nhgoddess Goddess, pope francis, Spirituality, Sustainability, Uncategorized

The Pope Loves Mother Earth!!

The Pope Loves Mother Earth!

by RM Allen from NHgoddess.com

Who would ever think that a pope would be the savior of Mother Earth?  After all the centuries of the church trying to squelch the earth-based religions which hold nature at their core, it is hard to fathom. Personally I am thrilled that spirituality, religion, and science seem to be tentatively rejoining on this summer solstice 2015.  Have you read Pope Francis’ newly released encyclical #PraisedBe ? It is the document of the decade and I suggest you do a search and download the 182 pages. (Don’t worry, the font and margins are huge.)

Pope Francis draws a line between world poverty and irresponsible progress, he says we need to “redefine our notion of progress”. He reasons that “business is a noble venture” but what is currently missing is giving both Mother Nature and the dignity of the local folks an automatic seat at the table when drawing up business plans. This he basically says to powerful one-percenters, bankers, multinational corporations and wealthy countries who degrade others for profit. This he says repeatedly, as he makes the case for environmental problems being the complex outcome of a humanity lacking in both ethics and spirituality, driven only by money. He claims there should be an “inseparable bond between concern for nature, justice for the poor, and commitment to society” and believes that these values will lead to restoring dignity to all, thus inner peace, thus world peace. Go Pope Francis!

Pope Francis views the globe as the home of one big family, just like his namesake St. Francis of Assisi.  He has decided to unequivocally call out the rich and greedy who are wrecking the health of our planet and earth-family. This family is me, you, Eskimos, Ethiopians, polar bears, honey bees, coral reefs, rain-forests and more.  He says we need to find the “the honesty needed to question certain models of development, production and consumption. It cannot be emphasized enough how everything is interconnected.”  For the past twenty years he has witnessed a “weak international response” and what he deems the “failure of global summits”.  The politicians have not managed to say no to the power brokers causing devastation and pollution (and denying it). So he has courageously decided to call it out. Loudly and honestly he is essentially saying: the emperor hasn’t any clothes on!

Exeter NH Transition Town 2015 like usAlong with calling out the environmental offenders in his big papal voice, he also thanks and encourages those who have been trying to say the same thing, but their voices have gone unheard or even mocked. The pope urges everyone to act now, saying “…while the existing world order proves powerless to assume its responsibilities, local individuals and groups can make a real difference. They are able to instill a greater sense of responsibility, a strong sense of community, a readiness to protect others, a spirit of creativity and a deep love for the land. They are also concerned about what they will eventually leave to their children and grandchildren. … Society, through non-governmental organizations and intermediate groups, must put pressure on governments to develop more rigorous regulations, procedures and controls.”

If you are already doing your bit, I thank you deeply. Namaste. If you have been considering going a bit more green but don’t know where to start, I suggest you read his paper and get inspired to find where your talents lie in regard to any one of these topics he mentions: small farms, alternative energy, efficiency, pollution, recycling, clean water, genetics, rising sea-level, local banks and business. (Note: there are chapters and statements that are very Catholic and with which I disagree, but he is the pope after all.) So to all my goddess sisters, may you be inspired by the pope this summer solstice.

nhgoddess Goddess, Spirituality

It’s Time To Make the Triple Goddess Elixir of Beltane.

Beltane is just an eyelash away.

One Beltane 21 years ago, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with rosebud lips.

This Beltane will be the first time that I no longer share a roof with my baby girl (and her sister too). The boat of the Crone has come through the mist to stop on my once comfy shore, where my old home is now too big for me, thus niggles me with daily discomfort. The Crone asks me to embark. I get in the boat, and she pushes it away from the shore. I cry for a long time. She silently guides the boat onward.

We land, and somehow there is only one of us in the boat. She is me, I am her, the Crone. But I am still the Mother that I once was too. And I am still the Maiden I was once as well. I am a triple goddess now, and it is jarring: I don’t know what to do, what to think, even how to be. The first page of this new chapter throws my off balance. My mind lays fallow and I just breathe.

The three of me ascend up to a small loft with a crimson wall. A wooden Buddha sits quietly, bathed in the crimson. He looks up at me, and smiles. The loft feels like a red tent temple, nested in a canopy of maple trees. The salt lamp in the corner casts a warm glow, as does the wood stove over by the small couch. A fancy stainless steel electric tea kettle hums on the kitchenette counter, its electric blue “on” switch twinkling at me like one shiny blue eye. Through a French door awaits a tiny white bedroom with sheer white curtains that barely diffuse the southern sun. An inviting puddle of sunlight spills across the white down comforter on the small bed. An egg-shaped moonstone rests on the nightstand. I hear it whisper to me “Welcome home.”

