Goddess Words 54: Bells

Bells. There are so many different kinds of bells in this world, but I guess it will come as no surprise to anyone reading this that the kind I love the most, and which I literally and figuratively resonate with, are the change ringing bell sequences at (mostly) English churches and cathedrals. I suppose that just as I can sit riveted in place inside one of those spaces during a choral evensong service (assuming I am not singing!), I can sit or stand riveted in place outside when the bells are ringing. I assume there must be thousands of possible patterns, depending on how many ringers are up in the tower, doing the work. (I gather it is most commonly between four and eight people.) These are not bells playing hymns or other songs. They are the ones playing random, yet beautiful, patterns, and the sound can echo across the countryside. In fact, an English friend of mine once phoned me when his local church bells were ringing, and I sat in ecstasy at my end of the phone, almost 3,500 miles away.

Many years ago, actually around the time that I originally wrote my list of Goddess words, I wrote an essay that ended by saying in effect, "the day that bells around the world ring to celebrate the birth of a girl, I'll know that I'm finally living in my paradigm!" That essay never found a home. I guess it was a little ahead of its time (and not quite focused enough), and I still think the notion seems far-fetched if I imagine the old paradigm doing the bell ringing. But I can imagine the Goddess ringing celebratory bells at the birth of a girl! Perhaps at the birth of all girls!

Many centuries ago, bells were rung as alarms, to alert a populace when it was under attack, or in the case of a fire or other disaster. Nowadays, we have sirens and phone alerts in this situation. Church bells still ring today after services, funerals, or during wedding recessionals. The emotion that even the smallest bells bring up for me is joy -- whether a cat bell, or a cow bell, or a sleigh bell, or a dinner bell.

Why did I add "bell" to my list all those years ago? Why do I think of it as a Goddess word? And why do I present it today? I think it is because I am finally hearing change ringing bells joyfully going through their myriad patterns, and my mind doesn't immediately think of the boy in the manger. The cause for celebration is the fact that we have entered the Age of Aquarius, and the energies of the Goddess and Love are on the increase. These next few days are a portal of sorts, and if I can't find any bells (strangely, I don't own any), I'll bang a spoon on a tin pie plate! As long as I do it joyfully, it will be the same basic concept!

Looking Out

Looking out into the world, I am seeing pretty much what I've expected for years. It may seem like the world situation is quite complex or complicated, but I think it's pretty simple. The energy of Love, which is increasing in the world by the day, is impossible for some people to stand. It sends them 'round the bend, literally, and causes them to fight. I believed the Goddess when she "told" me years ago that She would never ask me to fight back...and I still believe that it is just a case of calmly holding Love energy as best as one can. That energy never pushes back, per se, it just simply cannot be in energetic relationship with anger and conflict and evil. It is a completely different "animal". Those lower emotions, thrown at an emanation of Love, simply bounce back at the attacker. It's hard after a lifetime of human training not to fight back, but it is getting easier as we get closer to to what is clearly going to be a major shift. And I keep reminding myself that there is only "yes". (I cringe every time I hear people say, we have to "stop" war, or guns, or intolerance. You don't "stop" things in this Universe, you embody the positive energy that you want, and those hard things just disappear.) Today's job, to hold the energy of where we are headed, not where we have been, and observe the circus with as much compassion as possible. I think I'm getting a bit repetitive, oh dear!

Once again, a shout out to public libraries. I need to do a bit of actual research in connection with the writing I am doing on the side, handwritten. How lovely to put a little of the inter-library loan activity into the hands of a much younger librarian at the main branch! I'm an excellent researcher, but it's about, what do I want to do in these precious days around the new moon and solstice? I want to delegate, at least in that situation, and I'm profoundly thankful that it is possible.

I am realizing that "looking out" can have the connotation of the expectation of something fearful, and that's not my meaning today, although being alert is always a good thing. No, as you look out today, just try to calmly discern what is Love-based and what is not, and remember that Love is all that will last in the long term.

A December Saturday

After so many deep and mystical posts, today I'll just catch up with a few threads and practicalities.

