The Story of the Great Goddess Cerridwen and the Birth of Taliesin, the Bard

Friday, and it's Storytime. Here is a famous tale, retold for the simple joy of telling a story "in one's own voice." Make yourself your special drink, snuggle into your favorite blanket and enjoy the tale...

THE STORY OF THE GREAT GODDESS CERRIDWEN

AND THE BIRTH OF TALIESIN, THE BARD

By Jessica North-O’Connell

            There was once, in a time that is not a time and a place that is not a place, a great Hall: and in this Hall in the middle of the island in the middle of a lake dwelt the most great and noble Lady, whose name is Cerridwen, she who is Keeper of the mighty Cauldron of the Deep, which is called Aven.

           

            Now it was that Cerridwen had two children: a daughter, Creirwy, the most beautiful girl in the world, and a son, Morvran, whose name means, “Black Raven,” or “Great Crow,” he who was also called Afaggdu by some, as unhandsome a lad as his sister was lovely.

            Cerridwen, so as to compensate Morvran for his unwholesome looks, decided to make for her son an elixir; an elixir of wisdom and knowledge, of poetry and cunning, of prophesy and magical power, so that her son might be the cleverest of all men, that his life might know some pleasure and joy. She gathered together the waters of prophesy and inspiration, and herbs and ocean foam, and at each proper lunar and planetary phase, she added these to the Cauldron Aven. Cerridwen sought out an old blind man to tend the flame beneath the Cauldron, and his assistant, a young boy who was known as Gwion Bach, to stir the graal, the magical contents of Aven. Nine women stood by the Cauldron, breathing upon its simmering contents for the prescribed period of a year and a day.

            Three drops were all that was required; three drops would bestow upon her son all the greatest gifts. As the time of completion drew near, Cerridwen placed her infant son Morvran beside the Cauldron, in readiness to receive his legacy. Then, exhausted by her long and faithful efforts, she went into the nearby woods to rest. There under the shelter of a great tree, she fell into a deep and wondrous sleep—for what else can be the Dreams of Goddesses?

The child Gwion Bach stirred and stirred the contents of the great Cauldron. Lost in a reverie, or perhaps lulled into a trance by the intoxicating vapors of the graal, he accidentally splashed three drops upon his own hand. Surprised by the pain caused by the burning liquid, and without thought, he thrust his wounded hand into his mouth to soothe it. Instantly he received the gifts intended for Morvran. Instantly the Cauldron split apart with a sound like thunder, spilling its now-poisonous remains upon the ground. Instantly Cerridwen awoke and realized what had transpired.

            With his newly-acquired abilities, Gwion Bach perceived that he was in extreme danger and so he began to run. Cerridwen chased him, a furiously-screaming hag, into the forest. But Gwion Bach now had magical powers and so changed himself into the shape of a hare. In response, Cerridwen changed herself into a black greyhound. Gwion the hare ran as hard and fast as he could with Cerridwen the black hound in close pursuit until he reached the water's edge. Just as she was about to snatch him up in her jaws, Gwion shifted his shape into that of a fish and swam away in the river. But Cerridwen shapeshifted herself into an otter and pursued until her nose rushed the fins of Gwion Bach’s fishtail. In terror, Gwion shifted into the shape of a bird and shot up into the sky, but Cerridwen became a hawk, strong and fast and fiercely intent upon her prey. Across the sky they flew, two birds racing the wind, one in fear, one in fury.

            From his vantage point high in the sky, Gwion Bach spied a pile of wheat kernels in a barnyard below. Barely escaping Cerridwen’s hawk talons, he disguised himself as the tiniest seed and dropped into the pile, thinking that he could hide himself therein. But Cerridwen shifted into the shape of a plump red hen, and setting herself down beside the pile, pecked away at the wheat until she had found the seed that was Gwion Bach. Cluck, cluck—she ate him up, thinking this to be his end. Cluck, cluck.

