Mother's Day 2009- The Sisterhood

Websters defines the word Mother in a number of ways- but my favorite is
"Source or origin".
The Female part of the Creative force is a fertile place where life springs from.

The mother represents the source of life-
Mother is the nurturing place we return to feel loved, and understood.
Mother is the lap we put our head and lay our fears.
Mother is where we go to ease our pain.

Being born female is a great responsibility- first to ourselves and then for others. We are the creative force- the fertile ground that nourishes and gives birth.
We are the breast from which everyone drinks.

The strength of this feminine force is divine.

The pain associated with our cycles and birthing is a rite of passage that represents acceptance of one's own pain and suffering as a means of spiritual purification and growth. Being a mother is not just the physical act of birthing- It is a celebration of the female creative force.

Giving birth signifies the time of "becoming"- that we are now responsible for another person and their well being and growth.

I am blessed to have given birth. It was a life changing event for me- it was also a life changing experience for my son's father. He witnessed a strength that came from the depths of human instinct. It was also something that he could never do.
It changed our relationship, something that I don't believe either of us expected.

Giving birth awoke in me an inner strength and resolve that I did not know I had.
It is now the litmus that I hold all other life challenges up to.

There was no quitting- there was no giving up- another life depended on me to "labor" and bring them into this world or they would die.
Motherhood is was the most responsibility I have ever taken in my life.

What I have come to find is that my monthly suffering and labor prepared me for other kinds of pain that being a mother bring;
The pain of having to allow my child to have his own thoughts and feelings.
His own aspirations that don't include me.It was the pain of their illness- where you feel alone and helpless.It was the pain of watching them fall- and letting it happen.It was the pain of watching them be hurt by the cruelty of people and the world; and encouraging them to rise.

It is summoning the courage to fight for them, to champion them - to defend them.
To change the world for their sake and to allow them to leave in order to take our love forward as they begin their own journey....

So in this celebration of Mothers Day-honor the anniversary of your Rite of passage- Celebrate all the things that being a Mother represent.
When you meet another Mother- remind her of her courage and her strength- because our experiences bind us all together in this sisterhood of Mother.
Marianne Goldweber

Mother

Mothering begins at birth-
In a moment of contrasts
The movement inside gone;a death.
Then an indescribable celebration;
a new life at the breast
while the womb contracts and mourns it's loss.

The life sustaining umbilical cord severed;
but there will always be a cord that will never be cut.

I will continue to nourish you in a different way
from near or far
I will always know.

I am Mother;
Life bringer
Nourisher
Leader
Provider
Healer
Warrior
Shape shifter
Sage
Goddess
and Prophesier

I am the wellspring;
for any and all that thirst or need fed.

I fill my cup from an inexhaustible source;
I am love and comfort
I am patience and truth
I am encouragement and strength
I am Faith.
and give you my cup to slake your thirst.
Marianne Goldweber

Two wolves- Our greatest teachers

There is a Cherokee poem that refers to two teachers- represented by wolf.
Wolf is the totem animal for teacher- or a teaching.

I always stress that everyone that comes into our journey is sent to teach us about ourselves. Some of these encounters are wonderful and pleasant and some are painful and difficult.

These are the people and situations that teach us the most.

I have had many teachers that have appeared on my journey but one in particular has challenged me to the core of my being. This individual challenges me to search within myself for a solution based not in anger,punishment and revenge; but in understanding, peace and love..

This is where my human/spirit struggle ensues and I have to take everything I have learned on my journey to awakening and apply it here.

It is an internal tug of war- an angel on one shoulder whispering love and the demon on the other whispering hate.

We all have such a teacher- and if you don't you will- these teachers are sent periodically to see if you are healing - if you are walking your talk- to remind you that you are human and evolution is a constant process.

So- I have two wolves in my heart- which one will win?

The one I feed.

Here is the thought for the day-

Two Wolves

An old Cherokee chief is teaching his grandson about life:

"A fight is going on inside me," he said to the boy. "It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

"One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, self-doubt, and ego.

"The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope,
serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

"This same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf will win?"

The old chief  replied, "The one you feed."