ART  BY  CORNELIA  KARLSTROMER

The Divine or Sacred Feminine



Our planet has a need to reinstate a sense of the "Goddess" within its understanding of the divine; the nurturing principle of the female is
needed to help guide our way through the maze of accelerated change which surrounds us.
Many of our problems arise as a result of looking at God only as He , the He who appears to initiate holy wars and conquest.
As the Taoist, Buddhist or Hindu would tell you, without the Divine Feminine Principle incorporated into one's concept of the Godhead,
you have only told, at best, half the story regarding the divine nature; you have fallen short of a full appreciation of the divinity within
and without.
The"feminine principle"is viewed by the traditions of the East as the principle of birth, transformation and rebirth, the nurturing and
sustaining influence in the universe.
In the Taoist world view, the feminine principle is the responsive nature of the universe in juxtaposition to the"male principle"which is
the proactive and initiating nature of the universe.
The male principle initiates action and movement; the female principle nurtures and is responsive to those actions and movements. Our
current world view is out of balance, and the world scene reflects that lack of balance. The patriarchal world view has dominated
Western Culture for the last seven thousand years. The aggressive concepts of a Patriarchal God have been responsible for tremendous
initiative in the history of the West, but they have lost the respect of many for not inspiring a greater sense of responsibility and
nurture for our planet earth. The traditions of the West have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are not ecologically
responsive and responsible. They have at best tolerated, and at worst espoused, political and social behaviors which have violated the
planet.
The results are all around us: the polluted skies, earth, and ocean attest to this gross lack of responsibility, along with the absence of an
attitude of care necessary to heal our sick planet. The Goddess, in contrast, is the caretaker, and by neglecting her within ourselves and
the cosmos, we have moved into a state of disequilibrium where our relationships to ourselves and to the planet are in disarray.
People who have been guided by the defensive and exclusive characteristics of a jealous Patriarchal God have promoted the distinctions
and differences amongst the people of the world. Such distinctions and differences can lead to disastrous results if not balanced with the
promotion of sensitivity and understanding that leads to a celebration of differences, an appreciation of distinctions.
Within the analytical tradition of Carl Jung and the work of mythologists such as Joseph Campbell, there is much evidence to support the
existence of the feminine principle (anima) within the human psyche alongside that of the male principle (animus). Jung's definition of
spiritual growth within the individual in large part relates to the development and integration of those male and female components of the
human psyche.
The Goddess image surrounded the planet for well over 35,000 years to about 5,000 BCE, when her position descended like the goddess
Peresephone into the deep earth, the home of Hades. Around that time we observe the ascendancy of the male gods -- Zeus, Indra,
Yahweh, and Thor. There are numerous theories as to why this shift in religious tradition occurred. In Greek mythology, not until the
goddess Peresephone was returned from the kingdom of Hades did the earth restore her health. It was the winter of the earth's history
according to the myth. Welcome the feminine image of God, the Goddess, back into your life. Feel her presence within you, allow her to
turn your existence into a creative, conscious and compassionate way of life .




Tree of Life



The structure of the Tree of Life is connected to the sacred teachings of the Jewish Kabbalah but can be seen 3,000 years earlier in
Egypt.
It is possible to see the Tree of Life structure in many places around the conscious universe.
The structure is represented in nature and relates to the Flower of Life and the Seed of Life. The Tree of Life is an important symbol in
nearly every culture.
With its branches reaching into the sky, and roots deep in the earth, it dwells in three worlds- a link between heaven, the earth, and the
underworld, uniting above and below. It characterizes the struggle between light and darkness....good and evil. The tree has other
characteristics which lend easily to symbolism. Many trees take on the appearance of death in the winter- losing their leaves, only to
sprout new growth with the return of spring. This aspect makes the tree a symbol of resurrection, and a stylized tree is the symbol of
many resurrected Gods- Jesus, Attis, and Osirus all have crosses as their symbols.
Most of these Gods are believed to have been crucified on trees, as well. The modern Christmas tree hearkens back to trees decorated to
honor Attis, the crucified God of the Greeks. A tree also bears seeds or fruits, which contain the essence of the tree, and this continuous
regeneration is a potent symbol of immortality.
Another form, the inverted Tree, represents spiritual growth. This tree, with its roots in heaven, and its branches growing downward also
represents the nervous system as well- the 'root' in the cranial nerves, with the branches spreading throughout the body. It also
represents the cosmic tree- rooted in heaven, the branches all of manifest creation.




Sacred Geometry    



Sacred Geometry is the blueprint of Creation and the genesis of all form.
It is an ancient science that explores and explains the energy patterns that create and unify all things and reveals the precise way that
the energy of Creation organizes itself. On every scale, every natural pattern of growth or movement conforms inevitably to one or more
geometric shapes. The Flower of Life is an illustrative example.
The ancients believed that the experience of Sacred Geometry was essential to the education of the soul. They knew that these patterns
and codes were symbolic of our own inner realm and the subtle structure of awareness.
Geometric shapes actually represent the manifest stages of 'becoming'. To see and work with unity and wholeness in geometry can help
abolish our false notion of separateness from nature and from each other. Through Sacred Geometry we can discover the inherent
proportion, balance and harmony that exists in any situation, all manifest reality and even the circumstances of our day-to-day life.

It was Marcel Proust who said, “ The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.”