Live Advanced Priestess Training
On My Mind Is the cover art not intoxicating?! Rosemary Stehlik, you out did yourself. Demeter’s blessings feel ancient through your hand. I found myself starring. Absorbing the mysteries of this art. Thank you! I have a big announcement and a happy moment in my life to share. I was recently awarded an honorary Doctorate of Ministry degree from the Ocean Seminary College for my life’s body of work and for founding the Women’s Spirituality Movement. It was a wonderful honor … and I so deserved it! Also wanted to share a new resource with those of you interested in the academic world of Goddess Theology. I volunteered to be on the Board of Directors for the Institute for Thealogy & Deasophy (ITD) because I feel they’re doing good work in the Women’s Spirituality Movement. What I’ve learned is that women are still having a difficult time of it in the Ministry career path. When they apply for ministry jobs at hospitals and such, they are told they won’t be hired because their degree is not in their own area of ministry. Many of these women have had to go through Christian colleges to get their degrees. This is wrong. www.thealogyanddeasophy.org You can join and help!
Just like in the 70’s Feminist Movement, if the establishment won’t do what we need for our sex, then sisters have to do it for themselves. In this case, these sisters have started a multitheistic research institute to help women get their Goddess on.
I’m also pleased to feature one of my newest projects called Food Magic in this issue of Goddess Magazine. You can read on through this issue and find out a little bit more about what we’re up to.
I am pleased to announce our Goddess Festival Special for the month of August 2010. In the month of August only! We are offering women who register for the Goddess Festival a FREE one year membership into the Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 ... the world's most famous coven! I’m very proud of that! Membership into the Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 is $50. So you're getting a savings of $50! Plus, once a member of the SBA, you will find savings on classes worth more than the cost of your membership! It's a WIN-WIN!!! You get to come to the Goddess Festival and become a Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 Sister in Goddess ... and you help raise funds for the Women's Spirituality Forum. The Women's Spirituality Forum is an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit. Your registration fees and your membership are tax deductible. SBA Special pricing ends Sept. 1, 2010 Also, Ruth Barrett is leading a ritual retreat to Crete, May 23-June 5, 2011. There’s more information in the Upcoming Dianic Events section of this issue of Goddess Magazine. You’ll also find my own Events up and coming, so mark your calendars! I am doing more women-only Tarot Socials with one on August 21st at my own home! I’ll be in Southern CA Oct. 16th for another Tarot Social. Southern CA women, who wants to host a Tarot Social? I’m down there, and I can do more than one! For more information visit TarotSocial.com and contact me. I am networked up the Hoola-Hoop in Facebook. It’s hard to miss everything we’re doing, and yet some of you are still contacting me and saying you hadn’t heard of this or that. Get your face into Facebook my sisters and friend the following pages so you can stay in the know:
Z Budapest on Facebook Z Budapest Fan Page Goddess Magazine Radio Show Fan Page Goddess Festival Fan Page Food Magic Fan Page Susan B. Anthony Coven Fan Page
Z is teaching live classes again in Oakland – thought I’d better say that in big letters. I’m going to offer a year and day course for women who want to work with me live and in-person. If that interests you, you’d better click this link now for more information and to register! Blessed be,
Z Budapest
Reviewing all the new stuff…. Why aren’t you more active in the Dianic Tradition? We have a lot of women who read this Goddess Magazine every month, and it would awesome to have more of you join in with us at the Susan B. Anthony Coven #1. A membership into the world’s most famous all-women’s coven makes for a nice gift to yourself. Give it some thought and then, come join us. GoddessMagazine.net Check out our new portal website! www.GoddessLive.com … We’ve pulled all our information and articles into one location for you and it doesn’t matter if you’re a computer user or a mobile user because we’ve programmed the site to be able to switch back and forth. Goddess Magazine Radio Show Look for announcements of the new Goddess Magazine Radio Shows on our Facebook fan page. Are you a member of the Goddess Magazine Radio Show Fan page? For that matter, are you a member of the Goddess Festival fan page? And, now you can listen to Goddess Magazine Radio Shows on iTunes! So, open you iTunes and subscribe to our podcasted show. It’s free!
Goddess Live Toolbar Every Sister in Goddess who wants to stay linked in to what Z Budapest is doing should have this toolbar! It’s free! It’s easy to install and it’s secure! Get your own Goddess Live Toolbar right now by clicking here!
I’m also available for Tarot Readings. I know many of you are going through some tough times, and that’s really when you should be reaching out for a reading. I’m here if you need me!
This magazine is sponsored by the Women’s Spirituality Forum. Please help support our efforts to help keep the Goddess Alive!
The Application for Dianic Clergy Priestess is online
The Dianic University Online is adding new classes! If you're not studying with us, you should be. Make yourself a FREE account at the Dianic University if you haven't already done so ... do it now! Now's the time to come study with Z and her dedicated group of teachers!
Goddess Festival Updates Goddess Festival Ordinations and Initiations Ordination for Clergy will be done for five of our Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 Sisters in Goddess. Also, two of our Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 members are being recognized for their years of direct service to the Goddess, the Dianic Tradition and their work directly with Z. Both are receiving Queendom Ordinations as High Priestesses. Z created a new Ordination for the body of work done by women who produce Goddess events, education and work to bring the Goddess community together. These women have High Priestess chops and are working with large groups of women, but not as HPs. Instead they create the gatherings and passing on of information, etc. This Themis Ordination is being called the Summoner, and Z is still defining it. Two Sisters in Goddess will be Ordained as Summoners for their work in education, literature and producing events for the greater Goddess community. There will also be Initiations into the Dianic Tradition for any woman who hasn't already taken it and wishes to. Visit the Goddess Festival website often we are adding new material and information. Visit the Goddess Festival DU Area daily because we are adding new material and information, plus updating the status of things! Buying your airfare and wanting to ride the bus from San Francisco Airport to the Goddess Festival? You need to be at Terminal 1 before 1pm. The bus departs for the Festival at 1pm. Bus is Full! Return flights should be 6pm or later. The bus departs the camp at 2pm, arrives at SFO 3:30-4, allow 2 hours for security and the check-in process. More specific details will be available after you register. Susan B. Anthony Coven #1 Info - Join the Susan B. Anthony coven #1 before the Goddess Festival and be a part of the bi-annual group photo! You can apply for membership here!
