How you can deal with this situation, both on a mundane level and magically.

 

Woman Speak 1-16-2015

 

I’m very excited at this taping because my new book, “The Spiritual Feminist”, had just came out on Amazon and was available to be pre-ordered.  Included in this discussion is a note about the special dedication page and the very personal aspects of this book.  Also…Spell casting information; Magickal Connections– and a blog post I was working on at the time (Witchcraft: It’s All About the Journey, Not the Destination); Lisa Allen (Master Herbalist & Astrologer); as well as other personal stuff (kidz & carz).

 

Woman Speak 1-9-2015

 

The goddess is Lucina. The magick is Knot Magick done during a Baby Shower to see the mother and child through to a safe birth.  This magick is unleashed in a ritual after labor has begun.  Good stuff!– feminine bonding and support.  Also included, personal stuff, daily chit-chat.

 

 

Success: How do you know when you've reached it?

1.  How do you measure success?


2.  Whose yardstick of measurement do you use?


4.  Does "success" boil down to nothing more than "satisfaction"?


5.  Why are some people satisfied with where they are in life, and other people are never satisfied?


6.  Is success a matter of ambition?...luck?...destiny?


7.  Is being successful linked with being competitive?


8.  Are most people who are "satisfied" with their lives considered "successful?  Why, or why not?


9.  Would this mean that people who are never "satisfied" with their lives and achievements are never "successful"?


10.  What makes you successful?

Colors of Me

I am green...I am springtime, that light just birthed green of new buds, sprouts, and baby leaves, fragile and trembly, all new and expectant.

I am red...the velvet red that is rose petals; the rich red of blood and birth.

I am yellow...brilliant and warm, the golden yellow of the sun, the rich yellow of sunflowers, the muted yellow of a sunset, bright and hot with energy and unbridled enthusiasm.

I am black...a cool moonless night, shadowless and still, caught in deep sleep and silence.

I am purple...the regal deep purple of tulips and clematis, dignified and graceful, contained and in control.

I am blue...an endless summer sky with no beginning and no end, forever young, frozen in time.

I am brown...the solid rough trunk of a tree, or soil warmed by the sun, full of living things, seeded with infinite possibilities.

I am orange...a large ripe pumpkin, solid and pompous and in your face, self-confident and proud, the deep orange of mums and asters, quietly beautiful, patient and penetrating.