            But the tiny seed that was Gwion Bach sprouted and took root inside the body of the Lady and soon began to grow. Cerridwen swore that the day the babe was born would be the day he died. Nine months passed slowly and when the day of her travail arrived, she birthed the babe Gwion had become. The Lady looked upon his shining brow and beauteous face, and she relented. Instead of strangling him as she had planned, she put him inside a leather sack and threw him into the turbulent waters of a great river, two days before the first of May.

            It is said that Prince Elphin was upon the river at Samhain, the feast of the Dead, in the hope of catching a salmon for the evening meal, when he pulled into his boat a leather sack. Therein was the most beautiful child he had ever seen and he named the miraculous baby Taliesin, “shining brow,” he who was first and greatest of the cerrddorion, the poetic sons of the Great Lady Cerridwen.

           

I am Taliesin. I sing perfect metre,

Which will last to the end of the world.

Anon. 13th C., Welsh

The Crone: Light of the Sun, Dark of the Moon

The Crone: Light of the Sun, Dark of the Moon

            “The Crone...has gained control of the sacred fire...she keeps  the inner fire burning.” (1)

She is the Grandmother, the Healer, the Wisewoman; she has seen much and has done many things. Once she was revered for her experience and wisdom.  She is who all women aspire to and many women have the opportunity to become. Yet she is often ignored, abandoned and even despised by mainstream North American society, a legacy we have inherited from a misogynistic world view, relentlessly evolved over the last 5000 years.

The Crone is an archetype of the very ancient Solar Feminine expression, she who is the ‘eternal flame,’ she who is known as Great-Aunt Tiger of Korea, China, Siberia; Amaterasu of Japan; Hathor/Sekhmet of Egypt; Saule of the Baltic Sea region; Sunnu of the Northern European countries; Maidu of Southwestern America; Seqinek of the Inuit, and many other names; she who shines for all. She reminds us all that we each embody our own star as individuality, personal identity and “life purpose.” Our “lights” may become obscured but we cannot extinguish them.

Her icons and symbols include the mirror, the well, the wheel (or spinning wheel) the sacred tree of heaven, the tiger and the cave. Every time you look into a mirror and see your own reflection, it is a reverent prayer to her.

As guardian or purveyor of wisdom, the Goddess Sophia is her representative, the Divine Feminine of biblical, gnostic and the apocryphal philosophic traditions, the World Soul.

Also, she is the personification of memory, Mnemosyne, the first Muse of Greek mythology, perhaps simply because she has something to remember! Patriarchy under the guise of Apollo, (who appropriated the domain of the arts from Athene), split her into a multitude of aspects to limit her power, though she retained the power of inspiration in all her phases.  Grandmother Mnemosyne became first three, then nine or even twelve different Muses, all ultimately under the authority of Apollo. (2)

The Crone fell increasingly into disfavor as the Classical Greek concept of woman-as-property spread, having outgrown her usefulness as a baby-making machine, her body becoming less resilient and therefore less able to perform physical labor, her intrinsic human value was easy to overlook, especially if she was silenced as, indeed, often she was.  Qualities attributed to her via her Goddesses were appropriated by representatives of her male descendants: Chronos, lord of time and matter, (a reflection of Maya, she who weaves the fabric of the material realms) and the perpetually-young Apollo, the Sun God who seized dominion over art, song, poetry, medicine, oracles etc., are but two.

Yet it is the defiantly un-silenced voice of the Crone and her fearless activity in the service of her daughters, granddaughters and ultimately women everywhere which reminds us of our ever-present link to her through all women who have gone before. She is no less important to men, as she birthed them all, and we now see how society’s disparagement of her has transmigrated and is being perpetrated against her male counterpart, the “elderly gentleman.”

