The Circle of Goddesses

This in no way, shape or form takes away from the validity of Jesus life and message as he came to embody a sacred archetype.  He epitomized the resurrecting shepherd king and his teachings are an important aspect of my life yet it is his followers who worry me.

A man from Tarsus, the son of Jewish converts, became a Roman citizen and changed his name from the Hebrew Saul to the Roman Paul. This Jewish citizen of the Roman empire (from Turkey) set himself up to terrorize the rebellious group of Jews in and around Jerusalem. It is said that Paul persecuted Christians, and while this makes for a lovely story contained within the book of Acts, it is not possible. There were no Christians at the time. The first few chapters of Acts should be read gingerly as they are propaganda designed to make us think the early church was always Christian; but it belonged to an era where the word Christian was simply a nickname for a sect of Judaism.

If we think about it logically, without overly emotional fundamentalism and from the historical perspective  :-D  the followers of Jesus remained Jews after his death, as did those of Jesus brother James the Just. They did not become members of Pauls new Christian religion. Christianity was a cult developed by Saul of Tarsus to attract pagan converts throughout the broader Roman Empire people who were already inclined toward nature based dying and resurrecting Gods. These pagans are the Gentiles that are referred to in the New Testament. The word Gentiles has become respectable in Christian thinking because it is taken as being a Jewish description of Christians, but it meant no such thing at the time. It was a word the followers of Jesus and James used to describe those who did not believe in the God of the Jews.

Paul was not intimate friends with Jesus original followers, students or family. Paul and James the Just quickly fell out with each other. The story Paul spread was based on Roman tastes in theology and barely related to the actions of Jesus and his followers. I have often pondered what Jesus actually thinks about all this, converting, evangelizing, smiting and killing in his name I am sure he is impressed (not). In Cyprus, Egypt, Turkey and Rome it was Pauls followers who scribed the Gospels. In Israel the people that Jesus had once led became followers of James, who opposed the Pauls new religion. The NT tells the story of Jesus from the perspective of Paul, and it tries to establish the idea that the followers of the crucified Jesus were Christians in their churches. They were not = they were Jews.

The Mediterranean and the Middle East are full of ancient stories of dying ~ resurrecting gods, who dies annually in order to “renew” or bring “salvation” to the people with his blood.  He returns later in the year, this being called the Myth of the Return.  He is born to us each year at the Winter Solstice in the form of the Divine Child, when the sun is “re-born” each year and the light returns to the darkened winter world and the days become longer.  Then in the Spring, He dies so his blood can save us.

Pauls new religion of the Risen Christ was easy for pagans to accept it was far from original and built upon well established traditions. This new cult of Christianity was squarely rooted in the Canaanite peasant theology of dying and resurrecting nature gods. The nature cult created in the name of Jesus came less from the beliefs of his real followers than it did from Pauls own upbringing in Tarsus. Every autumn, the young Saul would have watched the great funeral pyre on which the local god was ritually burnt. God was now dead, but he would arise again in the spring (Easter). The idea of blood was horrific to all Jews, and blood was something to be avoided at all costs, yet Pauls concept of Jesus rested on the power of his spilt blood, and of course on the sacrificial impulse which had driven the worship of Mithras. Even today we ritually drink the blood of Christ.  This concept of drinking ritual blood of a sacrificial human victim was as far removed from Jewish thinking but was well accepted practice among the pagans.

• He is God made flesh; the savior and ‘Son of God’
• His father is God and his mother is a mortal virgin.
• He is born in a cave or humble cow shed on the 25th of December before three shepherds.
• He offers his followers the chance to be born again through the rites of baptism.
• He miraculously turns water into wine at a marriage ceremony.
• He rides triumphantly into town on a donkey while people wave palm leaves to honor him.
• He dies at Easter time as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
• After his death he descends to Hell, then on the third day he rises from the dead and ascends to heaven in glory.
• His followers await his return as the judge during the Last Days.
• His death and resurrection are celebrated by a ritual meal of bread and wine which symbolize his body and blood.

These attributes not only fit into the life of Jesus, but into the myths associated with Mithras, Adonis, Dumuzi, Hercules and Osiris. Adonis and Dumuzi ~ Middle Eastern fertility gods who died every year during the Spring planting season to fertilize the crops for the “salvation of all.”  Adonis’ death was mourned in a special cave shrine in Bethlehem where legends also said he was born.  Tammuz ~ was ritually resurrected each Spring after a three day descent into hell.  He was buried each year in a garden tomb.  A priestess, representing his wife, would go alone to the garden tomb and find it empty. Worship of Tammuz is mentioned in the Old Testament. Hercules was born of a heavenly sky-god (Zeus) and a mortal woman.  His official title was “Prince of Peace.”  Jesus was born of Yahweh, sky-god of the Hebrews, and a “mortal woman,” Mary. Osiris is connected to the annual cycle of fertility and renewal of the spring flooding of the Nile. His loyal nurturing mother is the goddess Isis. Hmmmm, interesting stuff.