I forgot to mention that my computer problem was solvable -- at least for now -- with the purchase of an external keyboard. It took me a few trips to the store to figure out what to do, but I am thankful for a relatively simple fix, although my reflexive instinct to move my hands "up" to type is being challenged in the move "down". I am immensely fortunate in having such minor problems to deal with on this Saturday.

My health thing has been the vehicle for such an enormous revelation that I am holding off on writing about it here until I can do so adequately. And I'm still in healing mode -- would like it completely in the rearview mirror. I haven't forgotten it.

I'm writing something on the side (handwritten) that is so surprising and powerful that I'm not sure what to say except that I need to keep doing this the old fashioned way, which is how it seems to want to come out, and then assess what the next step with it should be.

Today, I'm attending a holiday festival, and tomorrow, a holiday get-together. When I am in the right frame of mind, I have been listening to carol services and choral music online, but as has been the case for years, being a new paradigm girl in an old paradigm holiday season is challenging. For a short moment here and there, I resonate with the old songs, but when that passes, it is over. Right this minute I seem to need silence more than almost anything, including listening to good talks by my peeps. If, indeed, the world is about to change utterly in about a week, then I guess I need to simply walk through it in my own way...getting up early and taking a walk and bringing in the newspaper, shoveling snow, cooking meals, puttering around with odd house chores, and writing, writing, writing. I sense that my life is, indeed, in the process of a major change, but I cannot act until my vision of it is clear. Patience...

 Wishing you a beautiful December Saturday...and Sunday!

My New Infinity Loop

I guess it isn't terribly surprising that in the last few days, a few substantial things have happened relative to what I spoke about last time, the "infinity loop" that I have been in throughout this lifetime, until a few days ago. The first is recognizing (from a somewhat different perspective than I have explored before) how this story explains my very, very limited success in the old paradigm which we are now leaving. I don't say this to excuse or validate any aspect of my unusual journey. But any farmer will tell you that seeds need to be attentively (even lovingly) tended if they are to blossom and grow. I won't explore this any further -- let's face it, that image was breaking into a million pieces when I wrote my last post, three days ago. I'll let those ragged shards disintegrate entirely, shall I?

In the middle of the night last night, I found myself trying to articulate what the horizontal "8" infinity loop would be all about if my other reference point was the Goddess, not my father (or the larger construct we have been in until now). For someone so Goddess-centered, I don't experience Her visually. I'm not (at least at the moment) inspired by ancient imagery or statuary of the Divine Feminine, so my outside reference point is more an amorphous but powerful feeling of Love, Beauty, Support, Harmony, and Wisdom. 

I tried to imagine Her first words upon my birth into this world -- or rebirth. "Welcome, beautiful Liz. Welcome Home. You are meant to be here. Your unique gifts of self-expression, beauty and musical harmony are just what this world sorely needs, and we are anticipating with enthusiasm seeing how you will use your gifts in this lifetime. We will do everything in our considerable power to nurture, support, and smooth the path you take toward developing these gifts and sharing them with the world. Know that We love you and are always with you." So I see (and feel in my heart) that these words are fertile soil for me. I am like a seed lovingly planted and then carefully watered, drained and exposed to adequate warmth. I am comfortable in my skin, and take the time necessary to practice my gifts and discern the best way to use them for the world's benefit. As the band of energy whirls behind me and around to my side, heading organically back into the world, I find myself sharing my gifts, my ideas, my creative output, and doing it joyfully, with excitement, with gratitude, and in the hope that my sharing is helpful to people, wildlife and planet. As this buzz of activity crosses in front of me and reaches earth's beings, my gifts are warmly welcomed. It's not so much a case of wanting or receiving praise or adulation. I just experience warm acceptance and gratitude. Other beings delight in seeing spiritual potential being reached. My actions have added new Goddess values to the earth, so when the energy of my gifts swirls around and reaches Her again, She is even more warm and welcoming, proudly saying "well done!", and urging me to continue to create, to continue to find new ways to embody and express Love, beauty, harmony, and peace. And so a new and far more fulfilling "Infinity Loop" continues...

