Vow of Chastity - Sworn Virgins of Albania

He/She/He by Jill Peters www.jillpetersphotography.com via Twisted Sifter

“Sworn Virgin is the term given to a biological female in the Balkans who has chosen, usually at an early age, to take on the social identity of a man for life. As a tradition dating back hundreds of years, this was sometimes necessary in a society that lived within tribal clans, followed the Kanun, an archaic code of law, and maintained an oppressive rule over the female gender. The Kanun states that women are the property of their husbands. The freedom to vote, drive, conduct business, earn money, drink, smoke, swear, own a gun or wear pants was traditionally the exclusive province of men. Young girls were commonly forced into arranged marriages, often with much older men in distant villages. A family suddenly without a patriarch or male heir would find themselves in jeopardy of losing everything.

As an alternative, becoming a Sworn Virgin, or burnesha elevated a woman to the status of a man and granted her all the rights and privileges of the male population. In order to manifest the transition such a woman cut her hair, donned male clothing and sometimes even changed her name. Male gestures and swaggers were practiced until they became second nature. Most importantly of all, she took a vow of celibacy to remain chaste for life. She became a ‘he’.

Sworn Virgins still exist today, but as modernization inches towards the small villages nestled in the Albanian Alps, this archaic tradition is increasingly seen as obsolete. Only a handful remain.”  Jill Peters

Femmina Unbound - Return of the Medicine WOmen travels to QLD

 

Waves of Grace 'Swan Shaman' by Patricia Ariel

Waves of Grace 'Swan Shaman' by Patricia Ariel Just as we were creating the medicine circle at the Madalene Laundry on Sunday, Patricia Ariel was completing her latest painting for us: Waves of Grace 'Swan Shaman'. Thank you sister for your Artisan medicine. The Swan Shaman is already speaking clearly, her eyes are full of message.

Spiral of Women's Medicine in the Magdalene Laundry

At the centre - sculptures by Lucy Pierce Photos by Kylie 'Ma Bower'

On sunday, the first day of Spring I sat in a medicine circle with sisters from all over Australia who had been called to come and assist the spirits of the women and children of the Magdalene Laundries at Abbotsford Convent here in Melbourne. It was a day I will never forget, a day when we saw right in front of our eyes, the power and healing magic of Women's Medicine.

I believe this is the new way for the Medicine Women. This new medicine way is not concerned with complicated ritual, hierarchy and authority outside of our spirit. Instead, we simply asked for permission. Permission from the Aboriginal ancestors of the land, permission from the Magdalenes themselves and permission from the Grandmothers who we were there to assist the young girls and children home. The new medicine way is actually the ancient medicine way of lovingly bringing intention, focus and simple action to what is in need of love and change. These simple and small drops of love from each of the medicine women given without ego flowed into the large blessing bowl that our gathering created. And this blessing bowl, created by the flesh of our own bodies as we sat in circle became filled with water, a pool of love stronger than any memory of history or binding beliefs.  

There were so many radiant moments on this day but I will never forget the gift of song from all my sisters and the songs that were channeled and gifted especially for this day by Lisa Mitchell and Kaggi Valentine. Lisa opened the circle with her song 'Thank You for Being Here' and I felt it created an opening of all of our hearts - a reminder that we are all innocent and tender at the heart. Kaggi brought the fire into our opened hearts as we stepped into the cold cement building of the actual Magdalene Laundry. And in this space of such previous pain, imprisonment and enforced silence a spontaneous chant began to burst forward leading to drumming and dancing, loud singing. We danced our own freedom dance for the Magdalenes, we sang for the silenced ones, we brought our fire to light that dark place. Here Kaggi began her chant received for the Magdalenes from the ancient women who came from a time way before the distorted beliefs and restrictions that bind the Sacred Feminine in our world now.

Ancient shadows of women spiraling

through the coils of time,

we are part of those women spiraling...

with the song of the land,

and the dance of the moon inside.

Chant received and sung by Kaggi Valentine 

Singing this chant, we proceeded to move down through the convent grounds, we drummed and singing out loud to honour the memory of the Magdelenes publicly to let them know that they did not belong in the shadow and to sing for them in the open sunshine. This beautiful line of singing medicine women snaked through the gardens and the weekend visitors to move through the trees and down to the Yarra River. At this ancient water source, we began our final work of the day - calling from the convent buildings and surroundings any spirits who had stayed too long, who were afraid, who had been forgotten. We called them down to the River, down to the Water, to be embraced by the Grandmothers and guided Home. 

