everything you offer will sell out when you bare your SOUL.
Magic is real. Money is sacred.
Marketing is sweet.
JULY ISSUE 2016
CONTENTS Magic is real. Money is sacred. Marketing is sweet. MONTHLY MANTRA, 3 by Kris Oster, Ph.D SEXY SIREN MYSTERY SCHOOL, 4 WHAT IS PLEASURE?, 5 by Kris Oster, Ph.D PLEASURE POETRY, 7 by Ekaterina Zeyen FUNDRAISER: Foster Home in Honduras, 8 by Maria Carbonell, Sama Ayurveda THE LOVER DIVINE, 9 by Kris Oster, Ph.D MINDFUL DRUMMING MEDITATIONS, 12 by Maria Bovin de Labbe SEXY SUMMER SIRENS WRITING RETREAT, 14
KRIS OSTER , PH . D
I ' m a strategist , copywriter and author , here to conjure deep pleasure so we can create a more magical world . Photo by Nancy Little Moon
MYTHS AND RITUALS OF OSHUN, 16, by Kris Oster, Ph.D INDULGE YOURSELF, 21 SOULED OUT MAGAZINE
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monthly mantra
I AM COMMITTED TO LIVING IN ALIGNMENT WITH MY HEART'S DESIRES. ~ KRIS OSTER, PH.D
sexy siren mystery school "There is a force within that gives you life - seek That. In your body there lies a priceless jewel - seek That. Oh, Wandering Sufi, if you are in search of the greatest treasure, don't look outside, look within, and seek That." ~Rumi
Invite the Mystery of your Soul to be revealed. For women who know they want to live a more powerful and pleasurefilled life, who are seeking a strong guide to support their big vision. Work with me one on one from August through December. Learn more about the Sexy Siren Mystery School: CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILS!
WHAT
IS
PLEASURE?
Pleasure is presence. You cannot be in the past or the future when you are experiencing pleasure. Looking backwards and forwards is the narcotic of an anxiety-stricken society that has forgotten its earthly roots. Cocaine, cigarettes, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, porn can all be addictions, but they are not to be confused with pleasures. A pleasure is not an addiction. An addiction is a nightmare from which one can’t awaken without angelic support. Pleasure is a direct connection to your divine soul purpose. When we are fully present and in our pleasure, we are fully embodied.
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Pleasure evokes … Joy, not fear. Being, not doing. True love, not lost selves. Devotion, not forgetfulness. Pleasure is power. It’s when you get lost in a beautiful work of art. It’s the first bite of luscious dark chocolate melting on your tongue. It’s when you watch a wild deer walking through the shadowy green forest. It invites you into a incandescent mystery, intoxicating your soul like a lover’s kiss. Pleasure is sacred. Jesus said, “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Honor life. Believe that each of God’s creations has a right to be free + sovereign. Pleasure is God’s sacred gift given at birth, unconditionally, without strings attached. Give pleasure and be pleasured. Watch the stars align in your favor and how you inherit the kingdom.
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pleasure poetry We are all 'woman'. The snap of our fingers - earthquake, the Nature we are allied with by make seething within us – beyond blood, kin, alliance. So feared are we for our primordial psalms! We turn, arms raising, sensuous and slow, and what quick thrill to know - a universe lies, balanced, in our palms. We are a wave, a hymn, creating and destroying worlds on whim. We spring hope into being by just a turn of head, hair twisting - life beyond itself, hands resting on a hip‌ A Force slicked down into deep curves, we do not need to be demure, to cloak, to lie as all potential is unleashed in our all-Earth-reflecting eyes. EKATERINA ZEYEN SANTA BARBARA, CA APRIL 2007 / MAY 2016
Las Flores Foster Home in La Cuesta, Honduras I can’t think of a greater cause right now than to help young girls given the most unimaginable start in life. Las Flores Foster Home in La Cuesta, Honduras cares for survivors of sexual assault, incest, and childhood prostitution that has called on my heart to take action. When I heard about the 12 year old girl impregnated by her own father and the facility not having electricity for 3 months, workers not being paid for 6 months, I couldn’t look away. Shannon Kring, film producer and beautiful soul who is doing incredible work in Honduras is responsible for bringing light to this — and thank god. This is your opportunity to gather as a powerful tribe of soul sisters to tackle and focus on one area that is a very important social and human issue right now and for our future — the health and empowerment of young girls who have been horrifically misused and abused. The main priority is money to get the basic needs met and make sure the electricity is on and workers are being paid so they can continue to give proper care to the girls. My friend Maria Carbonell of Sama Ayurveda will be in Honduras next month with Shannon Kring, who will make sure your money will fulfill the intended needs. They'll give you a progress report and pictures when this is facilitated. Their goal is to raise at least $1,500 by August 15. Click here to donate: https://www.gofundme.com/2g4nk92c
THE BY
LOVER KRIS
DIVINE
OSTER,
PH.D
In a world that is transforming so quickly, I find that we are tossed about by the wind. Even if we are not sure where we will end up, there is a Divine presence underneath it all. It’s breath blowing our sails and directing us into the unknown spaces of the Soul. Freedom seems to be the closest word that I can find that explains this phenomenon. Freedom is being true to ourselves and claiming our authenticity. And Love. Yes, Love.
