Property of a Lady

Deborah Lipp goes on about Wicca, politics, movies, Paganism, and cats. Not necessarily in that order.

(We’ll see if I stick with this…I might switch it to a different weekly topic. For now, it seems enjoyable and interesting.)

You are probably familiar with the Genesis 1.7: God made the firmament and divided the waters. And perhaps, when you were a kid, you said, as I did, huh?

In Babylonian creation myth, the waters were also divided in order for the world to come into being. There were sweet (fresh) waters and bitter (salt) waters. Tiamat, the bitter waters, was the goddess who created the world, and was also a sea monster. Apsu, her husband, was the sweet waters. In the blended waters of Apsu and Tiamat, all the gods were born. Marduk was one of their children.

Marduk was a storm god, a sort of Babylonian Zeus. He rallied his brothers and sisters to make war on their parents. They were (understandably) reluctant, both because, hey, parents, and because their parents were immensely strong. Sea monsters, y’know.

But Marduk had weapons; the mace and spear as well as the lightning. And he said to his brothers and sisters that if they served him in this battle, the gods would be able to rule over nature, they would have power to change fate.

When the gods attack, Apsu urges Tiamat to fight back, but the goddess will not harm her own children, and ultimately allows herself to be killed. From her body, Marduk creates the world, and rules over the gods.

There’s a lot of metaphor and cultural history going on in this one story. Many interpret it as patriarchy defeating matriarchy, and order defeating chaos. You can certainly see how natural powers (sea monsters) are overwhelmed by civilization (the spear and mace). Joseph Campbell points out that matriarchy is always tied with fate, with the inevitability of natural cycles. As society develops, the desire to rule over nature is profound and, to a great degree, necessary, and Marduk represents the success of that desire. It’s easy to look back a few thousand years later and say, BAD IDEA, but living past the age of forty, eating nutritious food, taming animals for husbandry and the land for agriculture, these were all damn fine notions.

Tiamat is the inevitability of being overpowered by nature. Nature is, and it is bigger and stronger than you. But Marduk is the civilizing force that overcomes her; that says, we will not be destroyed by fate or by flood. And that, too, is worthy of worship.

This email is from Orien Rose’s mother, Christine, timestamped 8:38 am:

Thank you for the texts received already this morning. She went under about 20
minutes ago…Orien just returning after being with her for the first few moments.

I will post to the blog as soon as I can get to it!

Blessings

Sunday I didn’t post a meditation. Instead, Roberta and I spent about six hours writing a blog post about Orien Rose, a cover letter to send to bloggers (many of whom have responded with grace and wonderfulness), figuring out what our mailing list was, etc. That was my meditation, and yeah, that’s your meditation too. It’s about healing. It’s all about healing. In some ways, even the magic we do that has nothing to do with healing is about healing. Healing the pain of not having a job or a relationship. Healing the ache of the world through political or justice magic. Healing our ability to believe we can do magic. Being the change we want to see in the world.

I woke this morning and thought of Orien Rose. Showered and thought of Orien Rose. Made coffee and thought of Orien Rose. And at one moment, I wept; not from pain or sorrow, but from the wave of energy; of all the thoughts moving with mine towards this girl and her family.

I have a busy frickin day. But I will be thinking of Orien Rose.

We’ve been talking about altars, and about doing things that connect you to deity through your altar.

Previously, we’ve discussed using creative activities to attain a meditative state, and this dovetails well with altar work, because you can create beautiful objects to adorn your altar.

I’m going to use beading as an example. A wonderful way to adorn your altar is to make a necklace, crown, or other adornment for your idol. It will personalize your altar and can be an offering given reverently. Then, whenever you see it on your idol, you’ll be reminded of your offering and your reverence.

Beading is a fairly easy hobby to pick up on; you can make simple strands with no more prior knowledge than tying a knot. Basic supplies are available at any craft store (like Michael’s or A.C. Moore).If you make the necklace large enough to slip over the idol’s head, you don’t have to mess around with clasps or findings.

Before you begin, measure the approximate length you want by using string or thread to simulate the desired look on your idol. You can wrap the strand two or three times around for a lavish look, and of course, you’ll want to measure a length to accomodate that. Later, when you prepare your beading area, have the length (with plenty of extra at the ends for knotting) already cut so that you can move easily into a meditative state without a lot of fuss.

Now choose your beads. Consider the colors that are sacred to your deity (red and black for Kali, white for Isis, gold and green for Brigid) and meaningful symbols (sea shells? coins?). Choose more than you strictly need so that your creativity isn’t blocked when you run out of a bead you really want to use.

Your beading can be rich and sparkly , or simple stones, and need not be placed directly on the idol.

When beading, don’t work on a slick surface like a wood table; use a table cloth or a tray so that beads don’t roll away. Even if you normally meditate in the dark, bright lights are your friends. Wash your hands, and if you’re using string, consider having a block of wax (craft stores sell it for just this purpose) to wax the string and make it easier to get the beads on. You might use a clip at the end of the string so you can add beads without fear of them coming off the end. Have some glue available; a dab of glue on the finished knot will help keep it secure.

With your beads and stringing material laid out and ready, prepare your space with candles, incense, or whatever you normally use.

Ground and center. You might add a prayer to the deity for whom your are making this necklace.

Look at the beads before you, and imagine how your necklace will look. If you want a symmetrical necklace, you should lay out your pattern in advance (professionals and committed hobbyists use a beading board). Allow creativity to flow through you as you choose your beads and lay out their arrangement.

Continue to breath into your center and inhale creativity, beauty, and adornment, which you exhale into the work you are doing.

Begin now to strand the beads onto the string. Place each bead mindfully and rhythmically.

When you are finished, hold the necklace before you and allow yourself to enjoy the beauty you have made. As you tie the final knot, thank the deity and release the energy into your work.

You can make a ritual of offering the necklace on a separate occasion.