My deepest thanks and gratitude to all of the women who joined us both in body and spirit at this collective healing. What did we do? We did our best. My heart is full to see your radiant return Wise Medicine WOmen.

For all of our sisters living in Queensland I will be opening a new Femmina Unbound dreaming circle for the return of the Medicine WOmen beside the sacred springs of Grail Haven on Mt Tamborine on Saturday 12th October.

Femmina Unbound - Return of the Medicine Women on Mt Tamborine QLD

Lisa Mitchell gifting her song

 

'Going Home' by sculptor, Pauline Clayton outside the convent gates "A tribute to the young women and children/ who have made epic journeys/ to return to home and country."

Thank you Lisa - Medicine Tongue Mellifluous One

We were assisted by so many beautiful medicine women at Femmina Unbound at the Abbotsford Convent yesterday and one of them was our dear sister, singer and artist, Lisa Mitchell. Lisa, Tony and I have been dreaming this day in together and spoken about how best to help heal the women and children of the Magdalene Laundries. In the months leading up to Femmina Unbound Lisa has been living close to the Earth and began to channel the most amazing and soulful songs and she shared her gift on Sunday as an offering to the spirits of these young women and to the sacred Earth. Here she is in an earlier recording singing in the Abbotsford Convent.

Thank you for your precious gift sister Medicine Tongue Mellifluous One, your voice of honey-flow healed and assisted so many of the women at the convent - both in body and in spirit xxx

Motherwort - A Lion's Tail to help Birth Ourselves

Today I am preparing plant medicine dream pillows for the medicine women joining us in circle tomorrow. I have included herbs from around the world and Australia. I was particularly drawn to the plant medicine of Motherwort for our work tomorrow with the Magdalenes and to birth ourselves again with our Ancestral Medicine lines intact. 

History: the early Greeks gave motherwort to pregnant women suffering from anxiety. This use continued and gave the herb the name mother wort, or “mother’s herb.” Its other prominent action is on the heart, giving it the species name cardiaca or the Greek kardiaca, or heart. Leonurus comes from the Greek leon for “lion” and ouros for “tail”, as the plant was thought to resemble the tail of a lion. There is an old tale about a town whose water source is a stream flowing through banks of motherwort. Many of the townspeople lived to be 130 years old and recall one who reportedly lived to 300 years. In ancient China, motherwort was reputed to promote longevity. In Europe, motherwort first became known as a treatment for cattle diseases. Colonists introduced motherwort into North America and the 19 th century Eclectics recommended it as a menstruation promoter and aid to expelling the afterbirth. They did not consider it a heart remedy at all. The Cherokees used the herb as a sedative for nervous afflictions. In the Victorian Language of Flowers it symbolizes concealed love.

Medicinal: Motherwort is primarily an herb of the heart. Several species have sedative effects, decreasing muscle spasms and temporarily lowering blood pressure. Chinese studies found that extracts decrease clotting and the level of fat in the blood and can slow heart palpatations and rapid heartbeat. Another of motherwort’s uses is to improve fertility and reduce anxiety associated with childbirth, postpartum depression, and menopause. If used in early labor it will ease labor pains and calms the nerves after childbirth. Take motherwort only once soon after giving birth as consistent use before the uterus has clamped down may cause bleeding to continue. Use one to two times a day in the weeks following birth for easing tension and supporting a woman through the feelings that come with new mothering. Do not use during pregnancy. Motherwort helps bring on a delayed or suppressed menstrual flow, especially when someone is anxious and tense. Chinese women often use it combined with dong quai as a menstrual regulator. Avoid using for menstrual cramps when bleeding is heavy. It strengthens and relaxes the uterine muscles and eases uterine cramping. It also reduces fevers, and is especially suggested for illnesses associated with nervousness or delirium. Motherwort was formerly used to treat rheumatism and lung problems, like bronchitis and asthma. Motherwort may help an overactive thyroid but does not depress normal thyroid function. Tincture the leaves and flowers as soon as you pick them. If you prefer to dry them, lay the leaves and stalks onto screens. Motherwort tea has a very bitter taste. Chinese medicine uses the seeds to aid in urination; cool the body system; treat excessive menstrual flow, absence of menstruation.