What's included in my fee? Absolutely everything! Three huge meals every day plus snacks, and the food is awesomely good! If you're a vegetarian, no problem we've got you covered. You have access to drinks all day and we encourage you to drink lots of water as the weather tends to be warm in September. Your fee also includes your lodging in our all women's shared cabins, and you have your own bed. We don't assign cabins, they are first come gets first choice ... so, arrive on time. We have plenty of restroom facilities and hot water showers for you as well, complete with mirrors for looking your most Goddess self. All rituals and workshops are included as well as all musical performances. And this year we will have the facilities big blue swimming pool open for a few hours a day as well. This pool is heated by the California sun, so it's great for afternoon dips to cool off and refresh yourself. Bring a swim suit! The only additional charge will be for women who need transportation to the Festival from the San Francisco Airport. What to bring with you?
Bring a pillow, sheets and blanket. Bring clothes to dress in layers as this can be hot in the day and cool at night. Bring your ritual clothing! Bring sensible comfortable shoes!!! Bring a swim suit and towel. Bring a hairdryer and your own soaps. You're welcomed to bring your own instruments. Bring cash for Goddess wares & music. Bring pen & paper if you want to keep notes. Bring flowers if you can. Mostly bring a big smile & a desire for fun!
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Goddess Festival 2010
T-shirts and sha-wag at http://www.cafepress.com/FestivalGoddess
Healing Your Goddess This is my matriarchy vs. patriarchy rant for the season. I’ve decided that all of us women … each and every one, are broken. That we’ve all been wounded one way or another by patriarchy just by virtue of being born into it and having to survive within its paradigm as women. I believe that our preferred natural state of being is rooted in matriarchy, but I also think we aren’t living the dream. I get contacted by women from all over the world. They all seem to aspire to matriarchy, or rather the concept of what they believe matriarchy to be. We all desire it. We all preach to it. We all lust after it. And yet, somehow we cannot live it. In fact, I’m going to go so far as to say that we women seek matriarchy, but if one of us really tries to live by matriarchal ideals … many of us find fault in it. Those are the Goddesses of Discord. I think we women are broken. We only know patriarchy and it’s judgmental, cruel ways. We need to look deeper within ourselves and ask … why do I force other women into patriarchal modes even as they’re advocating for matriarchy. Why do we do that? The Goddesses of Discord need a good spanking every time they force another woman to live by patriarchal standards. Come clean with your own soul. Stop the blame game. Change has to be redefined sisters, and it starts within. Well, that’s my own paradigm shift for this season. I’m going to focus on healing my own Goddess. I’m going pay homage to the Goddess of Discord and then, wish her well and let her go. And then, I’m going to give matriarchy as many tries as it takes.
This Festival, we asked Sharon McCarthy to come and be our Official Goddess Festival Photographer because her photos from years past reflect her true devotion and love for the Goddess in every woman. This year there will be an official CD of the images of the Goddess Festival. Minus nude shots, we’ve asked Sharon to compile a huge volume of photos of everyone who attends the 2010 Goddess Festival. This means you can relax and enjoy the Festival knowing there will be photos of you and your Sisters in Goddess for your scrapbook! After the Goddess Festival the CDs will sell for $49.99 as a fundraiser for the Women’s Spirituality Forum, but we wanted to give you an opportunity to preorder yours at the discounted price of $35.99! You need not have attended to order one of these photo CDs.
Preorder your Goddess Festival Photos CD today at the discounted price of $35.99!
The Goddess Poetry of Patricia 'Iolana unable to rejoice in knowing I’ve served Her before Fearful the child returns home awaiting the punishment I deserve shivering in the cold She enfolds me in Her arms radiating Her love and warmth She forces my eyes to meet Hers as She welcomes me home.
I stand before Her penitent ashamed of my transgressions a failure for not seeing Her remorseful for believing the images given to me spoon-fed to the child ignorant to Her Truth unable to drink from the well of my own soul afraid to believe She is more than a dream transfixed by the limits given to me by men fearful of Her wrath for believing in the Him they thrust down my throat
For My Goddess We are Children of the Rainbow emanating from the Land of Mu reaching out to the world to share her miraculous gift of love and magnificent power of creation Respectful of her strength I call her Madame for in her molten destruction springs the renaissance of life In her, the perpetual circle is complete for she is both the Yin and the Yang the Alpha and the Omega decimating and initiating life with one igneous caress of her land
To some, she’s nothing more than a myth a tale tour guides share with spiritually hungry guests but to us, she an immaculate force of nature the Mother of all creation appearing to her faithful children in the sacred cover of night as a crone strolling with her white dog or a passionate maiden with emblazoned hair drawing her children home and chasing the disrespectful away I am blessed to be touched by her Nature’s Primal flow and no matter how far I wander Pele warms the center of my soul.
