Path of the Crone's Mysteries

Most of Earth's population is oriented toward the masculine polarity biologically

because the masculine polarity is what humans must have to enter into the

proper relationship with Earth. As we dwell on the planet, we must have the

opposite polarity to Earth.   Earth is feminine polarity in matter. We dwell as

mates to the Earth. Then, as we begin to mate with our own inner selves, with our

own feminine polarity, we begin to create a doorway into the inner realms (the

non-ordinary, nonphysical realms of reality) of higher consciousness. Once we

polarize to the feminine, we can manifest the duality of both the male and

female in our body, which allows us to merge and transcend - to join together in

union with the sacred fire. Alchemy then occurs, and we evolve beyond these

realms.

The need of the planet now is for us to become aware of the ethics, values and

knowledge that are contained within the feminine system. We will destroy

ourselves if we do not become aware of these things, because the feminine

system has two very important truths going for it.

The first is that to become open to the feminine side of ourselves is to become

open to non-ordinary reality. This means that we become open to spirit and are

able to tune into, and to become aware of, the spirit in all things. The second

truth is that until we realize and honor the first truth, we will always have war; we

will always be assuming our right over another person's right to live.

In the ancient mysteries, the Goddess represents the view that the source of all

life - of all existence - begins in the feminine polarity of energy. This feminine

polarity resides in all levels of existence, in all dimensions of reality - physical and

non-physical. The initiation path which leads the soul to the doorsteps of the

Goddess is called the "Path of the Veiled Mysteries."

The unique distinction of this path always stresses the personal experience of

the Initiate/witch, and her or his relationship to the feminine polarity. However, a

re-education is needed - a modern understanding of the feminine including its

function and its characteristics is required before the Initiate can proceed.

In the language of the Goddess, participation in Her Mystery School means

experiencing the "Feminine Initiation Procedures." These procedures are, in

reality, developmental stages through which all human beings must pass. If you

choose to experience these changes consciously, committing them in service to

your own soul's evolution, then you are indeed on the initiation path of the

Goddess. The voice of the Goddess calls out to many people.

We must always strive for balance between the outer external life (male) and the

consciousness-directed inner life (female). The inner life must be the ruler of the

outer life.

Traditionally and historically, according to most esoteric thought, it is good to

polarize to the inner spiritual life, as the physical vehicle is nothing but a shell.

Within the system of the feminine initiation procedures, there are specific paths,

specific aspects of the Goddess, that allow a person to bring into balance the

masculine and feminine parts of themselves.

First we have the path of Gaia, Earth Mother which is the path of relating to the

Earth and its growing seasons of caring for the Earth.

We have the initiation path of Isis/Demeter which is concerned with the power of

Birth-rebirth and includes karmic lessons of raising families, nursing, healing,

shamanism, religion and all those cycles of growth and nurturing.

We have the path of Aphrodite/Venus which symbolizes evolution through love,

fire, union, or fusion into oneness. All aspects of love, intimacy and sexuality as

well as love through service, charity and devotion are emphasized.

We have the path of wisdom which is the path of the mind; This is the path of

Athena. The task of this path is to change mind patterns and their effects on the

world through the sciences, philosophy, politics, etc.

There is the path of Hecate/Kali. This is the path of involution, destruction and

darkness. It is about the sacred power to destroy and the mastery over death.

This path encompasses anger, fire, explosions, and fusions of energy. This path

emphasizes the ability to work on the negative parts of oneself: the dark-side. On

this particular path, you will have intense lifetimes concentrating on the soul's

journey into the underworld of the self and mastering the art of change through

the death process or violence.

We also have the Bodhisattva path (or vow) or the spiritual/mystical path. In this

path many are becoming awakened. It is the path of unconditional love through

service. The Goddesses Kuan Yin and Tara are its symbols; mercy and

compassion are its practices. If you choose this path, ultimately you will use your

enlightenment to serve the Earth and humanity. This is not a path you choose

because of your ego. The reward is not escape from the wheel of rebirth by

non-attachment, but rather enlightenment from an open heart. Before you

choose this pathway; think very carefully.

We need to surrender the self to spirituality - the energy that permeates all

living things - to the Goddess. If we are having trouble with that, our spirit guides

are around to help us.

When we surrender to nonphysical reality, there is a mini death; certain parts of

us physically and psychically die off. If we look, we find that part of the female

population instinctively has had this inner surrender to spirit. The remaining female

population still relates to the masculine polarity and its way of living. They are not able to

balance the feminine/masculine duality within themselves and will manifest many

problems.

With the males, we find that most males are polarized to the masculine, with

virtually no connection to the feminine. These men have difficulty acknowledging

and expressing their inner emotional truths, which may come out in extreme

behavior like rages, violence, and substance abuse. Male aggressive behavior in

our current age is sanctioned in sports (area of combats) and economic

competition. Prostate problems, heart attacks, strokes, and early death are

diseases of the absence of the feminine energy in the male. The remaining male

population who have a connection to their inner feminine are often alienated or

ostracized for their emotional natures. Most of our poets, artists, actors,

musicians and anyone who values the inner world over the material has difficulty

with the current planetary male-centered power structure. These polarity

problems are not recent phenomenon. They have been with humanity since the

fall of Atlantis.

