Home
bio
bio
Press
Articles
Meditations
The Yoga of Light
The Path of the Priestess
Films
Contact

2012
The Odyssey
Sharron Rose

Directed by
Sharron Rose
Purchase

Healing the Luminous Body
Alberto Villoldo

Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase

Secrets of
Alchemy
Jay Weidner

Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Art Mind
Alex Grey
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Healing Sounds
Jonathan Goldman
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Yoga of Light
Sharron Rose
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Nada Yoga
Shanti Shivani
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Alchemical Healing
Nicki Scully
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase
Quantum Astrology
Rick Levine
Produced by
Sharron Rose
Purchase



By Sharron Rose

 

The Silver Age: The Age of Ritual

In the ancient way of being, the earth not only creates, feeds, and protects life but, like a mother, whispers through natural signs and images the secret knowledge of how body, mind, emotions and spirit work upon each other in an intricate, invisible weaving.

-Johanna Lambert, Wise Women of the Dreamtime

Ritual fuses in simultaneity the seed and the tree, the potential and the actual, the dreaming and the reality.

-Robert Lawlor, Voices of the First Day

As the periodic cycle of the ages unfolded, most of humanity drifted farther away from this paradisiacal state, traveling on a course that led downward from the subtle light of spirit into the darkness and densification of matter. As the process of entropy ensued we slipped away from this pure awareness of our own Divinity. Our essential light became shrouded by the veils of corporeal existence. We descended from a state of divine union and bliss into a state of separation of other and I, subject and object, light and dark. With this new era of human experience came the laws and experience of duality. No longer did we innately recognize our connection with our divine progenitor, but we instead saw it as something independent. No longer did we rest completely in the light of divine love. With this sudden fall of consciousness into matter, many of us began to identify ourselves with the physical body and could no longer see beyond death. This was the beginning of our collective amnesia, the first days of our sad journey of forgetfulness. Perhaps this is the fall from grace that is spoken of in so many ancient texts.

Isolated, confused, and living in this dual reality separated from Divinity yet longing to remember who we were, we humans endeavored to hold on to the radiant threads of our spiritual light. At this time we began to create what is called ritual. In order to retain and transmit the celestial beauty and rapture of what we remembered from our previous idyllic existence, oral tradition and symbolic expression were born. Our sacred memories, visions, and heavenly aspirations were communicated through stories, which we now call myths and legends, and through mantras (sounds that carry the vibrations of divine energy) and mudras (hand gestures used for the worship of and communication with the divine).

Our ancestors were at first a nomadic people, still awed by the power and potency of nature and the cosmos. They worshipped the elements, the weather, and the principles of the natural world. From their dual perspective the masculine was seen as the static, inert principle (the source of Divinity) and the feminine was seen as the kinetic principle (the energy of Divinity). The female was the voice of Divinity, expressing herself through the countless forms and forces of our physical world. With this recognition of our fundamental divinity, our ancestors embarked on a sacred journey of self-discovery. Their newly formed material vessels and the radiant manifest world around them fascinated these spiritually attuned beings. And so nature, the human body, and the vast cosmos that unveiled itself every evening became the people’s medium for exploration and understanding. So closely aligned with nature and living in a world where time had a very different flow and meaning than in the mechanized corporate world of today, the women and men of these ancient civilizations would spend entire lifetimes observing, meditating on, and documenting all the facts of their three-dimensional reality. The forms and cycles of the natural world; the development of the human body, mind, and spirit; the paths of the stars and the precession of the equinoxes were all sacred mysteries to be acknowledged, reflected on, and revealed.

Since the veils between the physical and subtle energetic dimensions were still exceedingly porous, these ancestors still retained the ability to perceive and travel the mystic roads between them. From their visionary perspective all of the manifest world appeared to be surrounded, penetrated and interconnected by a great web or network of light that constantly flowed out from the primordial heart of creation. As a result of this enhanced perceptive ability they understood that the patterns and systems manifesting in the larger universe mirrored those within the earth itself and within the inner realms of our physical body. Like a great interwoven matrix of light these systems were perceived to nest together like boxes within boxes. The patterns governing reality were seen to have the same essential geometric structure no matter how infinitesimal or infinite in their scope. Each system held within itself the key to the entire structure of universal manifestation.

Therefore, on both a physical and subtle level, the human body, its organs, systems, movements, rhythms and cycles were believed to have a direct relationship to the cycles of the earth, planets, stars and universe. For example, the human body, like the planet itself was believed to be made up of the elements, earth, air, fire and water. The element of earth was equated with our bones and tissues, as well as the rocks and minerals that make up the solid body of the planet. The element of air was equated with the winds that sweep across the earth and the breath that flows through our body. The element of water was equated with both our bloodstreams and the rivers and streams that run through the earth and the element of fire was equated with the electro-magnetic currents of energy that flow through the energetic body of the earth as well as our nervous systems.

In addition, these highly attuned women and men were also able to perceive the more subtle geometric shapes and currents of energy that flow through this great luminous web of creation. They perceived that just as the human body contains a radiant network known to mystics today as channels, chakras, nadis and meridians, so too does the earth contain subtle energetic pathways known to shamans as ley lines and spirit paths. As we have seen throughout this book, these are conduits for the flow of what is referred to in the Tantric tradition as the serpent power or Kundalini Shakti, the vital, creative feminine force which is constantly pouring out of the still source of creation. This divine cosmic energy, continuously weaving and flowing throughout the universal matrix, was perceived to vivify, sustain and enlighten all of manifest existence. During this magical age, not only was phenomenal reality divided into female and male principles but also each manifestation, force, or expression of nature–such as heaven, earth, sun, moon, rivers, mountains, wind, fire, dawn, and dusk–was recognized and detached from the others. Every aspect of the natural world was transfigured into a distinctive entity that commanded reverence.14 All were seen as separate aspects of the consummate mystical powers of Divinity, which, according to the setting and situation, could be invoked, venerated, and petitioned.

