Author: Anyaa McAndrew

Inspiring Change by Michael Berg

As I See Myself

One of the most powerful lessons I have learned is that we can all be doing so much more. We can be doing more to help the world, more for our loved ones, and more for ourselves. The reason we don’t is because we think we’re insignificant.

Many of us downplay who we are, feeling we are just small cogs in a much larger wheel. Change the world? Please. That’s for presidents, world leaders, celebrities, and holy men. I’m just one person. What can I do?

And even for those of us who do believe we can make a difference, the truth is that we don’t really appreciate how much we can do.

The reality is (and this is a profound lesson) our self-perception can diminish or increase our power.

We are as powerful as we believe we are. Our thoughts and view of ourselves, conscious or subconscious, determines who we are and how much power we wield.Unfortunately, oftentimes we don’t see ourselves as significant, and this is manifested in our actions. We treat others – or ourselves – poorly because we don’t think what we do matters in any real or lasting way. Or we do not push ourselves to do even small positive actions because at the end of the day we don’t know our real power. This then becomes who we are.

On a spiritual level, this means the next time we pray for somebody or seek to bring blessings and assistance to ourselves and others, we have a weakened ability to effect change. The Light says to us, “Remember what you thought yesterday? If you are not all that important, then you are not all that powerful, and I cannot give you the Light to truly create change. Your actions clearly show that you do not see yourself as significant.”

When we know we are purposeful, powerful, and possessing of the ability to influence others, then we don’t allow ourselves to fall into the petty traps of acting small. We are careful even to avoid the slightest negative actions because we know our small behaviors are significant. Conversely, we push ourselves to do tiny positive things because we know that for a soul as magnificent as ours, every action is large.

When we view ourselves in this way, the Light of the Creator views us and interacts with us in a similar fashion. And then our words, prayers, blessings, and actions become powerful and capable of creating great things. Again, this is because how we view ourselves is how the Creator views us. When we see ourselves as powerful and purposeful, our words and actions become imbued with tremendous spiritual forces.

This week, if you feel yourself about to do something negative and small, stop yourself and remember your importance. If you are struggling with whether or not to do a positive action, even a small one, say to yourself, “I need to do this because what I do has far-reaching consequences.”

Practice this thought process often and it will make you powerful in the truest sense, as well as create a change in who you are. Remember, “When I see myself as significant and powerful, I receive assistance from the Light to make significant and powerful changes.

As I see myself, I am.”

 

 

Kabbalah Centre International
1100 Robertson Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035 USA

 

A Silent Revolution

On the surface of the world right now there is
war and violence and things seem dark.
But calmly and quietly, at the same time,
something else is happening underground
An inner revolution is taking place
and certain individuals are being called to a higher light.
It is a silent revolution.
From the inside out. From the ground up.
This is a Global operation.
A Spiritual Conspiracy.
There are sleeper cells in every nation on the planet.
You wont see us on the T.V.
You wont read about us in the newspaper
You wont hear about us on the radio
We dont seek any glory
We dont wear any uniform
We come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles
Most of us work anonymously
We are quietly working behind the scenes
in every country and culture of the world
Cities big and small, mountains and valleys,
in farms and villages, tribes and remote islands
You could pass by one of us on the street
and not even notice
We go undercover
We remain behind the scenes
It is of no concern to us who takes the final credit
But simply that the work gets done
Occasionally we spot each other in the street
We give a quiet nod and continue on our way
During the day many of us pretend we have normal jobs
But behind the false storefront at night
is where the real work takes a place
Some call us the Conscious Army
We are slowly creating a new world
with the power of our minds and hearts
We follow, with passion and joy
Our orders come from from the Central Spiritual Intelligence
We are dropping soft, secret love bombs when no one is looking
Poems ~ Hugs ~ Music ~ Photography ~ Movies ~ Kind words ~
Smiles ~ Meditation and prayer ~ Dance ~ Social activism ~ Websites
Blogs ~ Random acts of kindness…
We each express ourselves in our own unique ways
with our own unique gifts and talents
Be the change you choose to see in the world
That is the motto that fills our hearts
We know it is the only way real transformation takes place
We know that quietly and humbly we have the
power of all the oceans combined
Our work is slow and meticulous
Like the formation of mountains
It is not even visible at first glance
And yet with it entire tectonic plates
shall be moved in the centuries to come
Love is the new religion of the 21st century
You dont have to be a highly educated person
Or have any exceptional knowledge to understand it
It comes from the intelligence of the heart
Embedded in the timeless evolutionary pulse of all human beings
Be the change you choose to see in the world
Nobody else can do it for you
We are now recruiting
Perhaps you will join us
Or already have.
All are welcome
The door is open.
 