            “In the beginning, woman really was the sun. She was a true person. Now woman is the moon, she depends on others for her life and reflects the light of others....”(3)

Research shows that in cultures which recognized a female solar deity, the moon was usually considered male, with the exception of the Celts who recognized both lights as being female in nature. (Lugh of the Long Arm represented the light of the summer months, or the sun's rays.)  Because of this, it is possible that other cultures may also have recognized the sun and moon both as aspects of the feminine. Perhaps it was in someone’s interest of “balance” that so many records have reached us which show the sun and moon to be of opposite genders.

The Greeks recognized Hestia, virgin Goddess of the central hearth and keeper of the sacred eternal flame, as the most esteemed of their pantheon. While the Classical myths tell us that it was Zeus who gave her status (..”seated in the midst of the celestial dwelling-place(4) she receives the richest part of sacrifices, and among men she is of all the deities the most venerated...”) (5), in truth Hestia’s story and status predates Classical times, as do the stories of many other Goddesses of Greece. Oaths sworn on Hestia’s name were considered inviolate and all important documents were signed within her temple. She was the fire in the centre of the earth, according to Pythagoras (6), and as such represents that part of the sun which broke away to become our planet.  She sought “refuge” from marriage, having been courted by both Poseidon  and Apollo, who may well have taken her place as a solar deity, seeking to submerge her matrilineal (solar) culture through “marriage,” such as was accomplished by Zeus through his “marriage” to Hera.

Regardless of whether or not the pre-Classical Greeks considered Hestia a solar deity, they certainly seemed to regard the moon as female and three-fold, the Triple Goddess.

The Triple Goddess can be seen to represent three phases of a woman’s life, those of maiden, mother and crone.  In the Greek pantheon, Artemis is representative of the maiden aspect or waxing (growing) moon, Selene is the mother or full moon and Hecate is the crone aspect, the waning (shrinking) moon, though apparently Classical Hecate was never artistically represented as an old woman, only as a mature one with great influence. Together they form the life cycle of birth, death and rebirth.

Hecate herself pre-dates the Classical period of Greece and is possibly of Thracian (7) or Egyptian (8) origin. A pre-Olympian deity, i.e., existing before the introduction of Zeus and his contemporaries, she is equal in power to Zeus himself, the only Goddess so recognized. “Hecate is...connected with the feminine in independence from the masculine...the Artemis-Hecate Archetype was rather feared by the patriarchs because, if pursued by women, it could lead to their developing a sense of an independence from the masculine...”(9)

Originally a Triple Goddess in her own right, she is said to have had dominion over the heavens, the earth and the underworld until, in Classical times she came to be identified only with her Underworld aspect and the darkening moon.  She is Guardian of the Three-Way Crossroads (Hecate Trevia or Trivia), keeper of the secrets of magic, sorcery and divination, queen of the night, mistress of the mysteries - birth, life and death. Roaming the night with her hounds, flaming torch in had, she has the power to grant wealth and blessings or to withhold these at her discretion.  Her familiars are the dog, serpent and horse and she is sometimes said to be three-headed, each head one of her animals.  Her symbols are the key, the scourge and the dagger.

Her Egyptian origins derive her from the midwife Goddess Hekt, Hakit, Hequit, Heket or Hekat. She is said to have assisted at the birth of the sun each morning. Her familiar is the frog, which is still associated with both the Crone and the wisewomen called Witches, and is representative of the fetus as the promise and symbol of rebirth. Like her Indian counterpart, Kali-ma (who was also once herself a Triple Goddess until the introduction of the patriarchal philosophy of Hinduism), Hecate is associated with the end of life and is responsible for the Underworld journey which results in the soul’s ultimate reincarnation.

“Hekate is the goddess of all composting materials as her gift of fertility from the underworld.  From death and decomposition come the fertile substance that ensures and vitalizes new life. In her emanation as age, change, deterioration, decay, and death, she finds the seeds for new life in the composting heap of decomposing forms.”(10)

Every woman knows this process intimately as her own menstrual cycle.  When menstruation ceases, as we ourselves become crones, the power inherent in the blood is said to be retained, resulting in wisdom.

.

