Mysteries of Egypt

by Ariann Thomas

I have recently returned from Celtic Mystic Journey’s fabulous Mysteries of Egypt Tour. If you have ever desired to walk among the pyramids, see real mummies and explore the mysteries of Ancient Egypt, you cannot find a better tour than this. Finbarr Ross makes the best arrangements to ensure a Divine (in both senses of the word) experience by finding different and unusual places as well as the well-trodden paths. He even arranged for a private tour of the Great Pyramid for our group without the hordes of other tourists so we would have time for private meditation and a chance to rest in the Pharaoh’s sarcophagus—awesome. Our Egyptian expert, Maha, was a lovely, knowledgeable woman with a metaphysical inclination. She is studying for her Ph.D. in Egyptology.

I have always wanted to go to Egypt to feel the energies. I have had several visions of past lives in Ancient Egypt; one as a priestess and another as a god-like person who badly abused power. I even had a vision of my parents and some family members’ lives in Ancient Egypt. No wonder it has always called to me.

I will not give you a guided tour of the many temples and pyramids we visited. Suffice it to say there were places where I felt powerful energies still present and others where the architectural ruins were the only impressive sight about. I will focus mainly on what I generally felt was of importance.

Egypt Tour 2010I saw in Ancient Egyptian life a true balance of the male and female energy in their gods and royalty. Their everyday lives seem to carry this theme too. Now I am not ignoring the fact the rulers were all male; however, the ruling dynasties followed the female line (the son of the pharaoh’s sister became the next pharaoh). That is why the pharaohs married their sisters.

In every temple, on all the walls, in almost all the great monuments the most noticeable feature was the presence of both the male and female figures of equal size and importance. Whenever Osiris was portrayed, Isis was rendered at his side. Hathor, the cow goddess of many names including Mother of mothers and Ra’s daughter, was generally depicted in conjunction with Ra, the creator god and sun god. Even in the scene of Anubis mummifying Osiris, his daughter, Kabechet, was helping him in the mummification process. In the paintings of the gods or the pharaohs on the walls of the Valley of the Kings or in the temples, servants of both sexes were generally represented.

Of course, this was not the case in gender-specific roles. In the Isis temple, the birthing chamber shows Isis giving birth to Horus (her son by Osiris) surrounded by seven goddesses/women. The servants planting and harvesting corn all appear to be men as do all the soldiers. There was definitely a male fertility wall with Osiris (?) with a mighty member, blackened with hand oil and dirt where it obviously has been rubbed over the years for its fertility powers.

Something shifted in me while I was in Egypt. I have been searching for a balance in my own inner sacred feminine and divine masculine. It has been challenging to define this balance without a model. Ancient Egypt showed me that model. The Sacred Feminine and Divine Masculine appear, from my perspective, to have been equally honored in their life and culture. Men and women both had their roles and they were treated in the sacred art as equal in power and status. I now feel that balance of the Sacred Feminine and Masculine in me. Maybe I just needed to see it, feel it and absorb it in my body to make it real to me.

To me the advantage of travel is the discovery of myself through the exploration of new places, people, cultures, food, experiences and energies. I came home changed in new and exciting ways. I appreciated the time and energy I spent on going to Egypt and the internal traveling I did. The experience will last the remainder of my life.

©2010 Ariann Thomas

Ariann Thomas does spiritual counseling, elderhood programs and initiations and Ancestral Lineage Clearing. She is one of the founders of The New Dream Foundation, a spiritual community dedicated to the Sacred Feminine.

Find her at:

www.AncestralLineageClearing.com or

www.NewDreamFoundation.com

Repeating Cycles, Seeing The Old With New Eyes

We are again experiencing a in a time of great shifts within each of us calling us to look at the gentle love of our Archangels that surround and nurtures us as we work with communication and creativity in our relationships and our community.

Our pathway on earth has been an expression of our desire to fulfill the vision of our soul purpose to a point where we are resonating with the creative powers of expression. We are being asked to honor our personal truth with our life choices.

We are experiencing the sensation of repeating cycles of experiences in our personal lives. We may find ourselves revisiting places we used to frequent or meeting the people we used to know. These experiences may appear unchanged but your acquiescence to existing within them has evolved. Take a moment to ponder how you have transformed, and reexamine your expectations as you quest. The gift of creativity is supporting your intuition.

