In the beginning God created the heavens and the Earth.
The Earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep,
and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
—New American Standard Bible, Genesis 1:1–3
I begin with the most recognizable example of the power of the voice as expressed by the Divine. Yahweh, the God of the Christians, created the world simply by talking. He called for light, and light came. He called for the sky, and the sky appeared. He called for water, Earth, stars, plants, and animals, and guess what? They all manifested before him through the power of his voice.
The Feminine Divine, which has been historically subjugated by male-dominated religious philosophy, has equally powerful examples of the voice in stories and legends around the world. These, however, have been forgotten over time, condensed and covered over by the weighty words of the monotheistic God. With this book, I seek to bring the stories of the Voice of the Feminine into the light of day where their messages can be read, understood, and implemented in everyday life. Behold the power of vocal confession with the Aztec goddess Tlazolteotl! Hear the mighty magical words of the Egyptian goddess Isis! Feel the depth of emotion in the cries of sorrow from the goddess Demeter and the shouts of joy from her daughter Persephone. The Great Goddess is here to guide each of us in the recovery and the strengthening of our individual voice. Through her example and with her love, she will aid us in manifesting our dreams on this Earth, helping us heal so we may finally recognize our true inner self. The journey waits before you. All you need to do is take that first step. Make the choice to honor yourself, to open your voice, and to begin to change the world around you.
IN THE BEGINNING
This book was conceived out of my own personal needs. You see, in the past, I have had a hard time accessing the power of my voice. Even now, after a year of writing this book and working to strengthen my voice, I still find myself, at times, retreating into silence. Silence is so much easier, after all. You don’t hurt people’s feelings. You don’t need to defend your ideas. There’s no confrontation, no “situation,” no issues, no conflicts. It’s just you, in the quiet, by yourself—which is, of course, the root of the problem. Silence isolates the individual from the world. It also isolates the individual from herself. If you don’t express your thoughts, concerns, and philosophies, you disavow their intrinsic worth. Your great ideas, kept locked up tight in your mind, affect nothing. Change nothing. Connect with nothing. By refusing to use your voice, you deny your right to be an active participant in life. In your life.
And I know this truth on an intellectual level, but I sometimes find it so hard to get the words out of my mouth. I worry that I’ll hurt people’s feelings, that they’ll verbally attack me, that they won’t like me. So, out of fear, I keep quiet. And then I get angry. I take that anger home with me and lash out at the people I do feel comfortable around. I attack my family and friends who I know will love me no matter what I say or do. And they didn’t do anything wrong! This is not healthy behavior. It is not the way to build relationships. So what’s a girl to do?
For me the answer was simple: turn to the Goddess. My journey to find my voice began in 1999, when I first started to teach Wicca classes at local metaphysical and New Age shops. My first teaching job was at Women of Wisdom in Easton, Massachusetts, a cute, purple-accented building with a lovely warm energy. The owner of the shop agreed to allow me to teach an Introduction to Wicca class, and she specifically asked me to include songs and chants in the six-week workshop. She said that women hid their voices too much and she hoped that my class could address this issue, if only briefly. I was terrified! I did not always trust my speaking voice, forget about my singing voice! But I included a song and chant section in the class on Sabbats and ritual work, even though I didn’t really want to. As the class loomed ever closer, I began to do copious amounts of research in an effort to “gloss over” what I considered my singing “defects.” In my research travels, I found a powerful poem in the midst of a Virginia Slims ad for their regular light 100s. I will share it with you.
The
mysterious
power
Of my voice
Endures.
My essence glows.
My heart
Dances.
My Voice
Sings.
The eyes
Are the messenger of
The Soul,
But the
Voice
Reveals
The Spirit!
To this day, I still have the glossy, full-color ad, replete with sensuous, energetic women and this powerful, thought-provoking, voice-enhancing poem. It just goes to show, you never know where you’ll find inspiration and Divine guidance.