During the Middle Ages, as the (misogynistic) influence of the Christian Church increased, (and the power of women was further deteriorated), Hecate became known as the Queen of the Witches and was said to enter into the bodies of those women accused of being practitioners of the “Craft of the Wise.” As women became more oppressed, Hecate became more feared and despised, demonized and relegated to the underworld of human consciousness, the unconscious realms.

There she awaits us with her hounds, her torch in hand, to guide us to the riches of our own power and potential which lie buried within each of us, our birthright.  As we respect those who have gone before us, we welcome her. As we disabuse ourselves of the fear of ageing, we free her to show us the way. As we assume our own power and wisdom, we embody her in the service of all humanity.

Blessed be

Copyright, 1995, 2001, Jessica North-O’Connell

           

 NOTES:

(1)   Vicki Noble, Motherpeace, cited by Ffiona Morgan, Wild Witches Don't Get the Blues, Rio Nido, Daughters of the Moon Publishing, 1991, p. 116

(2)   Dawn Kolokithas, “The Mother of Memory,” Gnosis: A Journal of the Western Inner Traditions, Fall, 1989, p. 40

(3)   Hiratsuka Raicho, The Hidden Sun, cited by Patricia Monaghan, O, Mother Sun!, Freedom, The Crossing Press, 1994, p. 9

(4)   emphasis mine

(5)   Robert Graves, ed., New Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology, Toronto, Hamlyn, 1982, p.136

(6)   Barbara G. Walker, The Woman's Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets, San Francisco, Harpoer & Row, 1983, p. 400

(7)   Patricia Monaghan, Goddesses and Heroines, St. Paul, Llewellyn Publications, 1990, pp. 148-149

(8)   Walker, pp. 378-379

(9)   Adam McLean, The Triple Goddess: An Exploration of the Archetypal Feminine, Grand Rapids, Phanes Press, 1989, p. 68

(10)  Demetra George, Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing Power of the Dark Goddess, San Francisco, HarperSanFrancisco, 1992, p, 146

Time and Return

Time.

In our idea of reality, a construct…It enables us to “manage” our three-dimensional experience.

Time flies.

Contrary to the maxim, it speeds along even when we’re not “having fun,” gathering momentum as the numbers accumulate on our chronological age. 

It has been three years since my last entry here. The passage of this time has, packed into it, what feels like a lifetime of experiences: more courses, more learning, more teaching, more new people, more thoughts, more insights, more surprises. 

 The “biggie” was the passing of my beloved son, or as we are saying here, his “stepping out into his greater self.” Nonetheless, it turned my world upside down, especially watching the effects his departure has had on the rest of our family, the loss of a second sibling and child. The emotional body is an outcropping of the physical, and the physical craves its own… we miss him, as we continue to miss his sister who departed ten years previously. The craving for their physical presence never goes away…

Zachariah was 37 years old when he succumbed to lung cancer and journeyed on as a “body without organs,” a term he used in a philosophy essay of which he was particularly proud. His sister, Vanessa, was eighteen when she “stepped out”…

It is said that we all come with our own expiration dates already in place from the moment we are conceived. I’m inclined to believe that;  I once “saved” a fruit fly from drowning, only to inadvertently blow it back into a puddle of water  a minute later (as I was attempting to dry it off), thus guaranteeing its demise.

Zach was already deciding upon the nature of his own death when he was three years old. Vanessa told me repeatedly as a little girl that she did not want to grow up, that she wanted to remain my little girl forever…

But Time goes on, and our time on this planet is truly short, even if we manage to journey here for a hundred years, a blip in the history of our own little world. How many years has it taken this beautiful quartz crystal, one of my new “companions,” to assume its size and shape? How does its growth compare to my own growth and ultimate lifespan, whatever that may turn out to be? 

Time is a comparative and personal experience.

So, best get on with it before the sand (or breath) runs out.

I’m baaaaack…

Holly month: Sharing a personal favorite

HOLLY: Winter dwelling of the Dryads1
(c) 1999, Jessica North-O'Connell

(This article was originally written for Fagan Magazine.)

