The Owl Magazine Spring 2022

The

A Sacred Stories Magazine Spring 2022

THE OTHER GODDESSES The Baha’i Faith:

Consciousness Evolves Toward Wholeness

Poetics of Ascension: Enheduanna and Her Muse

The Heart of the Matter for Spiritually Conscious Parents

UP CLOSE A ND PE RSO N A L

with

Simran

Singh

WELCOME Welcome to The Owl! A collaborative sharing of contemporary ideas, fresh perceptions, art, beauty, Universal wisdom, and modern inspiration across traditional and nontraditional spiritual and religious teachings. We invite everyone to the table to share in the rich feast of Life and Living.

PUBLISHER

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Sacred Stories

Vik Leigh

EDITORIAL TEAM

COLUMNISTS

Ariel Patricia

Franne Demetrician

Lindsey Brooks

Mary Ellen Lucas

sacredstories.com

Laura Staley

2

The

Come On In & See What's Inside

A Sacred Stories Magazine

features

30

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh 6 The Other Goddesses 26 Poetics of Ascension: Enheduanna and Her Muse 40 The Making of Peace 50

40

in every issue A Sacred Story 4 WisdomKeepers 30 Artist in Residence 34 The Heart of the Matter 46 Write for Good 56

46

Book Excerpt: Rewilding 62 Sacred U Courses 68

3

A Sacred Story

by Laura Gray

In my early 20’s, I was bulimic. From work, I would drive home 35 minutes to scarf down some lunch to then throw it up in the comfort of my own bathroom. If I was unable to make it home, my good friend and co-worker would serve as a lookout so I could do the deed in the office restroom.

Early in my career, during a business trip to Chicago, our group had dined at a white tablecloth restaurant. Fear ran through my veins as we sat and ate. I felt trapped, and the food seemed to choke me with each chew and swallow. Eventually, I excused myself from the table and proceeded to violently vomit the pre-digested filet and then returned to the table with a polite smile. I had mastered this game of dine/ dash/discard.

control. One day, a colleague commented, “Laura, you are getting so thin.”

Instantly, my mind converted her words to mean, I am not thin enough if you can still see me.

Soon after, I was back in therapy. Through several sessions and quiet reflection, I realized the food and weight game was collateral damage from my childhood trauma. I had been packing pounds on top of the excruciating physical and emotional pain from the sexual abuse by a family friend for many years. Since my body was the scene of the “repeated” crime, I began to fight for control, tear down the invisible yellow tape surrounding my body and ultimately find peace.

Both my boss and my mother began to express deep concern over my physical condition. It was certainly different back then when your older, male boss could call you into his office and genuinely inquire about your health and wellbeing.

With the support of my mom, I received counseling and began a “healthier” relationship with food.

Putting it together made sense. The chewing, swallowing followed by an extreme sense of panic was consistent with the memory from the oral sexual abuse of gagging and not being able to breathe. The intense task of keeping the bulimia a secret mirrored the devastating and dark game of the abuse. In the same way, I successfully functioned as a child, I conquered the ability to return to many dinner tables and carry on the conversation.

After the birth of my first son at the age of 31, it was imperative to lose the pregnancy pounds and I successfully was able to zip my size 6 jeans in time for my 6-week postpartum checkup. Returning to work, I slid into old patterns. The dynamic between myself and food was very contentious. I viewed it both as means to live and as a pawn in a game I could

As a result of childhood sexual abuse, many survivors put on weight to “hide” in their bodies and not appear “attractive” to a potential perpetrator1. However, as in my case, one could go the opposite way,

4

The OWL Magazine

draining. I knew what I had weighed at my wedding 27 years ago, and once I reached that number, I decided to see how low I could go. That new number became my benchmark. In the seemingly never-ending cycle of weigh, work out, work, work out and eat a little along the way, old patterns repeated themselves as they often do until we learn the lesson.

wanting to become so thin and “disappear”, so the predator can no longer find you.

After years of therapy, I decided to obtain certifications in multiple areas and began teaching fitness classes. My objective was never about a number on a scale or the size of your thighs but rather to get healthy and have fun doing it. Time moved on, my kids’ schedules became more hectic, and after 10 years, I made the decision to stop teaching fitness classes.

And so, this morning, 50 years after the abuse stopped and growing weary of the game, I woke and chose not to disrobe and place my value on a carnival contest.

Rather, instead, I made a conscious decision to go within, bare myself and write a piece reflecting on and respecting my journey with weight. Although it has felt very much like a game, I have discovered there is no win nor lose, only life. No more weight-ing…

In March of last year, I was blessed to be able to donate one of my kidneys. Two months prior, I had numerous pre-op medical appointments and for the first time in a long time, stepped on a scale. The “number” was quite high, and in an instant, I became reacquainted with my past beast of burden.

only living.

With the surgery a success, I purchased a scale and weighed myself every morning. I increased my daily exercise routine and decreased my food intake.

Magically, the number on the scale started to go down. I began to assert and establish a real sense of control over my body, and I liked it. Each point, regardless of the amount lower, was a victory and inevitably set the tone for my day.

Laura Gray is the Founder/Executive Director of IPride, a self-esteem empowerment program for youth that she created in 2015. A published author, her story is in the recently released Amazon bestseller Mayhem to Miracles. A living kidney donor and a fervent advocate for sexual assault victims, Laura is a proud mother of three sons and three dogs. She strives to live each day with a grateful heart and feels especially connected to herself and God when she is in nature. ipride.net.

A co-worker expressed concern over my weight loss and unknowingly triggered the “he can still see me” effect. I worked out twice a day and punished myself by eating less. So eager to hit a number, I would even remove a necklace or hair barrette before weigh-ins.

Each morning I behaved like a wrestler anxious to make weight before a match.

The routine became both challenging and

[1] https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/article/ connection-between-trauma-and-body-image

5

UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL

with

Simran Singh 6

The OWL Magazine

Simran Singh is a globally recognized

of LIVING, BEING and KNOWING in

speaker and catalyst for love,

2022. In addition, Simran, soul artist

compassion, and humanity. Author

and mentor, is also the publisher of

of multiple award-winning books,

11:11 Magazine, host of 11:11 Talk Radio,

Simran has released her latest trilogy,

and guide for 11:11 InnerViews TV.

Ariel Patricia: Simran it’s a pleasure

AP: Simran share some of your

to speak with you. Tell us who is

experiences as you have deepened

Simran?

into your name and the lived expressions of it in your life.

Simran Singh: As Simran, I am many identities and personas.

SS: I have known there is

Truthfully, I am the ever-deepening

something to be remembered

embodiment of my given name.

since I was four years old. Through

I was born Simran Preet Randhawa.

early conditioning, I became

Upon marrying, the name Singh was

Simmi… “see me”. I wanted to be

added. In essence, Simran means

seen; especially, by me. For the

Remembrance of the Divine… Preet

longest time, I felt completely

means Love… and Randhawa means

invisible. I could not see, hear, or

Warrior Spirit. Singh means Lioness.

acknowledge myself, even if others

My life, each experience, and every

did. Simmi is my shadow self: the

encounter has been toward the

animal, monster, and inner demon.

embodiment and essential nature

She is the one who forgot. She

of these initiations of naming. I have

became deeply codependent early

come to the awareness that destiny

in life, taking care of those around

is written upon our foreheads. How

her—emotionally and physically—

we are named, or name ourselves,

f rom a very young age.

through word, thought, and deed determines the experiences and

Simmi has fears, insecurities,

expressions on the way to that

doubts and lacks inner authority.

destiny.

She is af raid of people, and 7

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

years taught her powerful skills, stamina, and a strong work ethic of integrity.

Although reared in South Carolina, Simmi chose to have an arranged marriage, following Indian tradition.

She did this to please her parents, and because she lacked trust with her own choices. She had no sense of self. Simmi was always what others wanted her to be, did what others told her to do, and became what others needed. Deeply empathic, Simmi often mistook the feelings and thoughts of others as her own. This unconscious absorption resulted in missteps, mistakes and misfortune that led to a great deal of pain and wounding. the world; yet loves them

She believed any negative

unconditionally. Simmi is an

projections placed upon her, rather

introvert; quiet and shy. She does

than holding strong to the positive

not know how to ask for help; and

ones. She did not realize how her

believes her worth rests in how

choices were unloving to self. She

hard she works, and what she can

was innocent; this is true for us all in

do for others. Simmi turned into

the forgetting. This destined karma

a workaholic, people-pleasing,

would eventually lead to Simmi/Sim/

perfectionist. She grew up in the

Simran’s dharma.

family apparel business and worked beside her parents, remaining there

By age 33, Simmi had settled into

for thirty years; until a fashion blog

body, blood, and bone; she filled this

evolved into a spiritual one. Those

underworld and the subconscious 8

The OWL Magazine

mind. Her embedded patterns and behaviors would create a tide of rhythms and cycles that would wash upon life’s shores in the perfect places, at the perfect time. At this time, Simmi began having cravings.