Paul, and his writings, influenced all of the early church fathers, who more followed the teachings of Paul than those of Jesus.  Some of the teachings Paul has brought us include:

Women = Bad.  Jesus has to be celibate, even though all other Jewish Rabbis were required to be married. Most of the Gnostic texts that detail Jesus human side and relationship with the Magdalene were systematically destroyed by the church fathers. Why? What were they trying to hide?

Salvation. We are horrible humans and unworthy of life and must wash ourselves in divine blood just as Roman soldiers would ritualistically wash themselves in the blood of Oxen at Mithraic temples.

Hell:  Pauls teaching also helped invent hell. This was unknown to Jesus and the Hebrew religion.  The Christian church fathers misinterpreted the Jewish parables of Gehenna, a shadowy “void” place of soul transition and departing, and turned Gehenna into Hell.  

The Devil:  The Church fathers created the image of a horned Devil, giving him horns like Kernernos, the pagan God of harvest and forest, who wore horns as a mark of his kinship with the deer, and other animals with horns. The Church of the Middle Ages, facing stiff competition with the pagan religion, “demonized” these gods.  They gave Satan, (whose name comes from Shatan, the Hebrew angel of death, “adversary,” and “obstacle”) horns like the pagan gods, hoping to totally stamp out their worship.

In 62 CE, James was murdered and Paul died soon afterwards. According to the historian Josephus, the Jews rose up against Rome in 66 CE. Rising up against Rome was never a good idea, and Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 CE. Before this time, there was no Jewish orthodoxy, only disparate groups of Sadducees, Pharisees, Essenes, Zealots and Christians. It took another 200 years before Christians ceased to be just a strange variety of Judaism and the greatest story ever sold began to flourish. Almost three hundred years after Paul, the Roman Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity, merged it with his favorite pagan religion, Mithraism, and made it the official Roman Catholic Church.

The Christian bible is made up of old and new testaments. The first covers the history of the world from the creation through Malachi, the last of the prophets who spoke of the return of Elijah, the forerunner of the coming Messiah. The NT covers the period from just before the birth of Jesus to a period about 75 years later, when the Jewish war broke out. So the bible chronicles Gods interaction with His chosen people for all time right up to their near obliteration at the hands of the Romans. After that the Bible simply stops. WHY?  It did not stop being written: in the same way that the Dead Sea Scrolls were lost, so the ongoing story just did not get bound into the official versions and more discoveries of these hushed texts will be found.

The families who considered themselves to have a special relationship with God continued to document their journey. The bloodlines that produced the high priests survived and continued to record their progress towards creating the kingdom of God on earth. Many escaped to Europe, as members of the Diaspora, there to found many of the families that would become pre-eminent throughout the Middle Ages.  In France, these families came to control Anjou, Champagne, Normandy and Burgundy and from France comes stories of the Knights Templar, the Cathars, the troubadours, the works of Chretien de Troyes and the san grail, the blood royal the grail.

Many of us pray for a certain thing to happen. God I want a new car. God, I want a new job. God I want to be in a relationship with Suzy and I will do whatever it takes to have her. Some of us even bargain with God…I really want Billy to get back together with me and I promise I will be good and I will go to church every Sunday, just please let me have him back. When Billy does not come back, Sally assumes God has not answered her prayer.

NEWSFLASH!!! Perhaps the answer is “NO”. Perhaps that relationship, possession or job, is not in the best interest for the progression of your soul during its journey on the earthly plane. Perhaps your focus should be on something else.

I remember speaking with a woman once who told me she was mad at God because her boyfriend did not get a promotion although they had been praying daily that he would. I remember telling her something like this: Wow, where did your sense of entitlement come from? You know it is not ALL ABOUT YOU! God is sort of busy right now, a hurricane just hit New Orleans and thousands of people are dead or homeless…there is war in Iraq, people all over the world are starving, and you are upset because your boyfriend did not get a promotion? I also remember telling her that God is not a vending machine.  Several weeks later she emailed apologizing because the promotion and raise did come, it was just delayed. The point here is two fold. Sometimes the answer is ‘no’ but sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes things have to unfold according to the divine plan – the timing of the Universe.

When we pray, we have to wait for a response. Sometimes we become so impatient that we repeat our prayers night after night, petitioning the same requests over and over. Guess what? God is not deaf. S/he heard you the first time. Once is enough. After you say your prayer, it is your job to sit back and wait. Yep. Patience. Let me spell that out again P A T I E N C E. This is kind of like hitting the elevator button over and over while you impatiently stand at the elevator doors. Even though the light is lit, you push it over and over, thinking it will make it come faster. What a waste of time, and finger energy – once is enough.