Listen to your inner urgings, do not loose the strength of your intuitive voice. Do not be distracted by others from your chosen pathway as every individual has a unique perspective to offer, each of these are equally important to the growth of the soul. Respect the inner voice and make a decision to work with it.

We are being urged to look at the new opportunities in this world of transition that are now presenting themselves with an increased awareness of light and commitment. Be open to the expanded awareness within the intimacy of personal relationships. Be aware of the fullness of love and wisdom that one can now share, without limitation, emanating from your soul and bringing with it the light of infinite power and clarity, a living expression of your connection which can be drawn on at any time.

With this connection as an integrated part of your physical presence, you will only create healthy inter-dependant relationships - relationships in which the gifts of all parties flourish and so hold the balance that is needed at this time. A time when we are being asked to be, to go within and hold the balance as the old structures crumble and we, from our place of transparency, compassion and balance are the builders of the new form, we are the foundation upon which all new structures will be built.

Blessings, love and peace,

Finbarr

What is a Vortex or Energy Center?

By Ixchel Tucker

In recent years people have become increasingly interested in Energy Centers and Vortexes. People flock to places like Sedona, Arizona, Mount Shasta, California, or take trips to Machu Picchu, Egypt, and Stonehenge, either to live or visit.

So what are they all about? When you visit places of power what can you expect? How can you take best advantage of the energy they have?

I’ve been drawn to live in many of these power places myself. I’ve lived in Ashland, Oregon, Mt. Shasta, California, Sedona, Arizona, and Tepoztlan, Mexico. I’ve also traveled to places like Machu Picchu, Stonehenge, Tara, Assissi, Italy, Medjugorje, and more. I’ve discovered that the power of such sites is quite simple to understand and work with.

Basically, there are a few types of energy centers. Here I will break them down into two categories, though others may identify them differently.

First, there is the vortex that raises vibration. I’ve noticed that these are often the masculine energies, such as mountain tops, pinnacles, and peaks. They can affect you in various ways, depending on your way of feeling or picking up on psychic energy. The main thing to realize is that they increase the vibration.

An increase or raised vibration isn’t either “good” or “bad”, “negative” or “positive”. What increased vibration does is to amplify whatever is going on. Therefore, if you are feeling good the energy can make you feel better. You might feel like your buzzing, or expansive, more energetic or joyful. However, the opposite is also true. If you are feeling bad or have negative feelings and emotions the increased vibration can amplify that to make you feel even worse. This can also be very good for you. It helps you to “see” your stuff easier, it can be intense, and it can also help you move through it faster. The key is the awareness of what is going on, to allow it, see it for what it is, face it and move through it.

Bottom line is the energy vortex isn’t going to solve all your problems. It’s not going to “fix” anything. It is up to you to make choices and be responsible for what you do with the energy. If you work with the energy in a good way, you can move through things quickly. If you connect with the energy to bring more good into your life, to manifest your desires, it will be there for you and again things will happen fast.

The second type of energy is more grounding. It will help you connect more of your spirit into your body. This energy is more feminine and can be felt near water, wells, caves, and darker or shaded areas like woods and forests. This energy is comforting. It holds and protects. It helps us to go deeper into ourselves.

At any of these energy centers, it is easier to open to the energy of the Divine. Some people may get insights, have powerful dreams, some even have visions or receive messages. How you work with the energy is unique to each individual. Visiting and spending time in power places can assist with your personal and spiritual growth.

They are a good place to do ritual or ceremony, meditate or just quietly take in what is there. Whatever way you use to connect more with the Divine, this is a good place to do it.

In the end, there is no “big secret” to how these energies work or special way to “align” with them or achieve ascension through them. No magical doorway is going to open. It is like my friend Ea says, at The Doorway (or Portal) of Quetzalcoatl, in Amatlan, Mexico, which is known by the native people as in interdimensional doorway: “You can sit and stare at the ‘door’, do ceremony or whatever, and the ‘door’ is not going to open. The ‘door’ is your heart. When you open your heart, all is open to you.”

So go out and explore. Open yourself, open your hearts, and shine the light of your being for us all!