There is never a time or day when I don’t think about it or feel it. But I have had a difficult time reconciling love and freedom. One holds me tight in its embrace and the other releases me into life. I long for both experiences. Containment. Release. The neverending ebb and flow of the emotions, sexual union, orgasm, adventure and aloneness (not loneliness). When I’m feeling frustrated or trapped in my love or my relationship, I long for access to a real understanding of my heart. How can we find our way through the tangle of thoughts and emotions to get to the heart of the matter? At the moment of in between-ness it’s best to come into presence, into the body.
The physical body is the compass and pleasure (and it’s close partner pain) is a direct route into the heart. The desire within you is always seeking its fulfillment. The map of the human heart will lead you down your own path to that which the Soul seeks. What the mind can’t fathom or control, the heart knows. The heart is its own archetypal universe. I love that the Sufi and romantic, western mythologies recognize that the heart is made of the fire element. The burning passion that warms our bodies and leads us towards communion with Divine Love. I love that in eastern philosophies like Hinduism the heart is the seat of Prana, the life force. The air element. Freedom. Movement. Change. Lightness.
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We have both notions to nourish us in different ways. Both are necessary to experience unconditional love on the physical, Earth plane. The Fire Heart asks us to be the Phoenix: burn down the old, stale and stagnant and anything that does not serve Divine Love. The ashes of our old bodies fertilize the birth of the new being. The fire seeks love through union and Eros, the glue of two bodies in ecstatic union that purifies the Soul. It is immanence. The Air Heart asks us to be the River: it flows and dances, shifts and moves. It is formless and changeless so there is no need to burn anything to the ground. It is pure light and spirit. It is transcendence. The reality is finding a way to honor both aspects of our Divine Love and it starts within. Commit to unconditional love. Commit yourself to The Lover Divine before devoting yourself to another human. Allow pleasure to open your heart wide.
Photo by Terre Cerridwyn Busse
MEDITATIONS BY MARIA BOVIN DE LABBE
A BEAUTIFUL FREE GIFT OFFERING FROM MY DEAR FRIEND MARIA BOVIN DE LABBE. Maria is a drummer, musician, artist, songwriter, composer, workshop facilitator and teacher. Her sublime meditations can be accessed for FREE by: 1. Sign up to be a VIP at her website: http://www.bovindelabbe.com and receive the meditations in your inbox as they roll out, or ... 2. Access them at her website: http://www.bovindelabbe.com/mi ndful-drumming-meditations/ Use the password "mindfuldrummers"
SEXY SUMMER SIRENS WRITING RETREAT You. Me. 5 new mermaid pals. August 13-14, 2016
Bring your sexy imagination + a writing project that is dying for your attention to a luscious retreat in Santa Barbara, California. (Held in a sparkling white palace made for a Mermaid queen, aka Bacara Resort.) Join me + 5 other mermaidens for a 2-day soiree of writing, swimming, drumming and connecting, in paradise. Start that poetry anthology or blog post you’ve been sitting on. Outline your book proposal. Journal about the last 6 months. Write the song that’s haunting you. Dive deep into a writing or creative project for a weekend. Simple. Easy. No dirty laundry or dishes screaming at you … just my support, ritual connection + a sensational ocean view. We’ll have circle and ritual time in the mornings, and then you’ll have 3 full hours each afternoon NOMADIC | 24 to write independently.
