Today's Goddess: Nokomis
Gold Rush Day (California)

Themes: Prosperity; Luck; Providence
Symbols: Golden Items; Corn

About Nokomis: In Algonquin tradition, Nokomis is the "grandmother" who supplies us with the earth's riches and gives nourishment to humankind in times of need. When people are hungry, Nokomis provides food. When there is no food to be found, she offers to let us consume her spirit, thereby continuing the cycle of life.

To Do Today: Today marks the anniversary of the discovery of gold in California and the resulting expansion westward in the United States. In keeping with this prosperous, fortunate theme, wear or carry something gold today to bring a little more of Nokomis's abundance your way.

For financial improvements, especially if you have any pressing bills, eat corn (any type) today. Before consuming it pray to Nokomis, saying:

Grandmother, see the sincerity of my need. Go to
your storehouse and dispense ___(fill in the
minimum amount you need to get by) so that I
might meet my obligations.

Eating corn internalizes the energy of the prayer so opportunities to make money start manifesting.

If you're pressed for time, grab a kernal of unpopped popcorn and put it in your wallet or purse to keep Nokomis's prosperity (and your cash) where it's needed most.

From "365 Goddess" by Patricia Telesco

Today's Goddess: Mother of Ten Thousand Things
Vietnamese New Year

Theme: Luck
Symbol: Any Lucky Totem

About the Mother: This Goddess represents the unknowable and uncontrollable things we face daily. In Indo-Chinese tradition, she is part of the Universe's ebb and flow, ever changing and ever the same. Turn to her when you feel as if ten thousand things in your life were up in the air.

To Do Today: Take out any item that you associate with good fortune. Name it after the one area in your life in which you need more luck (naming something designates its purpose and powers). Hold the token up to the night sky (symbolic of the Universe's vastness), saying:

"Mother, see this symbol of my need,. Empower it with your fortunate influence to fill my year with ____(fill in with the name of your token.)”

Carry this with you as often as possible to manifest that energy in your life.

In Vietnam, this holiday, known as Tet, is filled with ceremonies for luck over several days, including an offering to the goddess and ancestors to give good fortune a boost. Eating rice today invokes the spirit of prosperity. Or you can try a traditional divinatory activity today instead. Make a note of the name of the first person you meet today. If the name has an auspicious meaning, (check a baby-name book), your meeting presages a wonderful year filled with the Mother's serendipity.

From "365 Goddess" by Patricia Telesco

"We will not live on earth or in our physical body for all eternity. That is why, in our psychic, spiritual life we must never be defeated by material conditions but must always find a way for the spirit to triumph. Matter, with all the difficulties it presents, has been given to us as a stimulus for the spirit, and by 'matter' we must understand not only the physical body but equally our psychic world, which is also a type of matter; it may be less opaque than the matter of the physical world, but it is matter all the same. So, you must no longer say, 'I can't do anything; look at all these obstacles stopping me!' You think that stating this fact proves you're right, for 'that's how things are', but there are other facts you have overlooked. You give in to a material, objective reality. But if you know how to act, another reality, which is every bit as real, will have the last word: divine Reality. "

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

"Alchemists have described the preparation of the philosopher's stone as 'woman's work and child's play'. We must understand that this refers to very specific play and work, relating to the role and vocation of the masculine and feminine principles. The true task of woman is one that man is incapable of performing: to carry her child in the womb and bring it into the world. Whereas 'child's play' is the domain of man: his role is 'to play' so that the woman is given this seed to carry and bring to maturity.

So those who wish to fathom the secret of the philosopher's stone must understand the elements and processes that are set in motion when a man and woman conceive a child, and then, once the child is conceived, they must understand how it is formed in its mother's womb. The preparation of the philosopher's stone obeys the same laws as conception and gestation, because the same laws govern the different kingdoms of creation."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

"Why is it so difficult for humans to live together? It is because they have absolutely no consideration for each other, no respect. That is why the collective life is a wonderful opportunity to develop and expand one's consciousness. Those who live a solitary life can be selfish and capricious; there is no one for whom they have to make the effort to monitor and improve their behavior. But once they start dealing with others, what an effort they have to make!

The proof of a human being's evolution is how conscious they are of belonging to a whole, much greater than themselves, whose harmony they are careful not to disturb by their activity, thoughts, feelings and inner noise. You will ask, 'What do you mean by inner noise?' Yes, all noise is the result of dissonance, and the noise we make inwardly, with our feelings, our trauma and rebellion, troubles the psychic atmosphere. Those who make this noise do not know they are also hurting themselves, for one day this noise will appear within them in the form of psychic disturbances or even physical illness."