Written by Ixchel Tucker, Marketing Coordinator for Celtic Mystical Journeys

Transforming Relationship Through Love of Self

Here we are, moving along the spoke of the wheel of the year, moving towards Summer Solstice, a time of heightened energy in the outer world. We are also feeling these vibrations within, asking us to look again at what is going on in our life ...

As the journey of increasing light continues the light triumph's over darkness. We are celebrating light and life with the blossoming and fruition of seeds sown in winter.

Do you feel this blossoming in your life?

How do you feel about yourself and your relationships with yourself? Your partner? Community? Colleagues? Your world? Look at how you feel about self love and your relationship with yourself.

The Aquarian Age is all relationship we have with ourselves and the world about us.

Relationship is the gift of one of the most beautiful experiences we have within our human existence. Within relationship lies the very possibility of learning to both give and receive love to yourself and others.

We are now being asked to look at our established relationships and to express them at a higher level of consciousness. We are being asked to explore the intimacy within our interactions ... how easily do we permit another person to enter our personal space and offer their unconditional love to us? How open are we to receive it? Do we question the praise or support we receive from others? Or perhaps we hold issues of self-consciousness around physical intimacy? Whatever the level of relationship or sharing that challenges us, now is the time to transform it.

Through the gentleness of unconditional love we are being invited to create inter-dependant relationships. Ones where we are able to respect and honor, the existence of the other in the relationship without losing our sense of self. Allow our softer side to fully express itself. We are being offered the possibility of creating freedom by healing and removing the crutch of co-dependency.

Within any relationship the other person is a mirror for us. We are being asked to expand our sense of community through this mirror. As we experience acceptance within our personal relationships this will encourage us through its vibration to share more of our gifts with our community. Each of us is perfect for the part that we play within our chosen community. We can never fully understand from our perspective the pathway of another, but through the power of love we can accept and honor their innate wisdom by honoring and accepting our own gifts and the special gifts of others.

Have You Felt The Call To Journey To Egypt?

I'd like to invite you on a very special trip this year, to Ancient Egypt.

Have you ever known that you just had to do something?

Does you inner voice urge you towards a certain path?

And more importantly, do you follow it's voice?

This is how this trip to Egypt happened for me. For years I have been wanting to guide a trip to Egypt, but it never quite came together. This year I knew the time was right.

My guidance told me that this this was the time to visit Egypt because of the new energies that are now awakening the planet and opening us up to receive ancient wisdom teaching.

From the moment I decided to do this trip, the pieces fell into place easily and effortlessly, easier than ANY other trip I have ever planned.

This journey is all about initiations, opening up our consciousness to the ancient teachings of The Emerald Tablets and to our Atlantean connection. Through our initiations we will be anchoring this consciousness and its importance to sacred union in our lives. We will be balancing the masculine and feminine within each of us.

NOW is the time for something big to shift, and this trip to Egypt is a part of it. Consider this:

• October 2010 there is going to be a major shift in consciousness, a shift towards Sacred Union.
• Many, many groups are being drawn to Egypt this year, and especially in October.
• The masculine and feminine energies will be converging at that time.
• Ancient energies of Prussia will also be converging in Egypt, combining with the new energies coming forth, for something truly wondrous ... as of yet unknown and unseen on this planet.

If you, too, are feeling the pull to be part of this, NOW IS THE TIME!

This trip is not for everyone. It's not for the lighthearted. It's for people who are ready to really go deep into the NEXT STEP, to hold this NEW ENERGY for humanity.

On this trip we will be:

• Bringing in a great initiation of forces from the past, merging them with the energies of the present.
• Initiating Sacred Union for each person on the trip, individually and to hold for humanity as well.
• As we see the mirrors into our true selves we will experience what was there all along, that we are divine beings.
• These experiences will help us hold even more of our divinity in our daily lives.

If this trip is for you, you will come back changed. You will also have a lot of fun along the way, visiting ancient sites, museums, temples, and pyramids. You'll have time for shopping and a cruise on the Nile.

For details about this exciting trip, visit: http://www.celticmysticaljourneys.com/sacred-sites-spiritual-tours-egypt

I hope you can join us,

Finbarr

There is a wonderful book, The Emerald Tablets of Thoth-The- Atlantean, and this also taps into the Celtic connection and Ireland being know in ancient times for its connections to the Pharaohs. If you want to learn more about this there is another book, Ireland Land of the Pharaohs. It is my belief that one of the Emerald Tablets is buried at Tara in Ireland. Ireland, as you know, was a outpost for Atlantis.

