Inanna (Pagan Blog Project "I")

I am lacking in inspiration this week, and I'm blaming this on my current and exhausting exercise regimen LOL I am so sore and tired that I can't even think of something semi-interesting to post about for the letter "I".  Yep, in my pursuit of health and improving my quality of life, I am not only eating healthier but have added Kickboxing on Tuesdays and Thursdays, to my already existing Zumba routine on Wednesdays. I love both, I really do; they are fun, but I spend my weekends just recouping LOL Last night's kickboxing did a thorough job of kick my ass, and today I am hurting... inner thighs, lower back, upper arms, upper back, knees, feet.... O M G.

I decided to post about Inanna this week. Inanna aka Ninnanna, daughter of the Summarian sky god, An, but also the Moon god, Nanna, is probably one of the most well know goddesses in Paganism. She is the goddess of grain, fertility, love and war; she is a lover, healer, protectress, lifegiver, and a strongly independent female; her personality has many attributes:

strength

independence

sensuality

playfulness

passion

eroticism

powerful

magnetism

love

joy

jealousy

generosity

ferocity

and last but so NOT least... 

FREEDOM!

Sensual 

Warrior Protectress

The decent of Inanna

Other names: Mother Goddess, Goddess of the Morning and  Evening Star, Goddess of the Earth and Sky.

Innana's Song of Power

"My father gave me the heavens, gave me the earth,

I am Inanna!

Kingship he gave me,

queenship he gave me,

waging battle he gave me, the attack he gave me,

the floodstorm he gave me, the hurricane he gave me!

The heavens he set as a crown on my head,

the earth he set as sandals on my feet,

a holy robe he wrapped around my body,

a holy sceptor he placed in my hand.

The gods are sparrows -- I am a falcon;

the Anunnaki trundle along -- I am a splendid wild cow;

I am father Enlil's splendid wild cow,

his splendid wild cow leading the way!"

http://inanna.virtualave.net/inannatext9.html

Some Correspondences:

Eight pointed star or Rosette

Venus

East, and West

Pisces

Lapis Lazuli and Bloodstone

Spring Equinox

Dawn and Evening

Crescent Moon and Dark Moon

Apples, Bread, Dates, Grains, Figs, Olives, Wines

Cow, dove, dragon, lion, viper, scorpion, sparrow, sheep

Holistic Healing with Hydrotherapy (Pagan Blog Project "H")

Hydrotherapy is a therapeutic healing process used to revitalize and restore health; it has actually existed for centuries in ancient Rome, China, and Japan, but probably the most well known source is Sebastian Kneipp, priest who treated disease by eliminating body toxins and waste through the use of... yep you guessed it, water. He revolutionized Naturopathy after curing himself of Tuberculosis by immersing himself in the freezing Danube River. This prompted his study of the healing power of water and plants. He was known to send people to the local hot springs and mineral springs for a healthy dose of a good soaking. He became a pioneer in the field of holistic healing and holistic teacher.

How does applications of water and soaking in water restore health? Well, we all know cold water is stimulating and refreshing but it also causes blood vessels to constrict, slowing the flow of blood to organs, and alleviates swelling and bruising; hot water of course is relaxing and soothing, aids in alleviating muscle pain and stress/anxiety, but it also causes blood vessels to open up, and aids in eliminating toxins and waste from body tissue. When you combine the two by alternating hot and cold you are aiding you body in eliminating waste, improving circulation, decreasing inflammation, reducing pain, stress/anxiety, aiding your digestive and immune systems, as well as calming your pulmonary and endocrine systems. Can you say, WOW!

Hydrotherapy treatments include, steam baths, spas, hot and cold compresses or wraps, foot soaks, sitz baths, water massage.

Hot Spring/Healing Water Deities

Sulus, goddess of the hot springs in Bath, England

Adsullata, goddess of hot springs

Arnamentia, goddess of spring waters, healing and purification

Sirona, goddess of healing springs and waters

Aveta, goddess of healing waters

Temazcalteci, goddess of steam baths and medicine

Borvo, god associated with bubbling spring waters

Glanis, god of a healing spring in Glanum

Grannus, god associated with spas and mineral springs

Brigid, goddess associated with healing waters

Sources

http://www.kneipp.com/kneipp_philosophy/sebastian_kneipp.html

en.wikipedia.org

Satan Worshiping Hag - NOT! (Pagan Culture's Sexy, Dark Bloody Blogoversary Party 2012)

For the 2012 version of Pagan Culture's Blogoversary Party, the theme is Sexy, Dark, and Bloody. We are to post a stereotype of Witches/Pagans in Fiction and re-write it, using any chosen medium... writing, drawing, etc,etc. Well I did a combination for my stereotype... (1) that Witches worship Satan (2) that Witches are old ugly hags. I combined the two into one.

BE WARNED...

THIS POST CONTAINS

POSSIBLE OFFENSIVE HUMOR

My medium of choice is pencil, paint, and marker. I like to draw, and although I painted the first drawing, I felt I was running out of time, so the following two pieces are plain old pencil drawings.

