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 peoples 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 naturesuch
as heaven, earth, sun, moon, rivers, mountains, wind, fire,
dawn, and duskwas 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.
Humanitys 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 worshipthe prototypes
of our sacred rituals, songs, and dancesin 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 womens bodies were seen
as magical vessels. Like the process that brings forth the
riches of the earth, from deep within the confines of the
womans 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 mothers 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 womans work had only begun at birth. For it
was the mothers 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 womens 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.
The Silver Age: The Age of Ritual
The
Bronze Age: The Age of Doubt
The Time of
Transition