Years passed, during which time I continued to sing a few Pagan songs and chants in my Wicca classes. And then I had a baby. My daughter trundled into my life, all chubby independence and, as a brand-new mama, I tried all sorts of ways to form a connection with her. One of my more brilliant ideas was to purchase the video, “Baby and Mom Post-Natal Yoga,” a forty-five-minute foray into the practice of Kundalini yoga with noted yogini Gurmukh. When I bought the video, I did not know it was a Kundalini practice. I figured all yoga was the same (HA!) and, having done some Hatha yoga, thought that a yoga exercise regimen that included my baby girl would be fun and enjoyable. And it was! But the absolute best part of the video occurred at the very end when all the moms rubbed their babies and moved their little chubby Buddah-bodies around while chanting. Chanting! I had never done chanting in a yoga class before. I loved it! I still love it. It made perfect sense to craft a more flexible voice after creating a more flexible body. My chanting connected to the Divine without, the Divine within me, and the Divine within my precious baby girl. This was awesome!
The chanting of the Kundalini mantras helped me to feel more comfortable with my voice. As my daughter grew up, I willingly sang lullabies and nighttime chants to her while we gazed out at the darkening star-strewn sky. I began to create with my voice. I made up songs to soothe my daughter, encourage her, and connect her with other members of the household. (These are now staples in our household that we often sing to each other.) I began to sing more and more in my classes, more and more at home. My voice was finding wings!
I was so excited. I had found my voice! Huzzah! I figured that I no longer had any issues related to my voice. I was cured, whole, complete. What I didn’t realize was that once I had found my voice, I had to use it. Outside of my house. Outside of my well-constructed, safe, and secure environment. With adults who, unlike my daughter, did not love me unconditionally.
So, in an effort to bring my voice into the world around me, Goddess Aloud! was formed. When I first started writing this book, I didn’t know it was meant to help me with my own voice-enhancing process. I simply wanted to explore the possibility of accessing the vocal energy of the Goddess in the creation of ourselves, our lives, and the world around us. Through the exploration of goddess myths and legends around the globe, I have recognized the truth of the power in the feminine voice. It is different from the male voice, which is why, I think, many women have problems accessing that power. The voice, as it is commonly utilized in modern society, is strident and true. It must be physically expressed and, for it to have impact, it must be heard. The voice has a lot of male qualities because it is not necessarily consensus-driven. It is your truth at that one moment in time, and it often resonates with staccato energy.
There are many heroines with strong voices in classic literature. The two that leap to mind are Katherina from Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew and Jane from Charlotte Brönte’s Jane Eyre. Katherina, as you may remember from high school English class, is labeled a shrew because she speaks her mind in a very masculine way. She does not try to sugarcoat her words and, thus, her family believes her to be unwomanly. In truth, she is not very pleasant and doesn’t care what men or women or family members think of her. She is mean and cutting and biting. She is a woman trying to access her voice through a masculine conversational structure. She imitates the dictatorial attitude of the men of her family and of her society, and her choice to emulate a societal voice—rather than to find her own feminine voice—causes her to lose her voice entirely. By the end of the play, Katherina is married to Petruccio. He is a powerful, willful man who completely transforms Katherina into the subjugated woman, voiceless in public. Yet, Katherina allows herself to be so transformed, believing there are only two choices for the use of the voice: the powerful, strident masculine usage, or no usage at all. She does not even conceive of a third option.
Jane of Jane Eyre, however, does realize and utilize that third communication option for the voice. Jane is another spirited woman who ends up married at the end of her novel. However, Jane does not lose her voice. Her forthright manner becomes less abrupt as she gets older, but she still speaks her mind. Her relationship with her employer Mr. Rochester is fairly equal, and he treats her with respect and esteem. Jane’s voice is her own, feminine and full of meaning and inspiration. She does not try to overcome others with her voice but, rather, to engage them. She seeks to form a connection with others in an effort to express her personal point of view. There is never a need to overwhelm others in her conversational tone. Instead, she chooses to express her own truth, whether it is agreed upon or not. Jane forges a new and different pattern for her voice. I call it the Voice of the Feminine; however, this force is neither male nor female, but intrinsic to all life on the planet.
The Voice of the Feminine gives us the ability to be open and honest with ourselves and with others in the world, without the need to conquer and command. In essence, it is a communication style, a voice pattern true to the self. With the Voice of the Feminine, it is not necessary to convince others of our viewpoint. It is enough to know our own mind, state such thoughts clearly and succinctly, and then continue about our daily existence. The lesson that Katherina and Jane teach us is not that women should be silent. Rather, they teach us that women have a completely different vocal communication style than men, a feminine communication style that is often not expressed or accepted in the popular culture of the day. The Voice of the Feminine is alive and always has been, but, like much of female history and spirituality, it hides in out-of-the-way places and can be difficult to find. Yet, for our sake and the sake of our daughters and sons and future generations, we have a responsibility to unearth these hidden truths. The time for confrontational use of the voice is over. The old masculine paradigms are at an end. It is time to utilize the voice for connection, for understanding, for bridge-building. It is time to use the voice to create, rather than destroy.