Goddess-Festival.com
THE GODDESS IS ALIVE IN EVERY WOMAN The True Story of How She Came to Be, How She Disappeared, & How She Returned In the beginning, everything began, as it always does, with birth. The Great Mother of All gave birth, and the Earth began to breathe. Again, and again, and again, the Great Mother gave birth. And the plants began to breathe and the animals began to breathe and the two-legged ones began to breathe. All forms of life began to breathe. To breathe, to live. In the air, on the land, in the water, and even in the fires of deep sulfurous vents where light never shines, all forms of life began to breathe. And they were all very hungry. "What shall we eat?" they asked the Great Mother. "You eat me," she said with a smile. And they did. They ate of Her body. The plants sent their roots down into the earth and they ate of Her flesh and Her bones. The plants drank Her clear blood. From her deep springs, from her flowing waters, the plants ate. And they grew strong. And they gave birth. The grasses multiplied and rippled in the wind. Roots grew fat and juicy. And everywhere there were amazingly-shaped leaves, and flowers of many colors, and fruits wondrous to behold. The animals ate Her. They did not eat Her flesh and Her bones as the plants did. They could not send their roots into Her, for they had legs and they moved about on the face of the Earth. Some of the animals ate of the grasses that grew from the Mother. Some of the two-legged ones ate the seeds of the grasses and the roots of the plants and their leaves. They ate and they ate and they ate. They began to give birth, too. Soon there were many, many mouths eating the Mother. There were many, many feet stirring up the red dust of the Mother. There were many mouths to praise her abundance. And many mouths to feed. "I am you and you are me. I am here for you to eat. Now eat me. Eat all of me." she urged them. And some of the animals ate Her flesh and Her bones in the form of the other animals. And some of the two-legged ones ate Her flesh and Her bones in the form of the animals. And her clear blood became red. And this red blood flowed in the
bodies of the animals and the bodies of the two-leggeds who ate of the animals who ate of the plants who ate of Her. And the Great Mother was well pleased. Now this red blood flowed in the bodies of the two-legged ones. It flowed in their bodies and it sang to them. This red blood sang to them of the endless wisdom of the Great Mother, and the endless dance of the moon, and the endless spiral of birth and life and death. And the ones who were round and full like the Mother felt the blood stirring in their bellies. The good red blood moved in their bellies and they were full of wonder, and they said to the Mother: "What shall we do with the red blood that moves so strongly in our bellies, Mother?" And she replied: "Give it to me. Return this blood to me. Nourish me. Allow me to replenish myself from your blood." And so they did. Each month when the moon grew dark and disappeared, the blood began to flow from between the legs of some of the two-legged ones. From the wombs of the two-legged ones, the blood flowed: red and rich and nourishing. The red blood flowed into Her and she said: "You are me and I am you. Your blood is my blood. And my blood is yours. Forever and forever, we will nourish each other. And if you will keep holy the days of your bleeding, I will teach you all the secrets of the plants and the animals. And if you will keep holy the days of your bleeding, I will teach you all the secrets of Heaven and Earth." And so the women kept holy the days of their bleeding, and they grew wise in the ways of the plants, the ways of the animals, and the ways of Heaven and Earth. And so it was for many, many turns of the Earth around the Sun. Until the change. No one really knows where it started. Like a small fire, at first it seemed harmless. The women were wise and they thought no harm could come to them. Were they not the very Earth herself? To harm a woman, was it not the same as harming the Mother? And who would be so foolish as to harm their own Mother? To harm the source of nourishment and comfort and strength? Yet there were those who were so foolish. Deluded, they grew arrogant, and began to tell the story of creation in a strange way. They began to believe that a man gave birth to the Earth and to humans! They said that man was the source of all nourishment and wisdom. They said that man was the image of God, and that God was jealous, and angry, that God demanded pain and blood and despised the simple pleasures of the body, of the earth. They said that God lived above, not within the earth, that God lived in heaven and was above all life. They said that men were above all life, too. That man had dominion over all of life, over all of the Earth herself, to do with as he pleased. Oh, how silly their stories were. Surely no one could believe such stories! Surely everyone could see clearly that woman was the source of life, and nourishment. Surely it was clear that the women's blood was the life of the Earth and the life of the people. And that the pleasure of the body was holy, was sacred, was good. That the Earth was alive, was our true Mother, and must be respected. That we are part of Her, dependent on Her for our very breath. But, like a small fire left alone when the wind is blowing, the strange stories of God, of man as creator, grew and multiplied. The small fire of deceit rapidly became a raging storm, a storm that threatened all life. For the men began to say that the blood of women was bad, that women's moon time blood was dirty, unclean, even dangerous. They began to say that women themselves were dirty and dangerous.
They began to say that the Earth was dirty and dangerous. They began to think of themselves as apart from the Earth, as separate from the Earth, as better than the Earth. They began to think of themselves as apart from women, as superior to women, as the master of women. The women did their best to tend to the holy fires. The women did their best to keep the days of their bleeding sacred. The women did their best to teach their daughters how to learn from the plants and the animals and the Earth. And the women did their best to be true to the mysteries of the moon-time and the wisdom of the Great Mother. But the men were lost. Without the wisdom of the women, alone and apart, the men forgot the ways of peace. They forgot that the Earth was their Mother. They forgot that all women were sacred. And they began to fight. At first they fought only among themselves. But soon the sickness spread and the men began to fight the women. They began to torture the women. They began to kill the women. They bound women's feet for this pain gave men pleasure. They burned women at the stake for how dare any woman pretend to know the healing ways of the plants. They stoned women to death for it frightened them to see even the smallest bit of her holy flesh. They cut out the pleasure parts from between her legs for here was a power that seemed uncontrollable. And they told her, again and again, until she began to believe it was true, that she was not sacred, that she was not made in the image of God. The men told each other that women were inferior, that the animals were inferior, and that the plants were inferior. Soon, puffed up with false pride, the men began to devise ways to use the women and the animals and the plants without respect for their power, without respect for their sacredness. The men began to believe that their view of the world was the only view of the world. From one side of the Earth to the other, they abused the women and the plants and the animals. They used them without regard and kept them locked away. They ignored the cries of pain. They came to believe that women and plants and animals actually enjoyed being hurt. They confused some women so terribly that these women began to believe that they actually were dirty and in need of punishment. They tortured so many women that the wisdom of the women seemed to be the lie, and the lies of the men took on the trappings of truth. But the Great Mother lives in every woman. In every place and every time, the Great Mother shows herself in the form of every living woman. "Eat me." she whispers in the dreams of the woman. And the woman throws off the bed covers and walks barefoot into the moonlit night. She is yearning. She feels a deep stirring in her belly. She looks at the moon and she fancies that she hears the moon speaking to her. "You are sacred. You are the beginning and the end of all existence. I am you and you are me. Keep