She wanted more. More life. More experience. More expression. More beauty.

More feeling. The desire for something beyond the life she had created; which appeared as dysfunction.

Simmi had been reared in the Sikh faith. This early faith training anchored love and oneness as truth.

However, she did not see oneness anywhere around her. Simmi began seeking.

She wanted to learn and grow. She wanted to feel. She wanted to find meaning in her life.

The first breaking through of her spiritual quest began at this point.

Her desires for more were likened to pouring 9

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

love on herself; and with that…

experience, she seeded the identity

everything unlike love rose to the

and masks of Simran Singh, who

surface. A building wave began. It

emerged at age 33. Simran Singh

would crash upon the shores of her

wanted to make her place in the

consciousness, life, and heart again,

world. She wanted to make things

and again, and again… until all that

happen, build a legacy, and would

no longer served would, one day, be

push forward. This was Simran

worn away.

Singh’s masculine energy becoming more dominant. Externally, she

As Simmi reclined into the

appeared feminine, but expressed

background hum of my life

the opposite.

10

The OWL Magazine

After marrying, Simran Singh

make these numbers stop or tell me

became a workaholic. This was

what they mean!”

an unconscious way to escape the verbal abuse, emotional pain

Instantly, images flashed in her

and immense betrayal within her

mind of magazine covers, articles, a

personal life. In time, the impact

radio show, and books. Simran Singh

became so immense that Simran

did not know how to create any of

Singh stopped looking in the mirror.

these things. But, the Universe knew

She could not bear to look at herself,

she was a workaholic, and the best

believing the continuing barrage

thing to provide her at this time was

of criticisms that came her way.

a job!

Even though she worked in fashion, helping women look beautiful,

With these visions, the following

Simran Singh did not look at herself

whisper was heard, “You will heal;

for over a decade. The arranged

others will heal.”

marriage led to a deteriorating self image and deep shame. However,

Through that mystical experience,

she held a mask in public that let

Simran Singh became the seeker

few people ever realize her private

and speaker, the student and

pain.

teacher, 11:11 publisher and host. She had no idea how to do any of these

In 2007, collapsing on her prayer

things; she simply said Yes and took

room floor, Simran Singh sobbed;

the leap every time she felt called.

crying out to be given a sign,

Simran Singh never grasped that

understanding and the strength

she was touching others. She knew

to keep living. The next day, she

all creations had to serve her growth

began seeing the numbers 11:11

and healing first; only then, could

repeatedly, multiple times a day on

they serve anyone else.

store receipts, license plates, cars, Eventually, Simran Singh found

mailboxes, bulldozers, and trains.

the courage to leave the marriage After four weeks of 11:11 continually

and embark on a powerful journey

appearing, she yelled out, “Either

of self-discovery. She decided to 11

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

go around the country and put

her masculine energy. Her steps and

on a one-woman show, The Rebel

struggle led to a course of events

Road: Connecting the Dots of What

which uncovered the expression

Was to What IS. In an RV with her

of Sim, which would balance her

two children and two others, she

feminine energy.

traveled to 66 cities to organically express with story, song, and

Sim is my humanity. I could not

humor. This was an act of self-love

touch the depths of this for most

to see and hear herself. She shared

of my life. None of us do, although

encounters with signs, symbols, and

most people think otherwise. Sim

synchronicity; to prove to herself

was born out of the cracking open

and others, that the Universe truly

of life. After embarking upon The

guides us when surrendering

Rebel Road, Sim encountered 7

completely. She wanted to illustrate

blessings: life, challenge, conflict,

that life held this magical play.

chaos, obstacles, darkness, and death. Once again, washing herself with pure love, all that was not love rose up. An explosion occurred; and Sim had to walk through the fire… trauma, loss, war, and overpowering grief. She allowed herself to be swallowed whole by the darkness that followed, knowing it must have come to deepen her spiritual knowing. Sim died over and over again, for the next seven years.

Through Simran Singh’s sacrifice, I took leaps of faith, found courage and tenacity. She shifted my focus

Each identity fell away; wife,

from the patterns and textures of

daughter, ex-wife, sister, business

fashion to the patterns and textures

owner, 11:11 steward, teacher,

of life’s inner landscape. Now she

student, and mother. Eventually,

sits back; stepping in, only when

Sim became nothing; she became

inspired to act. She has balanced

nobody. Through an experience 12

The OWL Magazine

of disintegration, dissolving and

tender and gentle. She is deeply

absorption… Sim flowered into true

devoted to life, as holy communion

humanity. She could finally see all of

and sacred ceremony. She needs

herself, beholding a sacred beauty far

no recognition, accolades, or fame.

beyond what she thought possible.

She is whole and complete; trusting and grounded. She knows none

Now, Sim feels everything fully, and

of this could have come without

is willing to be swallowed whole by

embracing darkness to the degree

every experience. She is not afraid of

she had embraced Light. Sim led

the dark. She sees duality through

me to f reedom, inner authority, and

the lens of embodied compassionate

my sense of self. She brought the

presence and within the field of

return to innocence. Sim taught me

oneness. Sim is at peace with all that

patience and gave me embodied

life brings; the good, beautiful, and

peace. She transformed life into a

ecstatic…the bad, ugly, and tragic.

state of aliveness. Sim awakened the

Sim is patient, loving and kind,

expression of Simran Preet.

13

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

Simran Preet is coming into her own. She is discovering the world again; but she is not of this world. She is the bridge between being deeply human and sacredly divine.

Simran Preet is bold and courageous. She is a truthteller of the uncomfortable truths to be told at this time. Simran Preet stands for remembering divine love within; sweet love, tender love, compassionate love, unconditional love, mama-bear love, fierce love, and loving advocacy. The deepening of her presence is guiding me to the sacred doorway of simran, where I dissolve into the embodied humility of holy, Divine natural expression.

AP: Simran that is beautiful.

Thank you for sharing such a profound understanding of the deeper soul experience our human selves can have. For others that are experiencing similar, what would you like to say to them?

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The OWL Magazine

SS: None of us can possibly know

SS: When we first moved to the

our true dharma. The mind and

small southern town I grew up in,

ego will create a path of purpose

my parents were challenged to find

born of its childhood insecurity

a home. No one would rent to us.

and pain. But our lives hold the

A local physician bef riended my

path of true purpose. Knowing this

parents and wanted to help. Within

requires presence, commitment,

a week, he found a home for us to

and devotional presence to the

move into. Later that evening, he

experiences that deeply tug at the

returned. The owners did not want

heart and soul. If courageous enough

an Indian family renting their home.

to face the life we each are given,

He found another home. We packed

there is not only power in our pain;

and transferred the next day.

but also, dharma within our karma.

However, Dr. Watson returned Whether or not following one’s

that evening. Once again, we were

authentic nature, or lost on a scenic

asked to leave because of our brown

route, the universe uses what it

skin, the sari my mother wore, and

is given… to navigate a map of

the turban on my father’s head. A

expression that supports a larger

few days later, another place was

picture. There are no mistakes,

located. The year was 1972 and my

no wrong turns, and no missed

mother was pregnant with her

opportunities to serve and be

third child. The local mill owned a

served. Life’s blessings, especially

home that was available for rent.

unorthodox ones, always lead to a

The owner agreed to our family

greater good personally, collectively,

living there. However, he had three

and globally. We may not know what

conditions for the arrangement:

we are doing, but the Universe has a plan; and it is a Divine one.

1. We could not rent. Instead, the home was to be purchased; and

AP: Yes, I believe we are all part

then, sold back to the mill when

of a grand, Divine plan. Simran,

leaving.

please share a specific childhood

2. We were never to have alcohol

experience that shaped you.

on the premises.

15

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

spine, and was also diagnosed with

3. We were not allowed to have ‘black people’ in the home, or on

leukemia, so she came to live with

the property.

us. I was four years old and very close to her. Biji and I stayed home

Since that was the only option, my

together while Mom and Dad went

parents moved us in that evening.

to work. Each day at lunchtime,

That experience left a visceral imprint

I would get our sandwiches and

within my body of not feeling safe,

milk from the ref rigerator. One day,

not wanted, not accepted, and not at

the f ront doorbell rang. Biji did not

home in my skin.

speak English and remained in the kitchen while I went to answer.

