So I wasn't planning on writing a blog today, not at all, I was intending to sort out two funerals instead. No one panic! They're mock ones for me to have a practice at honing my skills, now that drum roll purleease.... I've finished my Funeral Celebrancy training! Hurrah!
My lovely friend Laura has very kindly shared her late Grandma's memories with me to practice my eulogy writing skills and my equally lovely friend Jen has kindly agreed to be 'killed off' so that I can practice a virtual funeral via zoom. Not as in the human sacrifice you understand, I don't demand that level of attention to detail!
Anyway that's what I had planned as I sat having a cuppa on the patio, but Goddess had other plans for me and I long ago learned to go with the flow and see where my journey takes me....
Those of you that follow either @walkingwithmygoddess on Instagram or Walking With My Goddess on Facebook might have seen the beautiful poem above written by the awesome Nikita Gill that I shared this morning already. I save 'pretties' as I see them and share them as the day and my thoughts take me. So this one caught my attention this morning and a little bit of research later I discovered how much truth is in it. I mean I knew scientifically we were stardust and earth, but not how much. The proportions astounded me, along with connotations and connections for us all here on Earth since the dawn of time.
So here's the science bit... (Maybe I should have listened more in Chemistry)
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| Chemical Make Up - Courtesy of the Natural History Museum
So sitting there pondering the world over my cup of Lady Grey this morning, it struck me that our ancient ancestors knew far more than we thought possible. For millennia, we have looked to the skies and to the stars in the night skies, we have venerated and worshipped the celestial bodies that we have seen there. Gods and Goddesses have given their names to stars, planets and constellations, some believed that Heaven was there before a vision of a Christian Heaven was ever articulated and believed that the stars were are home before and after life, and we weren't wrong. Even if we didn't know the scientific facts, our hearts, souls, spirits and intuition, our ancient wisdom was right.
When I was a child and a beloved relative or pet died, they became stars in the sky, "look for the brightest star" my Mum and Dad said "that will be them, they are twinkling their hellos to you". I believed it then and I still do. I said the same to my children, we always looked for the brightest star, always finding the North Star or maybe even Venus and the magic passed to another generation. Nothing new there, the conscious thought stream of our connection to the stars is as old as time throughout the world:
Image Courtesy of www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/556687203924132460/
I've certainly bought many a sympathy card with that or similar words on, and in a way it's true.
Nearly all cultures have Goddesses (and Gods) of the Stars - Arianrhod, Inanna/Ishtar, Nut, Taonoui, Gendenwitha, Ausrine, Ch'aska and Asteria to name a few. There are more as I found out...
So, as part of my Funeral Celebrancy course, I had to do a meditation to meet my plant ally, hmmm. I love a meditation, and this was one I hadn't contemplated let alone tried before. Wondering how this would I work I sat down and followed the guided meditation. I ended up in some kind of root chamber, with a plant I didn't know with star shaped red flowers circling and entwining tendrils round my wrist, before suddenly whooooshing and stretching up to the heavens, floating around in the stars before coming back again and feeling a tad purplexed. These things are never simple are they? So I set about recording what I had 'seen' and researching it. After a quick google, identifying the flower was easy, a scarlet pimpernel.. Oh yeah, flipping great I thought, how is that going to lead me forward in my journey as a funeral celebrant? At this point I pulled an oracle card from my Angels and Ancestors deck.
Now this has popped up before, my interest and curiosity peaked a little, this card talks of the Star Ancestors named by Native Americans, of otherworldy support and friends in the stars who will support you, of cosmic guidance and being on your true path. Ok sounds promising. That promising in fact, that the same card then came out of the pack for the consecutive 3 days!
Some research on the Scarlet Pimpernel (not the elusive variety) revealed some astonishing mythology and folklore, or perhaps I should say ancient wisdom. Other names for it include Poor Man's Weatherglass and Shepherd's Barometer due to the fact the petals close up if bad weather is coming and as the day draws to a close. It's magical uses include healing, second sight, protection, transformation and consecration - all pretty apt for my new path and it's associated Deity is Maia.
Maia? Quick google - mother of Hermes, blah, blah, Greek blah,blah, one of the Seven Sisters, hmm, Pleiades, wait what - isn't that a star cluster? Yes it sure is. Situated in the North West of the constellation of Taurus, it's one of the most easily recognisable in the sky. Thank the Goddess there isn't a star named Scarlet Pimpernel or my head might really have exploded. Maia is also a Roman name for Midwife, Wise One and Grandmother. So all of a sudden that makes a bit more sense, lots of interesting strands to explore and digest, to weave into my journey and carry me forward.
So bit of star gazing coming up for me I think and some time for meditating further on the gifts that Goddess has shown to me. It's not coincidence that these things reveal themselves to me as they do, I used to say 'a weird thing happened', but I don't anymore, I just roll with it, and now I can honestly say it's written in the stars!
Have a Blessed Week x x
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