sacred the days of your bleeding and I will share with you the wisdom of the plants and the animals and the very Earth." Can she believe it is true? Dare she believe the truth of the words she seems to hear? All her life she has been told that she is not pretty enough, not smart enough, not strong enough. Everything seems to tell her that she is too round, too emotional, too sensitive. And not sacred, in fact, the complete opposite of sacred. All the days of her life she has heard the stories of the wonders of man, the creator. She has heard it so often that it has the sound of truth: God is a man. God is all-powerful, so men are allpowerful (and women are weak). God is clean, so men are clean (and women are dirty). God is pure, so men are pure (and women are filth). God never bleeds from between his legs and men never bleed from between their legs (so the flowing blood of women is a sickness, a curse, a punishment). How can she believe that her blood is sacred? How can she allow herself to feel pleasure, to name it good, to name it holy? How can she dare to believe that she is the Goddess? Yes, the Goddess! The Goddess who is alive in every woman, in every place, in every time. The Goddess who whispers in our dreams. The Goddess who smiles in our lives. The Goddess who stirs the blood in our bellies. The Goddess who knows that every woman is wise and powerful and sacred. The Goddess who calls to us: "Keep the days of your bleeding sacred. Remember that your blood is the blood of life, the blood of peace. Feed me your blood, your moon-time blood, oh my daughter, my lover. Feed me, for I hunger and I thirst for you. "Return to me. Return to yourself. Remember yourself. Remember me. I am the Great Mother. I am the Goddess. I am the Wise Woman. Listen to my words. Listen to my song. I am in you, thus I can never be lost. My story is your story. And it is the true story of birth and life and death. Eat me. Feed me. You are woman and so am I. Through me, you exist; through you, I exist. We are the ones who create. We are the ones who nourish. We are the ones who open the gates between the worlds. We are the ones who must reclaim ourselves, who must reweave ourselves. "Oh sister, dear sister, the threads are thin, the song is faint. Tell me it is not too late. Tell me that you hear me. Tell me that you believe me. Tell me that the Goddess has returned. Tell me you are listening to the plants and the animals and your own deep knowing. Tell me you are looking past the slick, simple lies and into the messy, complex truth. Tell me that you feel the red blood stirring in your belly. "Tell me it is not too late. Tell me the sisters are awakening. Tell me the moonlodge is rebuilt. Tell me that the words of White Buffalo Calf Woman were not in vain. Tell me that Kwan Yin's heart is not breaking. Tell me that Venus is safe. Tell me that Artemis roams free in the woods. Tell me that Lilith is welcome at your table. Tell me that you remember that pleasure is holy to me. Tell me that you refuse to believe that you delight in pain. "Tell me that you feel me reaching out to you from the deep core of your being, from time out of mind. Tell me that you feel me waking up inside you, waking you up to your beauty and your power. Tell me that you are reclaiming your truth and turning a deaf ear to the lies. Tell me that you remember that you are the Goddess. Tell me that you remember that you and I are the same. Tell me you keep sacred the days of your bleeding. Tell me you honor your crones.
"I have been with you since the beginning, and I will be with you at the end. I am part of you and you are part of me. Allow me to love you. Allow me to honor you. Allow me to return." ďƒ“Susun S. Weed PO Box 64, Woodstock, NY 12498 Fax: 1-845-246-8081 Vibrant, passionate, and involved, Susun Weed has garnered an international reputation for her groundbreaking lectures, teachings, and writings on health and nutrition. She challenges conventional medical approaches with humor, insight, and her vast encyclopedic knowledge of herbal medicine. Unabashedly pro-woman, her animated and enthusiastic lectures are engaging and often profoundly provocative. Susun is one of America's best-known authorities on herbal medicine and natural approaches to women's health. Her four best-selling books are recommended by expert herbalists and well-known physicians and are used and cherished by millions of women around the world. Learn more at www.susunweed.com
Susun Weed’s books include: Wise Woman Herbal for the Childbearing Year
Author: Susun S. Weed. Simple, safe remedies for pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and newborns. Includes herbs for fertility and birth control. Foreword by Jeannine Parvati Baker. 196 pages, index, illustrations.
Healing Wise
Author: Susun S. Weed. Superb herbal in the feminine-intuitive mode. Complete instructions for using common plants for food, beauty, medicine, and longevity. Introduction by Jean Houston. 312 pages, index, illustrations.
Menopausal Years the Wise Woman Way Author: Susun S. Weed. The best book on menopause is now better. Completely revised with 100 new pages. All the remedies women know and trust plus hundreds of new ones. New sections on thyroid health, fibromyalgia, hairy problems, male menopause, and herbs for women taking hormones. Recommended by Susan Love MD and Christiane Northrup MD. Foreword by Juliette de Bairacli Levy. 304 pages, index, illustrations. For more info on menopause, visit: www.menopause-metamorphosis.com Breast Cancer? Breast Health!
Author: Susun S. Weed. Foods, exercises, and attitudes to keep your breasts healthy. Supportive complimentary medicines to ease side-effects of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or tamoxifen. Foreword by Christiane Northrup, M.D. 380 pages, index, illustrations.
Food Magic is a woman honoring series of social cooking projects which can be done by women and men alike, but harkens back to a time when women came together socially to prepare meals and enjoy a spiritual connection to the divine while creating nourishment and healing concoctions. Since this is woman honoring, we focus on the divine Goddess as existed in Matriarchal times as influencing the magical intent behind what we cook and why. It's the creation and enjoyment of food with a higher purpose! Food Magic is also a coming together of the magical properties of all the ingredients with the herbal healing properties, and a blessing for each recipe from Z Budapest. We make all the recipes from scratch and the ingredients are from scratch as well. For example, if a recipe calls for ketchup, we will be making that from scratch instead of just buying a bottle of ketchup. We do this because we want you to know exactly what's in your food and how it affects you magically and healthfully. Plus, when women come together to make all their own all natural food, it is life-affirming. Culturally we women need time to nurture ourselves and each other ... and what better way to share that experience than through Food Magic! Food Magic and Natural Herbal Healing just go together and we think you'll have A LOT OF FUN and GOOD TIMES together with our creative and easy to do group projects. Learn more….