For those interested, we also lead a trip every summer to Ireland and visit the ancient site of Tara. Go to http://www.celticmysticaljourneys.com/blog for more info.

Ancient Mysteries of Beltaine

April Message by Finbarr

Continuing on our journey around the wheel of the year we are still working on transparency, compassion and balance.

We now enter the third spoke in the wheel: Beltaine, a time of rebirth of all things made new. This occurs on May 1st. Beltaine stands opposite Samhain (held October 31-November 1).

Samhain is associated with the Goddess, feminine energy, the world of spirit and inner work, urging us to embrace all aspects of ourselves including our shadow side, bringing us transformation as we let go of old patterns.

Beltaine on the other hand is asking us to move to outward activity, embracing this world and its fertility. It is the gateway to the bright part of the year, summer when the countryside is filled with beautiful flowers and foliage, so too it is with our lives as we are being asked to shake of the shackles of the past, to let go of issues and enter a time of "Thy Will be Done" and embrace life fully knowing that all is as set out in our blueprint. No accidents, only ways of calling us to higher awareness.

I want to share a morning prayer with you from the West of Ireland that is tied to the energy of Beltaine:

Good Morning Father God

Good Morning Father God
You are ushering in another day
untouched and freshly new
so here I come to ask you God
if you will renew me too
forgive the many errors I made yesterday
and help me once again Dear Father God
to walk closer in Thy way
Father I am well aware
I cannot make it on my own
so take my hand and hold it tight
'cause I can't walk alone.

Before we enter this period of Beltaine we need to embrace ourselves and tell ourselves the following:

I love you.

I apologize.

Please forgive me.

Thank you.

As we embrace these energies within ourselves we are making ourselves ready to venture into the outer world knowing that all is in divine order. We are now ready to take full responsibility for our lives and for ourselves - no exceptions, no excuses - as there is no one to blame.

Every challenge we have in our life we invited in, they are just old, recycled problems showing up to give us another opportunity to see and embrace them with love. We are the source of all the experiences and we are the healer. As the healer we look inside ourselves and see what it is we want to transform in our life, whether it is relationship, finances, or whatever else. All the answers are within as we embrace ourselves in love and allow.

"Thy Will be Done", and as we look at ourselves in the mirror, or in prayer, or meditation say to ourselves about any situation:

"I love you" , "I apologize", "Please forgive me", and finally gratitude for all that you are "Thank you".

Allow the Golden Flame of Love within yourself (see it and feel it) and fully embrace The Divine Feminine, The Christ Consciousness and the Sacred Union and allow the magic to happen in your life as we ask the higher world for assistance and then simply surrender.

Blessings, love and peace,
Finbarr

Discovering the Goddess

What is the Goddess?

By Ixchel Tucker

"Through the Goddess, we can discover our strength, enlighten our minds, own our bodies, and celebrate our emotions." ~ Starhawk

There is so much talk these days about the Divine Feminine and the Goddess. Much of this focuses on how the Divine Feminine is reawakening, coming back into balance. There are Goddess Cards, Goddess books, so much available.

But how do we bring that into our lives, what does it really mean for us? A few things we can do are:

• Meditate with the Goddess, the Divine Feminine, the Water, the Moon, and the Womb
• Visit Sacred Goddess Sites and connect with the ancient feminine energies they hold
• Go inside - ask our inner-most selves what is feminine, and how to bring out the Divine Feminine that is within us

The Goddess isn't just something out there to be seen, to be visited. As with everything, what we see outside is also within ourselves. So discovering the Goddess and the Sacred Feminine is an inward journey, one of discovering more of ourselves.

A few years ago I was introduced to a Path of the Sacred Feminine. It was nothing new, it was actually an ancient Native Path that is being reborn after a hundred years or more of being buried. It helped me discover what feminine and Goddess energy was, at a level that I have not seen taught by anyone.

If your want more about this path, visit:

Path of the Sacred Feminine

But in this article I would like to share with you the deeper awareness of what Sacred Feminine and also Sacred Masculine are that this path has rebirthed in me.