—–author unknown

Reclaiming the Feminine Divine

Creation

I will forge my own goddess in the fire of my need

Unmet by the father-god daddy-world

(call her Kali)

Hammer her curving, open form on the anvil of my power

(call her Hecate)

Carry her close in the medicine bag of my heart

(call her Inanna)

Worship her with love of self

(call her Diana)

Love of life

(call her Demeter)

Love of Earth

(call her Gaia)

She asks no burnt offerings, no fatted calves,

No “Thou shalt nots”

Indeed, she sings to me “Thou shall!”

Oh, truly is she flesh of my flesh, blood of my blood,

Bone, sinew

Never further from me than my heart, my skin

My belly and breasts,

I call upon my goddess, “Rise up within me!”

And, oh, she rises.

Karen Runkles Throener © (1996)

The story below belongs to Anna Cariad-Barrett, A Minneapolis Shamanic Priestess who emerged in 2005. This was a piece of Anna’s thesis and an affirmation of her priestessing in the world.

Anyaa McAndrew

In the fall, I began my first semester of the Marriage and Family Therapy graduate program at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. This program affirmed my background in systems theory, social activism orientation, and prepared me for clinical therapy work with individuals, couples, and families. At the same time, I began what I view as the second half of my graduate studies. Inspired to open more fully to a relationship with the Divine I signed up for a year-long developmental spiritual process which focuses on personal empowerment and explores the feminine face of the Divine.

I gathered with a circle of women for many powerful weekend workshops and community events. (facilitated by Anyaa McAndrew, High Priestess, and Psychotherapist) This process does not involve particular beliefs, dogma, and structure. Instead, it is a fluid and evolving developmental process that supports and enlivens the unique journey of each woman into her full spiritual empowerment and self-knowing. As it explores the priestess archetype, it is called the Priestess Process. The “P” word! What does the word “priestess” trigger within you as you read it?

For many in Western society it is a denigrated and dangerous word. It has been associated with other terms: witch, whore, unholy, illegitimate, exotic, and dangerous to the social order. It has taken time for me to step away from this dominant patriarchal social perspective and define the archetype of the priestess for myself. To me, a priestess is a woman who is a spiritual facilitator, takes a personally-empowered spiritual stance, and honors both feminine and masculine aspects of the Divine.

Over the hundreds of years of the women’s holocaust, or the witch trials as they are popularly known, thousands if not millions of women were tortured and killed (Armstrong, Pettigrew, Studio D, National Film Board of Canada, & Read, 1990). These women were not witches, but landowners, women with money, healers, those active in the community, or those who were simply too bright, beautiful, and gifted to be tolerated by medieval society. In other words, women with any sense of personal power were found to be dangerous and systematically stamped out of Western society (Armstrong et al., 1990). By blaming the victims as witches, we belittle this holocaust and deny its connection to the long-term oppression of women. Women have long been “known” to be sinful, and we are told to look to our fathers, husbands, and men of the church for authority. A woman with a healthy sense of internal authority and empowerment could be dangerous to the status quo! It is no wonder we have been denied positions of authority within many Western churches.

I was disconnected from the Feminine Divine, but she is my source. Up until 2500 BCE, many of the agrarian communities of Western Europe were socially organized around Goddess spirituality, and were led by women (Crawford, 2004). A number of recent feminist authors, including Crawford (2004), have stated that these societies were peaceful, egalitarian, and surprisingly complex. Though many Neolithic cities held large populations, archaeologists could find no trace of warfare for thousands of years (Crawford, 2004).