Soon after moving into the home, my grandmother whom I called

I partially opened the door, just

Biji, collapsed in India. She became

peeking out from behind it. I felt a

paraplegic due to a tumor on her

wave of energy, and suddenly felt 16

The OWL Magazine

very afraid. A little blond boy was on

She seemed upset, so I told her

the porch. He looked to be seven or

about the boy. Her eyes became sad.

eight years old. He was moving from

She was quiet for a moment. Sitting

side to side, as if he needed to go

next to me on the bed, she placed

to the bathroom. His face was red,

the book on my heart and layered

and he was panting; his hair matted

my hands on top of it.

and sticking to his forehead from “This is a Gideon Bible. It is a

sweating. He was holding something.

Christian Bible. It is filled with As I looked toward his hands, he

stories, pearls of wisdom, and some

yelled at me, “I don’t want you to

things that are made up. As you

burn in hell! I don’t want you to burn

get older, I want you to explore all

in hell! Take this and save yourself!”

religions and bibles. They are all filled with stories, pearls of wisdom,

He threw the object toward me and

and things that are made up. But, if

ran away. Once gone, I picked it up;

you follow the pearls of wisdom, you

a small green book with soft, swishy

will see they all say the same thing.

paper; somewhat like tissue. I could

Only believe the pearls of truth,

not read, so I did not know what it

nothing else,” she said.

said. I felt very afraid, and my body trembled. I did not know what ‘hell’ was, and I did not want to burn there.

I ran to my bedroom, hiding the book under my pillow.

That night, mom tucked me in. She adjusted my pillow and the book fell behind the bed. She reached back and pulled it out, looking at it carefully.

Then, with a serious tone, she asked, “Where do you get this?”

17

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

My mom kissed me good night and

over child custody. I refused arbitration

left the room. I held the book for a

but was told I had no choice; that this

few more minutes, and then placed

was normal family court procedure. If

it back underneath my pillow. As

I did not submit to arbitration, I would

I drifted off to sleep, images of the boy,

immediately lose custody. What

his fear, and his tears stayed with me.

ensued was traumatic. The Guardian

Those were mixed with images of my

ad Litem, attorneys, and arbiters

mother, her sadness, and the bible

judged my work and spirituality. It did

on my heart. His words felt like fear;

not fit with their religious views. I was

my mother’s words felt more like love,

portrayed as harmful because my

although they held sadness. From

faith was not theirs. With no change in

that moment, my life would be aimed

circumstance and no due process, my

toward reconciling the divide between

sons were taken away from me. I was

fear and love. Unknowingly, I would

devastated. It was like being burned

also carry her feeling of sadness for a

at the stake for what I believed. What

very long time.

I did not realize was that I had just fallen victim to an illegal process that

AP: Reconciling the divide between

was hidden from the court system.

fear and love. A powerful and ongoing opportunity each of us are facing

I could not understand why I lost my

in this world. Simran, leaving your

children. I lead a clean and aligned life.

arranged marriage provided you with

I am a good mother. I had plenty of

some of the greatest challenges of

witnesses as to my character. As I wept

your life. Please share with us what

on the floor, my inner voice spoke,

happened when you embarked on

“Will you commit as devotionally to

your journey of self-discovery.

darkness as you have to Light? Find your gold.”

SS: After embarking on the 11-month RV trip with my children,

I had previously focused on inner

I encountered the blessing of

work for two decades. For me to have

challenge. Within two months of our

created this reality, life was pointing to

journey, I received legal documents

something. In that moment, I chose

forcing me into binding arbitration

to consciously go unconscious. I was 18

The OWL Magazine

willing to fully surrender to the experience, and each emotion it brought, as my new spiritual path.

I let go of all identity to sit in the experience that coursed through me. Tremendous waves of grief lasted for months. I immersed within the shadows at play.

I experienced softening into greater humanity.

Over the following seven years, I moved through an incredible experience of transformation, transmutation, and alchemy. During that period, after a walking meditation, the ‘table of contents’ for three books streamed forth. They were a set of instructions from the soul that were manuals for humanity. I became aware of an ascending ladder of consciousness and a multidimensional grid of being.

I knew my work was to stay completely present to my 19

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

inner world, while allowing the outer

support, and visitation, arguing

world to play out its drama. Ultimately,

arbitration violates the children's

this experience led me to write the

constitutional rights and contradicts

three books releasing this year. I am

state law and court rules. We vacate

certain they are my life’s work; the

and remand.”

reason for which I came. I am clear these have been written to support

SC Supreme Court Decision 10/2021

humanity in moving forward through

“The question presented in this

all that is coming.

case is whether South Carolina law permits issues relating to

AP: Simran I can’t imagine the deep

child custody and visitation to be

pain and confusion you experienced

submitted to binding arbitration with

losing custody of your children in that

no oversight by the family court and

way. How did the legal process unfold?

no right of review by an appellate tribunal. We believe the answer is

SS: The legal process took eight years;

clearly and unequivocally no and

four years in the lower courts and

affirm the court of appeals' excellent

two in the appellate. September 2021,

opinion.”

the South Carolina Supreme Court ruled the binding arbitration process

I was led down a road that

that had been forced upon me in

eventually uncovered a twenty-

2014 as illegal and unconstitutional.

year, illegal cottage industry that

The entire process lasted nine years.

had been existing within our state.

Although, the law no longer allows this

Unfortunately, most of the children

manipulation and misuse of binding

affected have now aged out. But

arbitration, my children and I are still

the rulings from our legal case

waiting to be reunited.

has set precedence so that this unconstitutional practice cannot

SC Appellate Court Decision 1/2019

continue in South Carolina any

“Simran P. Singh appeals various

longer.

family court orders approving agreements to arbitrate issues

This practice also occurs in other

pertaining to child custody, child

states, and other countries. Perhaps 20

The OWL Magazine

these rulings will create a shift

financial abuse, and emotional pain.

within other states so that children

I have also met women in other states

are not treated as property through

and countries who are experiencing

binding arbitration. This is a form

this same injustice. The pain of the

of child trafficking manipulated by

mother, and the wounding of children,

attorneys within our legal system. It

are deep wounds in our collective

is imperative that courts have final

spiritual psyche stemming back to

oversight regarding children’s rights,

ancient sacred stories. But, outer

and the right to due process. Systems

activism will never create true change

and structures are not inherently

if not willing to engage soulful, internal

bad. Corruption can only occur by

sacred activism. For the world to

those within a structure. The struggle

change, each individual has to take

between darkness and light begins

responsibility of their inner and outer

with the inner conflict of each

state of being.

human being. It is time for light to shine upon all corruption, misaligned

I watched many men bully, and

power, and greed.

wield masculine dominance, for greed and power. I also encountered

AP: Simran deep gratitude and

many women who turned a blind

respect for what you have endured

eye, apathetically carried out their

and the light you have shone for

role, and were part of the corruption.

mothers who will come after you. Tell

The truth is, we traumatize ourselves

us about the women and men you

and those around us. Balancing

met during your fight for justice.

masculine and feminine energies is not gender specific. We hold both,

SS: Over the last eight years, I met

mirroring the areas and degrees which

many women who experienced the

require illumination. Everyday painful

same trauma and loss of having their

human experiences, and those that

children ripped from their arms,

illustrate global tragedy, hold powerful

with no remaining rights to them.

opportunities for equilibrating

I met women who succumbed to

masculine and feminine energies.

drugs, homelessness, prostitution,

We must become more present to

and suicide due to the grief, trauma,

willingly feel what is occurring.

21

Up Close and Personal with Simran Singh

AP: Your courage and deep insights

and presence. In that way, systems,

gleaned from your journey are an

structures, and societies can shift.

inspiration. Simran, what would you

We can be conduits for releasing

like others to know?

backlogged, ancestral energies… of pain, suffering, and separation. We

SS: We each have the power to

can be channels for the alchemical

transmute and alchemize current

absorption of wounding, stemming

conditions through personal power

from expressions of trauma, hate 22

The OWL Magazine

and war. We all can serve as

and ‘holy advocacy’ looks like in a

transducers of dense energy into

new world. True oneness reflects the

light, in advocacy for self, systems,

embrace of our darkness and light,

structures, and the larger family of

holding duality and contrast with

earth. Serving the world requires a

compassionate presence.

new brand of sacred activism that encompasses living, being and

AP: Simran it’s been a pleasure. Thank

knowing all that is and ALL THAT

you for doing your part in helping us

IS. This is what ‘unconditional love’

birth a new world.

iamsimran.com FUN FACTS AP: Coffee or tea?

AP: Beach or mountains?

SS: Tea

SS: I love both.

AP: Book or movie?

AP: Globetrotter or homebody?

