In June of 2004, the planet Venus made one of it’s rare transits across the face of the sun, passing between the sun and the Earth. The last pair of Venus transits took place 122 years ago, in 1874 and 1882, so no one alive in 2004 had ever been witness to this event. The next transit, which is the pair to the June 2004 transit, will occur on June 5th-6th, 2012. There was much speculation that this Venus passage would greatly affect the influence of the feminine energy on our planet. As we all know now, this divine feminine influence is much needed in our world today to offset the powers of greed, dominance and war so that we may begin to care more consciously for the well being of our planet, nature and one another.
Though women throughout history have always taken the lead in being the care takers of others, the planet and those less fortunate, I believe this transit did inspire many women to do and be more. I assure you there are so many women initiating positive change in the world that we just never hear about on the news. Many more women now than ever before are stepping up to the plate in politics; traveling to impoverished countries; speaking out for living green, caring for the planet and endangered species; assisting less fortunate women and children globally and creating non-profit organizations to help every living being and creature. I am an artist, and my journey as a painter did not escape this Venus influence. It came to me in a rather unexpected way in the fall of 2004.
I had just moved out of town to a beautiful, secluded ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico in the high desert. The property came with a real working art studio that had been built by a well known woman painter here. Though I can make do painting in almost any space, I am always more inspired when I am able to work in a “real” studio space. I had been staring at a big blank canvas for days, and decided to take a long walk in the hills for inspiration. I hiked a long distance, and decided to take a short rest under a Juniper in the shade. I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes, five coyotes surrounded me. Three of them were laying there very intently, one was sitting and the other was pacing restlessly behind me. I didn’t completely flip out right away as I had never heard of anyone being attacked by coyotes. But then again, my mind didn’t rule out the possibility. I didn’t know what to do. Do I even look them in the eye? Do I just say hello and then head for the hills? Or do I run like hell? I considered all the options. The coyotes didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. We were clearly going to have a waiting game on our hands. So out of nowhere, I started to sing. I had memorized many songs while singing and painting. So I started in with Eric Clapton and Layla, then Bonnie Raitt with Nick of Time and Angel from Montgomery and on down the line with songs from Everything But The Girl, Gregg Brown, David Gray, James Taylor, Beth Orton and Patty Griffin. I just sang my heart out, all the while keeping an eye on this restless coyote behind me. I have no idea how long I sang, but suddenly the big coyote in front of me got up, approached me with a long, deep stare, then turned away and off they all went…just like that. I ran the whole way back to my house, I think in a bit of shock. I dug through my kitchen cabinets to find a half bottle of Tequila, and spent the next few hours nursing that in the hot tub.
That night I had a dream, and saw a painting where I was singing to the coyotes. At sunrise I was in the studio with brush to canvas. “She Sings To The Coyotes” was born. Soon after I completed this painting, I left on a trip to Ireland with a sister and my two grown sons. I was going to a family reunion to meet relatives unknown to me, and to return to my roots. I had a long discussion with an Irish relative about Druids, Pagan rituals and Celtic traditions and particularly the role of women in all these. I told her my coyote story, and she commented on what a feminine response I had to what was a potentially threatening situation. And that conversation opened the door to a journey I would take into the sacred feminine through visionary art.
So what is the sacred, or divine, feminine, and why is it important? The divine feminine is a mysterious, creative force that gives birth to all Life. It is the symbol for Oneness, and includes both male and female principles. It is the nurturing and sustaining energy in the Universe that enables us to maintain balance. It embodies the laws of Spirit: forgiveness, compassion, faith, love, peace and kindness. Without these influences, we eventually become a world and a people out of balance. It is no secret that the male principle, and man’s laws, have been the dominating influence for the last seven thousand years. And today, we are indeed a world out of balance. The male energy is one of action, the female energy is one of response to those actions. Without respect for the need of the feminine response, our actions will inevitably lead to imbalance whereby we fail to nurture ourselves, one another and our planet.
I have heard it said that it is time for the return of the Goddess. It is possible that many of the problems we face in the world today are a result of our vision and faith in a God to whom we solely attribute masculine principles. Who is not to say the Goddess is right there next to God, and they are One. Every man I know on this planet embodies a feminine side so why not God. Maybe we need to inquire, and take a deeper look into our vision of God as only a He. If we create a new vision for humanity that welcomes the Goddess as the feminine image of God, we can restore the essence of the divine feminine back into our lives and to the planet. The sacred, divine feminine influence is vital to the successful evolution of us as a people and as a planet. She has been quietly singing her songs and prayers for all life for a long time…and I know for sure the coyotes have been listening.
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