STEREOTYPE

Satan Worshiping Old Hag

Yes, I know the figure I chose for Satan is silly, and the old hag is ugly, 

but we are talking about silly and ugly stereotypes here, right?
Where did the blood come from? Well I will leave that up to your imagine...

ACTUAL WITCH IN RITUAL

Real life Pagans and Witches are peaceful, loving people, and since I often perform a Simple Ritual sitting down indoors, I wanted to portray an example of this.

REAL LIFE WITCH

Real Witches are normal people that live pretty ordinary lives like most other people, so I did a second drawing to represent a Witch... a woman walking in the forest... I've been doing this alot lately.

Hawk - Red Tail (Pagan Blog Project "H")

Hawks are beautiful and one of my favorites. The Hawk immediately grabs my attention and makes me go still in wonder, as something in my heart stirs and catches my breath. How can I not stop and stare? The Red Tail Hawk in particular has a special meaning for me, which I will explain in a minute.

Red Tail Hawk soars between the Two-Legged (humans) and the Spirit Realm. He represents psychic vision and is a spiritual messenger. He teaches us to be observant, aware of our insights and wisdom, for he is a direct contact to insights, wisdom, and a higher calling. He encourages us to seek wisdom with precision, to use our sharp mind on our spiritual path, and to see the big picture.

Red Hawk's gorgeous coloring comes with his maturity, which symbolizes the wisdom and beauty that comes with age, and takes time to fully reach its potential, reminding us that aging is a gift, and wisdom is earned slowly through change, and of course change follows trials... our lessons in life. Furthermore, he tells us to ride the currents of Change. Change happens for a reason, soar with it.

In July of 2010 I met my Spirit Guide for the first time. Mind you, I had been hungering for such an experience for my entire adult life, and frankly, I had grown discouraged and frustrated because, for whatever reason, I was unable to meet my Guide(s). I had been trying meditation for a very long time, to no avail. You can imagine my complete astonishment when he finally appeared to me!

I was meditating on a candle flame in the dark (of course) when out of nowhere I saw his face inside my head. He reminded me of the historical photographs of Sitting Bull but slimmer... an older Native American male, haggard in the face, with two braids. I was stunned and somehow remembered to ask him his name. I did not receive words right away, instead I received the color red, followed by an image of a hawk flying, and then I got the name Joseph... Joseph Red Hawk. I got no other message, and he was gone as quickly as he appeared. I cried for a long time afterwards, out of joy. I still cry when I remember the experience, and this is why Red Tail Hawks have such a special meaning to me.

What a magnificent and noble creature!

Nudie Part 2

I thought I would give a more explicit "nudie" a try today. It's been so long she gave me a bit of trouble, but here she is....

Nudie Per Request

About a month ago or so my friend Magaly asked me why I didn't post my nudes, and I had responded that I would have to do that someday. Well, today is that day; I'm sharing a "nudie" that I drew today. It's my first nude in a very long time, and I'm a bit out of practice.

Now... I have to tell you, I'm a little shy about sharing my art work, whether it's from the fear of criticism, or my feelings of inadequacy, probably a combination of the two, really. I have never thought my drawings, paintings, and crafts were good enough to share with the general public. OH, and please bear in mind that the photo quality isn't all that great because I don't have a scanner. I use my cell phone LOL. With all that being said and without further ado, here she is...

Garbage Day! (Pagan Blog Project "G")

I returned to the trailhead where I saw so much trash and ended up carrying two very full trash bags out... I wanted to do more but honestly, I was wiped out. My legs felt like noodles and I had the tremors really bad. I went back and Saturday and hauled out two more bags!

Mountain Mother was pleased, she sent me a large bright yellow butterfly. The butterfly flew in circles around me and at one point I though it was going to land on my hand! It was an amazing and beautiful experience. I wish I could have gotten a photo but it would not hold still LOL. It's just not everyday you see large butterflies in Payson, so I went home and hopped on the computer to look up Arizona butterflies and found a pic that resembles it.

Two Tailed Swallowtail,

Arizona's State Butterfly

While I was there I took photos of that rock floor I wrote about in my Cybele post... I just find it so interesting how the ground of the entire area is covered with these giant slabs of rocks like an ancient stone floor.

Near the edge of the mountain, there are clusters of large stones, and if you stand on them you have the most amazing view! I did some rock hopping and tree limb dodging to get this photo, and I one point got my hair tangled in one of the branches LOL

Rock Edge

While there Saturday, I broke bread with Mountain Mother, sharing a bagel, as well as my gratitude with her and leaving her some pretty Spring flowers.

 I was a physically exhausting weekend, but beautiful in so many ways! 

Thank you Mountain Mother!

Great Mother bestowed to us

A wondrous blessing in Nature

Her beauty is astounding

Glorious landscapes and seascapes, the

Simple pleasures and joys of her creatures, and

The magick of her Seasons.

Each day is a gift of love

How I rejoice in it!