“The Holly and the Ivy, when they are both full grown,
Of all the trees that are in the wood, the Holly bears the crown.”
- Old English Carol

When Mother Holle shakes her quilt, it snows. It is she who receives the souls of the dead into the Underworld and sends newborns into the land of the living. She is “keeper of the knowledge of the hidden places.”2 Her sacred plant, the Holly, is both a shrub and a tree, featuring thick, spiny evergreen leaves, white flowers in the spring developing into bright red berries which remain through the winter.

Holly is associated with the qualities of defense and protection, loyalty to dependants and the vindication of rights. Frequently planted around the home so as to form a natural fence, she is said to protect from lightning and Witches (but we know better! We’re discussing planting Holly along the roadside of our property. And if you have ever had to make your way through a thicket of Holly, you will understand why she is known as a symbol of defense!) The wood of the Holly was prized in the manufacture of palisades, battlements, spears and chariot shafts, being very hard, dense and evenly-weighted.

In the Celtic tradition, Holly is the name of the eighth month of the lunar year (May 16-June 12 of the latter Druid calendar). It is sacred to Lugh, Lord of Light, solar heroes such as Llew Llaw Gyffes, the “Long-armed Spearman,” or “Spearman with the Long Shaft,” (bringing to mind the lengthening days leading up to the Summer Solstice) and Tina, the Etruscan thunder-god. The Celts identified Holly with masculine virility and a defiant life force capable of surviving even the devastation of winter. According to legend, the Holly King battles the Oak King, defeating him for dominion over the Winter half of the year, losing to the Oak King with the coming of the Summer. I have always thought it amusing that the months sit adjacent each other!

“Holly” means “holy,” and this sacred tree of the ancient pagan world was adopted into Christianity as a symbol of “sacrifice” (originally meaning “to make whole”), Medieval legend proclaiming that the first Holly sprang from the footsteps of the Christ. The use of Holly as a Yule decoration likely originated with the Roman Saturnalia, a week-long festival honoring Saturn (the Roman equivalent of Greek Chronos, “Father Time”). Since then we have continued to “deck the halls” during the Winter Solstice season.

I have found five plants of the genus Ilex, the most commonly known being “Ilex aquifolium,” also called Mountain Holly, English Holly or European Holly. As a tree she grows to a height of 30 feet; as a shrub up to 15. She has a smooth bark, green branches and shiny dark green leathery leaves. Medicinally the leaves have been used as an astringent, expectorant, diuretic and to treat fever, gout, urinary problems, rheumatism, arthritis and chronic bronchitis.The berries are somewhat toxic BUT DANGEROUS TO SMALL CHILDREN.

White Holly, also called American Holly, (Ilex opaca) is native to the Atlantic coast of North America. She features a smooth, greyish-brown bark and alternate, elliptical, spiny leaves which are dark green in color. Like her cousin aquifolium, she produces white flowers in May and June which develop into the characteristic winter-hardy red berry. Medicinally, she is a diuretic and purgative whose past uses were primarily for assisting the body in the elimination of waste products. Her berries are a mild poison BUT DANGEROUS TO SMALL CHILDREN.

Ilex vomitoria, commonly called Indian black drink, black drink plant, emetic Holly and yaupon Holly, is a small evergreen tree or shrub native to the southern United States. Her bark is whitish-grey, leaves are leathery and elliptic. She produces white flowers which the female develops into red berries. Ceremonially First Nations peoples used her leaves to make a strong brew after toasting them in a clay pot. The drink was used for various purposes, including Ritual purification which involved vomiting. Her medicinal actions are emetic and stimulant, her leaves producing a caffeinated tea if not brewed too strong (i.e., brewed as a regular tea). As with her cousins, her berries are mildly poisonous and DANGEROUS TO SMALL CHILDREN.

