THE VISION
In 2013, the year Nelson Mandela dies at 95, super typhoon Haiyan devastates the Philippines, the US government shuts down, Tokyo, Japan wins their bid to host the 2020 Olympics, the Egyptian army ousts President Mursi, scientists successfully clone human stem cells, Margaret Thatcher dies at 87, meteorites injured hundreds in Russia and Pope Benedict XVI resigns, and visionary and High Priestess of the Global Goddess Anique Radiant Heart had a vision – to hold an international convocation* of Priestesses of the Goddess on the sacred island of Crete in the year 2020.
Footnote *convocation means a large formal meeting, especially of Church officials or of members of some universities
How this came about:
I was touring the East Coast of Australia with Max Dashu some years ago, having an amazing time with Max, whose encyclopaedic brain was a cornucopia of answers for many long unanswered questions. To say I was learning…absorbing like a sponge for the 3 weeks of the tour, is an understatement.
It was during the lecture in Sydney……which was at the end of the tour, so I had heard all the material many times already, and was dozing a little…… yet still listening, in case she needed me to do something.
Max was talking about Gobekli Tepe……… “Archaeologically categorised as a site of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Period (c. 9600–7300 BC) Göbeklitepe is a series of mainly circular and oval-shaped structures set on the top of a hill. Excavations began in 1995 by Prof. Klaus Schmidt with the help of the German Archaeological Institute. There is archaeological proof that these installations were not used for domestic use, but predominantly for ritual or religious purposes.”
Suddenly, I was back there………thousands of years ago……a Priestess in the Temple of the Mother, and I was standing in a Circle of Priestesses. All of us were dressed in different colours, and we all had fabulous necklaces which were similar yet different around our necks and resting on our bare breasts.
As I looked more closely, the sound of Max’s voice somehow floating in the background as she talked about Gobekli Tepe, I noticed that the necklaces were actually LUNARIES – that is, ornate and intricately designed crescent moons, each with a distinct pattern which was reproduced in their beautiful skirts – similar to the skirt worn by the Snake Goddess of Crete.
We did a dreamy dance, each meeting another and touching our tattooed crescent moons on our foreheads together in greeting as we passed each other, making a lovely shape of a heart as our bodies bent towards each other. I watched transfixed, as the dance concluded and each woman stepped forward to greet the congregation.
The first Priestess, who wore a purple lunary and skirt, which had gold spirals on it as the main motif, stepped forward and spoke proudly:
“I am Priestess Hava, I bear the mark of the Goddess…her Crescent Moon. I am Ceremonialist and Teacher, and I bear the mark of the Spiral…oldest and most ancient of Her Symbols. I bring through the elements of ceremony – invocation, prayer, song and transformation. I share that power with my sisters by crafting ceremonies which transport and transform, all the while changing and healing the energy of all who are near me and around me – even the very walls of this Temple. I gather the women with my voice and my songs and I teach my sisters to be Priestesses themselves. Then I gather them and together we go out into the world and serve Her as Her conduit to connection for Her people through powerful ceremony. I am Priestess Hava, and I am Ceremonialist and Teacher of the Temple of the Mother”.
I was gobsmacked….because as I looked again, I saw that it was me who had spoken, and as I watched, each woman…one after the other, stepped forward and spoke her service in the Temple as designed into their lunaries and skirts.
Suddenly, I got that burning in my Solar Plexus and I knew I was experiencing download. I had my notebook open, so I began to make notes. I downloaded 10 (Transformation) lunaries and their symbols:
Ceremonialist Teacher
Oracle
Healer
Music/dance
Astrology
Herbalism/grower
Scribe
Warrior/activism
Governance
Death Doula
Temple Guardian
I even drew a couple of sketches…but I am no artist – here is the original 2 pages of my notebook.
From this experience, began a series of visions that expanded the first vision.
The next vision was of a beautiful artist’s studio where women were making the lunaries. I saw they were made from wood, and the intricate carvings were filled with crystals, gold, and other precious metals. This told me that the tradition had survived into the Bronze Age, where the use of metal was developed to great heights in jewellery and other sacred objects.
The vision after that is what has really excited me since I had it and every time I think about it.
I saw a vast hall, beautifully decorated as a Temple – it may have been a very large Temple – with only women present. They were all wearing gorgeous regalia, and moving in elegant waves of colour as groups of sisters all dressed in a particular colour moved about the hall. They all wore lunaries and clothes of the same colour, and they all had crescent moon tattoos on their brow. As they saw each other, they looked into each other’s eyes, looked at each other’s forehead and bowed, and then touched foreheads in the ancient way. I heard the words:
”Welcome to the 103rd Priestess Convocation!”
As soon as I heard those words, my heart exploded. I understood!! This was the ancient gatherings of Priestesses, who came from far and near to network and meet each other. With no telephone, internet etc….. regular meetings were necessary. And to make recognition easier and also for the purposes of groupings, the lunaries, were a simple yet beautifully elegant way of identifying our work of service in the Temple.
I knew I had to resurrect this tradition.
Our Temple in Australia is blessed to have an artisan par excellence. Jann James, Priestess Diasima, and I spent some wonderful hours developing what I had downloaded into actual designs. Diasima made each lunary in sacred space, and allowed the Goddess to refine our work with her inspirations. The results are stunning, as you will see.
So today, I launch the vision, of the first Priestess Convocation for over 5000 years, to be held in Crete in 2021. I call upon all Priestesses of the Goddess to work on this with me. Not to make money – to re-make Herstory.
I claim my place as Holy Elder and make this proclamation:
“Sisters, the time has come to do the deep work of putting aside ego, and coming together in a huge and mighty effort to bring about the enormous changes we need to nurture into fullness, to bring Her to the Centre of NOW.”
We need to come together, and find a way to hold actions on a global basis – TOGETHER – in the same moment in time, that will wake women up. That is all we have to do. A sustained program of events, led by different countries and Temples/groups, done at the same time at Full Moon.
Each group taking responsibility for the organisation and leading of the event. And when I say “sustained” I mean sustained for at least 3 years. And that is not an onerous task. Once the first event is organised, we have a template for the rest.
I will be pleased to do most of the work to bring this vision to ground. All I need is the support of Priestesses the world over to make this a
Celebration of Collaboration
All you need to do is make the decision to be there, and trust that She will unfold all you need to make it happen. The power is in the decision.
And we will wear our lunaries….yes we will.
Who will join me?