Perceiving the land as the sacred body of the Great Goddess, our ancestors, who are known to modern-day scholars as hunter-gatherers, freely wandered from holy place to holy place performing their practices and rituals. Effortlessly perceiving and interacting with the subtle forces that wove the luminous web of life, these women and men were fully in touch with the psychic-energetic-emotional landscape of reality. Day after day they journeyed on their sacred walkabouts, traversing the vibratory song lines or flowing streams of vital energy that arise from the earth. 15 These subtle lines of force mirrored not only the physical positions of the stars, but also the subtle pathways of the eternal realms of spirit. In his superb book, Voices of the First Day, which documents the ancient teachings of the Australian Aborigines, author Robert Lawlor describes these magnetic currents as, " an invisible web extending throughout the universe on every level, from atom to galaxy." According to his research, these people who trace their lineage back to the first days of creation, knew that, "magnetic fields of influence integrate the universe, earth and every living creature so that each communicates its rhythmic resonance with all the others."

At first our ancestors such as these were connected to the movements of spirit, and they possessed capacities that are today the subject of lore in some cultures and secret practices in others. These include abilities derived from intimate communion with the elements, such as nourishing themselves with ingesting light, keeping themselves warm by raising their inner metaphysical fires, or journeying in dream and vision to the stars and beyond.16 The nomads traveled without possessions, naked at first, and as time progressed and they lost some of these capacities they clothed themselves with simple garments, communing with the earth and mystic world of the ancestors.

Humanity’s creation of religion was a direct result of the turn of the seasons from the end of the Golden Age to the beginning of the Silver. The practitioners of this new religion performed their acts of worship–the prototypes of our sacred rituals, songs, and dances–in the midst of nature, in the woods, along the banks of the river, and on mountaintops. In resonance with their natural environment, they embraced Mother Nature in all her beauty and might. Even today shamanic societies that still adhere to these ancient principles teach that we can commune with our ancestors through our contact with the elements. In the words of Adelina Avla Padilla, spiritual leader of the Chumash tribe of Santa Ynez, California, "In the whisper of the wind one can hear the voices of the ancestors and feel their gentle touch; in the warmth and flicker of the fire and the rays of shining light of the rising and setting sun they are present, waiting for us to recognize and commune with them." 17

In the ancient hunter-gatherer societies daily tasks that were essential to survival and deep and intimate rituals involving sexuality, social conditioning, and initiation were divided equally between the genders. Females performed their essential roles as childbearers, instructors, healers, and nurturers, while males performed their roles as providers, mentors, and protectors. Creation was believed to be the result of a cosmic relationship between the receptive and nurturing feminine body of the earth that opened herself to receive the indispensable seed of her divine consort, the masculine sky.

During this age of balance women’s bodies were seen as magical vessels. Like the process that brings forth the riches of the earth, from deep within the confines of the woman’s body new life would miraculously spring. Women, who have the extraordinary capacity to experience a new human life, take root, grow in and emerge from their wombs and into the world, were seen to be intrinsically connected to the great mysteries of manifestation.18

The process of pregnancy and giving birth was seen as an extremely sensual and life-altering experience. It was recognized that throughout pregnancy the mother’s body was suffused with vital energy. This energy gave her increased attunement with every sensation within her physical body, and it seemed to heighten her ability to travel in the etheric and energetic realms as well. To these simple and wise people it was only natural that women going through this profound experience, which mimicked the very act of creation itself, would innately comprehend the essential dynamics of the heart –of love, tenderness, compassion, selflessness, and protection.

The woman’s work had only begun at birth. For it was the mother’s role to not only nurture and maintain the physical health and vitality of her child but also to nurture and maintain its spiritual growth as well. This work was given the highest priority in these ancient societies. As mothers, women were the first teachers and guides. They were the healers, nursemaids, and custodians of the spirit; the acknowledged weavers and keepers of the psychic-energetic-emotional landscape. Fully aligned with the truth, women understood and transmitted the spiritual and moral values of the clan or society to their children. Numerous rituals existed in which women were the spiritual guides, and they assumed the roles of priestess, educator, and initiator into the sacred mysteries of sexuality and spiritual transformation. 19

Through continuous interaction with each other, their children, their mates, and the environment, as well as through intuition and trial and error, women were able to accumulate a highly specialized body of knowledge and expertise. Today we call this body of knowledge women’s mysteries. These mysteries included comprehension of the underlying principles, cycles, and flow of nature and the cosmos; the hidden secrets of life, death, fertility, and sexuality; the arts of healing, such as the magic of plants and herbs; insight into the nature of the psychic-energetic-emotional patterns flowing between the physical body and the luminous energy field, receiving, transmitting and interpreting messages from both the physical and visionary realms and much more.

Although many aspects of this knowledge were shared and discussed with men, it was more often than not considered the intrinsic realm of the feminine. It was preserved and handed down through oral tradition and direct energetic transmission from mother to daughter, woman to woman. This fertile period of human history is often spoken of as the time of the matriarchy, a time in which women were fully empowered. During this era men had equally essential roles to play, and there have been many volumes written about their ways and practices throughout history. In this story, however, we will focus primarily on how the flow of the ages shaped feminine lives and experiences.

 

Introduction

The Golden Age: The Age of Divinity

The Silver Age: The Age of Ritual

The Bronze Age: The Age of Doubt

The Iron Age: The Age of Chaos

The Time of Transition