We’re offering a Goddess Festival special pre-sale of Food Magic Kit One with a beautiful embroidered apron (like the one Z’s wearing) for $49.99 plus shipping/handling (Normally $59.99 ) from July 1- Sept 12. Get yours now!
Tryst – Handfasting Commitment Ceremonies Z is back sisters! And she’s available to officiate your Trysting wedding ceremonies again! The most popular pagan Goddess wedding ceremony was created by Z Budapest in The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries where Z coined the term Tryst Ritual as an expressly feminine marriage ceremony and rite of passage that can be used for heterosexual couples as well as same sex couples. Z Budapest has been conducting Pagan marriage rituals for over 40 years as a celebrated High Priestess within the Dianic Tradition, which she founded. Z is available to officiate your handfasting ceremony as well. Whether it's a civil union or a licensed marriage certificate, Z is able to offer you her services as clergy. She has legal standings through the Women's Spirituality Forum, an IRS 501(c)3 non-profit in the state of California; making your clergy fees tax deductible. You can learn more about Z’s Trysting Ritual and schedule your wedding ceremony with her in 2010!
CHANGING WOMAN The Woman Who Changes from infant to girl to mother to crone and finally is reborn by merging with the infant at the horizon is a prominent dea-ty in Navajo, Apache, Hopi, Algonquin and Choctaw cultures. She is the personification of Earth and the Natural Order of the Earth and by extrapolation, the Universe. This is Her sacred story. Changing Woman was born from a sacred medicine bundle planned by First Man and First Woman. She grew from infancy to puberty in four days. She had the first menarche ceremony, which was presided over by Talking God. In Her ceremony, called the Sunrise Ceremony by modern day Apaches, She was dressed in indigenous jewels: white shells, turquoise, abalone shell and jet, all items treasured by an even more ancient culture than the Apache and Navajo. Changing Woman was also covered in the “pollen� of various jewels and soft fabrics symbolizing Her control over these. Her hair was bathed in the dews of plants. She was instructed to run toward the Dawn as far as She could see and then return. She repeated this for 4 days and nights. In the day when She was not involved in the ceremonies, She dreamed the future of the Earth. By the end of the ceremony, She had made millstones, a whisk broom, pots and stirring implements. The songs that were sung for Changing Woman as She ran are sung today for young women at their own first blood ceremonies. Changing Woman mated with the Sun by the magic of dripping water and in nine days, gave birth to Her two sons, Monster Slayer and Born For Water. These twins also grew in four day increments and by the twelfth day were fully adult males. Changing Woman went to the Talking God and asked for the medicine bundle from which She came, and it was given to Her. She thereby embodied all Her own power. She lived in a home at the base of a mountain where She created and carried out the first marriage ceremony - the mating of the Corn. She also created and taught the Blessingway ceremony to her people, though at that time there existed only gods. Her sons built for Her a beautiful home on the Pacific Ocean and She went there to be closer to the Sun, their father. (It is possible that this story reflects a time when the Apache and Navajo became more patriarchal.) Finally, Changing Woman grew lonely out there on the ocean and She created the People from Her own skin. She rubbed various parts of Her body to rub off skin and from this, She created four pairs of humans, who are ancestors of all the Navajo. When She becomes old, She walks toward the rising sun in the East and as She merges with it, She becomes a baby again. This happens every four years.
According to the sacred stories, Changing Woman is the Goddess created at the beginning of the 4th world, the Present. She gave to Her people corn and taught them to cultivate it. She brought them animals. She gave them sacred rituals which they needed to live out the values of the People, as She taught them. As in all the emergence/creation stories, the creative power of the Universe is Feminine. In the Apache stories, She is White-Painted Woman. She is goddess of the moon and its cycles and thereby of the cycles of women. Before the advent of incandescent lighting, all women’s blood cycles ebbed and flowed with the phases of the moon. Changing Woman is the Goddess of the eternal cycle of birth, growth, aging, and death/rebirth. Changing Woman’s stories and veneration may have their roots in earlier cultures in North America. Advanced civilizations existed in North America prior to Columbus “discovering” the area - as if it was pristine wilderness. It was not. There were centuries, evidence of thousands of years, of earlier culture, civilization, cities, and rich religious practice beginning between 2200 and 1500 years ago in the northeast, around the Great Lakes Erie and Superior, and dotted throughout the land on either side of the Mississippi River, and easterly all the way to Georgia. The earliest culture has been dubbed Hopewell, after the name of a farmer who had a great deal of artifacts and burial mounds on his land. The Hopewell were uniquely peaceful people, farming people who cultivated local and wild foods. They were likely a matrilineal culture whose prestige and land were handed down through the mother of the family unit. Because of the extraordinary beauty of their art and their craftwork, it is clear that they made Odyssean journeys to Yellowstone for obsidian, the Carolinas for mica and Florida for shells, the Great Lakes for copper. Their carvings were, by no standard, primitive. This Hopewell civilization seemed to be a precursor of the Cahokia culture and the Mississippian culture. Retrospectively, all these cultures came to be called The Mound Builders because of the huge human-made earthworks (mounds) they created for ritual purposes, for burials, for the elevation of buildings, for protection. Some elaborate ones were made in the shape of animals sacred to them - eagle, hawk, serpent. It is not known whether these peoples spoke different languages, were one or a group of tribes or clans, woven together in a web of trade and commerce (as they were a bartering society), or is it clear just what the relationship was from one culture to the next. However, it is clear that they shared ceremonial expressions in common. It is possible, probable, that their spiritual beliefs and stories stretched far from North to South and evolved into the cultures that we know as Native American tribes still existing today. The figures that were clearly revered and repeated over and over again were Hawk, Eagle, Serpent, Feathered Serpent, Spider, the Egg, the 4 Directions. The Open Hand is a prominent decorative motif; it is easy to imagine that could symbolize the hand of Deity. And they believed in and revered ‘Woman-
Who-Never-Died‘. Changing Woman is the Sacred Woman who never dies but is cyclically and eternally reborn. Apache girls today go through the revival of the Sunrise Ceremony, sometimes in a group together, sometimes alone. They provide support for each other as they go through it, as it is a test of endurance, their ability to maintain a positive disposition through it, and it is thought that this ceremony brings out in each girl who has known her first blood the disposition she will have for the rest of her life. Many Apache women say that their self-esteem skyrocketed as a result of this transformational ceremony. For four days, to the ancient songs of the medicine man, they are first coated in a mixture of cornmeal, pollen and clay (which they do not remove for the duration), dance for hours at a time, pray, reenact the story of White-Painted Woman, run to the four directions, run to the sunrise each morning, bless their people, give their people gifts, and finally perform ‘healing’ from their hands to anyone who wants it. It is believed that these maidens are at a point of great power at the culmination of their ceremony and first blood. In this way Changing Woman still lives through Her people, Her sacred daughters becoming women. She is in the cellular memory of all the indigenous peoples and tribes who know Her. And there is no woman alive who cannot relate to Her as She changes through the stages of life, blesses her people and keeps the ceremonies and rituals, dies and is reborn, as we all will be, and as happens everyday of every year all around us on this Earth. Apache say, “Changing Woman never died and She will always Live.” It is so.
