There is a sacred current of light that runs throughout time and space - the light of the Divine Feminine. It is a continuum. It arises at the birth of creation and forms a sacred path into the denseness of matter and back again. As we descend from the fullness of this light into the depths of the material world, this light is always there to nourish and sustain us. Flowing through all our lives and incarnations, it is the vital and transformative current of truth, virtue and integrity, a shining stream of spiritual essence that leads us along the path of emanation to the path of return and reunion with the Primordial Source.

As women, as mothers, as teachers and guides, as emissaries of the Great Goddess, it is our sacred duty and privilege to hold this current of light in our hearts and carry it from generation to generation. This is our essential role as women: to hold this pure light of Divinity in our hearts, to keep the lamp of inner freedom burning in the darkness, to nurture and protect this light whatever the cost and to transmit it"s radiance, it"s exquisite beauty to our men and children.

Once upon a time, before the days of darkness and oppression of our sacred women"s mysteries, we knew that we were living emanations of the Goddess, that as women, mothers, priestesses and spiritual guides, our primary role was to be a conduit for her sacred current. Knowing that every thought, every action had a profound impact upon not only our own lives and those of our men and children, but on the very fabric of life itself, we created exercises and rituals to purify our bodies, minds and hearts. In the midst of the forest, on the mountaintops, along the riverbanks and the shores of the sea, in the temples and monasteries, we would gather together to perform these sacred rites. We danced by the light of the moon, raised our voices in song and prayer, conversed with the myriad forms of divinity through our sacred gestures, and sat together in silent communion with them. Knowing the Great Goddess was our Primordial Mother and source of all life, we treated her with immense respect. As her priestesses, we offered our lives to her service. We gave her offerings. As her emissaries, we dressed in her image and emulated her extraordinary qualities.

With each heartbeat we attuned ourselves to her primal rhythms. With each inhalation and exhalation we opened ourselves to feel her divine radiance pouring through us, continuously cleansing, enriching and enlivening our bodies, minds, and luminous energy fields. Deeply in tune with her presence, we knew how to expand our senses and send out subtle waves of feeling-consciousness through the great matrix of interconnecting energetic paths that exist between her physical and numinous realms. With our feet firmly grounded upon the earth we would allow our awareness to extend through her vibratory dimensions as we monitored the ebb and flow of both the visible and invisible landscapes. Today, living in the midst of a society that has all but forgotten her, so few of us even know that the goddess exists let alone spend time conversing with her, feeling the power of her touch, reveling in the beauty of her myriad manifestations. For until we have a direct experience of her presence, how can we truly know her?

Like the vast majority of women growing up in America in the 1950s and1960s, I grew up in a world dominated by patriarchal goals and values. As I moved toward adulthood I began to open my eyes to the multitude of problems that appeared to stem from the mental programming imposed upon us by this male-dominated, materialistic society. Inspired by the ideals of the feminist movement, my visionary capacity expanded through the use of psychedelics and my spirit enlivened by the teachings of the Eastern mystics, I began to wake up to the knowledge that I was living under the influence of a culturally-imposed trance that oriented me toward a way of life clearly opposed to my true spiritual nature. Confused by this dilemma I began to ask myself if this was the only path open to me? Or was there a deeper, more integrated path that I as woman could follow, one that was more conducive to my true feminine nature? And so I embarked upon an amazing journey of discovery. At the heart of this journey lay a desire to discover and attune myself to the most sacred idealized vision of the feminine as it existed in cultures throughout the world. . This journey led me far from the shores of my birth, along strange pathways, deep into the heart of ancient civilizations. It led me to a time much different from our modern age, a time of grace, beauty and sophistication, a time of harmony and balance. A time when sensuality was considered sacred and the female body the holy alchemical vessel of creation and transformation, when the sacred was expressed through dance, music, myth, geometry, art, and architecture. This was the age of the great civilizations of Egypt, Sumeria, India, Tibet, and Persia. What I have gleaned from this journey, this heartfelt quest for an understanding of the feminine in her human and divine manifestations, constitutes the essence of this book.

Part one, "Mystic Quest," describes my years of research and experience in these sacred mysteries. As I immersed myself in the teachings and practices of classical Indian dance, Tantra, Dzogchen, healing, alchemy, and gnosticism, I discovered that in ancient times there were sacred schools, societies, temples and artistic traditions in which women, the Goddess and the feminine principle were esteemed and venerated. As temple priestesses, yoginis, healers, prophetesses and soror mysticas, women performed their essential and vital roles in society. Part one provides you with an intimate look at the living remnants of the sacred teachings and spiritual paths that support feminine values and provide time-honored techniques for self-awareness and spiritual illumination.

As a conclusion to part one, I offer you a very different view of history than the one taught in our schools and universities. This perspective concerns the cyclic flow of the four ages or yugas, of humanity as revealed in tantric and alchemical texts. These teachings put forward an ancient, yet powerful view of human history and the changing relationships between male and female, and between humanity and divinity. They also provide new insight into humanity's changing views toward nature and the feminine principle, the body and sexuality, and the fundamental and significant role of women in society.

From this introduction into the ancient mysteries, part two, "Awakening the Divine Feminine," begins with an analysis of the deep spiritual and cultural issues that face us as women of the twenty-first century. It is my belief that over the years our dreams for equality, respect and acknowledgement of our essential feminine nature have been appropriated and distorted by the dominant forces of the modern world. This chapter examines the issues and frustrations inherent in our current society"s conditioning of and expectations for women, while contrasting them with the more spiritually attuned ways of the ancients. For many years now we have been living amidst a society that teaches us to constantly look outside of ourselves for answers to our problems, to numb our emotions through pharmaceuticals or forget our deep-seated concerns by losing ourselves in the superficial world presented to us by television and the media. But now, with all the horror and madness that surrounds us, many of us are beginning to realize that to find the solutions to the fears, uncertainties and nightmares, like our ancestors before us we must look within. And when one looks deeply enough, she (or he) comes face to face with the Great Goddess. For without her divine animating presence, all life would cease to exist.

Therefore, in keeping with the teaching methods of traditional cultures, this book is designed to offer you not only an intellectual understanding of the role of woman and the Goddess but the means by which you can begin to look within and attune yourself to her powerful, integrative, and healing current. Beginning with stories and myths of the goddesses of strength and power, sensuality and love and compassion, chapters 7, 8, and 9 are filled with meditations and visualizations designed to assist you in your own process of spiritual awakening. Each chapter focuses upon a particular aspect of female embodiment and includes sacred images and descriptions of the specific goddesses to be invoked and embodied; a visualization for perceiving and cleansing the luminous energy body that envelops and permeates the physical, freeing the mind of negative thoughts and feelings and filling you with renewed strength and vitality; and a comprehensive vocabulary of expressions and glances based upon the many moods, manifestations and feelings of the enlightened goddesses.

If, like so many of us modern women, you have had little or no training in the ways of old, in the power of meditation, prayer, song, and dance, it does not mean that the doors to the sacred inner sanctum of the goddess are closed to you. You need only knock and the goddess will answer. Simply close this window to returm to sacredmysteries.com...