The brilliance and clarity of sunlight cannot be dimmed by aeons of darkness; likewise, the radiance of the mind's essential nature cannot be obscured by aeons of delusion.

The empty house that has stood in darkness for millennia is illuminated instantly by a single lamp; likewise, an instant's realization of the mind's clear light eradicates negative propensities and mental obscurations inculcated over countless aeons.

                                 -- FROM "THE FLIGHT OF THE GARUDA,"
                                    AN ANCIENT SONG OF DZOGCHEN

Traditional teachers, shamans, and mystics the world over have told me that we actually dream our world; that whatever appears on this earth happens first in what the Australian Aborigines refer to as the Dreamtime, an ever-shifting realm of connections and possibilities. The Dreamtime is created and sustained by the mind.

The Tibetan Buddhists and Bon shamans say that manifestation first comes through an imagining in the mind. To them the mind is like a doorway; it receives and projects images. It is a portal to the primordial source — the source of inspiration, creative imagination, and the magical display of divine light and energy that is continuously weaving itself into the forms, feelings, and circumstances of our lives. Its essential nature is pure and untarnished by any experience the ego or personality may have.

In his song of introduction to the nature of mind titled "The Flight of the Garuda," Ahakkar Lama Jatang Tsokdruk Rangdrol, a Tibetan tantric yogi of the nineteenth century, relates,

"All relative visual and auditory experience is only the natural and spontaneous manifestation of mind itself. . . . The mind is like an artist. The body is created by the mind, as are all the many worlds existing in the three dimensions of microcosmic world systems; all of them are also drawn by the mind."

Restoring A Sense of Harmony and Balance

Once upon a time one of the essential roles of women was maintaining the natural equilibrium of the psychic-energetic-emotional landscape emerging from these projections as the "magical display of mind." Through our sacred rites we learned how to attune ourselves to the radiant light and energy of the spiritual domains and transmit this light to all beings. It is time to reattune ourselves with this inner landscape. We have the ability to heal our confused and unstable way of life, to restore a sense of harmony and balance to ourselves and the world around us.

As women born into this transformative age we must join together to become leaders in the reshaping of our world. Like Mandarava, the princess of India who through her passionate devotion to the dharma realized the luminous rainbow body and became an immortal dakini, no matter what obstacles appear before us we must keep our eyes focused on the pristine path of enlightenment.

Like Inanna, the goddess of ancient Sumer and the queen of Heaven and Earth, on her transformative journey to the underworld, we must not be afraid to relinquish our precious ornaments and implements of worldly power in order to receive the inner treasures of spiritual initiation and rebirth.

Like Kali, the Hindu goddess and Great Mother of time, we must become warriors of truth and integrity, dancing the fearless dance of death that leads to spiritual metamorphosis and transformation.

Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we must steadfastly hold love and compassion in our hearts, working ceaselessly to liberate all beings from their pain and suffering.

Like Isis, the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and healing, on her long search for the pieces of her dismembered husband, Osiris, we must begin to remember who we really are.

Envisioning a New Society Arising from Love and Compassion

It is time to start a revolution and envision a new society — a sacred society that arises from a real desire for spiritual transformation and the deep stirrings of love and compassion in our hearts. This society would consist of sisters and brothers, sisters and sisters, and brothers and brothers working side by side in grace and harmony.

We have the potential to reshape our reality and change our world. If our reality is manifested in the Dreamtime first, in this fertile womb of vision and imagination that is our natural domain, then perhaps our revolution should begin there. If thought precedes the manifestation of reality then the starting point for the building of a more perfect world is through the creation of a psychic-energetic-emotional landscape that is imprinted with the best intentions.

Womankind, rise up and take hold of your true feminine power! Dare to lift the veils that have obscured your mind and begin to see from deep within your heart. Have the courage to swim against the rising tide of darkness that constantly threatens to overcome you. Do not be afraid to risk all. Do not be afraid to live in truth.

Look into the eyes of your children, into the eyes of your mates, parents, sisters, and brothers. See the shining light of spirit trapped within them, imprisoned by the vicissitudes of this Dark Age. Understand that your loved ones are just as confused and afraid as you are. They are waiting for their mothers, teachers, healers, and wise women to wake up from their long, painful sleep and once again guide them toward true liberation.

Actualizing True Wisdom and Potential

As we move from this age of male domination and power and of materialism and technology into a new era that promises equality, balance, partnership, and union, it is essential that we women begin to actualize our true wisdom and potential. We must realize the profound significance of our role in this new unfolding of humanity. As intelligent conscientious women who care deeply about the state of the world around us, we must begin to perceive, acknowledge, and take responsibility for our individual and collective roles in creating and shaping the psychic-energetic landscape.

Understanding from an intellectual viewpoint what it means to be a woman is only the beginning of the journey. To walk the path of the priestess, yogini, wise woman, and soror mystica, and the transformative paths of Tantra and alchemy, it is necessary to purify both body and mindstream. Through this process you will begin to reattune yourself and, like the priestesses, yoginis, and wise women of old, once again weave the psychic-energetic emotional landscape of our world in a truthful and loving manner.

Reprinted with permission of the publisher,
Inner Traditions. ©2002. www.InnerTraditions.com

Article Source

The Path of the Priestess: A Guidebook for Awakening the Divine Feminine
by Sharron Rose.

The Path of the Priestess takes readers on a journey deep into the heart of the feminine experience. It describes the author's years of first-hand experience in the ancient arts of Tantra, Dzogchen, and Indian and Egyptian temple dance and healing, as well as her research into the feminine principle in the mystic teachings of the Alchemists, Hebrew Kabbalists, and Christian Gnostics.

Info/Order this paperback book. Also available as a Kindle edition.

About the Author

SHARRON ROSE, an internationally acclaimed teacher, writer, and performer and Fulbright scholar in world mythology, religion, and sacred dance, has been investigating the wisdom of ancient cultures for the past twenty-five years. She lives in Los Olivos, California, with her husband and hermetic scholar, Jay Weidner. Website: www.sacredmysteries.com

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