Winterberry, black-alder, brook alder, false alder, striped alder and feverbush are alternate names for Ilex verticillata, a deciduous shrub commonly found in swamps of eastern North America and England. Growing to between 6 and 8 feet in height, she features a bluish-grey bark and elliptical or ovate olive green leaves with a downy underside. White flowers blossom in May and June, developing into red berries which remain into the winter months. Medicinally her bark has been used as an astringent, bitter, tonic, to control fever and decocted as a wash for irritated skin. Her berries (POISONOUS IN SUFFICIENTLY LARGE QUANTITIES) are cathartic and used to expel worms (mixed with cedar apple). Mixed with goldenseal, her bark has been used in the treatment of dyspepsia.

Ilex paraguariensis is more commonly known to some of us as yerba mate, mate, Paraguay tea or yerba. She is an evergreen shrub (or small tree) native to Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, with alternate, elliptic leaves featuring a blunt tip. She produces small white flowers and reddish berries which grow up to 1/4 inch in diameter. South Americans drink her tea in the same manner as North Americans drink coffee. Mate contains less caffeine than coffee and some teas, especially those from India. (Teas from China also contain less caffeine than Indian tea.)

Medinally she is used as a depurative, diuretic and stimulant and some have found her useful for headaches and migraines. She has also been known to benefit neuralgia and insomnia(!) and to relieve fatigue, stimulating mental and physical energy. A delicious drink and nice alternative for those seeking to break the coffee habit......

I recently learned that an oil is also produced from the Holly tree. My friend Barb, a massage therapist, swears by it. She uses it in her practice because it absorbs well into the skin, is non-greasy, does not stain sheets and rarely do people exhibit any allergic reaction to it. I’ll be checking out Holly oil for my own aromatherapy practice soon.

Holly has always been a special companion to me, not the least of it, I suppose, because I was born in Holly month! Years ago, when I owned a metaphysical shop, a gentleman came in with a beautiful set of Runes, crafted entirely by hand from the wood of a Holly tree. They were wonderful to the touch and smelled slightly medicinal, this due to the residue of a fungus which favors the Holly tree, I was told. The gentleman said he would never make another set because he had found it far too challenging as the wood is so very hard. Needless to say, I bought them immediately and read with them on special occasions.

Within two years of the above incident, I received a phone call from one of my former customers (I had just closed my shop). He brought me, as a gift, a lovely wand made from a Holly branch, cut in a grove which he had happened across during a trip to England. With the wand was the story of acquisition, the tale of a holy Ritual told in a hallowed and reverent manner. I was honored to receive such a gift!

Of course, no discussion of Holly would be complete without reference to Ivy, symbol of the sacred Self, the wandering soul and the ability thrive under the harshest of conditions. Since antiquity Holly and Ivy have been paired as a representation of the potency of life. To place an Ivy leaf under one’s pillow was said to cause one to dream of one’s true love, a metaphor for one’s inner Masculine or Feminine self. Holly and Ivy paired may also be seen as representative of the Masculine and Feminine Principles, e.g., the protection of the male towards the creative generation of the female (as in child-bearing), or the protective aspects which guard the labyrinthine voyage to the inner self, the journey of self-knowledge.

I have found two varieties of Ivy: one is English Ivy (Ginseng family), the other is Ground Ivy (Mint family). Therapeutically, English Ivy has been used as a poultice for cuts and skin eruptions. SHE IS TOXIC IF TAKEN IN LARGE QUANTITIES AND SO ARE HER BERRIES.
Ground Ivy was used for cough and lung disorders, flatulence and fever. Once doctors employed her as a remedy for “painter’s colic” (lead poisoning). She contains a large amount of Vitamin C and is reputed to cause hallucinations. She has been used to brew a very intoxicating ale and simultaneously was reputed to be a cure for drunkenness. The Maenads of Greek lore were said to chew Ivy leaves to induce erotic and poetry frenzy. Not the first plant which comes to my mind for its therapeutic value! Please consult with a reputable herbalist before using either Holly or Ivy medicinally!