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

"The few minutes of prayer and meditation we have before meals
create the conditions needed for eating to become a sacred act. So, why are even Christians gradually losing this habit? But, whether or not you are a Christian, try to understand that it is important to meditate for a moment before you eat, so as to be fully conscious of the importance of the gestures you are about to make and to be in control of them throughout the meal. Control of our gestures is one of the conditions for the control of our thoughts and feelings. So, before each meal, remain silent for a few seconds; immerse yourself in the awareness of how important, even indispensable, to life this act of eating is. Be respectful of your food, and your gestures will be imbued with a suppleness, a harmony, a gentleness and an extraordinary love that will reflect on you. And then with what ease you will carry out your everyday tasks!"

Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Attitude Follows Perspective
Shifting The Mood

We all have days when we are faced with chores, errands, or responsibilities that we don’t want to do. At times like these, it’s easy to get into a bad mood and stay in one as we tackle these tasks. However, given the fact that our bad mood will not change the fact that we have to do these things, and will most likely make things worse, we could also try to shift our attitude. Many wise people have pointed out that it is not so much what we do as it is how we do it that makes the difference in our lives.

It's important when we're facing something that's really hard for us, whether it's doing taxes, paying bills, or visiting a challenging relative, that we lovingly support ourselves through the process. The more supported we feel, the easier it is to open our minds to the idea that we could change our way of looking at the situation. In truth, most of the chores we don't like doing are intimately intertwined with our blessings. When we remember this, we feel gratitude, which makes it hard to stay in a dark mood.

We can shift our attitude by considering how much we love our home as we clean it and how lucky we are to have a roof over our head. Any task can be transformed from a burden to a necessary aspect of caring for something we love. All we have to do is shift our perspective, and our attitude follows shortly behind.

From http://www.dailyom.com

Worth The Time
Meditating More When Our Plates Are Full

Ironically, when we get busy, the first thing that tends to get cut back is our meditation practice. We have less time and a lot on our plates, so it makes sense that this happens, but in the end it doesn’t really help us. Most of us know from experience that we function much better when we give ourselves time each day to sit in silence. And the more we have to do, the more we need that solitary, quiet time for the day ahead. As a result, while it may sound counterintuitive, it is during busy times that we most need to spend more time in meditation rather than less. By being quiet and listening to the universe, we will be given what we need to get through our day.

Expanding our morning meditation by just 10 minutes can make a big difference, as can the addition of short meditations into our daily schedule. The truth is, no matter how busy we are, unless we are in the midst of a crisis we always have five or 10 minutes to spare. The key is convincing ourselves that spending that time in meditation is the most fruitful choice. We could be getting our dishes done or heading into work earlier instead, so it’s important that we come to value the importance of meditation in the context of all the other things competing for attention in our lives. All we have to do to discover whether it works to meditate more when we are busy is to try it.

We can start by creating more time in the morning, either by getting up earlier or by preparing breakfast the night before and using the extra time for meditation. We can also add short meditation breaks into our schedule, from five minutes before or after lunch to a meditation at night before we go to sleep. When we come from a place of centered calm, we are more effective in handling our busy schedules and more able to keep it all in perspective. If more time in meditation means less time feeling anxious, panicky, and overwhelmed, then it’s certainly worth the extra time.

From http://www.dailyom.com

Opening to Understanding
Willingness To Feel

There are times when we may find ourselves struggling or even fighting with our thoughts and emotions. We may feel that something must be done in a certain way or not at all, or there may be some other situation that feels absolutely black and white. But life is not this way—it’s the way we are looking at our experiences that is causing the turmoil within us. When we become aware that the struggle we are having is with ourselves, we can turn our attention to the source in order to solve the problem, but we must be being willing to look where we need to and feel emotions that may make us uncomfortable at first. Then we can choose to really open ourselves to understanding all the options we can imagine. We are likely to discover that we are resisting something based on a limited understanding, and we must then open ourselves to willingness.

When we are willing to look at all the possibilities, we also become willing to accept that there is room for more than we can imagine. We can release ourselves from the grip we had on our emotions and stop limiting ourselves. We may have been unwilling to experience feeling loss, confusion, fear, or even joy for some reason or another, but when we realize that our understanding was limited we allow space for the universe to move in our lives.

Opening ourselves to willingness may feel like we are surrendering or abandoning all that we believed. But at the same time it is an act of power and courage because it is a conscious choice we make about how to apply our personal will. Being willing is to be in a state of willing something into creation. It is at once allowing ourselves to be while also choosing to direct our energy in a focused way. It is being and doing from a place of openness, where we can work with the universe rather than resist it. It is an open hand rather than one that is clenched into a fist. When we make a step toward willingness, we open ourselves to truth, possibility, and the movement of the wise universe in and through our lives.