Wow.

I hope, dear reader, that if it is right for you, you will insert your name into this narrative, and identify your best gifts for these emerging times. Whether they are in the arts or writing, or healing, or teaching, or community-building, or care for Nature, or spirituality...what could all of us achieve if we genuinely imagined that our truest gifts were welcome, that our truest gifts were of value, and that we were truly welcome? Fully and unconditionally?

Facing Infinity

Most of my online "peeps" have anticipated this month of December 2025 as one of the most spiritually powerful on record, and some of their enthusiasm has begun to wear off on me, although the journalist/academic/lawyer in me had been trying to take a wait-and-see approach. 

However, that reticence is beginning to dissipate. In recent days, the combination of my own physical and mental healing efforts, a powerful hand-written story that seems to be surging out of me, plus listening to some beautiful online material about Love and Nature, has led to an epiphany and (perhaps?) ascension. (There are a lot of threads I'm throwing out there and forgetting to re-weave into this narrative, but I do not want this to be one of them.)

So this stunning moment involved envisioning my connection with my father as one of those horizontal figure 8 "infinity" signs. His part of the sign's loop was to the left, and mine was to the right. In a flash, I understood that the energy line swirling out from him, crossing over, then coming toward me had communicated, from my birth, this message: "You are not valid, you are not important, and I have no interest in hearing you speak or seeing you succeed." (I have referred to this in the past.) As this energy made its way to me, I learned to cringe, to hide myself, to belittle myself, and to dismiss my own impulses. Then as the energetic band came to its furthest point and started to circle back around me in the other direction, I'd find myself reacting, saying, "Heck, no!" and starting to create, act, or speak with as much power as I knew how, but that effort would make its way on this spinning "8" band back toward my father, into whose black hole emptiness it would be sucked, seemingly forever -- until the loop spun out from behind him again and he'd start the process anew, making it clear that I wasn't wanted or necessary.

As I watched this process and began to understand it, and to remember specific events and examples, I understood something else. For the very first time, I was watching this process from above. I was no longer "in" that particular infinity loop, taking part in it. I was in observer mode, watching long enough to understand the meaning of what I was seeing, at which point the whole image started to blur then basically break up into a million pieces. I feel free this morning in a way that I don't know that I ever have. Of course, there are interesting larger metaphorical interpretations of this whole thing, and I'd like to think that my new orientation is to Love, which supports me and loops love back to me. I suspect that in the wake of this mystical experience, there will be outward changes in my life, which I'll try to keep track of and let you know about! 

All I know is, "infinity" is easier to face, no longer being in that particular loop!

Goddess Words 53: Sailing

It may seem counterintuitive to explore the word "sailing" on a day when the temperature is 2 degrees F, and snow covers the ground. I doubt that local lakes are frozen solid enough for iceboating, but the warm breezes of summer are history, and I almost skipped over this word, but it called to me.

You may wish to go back to my August 10, 2015 post called "Sailing", which is a nice overview of my early sailing experiences. It was also written shortly after the unexpected death of my youngest brother, who was an avid sailor. I am kind of shocked, looking back, that my references to him there were rather brief and oblique. I was still in shock, and as many of you know, I have actively tried not to talk much about other people, even family, because of wanting to protect people's privacy at least to some degree. Coming from such a narcissistic family environment, I continue to cringe at the possibility that it's only my own self-involvement that propels this blog forward...but as a woman who still feels she hasn't often been "heard", I plow ahead as best I can, with as much of a bigger perspective as I can.

So, sailing. The Goddess. As ever, why did I add it to my list twenty years ago? 