Whether we are born into a male or female body, whether our internal

polarization is masculine or feminine, both woman and men must connect to the

feminine polarity within. They must find the Goddess within them.   If born a female,

it is not as hard connecting with the Goddess then born a male, naturally.

When we decide we are going to travel the Goddess path, it is required that we

open to the feminine within, the Goddess within us.

The female polarity is the key to the inner realms as the male polarity is the key

to the outer realms. The Goddess is the inner realm. The world must eventually

return to the celebration of women bearing children and honoring the feminine

creative process. In the story of human evolution, the female-male processes will

be mastered by both sexes. This is the path to enlightenment and balance in all

creation.

Women have been struggling for a voice and power in the politics, religion and

the economy. All these areas have to do with controlling flow. When women

control the flow, everyone gets a piece of the action. For example, when a group

of children walk in the door and there is a large cake, but more children than

there is cake, the woman in charge will do everything in her power to make sure

that everyone gets a piece of cake. The energy of the female is to get "the all"

taken care of and nourished.

This is something that men do not always understand. The energies of the male,

the masculine, seek to be the only one. It seeks exclusiveness and dominance.

This is not bad, it is just how masculine energy functions! It seeks oneness

through conquering not sharing

And so the feminine is the many while the masculine is the one. Masculine energy

represents individuation at all levels of creation, and the feminine represents the

oneness, synthesis, or union at all levels of creation.

OPENING PHYSICALLY

There is a certain degree of psychic phenomena that occurs when you start

"Reawakening" to the path. You realize that everything is connected, everything

flows in energy patterns. By meditating, you can create a corridor between the

planes. That, of course, is the whole idea of meditating - connecting and attuning

to the non-physical dimensions or inner planes as they are sometimes called.

In many cases, when you start opening internally toward the self and connecting

to your emotions and unconscious mind, you become sensitive to picking up

messages from the unseen planes. You become more "Psychic", more aware,

more attuned. Becoming aware of your own soul and living a soul-oriented life

develops psychic capabilities as a natural side effect. We need to create a

discipline of meditation and contemplation; creating space and time in our lives

on a regular basis for contact with the soul which contains all the information

about our past lives, karma, and the many levels of ourselves that are unrealized.

Inside the soul is a spark of the divine, the part of us that is no different from

Creator.

How do we know if we are close to entering the path of the Goddess? What does

the entrance to the path look like? Literally, it is an initiation phase, a phase

within the development of the spirit or soul. When the priorities of the inner

being want success rather than the outer life, you are on the path of the

Goddess. In the past, it was religion that said the only way we can find self-worth

is by attaching to God through church or dogma. While that is similar to "Living

for spirit," on the Goddess path, we must find and experience our own spirit.

When we do that, the world becomes beautiful.

The entrance to the soul and the spirit is through the heart, through love, which

is the Goddess. The very act of opening the heart creates a by-product vibration,

love. It is released into the universe; that force of bonding, binding, fusion, and

oneness. Love causes the act of filling in the spaces so that there is no loneliness

or isolation, only connectedness.

Love does not have to occur between two people. It can be love of a rock, tree,

animal, child, human, or other sentient being. Sometimes this love is called

"Compassion" and that is what the Goddess is love and compassion. The heart is

a gateway; love, compassion, and understanding (wisdom) are the states of being

that allow entrance into soul; by practicing love, compassion, and wisdom which

is the Goddess, we keep that connection or passageway open.

All knowledge of the Goddess path has but one goal in the end: if we can become

compassionate, we can truly walk through the doorway of the heart and into the

heart of enlightenment.

To carry the key of compassion is to achieve the highest in human evolution.

The first step to the Goddess path is to live a life dictated by physical needs and

desires.

The second step to the Goddess path is to focus in the emotional body. This is

when you live your life purely from emotions, desire, fear and the primal emotions

dominate.

The third step to the Goddess path is when you follow the mind and the mind is

broken - you experience the limitations of the mind. A dominating third chakra

will not allow non-physical reality of intuition to exist. It may not even allow your

feelings, your emotions, a right to exist! When you are totally polarized to the

mind "I think, therefore I am" becomes a self-fulfilling behavior pattern that

creates your life. Locked into the mind's tyranny, you are directed by the

rational though of how things should be, not necessarily how they are. When you

enter the initiation chamber of the heart, you will experience a radical shift in the

way you process and evaluate your reality.

The fourth step to the Goddess path is centered upon the opening of the heart

chakra. Simply expressed, it is the ability to actively practice giving and receiving

love. Unconditional love. Not only the love that you have for someone you know,

but love and compassion for those you do not know. When the Goddess Kuan Yin

died and was ready to cross over, she heard the cries of the world and decided

to stay until the very last soul crosses over because She has unconditional love

and compassion for all mankind. It is also related to the concept of "Self" love

and the doorway to the love of the Divine. In opening the heart chakra you will

experience a feminine initiation. The ability to receive love into the heart chakra

is a feminine dynamic. It is the pathway for the connection to spirit.