Closely mirroring the plight of women, the feminine face and principles of the Divine have been denigrated and forgotten. The Goddess and priestesses were given the negative mask of the witch and were associated with the devil (Armstrong et al., 1990). As Western society shifted from matriarchy to patriarchy, I do not believe it is a coincidence that the snake, an ancient symbol of wisdom and the feminine, was utilized in Genesis as the devil tempting a woman with knowledge, thus bringing about the exile of mankind from the heavenly garden (Kidd, 1996). With the origin of the Judeo-Christian world, the identity of woman as sinful and unholy was cemented. In recent times many men and women have begun to explore this lost feminine face of the Divine (Kidd, 1996). This journey is unique to each person. My reclamation of the feminine Divine has been instrumental in the journey that calls me to work with larger systems.

After the women’s holocaust, many women learned the forced lesson to be small, quiet, and sacrifice themselves. This is how my female lineage survived a gender-oppressive reality. It is no small task to reclaim the Feminine Divine and claim my personal spiritual power and worth. Many women are still metaphorically burned at the stake for being powerful in this culture. Living into the archetype of the priestess has been a powerful developmental journey for me. As I explore aspects of the Feminine Divine, I explore myself and the planet.

As I wrote these words, I felt my storyteller’s voice take on a new tone. As both a storyteller and participant of culture, I hold this herstory of women and my own reactions to it. The emotion of my voice tells an additional story. I refuse to be unconscious of the oppression, violence, and mystification of experience that women and all other marginalized groups face. As I identify my own determination, anger, and refusal to shrink into less than I am, I resonate with the interconnected experiences of oppression that others have faced: the loss of indigenous culture, the bigotry directed at different cultural groups and the LGBT community, the rape of environmental systems, and the economic piracy of large corporations. What began to rise up within me, as I explored the loss of the Feminine Divine, was a voice that said with certainty, “This oppression will not stand anymore. This is my work on the planet.” I claim the following intention statement for my life:

Life Intention Statement

I am Priestess Anna Cariad

Mystical dreamer

Visionary

Creatrix

Sentinel and protector

Wise elder of the circle

Loving energy incarnate

Mother to all

Through these many facets of self, I shine as a beacon to the world.

I am a global leader, teacher, and healer.

I have come forth in this lifetime as a truth speaker.

My voice and actions shake the brittle cage of oppression and violence

Until it dissolves into the flowing birth waters of harmony, understanding, and connection.

I am divine midwife in the birth of a new planetary consciousness.

I am catalyst of energy potential.

Through the divine energy of my truth,

I activate the power of my life intention.

I call forth the dynamism of my life expression

And commit myself to walking this journey.

I stand in the power, truth, and beauty of myself.

I am Priestess Anna Cariad

Anna Brooke Doherty (2005)

As Within, So without… As Above, So Below Continue reading “Reclaiming the Feminine Divine”

YOU ARE THE POWER OF CHANGE (a channeling of Archangel Michael)

Most Beautiful, Beloved Masters.
As your year comes to an end and new cycles begin, we would like you to spend time in gratitude for all that bless you.
Most have gone thru trials and tribulation this past year. We hold compassion for all you endure. With your intent, we ask you to release that which no longer serves you. We ask you to look forward to a future that will make you happy, fulfilled and to serve in a fun, abundant and beautiful way.
You hold beliefs structures that it is hard work to be on the Earth and there is scarcity and that you are powerless. We tell you it is a grand illusion. Your thoughts and emotions can bring you all you desire and seek.
Most of you do not have clear focus on your desires and dreams. So much of your life is created by default. Worry, feelings of being lesser than and not fully appreciating all that is good in your life is creating by default.  With slight shifts of thoughts and feelings, all can be erased and a new brighter future will await you.
It is up to you. You have been taught that you have no power. The greatest illusion there is. You, beloved Masters are some of the most powerful creatures that have ever existed. Just by thinking a thought and feeling how that would be- you create.
You create all that surrounds you- what you perceive as good and bad. We ask you to examine some that you perceive as bad. Re-value that which has been set up by you to learn and use as tools of compassion. For with out some of your experiences you would not be as understanding to others in the same situation. Continue reading “YOU ARE THE POWER OF CHANGE (a channeling of Archangel Michael)”