The Voice of the Feminine has the ability to craft and construct. It can unify people, cultures, and even philosophies and ideas. The Voice of the Feminine is not about changing people’s minds to “our” way of thinking but about understanding other ways of thought. This style of communication is not uncommon, new, or radical. Women have been doing this for centuries in the home and around the hearth fire. Yet, the Voice of the Feminine is revolutionary in its possibilities. It is time for all people on this planet, whether female or male, to embrace the use of their voice for connection, rather than control. It is time to wrest the Voice of the Feminine out of the home and into the spotlight of the world to effect positive change.
Altering our speech patterns from control to communication begins with the knowledge of the intrinsic worth of the self. We each have the right to state our own truth. Once we have accepted this right, it leads to the understanding that just as we have intrinsic worth, so too does every other person on our planet. Their intrinsic value does not vary by region or age or race or sexual orientation. Each one of us is valuable and powerful. Therefore, all people have the right to state their individual truths. We need not agree with everyone’s beliefs, only accept that those beliefs are right for that person. We may engage in thought-provoking, meaningful discussion about the differences between our truths but the point is not to alter each other’s viewpoint; instead, it is to understand those differences and accept an individual’s truth.
The Voice of the Feminine is very empowering for the self as well as for all those you meet. It gives you the right to own your thoughts and ideas. It places value on your individuality and your ability to express yourself to others. It allows you to act based on your true self. Yet, the Voice of the Feminine is not egotistical or demanding. The true Voice of the Feminine does not force others to believe or act against their will. Instead, it accepts and loves others for their differences. Imagine a world where all people—men, women, and children of all races and cultures—could express themselves freely without censure or fear. Imagine making choices based on your own personal beliefs rather than on societal mores. Imagine stating your truth and acting upon it, with the welfare and well-being of all in mind. This is the true value of the Voice of the Feminine: the ability to realize our individual dreams side-by-side with the hopes and dreams of others in the world. The Voice of the Feminine creates community while honoring and valuing the individual. The time has come to embrace the Voice of the Feminine in all aspects of our lives. To do otherwise is to undermine the very truth of who we are, as individuals, on this planet. And to begin, we need to embrace the idea of the mantra.
MANTRAS
Mantras are important spiritual tools of the Hindu and Buddhist religions. They are used to connect to the Divine through the mind (meditation and vibration) and through the body (words and sounds). They are repetitive sounds and words that are said (usually, although not always) aloud to honor a specific deity. Often, the characteristics of the deity are considered when choosing a mantra. For instance, if you were wishing to increase your prosperity, you might intone the mantra “Om Shreem Om,” which is the mantra for Lakshmi, the goddess of abundance and prosperity. A mantra differs from a prayer because you are seeking to welcome the energy and guidance of the Divine into your life by actually connecting to their energetic presence. In other words, the mantra helps to lift you out of mundane reality and into the reality of the universe and of the spirit.
I chose to use the mantra as the vehicle for accessing and expressing the Voice of the Feminine because, in the Hindu and Buddhist religions, mantras are already linked to the Feminine Divine. There are mantras currently in use around the world devoted to such goddesses as Lakshmi, Sarasvati, and Green Tara. Since they are already associated with feminine Divine energy, mantras seemed the natural choice for our work in connecting to the Voice of the Feminine through the Divine. There are numerous other spiritual alternatives to the mantra—prayer, affirmation, incantation—yet each of these has a specific usage that does not flow with the ultimate purpose of this book. The goddess mantras in this book are not spells or affirmations meant to create change. They will effect change and help welcome positive manifestation in your life, but their primary goal is to connect you with the Divine. By chanting the mantras continually, you access a frequency and vibration higher than that of the earthly plane. You become more than the words by connecting with the universal energy. In short, your life changes because you no longer are the same person.
