Goddess: When She Rules — New Book Release!

“Women's stories are as powerful, inspiring, and terrifying as the goddess herself. And in fact, these are the stories of the goddess. As women, we know her because we are her. Each woman, no matter how powerless she might feel, is a cell within her vast form, an embodiment of her essence, and each woman's story is a chapter in the biography of the sacred feminine."
 
Jalaja Bonheim

Welcome to “GODDESS: When She Rules: Expressions by Contemporary Women”, the fourth anthology to emerge from the Journey of the Heart: Women’s Spiritual Poetry Project.

The time is here to celebrate the contemporary woman: our strengths, our passions, our creativity and our beliefs and how they relate to the world around us and within us .We are all part of something more: we are a sisterhood whose voices rise in love, in strength and in support of one another.

Proud to share that proceeds from this book will to go to the Malala Fund  

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I have come to understand the ‘ Goddess’, once unknown to me, as an extension of my own spirituality—I see her as the source of inner strength that guides our feminine self; I sense that she lives in each of us as our spiritual guide, especially in times of turmoil. In an era of change, she is our inner calm, our voice of reason, the whisperer of compassion, a proponent for persistence, our endorser for resistence, and our promoter of peace. Within each of her many identities, she reminds us that we are not alone: that our words and voices can be source of hope, of transformation; drawing light out of darkness as we travel the pathways of understanding on this continuing journey of self-discovery

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I am so very honored to have two poems in this book:  Birthing Rites which reflects upon that moment during childbirth when we finally grasp what it means to be the conduit that brings new life into the world. The second, Illumination is about embracing our courage and inner strength, and about conceding that we are so much more than even we may realize.

Please join me along with our other contemporary poets and writers as we celebrate the Goddess, and embrace the Sacred Feminine, on this newest and most sacred Journey of the Heart!

Available Here at Amazon: GODDESS: When She Rules

With very special thanks to our primary Editor in Chief, Catherine L. Schweig for her tireless efforts and never-ending support, enthusiasm and encouragement, and much gratitude to her editorial assistants for this project: Sandra M. Allagapen, Julia W. Prentice, and Tammy Stone Takahashi; and all of the amazing poets and writers who share these pages.

Published by Golden Dragonfly Press
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And please check out our other publications at Amazon:

Journey of the Heart

Poetry as a Spiritual Practice

Where Journey's Meet

                                    

"Integrating" (The Last Quarter Moon)

 

“By the full moon’s light our desires we know.

By the waning quarter we ebb and flow…”

— Unknown

The moon, our ever-constant companion, mysterious light in the darkness… goddess, night traveler, ruler of oceans— all civilizations from ancient to modern have been captivated by you, follow you, revel in your story. Cerridwen, Luna, Artemis, Selene, known by these and so many other names. Even our Native Americans had titles for the you— Wolf Moon, Snow Moon, Corn Moon, Hunter’s Moon—as you cycle through the heavens ruling the months and seasons. We gaze at you from afar, shadow you, observing your transformation as you recede past full and transition into final quarter. Though you are slowly waning, your light still shines brighter than all of the other lights in the night sky. And as you transform, so your dominance on nature evolves with you. Even the mighty oceans and seas bend to your influence: the tides slipping now to Neap phase— a time of balance, a time of least difference between high and low water. Is it any wonder that we humans—who are composed of 77% water—may be governed by your changes also; that your lunar body may indeed play a critical role in the tides of our consciousness as well?

We sense your changes deep in our souls. This is a time of releasing, a time of forgiveness, a time of cleaning up; of putting everything back into place and letting go of the emotional intensity of previous weeks.  During this disseminating phase the time arrives for us to reap the rewards of a job well done with celebration and accolade. As writers, we intuitively sense these cosmic changes deep within our being.  We reflect on them and are drawn to share them in our words—perhaps in the sharing to better understand the shifts and rifts, the effects of these changes inside us;  or perhaps to allow us to open our hearts and minds, discovering the pathways of our own release.  I know the allure, the call of your waning moon, have felt your invitation to release the pain of the past through words that rise from deep within me. And I have found myself adrift, caught in your Neap phase: a limbo with no “high” no “low,” lost somewhere between the ebb and flow.  