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Demeter-Ceres, First Mother of Grain by artist Rosmarinus Urania (WyrdMagick.com)
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Goddess Festival 2010
Healing Harvest It is that time of year again, Lammas, approaches! The weather is still hot and while our bodies may hesitate to fire up the hearth to celebrate with a loaf of bread to celebrate the bounty Mother Nature has provided perhaps I can convince you to try some of her fruit offerings. The pear trees are heavy with fruit. Pear and Strawberry Conserves anyone? The apple trees bend to the ground laden with tasty apples that have the very symbol of the Goddess, the Pentacle, as their center. Fresh apples! Yum! If you need comfort food slice the apples and apply a little cinnamon, sugar, and butter and bake until tender. Cinnamon not only attracts Love but it also carries antiseptic properties! The humble blackberry offers many antioxidants to nourish and help detox our bodies. Celebrate with a nice glass of Blackberry wine or perhaps a nice Blackberry Cobbler if you need comfort food. I share the following recipes to provide not just tasty treats but nourishment for the body and the spirit. Our bodies thrive on the gifts of the Goddess and as a result our spirit jumps up and down like a child playing in a sprinkler on a hot day. Be sure to thank the Goddess by leaving offerings of honey at the site you collect your fruits from. Enjoy and Goddess Bless and Nourish YOU!!
Blackberry Cobbler Mix together 3 cups of fresh blackberries and 3/4 cup of sugar and set aside. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut 1 stick of butter into a 2&1/2 or 3 quart baking dish and let melt in the oven. Stir a batter together of 1/2 cup sugar, a pinch of salt, 3/4 cup self rising flour and 3/4 cup of milk. DO NOT STIR but pour onto the top of the melted butter in the baking dish. Pour blackberries on top of the batter. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. The batter will rise from the bottom to form a delicious crust.
Pear and Strawberry Conserves Cook 5 cups of sliced strawberries, 2&1/2 cups sliced pears, and 6 Tablespoons of lemon juice over low heat until softened. Stir in 8 cups of sugar and 1 cup of peach brandy. Once sugar is dissolved bring to a boil. While you are doing this fill a large pot with water and 3 pint jars or 6 half pint jars and bring to a boil. Be sure to place the lids and seals in the water but not on the jars. Remove jars with tongs one at a time and fill up to about a half of an inch from the top with the fruit mixture and place lid and seal on and set back in the boiling water. Allow filled jars to remain in the boiling water for about 10 to 15 minutes then turn off the heat and leave in there until completely cool. During this process you will hear the jar lids pop as a seal is formed. This is normal. These goodies will be good for about a year if unopened. Once opened refrigerate. This is excellent served on toast or spooned over vanilla ice cream.
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After more than thirty years in circulation, The Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries is still a ground-breaking book in the forefront of women’s spirituality.
Get your own copy of Z’s out of print books and DVDs at the Women’s Spirituality Forum online store.
You can get autographed copies of Z's books here! Vicki Scotti, LuAnn Morris, and Amy Otero are
Hecate’s Wheel an acoustic folk trio. Their music is inspired by, and dedicated to the Goddess in all her guises. They sing an eclectic variety of cover songs and original music.
Hecate’s Wheel has been playing and singing together for several years and their voices have found a natural harmonious blend. We VERY much enjoyed their Beltaine concert!
Recovering & Reclaiming: SUMMER MUSINGS The Mother aspect of the great Goddess is the essence of Creation, Life and Power and I feel her now, very deeply, as we bask in the fullness of summer. Everything around us speaks of the magnificence and fullness of Her creation! Her beauty is displayed in an array of glorious color and sound, solar heat, blue skies, cooling night winds, thick branches of green and luscious gardens as her creatures scurry about in radiant sunlight, joyfully partaking in her life-giving substances. In the Summertime the hearty juices of the Goddess seem to flow like an endless river of increasing nourishment and vitality. Her heart beats like a rhythmic drum under our feet and my heart beats with gratitude as I envision her blessed womb pulsating with the Life that feeds us all, especially at Lammas, when her bounty is full. Our sacred Mother is the Earth and much more. She is Nature and everything in it, and because of her we live! It's just that simple. Many have forgotten her but I feel she is patiently waiting for Her children to return to her ways and that's why it is so important to pass on this wisdom to the women I work with in recovery. Since we've been Her creatures from the beginning, talking about her freely can only add to our growing awareness, shift in consciousness and awakening of humanity that is so necessary in today's dysfunctional world. I am still outraged at the enormous harm we do to the Earth because of our unconsciousness. Many are still asleep and frankly I am sick of it. We pollute our air, waters and earth with toxic waste and so-called modern practices while we continue creating our own destruction by destroying our Source of Life! How stupid can we be? Not only that, we treat Her, ourselves, and most of her creatures in the most abusive ways possible and we keep doing it!
