Honoring The Divine Feminine Through Art

By Annie Horkan

In June of 2004, the planet Venus made one of it’s rare transits across the face of the sun, passing between the sun and the Earth. No one alive on Earth had ever witnessed this event since the last pair of Venus transits took place in 1874 and 1882, a hundred and twenty-two years prior. The next transit, which is the pair to the June 2004 transit, will occur on June 5th-6th, 2012. There was much speculation that this Venus passage would greatly affect the influence of the feminine energy on our planet. As we all know now, this divine feminine influence is much needed in our world today to offset the powers of greed, dominance and war so that we may begin to care more consciously for the well being of our planet, nature and one another.

Though women throughout history have always taken the lead in being the care takers of others, the planet and those less fortunate, I believe this transit did inspire many women to do and be more. Women making a difference do not always make headline news, but I can assure you they are out there creating positive change. Many more women now than ever before are stepping up to the plate in politics; traveling to impoverished countries; speaking out for living green, caring for the planet and endangered species; assisting less fortunate women and children globally and creating non-profit organizations to help every living being and creature. I am an artist, and my journey as a painter did not escape this Venus influence. It came to me in a rather unexpected way in the fall of 2004.

I had just moved out of town to a beautiful, secluded ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico in the high desert. The property came with a real working art studio that had been built by a well known woman painter here. Though I can make do painting in almost any space, I am always more inspired when I am able to work in a “real” studio space. I had been staring at a big blank canvas for days, and decided to take a long walk in the hills for inspiration. I walked a long way, and laid down in the shade under a Juniper to rest before heading back. I dozed off, and when I awoke, I was surrounded by five coyotes. Three of them were laying there very intently, one was sitting and the other was pacing restlessly behind me. Now, I had never heard of coyotes attacking a person so I didn’t freak out completely. But then again, my mind didn’t rule out the possibility. I didn’t know what to do. Do I even look them in the eye? Do I just say cheers and get up and walk away? Or do I run like hell? I pondered all this for some time. The coyotes didn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. We were clearly going to have a waiting game on our hands. So out of nowhere, I started to sing. I sang a lot in the studio when painting, and had memorized may songs. So I started in with Eric Clapton and “Layla”, then Bonnie Raitt with “Nick of Time” and “Angel from Montgomery” and on down the line with songs from Everything But The Girl, Gregg Brown, David Gray, James Taylor, Beth Orton and Patty Griffin. I just sang my heart out, all the while keeping an eye on this restless coyote behind me. I have no idea how long I sang, but suddenly the big coyote in front of me got up, approached me with a long,deep stare, then turned away and off they all went…just like that. I guess I was a bit in shock, and I ran the whole way home. I dug through my kitchen cabinets to find a half bottle of Tequila, and spent the next few hours nursing that in the hot tub.

That night I had a dream, and saw a painting where I was singing to the coyotes. I was up at sunrise, and in the studio, brush in hand. “She Sings To The Coyotes” was born. I left shortly after finishing that painting for a trip to Ireland with my two sons and a sister. I went back to my roots, and a family reunion with relatives I had never met. I had a long discussion with an Irish relative about Druids, Pagan rituals and Celtic traditions and particularly the role of women in all these. I told her my coyote story, and she commented on what a feminine response I had to what was a potentially threatening situation. And that conversation opened the door to a journey I would take into the sacred feminine through visionary art.

So what is the sacred, or divine, feminine, and why is it important? The divine feminine is a mysterious, creative force that gives birth to all Life. It is the symbol for Oneness, and includes both male and female principles. It is the nurturing and sustaining energy in the Universe that enables us to maintain balance. It embodies the laws of Spirit: forgiveness, compassion, faith, love, peace and kindness. We become people and a world out of balance without these influences. It is no secret that the male principle, and man’s laws, have been the dominating influence for the last seven thousand years. And today, we are indeed a world out of balance. The male energy is one of action, the female energy is one of response to those actions. Without respect for the need of the feminine response, our actions will inevitably lead to imbalance whereby we fail to nurture ourselves, one another and our planet.

Some would say it calls for the return of the Goddess. It is possible that many of the problems we face in the world today are a result of our vision and faith in a God to whom we solely attribute masculine principles. Who is not to say the Goddess is right there next to God, and they are One. Every man I know on this planet embodies a feminine side so why not God. Perhaps we need to step back, and take another look at how we came to see God as only a He. We can restore the gifts of the divine feminine on the planet by creating a new vision for humanity that welcomes the feminine image of God, the Goddess, back into our lives. The sacred, divine feminine influence is vital to the successful evolution of us as a people and as a planet. She has been quietly singing her songs and prayers for all life for a long time…and I know for sure the coyotes have been listening.

About the Author: Artist, internet marketer, lover of everything green, travel adventure, longevity, spirit matters and following my bliss. studiobliss.com/category/tribute-to-venus

Source: isnare.com

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