When we were planning our handfasting, my betrothed decided that we should crown each other after speaking our vows: Holly for him, Ivy for me. My youngest daughter was our “crown-bearer” rather than flower girl. It was wonderful - unique and so in keeping with our spiritual beliefs and ancestral (Celtic) traditions!

For that Special Someone, here is a massage oil to share. Make sure you get a massage in return!

To 2 oz (60 ml) Holly oil (or any vegetable oil), add 2 drops Frankincense, 1 drop Myrrh, 4 drops cardamon and 3 drops ginger. This is roughly enough for two full-body massages. Add more Holly oil if needed. This is a warm, spicy blend which is good for sore muscles and supportive of the digestive process. Frankincense encourages deep breathing and meditation, supporting our connection to the Divine.

NOTES:
1.According to the Druid, the Priestly caste of the Celtic peoples, dryads or guardian tree spirits, took up residence in the Holly tree during the winter months. “Dryads” were originally tree priestesses whose Mystery teachings evolved into what later became Druidism.

2.”The Priestess of Holly,” The Witch’s Book of Days, Jean Kozocari, Yvonne Owens, Jessica North, Beach Holme Publishers, 1994, p. 119

Bibliography:

Goddesses in World Mythology - Martha Ann & Dorothy Myers Imel

The Herb Book - John Lust

The Celtic Tree Oracle - Liz and Colin Murray

The Witch’s Book of Days - Yvonne Owens, Jessica North & Jean Kozocari

Magic & Medicine of Plants - Reader’s Digest

Luscious Living

Times continue to be busy here, with many changes - they say "a change is as good as a rest," but I think that a real rest about now would be a wonderful thing! We are bone-tired and still looking at very busy months yet ahead of us.

To celebrate the concept of "relaxation," however, here is an excerpt from a chapbook I wrote years ago, on the suggestion of my friend, Paul. At the time, I was becoming interested in aromatherapy and he was wanting to share some of his favorite food recipes. We both thought that people would greatly benefit from taking the time to truly connect with their lovers...

(I'll post some of the recipes later.)

Enjoy the day!

LUSCIOUS LIVING

What every man and woman should know before marrying

A LOST ART

"One who knows the male, yet cleaves to what is female, becomes like a ravine, receiving all things under heaven."
- Margo Anand, The Art of Sexual Ecstasy

To love is an endless art, yet in today's harried and confusing
world we are often too pressured by outside circumstances to fully
comprehend and appreciate the all-pervasive importance of the Arts
of Loving.

Loving, more than being merely a chemical or biological reaction
occurring between people, is a way of being in the world and,
consequently, a conscious Art. The Art of Love can be cultivated
and an introduction to such instruction is the purpose of this
little volume.

All loving stems from Motherlove. The more complete the bonds of
love between mother and child, the more capacity the child develops
for the expression and cultivation of love in her or his own adult
life. Loving others starts with a good sense of self, a respect
for oneself, an acceptance and love of oneself. Without a healthy
sense of self, it is impossible to truly love another.

Many people today suffer from a lack of adequate self-love,
searching for self-identity from outside sources. We seek to
define ourselves through our work, possessions, social standing and
financial bracket. While these may perhaps represent expressions
of our capacities, they do nothing to demonstrate to ourselves or
others our ability to love. We live in a culture starving for
loving expression.

Rather than blaming Mother, which is a futile and unproductive
venture since she was probably as victimized by her circumstances
as we feel ourselves to be, it is possible to mother ourselves and
further explore the expression of love through thoughtful and
caring actions towards ourselves and others. And what a blessing
it is to be able to practice with one's lover/mate!

Within these pages you will find some recipes, both literal and
poetic, culled from personal experiences and many other sources for
the cultivation of the Lost Art. Enjoy!