If we can't seem to recognize this basic Truth and respect our source of Life and Power, how in the hell do we expect to live happy, joyous and free lives? If we are not respecting Her Laws or aligning ourselves with the cycles that govern our lives how can we live in balance and harmony? If we keep poisoning our environment, how can we stay healthy? If we don't see ourselves in her image and likeness, how could we possibly understand our own value and magic as women? Do we think that our lives will thrive by some twist of fate, rather than changing our actions to create different consequences? Do we really
assume that we, or anyone else for that matter, will be treated any differently if we continually abuse our Mother? I'm afraid not! Mother Nature is our greatest teacher, and coming to know the Goddess as Mother and source of Life can be one of the most healing and freeing experiences for women, especially when we see ourselves mirrored in Her waxing and waning seasons. It changes our perception of ourselves and deepens our awareness because she is a living reflection of how we function, a microcosmic mirror of our authentic self, always teaching us the greater mysteries and how to live in harmony within the great web of life. In the recovery process, witnessing women who are reclaiming the Goddess is a beautiful thing but sometimes, in a woman's healing process, it can bring up rage, sadness and guilt, especially when we see that our blind devotion to dysfunctional systems of Patriarchy in the past has caused a great deal of harm to ourselves and others. It can be devastating at first, but believe me, we all get over it!
I love watching sisters wake up. I love when they attend circle rituals or begin educating themselves about our Dianic Traditions because enlightenment means breaking though our denial. We do grieve at times, especially when we realize we can't undo the harm already done, that damage to ourselves or others could have been prevented if we knew the truth about ourselves all along, but that's normal. We do get through it and become wiser channels in the process. It's still very frustrating to watch women in recovery programs, especially when they don't know about Women's Spirituality. Many still bow unconsciously to patriarchal systems that cause them a great deal of harm and many still think they can wrest satisfaction out of the Patriarchal world if they just shape up and fly right. It doesn't happen, pf course, but I certainly understand because I've been there, and I'm learning to have compassion, especially since it took an act of divine intervention to pull my head out of my butt many years ago.
I've mentored many women in recovery through the years and heard many stories like my own, some worse, some better, and a thread of similarity runs through them all. We unconsciously turned ourselves into victims of self hatred and abuse by giving our power to patriarchal religions or social systems and ended up sick and dysfunctional as a result, but what truly amazes me is the incredible strength women have when they make a commitment to reclaim their authenticy as daughters of the goddess, because remarkable transformations occur when we do.
I am very proud of the women in my Circle. They have come through some pretty devastating things in Patriarchay but their remarkable stories and courage has made them great assets to humanity. These women had no idea they were Goddesses in disguise when they first embraced recovery but they found out, and this makes my work very gratifying to say the least. Some sisters also come through incredible healing processes kicking and screaming, because recovery isn't easy... but today they are beautiful examples of the Feminine Spirit and making an incredible difference in the world. As recovering women it is crucial to find a spiritual path that fits for us because old habits are not easy to relinquish unless there are new ways to replace them, so Women's Spirituality is a necessity in recovery. How can we recover as women if we are still playing victim, not honoring our own mysteries or still allowing ourselves to be subjected to systems that keep us disconnected from reality? How can we be authentic if we're still trying to fit ourselves into patriarchal mindsets that separate us from Spirit and Nature, or define our spirituality with patriarchal religious images? Why not try something that connects us on a more appropriate level? How can we expect to live in a genuine way if we're still programming ourselves with lies and acting from belief systems that do not mirror our sacredness, wholeness or true value as women? In my experience, we canยนt! Recovery is reclaiming our authentic selves and some women in recovery stay in the same old religious systems of oppression and wonder why they feel depressed all the time! Helloooooo! Some are drama
junkies. They love to whine about their lives but are too fearful to empower themselves when something new is offered. Some continually claim powerlessness and make it OK by saying we must accept the things we cannot change. I used to do this, but it's a sorry excuse when it's just as easy to use our wasted energy taking responsibility. The Serenity Prayer, used in most recovery programs, says we also need the courage to change the things we can... so maybe we should focus a little more on that instead of wallowing in our pain wondering when our lives are going to get better! If something is unacceptable in our lives, doesn't it make sense to stop doing it altogether? Patriarchy has defined our roles for us long enough, and most of us blindly followed, creating a nation of Co-Dependents and neurotics in the process! Allowing this to continue, however, keeps reinforcing our denial, and we just don't have to live that way anymore if we don't want to. The Mother Goddess is the Creatrix of life in all forms! We can follow her example and create wonderful things in our world as well. As recovering & reclaiming women we have a responsibility to be true to ourselves and bring balance back to our lives and when we do it affects the world. Being spiritual is also being political, because our beliefs define our social system. They work hand in hand. We can use our incredible power as co-creatresses and mothers and healers to create new and harmonious ways of being by doing what we love and loving what we do. We can express our individual talents in numerous ways and still get the job done while be loving examples to future generations. We don't have to sell ourselves short any longer. When I look at Earth Mother's creations, I see beauty, creativity, synchronicity, splendor, abundance, balance, power and we can express these same qualities in our lives as her Co-Creatresses by mirroring Mother's image back to the world. We certainly have plenty of role models to light the way. The women's movement in the last several decades has successfully helped us redefine ourselves in ways that are more appropriate to our natures, and I know many sisters holding great positions in the world today that are making incredible differences in the lives of humanity everywhere. I personally have a lot of gratitude for the courage and hard work that sisters in the Dianic community have put forth to bend and shape conscious reality, and I have been motivated to do my part because of it. It is really an honor to have so many powerful women in my life, because they bring such inspiration to my soul. Reclaiming images of the Goddess in recovery has been my forte because I feel these mythic images are rooted within and sit at the core of our belief system, and whatever we believe in, we serve. I love to embrace spiritual metaphors that are woman honoring, enhancing, and appropriately suited to our natures, because when we do, we cherish ourselves more deeply... and the only worthwhile thing we can do is be true to ourselves... no matter what. As we bask in this wonderful summer season and approach Lammas, let's continue being grateful while sharing our gifts with the world, just like the Mother Goddess gives to us all. In this way life prospers with plenty for everyone... and her bounty is full. Let's remember: When Women Heal, Earth Heals! Blessed Be.
