The Green Chalice

The Green Chalice This page is for those who are interested in having intuitive insights into their inner wounds, the

I don’t charge for my readings, in return, all I’d ask is You to face your own darkness. You having allowed me to be your companion to walk the most challenging paths, having trusted me to let me explore your own labyrinth with you is one of the best things anybody could ask for. If insisted, donation of any kind, not matter how big or small, would be greatly appreciated

20/12/2024

~ Honoring Feminine Figures of this Season in Ancient Tradition and Folklore ~

✨Mōdraniht or Modranicht (“Night of the Mothers" or "Mothers' Night")✨

This ancient Anglo Saxon and Scandinavian rite of recognition for the ancestral mothers or “disir” was held on the eve before the Winter Solstice. After these cultures accepted Christianity, the ritual took place on Christmas Eve.

“O Holy Mother, gracious and most divine creator of life. It is from your heart that nothingness can bear fruit, and it is from your womb the great spark of life is born.

You who have given of yourself time, and time again to both the devout, and the petulant. You who have shown us what it truly means to love without end, and without condition. You who are the ultimate mother.

To your daughters, shaped in your image, you entrust with the power of the immortal gate between worlds, that which is the cradle of life.

To those daughters you give the gift of strength that can over come all pain, as well as the drive to brave, and light the way through all darkness; it is the power of a mothers love.

On this night we pay tribute to you, and give thanks for your continual grace given unto us on our darkest night, and the grace you give unto us through those who are your life bearing daughters.
Blessed art thou divine mother of creation.

Daughters of the great mother, my blessed family matrons. Tonight in honor of your sacrifices, which were necessary to bring forth our family, I give unto thee praise. Dine with me tonight as we celebrate the wonders of life, and love.”

~Tiffany Pierce
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/throughthegrapevine/2016/12/mothers-night-ritual/

Art: Dan Goodfellow, “The Matres”
The Art of Dan Goodfellow

̄draniht

29/08/2024

I heard my Mother call to me

and went out

into the greenwood.

I heard her voice

in the whispering

of the leaves.

Up, I looked,

into the green-roof;

shadows and light

mingling together.

I saw my Mother’s face

smiling down upon me and knelt,

her arms encircling me,

holding me close.

I felt her strength flow

into my hurt places,

mending my brokenness;

healing my woundedness.

I lay for a time between firm roots

and felt the burning in my flesh

cooled; eased.

I rose, able to return to the house

and carry on.

I will not forget my Mother,

who came to me there

in the greenwood,

within the tree of life.

~ Rebekah Myers, Tree of Life
copyright © by Rebekah Myers, 2/22/2019
Sacred Sisters Full Moon Circle

“She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy is every one that retaineth her.”
~ Proverbs 3:18

Art: Alexis Rakun
Alexis Rakun Art

Note: This poem is published in Re-Membering With Goddess - Healing the Patriarchal Perpetuation of Trauma.
http://www.thegirlgod.com/re-membering.php
A Girl God Books anthology.
Girl God Books

11/08/2024

“Lughnasadh is not only a time to celebrate the bright strength and impressive skill of successful work, but to embrace the darker side of work: the fear that all that we are working for will ultimately fail us; the fear that our work will not be enough to overcome scarcity, insecurity and injustice; the fear that the products of our work will be consumed thoughtlessly or mindlessly wasted, that we ourselves will be utterly used up, driven to the point of exhaustion, left at last to be forgotten when we are no longer considered “productive” members of society.

Strangely enough, I think that it is this very acknowledgement of fear and loss during the most fruitful time of the year that marks this as a holy season. It is this mingling of love and sorrow, hope and grief that transforms the cycles of production and consumption into something more: a sacred harvest. When we forget the hard work of our ancestors, when we distance ourselves from the sweat, blood and tears that connect us to the living reality of those who have come before us, when we anesthetize ourselves to the grief we feel at the struggles they faced and the sacrifices they made — that is when we risk becoming mere consumers. Grief serves a sacred purpose, for we cannot grieve what we have not loved. Grief is one of the fruits of love, even as joy and prosperity are the fruits of labor.

This acceptance of death, loss, grief and fear runs through all of the harvest festivals — the ghouls and ghosts of Samhain, the balancing of light and dark on the equinox — but it is perhaps during Lughnasadh, when the sun is still high and the harvest is just beginning, that we most need to see grief as a necessary aspect of the work that we do. The afternoons are hot, the storms roll over the landscape, the berries ripen, the wheat and barley rustle in the fields. There is still so much to do. It would be so easy to convince ourselves that we have no time to rest, no time to relax — no time for self-reflection or the grief that it might bring with it.

But the bees hum and the butterflies whisper, Slow down, don’t push so hard, be gentle with yourself for a little while… During the sacred season of Lughnasadh, we can allow ourselves to take a few moments to explore the transformative grace that turns death into life, work into wheat, and grief into gratitude. We can root ourselves in all that it means to be human on this wild holy earth, and remember that part of honoring the work of those who have come before us is to enjoy the gifts of that work in the here and now, the sacred present, with all the gratitude and laughter we can muster.