Registration costs $227, and includes … – 1 hour Mermaid Medicine Reading prior to the retreat – Lunch at the Spa Bistro at Bacara on Saturday and Sunday. – Space to be you, in your own brain and essence all weekend – A print copy of my book Return to Enchantment: Your Guide to Creating a Magical Livelihood The vibe is going to be: relaxed, sensual, deep as we reverently engage in our work at Yemaya’s and Aphrodite’s realm. WHEN: Saturday, August 13 – Sunday, August 14, 2016 WHERE: Bacara Resort, Santa Barbara, CA USA FLOW: We’ll converge at the Bacara Pool at 10:00am each day and write (+ play + brainstorm) till about 4:30-ish. Your day will look a little somethin’ like this … 10am – 11:30am: Circle up. Drumming. Body prayer gentle movement with freeform dance. Magical Mermaid activations on the beach. 12pm: Lunch + conversation with new friends at the Spa Bistro … 1pm – 4pm: Work on your writing project. Bask in the sun. Dip into the pool. Walk on the beach, think, muse … 4:30pm: Circle sharing time. For Sunday … repeat! WHAT TO BRING: A notebook (and your laptop if you wish), a pen (or two), comfy clothes, sweater or jacket for evenings when it cools off, a bathing suit (optional: with coconut shell top), sunblock, a passion project to work on and your smokin’ hot mind. I’ll have frame drums to use, but feel welcome to bring your own if you wish. Want in? I have spots for 6 mermaids to frolic with me for the weekend. The final day to register is August 5, 2016. CLICK HERE TO PAY AND REGISTER
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MYTHS BY
KRIS
OF
OSHUN
OSTER,
PH.D
Oshun is a female West African deity (known as orixá) of fresh, sweet waters and beauty. She is the guardian of the unborn fetus and childbirth, rules over 16 cowrie shell divination, and is the patron of artists, love + seduction, sexuality. Oshun rules sixteen-cowrie divination, known as eerindinlogun by the Yoruba, through which she “could manipulate, capture, and condense the complexities involved in the ordering of the universe” (Ogungbile). Besides her divination mastery, Oshun's uncontested ability to gestate new life on earth exemplifies the female’s “ultimate power” (Ogungbile). Oshun's sexuality and love of opulence often overshadow her mothering and nurturing attributes: Oshun feels the pain of childbirth along with every female human.
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Oshun rules over the sweet, fresh water of rivers, lakes, and sparkling waterfalls. She possesses mothering qualities; it is said she is not a mother who raises her own children, yet she is one of the main orixás who is sought for assistance with fertility, conception, and a safe childbirth. Oshun is the only female deity present at the time when the high god Olódùmaré sends his emissaries to Aiye, the earth, in order to make it fit for life. Thus, Oshun holds a primary position as one of the universal “Great Mothers.”
In Santeria, a religion started by African slaves in Cuba, Oshun is sometimes called “Puta Madre (“mother-whore”) juxtaposing two of the most powerful and paradoxical symbols of femininity” (Murphy). The mythology behind the moniker Puta Madre is connected to Oshun’s relationship to Xangô at the time when he has lost all of his wealth and status. As she cares for him day and night, completely forsaking herself, Oshun’s beautiful white dress turns yellow. Oshun has African names that speak to her maternal nature: Yéyé Kari (“mother of sweetness”) and Iyalode (meaning either “mother of fishes” or “mother of birds”) (Murphy). Oshun's “mother of birds” title connects her to the ajés, the powerful female beings who are called “mother” to appease their wrath. According to high priestess of the temple Bote Folha in Brazil, Mãe Marinalva, Oshun has power over all ajés because she is their leader. One of Oshun's most powerful gifts as an ajé is her ability to help women conceive. She is venerated for being the only female co-creator of aiye, earth, a position of great power that was bestowed upon her by Olódùmaré, The Supreme Being (Badejo). In the African creation myth, Oshun goes to visit Olódùmaré and tells him that the men are not consulting with her and are acting disrespectfully. Olódùmaré gives her special powers to thwart their plans; as Supreme Being, he knows that the male orixás will eventually come to him with their problems. Meanwhile, the men can not figure out why everything they create keeps turning to dust, so they visit Olódùmaré to find out what they are doing wrong: “Everything we build crumbles; the animals are dying; the plants are withering.” The first question Olódùmaré asks is, “Have you consulted with Osun?” The men answer, “No, we did not want to consult with a woman” (Abiodun). Olódùmaré tells them they must go to Oshun and ask for her forgiveness and help. After the men ask Oshun for help, she creates rivers, lakes and rain to bind the elements of aiye together. The animals have water to drink and the plants grow lush and green. It is only then that the earth is ready for human habitation.