From http://www.dailyom.com

Every Step Is Forward
No Going Back

There are times when we feel that we are spinning our wheels in the mud in terms of our spiritual progress. This can be especially true following a period of major growth in which we feel as if we’ve gained a lot of ground. In fact, this is the way growth goes—periods of intense forward movement give way to periods of what seems like stagnation. In those moments when we feel discouraged, it’s helpful to remember that we don’t ever really go backward. It may be that we are at a standstill because there is a new obstacle in our paths, or a new layer to get through, but the hard work we have done cannot be undone.

Every step on the path is meaningful, and even one that seems to take us backward is a forward step in the sense that it is what we must do to move to the next level. In addition, an intense growth spurt requires that we rest for a time in order to fully integrate the new energies that have been liberated by our hard work. When we feel we are not making progress, we can encourage ourselves to take a moment to rest. We can meditate more, feed ourselves well, and get extra sleep. Before we know it, we will be spurred on to work toward the next level of our development, and this rest will make sense then as something we needed in order to continue.

Once the sun rises, it doesn’t go backward but instead follows its path in one direction. It may appear to stand still for a moment in time, or to move more slowly at some point or another, but really it is steadily moving forward on its path. We are the same way, and once we have moved through something we can never really go back. We may be resting or revisiting issues that seem old, and it’s natural to feel stuck, but in truth we are always taking the next important step forward on our path.

From http://www.dailyom.com

Elder's Meditation

This is the time of awakening to the inner father and the inner mother. Without this we will receive no high initiation; instead we get initiated into darkness. That's because any investigation or revolution without God leads, not to freedom, but to more slavery." --Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU

Honor the Father and the Mother. Father stands for wisdom and Mother stands for feelings. Inside each of us is the Father and the Mother. If we do not honor both, we will not grow in balance. To honor both the Father and the Mother helps our masculine and feminine sides grow. The winter season is a good time to focus on this. This is our season of reflection. Honoring both sides allows us to see the Creator is both Father and Mother.

Great Spirit, Father Sky, Mother Earth, guide me today. Let me experience balance.

From http://www.whitebison.org

Elder's Meditation

"The first factor in the revolution of consciousness is the mystic death of the ego- the death of negative thinking, negative personalities. We must purify the soul of the inner enemies. Every time a defect manifests- envy, gluttony, anger, lust, whatever-that impulse to the heart. Ask, `Do I really need to invoke this?' And then honor the heart." --Willaru Huayta, QUECHAU NATION, PERU

Our egos have character defects. These character defects we sometimes act out and they invariably bring results to our lives that we might not want. If we continue to use these character defects, we will continue to have undesirable results in our lives. How do we change ourselves or get rid of a character defect We can go to the heart-ask a question, make a decision-then honor the heart. For example, say I get angry today. I would go to the heart and ask, would I rather be right or would I rather be happy? How we answer this question can have an enormous impact on how our day goes. Once we decide the answer to this question, we need to honor the heart by saying, "Thank you for the power of changing my thoughts. I choose to be happy and to experience peace of mind."

Great Spirit, today, let me teach only love and learn only love.

From http://www.whitebison.org

Elder's Meditation

"Our true enemies, as well as our true sources of strength, lie within." --Willaru Huayta, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

A long time ago, the Creator put inside the human being the secrets to the laws of life. We usually know this is true even though we may not know what these laws are. If something goes wrong with our lives, we usually fix the blame on something outside of ourselves. We tend to give up accountability. One way or another we say, "It's not my fault." We need to realize that all permanent and lasting change starts on the inside and works its way out. If it's meant to be, it is up to me.

Oh Great Spirit, let me realize fully that my problems are of my own making. Therefore, so are the solutions.

From http://www.whitebison.org

Elder's Meditation

Always listen to what the Elders say." --Dona Josefa Medrano, HUICHOL, SIERRA MADRE, MEXICO

In school we have been taught to go to the encyclopedia when we need information about certain subjects. From the time we are little, we have a natural tendency to seek out role models. When we need information about living we tend to seek out books about living. These maybe self help books. The world is full of information. For the Native people, we have our Elders. All races have Elders. Our lives will run much smoother when we listen to the Elders. They don't always tell us what we want to hear but they always tell us what we need to hear. The Elders have the ability to make the truth sweet.

Creator, thank You for the Elders. Help me this day to listen to them.

From http://www.whitebison.org

Walking Your Path
Living A Spiritual Life

Throughout the journey from birth to death, many people choose to question life, strive for improvement, seek out knowledge, and search for the divine. Simply put, this is the essence of spirituality. One's spiritual practice can take on many forms, because embracing the spiritual is a very personal pursuit. While many people do relate their spirituality to a God or Goddess, this quest for the divine, or oneness with the universe, always springs from within. It doesn't matter where you find your spiritual path. We are all fundamentally spiritual beings and the essence of that lies in knowing one's true self and finding a peace that comes from within rather than the outside world. It is in remembering this that we awaken to our personal path.