The world won’t fall apart if we give ourselves time to grieve. The world won’t fall apart if we allow ourselves to be happy.”

~ Alison Leigh Lilly, excerpt from Lughnasadh: Honoring the Harvest Through Grief and Gratitude (link in comments)

Art: Mary Feywood
Mary Feywood

29/07/2024

When we think of the harvest festival of Lúnasa, we pay homage to the goddess Tailtiu, as much as to the god/king/hero Lugh.

Tailtiu was the foster-mother of Lugh, and it was she who nurtured and raised him to adulthood. Lugh held her in high esteem.

It was Tailtiu who labored to clear the land so grains could be grown to sustain the life of the people.

After the immense toil of clearing, planting and harvesting, Tailtiu, exhausted by her efforts, lay down to die. She called Lugh to her side, indicated where she was to be buried (near what is now Teltown in County Meath), and asked him to hold funerary games every year in her memory.

Lugh, full of love and grief for Tailtiu, established the Tailteann Games (the equivalent of the Greek Olympics), held every August in honor of the great sacrifice of his foster-mother.

Within Tailtiu lives the sovereignty and ancient power of the land itself. It is she who sacrifices herself so that her people will be nourished.
Later versions of the story place an emphasis on Lugh, likening him to the grain that grows in strength and is then harvested in a spirit of sacrifice. He follows the example set by his beloved foster-mother, Tailtiu.

~ Rebekah Myers
copyright © by Rebekah Myers, 7/31/2022
Sacred Sisters Full Moon Circle

Art: Red K Elders
Red K Elders Art

09/03/2024

"I tend to the soil as if I am tending to my ancestors. As if I am tending to my children. As if I am tending to my future grandchildren.
Because I am. The soil is made of what has died. The soil will grow the life/food for who comes next."

~ MaryBeth Bonfiglio
MaryBeth Bonfiglio. Writer.
www.marybethbonfiglio.com

Art: Ruth Evans
Ruth Evans Art
https://ruthevansart.com/

10/02/2024

🐉Year of the Dragon 🐉 Lunar New Year🐉

“In the beginning, women were dragons, fierce and mighty.

We were the keepers of wisdom, the guardians of ancient knowledge.

For centuries, we soared through the skies, leaving trails of awe and wonder in our wake.

In our eyes burned the flames of passion, the flames of transformation.

Each scale on our bodies held a story, a tale of triumph and resilience.

We were the embodiment of freedom, never confined or tamed.

With every beat of our wings, we shattered the chains of oppression.

Our claws dug deep into the soil, grounding us in the strength of our ancestors.

We were the pillars of wisdom, passing down our knowledge through the generations.

We were the protectors of the earth, defenders of nature's balance.

Our fire scorched through the darkness, illuminating the path for all women to follow.

Through our eyes, we saw the beauty in every being, despite their flaws.

Our fire breathed life into dreams, igniting a flame of possibility in every woman's soul.

We were the embodiment of sisterhood, supporting and uplifting each other.

We were the protectors of the sacred feminine, reclaiming our power in a world that sought to diminish it.

A dragon's strength lies not in her size, but in her fire.

We are the dragons, fierce and mighty in our own right, reminding the world of the awe-inspiring women we are.”

~ Sarah Williams

Art: Chie Yoshii
Chie Yoshii


Wow, 36 years of Midsumma Midsumma Festival .Where else can you find yellow feathers stuck to your This Q***r Arts (whi...
28/11/2023

Wow, 36 years of Midsumma Midsumma Festival .
Where else can you find yellow feathers stuck to your
This Q***r Arts (which help uplift and Foster young q***r artists throughout the year) festival has become even more accessible for for more disadvantaged communities; a much needed direction, given the astounding numbers of people with some form of (I hope we can have better terms to celebrate them; us mortal would struggle keeping up w their awesome talents) attending and participate in this annual festival.
Midsumma Festival always holds a special place in my heart.

I first attended the Midsumma Carnival as a drunk, lost, battered : no services, no support group at the time could help me navigating the journey of sexuality (later on also gender) through my socio cultural background, through the complexities of trauma a person of struggle to bear. Midsumma was the first ground for me to see so much joy and happiness, of diversities and talents. The festival planted a seeds of hope, encouraged me to stay connected to the flow of creativity and human soul craves for.

As a dead son and as an unwanted/ unwelcome daughter to my family, Midsumma festival once again helped me to learn and love, by dressing up and fundraised for Beyond Blue at the time (2016). That occasion was when I truly found a welcoming family. Our determination to make the world bearable for ourselves and those after, while honoring the lost lives of heroes, brought us together.

The friends I have, the loving and encouraging messages, the beaming eyes and excited jump seeing each other in the crowd, it is all due to Midsumma Fest.

As Midsumma Fest grows to 399 registered marching groups for the year 2024, so does our love, and so does my sense of self.

Thank you for the sponsors, thank you for the partners. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to the and community members for keeping it running.

Only if I could pause and take pics w all the friends there. Welcome back Jacob Gamble !