It is quite interesting that the relationship of the heart to the feminine polarity is

thus: when we learn how to give and receive love, we are, in effect, learning how to

be mothers. A mother must give her child life. She must give of herself for her

child to live. She must also take in sustenance. She must receive that she may

continue to give.

When you are on the feminine path (where humanity's divine nature leads) you

need to align the self to the opening of the heart chakra. When you are open in

the heart, you automatically become a receiver of love as well as a giver of lover.

The fifth step to the Goddess path is focused on putting enlightened

consciousness back into physical reality (physical plane manifestation of the

Earth). We take the wisdom that we have learned in the heart challenges and put

it to work. When we have made significant contributions, then we are released

from the "ring-pass-not", which is the actual boundary of the planetary biosphere

(Earth's aura), which cannot be crossed until a soul has reached a certain

evolutionary vibration. If this vibration is attained, we may pass through this

plane and we no longer are compelled to reincarnate. If we have become

enlightened like a Bodhisattva or a Buddha, we can go past "the-ring-pass-not"

and not come back. In other words, released from human form and the "Wheel of

Rebirth".

The fifth step is focused on the throat chakra and the ability to create by sound -

using voice, communication, speaking out, and the art of channeling.

What is the fifth step? It is taking the compassion, the wisdom and the

enlightenment from the first four chakras and directing this spirituality

enlightened consciousness back onto the Earth plan, humanity, and all the lower

kingdoms. We are feeding this energy back into the Earth to purify and make the

Earth Goddess, Gaia, sacred again.

When the fifth step is completed, you, the devas, angels and elementals meet

and begin to work together. Until the fifth step, the human evolutionary track is

separate. However, when a person completes the fifth step, they may work with

all the worlds and their inhabitants. These "Worlds" are animal, vegetable,

mineral, deva, elemental and angelic, as well as the etheric realms, astral, mental

and Buddhistic planes. People of the fifth level are very powerful because they

have the ability to manipulate their own deva and elemental space. This power is

hard earned. Everyone and everything intersects at the fifth step.

The sixth step is the opening of the third eye sometimes called sixth chakra. The

third eye is often incorrectly described as the psychic center. In actuality, the

third eye is concerned with how we function in time. It is also an

electro-magnetic doorway between the realms of the higher nonphysical

dimensions. If the third eye is functioning, people have the ability to connect into

the past, present and future.  This is the ability of the Crone.

When we embrace the darkness within, we discover so much about ourselves. We

discover how the universe works. When we have this key - how we create and

recreate our lives - we are truly given a gift of power and a key to freedom.  We

can begin to go into our own darkness and embrace the shadow side, all the little

negatives, all those horrible things about ourselves. We can embrace this and it

will not kill us but regenerate us. We will find that the third eye becomes a

trusted friend. It becomes a trusted doorway to any particular insight, memory

or lifetime that we need to go to retrieve information.

Lunar and Solar Essence

When we say that something has a lunar essence to it, we are talking about its

inner essence as the shadow side, as the side not seen by the physical senses.

When we speak about something having a solar essence we are talking the power

of the sun, which dominates the daylight. When we talk about the solar aspects

of one's self, we are talking about that which loves the day, loves action, and loves

the physical material world. The Sun also governs mental activity, too, because it

takes a great amount of sunlight to fuel the mind. When we say that people's

lunar aspects are in conflict with their solar aspects, we are saying that their

outer activity or their outer priorities are in conflict with their unconscious or

subconscious. They are in conflict with their higher plane self, with that which is

not readily known or seen by the outer world.

The Crone

In the Goddess path, the goal is to remember who we are spiritually and

psychologically in the world of spirit, not in the world of humanity. The feminine

represents the truth within and the masculine represents the truth without. The

masculine represents the truth for physical reality and the physical plane. The

feminine represents what's true for the inner reality or nonphysical plane. There

is a point where they both meet and the truth "as above so below" is revealed. It

is the search for that point which is the secret of enlightenment.

In the Goddess path people go inward to look for examples of the inner truth.

They can take what they believe is the outer truth and compare, analyze. They

learn how to recognize inner truth in the outer world.

One does not gather the secrets of the universe to gather power, to become

more powerful than one's neighbor, to get more money, more property. These

things do not last long. But peace and love does. The kind of love that has an

open heart and finds love in everything and goodness. An open heart is not

foolish, it is not naive, it is not gullible. An open heart knows the darkness of the

people one loves, because an open  heart sees and feels everything - the good and

the bad, the positive and negative, the even, the sublime divine. An open heart

gives and receives. You cannot have one polarity without the other and call it an

open heart.   In the Goddess teachings the goal is to feel the love of the Goddess

and to be able to emanate that love to others. You must find yourself a place

where your heart gives and receives love. It is hoped that through diligent work

you can bring the inner and outer truths together, to bring outer world reality

(which we call the masculine polarity) and inner world reality (feminine polarity)

into fusion - creating the great "Marriage" within yourself. Once this marriage has

occurred it causes a burning from within - an illumination which touches all the

corners of the self.

©Permission must be granted before use of any material in this website as well as a link provided back to Hecate's Cauldron