Today’s society is so geared toward instant gratification, we want things and we want them now. Well, take a number and get in line because God is sorta busy right now. When we pray God/dess does hear our prayers. But we, as humans, must then step back from the desire and wanting (and asking) and allow things to unfold.

When we are constantly petitioning we can’t hear the answer. The answer often comes in the silence of meditation or mindfulness…in the silence, s/he whispers to us the answers that we seek….and we have but to recognize them. Prayer is when we speak to God ~~~ meditation and connecting to the divine source and waiting for the response, is when s/he answers. When we stop asking and start listening… we will hear that soft, still voice. Listen.

It seems that right now, on planet Earth, life has become difficult for most folks. The rich, the poor, the privileged, the few, the proud – no one seems to have come through the difficult financial times of the past 18 months unscathed. These times of trial are great opportunities for spiritual growth, after all – that is why we are here on planet Earth!

When you are feeling a little low, though, you can bring yourself up with some positive affirmations and prayer like the one listed below. Try saying this out loud, everyday, and claim your birthright as  child of the Creator….

I release fear of any kind regarding my success in life. I know the God within is the source that provides my every need. God provides in great abundance. I have a birthright to happiness. Every cell in my body works in perfect order because it was created by God. I relax and release and allow the God to flow through and around me in a circular motion of great abundance and perfect health. I know that my life and those I love are well taken care of before I even contemplate a need. After all, the Creator of all, created me. It is God’s delight to give to me richly.

Amen

Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to specific historical era? Do you feel a close bond to a specific historical figure? Do you want to know why you prefer certain cultures over others? Why you like exotic tastes and textures? Have you ever gone somewhere and had an eerie feeling you have been there before? Have you ever met someone and felt like you have known them before?

Do you want to know why you are afraid of fire? Do you want to know why your back always hurts even though you know you have done nothing to injure it? Have you been healthy all your life, then suddenly at age 30 you develop a strange hoarseness that no doctor can diagnose? Are you in a relationship with someone who seems to hurt you time and again but you stay for some unknown reason? Do you find yourself daydreaming about what it would have been like to be Cleopatra? Joan of Arc? Well, maybe there is more to it than meets the eye.

A past life reading can help you examine these phenomena. During a past life reading a psychic will be able to help you unlock these mysteries. There are many ways to do a past life reading. Some psychics are able to perform a clairvoyant past life reading. When a psychic uses clairvoyance to do a past life reading they are able to see and feel specific events tied to your past life. The psychic may be able to see you prior lives in a vision, much like a video or television show. Or a past life or lives may come to the psychic like a memory or thought.

A past life reading can also be done through a tarot reading. The tarot reader will be able to ask the cards specific questions concerning your most recent past life or any other past life you may have had. As the tarot reader interprets the cards they will be able to see how any past life you have had could possibly be affecting or influencing this one. A past life reading can also be done through a clairaudient psychic reading. During this type of past life reading the psychic will be able to hear, probably from your own guides the past life experiences you have had.

During a past life reading your psychic will be shown if the current blockages and obstacles that surround you are related to a past life. They will be able to see if you are at that same point, the same physical age now that you were in a past life or lives where this same blockage occurred. For a simple example, let’s say Rita contacted a psychic for a past life reading because at age 30 she developed fear of heights. In this lifetime there is no reason for this to happen because Rita had no prior fear of heights. During the past life reading the psychic uncovered that in a past life Rita was a soldier in Jerusalem who was thrown from a 100 foot tower at age 30. Sometimes knowing what that connection to the past life is, that creates the fear or blockage in the present, is enough to be able to move past it.

During a past life reading, the psychic will be able to not only connect with your past life or lives but also to the people who shared each past life with you. They will be able to see the relationships that existed then compared to the ones that exist today. For example, your current boyfriend could have been a boyfriend in a past life, but he could have also been your father, mother or sister. If someone was a spiritual teacher to you in a past life it is likely that you are the teacher in the present. As we incarnate time and again, or revisit the earth so that our soul can grow and evolve, we will come into contact with familiar beings with whom we have incarnated with before.

We do tend to incarnate with the same souls over and over in each lifetime. We do this to learn valuable life lessons from each other. A past life reading will be able to reveal those life lessons that carried forward from a past life.