SS: Always books!

SS: I am both.

AP: Favorite movie?

AP: Early bird or night owl?

SS: Any and all of the children’s

OMQ: Depending on the cycle,

movies.

I move between them.

23

Let him who would move the world first move himself.

— Socrates

THE OTHER GODDESSES

by Dr. Joanna Kujawa

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The OWL Magazine

Who is the other Goddess? Indeed,

Only through meeting great masters,

who is a Goddess? These two

scholars, and practitioners of various

questions and my quest for the

traditions have I begun to understand

answers have preoccupied me for over

that the original goddess tradition was

a decade now.

transmitted orally through lineages of yoginis or dakinis (wise women and

The concept of the goddess in many

practitioners of ancient teachings).

forms is celebrated around the world.

When the Brahmins (a sect of priests)

India has a long list of goddesses who

recorded the traditions, they omitted

cover nearly every area of human

this goddess-oriented tradition, which

activity: from the Goddess of Learning

also embraced her sexuality and the

(Saraswati) to the Goddess of Wealth

Divine aspect of our human sexuality.

and Good Luck (Lakshmi)–and dozens

Even worse, it was practiced by the

more. In other eastern spiritualities, the

priests for their spiritual evolution

goddess survived as a compassionate

while they used women of lower status

mother, whether as Tara (in Buddhism)

for sexual rituals.

or in China as Guanyin, whom even Jesuit missionaries compared to the western version–the Goddess of Compassion, the Virgin Mary.

While studying the esoteric version of Hinduism and some aspects of Tantra, I noticed that these alternative traditions also celebrated the Goddess.

Her sexuality, they considered an aspect of her Divinity, including the practice of sexual rituals as one of the ways of reaching heightened states of consciousness and entering the

I continued with my search for the

original flow of creation. I wondered

whole goddess: the one who valued

why this tradition existed on the

and honored her sexuality and who

margins of mainstream religion.

used this consciously as a means 27

The Other Goddesses

of spiritual evolution for us. The

more. In 1945 in Nag Hammadi, Egypt,

10th-century Tantric philosopher,

new sacred texts known as the Gnostic

Abhinavagupta said: 'That which

Gospels were discovered. They give a

produces the bliss should be

different picture of Mary Magdalene,

worshipped since it ravishes the heart.'

including significant mention in the

What ravishes the heart more than

Gospel of Philip, where she is called Jesus’

sexual rapture?

close companion or partner whom He often kissed, causing jealousy amongst

Soon after, I discovered that there

the other disciples. In another source,

existed in our deep past a woman-

the Pistis Sophia, Mary Magdalene asks

philosopher, Ardha-Tryambaka,

Jesus questions of an esoteric nature,

who started the Kula tradition – the

and it is clear that she has a deeper

tradition of using our sexuality for

understanding of His teachings. In the

enlightenment. The Kula tradition

Gospel of Mary Magdalene, which was

was taken over by male philosophers,

discovered in 1896 also in Egypt, the

although the remains of that tradition

disciples ask Mary Magdalene to share

are still present in the worship of the

with them the secret teachings of Jesus.

Goddess Sundari and the Goddess

These examples show Mary Magdalene

Kali in their sensual aspects. The

as the bearer of a secret tradition lost

discovery of this tradition and its female

to Christianity, as it was not shared with

originator inspired me to look at similar

Jesus’ male disciples.

possibilities in the West. Was there a lineage of goddesses who celebrated their sensuality and were the bearers of secret wisdom? Yes, the most mysterious woman in the Christian tradition: Mary Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene, who has traditionally been portrayed in a penitential mode and misrepresented as a prostitute, was the closest companion of Jesus, his favorite disciple–and possibly much 28

The OWL Magazine

Yet I was still puzzled by the even

Among these ancient goddesses are

stranger assumption of Mary

Ninmah, Inanna, and Isis.

Magdalene's sexuality as somehow being shameful, inappropriate, or even

The vilification of the other goddesses

dangerous, especially considering

has left a scar on our human psyche.

her special relationship with Jesus. As

This has changed my life and my

I delved more into Gnostic sources,

view on the relationship between

I discovered other goddesses like

spirituality and sexuality. I hope it will

Sophia, who were also associated

change yours as well.

with sexuality but often identified as

Dr. Joanna Kujawa is a scholar, spiritual detective, and the author of The Other Goddess: Mary Magdalene and The Goddesses of Eros and Secret Knowledge. As an active academic for over 20 years, she uses her scholarly training to investigate topics such as: Can spirituality and sexuality be experienced as one? Who was the real Mary Magdalene? Is there a lineage of Goddesses now resurfacing in our collective experience of spirituality? joannakujawa.com

prostitutes. This prompted a deeper inquiry: why were the Goddess Sophia and Mary Magdalene–two feminine archetypes associated with wisdom, often portrayed as prostitutes? Was there perhaps some hidden reason for this? Could their sexuality be connected to the knowledge they carried, a secret knowledge that had been lost and now misunderstood, in the same way, the knowledge of the Hindu Tantric goddesses was?

Was there any trace of other goddesses in the West who were known to carry secret knowledge of this kind? An exploration of the ancient goddesses of Sumer, Acadia, and Egypt showed goddesses whose stories had only partially been told. The unwanted but evolutionary elements they represented were either played down or coined as ‘sexually inappropriate.'

29

WisdomKeepers

The Baha’i Faith:

Consciousness Evolves Toward Wholeness

by Dr. Robert Atkinson

30

The OWL Magazine

Prior to Charles Darwin, the concept of evolution had barely entered public discourse. Now, we recognize that everything evolves: life, culture, civilization, science, technology, the arts, and even the universe itself.

What accounts for this unprecedented leap of consciousness over the past century and three-quarters? Did Darwin discover Divinity? He may be best known for a “survival of the fittest” view of evolution.

However, this was promoted by his successors, the Social Darwinists. On a group level, and in social spheres, Darwin placed the natural law of cooperation above its opposite. Little acknowledged is that Darwin saw the overall flow of evolution as purposive, progressive, and leading to greater and greater harmony. Buried within Darwin’s The Descent of Man is this gem of progressive evolution: “As man advances in civilization, and small tribes are united into larger communities, the simplest reason would tell each individual that he ought to extend his social instincts and sympathies to all members of the same nation, though personally unknown to him. This point being once reached, there is only an artificial barrier to prevent his sympathies extending to the men of all nations and races.”

31

The Baha’i Faith: Consciousness Evolves Toward Wholeness

What is he expressing here, if not

stuff. He wrote, “All the organic

collective altruism, or the Golden

beings which have ever lived on

Rule writ large? In one sweeping

this earth have descended from

statement, the natural law of

some one primordial form.” This

cooperation is taken from the

foreshadowed the discovery

individual level to the global level.

almost a century later of DNA,

The next step in this evolutionary

a common language every

trajectory, though not without its

organism has in its cells.

ups and downs, would be another universal spiritual principle, a

Modern Darwinians no longer

future in which there is peace

need to guess at the story of

on earth. Coming soon after the

evolution, they consult “genetic

Revelation of Baha’u’llah, founder

scripture,” an embedded code to

of the Baha’i faith in the mid-19th

better understand the physical

century, Darwin’s groundbreaking

realm, just as spiritual seekers

work on evolution is a testament

consult religious scripture,

to the power of the periodic

revealed by the Prophets of

release of spiritual energies. It is

God, to understand the spiritual

difficult to deny that the founders

realm. Science and religion reveal

of the world’s religions—Abraham,

complementary aspects of the

Krishna, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha,

same reality, giving us a more

Christ, Muhammad, and in our time

complete picture of the whole.

Baha’u’llah have each in their own

And both can be quite close

way transformed the spiritual life

in their expressions of Reality.

of the peoples of the world, indeed

Darwin said, “As natural selection

changed the course of human

works solely by and for the good

life over the last four thousand

of each being, all corporeal and

years, and brought about a leap

mental endowments will tend to

of consciousness with each new

progress toward perfection.”

spiritual epoch they initiated.

The Baha’i writings say, “All Darwin also understood that all

beings, whether large or

life is literally made of the same

small, were created perfect 32

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and complete from the first,

Adapted from The Story of Our Time:

but their perfections appear in

From Duality to Interconnectedness

them by degrees… The seed does

to Oneness.

not at once become a tree; the

Robert Atkinson, Ph.D., author, speaker, and developmental psychologist, is a 2017 Nautilus Book Award winner for The Story of Our Time: From Duality to Interconnectedness to Oneness, and a co-editor of Our Moment of Choice: Evolutionary Visions and Hope for the Future. He is also the founder of One Planet Peace Forum, and StoryCommons, an internationally recognized authority on life story interviewing, a pioneer in the techniques of personal myth making and soul making, and a member of the Evolutionary Leaders Circle, a project of the Source of Synergy Foundation.

embryo does not at once become a man… They grow and develop gradually and attain to the limit of perfection. This is the universal divine organization and the natural system.”