Through the repetition of the mantra, you access the Divine and shift your perception of reality. You are not pleading with the Divine (as in prayer) or cajoling Him or Her (as in incantation and affirmation). Rather, you are merging with an energy that is ancient and modern and universal. You are becoming one with Goddess energy, worshipped in distance lands, across oceans and deserts, and right around the corner. Mantras are much more intimate than prayer, incantation, or affirmation because the goal (peace or love, for instance) is just a side-benefit of that wonderful connection with the Divine. So, while the goal is still important, the focus is on the Goddess, both within and without.
This book does not utilize traditional Hindu or Buddhist mantras. It is not meant to replace or devalue the mantras that were created in the Eastern lands hundreds or thousands of years ago. Traditional Hindu and Buddhist mantras were specifically crafted by talented seers and holy men to connect to the gods and goddesses of their spiritual path. Being neither Buddhist nor Hindu, I cannot hope to replicate the power of those spiritual vibrations in relation to Eastern thought and philosophy. Yet, as a spiritual tool, the mantra has value across cultures. In my mind, it need not be relegated to Eastern religions only. Connecting to the Divine—whether you call it God, Goddess, Buddha, Allah, or Yaweh—has value and power. Therefore, the mantras found in this book connect to goddesses from all over the world. They were crafted to represent the culture of the specific goddess as well as to relate to modern goddess spirituality. If you are familiar with Hindu and Buddhist mantras, you will find the goddess mantras to be completely unlike their Eastern cousins. They are meant to be different. And, indeed, they should be completely different. After all, the goddess mantras here were created for goddess-worshippers in the twenty-first century who are trying to find their true selves though the reclamation of their voice and a connection to the Feminine Divine. Our spiritual goals, needs, wants, and issues are dissimilar from those who follow Eastern philosophy. Neither is better than the other, just different. Therefore, it is important to approach the mantras in this book knowing that they are not the same as traditional Eastern religious mantras.
CHANTING THE MANTRAS
In traditional Eastern religions, mantras are counted out with the aid of mala beads, Buddhist prayer beads. Mala beads generally consist of 108 beads strung together, with a larger mother/parent, guru, or Buddha bead serving as the place to begin the recitations. While you repeat the mantras, you move your fingers across the beads, one bead per repetition. Often there will be placement beads throughout the string to let you know how many times you’ve said a specific mantra. Many mantra practices require that you recite the same mantra twenty-one times in a row. Therefore, some mala beads have a spacer or placement bead to acknowledge the end of one mantra recitation and the beginning of another. Also, in some traditions, it is considered bad etiquette to recite the mantras twice in the same direction. In other words, if you have recited your mantra for one revolution of the mala beads and returned to the Buddha bead, you would need to turn the mala beads around and recite them in the opposite direction, rather than skip over the Buddha bead. The Buddha bead is the beginning and the end. To skip over it and continue your practice is considered a sign of disrespect.
The number 108 is quite consistent in relation to the length of mala beads. In Tibetan Buddhism, the number 108 is divided into the numbers 6 x 3 x 2 x 3 = 108, with each number having a corresponding meaning in relation to Buddhist spirituality. The number 6 represents the six senses of a human being—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch, and thought. The first 3 represents past, present, and future. The 2 corresponds to the two states of the mind, heart, and soul: pure or impure. The second 3 signifies the three disturbing states of emotion: like, dislike, and indifference. In the Japanese culture, the number of beads also equals 108 but their number corresponds to the 108 worldly desires, confused thoughts, and passions that the follower works to relinquish in the course of spiritual discipline.[1]
There are numerous reasons for the use of the number 108 in relation to mala beads. Some enthusiasts claim that since 9 and 12 are highly spiritual numbers and 9 x 12 = 108, that the beads relate to a numerological principle of wholeness, spirituality, completion, and the Divine. For Western astrology lovers, there are 12 houses in a natal chart and 9 planets, which, of course, correspond to the number 108. (Pluto still counts in astrology, if not in astronomy.) In India, a predominantly Hindu country, there are 54 letters in the Sanskrit alphabet and each letter has a masculine and feminine quality, thus bringing the total to 108 (54 x 2 =108). It is said that 108 energy lines converge on the heart chakra, the energy center of the body related to relationships, love, and self-love. If so, perhaps each bead represents one of these energy lines.[2] In short, the number 108 fits into numerous spiritual pursuits and religious philosophies around the world.