APERITIFS TO LOVE

stretch: 1) to extend or draw out, as to full length or width;
2)to cause to reach, as from one place to another or over an area;
extend. 3) to extend one's body or limbs, especially to relieve
stiffness.
- Funk & Wagnalls Standard College
Dictionary

Watch an animal as it awakens from sleep and prepares to engage in
any other activity; it stretches, as if to move through an
invisible doorway into another aspect of its life. Stretching
invites us to expand into our greater personal space, to move
energy through our bodies, to stimulate circulation.
Metaphorically, stretching enables us to extend beyond our
accustomed reach.

Practicing the Art of Loving requires that we stretch ourselves to
explore our personal needs and to accommodate the needs of our
beloved other.

ON WAKING: Stretch yourself physically and stretch psychically into
your feelings. By attending to your own transition into
wakefulness, you will sensitize yourself to your partner's
transition, allowing each of you personal space. When you have
both passed through the doorway into wakefulness, acknowledge each
other lovingly. Sharing information about the quality of sleep and
dreams serves to strengthen the loving bonds between people.

Be respectful of yourself and your partner. Not everyone is
communicative upon first awakening and everyone has moments, even
days, where we wish to be quiet and self-contained for a time. Be
receptive to the moment.

BATHING: Most people shower in the morning, due to the constraints
of time. Also, showering is more invigorating while the bath is
more relaxing.

Showering with your partner invites physical contact without
strictly sexual connotations. In the natural world, the act of
grooming one other serves overall to strengthen the community bonds
and is relaxing to both participants, inspiring trust.
Soaping, gently scrubbing, drying are small acts of caring which take
nothing from us yet make our partners feel special.

As a prelude to lovemaking, the cleansing of one's body parts which
have been kept enclosed all day is a prerequisite, as bacteria
thrive in moist dark areas, which in turn creates a disgreeable
odor.

As a restorative the footbath is ideal, offering us the opportunity
to provide our partners with a sense of being treasured. Having
one's soapy feet tenderly massaged is both relaxing and erotic, and
the erotic realm reaches far beyond the sexual, yet encompasses it.
Eroticism brings life into sharper focus.

MASSAGE: So welcome and so necessary at the end of a hectic and
trying day is the massage, tenderly administered by one we love and
trust with light, scented oils in a comfortably warm, candlelit
room. Yet massage can start the day as well, aiding in the
transition from the dream worlds to the daylight world.

Sometimes our sexual expression becomes a captive of our tensions
and though we may try to release tension through the sex act, we
are often left unsatisfied and only slightly relieved of our
stress. A caring touch, the chance to communicate and the gentle
soothing scents of aromatherapy can help to put one "in the mood
for love."

SOOTHING LOVE OIL

N.B. It is advisable to use all scented oils externally only. Some
skin types may exhibit a reaction to scented oils. Therefore, take
care to use only pure essential oils rather than the synthetic
varieties.

Avoid use of scented oils on genitals, as the skin is extremely
sensitive. Straight vegetable oil carriers are usually okay, though. Try a good quality coconut oil, which is very sensuous!

To 2 fl oz (60 ml) of pure vegetable oil (sweet almond, sunflower,
peanut, apricot, coconut, holly, jojoba, etc.,) add 20 - 25 drops (combined) of pure ylang ylang, orange and bergamot essential oil. Use this oil to lubricate the skin of your beloved during massage. Ylang ylang has the effect of simultaneously soothing anxiety and arousing desire. CAUTION: Do not use Ylang ylang for more than two days in a row, as prolonged use has been known to provoke anxiety or anger in some people.

Alternative essential oils include sandalwood, rose, neroli, patchouli, geranium and bergamot. Rose and neroli (orange flower) are extremely expensive, but can usually be purchased in diluted form (i.e., already in a carrier). Check to make certain that you are purchasing therapeutic grade essential oils, as others may contain potentially neurotoxic synthetics that won't benefit you if used over the entire body.

Communication is an important factor in the successful practice of
massage. Remember to tell your partner what you like, want and need
and remember to be sensitive to your partner's requests. The basic rule of this type of massage is, if it hurts, don't do it!