The spiritual path springs forth from a daily routine that reaffirms our personal connection with a purpose or a way of life. Practicing compassion, gratitude, appreciation, forgiveness, generosity, meditation, and taking care of one's wellbeing can all be a part of one's spiritual life. If you are new to exploring your personal spirituality, remember that this is a process. You may want to spend a few moments each day giving yourself a spiritual gift. Try a new form of meditation, visit a sanctuary, or explore a specific deity.

Accepting the importance of spirituality can be a healthy decision, because a spiritual practice tends to include habits that promote healthy living. Take the time to carefully determine the action, thought, and ritual that most speaks to your soul. Remember that your most profound spiritual experiences may also come from the simple intricacies that make up your life. See the interconnectedness of all things. As you explore your "inner work," you will be walking your spiritual path and feeling your oneness with the universe.

from http://www.dailyom.com

"The rituals prescribed by religions are only forms. These forms are, of course, useful but only to the extent that the believer is capable of bringing life to them, making them meaningful. The most important ritual for Christians is communion. But it is only beneficial for them to receive the host and wine if they have learnt to commune with the Creator in a greater, more profound way, through the simple acts of everyday life: eating, drinking, walking, breathing, looking, listening, sleeping, loving and working. Yes, it's true: when we breathe, when we sleep, when we contemplate nature, the mountains, the sea, the sun and the stars, we are able to live magnificent states of consciousness which are a form of communion. In fact, it is this communion which then gives meaning to Christian communion." --Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov

Elder's Meditation of the Day

"The most important thing now is to reveal the inner temple of the soul with right thinking and right activity." --Willaru Huayta, QUECHUA NATION, PERU

The key to growing a strong tree is to have a good system of roots and to feed the roots with good medicine. If we put poison in the root system, it will affect the tree, and it will become obvious to the rest of the forest what is being fed to the roots. This is also true of the human being. We need to feed our roots with right thinking. If our thinking is right, it will become obvious to the rest of the people. We don't need to tell people about ourselves with our mouth because our actions always tell them.

Great Spirit, direct my thinking today. Feed my roots

Today's Goddess: Oshun
Saint Agnes's Day (Various Locatios)

Themes: Divination; Love
Symbols: Flowing Water; Seashells; Amber Beads

About Oshun: Oshun is a beautiful, oracular Goddess of love. Generous and beneficent, she opens her eyes to let us peek into what the future holds for relationships. According to legends, Oshun didn't always know how to tell the future. She was taught by Obatala, one skilled in divination, in return for retrieving his stolen clothing from Elegba. But Elegba exacted his price too. Once Oshun learned to divine, she had to teach all the other orishas the fortune-telling secrets.

To Do Today: Traditionally, Saint Agnes's Day is spent divining information about love's path and relationships in the coming year. Following Oshun's example, make a fortune-telling tool from three shells, each of which has a "top" and "bottom." If shells aren't handy, use three coins. Think of a "yes" or "no" question related to love. Three tops (or heads) mean "yes." Two tops mean things are generally positive, but uncertain. One top indicates a "wait" or a negative response, and three bottoms is a definite "no." Put the shells under your pillow before you go to bed to dream of future loves. Or, to encourage Oshun's problem-solving skills in a relationship, carry a small piece of amber or wear a piece of amber-colored clothing when you meet your loved one to talk things over.

From "365 Goddess" by Patricia Telesco

The Goddess Companion

Earth, holy mother, source of nature,
you feed us while we live, you hold us when we die.
Everything comes from you, everything returns to you.
What else could we call you but Our Mother?
Even the gods call you that. Without you
there is nothing. Nothing can thrive, nothing can live
Without your power. Queen and Goddess, I invoke you:
you are all-powerful and my needs are so small.
Give me what I ask and in exchange, I will give you
my thanks, sincere and from my deepest heart.
~Roman Prayer To The Earth

Compared to the vastness of the earth, each one of us is tiny. Yet altogether the amount of life this planet supports is immense. The ability of this planet to produce enough food for its creatures is astonishing. Not only does Our Mother feed all her human children, but her plants produce seed and leaves in such great quantity that they feed the birds, the fish, the other mammals as well. Life on this green planet is supported by intricate interconnections. And we are the benficiaries of that great web of life.

How infrequently, however, do most of us today acknowledge this web that supports and sustains us? In many cultures, the first action each person took each morning was to bow in prayer to the sun and to the earth, expressing gratitude for the warmth and light that enlivens the planet, and the earth's plentiful food and water. How raely do we, today, follow such ancient practices? Henceforth, let us begin each day with grateful acknowledgement of our place in the planetary system.

From "The Goddess Companion" By Patricia Monaghan

You just reminded me of another "Bob"...

J.R. "Bob" Dobbs of Church of the SubGenius... http://www.subgenius.com/