Witchvox Article

Author: Maggi Setti [a WitchVox Sponsor]
Posted: April 24th. 2011
Times Viewed: 2,727

I had a couple of experiences this weekend that gave me some insight about the nature of the Maiden phase/face of the Goddess as well as Maiden as a phase in a woman's life. A girl in my family crossed the threshold of Menarche last week. Menarche is the onset of menses, a girl's first period. I have not been close to a girl of this age before other than myself so it has been an interesting process to watch. I saw her two days after the big event and found that her energy had completely changed.

I looked at her as saw a blossoming young woman rather than a child. She glowed, as if someone had turned a light on around her and I could see her for the first time. Her growing awareness, poise, stature, sensibilities all seemed to have congealed at the same moment into the qualities we typify with the Maiden. She turns inward to dream and learn about the world, she is headstrong, and trying to figure out people, question conflicting messages the society and family members give her. She is very smart and uses her mentality and physical strength to push forward through challenges. From the glow about her skin to the hopes and fears that she had on becoming an adult all seem to swirl around her. I was surprised by a sense of power there. In that power, the beginning of the Maiden aspect, is a purity of force.

The other experience I had this weekend was priestessing in the role of the Maiden for a triple priestess polarity working in the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel's annual ritual for the Stag God Cernunous. I spent a lot of time thinking in the past week as I got ready for this role. I found some of the typical �maiden-style� dresses are no longer cute and comely on my maturing figure. In this discovery, I found myself looking through the doorway of the other end of Maiden�that of the Mother.

I have been spending the past year or so transitioning into the �Mother� phase in my life. I am turning 30 this year. I am no longer an innocent or naive slip of a young woman. I have transitioned to roles of teacher, wife, stepmother, Priestess, and am entrusted with overseeing the growth of my students who circle with me. Hopefully I will be birthing a coven in the near future. In those ways, I am an expecting mother. And yet, to many an eye, I am seen as one of the young ones in my tradition. Like all of us in this culture that immortalizes youth, I hope to hold onto the physical attributes of the energy and health of youth as long as possible. I wash the gray out of my hair and am flattered on the rare occasions when I still get carded. My 9-year-old stepson jested with me a while ago that since I am in my 29th year, that I should enjoy the last days of my youth that I have left. All of these things were swirling through my head as I got ready to embody the aspects of Maiden in this rite.

So, in order not to look like a tart, I found an appropriate dress that was pretty and not too showy for my figure, and then I went barefoot! I invoked the virile Stag God with every molecule of my being. Then I danced and sang, clapped and stomped. I stirred up all of the carefree joy and sense of play and newness rushing of life that is the quick heartbeat of ripening. I didn't act a part; I became the Maiden and got swept into the stream of outpouring, cardinal energy that we call Maiden energy. This is what it means to embody a quality in ritual.

The ritual itself was high energy and moving as usual. The God joined us in his aspect as the Green God of living things. He gave us a horn of energy to pass around and drink Life from it. The message for me was to live as fully as possible and to conjure up happiness and joy as often as possible. Only in these ways can we hold on to the fleeting moments that make life worth living. By doing this we can move past and above the pain and discomfort in life. It is our daily choice, that we can choose in every moment to invoke the life, and love and fully be human. In fact, he admonished us to do our work the best we can, as humans. He said that our place as stewards of this planet is crucial and right. We are not cursed or misaligned. We are not seeking self-destruction or transcendence. We must live as we were meant to live, with right action and love.

Just like the dancing in the ritual, the best thing about working with the phases of Maiden, Mother, Crone, Youth, Father, Sage in our lives is that all of the aspects are swirling and dancing around us at all times. We just have to call them forth from the DNA within us. Then we can be Maiden, Mother, or Crone, or sub-aspects of more than one, at any time that we take the time to stir them up into our beings. Like all constructs in Paganism, the triple aspects of the Gods is a tool waiting for us to use it. We can meditate on it or invoke the aspects into our very being. You can see it play out in real life as well, like I did with the maiden in my family or my own transition into mother.

We need to make these symbols relevant in our lives. Without relevancy, we are not applying their power and we are not learning lessons from their wisdom. May the power of Maiden, Mother, Crone, Youth, Father, Sage be yours, today and every day.

Blessed be.

ABOUT...

Maggi Setti

Location: Hackensack, New Jersey

Website: http://lettinggoisflying.blogspot.com

Author's Profile: To learn more about Maggi Setti - Click HERE

Bio: I'm a member of an electic wiccan tradition The Assembly of the Sacred Wheel (sacredwheel.org) . I a second degree initiate and have been a member for 8 years. I am in the coven Chalice of the Living Stars. I have been studying for 10 years.

I am mainly interested in the Celtic and Norse pantheon, but have dipped into Greek and Egyptian as needed. Personally I have relationships with Brigid, Herne, Freya, Odin, Mimir, Artio (Celtic Artemis) , and the Morrigan.

I am dedicated to none. I am interested in Qabala, Tarot, Astrology, aspecting, Faery, Thelema, nature devas, herbalism and gardening, scrying, shadow work, sacred dreaming, martial arts and warriorship, kitchen witchery, women's mysteries and empowerment, augury, shamanic journeying, sex magick, and magickal painting.

I have worked with the following spirits as well; raven, crow, deer, dragons, unicorns, and horses.

I am an avid reader and spend much of my time studying. I am also in the Northern NJ pagan fellowship that can be found on witchvox nj groups, meetup.com, facebook, and on yahoo groups.

You can check out my blog on spiritual musings at lettinggoisflying dot blogspot dot com.

I started teaching publically in 2009 in DE, PA, and NJ and will be continuing to teach in the NJ Fellowship and the Assembly of the Sacred Wheel. I am currently leading a Wicca study group that has hopes to dedicate as a coven.

Other Articles: Maggi Setti has posted 15 additional articles- View them?

Other Listings: To view ALL of my listings: Click HERE

Email Maggi Setti... (Yes! I have opted to receive invites to Pagan events, groups, and commercial sales)

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