Outside in the driveway, there sits the little silver car of the man that owns this property. The license plate reads “Zeus.”

So this is where the next chapter begins. I like it!

+++++

Quick -Beltane 2012 is an eyelash away: it is time to make the Triple Goddess Elixir of Beltane! Attached is herbalist Susun Weed’s recipe for a spring vinegar for women. I am going to use it on my salads this summer. (It is actually an ancient Chinese recipe that calls for maiden/chickweed, mother-wort, and crone-wort, and apple cider vinegar – see attached recipe sheet, or go to http://www.susunweed.com ) I find the maiden and the crone outside my door at work, the mother I find out by Zeus’ compost pile.

The three of me are all here, and always have been. Wisdom might be setting in…

Beltane recipe

nhgoddess Authors, Feminine Divine, Goddess, Spirituality, Sustainability

The Joy of Nettles (so what if they sting)

The Joy of Nettles (so what if they sting)

by RM Allen June 2011

I used to be scared of nettles. They hid in the tall grass and bit my ankles when I was a child, like a monster under the bed. Now I am in love with nettles. Especially the sting. I seek it out. I linger with it like a fine wine.

In early June I went to herbalist Rosemary Gladstar’s Sage Mountain Center for a class on identifying wild plants, and then cooking them in the kitchen. My official term for this is foraging. How I love to forage! I drove all the way to Vermont for this class to hone my foraging skills. Of course it rained… but that was ok because it kept the black flies away. Did you think foraging was easy? It is more like a booby-trapped game of hide-and-seek; one has to be up for the challenge, with all the necessary gear and knowledge.

Rosemary is a sweet, small woman with long dark hair, and is known as the “godmother of American herbalism”. This rainy afternoon she was imparting her knowledge to a group of 25 of us aspiring herbalist or foragers, who had journeyed from all around the New England region. She stood in a yellow plastic rain poncho, bright yellow rain boots with a rooster print, and a delightful crayola purple felted cap that came to a jaunty point at the top of her head. This pixie hat then trailed down in several strands from the point, past her slim shoulders, where they ended in colorful pom-poms. She looked for all the world like a woodland sprite as she flitted through the mountain woods at the edge of her yard with glee, informing us (such a wet, grey, and bedraggled group) of the names and stories of a great many of my weedy friends.

I have weedy friends already because this is not my first time around the block on what is called a weed-walk. I have been on guided walks with my local herbalist Rebecca Ross of NH, Wild Foods I have Known…and Eaten author Russ Cohen of MA, and famed American herbalist Susun Weed of Woodstock,NY. Each time my knowledge grows. On this particular walk I really wanted to see Rosemary’s nettle patch. And lo, what joy -it was a beauty! A circular patch, about the size of my living room, flowed from the edge of her driveway, and down the hill off into the woods. I immediately walked over, bent down, and thrust my wrist into it. I was on a mission to get stung, and get stung good. Why?

Because the sting of the nettle (it feels like a small bee sting) causes a rush and a flush of blood. Blood rushing to an area cleans it out and supplies it with fresh nutrients. The stung area will rise into a small welt, itch for a while, buzz for hours, and still be a little sore in the morning. Which is all good, because you know it is working. It helps swollen joints, and my wrist tends to be sore from too much mousing on the computer at work. I managed to get about a half dozen welts, and I could feel the blood rushing in. Yay! Mission accomplished.

Thus stung, we moved into the kitchen for the cooking class, and guess what? Nettle was the food of the day. Are you surprised at this? Why would one want to eat a food that stings? Are foragers crazy thrill seekers? No. (Well maybe a little.)What happens is that the stinging goes away in the cooking. The nettle has a line of very fine and soft hairs under the leaves and along the stem. It is not the hair that stings, it is the acid droplets on the hair.

cooking nettles
John, RM Allen, and Rosemary Gladstar in her teaching kitchen!

Rosemary stood in a teaching kitchen that reminded me of Julia Child’s set up, and assisted by her apprentice John, brought out a huge basket of nettle tips. She dumped them into a blender and made nettle pesto (she called it Nesto) the same exact way one would make basil pesto. I really was afraid that since it wasn’t technically cooked I would get stung in my mouth, or at the very least feel a slight numbness, but I did not. The taste was out of this world! She also cooked up: a thick stew of nettle, onion, garlic and potato; a nettle, cheese, buckwheat and wild herb casserole; wild herbs and ginger spring rolls; dandelion and rice seaweed wraps; and also chopped up all sorts of weeds and tossed them into a giant bowl of traditional salad greens. We feasted!