Most past life readings seem to center around soulmate relationship issues. A soulmate has been described as someone you feel drawn to, deeply connected to, a part of, a perfect match for, in a deeper way then physically or superficially. A soulmate is often described as the other half of your soul. Some people believe that soulmates must pay off a karmic debt to be together, and the connection between them can pass through several lifetimes. A past life reading will allow you to see if you current relationship is a soulmate relationship. Since soulmate relationships can at times be difficult, a past life psychic reading will help you to address any issues from the past life that could possible be hindering a successful happy relationship in this lifetime. A past life reading will also be able to identify what karmic debts you each have with one another. During the reading, your psychic will be able to give guidance on how to move past the past life karma once and for all.

The psychic performing the past life reading does not decide what comes out in your reading, and cannot change or alter what they see.  For the most part psychics would love to only give good news during a past life reading or give everyone the answers that they so desperately want to hear. That is simply not during their past life psychic reading. You may be in a situation where everything seems hopeless. Your relationship, career or finances may be in shambles, but a past life psychic reading can help. Your past life psychic reading may offer you hope that things will be changing for the better, and can offer you the tools to make your situation better and can help you avoid problems that you didn’t even see coming, or help to rectify and problems that currently exist in all areas of your life.

The Circle of Goddesses are able to provide insight and clarity to your current life questions with a past life psychic reading.  Through their psychic and tarot readings, the psychics from the Circle of Goddesses are able to give you insight in love, romance, relationships, career and finance, past life concerns or spiritual growth. You may speak with them by clicking on their Ether call buttons  to the left.

You have come to a fork in the road, what do you do? Choose the path on the left or the one on the right? Wouldn’t it be great if you had someone to help you choose which path to pick? A psychic life coach can do just that for you. A psychic life coach can help you to free yourself of all baggage you have accumulated along your life’s journey. How heavy is your load right now? A psychic life coach can help you shed that unnecessary weight from your shoulders, making you feel stronger and more empowered.

If you feel unfulfilled in your career a psychic life coach can help you get on the right track to success. Why are other people getting promoted and not you? A psychic life coach can help pinpoint the reasons why. A psychic life coach can see what other peoples impression is of you and your work, and help you to change their perception for the better. A psychic life coach can help you unlock your own personal power, instead of letting your roadblocks get in your way.

Some obstacles in our life we put their ourselves and may not even be aware that we are doing it. A psychic life coach can find those obstacles that are keeping you from reaching your goals. You may want to make self-improvements that can assist you in growing spiritually, or help you with personal growth, relationships, communicating with others and finding your niche. A psychic life coach can help you discover ways to help yourself and better yourself and your situation.

Are you facing a financial crisis, career stalemate, problems in relationships, and feel like everything is falling apart. Don’t give up or give in, let a psychic life coach help you find your way out and get things in your life on a positive path. A psychic life coach can help you come up with a plan, a step-by-step method to obtaining the changes you want in your life, and will support you along the way. A psychic life coach is there to give you strength when you need it most.

Would you like to change careers because you are unhappy? A psychic life coach can help you to find the right career for you, and help you find direction. Many people feel as though they want to change careers but have no IDEA what career they should look into. You and your psychic life coach can discover the perfect career for you and then come up with a plan to make it happen.

Has your get up and go got up and left? A psychic life coach can help you get excited about your life again! A psychic life coach will help you get out of the rut you are stuck in and help you to bring things into your life that make you feel motivated again! A psychic life coach does not do the work for you, they give you the tools to help yourself, and those are tools you can use for the rest of your life. If your life has been full of hard knocks, your ego and self-esteem may have taken a considerable beating. Your self-doubt and the fear that comes with it can be keeping you from the things you want most out of life. A psychic life coach can help you to build back your self esteem and ego, so you can take on any challenges, and reap the rewards of the new options you choose.

A psychic life coach can help to identify why the same relationship problems keep happening to you over and over again. Together you can learn the skills you need to either get out of a toxic relationship or fix the one that you are in instead of causing further damage. A psychic life coach can show you the relationship patterns you and your loved one repeat, and how to break the cycle of an unhealthy relationship.

People want change, but often have no idea how to create change. That is where a psychic life coach comes in. You tell your psychic life coach what you want to change, and if it is at all possible, your psychic life coach will show you how to do it. A psychic life coach is convenient because you can talk to them any time or any day by phone. You don’t have to leave your house, pay for gas, all you have to do is wait for the phone to ring. Our psychic life coaches will always respect your privacy, and give you the individual attention that you need. If you look at your future and don’t like what you see, why not let us take a look and see how we can help you help yourself? If you are facing any major decision regarding relationships, career, etc you owe it to yourself to get the support and guidance a psychic life coach can give you.

Psychics Lady Sarah and Sophia Elise are able to tap into these energies and see if your love spell will be successful and also determine if this is the right time for the love spell to be performed. Both Lady Sarah and Sophia Elise are able to give you insight in love, romance, relationships, career and finance or spiritual growth. You may speak with them by clicking on their Click4Advisor call buttons to the left.