I spoke in that post about how I never formally "learned" how to sail or skipper a boat...I learned about it serving as crew during sailboat races. I learned to watch the water for evidence of gusts, watch the tell-tales for minute-to-minute changes in the wind, feel the tension on the jib sheet in my hands, and simply watch the sky, the other boats, the skipper's stance -- everything that was happening around me. Sailing can be a classroom for becoming observant, fast (yet usually sensitive) in responding, and becoming connected to the power of Nature. It's great to be part of a means of transportation that is so directly powered by the wind,

So with today's eyes, it seems clear that there is a Goddess facet to sailing skills. We are in a time of unprecedented change and rapid spiritual ascension, literally, entering the Age of Aquarius. Watching (literally or metaphorically) the way the wind is blowing, being sensitive in handling the jib, being ready and willing to change course and "come about" -- all these sailing skills may be more important than ever. None of us can guarantee continual smooth sailing as we move forward, no matter what...but I think staying aligned in Love and the values of the Goddess may at least make for a smoother path into the emerging age.

Articulations

Over the course of the last few days, I have had occasion to prepare what you could call "mission statements". (I put that in the plural because there were several, for different situations.) At the moment, these are just drafts...and those of you patient enough to have stuck with me have received the long version of this ever-evolving life story! But articulating a current statement has been extremely powerful..and putting conscious spiritual attention into my use of words is more important than ever. As time goes on, it has become easier to edit out extraneous words like "just" or "kind of" or "yes, but..." And whenever I notice that I have used a conflict-related word, I try to find a more harmonic alternative. I wish you could see my real time editing as we speak!

My online new age experts say that this month is incredibly powerful, what with the full moon tomorrow, the 12-12 portal in a little over a week, and this particular winter solstice. That isn't even counting 3 I Atlas, and its journey through our solar system.  How important these milestones are, I don't know from a professional standpoint, but I believe with every fiber of my being that we are heading into much higher spiritual levels of energy, a new age of Love. Yesterday, I spoke of fear and negativity becoming obsolete -- similarly, the words expressing those conditions are becoming obsolete. It takes a bit of conscious attention to "listen" from a higher dimensional level to one's own 3-D articulations, but this is the month to start putting in that work so that creative output is energetically consistent with our current soul signal. It is like exercising a new muscle.

Looking at Love

There are so many things to consider right now, but as I truly believe that increased levels of Love are entering our world, I'm going to look, again, at Love. As a woman of the mid-twentieth century, I guess I have had kind of a split view of this quality. It's interesting, definitions call "love" an emotion, a feeling, but I think the Love we are beginning to experience is of a completely different nature. It is a serious form of power.

My brain struggles to really make sense of this. When I try to envision (and feel) the enormity of the Love of the Goddess, I linger in the "place" of gentleness, softness, nurturing, and almost passivity. I long for such softness, I think of statues and paintings of the Virgin Mary, where she looks at us through soft, soulful eyes. In a duality model, it is hard to see Love as anything but gentle. (Or romantic.)

Yet what I am really beginning to grasp is the active power of Divine Love, the blurring of the sharp line between Love and power. Because what we are beginning to see is that the energy of the highest levels of Love is, in fact, exceedingly powerful. It has the power to create universes, the power to transmute hatred, the power to change every aspect of our world.

Looking at this from a personal standpoint, I've tended to think that, by always at least trying to choose a path that was most loving and least hurtful, I was doomed (as it were) to being at the bottom. Even now, I sometimes feel the pushback when I am being myself. But suddenly (or it seems sudden!) such a big shift is happening that I can imagine choosing Love as being on the right side of history.

In recent weeks, whatever scales remained over my eyes have fallen, and I can sense the fear inherent in almost every event around us, almost every institution, almost every news event, trend, you name it. Not just in the wars and conflicts. The closer you attune with Love, the harder it is to be in the world of fear in any form. I still have moments where fear hits me in the pit of my stomach. I still cringe, doubt myself, feel powerless. And in the old days, my personal alignment with Love didn't feel powerful enough to sustain me once I felt fearful. But now, with Love in the ascendent, I can almost immediately feel this power dissolving the fear. Literally, dissolving. Not "killing", or "being victorious over", or "eliminating" fear. Just simply making fear obsolete. Unnecessary. And unworkable. I mean, moving forward, Love will be the only power that works.