Nettles are one of the best things you can ingest. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and amino acids – and exceptionally rich calcium and vitamin A. Ancient Roman records show that nettle was the most widely cultivated crop in the empire. It is still a cultivated crop in many parts of the world. Not only is it a powerhouse food, but the durable stalks can be used to weave ropes or clothing. Indeed, you can eat your food and wear it too! The soft tips are the yummy part, and those can usually only be had in early spring. Otherwise, you can get dried nettles and make a strong tea to reap the benefits all year round. Or you can chop fresh nettles in season, add a little water, and keep them in the freezer.

As it is early spring and prime nettle time, I foraged around back home here in NH to try to find some growing in the wild. And I did! Only three plants, not sure it rates official “patch” status, but I know where they are and I will keep them safe. Joyfully, I will occasionally pay a visit to my hairy friends, and get a wrist flogging. Let me know if you need a flogging too, and we will oblige. Isn’t that what friends are for?

*****

Hello sister goddeses! If you enjoyed this blog please sign up for my monthly (small & simple) Green Goddess Orgasmagical eNewsletter by sending me a note to say hi   info@nhgoddess.com  Thanks! ~RM Allen

nhgoddess Authors, Feminine Divine, Goddess, Spirituality

Respect The Pie (excerpt from New Hampshire Goddess Chronicles)

The intersection of spirituality and sustainability
The book cover

Respect the Pie

by RM Allen

(excerpt straight out of my 2011 book, New Hampshire Goddess Chronicles, available at www.nhgoddess.com)

Well, that was quite the spiritual experience. But I would not call it religious. Religion seems such an outdated word to me, full of dogma and rules. Religion is like a pie, and true spirituality/love is the sacred space in the center of the pie. That is my philosophy.

You don’t understand? Well, let me expand! Simply put, imagine a pie cut into pieces and still warm in the baking dish. The many, many slices represent Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Native American Spiritualism, Wicca, and etc., ad infin. Then there are the folks who find it own their own through Perennialism, or a twelve-step program like AA or by having a near death experience, or maybe a freaky out-of-body-experience. They are all slices too. And let us not forget the fence-sitters who say, “I don’t know what it is, but there is something out there.” They are a slice too, as undefined as they are. At the very center of the pie, all the pieces touch. That is the sameness. Right where the pieces touch, this is what they all have in common. What is the common factor?

Recognition of a benevolent creative force.

In other words: recognition of Love/Energy. This benevolent creative force is all you need. It goes by many names: God, Allah, Buddha, Awareness, Spirit, Magic, “Something out there,” etc. Forget about all the other tasty and various pieces of the pie with their singular crusts. The crusty ends can get caught up in dogma, discrimination, arguments and wars. At the very center, at the warm core, all slices aim are the same thing, they all meld into one. They all come from the same place. Love is the center. Why not skip the human imposed dogma, and the various holy texts and names, and get right to the heart of it? 

Respect the Benevolent-Creative-Force pie, but stay away from the crusty edges and head for the softly vibrating center. Each slice of pie is a different path to walk to arrive at the same spiritual destination. None is the only way, none is the wrong way. Each slice does work in its own way, if you walk that path to the sacred space in your heart, honestly and openly.

Walking to the center of each slice brings you to love, which gifts you with peaceful personal heaven/enlightenment.

True spirituality is love energy. Simple.

John Lennon was damn right when he said “All you need is Love.” 

(and now a worksheet for you to ponder) 

*TORCH TIME 2: Use your flame to bake a pie. Gather only the finest ingredients. Create your own orgasmagical recipe:

Meet the goddess: Nemetona is the Celtic goddess of Sacred Spaces. Make your own sacred space both inside and outside your heart. This is the oven where you will bake your beautiful pie. Go to that softly vibrating place often. 

1. What slice of the religion pie is yours, if any?

______________________________________________________

Are you happy with your piece of the pie? __________________________________________________

2. If you could change it, what would it look like? Write three traits of your custom religion pie.

___________________________________________________

3. List three small steps your inner goddess can do now to remake your current piece of the pie into something warm and delicious.

_______________________________________________________

*****

Hello sister goddeses! If you enjoyed this blog please sign up for my monthly (small & simple) Green Goddess Orgasmagical eNewsletter by sending me a note to say hi   info@nhgoddess.com  Thanks! ~RM Allen, author (www.nhgoddess.com)

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

nhgoddess Authors, Feminine Divine, Goddess, Spirituality, Sustainability, Unitarian Universalist

The Translucent Path 2011

The Translucent Path

by RM Allen, 2011 www.nhgoddess.com

Greetings sister goddesses!

Have you ever sat one full year with a single word and explored every aspect of it? I did, and you can read it here! Below is the text of my article in the Apr/May edition of Inner Tapestry.  The style of writing is very similar to that of my book; The New Hampshire Goddess Chronicles. Later I will post excerpts from the book, but for now, check this out!

Enjoy!