via www.susanweed.com from www.herbworld.com

III - Joao Paulo Alvares Ruas

Dawn I - Joao Paulo Alvares Ruas " What divides the sacred from the mundane? Is that an universal or a personal matter? Can a moment, a place or a person in your life ever be sacred? These questions were the starting point of obsessive and transforming thoughts and drawings which resulted in this series of works. Iconography obviously plays a big part in the aesthetic being explored but so does everyday life, everyday dreams and everyday fears. "

Encaustic for the Magdalenes

Above and Below the Convent and the Stars Inside

Last night I sat up and asked the beeswax to tell me more about what is needed for the Magdalenes. This is what the oracle of the Bee showed me.

Going Home

Twin Flame Women's Medicine Forest

Water for the Magdalenes

Sacred Mountain - Mt Donna Buang, Warburton

Late last week Tony and I went up to the draw water from the natural spring on top of Mt Donna Buang. It was a cold, rainy and very misty day - water everywhere. We were drawing water for our own drinking and cooking as usual but also for our ceremonies. On this day we were drawing for the medicine women ceremony for the Magdalenes to be held this sunday and as always it was a day of strange and magical occurrences. Driving up we saw not one but at least 10 Lyrebirds - a very mysterious creature that are normally hidden in the forest but this day they were so many by the roadside. I feel that Lyrebird is the totem for the Storyteller and Memory Keeper - they have recorded memory of hundreds of sounds and calls of the forest - some of these calls no longer exist because these animals no longer exist.

At the spring it was icy and I took out a plant wisdom doll carrying in her basket 3 acorns and places her under the fern tree at the well. I gave her to the spring and left a little note with her to tell whoever found her that she was theirs to keep. Afterwards we drew 'rock water' from a place where water pours from the rock and moss wall. Rock water is sacred water most often used by anyone making water essences and it will be used in our ritual and ceremony at Femmina Unbound. Finally we visited the waterfall and she was in full raging flow!

On Sunday Tony and I attended a day to honour 3 year anniversary of the passing of his father and on our way to meet his family I got a message from a beautiful man and his little boy saying they were the ones who had found the wisdom doll. The little boy was so excited and I was very happy that she came to live with them. His father told me that they too love the spring and visit often making sure to clear any rubbish and send good energy into this sacred site. 

The water from this spring is the most purest and life-giving gift you can give yourself and it's free! Water is life and a gift from the Earth to us. Clean water is our birthright and I encourage you to search out these sacred places and drink from them again.

 

Welcoming the Shadow Totem of Magpie

Sometimes our 'shadow totems', the animals we fear most, can become our most powerful allies. When I was a child I was terrified of magpies because they constantly attacked me in Spring. It seemed that I could not cross a park or group of trees without hearing the dreaded loud swoop of their wings over my head. Over time it developed into quite a phobia. And then 4 years ago I dreamt that my sister Rebecca Rainbowalker, death-wife, healer and bird-whisperer brought a magpie to me and I felt such love for this creature. In my dream it flew up into my hair and sat at the back of my head with its' wings outstretched. I felt it's strong protective energy with me. When I woke up I felt very differently about Magpie and I began to open my heart and observe this bird without fear. When we moved to the forest 7 months ago it was Magpie that welcomed us when we first stepped on to the land.

And then 2 months ago as I was preparing to announce Femmina Unbound at the Convent, a parcel from another dear sister, Nicole Ahava, plant medicine woman and creatrix, arrived bearing a surprise gift. It was this beautiful felted Magpie smudge fan you see above. Ever since this fan was gifted to me, a Magpie mamma has been bringing her young one to eat in our garden in the afternoon. In the last 2 weeks this young Magpie has been coming to sit on our verandah and sing his song. He comes alone now without his mother and sings for me every day. He lets me come and stand beside him and I feel honoured that he trusts me, I am grateful that I have lost my fear of this beautiful song-bird.

There are many ways to feel into an animal's totem energy. It can help to look up meanings in books and on the internet but the real meaning for you can only be obtained by trusting your own feelings about the message this animal brings to you. For myself Magpie is asking me to hold my song and sing it for the love of it. To not worry about appeasing or pleasing but to know that the song will be sung as it needs to be and when it needs to be strong it will be strong. How that is perceived by others is not important to me. This is the balance of the black and white of our medicine - that it is not going to be understood or liked by everyone. That is Magpie's message for me.