Oh pale-faced Huntress of Souls, we feel your command, convergence, confluence— with all of our being. You shine on the pathways our consciousness, and in your waning light we come to understand that all things have a season, and that all that fades will again be reborn.

© Ginny Brannan 2016

Written as Chapter 7 Intro for:  Poetry as a Spiritual Practice: Illuminating the Awakened Woman

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"The moon is a loyal companion. It never leaves. It's always

 there, watching, steadfast, knowing us in our light and 

dark moments, changing forever just as we do. Every day i

t's a different version of itself: sometimes weak and wan, 

sometimes strong and full of light. The moon understands 

what it means to be human. Uncertain. Alone. Created by 

imperfections."

                                                                  Tahereh Mafi

Poetry as a Spiritual Practice…New Book Release!

On this 2016 Summer Solstice Full moon, comes a collection of personal essays, poems and meditations as we undertake to illuminate the powerful role poetry plays in unleashing our spirits ...

Using the waxing and waning of the moon's phases to illustrate the ebb and flow of our own voices, we share the depth of our calling and explore the mystical experience of birthing a poem and the spiritual bonding of our sisterhood ~

Available here at Amazon

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All proceeds from the sale of these books will go to "Write Girl," a mentoring program that encourages girls to explore and develop their creative talents, both written and oral.

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I'm honored and excited to share my writing in this beautiful book:
Intro to Chapter 7—Last Quarter Moon, 

and to have four poems chosen for inclusion:

Possessed

The Writer

Tale Spinner

The Undertaking

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Published by Golden Dragonfly Press
Available through Amazon beginning Monday, June 20th!

Where Journey's Meet…New Book Release!!

Once in a blue moon something magical comes along…

Coinciding with the second full moon of July, 

Journey of the Heart Women's Spiritual Poetry

announces release of it's second collection...

sharing hearts and voices from women from around the world.

This book will be available at Amazon.com 

beginning July 31st, 2015

All proceeds to go to ~                                                                                              

a mentoring program that encourages girls to explore and develop their creative talents, both written and oral.

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I am pleased and honored to have three poems chosen to appear in this collection:

Marooned

This Cynical Heart

Old Friends

My pre-release interview may be viewed here:

View Trailer below:

Journey of the Heart/An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry

Finally the full moon has arrived! Today is the day! I am so excited to be one small voice among the many amazing women who have shared their stories and hearts through their words at Journey of the Heart: Women's Spiritual Poetry. Many thanks to Catherine Ghosh, who invited me to share on her site, and honors me with inclusion in this brand new anthology! 

Coming on the full moon of August 10th, 2014!

Journey of The Heart: An Anthology of Spiritual Poetry by Women,
edited by Catherine Ghosh and to be published this summer by Balboa Press, a division of Hay House, has woven together the voices of over 70 women of diverse ethnicities, nationalities and traditions. In meditative and insightful poems they offer us revealing glimpses of their sensitive souls engaged in meaningful dialogue with the world, others, themselves and divinity. 

This spiritual poetry draws from the timeless wisdom, power and beauty residing deeply within the hearts of all women.  Emerging within archetypal themes that deliver valuable messages, the inspiring and uninhibited chorus of voices beckons us to journey along with them into the wild, mysterious and uncharted territory of a woman’s heart.

This book emerged from an online project created by Catherine Ghosh, dedicated to encouraging and facilitating women to freely share their hearts, as they learned to express themselves through poetry. It is dedicated to the spirit of really listening to, and honoring, all women’s voices.

To learn more, please follow this link to the book site: 
http://womensspiritualpoetry.weebly.com
This link to the blog: 

http://womenspiritualpoetry.blogspot.com
and this link to the Facebook Page:

 https://www.facebook.com/WomensSpiritualPoetry