RM Allen

=====================

My poetic friend, Tara Wrobel, wrote an inspiring piece, A Meeting of Opposing Ways, about two paths meeting in the woods. One path was her private self, what gave her joy but she hid from others, and the other her public self. She stood at the point where the two paths met and felt the emergence into her authentic self.

Another path was written about by poet Robert Frost he wrote in his The Road Not Taken: “ two paths diverged the woods, and I – I took the one less traveled by.” Most of us are familiar with Frost’s taking the authentic path, and all the difference it made for him.

Then there is also the long brown path made famous by the poet Walt Whitman, a man who was in touch with his Divine Feminine. This “long brown path before me, leading wherever I choose” is featured in his spectacular Song of the Open Road, which has been a favorite of mine for many years. I like to think of Whitman’s brown path as a metaphor for life. As I progress on my own orgasmagical spiritual journey. I visualize a long brown path, lit only by a goddess torch.

The goddess torch I speak of is a symbolic light, held up high, to light the way on the dark and misty path we journey to become our authentic selves. The torch illuminates hidden truths and treasures and other boom-shaka-lucky things. We are not alone on this path, no not at all. We travel with other women we meet, and sometimes men too. We are all searching for the Divine Feminine, our inner wisdom, our inner goddess. Sound familiar? The more we search on this winding path, the stronger our flickering light becomes, and the more we emerge into our authentic selves. There are many helpful tools and resources and people hidden along the way.

One of my annual tools is to pick a word-of-the-year in early January, and explore it for the next twelve months. By the end of the year I hope to be able to sum up my findings in one short sentence that rings true for my particular essence. Last year I found that Gratefulness produces abundance. The year before I found that modern day Humility is voluntary simplicity. These findings are now part of my DNA, as is anything you sit with for an extended period. My word for 2011 is Translucent. Where will it lead me?

Are you ready to pick your word-of-the-year? First you need to think about possible words for a few days. These words must be in a certain category, which is “things I am deficient in.” Ouch! Who said this was going to be easy?

Allons, let’s go. Are you ready to step onto the winding and shadowy brown path with us? Coming to light will be introspective tools and resources, hidden in the nooks and crannies of the path. Appearing will be things like; labyrinths, meditation, happy places, shamans, wise-women, herbs, books, Artist’s Way morning papers, Zentangles, prayer touchstones, spirit guides and sister goddesses. And much more! You will see what you were meant to see. And sometimes it will be scary.

Scary? Yes, you will have to face your fears head-on. For example, what are my fears if I were to walk a more translucent path, if I were to let the private me and the public me merge into one true self? I can think of a whole list of sucktastic things; fear that I would lose my job and therefore my home, fear that I would disappoint my mother by being a different religion other than that which she prefers. Fear that my boyfriend will see me as a rigid feminist and break up with me. Fear that my kids will think I am a little odd and not love me. Fear of strangers invading my private life at inappropriate moments. The list goes on.

You start by making a list, too. Then we will have the next twelve months, in between fun romps on the path, to sit and stare down these fears. They will end up irrelevant, like they always do, and in the end it will all be for the emergence of our highest and best self. And this will make the world a better place too.

But there is always that self-induced drama in the middle of the process, which is so sucktasticly uncomfortable. Why make ourselves swim through another big bowl of ugly, when things are okay as they are right now? Why? To get to the shore of outrageously-happy, of course! To rest on a driftwood log of peacefully-Zen, and breathe the clean air of at-one-with-the-Universe. To dance drenched with Belovedness and joy around the bonfire of the Divine Spirit.

Allons, ready? Come just a little closer… Whoosh! Your torch is now lit. Watch out for your hair, the sparks are flying all around us in a smiling golden shower. A most excellent characteristic about fire and light is that you can give away all you want, and you never have less for yourself. The flame of my own Divine essence now combines with yours in a celebratory dance. You are now initiated, and you emerge as a goddess of your particular Divine essence. Step boldly onto our long brown path, leading wherever you chose. Welcome! Enjoy your adventure, Beloved.

  http://www.innertapestry.org/articles/april-may-2011/820-the-translucent-path-2011.html 

RM Allen is a green goddess who lives simply in Southern New Hampshire and works in a very traditional church office in a quintessential New England village. She holds a masters degree in business communications and is on orgasmagical spiritual safari. The combination of all of the above contributes to her fun and unique writing style, which is inspiring to her sister goddesses. She is the author of The New Hampshire Goddess Chronicles from Peapod Press. Order the book for $14.95 at www.NHgoddess.com

 

*****

Hello sister goddeses! If you enjoyed this blog please sign up for my monthly (small & simple) Green Goddess Orgasmagical eNewsletter by sending me a note to say hi   info@nhgoddess.com  Thanks! ~RM Allen, author (www.nhgoddess.com)