Today, we understand that one universal law governs all, and that reality is one unified whole. Progressive evolution and progressive revelation are parallel principles of a single reality. In 1859, Darwin’s The Origin of Species, stating that all organisms are part of “the great Tree of Life,” signaled the beginning of the greatest flood of scientific discoveries humanity has seen. Beginning in the 1850s, the Baha’i Revelation, including such teachings as “Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch…” brought religion into the modern age, while verifying the latest quantum discoveries: “This endless universe is like the human body… all its parts are connected one with another linked together in the utmost perfection.”

33

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

by Franne Demetrician

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The OWL Magazine

The sun is coming back! Have

stirring and beginning to bud.

you noticed? Living here in the

Spring takes my breath away

northeast means that every day

with its burgeoning growth and

after the winter solstice I watch the

beauty. It’s no coincidence that

light returning to my days. The last

so many of our holy days happen

several weeks I’ve been noticing

in the springtime. It’s the time to

how the five o’clock hour is now

celebrate life and bear witness

filled with light. In fact, as of this

to the sacred art of renewal and

writing, there is still sunlight visible

rebirth.

at 7:30 p.m. Now that’s cause for Summer is, of course, a time

celebration.

for fun like Sly and the Family I enjoy the changing seasons,

Stone sang, “Hot Fun in the

despite my natural-born need for

Summertime”. August is my birth

sunshine and light. The changes

month and as a Leo summer is

that take place are a source of awe

MY season. All that sunshine and

and I look forward to each one. Yes,

warmth energizes me and fills my

winter is cold, damp, and dark. But

soul. I spend as much time as I

ahhh, the coziness, the sweaters,

can soaking it up. I love the beach

the warmth of a fire burning in

and am fortunate to live close

our little hearth, the crisp air, and

enough to go often. We spend

snow – I love snow in all its sweet

time with our f riends and family

silence and sparkle. Winter is an

enjoying barbecues and backyard

invitation to go within and I have

movie nights. Every year I notice

learned to accept that invitation

when the lightning bugs come

with grace.

out and the nighttime cacophony of summer crickets and cicadas herald the coming Fall.

And the onset of spring has arrived. In February and March, I could feel the faint flutter and

As an artist, fall is a feast for my

swell beneath my feet as Mother

eyes and my palette and I take

Earth began to awaken from her

full advantage, always at the

long winter’s nap. The trees were

ready with my camera and paint.

35

Artist in Residence

My daughter was born in the fall,

for me. The same holds true for

which makes it extra special. My

most things that result in changes

husband and I chose the fall for

in our lives. Recently the phrase

our wedding and usually travel

“lean in” is used when we are

to the mountains to celebrate

faced with conflict or challenge.

our anniversary – my camera

Rather than avoid or bypass it,

and art supplies in tow. So much

leaning in allows us to embrace it.

beauty at hand everywhere we go.

I’ve come to realize that leaning

Admittedly, as the sunlight wanes

in and allowing challenges to

I can feel a shift in my energy and

move through in a natural and

the desire to hold on to every ray.

unimpeded way will for the most

But November arrives and with it

part lead to more ease than

my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.

resisting.

With the end of our winter holidays Which brings me back to the

the cycle begins yet again.

art of embracing the “changing One way or another, regardless

seasons”, whether that means

of climate, seasons in our lives

another cherished winter, spring,

change. I have noticed that when

summer, or fall; or embracing

I resist the changes that arise,

the aging process, or a grandson

I suffer. There was a time when

going off to college, or downsizing

I dreaded winter and the loss of

to a different home – leaning into

light. I would become depressed

these and embracing them can

and withdrawn. As I have grown

and do make for a life of gratitude

older, I’ve come to relish each day,

and joy – and the sun’s return.

each month, and each season as

Rev. Franne Demetrician is an interfaith minister. She has been a licensed holistic health practitioner since 1995 and wrote a spiritually oriented weekly blog from 2015 -2018. Franne is a working artist, photographer, writer, spiritual counselor, mentor, and teacher.

the precious gifts that they are.

These last years have shown us how f ragile our days can be and how fleeting life can be.

Living in a persistent state of gratitude has become a way of life 36

Trust in dreams, for in them is the hidden gate to eternity.

— Khalil Gibran

Poetics of Ascension: Enheduanna and Her Muse

by Seana Zelazo, LICSW

Credit: British Museum/ University Museum Expedition to Ur, Iraq, 1926 The disk of Enheduanna circa 2340-2200 BCE

40

The OWL Magazine

Despite a long patriarchal literary

moon goddess Ningal, through daily

history in which many female

service, it was to their daughter that

writers were silenced, dismissed,

she was committed in body, mind,

or otherwise denigrated, the first

and soul.

documented writer and poet was a high priestess and princess. Over

Enheduanna, like Inanna herself,

4000 years ago, Enheduanna wrote

was a social activist, spiritual warrior,

prolifically and to great acclaim. To

and transformational artist who

date, 42 temple hymns and three

used her platform to bring about

poems to the moon god Nanna

positive change. Because she

have been unearthed. Furthermore,

was a high priestess and princess,

Enheduanna’s muse and spiritual

her opinions carried weight. Her

sister, the Sumerian Goddess Inanna,

writing had a significant influence

was the subject of three long poems

on scribal schools in Sumer

by the poet. In these lyrically rich

inspiring many replications of

works of art, Enheduanna reveals

her work. Enheduanna’s poetic

her devotion to Inanna and seeks to

reclamation of Inanna enacts a

authentically represent Inanna in her

revisionist history that showcases

complexity, including her darkest

the goddesses’ many teachings.

shadow aspects. Enheduanna’s

As such, Enheduanna mirrors

work restored Inanna’s place in

Inanna’s courage as a guide to living

the cultural consciousness and her

unapologetically.

rightful position of supremacy within Enheduanna’s poetry depicts

the pantheon of Sumerian gods.

Inanna in all her identities, including The daughter of King Sargon of

as the Morning and Evening Star,

Akkad and Queen Tashlultum,

Venus—the heart of our Cosmos,

Enheduanna was appointed as the

and the Goddess of both Love

High Priestess of the moon god

and War. Inanna epitomizes

Nanna at Ur. Nanna was Inanna’s

the coexistence of polarities as

father. And while Enheduanna

harmonious multidimensionality,

adhered to her role in cultivating

emphasizing the power of balance

devotion to Nanna and his wife, the

as an alchemical tool for evolution.

41

Poetics of Ascension: Enheduanna and Her Muse

She emerges from the pages

In the excerpt from “Lady of

of Enheduanna’s work raw and

the Largest Heart,” we see

authentic. Because Inanna goes

Enheduanna’s understanding of

through the process of descent

Inanna as a teacher of ascension.

into her own death in her most

She insists, “you have realized/

well-known myth, The Descent

the Queen of Heaven and

of Inanna, and comes to master

Earth/ to the utmost/ you hold

the underworld, Inanna is the

everything / entirely in your

ultimate guide of liminality

hands.” Inanna possesses the

and transition. She represents

wisdom to integrate and unify

the ever-changing process

all aspects of self into open-

of evolution and the need to

hearted unconditional love.

accept, love, and honor the self

Inanna has actualized her role

to bring about change within

as a guide for humanity and it is

and without. Inanna stands

through unconditional love that

out as one of the first historical

we too can follow her path, the

embodiments of self-love,

poet declares. This kind of love

reminding us that always the

requires courage and the ability

process begins with self.

to transmute any resistance that emerges.

Today, Inanna re-emerges as a teacher for global and

The poem in its entirety is

planetary transition into higher

about Enheduanna’s struggle.

consciousness and a new

It is confessional in tone as the

paradigm of unity and love.

poet bravely shares her inner

Indeed, Enheduanna’s poems

process of suffering. The poet’s

for and about Inanna are

description of her heartache

fundamentally love poems in

later in the poem may be

which the poet communes with

about her descent into the

her muse and, in turn, allows

underworld—the depths of her

readers to commune with the

shadowland like the one Inanna

goddess and her heart-centered

herself explored to ascend and

teachings.

rise again. Enheduanna looks 42

The OWL Magazine

Above: Enheduanna, “Lady of the Largest Heart,” in Inanna Lady of the Largest Heart: Poems of the Sumerian High Priestess Enheduanna, edited and trans. Betty De Shong Meador (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2000), 132-33. Artist rendition: E.V. Marie @ evmarie.com

43

Poetics of Ascension: Enheduanna and Her Muse

to Inanna, seeing her as the one

Inanna’s priestesses, we are also

who decrees the fate of all, and

committing to the process of

begs her to bring an end to the

our own descent. As much as

distress she feels.