12/04/2023

"In her beneficent, life-giving aspect, for the most part, the goddess continued in the early historic eras to be worshipped and revered. In her death-bringing aspect, however, the goddess often metamorphosed from goddess into witch or monster. Life and death, in most European historic cultures, ceased to be viewed as a continuum, worthy of equal veneration. Thus, the death-bringing aspect of the goddess became an object—or, in a typically fragmented fashion, objects—of derision and hatred...

Thus the prehistoric goddesses were transmuted to various sorts of Classical-age witches and monsters. Although these witches and monsters were powerful, they lacked the power, and particularly the veneration, of the earlier goddesses. The omnipotence of the prehistoric goddess was reflected in the herbal magic of the early historic witch. Respect and awe were transformed to fear and loathing for these women who had knowledge of herbs and of magic, and who could use that knowledge and power not only to nurture but also to manipulate men...

The witch and the beneficent and monstrous goddesses were transmutations of the Neolithic European goddess of life and death. Whereas the powers over both life and death were natural to the prehistoric goddess, her powers over death were feared by many of the by many of the assimilating historical cultures. The new patriarchal peoples, because of their fear of the life continuum of birth, death, and rebirth, were taught to fear and dishonor the death aspects of the goddesses instead of worshiping them as totalities. The unified goddess became fragmented."
~ Miriam Robbins Dexter, The Monstrous Goddess: The Degeneration of Ancient Bird and Snake Goddesses into Historic Age Witches and Monsters" from "The Journal of Archaeomythology"

Art: Sovereignty on the Hags Chair by Jane Brideson

12/02/2023

Here are some interesting facts about the dandelion flower:

The dandelion is the only flower that represents the 3 celestial bodies of the sun, moon and stars. ☀️ 🌙 ⭐️. The yellow flower resembles the sun, the puff ball resembles the moon and the dispersing seeds resemble the stars.

The dandelion flower opens to greet the morning and closes in the evening to go to sleep. 😴

Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring.

Up until the 1800s people would pull grass out of their lawns to make room for dandelions and other useful “weeds” like chickweed, malva, and chamomile.

The name dandelion is taken from the French word “dent de lion” meaning lion’s tooth, referring to the coarsely-toothed leaves. 🦁

Dandelions have one of the longest flowering seasons of any plant.

Dandelion seeds are often transported away by a gust of wind and they travel like tiny parachutes. Seeds are often carried as many as 5 miles from their origin!

Animals such as birds, insects and butterflies consume nectar or seed of dandelion.🐦 🐛 🐜 🦋 🐝.

Dandelion flowers do not need to be pollinated to form seed.

Dandelion can be used in the production of wine and root beer. Root of dandelion can be used as a substitute for coffee. 🍷 🍺

Dandelions have sunk their roots deep into history. They were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans, and have been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over a thousand years.

Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders. Tea made of dandelion act as diuretic.

If you mow dandelions, they’ll grow shorter stalks to spite you.

Dandelions are, quite possibly, the most successful plants that exist, masters of survival worldwide. 💪

A not so fun fact: Every year countries spend millions on lawn pesticides to have uniform lawns of non-native grasses, and we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep them green.

Bee Happy Gardens 🐝

Read more: http://bit.ly/3Lseaoa

11/02/2023

"The establishment of the Greek patriarchal world shifted the previous cultural valence from the egalitarian continuity of the Old Religion to the extreme imposition of male dominance and the cult of the hero. Under this new world order, all challenges to male hegemonic systems were to be crushed. As the classicist Eva Keuls emphasizes, “the suppression of women, the military expansionism and the harshness in the conduct of civic affairs all sprang from a common aggressive impulse.” That impulse was the expression of “male supremacy and the cult of power and violence.”1

It is no surprise, then, that the earth deities of the Old Religion were demonized or co-opted. A typical task for Greek heroes was to rid the civilized world of those “earth-born bogeys.” The Gorgon Medusa, whose gaze turned men to stone, became an obvious target. Nevertheless, on the periphery of the Greek world, there is evidence that She was venerated in her ancient powers. During the 6th century BCE on the island of Corfu, an eight-foot-high full-bodied sculpture of Medusa was placed at the highest point on the pediment of the temple of Artemis. This Medusa is not raging, but is radiant in her full potency. Snakes with open jaws extend from each side of her head and two copulating serpents encircle her waist, carrying the potential for both death and new life. She wears winged sandals, her great wings are fully extended, sheltering her two children, and her bent-knee posture suggests that she is flying. All shamanic dimensions are Hers—the Great Above, the Great Below, the Primordial Waters, and the entire expanse of the Earth. She is flanked by great felines, just as the Phrygian Mountain Goddess Cybele and the seated Ancestral Mother from Çatalhöyük before her."

-Joan Marler, Re-visioning Medusa: from Monster to Divine Wisdom

Statue of Medusa at The Corfu Temple of Artemis

Address

Melbourne, VIC
3000

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Green Chalice posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to The Green Chalice:

Shortcuts

Share

Category