First of all, Divine or Sacred Feminine is not just for women. We all carry both feminine and masculine within us and it is through the full expression of both that we come into balance within ourselves and truly become one. This is not just a path for women, though women very much need it, so do our men.

The Sacred Feminine cannot exist without the balance of the Sacred Masculine. It is not that the Feminine is any better, or more important. It is just that the feminine aspects of the Divine have been weeded out of most practices, they have been lost, they have been buried. It is time for them to resurface, to come back into balance. It is time for women to discover that they are, and have always been, goddesses.

I've seen that most of us women have lost the feminine within ourselves. It is still there, but has been overrun by the masculine aspects we have had to develop in order to work, live, and provide for our families. The feminine is more community oriented and in an age of "me", of the individual doing everything, isolated and needing to take care of themselves and their family, there has been little room for the feminine to thrive. We are coming out of that now, we have realized that isn't enough, people are once again looking for community.

As I began to connect with the Path of the Sacred Feminine I asked what being feminine was. I saw that I had lost much of it, and the rest had been subdued by lack of understanding and necessity. I had been a single mother of three, needing to get out and work, in the business world. I wasn't taught feminine values. I wore business suits. Even when I was relaxing I wore masculine clothing - jeans, t-shirts, and dull colors.

Through the meditations and journeys of the Sacred Feminine Path I asked myself what it was to be a woman. These meditations connected me to the Womb within both men and women) where all creation happens and everything is infinite possibility. The womb is a place where we hold, where we are safe, where we can be just as we are. Remember what it's like to just be held and comforted by your mom? Or, if you didn't have that experience, imagine what it would feel like. You can hold and mother yourself, or let the larger Divine Feminine hold you. It is a very loving experience.

As I discovered the power of the womb I also realized that it has been part of my nature to "hold space" for others. I have realized this very subtle, but very strong power as well. As I energetically hold others they are more able to "do" (the masculine) the things they are here to do. They are more able to access their truth, their Divine aspects of who they are. I find that things move more smoothly around me.

I have also seen the power of intuition and connection become stronger within me. I've realized how the feminine aspects of our being are often more subtle energies, but they are such an integral part of everything. Even in the business world there is an understanding of intuition that is used in advertising, working with people, often in hiring and firing, business decisions and more.

Women have a natural ability to connect, to see subtle messages and act accordingly. In opening to this I have become much more aware of my energetic connections with people, animals, nature and all of life.

I've found that as I've worked with this Path, opening more to the Goddess within, that I can walk proudly in feeling the essence of the Goddess. I find that I am drawn to wear dresses more, colorful clothing, to look like a woman.

I see the Goddess in all women, even those who aren't showing it a lot. It is time for us all to let the Goddess awaken more fully into our expression, into our being.

One way to help awaken your inner Goddess is on a Spiritual Tour with Finbarr Ross. I've been working with Finbarr for a few months now and I can see the balance of the Divine Feminine that he holds. He has an deep connection to the Divine Feminine and works with the feminine energies.

Through Celtic Mystical Journeys, Finbarr takes people to Sacred Feminine Sites, places of the Goddess, of Mary Magdalene, St. Mary , St. Sophia. He tells stories of these women and what they represented. He connects you with the ancient energies through powerful meditations, rituals and ceremonies.

If you're seeking to connect with Sacred Feminine Sites you might want to join us on our Goddess Tour of Turkey, our France Tour in Search of Mary Magdalene, or our Special Goddess Tour of Ireland. These trips are especially designed with the Divine Feminine in mind.

For information on any of the Spiritual Tours offered by Celtic Mystical Journeys, visit: Celtic Mystical Journeys

Whatever your path to the feminine, you will discover that the Goddess isn't just something of history, something out there to be found, the Goddess is YOU!

Blessings on your journey to Discover the Goddess!

Ixchel

Ixchel Tucker is a ceremonialist and Keeper of the Women's Water Ceremonies, offered by the Path of the Sacred Feminine and the New Dream Foundation. She also serves as a Vice President on the board of New Dream Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to bring together Global Spiritual Community through the Sacred Feminine.

She does intuitive marketing and web design and works with Celtic Mystical Journeys and The Nature Doctor to help promote their work in world. You can find her at www.webdesignbyixchel.com