Goddess Festival 2010
TO THEE I SING When fragrant colored flowers bloom with beauty from your sacred womb I'll paint some rainbows in the sky as fairies trail your sweet perfume... When rivers flow in rhythmic rhyme 'round leaves of green or twisted vines I'll fill my cup of blessings full as children play and lovers twine... When grains pour forth in summer glee and milk & honey spring from thee I'll fill my bowl of with juicy fruit and bounty from your swaying trees.... When starlight glows in blackened skies and drops of moonbeam kiss my eyes I'll howl to the beat of trancing drums while swirling sparks from fires rise... When sunlight warms my sacred space or moonlight glows upon my face I'll make a shrine with crystal stones reflecting all your radiant grace... Oh Goddess... it's to thee I sing I give you thanks for every thing for sensual magic wild and free and joyful pleasures that you bring... In gratitude for all Iยนve known, For lessons learned, for places roamed, for freedom songs of heart and soul I dance the Earth, my sacred home....
UPCOMING DIANIC EVENTS Pagan Examiner – Read the articles written by Bobbie and myself. Z’s Calendar of Events – Want to know where I am appearing? Goddess Festival 2010 – You think the last was good? Goddess is Alive! Tarot Social - A joyful coming-together of the Women’s Tarot community ... a Revival of the 70’s TRAVELING MAGIC SHOW by a FOREMOTHER of GODDESS SPIRITUALITY, The QUEEN of TAROT READINGS, and the woman responsible for LEGALIZING TAROT in California … Z Budapest.
Z Budapest is conducting a Tarot Social at her home in Oakland, CA on Aug. 21st and in Southern CA in a lovely private home on Oct. 16th. For more information and registration go to TarotSocial.com.
The Dianic University for Women in Goddess Study the Dianic Tradition with Z Budapest, the woman who rebirthed it into modern culture. Classes at the Dianic University are designed for women only. Sisterhood of the Moon ~ Women’s Spirituality Coven in the Z Budapest Dianic Tradition Events in the Sisterhood of the Moon are for women-born-women only. Located in Hayward, CA. You must contact Jesamyn Angelica for more information. Many of the members of this group are also members of the Susan B. Anthony Coven No.1. Facebook.page.
Hands of Demeter ~ Women’s Spirituality Coven in the Z Budapest Dianic Tradition Events in the Hands of Demeter are for women-born-women only. Located in Semi Valley, CA. You must contact http://earthmothercovenant.com for more information. Many of the members of this group are also members of the Susan B. Anthony Coven No.1. Facebook page.
The Sacred Circle ~ Recovering & Reclaiming Ancient Ways to Heal Events in The Sacred Circle are for members only, unless otherwise stated. Call JoAnna 775-882-1599 for membership inquiries.
Sisterhood of the Turning Tides ~ Women’s Spirituality Coven in the Z Budapest Dianic Tradition They meet on Esbats and Sabbats and have a Tuesday night drum/ritual circle. Located in Mendocino, CA. You must contact Sage Simon for more information. Many of the members of this group are also members of the Susan B. Anthony Coven No.1. Facebook.page. Are you looking for other Dianic women in your area or do you have a Dianic group/starting a Dianic group and want to connect with others? Go to the Dianic University online and join; it’s totally free! Then go to the area called Global Goddess Dianic Groups to share your information with other women.
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The Application for Dianic Clergy Priestess is online Follow the Goddess Festival on Facebook! And Twitter! A WOMEN’S RITUAL RETREAT IN CRETE: A JOURNEY TO THE GODDESS. MAY 23-JUNE 5TH, 2011 Facilitated by Ruth Barrett and Catherine Ridder. We are just beginning to organize our fourth ritual retreat to Crete! Space is limited to 13 women on a first-come basis. If you are interested in hearing more information about this incredible trip, contact Catherine Ridder at 626-793-7520, or email: caridder2@netzero.com
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Goddess Resource Links Z Budapest Website Dianic Wicca University Online Goddess Blog – Sponsored by the Susan B. Anthony Coven Z Budapest Blog Goddess Festival Susan B. Anthony Coven Dianic Wicca Tarot Social Witch Trial – the last great witch trial in America
Z's Events Schedule Z's University Calendar
Z's Books Summoning the Fates Holy Book of Women's Mysteries Celestial Wisdom Grandmother of Time Grandmother Moon Goddess in the Office Goddess in the Bedroom
Goddess Festival 2010
CREDITS Goddess magazine layout and editing by Bobbie Grennier Photography by Sharon McCarthy, Bobbie Grennier Photoshop art by Bobbie Grennier Articles by the Susan B. Anthony Coven Number One and contributors as noted Foremother of the Women’s Spirituality Movement … Zsuzsanna Budapest Goddess magazine information page – donations, ads and contribution information can be found here. Thank you sisters who have donated $1 a month to help support our Goddess efforts! You can sponsor Goddess magazine too! Click here to help….