Enheduanna is an artist, Inanna performs her teachings by

In a proliferation of meaning,

enacting them herself. Inanna’s

the poet describes Inanna’s

myths and hymns demonstrate

capacity for illumination as

what our process can look like

Venus: “your torch flames/

when we commit to ascension

heaven’s four quarters/ spreads

ourselves. The intensity of

splendid light in the dark,” which

letting go of attachments that

becomes, in the following stanza,

are no longer in alignment can

the alchemical fire capable of

certainly feel like being sun-

transmuting fear in her followers,

scorched, but it is part of the

“those warrior women/…whose

process of ascension and raises

hands sear them with purifying

our vibration.

fire.” These worshippers are linked “like a single thread” in the

The “me” described in the

flame of ascension. The goddess’

excerpt are the psycho-

illumination then becomes

spiritual attributes and laws of

both the light of intuitive

civilization in ancient Sumer.

foresight and a foreshadowing

Enheduanna positions them as

of the future burning of

exclusively under the dominion

dissenters of patriarchy—the

of Inanna: “hands do not touch/

many wayshowers who were

your precious me.” She insists

burned at the stake, “your many

on Inanna’s singular capacity to

devoted/ who will be burnt/ like

lead us to higher consciousness,

sun-scorched firebricks.” Even

writing, “all the me/ pass

without the privilege of 21st-

before you.” Enheduanna also

century hindsight, Enheduanna’s

highlights that Inanna holds

lines here underscore that if

“everything entirely” in her

we follow our inner calling and

hands. She has access to what

commit ourselves as one of

is needed to make a choice 44

The OWL Magazine

aligned with the highest good.

in the common work of daily

Even though the me are under

life to infuse the world with holy

her jurisdiction, Inanna does

reverence. With their intention

not grasp them possessively,

and in connection to each other,

she observes them as they pass

they weave themselves back to

before her. She understands

the Divine.

that ascension is about freeing oneself and transcending

As you read the words of

attachment.

Enheduanna, I encourage you to step into her energy. Through the

Enheduanna describes Inanna’s

creative process of the very first

worshippers, who “like a single

known author who lived in the

thread/come forth from beyond

23rd century BCE, the spectrum

the river/ do common work.”

of Inanna’s gifts and power is

Here, we see how our connection

made known to us. May both

to Inanna links us to other

Enheduanna and Inanna inspire

spiritual warriors also seeking

you to author your own desired life

transcendence.

and ignite your creative capacity to call forth a new earth, one

These women come from beyond

based on unconditional love and

the river, symbolizing how they

unity. May it be so.

emerge from a liminal space, as though rising from the mist

Seana Zelazo, LICSW is a psychotherapist, spiritual teacher, mentor, and intuitive channel committed to helping others live unapologetically by restoring balance through the wisdom of the Sumerian Goddess Inanna. Look for her upcoming book The Return of Inanna: The Unapologetic Heroine. seanazelazo.com

of the waters of creation, the amniotic fluid—in pursuit of rebirth. The single thread is both a link to the Cosmic sisterhood, and a confirmation that the process of birth, death, and rebirth, is a continuum, a single thread of the soul’s journey.

These devotees to Inanna know this truth and come together 45

The Heart of the Matter for Spiritually Conscious Parents

by Mary Ellen Lucas

Anxiety which can express as

frequent physical ailments, poor

worry, unease, and uncertainty can

attention, meltdowns, or apathy.

sometimes be triggered by stressors

What can a parent, grandparent,

that are not in our control. Children

educator do to support a child who

may exhibit signs of anxiety with

is feeling anxious?

46

The OWL Magazine

As a counterbalance to anxiety,

a calm centeredness with an

I suggest we look to a tree as a

overwhelmed child.

model. Trees wisely teach us that rootedness contributes to the health

Teaching grounding to a child is as

of the individual tree and their

simple as pointing to a tree. Talk to

shared connection maintains the

them about how the root structure

integrity of the entire forest.

gives strength and helps the tree grow strongly. Then liken their own

The taproot is the main root of a tree.

bodies to a tree. Pretend with a child

It’s the center from which all other

that they have imaginary tree roots

roots grow, further stabilizing the

going out from the bottoms of their

tree. The taproot digs down deeply

feet. Have them sink those roots into

into the earth to find nutrients to

the ground, spreading them out

sustain itself and joins with other

under the earth. Practice this daily

root offshoots to work together for

together.

even more strength. Some trees don’t have taproots, yet they still

Explain how when they feel upset,

form an extensive network of roots

they are like a tree that has been

that intertwine with other root

uprooted by a storm. Then describe

systems of neighboring trees.

how grounding can help them get their body roots back down into

I recommend adults first learn

the ground. They can become once

for themselves the technique of

again strong and calm and help the

“grounding” or rootedness to help

“storm” to pass. Have a child draw a

children deal with anxiety. It is

tree standing strong and another tree

important to develop a grounding

laying down, uprooted by dark storm

habit when things are humming

clouds, to further imprint the idea.

along smoothly rather than waiting for a child to have a meltdown.

Create “cue” words to use together.

Practice often throughout the day

Using these watchwords, adults can

by planting your feet solidly on the

quickly lead the child to focus on the

ground. By grounding regularly, it

ground when bouts of anxiety creep

will then be much easier to maintain

up. Perhaps something like “become 47

The Heart of the Matter for Spiritually Conscious Parents

a tree” or “get your roots back into the

willing to ‘fix’ the problem by doing

ground” would work.

his homework. I suggested sentences encouraging him to write them

If a child can’t ground because of

down. With his feelings of heightened

heightened anxiety, the adult then

anxiety, he couldn’t focus on what

needs to share their grounded

I was saying.

taproot by extending nourishing stability. An adult linking to a child’s

My attempts to reassure him by saying,

overtaxed nervous system by

“You can do it,” and “There’s plenty of

grounding themselves re-establishes

time,” were met with an annoyed but

for the child a stable connection.

nonetheless polite response, “Just be quiet, PLEASE!!!”

I would like to share an example of this that happened while I was

Squirming in the discomfort of

driving my grandkids to school. Upon

knowing I wasn’t helping him; it was

my arrival, my ten-year-old grandson

clear I needed to shift my focus away

became upset. He thought he had

from the anxiety to get myself calmer

more time to finish his homework.

within. I breathed more slowly and

Five vocabulary words remained to be

sank further down into the seat of my

used in sentences. No problem, or so

car to get grounded. As the long line of

I thought, he could easily finish them

cars inched closer to the school’s drop

on the car ride to school. However,

off point, I was able to morph into a

my grandson’s sense of timing was

rooted-in-the-ground grandma.

thrown for a loop, creating a lot of apprehension which only seemed to

As we reached the designated

grow on the ride to school.

area, my grandson proudly and enthusiastically proclaimed, “I did it!”

Continuous tears streamed down his

With the homework complete, the

face as he worriedly lamented, “I can’t

anxiety quickly receded.

think of a sentence.”

It’s humbling to admit that despite More than anything, I wanted him

the years of my own grounding

not to be upset, so much so that I was

practice, my first go-to strategy wasn’t 48

The OWL Magazine

to ground. Instead, I got ensnared in

strongly rooted person is not easily

the distress of watching my grandson

toppled. Practice becoming more

struggle. When my attention turned

grounded and centered within

towards steadying myself, an inner

your own self. Then teach a child to

stillness took over, creating a pathway

ground. Children can rely on your

of neural support extending towards

rootedness of strength until they

my grandson. Would he have been

learn how to stand on their own.

able to finish his homework without

Mary Ellen Lucas, an Interfaith / Interspiritual Minister, believes we can learn to make wiser choices that create pathways of connection and collaboration to ensure a better world for our children.

Life on Little Puddle Pond is a series of children’s books she wrote with silly goose playfulness along with meaningful lessons. The books are pre-chapter books and appropriate for children four to eight years old. Available from online retailers worldwide.

a grounded presence by his side?

Probably. I believe though that my calmness eased his anxiety, helping him complete his homework.

Learning how to stay grounded amid life’s storms behooves us all. An African proverb states, When the roots are deep, there is no reason to fear the wind.