For modern Goddess worshippers in search of connecting to the Feminine Divine, I think it is important to pay attention to the way the number 108 is divided. The number 108, when divided in half, becomes the number 54. When the number 108 is divided into thirds, it turns into 36. When quartered, 108 becomes four sections of 27 and, when divided into twelfths, is twelve sections of 9. Now, take the individual numbers—108, 54, 36, and 27—and separate them into their individual parts: 1 + 0 + 8, 5 + 4, 3 + 6, and 2 + 7. What do you find? They all add up to the number 9, which represents the highest spiritual attainment and the ability to access the highest level of spiritual vibration. “Nine represents attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, and our success to achieve an influence in our circumstances. Nine beseeches us to recognize our own internal attributes, and extend these abilities out into the world to make a positive, influential difference.”[3] The power of the number 9 works with the spiritual goals of connection to the Feminine Divine through the mantras. Yet it also corresponds exactly to the attributes of the Voice of the Feminine. The number 9 transcends time and space, linking the spiritual with the worldly, the individual with the Divine. For this reason, I believe that the number 108 should be used in relation to the beads used in reciting the goddess mantras.
When chanting mantras, mala beads help to hold the place of the individual, aligning the physical (the hands) with the mental (the chant). They are a tangible object for one to focus upon during the meditative recitation. Sometimes, during meditation, the mind wanders and begins to worry about groceries, work, clothes, or mowing the lawn. The mundane reality often intrudes upon our spiritual practice. The beads help to hold our focus so that we are not merely saying words with our mouth while our brain flies off in a million different directions. I find that mala beads are helpful in conditioning the mind to stay alert and aware of the spiritual practice at hand. You don’t need to use mala beads, but they can be very helpful.
There are two traditional hand techniques for using mala beads during the recitation of mantras. In the first method, you drape the beads over the third finger of your right hand, holding them steady with the second finger and the thumb. The second finger serves to move the beads toward you after each recitation, while the thumb serves as the placeholder, resting upon the bead that is marking your current chant. In the second technique, the beads rest on your second finger and your thumb does all the work, serving as placeholder and as the mover of the beads. In both techniques, the index finger never touches the beads.
Your beads can be made out of any material you choose. You will find mala beads made from wood, berries, and semi-precious stones. Don’t let a lack of funds discourage you in the attainment of a set of beads; there are always options! You can buy the plastic beads meant for kids’ craft projects and string together your own set of beads. If you don’t like the idea of using plastic, you can tie 108 knots in a length of string. You may not feel as though these options are ideal, but they will connect you to the Divine just as well as any expensive mala bead set. Spirituality can be found in the most unusual and nondescript places, so embrace your unique situation and see if you can find a solution!
Once your beads have been created or purchased, it is important to store them respectfully. Even if they are a simple knotted string or a set of brightly colored plastic beads, they are your conduit to the Divine and should be treated honorably as a sacred tool. A silk or cotton bag or pouch is an excellent storage container. Choose a style and color that suits your individuality and spirituality. Then store them in a place where the kiddies, dogs, and cats won’t get to them. There’s nothing worse than coming home to a tangled pile of string and a mess of loose beads!
I leave you now to explore the many voices of the Great Goddess as revealed throughout time. May you find her stories, exercises, rituals, and mantras fulfilling and helpful in your search for the Divine within and without. May she grant you wisdom, clarity, and all that you seek in the fulfillment of your sacred journey upon this Earth. The following invocation is one that I state aloud before I begin any goddess mantra practice. It helps to focus my mind and narrow my goals to those that are most important for me—the reclamation of the Voice of the Feminine, the connection to the Divine, the achievement of earthly goals in concurrence with the sacred, and the growth and usage of my own individual voice. Feel free to utilize it to begin your mantra practice, or to craft an invocation of your own. After all, this is your time with your voice, in connection with the Feminine Divine. Honor her and yourself and your voice in whatever way feels most right to you. Know that you are held in Divine love every day. May you feel that love and be blessed by the Goddess in all that you do!
GODDESS MANTRA INVOCATION
My voice is sacred and Divine
For it is mine,
Mine alone.
With honor and praise
To the Great Goddess,
I express my Voice of the Feminine
To sing her praises
And receive her gifts.
I am open and receptive.
I am one with Spirit.
I am one with the world.
I am one with myself.
Namaste.