Another aspect of Oshun's mythology is her authority over divination.
dropped down from where a rat had eaten her garment’s pocket. (Abimbola)
One myth in particular is recounted by ‘Wande Abimbola, who argues that Oshun is the originator of Ifá (16 cowrie shell divination. The story is referred to as “The Bag of Wisdom”.
Then, Orunmila comes upon the bag of wisdom Oshun dropped, but does not tell her right away that he has found it. Oshun excitedly calls for Orunmila to tell him she has found the bag of wisdom, and teases him by refusing to show it to him.
Olódùmaré calls all the divinities together for a meeting and tells them that he will drop a bag of wisdom somewhere on earth, and that whomever finds it will be “the source of wisdom, And that person would be the wisest person on earth”. Orunmila and Oshun search for the bag of wisdom together ... Then, Oshun found it. She exclaimed, “Han-in! This is the bag of wisdom!” She threw it into the chest pocket of her garment. She started to go in a hurry. As she was crossing dead woods And scaling climbing stems, Suddenly the bag of wisdom
When they arrived home, Orunmila said, “Oshun, let me see the bag.” But Oshun said that she would never show it to a man. But if a man must see it, He would give her two hundred rats, Two hundred fishes, Two hundred birds, Two hundred animals, And plenty of money. (Abimbola) Upon arriving home, Oshun reaches into her pocket to look at her prize and finally realizes it is not there and that Orunmila must have it. In the end, Orunmila shares a portion of the wisdom with Oshun, but retains most of the power for himself.
Make offerings to Oshun at a river or lake ... she loves fresh, cool water.
If you wish to create an altar to Oshun/Oxun: Here’s my Pinterest board with some pics and inspiration for your altar: https://www.pinterest.com/krisoster/archetyp e-oshunoxum/ Colors: yellow, gold, white, she loves peacock feathers also. Favorite foods: black-eyed peas, hard-boiled eggs, pumpkin, coconut; and she likes sweet and spicy flavors combined whenever possible. Offerings: Only offer fresh food offerings and don't let anything rot! If you offer flowers choose ones in her favorite colors. Her day is Saturday (which she shares with her mother Yemaya) so that’s the best day to tend to your altar and place a fresh offering. You may also create a temporary altar in nature next to a fresh water well or spring or river.
If you do this, you would release the food or flowers into the water. Whenever you leave her an offering, kneel and place your forehead on the ground. Say this phrase 5 times (5 is her sacred number): “Ori Ye Ye O” Translation of the Yoruba phrase is roughly, Praise be to the Mother of Dance (sometimes she is known as Mother of a Good Destiny…) You can also honor her by wearing her colors and eating her favorite foods. I suggest cooking her offering on Saturday and save a portion to eat for yourself and share with beloved friends and family. It's also great to leave whole fruits, uncooked. If you are going to cook an offering, check out the recipe on the following page.
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FOOD OFFERING RECIPE
Ritual Omolocum for Oxun (Oshun) This is the basic recipe I usually use for my offerings to Oxun. Black eyed peas, prepared any way you desire 5 hard boiled eggs to nest into the beans. Raw Honey, if available Dende (Palm Oil), very difficult to obtain, but traditionally part of the recipe. Drizzle a little honey and dende palm oil (or use coconut or olive oil to replace dende oil which is difficult to obtain) on top. Cook the dish you choose to offer with devotion and joy. You can have your white or yellow candle burning and your favorite music playing that exemplifies the energy of Oshun. Taste the food before you offer it! If it tastes good to you, it will taste good to Oshun. You don’t need to cook everything on this list. One dish offering is perfect … unless you’d like to offer more. Dende (palm oil) exported from Africa is a red oil used in all of the Brazilian ritual cooking. It has a lovely strong flavor and scent. Many say this is considered the “blood” of the offering, rather than sacrificing an animal. I don’t think it’s easy to find dende oil so, I’ll tell you I’ve never used it and my offerings were happily accepted without it. I mention it here because it is traditionally used in Brazil. You can place your offering in a white or yellow dish and add 5 yellow flowers and 5 copper pennies (or other coin currency) that represent Oshun’s numbers and colors. Put the dish on the altar with your wishes, intentions and prayers written on a sheet of paper. You can place it on your altar and/or take the food to a river or other fresh water source and give it to the waters of Oshun. The ocean also works too since she is the daughter of Yemaya, if you don't have easy access to a freshwater source.
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