Despite the winds of anxiety that blow periodically in and out of our lives, a

49

THE MAKING of Peace

by Rachel Mann, PhD

50

The OWL Magazine

Imagine for a moment in the 20th

vibrational frequency of love

and 21st centuries there has been a

within, through, and around all of

critical mass of leaders of nations

creation. When the inner and outer

who are enlightened peacemakers.

portals of consciousness open to

Not in the conventional

our innate, visceral, and mystical

understanding of the geopolitical

remembrance of this life-creating,

but of the spiritual. In the parlance

abundant energy, we see all things

of Mahatma Gandhi, they tap into

through the eyes of the Great

the power of soul force (satyagraha)

Heart. A potent transformational,

that enables them collectively to

healing energy then arises.

confront and disarm even the most Further, this Great Heart is the

hardened autocrat.

radiant bridge between our What would be the outcomes?

physical incarnation to our soul

Would two World Wars have been

and spirit. At this level, we know

averted? Would there be no nuclear

ourselves as fundamentally

weapons? Would genocide and

indestructible and we recognize

other wars have never happened?

the greater purpose within an all

Let’s consider a radically different

arising experience. It is a natural

reality anchored in sacred activism

imprint within all human beings.

for peacemaking that taps into the

Though forgotten by some, it can

Great Heart of soul force.

be reactivated in them when in its presence.

Gandhi states that the courage and strength to face down evil

The lesson is that when we are

through nonviolent means, even

anchored into soul force while

at the risk of harm to oneself,

negotiating with others to turn

comes from God. By surrendering

back the will to warmongering, we

to God, he says, we discover Truth.

have the power to penetrate the

If we widen the language of this

deepest darkness of fear. Fear is at

monotheistic, religious lens; Gandhi

the root of all attacks on another’s

tells us that we can experience

sovereignty, whether an individual

soul force as a vital and eternal

or group.

51

The Making of Peace

Soul force also allows us to tap into

healing our families, communities,

new and creative solutions that

and the planet. This is sacred

might otherwise have been invisible.

activism for peacemaking.

Violence and war burn a tremendous amount of creative energy, as does

Imagine that a critical number of

fear. When we are afraid, we are

the world’s population have been

stressed. When we are stressed,

undertaking this work of sacred

our ability to access the unlimited

activism for peacemaking for the

potential within us and throughout

past century or more. They have

creation is truncated. Our spiritual,

been, vibrating at this higher

energetic, mental, and emotional

consciousness of soul force and

bandwidths are narrowed. We are

acting out of the Great Heart.

thus more apt to act out of old

Enlightened leaders are, as well.

conditioning and the psychological patterning arising from unhealed

Soul force, when collectively

personal and ancestral traumas.

harnessed, has an exponential

We are blind to emergent, creative

impact. And because we are all

possibilities, and more peace-

interconnected through this vast

enabling choices and actions.

matrix of consciousness and lovelight, we do not have to be in the

It is no accident that over the past

same room or even geographical

century, pandemics, war, and

location as the leaders who are

increasing authoritarianism have

working to heal and ignite the fire

intensified even as the wisdom

of peace in another leader’s heart.

of ancient spiritual lineages once

An estimate based on studies

hidden has been revealed to the

of how many people regularly

world. When great light shines into

practicing meditation is statistically

shadow, a healing crisis is triggered.

connected to a reduction in

As chaos seems to be increasing,

violence is 3.5%. This means that if

millions of people are reaching for

2.7 billion of the earth’s 7.9 billion

meditation, prayer, and ceremony to

souls were consistently engaged in

create both inner and outer peace.

practices to activate the vibrational

As we seek to heal ourselves, we are

frequency of soul force and thus, 52

The OWL Magazine

53

The Making of Peace

triggering within others an

mass violence we have seen in the

opening into the Great Heart,

past century would have happened—

there would be a tidal wave shift

or at least, they would not have

in the destiny lines of humanity.

escalated to the point they did.

With this much vibrational

Like, Gandhi, the great peacemaker,

support worldwide, the

let’s keep up the faith and the work

leaders and people involved in

of sacred activism for peacemaking

quelling the authoritarian or

so that leaders and ordinary citizens

warmongering aspirations of

alike; will awaken and activate the

some individuals or groups would

Great Heart of soul force. Let’s reach

be able to transmute their fear

that critical 3.5%. This is what will save

and activate what Gandhi referred

us and future generations.

to as their moral center. Indeed,

Rachel Mann, PhD is a sacred activist, social scientist, healer, and spiritual mentor. She provides shamanic energy healings, an intensive 1-1 Mentoring Program, and offers courses and retreats supporting passionate individuals with a vision to integrate the wisdom gained through their healing and spiritual study into creative service to others as a healer/ therapist, minister, spiritual teacher, writer, artist, and/or socially conscious and spiritually awake entrepreneur.

Through consulting and programs, she also provides businesses, NGOs, and nonprofits wishing to expand and anchor into the sacred values of positive inclusion, compassion, and a renewed, spiritual ethics with consulting and programs. Find out more at rachelmannphd.com.

he believed that somewhere inside every human being, no matter how confused or even depraved, there is the seed of humanity and the spark of God within. This is what the energetic frequency of the Great Heart seeks to awaken. It is awareness of the greater self and thus activates the presence of soul force—a mystical state of unity mind. Fear abates, minds are changed, and the course of human actions shifts. Even the tiniest adjustment could have a monumental effect.

The implications are profound.

None of the wars, genocides, hate movements, and other forms of 54

Write for Good

by Laura Staley

Do you get attached to expectations, judgments, and desires rather than remain open to what unfolds right in front of you? Does your mind get attached to your wants, expecting them to be fulfilled on your timeline, in the exact way you want them? Then inevitably, something goes awry, and you can experience anger, maybe outrage, disappointment, and feelings of being out of control. You persist in making plans, arm wrestling for your agenda and God laughs.

Recently, I completed a class in which I learned to take down energetic walls I constantly place around me; to ask myself, “Is this mine?” anytime I notice I feel heavy 56

The OWL Magazine

instead of light. The primary

Responding to life

guidance in this class was to

circumstances in this manner

pay attention to what happens

allows you the freedom to

in my life. Instead of making

merge with the moment. You

demands like a person standing

can pay rapt attention to the

at a vending machine feeding

actions you are taking, your

quarters and pushing buttons for

deep breathing, the loss of

liked items to drop down into the

worry about losing control

bottom tray, I continue to learn to

which paradoxically might have

live in the flow.

you feeling more in control than you have ever been.

What if you could be in a flow

Experiencing yourself inside the

state with life?

activity, you no longer observe or evaluate. You merge with

Softening your hands rather than

the flow of experiences as your

living with clutched hands and

relationship to time shifts. You

pursed lips might allow you to

realize measurements of time

breathe into what researchers

are a construct suspended from

Nakamura and Cxikszentmihalyi

your perspective and awareness.

have discovered is a flow state.

Between beta and theta, there

This state of Being seems much

is the alpha wave of flow. While

like seasoned meditators who

in this state of being, you merge

describe an ability to remain in

with a delicious challenge. You

a meditative state no matter

love an activity, the task at hand,

what they are doing. Eating

and know your developing

is a meditation. Speaking is

skills can meet the degrees of

a meditation. Laughing with

difficulty. You experience a sense

friends is a meditation. Holding

of autonomy and independence

the hand of a dying friend is

as you detach from self-

a meditation. Each moment

consciousness, otherwise

unfolds into the next as

known as your inner critic, and

conscious awareness allows life

disentangle from a result.

to happen.

57

Write for Good

58

The OWL Magazine

The mind no longer blathers like

Living life in a state of flow allows

some frenetic taskmaster. The mind

you to experience a breadth and

surrenders to the silence inside and

depth of a multi-sensory journey

a love of living shows up in service

of Being, which infuses the doing

to the actions at hand. Ideas bubble

with an enduring peacefulness,

up or download from who knows

enthusiasm for simply animating

where and who even really cares

this body, and savoring joie de

because they arrive in support of

vivre. Merging in the flow of your

the movement, an unshakeable

heart-led life choices becomes its

commitment, and likely, a

own rich fulfillment.

meaningful contribution.

The founder of Cherish Your World, Laura Staley passionately supports people thriving by guiding them to a holistic transformation of space, heart, and life. Laura is the published author of four books including Live Inspired which reveals the brave and deep work of selfdiscovery and her book of short writings and poetry Abundant Heart.

Rapt attention can be one of the greatest gifts one person gives another.

What if you could be in a flow state while conversing with your colleagues, hugging beloved ones, washing dishes after supper, petting your dog, or peeling an orange?

Life continues to be a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved.

Your life is not a goal to be achieved and rewarded, nor a mistake to be punished and shamed. Experiencing your life remains the most precious gift of all.

Can you gently unwrap the nuanced moments… because isn't the mundane indeed miraculous?

59

There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.

— Maya Angelou

E X C E R P T F RO M

Kristy M. Vanacore, Psy.D

purpose and passion; her inner

Part One

landscape barren, her soul bereft and estranged f rom itself.

Remembering My Roots

She hears a calling and knows

The Heroine horse stands upon

consuming and she hides in her

her pedestal after placing Best

stall, clinging to the only life that

in Show. Smiling for the cameras

she has known.

she must go; yet fear is all

with her shiny trophy on display, she examines her life. It is full of

And then one day, she wakes up

all that she set out to achieve,

and discovers the gate has been

yet it has come with a price.

left open...and the choice is all

She feels empty and devoid of

her own...

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Domestication

“Hi Kristy, I’m Mary.” She smiles sympathetically, brushing back my long strawberry-blonde locks.

I awake on a cold metal makeshift

“Everything’s gonna be okay,

bed, my eyes immediately blinded

honey. We’ll get you out of here

by the worn fluorescent lights

real soon.”

blaring overhead. Vague memories of the night before flood my

After a while, I hear the sound of

consciousness. I’m eight years old

Daddy’s voice down the hallway

and cannot comprehend why I am

as he emerges f rom the room

in a jail cell, surrounded by rusty

where he was being questioned

bars and musty block walls.

by a police officer. His face looks bloody and bruised. My mind

“Kristy, I’m Sergeant Brandon.”

flashes back to the prior evening; some sort of fight is all I recall.

The shadow of a man in uniform

I’m suddenly f rozen in fear.

towers over me. I’m scared and confused. He hands me a Dixie

“Come on, your father’s here to

cup of water. The name on his

get you.” Mary takes my hand

badge reminds me of the dog

and tugs on me to stand up. “Uh

on my favorite TV show, Punky

oh,” she murmurs, seeing that

Brewster. I focus my mind on the

my pants are soaked.

image of the fiery-spirited girl Punky and her doting Golden

I had urinated on myself. The

Retriever, Brandon, who were

tears come. I’m embarrassed

abandoned by their mother at the

and want to run and keep

grocery store and taken in by a

running—but I can’t. In the car,

sweet old man named Henry. Had

Daddy doesn’t say a word. He

my parent abandoned me last

just stares out the window of his

night? Where is Daddy?

old blue Oldsmobile that smells smoky f rom the time the engine

As I sip the water, a woman sits

caught fire and burned a hole

down next to me.

through the floor panels. When 63

REWILDING

that happened, he made me smile

middle between wanting to stay

by saying we could be like the

with Grammie and watch her

Flintstone’s cartoon—just put our

favorite “Golden Girls” TV show

feet through the floor and run. But

and wanting to please my Daddy.

today I can’t find humor or any I put two-and-two together as

feeling. I’m numb.

to why Daddy rushed me out The day prior started out like every

of the house. He had gotten a

typical Saturday. Daddy picked me

call from his girlf riend who was

up at four o’clock for his court-

in some sort of trouble. I didn’t

ordered weekend visitation. We

understand it then, but she was

drove to his apartment which

in some crack den doing drugs,

he shared with his mother, my

and one of the men there tried

Grammie. I cooked in the kitchen

to hurt her. She was on the verge

with Grammie. Daddy stayed in

of overdosing. As we drove to

his bedroom, watching TV and

her rescue, Daddy mumbled and

chain smoking.

banged the steering wheel. I just stared out the window, humming

“C’mon, we gotta go!” Daddy

songs in my head. Something

yelled to me just as I was setting

didn’t feel right about the

the table for dinner.

situation my parent was leading me into.

“Johnny, what are you talking about? We’re eating now,”

We arrive at the old, dank-

Grammie said. “What’s so

smelling apartment building.

important? Don’t tell me it’s that

The hallway is dingy and reeks of

girl again.”

oil paint as I try to keep up with Daddy, whose brisk, purposeful

“Let’s go! I said NOW!” I could see

walk leads us to a thickly-painted

veins bulging in Daddy’s head.

brown door with “Apartment 2H”

Grammie had tears in her eyes.

on it. Smoke is wafting through

I felt nauseous, as I had many

the gaps in the door. It smells

times before, being put in the

awful, almost medicinal. I am 64

The OWL Magazine

shaking, as I know something

The intimidating man cracks

bad is about to happen. Being

open the door again and

a man of few words, I’d gotten

Daddy pushes his entire body

good at reading my father’s facial

into it, breaking the chain and

expressions and body language.

swinging it wide open. The

In these moments, anger is

man raises his gigantic fist and

seeping out of his pores as he raps

repeatedly pummels Daddy in

on the door repeatedly.

the head, blood spewing f rom every punch. I could faintly hear

“Open the fucking door!” he

a woman moaning somewhere

screams.

inside the apartment. Daddy struggles and slumps to his

Finally, a tall, muscular, bald black

knees. I watch, absolutely

man cracks open the door until

horrified, as the hallway starts

the safety chain catches. “Who the

to spin. I scream so hard I can’t

fuck are you?”

hear my voice—only the sound of Daddy’s body thumping onto the tiled hallway floor.

“Let her out of there!” Daddy demands.

The next morning, after leaving “Get the fuck outa here.” The man

the police station, Daddy takes

slams the door.

me straight back to Grammie’s apartment. She is there to greet

My heart is racing furiously. I want

me with a hug. I could see she

to run and hide but don’t want to

had been crying. Daddy storms

leave Daddy there.

off to his bedroom and slams the door. Grammie helps me

“OPEN THE FUCKING DOOR,

remove my soiled clothes and

I SAID!” Daddy slams on the door.

draws me a warm bubble bath.

She sings softly to me while

“Daddy please let’s just go,”

washing my hair. Once clean

I plead timidly, but he doesn’t

and clothed in warm flannel

acknowledge my request.

jammies, she holds me. I can’t 65

REWILDING

cry or even speak. None of it feels

Daddy again. Instead, I make up a

real.

story about going to the park on Saturday and how much fun we

Later, I hear Grammie

had. This secret is one of many from

reprimanding Daddy through the

my childhood that I lock away in a

closed bedroom door.

neatly organized cage in my heart,

“Johnny, come out and look at

and one of the countless times

your daughter. She peed herself

when I abandoned myself in order

and you didn’t even help her. That

to keep the peace. This self-betrayal

piece of shit woman has ruined

accumulated over the years, little

you!”

by little, unbeknownst to me, and oblivious to the damage it would eventually cause me.

I’m comforted that Grammie is my defender and at the same time, afraid that she might further upset Daddy.

Magical Gypsy Child

That evening, when my visitation

I was born with an untamed heart,

hours with Daddy were done,

an adorable little girl with eyes

I took it upon myself to call

as blue as the sky and always full

Mommy to ask her to come get

of wonder. I remember (not just

me since Daddy was nursing a

the stories my family told me

concussion f rom the fight.

but somehow the feeling of) the mystical little gypsy of a child,

“Why are you calling?” she asks.

always marching to the beat of her

“Where is he? Where’s Grammie?”

own drum. I saw magic everywhere.

My eyes beamed with curiosity. My

“He has a bad headache. Just

unbound flaxen locks thrashed in

please come get me, Mommy.”

the wind as I ran f ree.

I beg Grammie not to tell Mommy

Yet this gypsy heart carried a

what happened because I knew

burdened soul, a heaviness of

she would never let me go with

responsibility that plagued her 66

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END OF EXCERPT

spirit. A baby who was entrusted with the responsibility of salvaging a fragile marriage between two

Dr. Kristy Vanacore is a spiritual visionary, medicine woman, and sacred storyteller who weaves ancient wisdom with modern science to empower families to thrive. A prominent trailblazer in the field of holistic psychology for two decades, Kristy has revolutionized the personal development industry by creating an innovative mentoring program for people of all ages.

people who were not destined to be. Right out of the gate, the circumstances of her life began to erode the beautiful landscape of her soul’s innocence. With each blow, a fence was erected around her fierce heart. She felt as though she was born at the wrong time or place, a foreigner in a strange land.

She always felt much older than her age and even loved talking with adults and hearing the wisdom of her elders. She had a mind and heart thirsty for knowledge and understanding of the ways of the world.

As she grew, people entrusted her with their stories, which she collected and preserved like precious relics from ancient, yet familiar, times past. She absorbed all of it; and whenever anxiety or apprehension consumed her as she attempted to navigate this strange land and adapt to its customs, she used each fiber of her collected stories to weave a cloak that she hoped would keep her safe in the midst of chaos.

67

Excerpt from True Light

Allow Your Highest Potential to Emerge

Where Learning is Experienced 68

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