by Abby Willowroot
Once . . .
Once my ancestors were
the people of the Mother Goddess,
the hungry gatherers of the fields
the fierce hunters of the beasts
makers of shelter from the elements
makers of talisman and charms
makers of clothing and tools
Once my ancestors were
the discoverers of fire
the painters of Caves
the walkers who migrated
wise shaman of distant times
children of the Mother Goddess
knowers of weather's secrets
listeners of the wind
My ancestors live in me,
the ancestors live in my children,
the ancestors live in my neighbors
they live in my friends and enemies,
deep within our DNA, our ancestors live,
we carry their ancient knowledge with us
mostly forgotten now, it is still there
they are still a vital part of who we are
Our ancestors are waiting to be remembered,
our ancestors are waiting to be honored,
waiting for us, to thank their Mother Goddess
for our lives and our food, and our shelter,
waiting for us to remember who we are
deep in our cells, the ancestors wait,
giving us strength and memories
immunities, instincts, and skills
we are our ancestors
and they are us,
Reborn
Our First Deity
Once our ancestors worshiped a Mother Goddess,
and celebrated Her ability to create life and to sustain us.
Nothing was considered more sacred than the power to create another living being. We honored the Mother Goddess for feeding and nurturing us. We celebrated Her miracles of birth, those births that created the animals we hunted, the animals who lived along side of us, the animals who fed ourselves, our families, and our tribes.
Our ancestors on the all continents made stone, clay, bone, & wood statues of the Great Mother Goddess. Their hands shaped Her ample form, She was the source, a divine, living source of food, protection and security. The Mother Goddess was the deity worshiped around the world, before history, before civilization, before cities, before Gods, and Shaman, before all others, we honored Her in ritual, song, and art. We asked Her blessing to be upon our hunting and upon our gathering, She guided us.
Caves around the world are filled with images and symbols of ancient Mother Goddesses. Many painted and carved caves have been found in France, Italy, Africa, Spain, Australia, Yugoslavia, the Americas, Mexico, Switzerland, Russia, the Middle East, Greece, and Asia. Each year, more caves emerge from the long forgotten darkness of obscurity, revealing their ancient splendors. Animals were also depicted, as were human hunters, and the hand prints of the Cave painters and their family members.
Animals were the gift of the Mother Goddess whose miracle of Birth insured the herds would bring forth new, young animals each year. Men, women and children depended on the bounty of their Mother Goddess and fashioned images of Her in gratitude and to insure that the blessings of food and shelter would continue to be there now and in the future seasons.
In re-learning how to honor the Ancient Mother Goddess, we are reclaiming and honoring our own common human heritage. Moving into the future, we must come to understand that we are all of one origin, one family, one race, the human race. The commonality of our ancestors' beliefs and rituals for living, hunting, worshiping give us powerful clues to the universality of the human spirit. The ancient human knowledge and understanding of the divine centered on the miracles of birth and mothering. All over the world, similar customs, Goddess figures and praise of the Mother Goddess drew upon many similar beliefs and symbols.
The power of the Great Mother was alive in the ancient human heart, and it is still alive deep within your own DNA. Our ancestors saw Her in the world around them. She was all powerful, benevolent and fierce, She was both honored and feared. The struggle for survival of we humans has always been very challenging, and it still is today. Unlike our ancestors, we no longer fear the cave bear, lion or wolf, the dangers most of us fear are not usually posed by wild Nature, but the many threats and dangers of our modern world.
Learning to reclaim a reverence for Nature and our common human symbols will help us to reclaim sanity and a sense of security within our own culture. Honoring the Mother Goddess will lead us back to our most ancient roots.
We can begin this journey by listening for Her in the wind, the rain, and the rhythms, cacophony, stillness, and the many vibrant voices of Nature. Our ancient Mother Goddess lives in the forests, the desserts, the mountains, the ocean, the rivers, the cities, the fields, and in every cell of our bodies.
We are our ancestors, all of our ancestors.
Listen for the Mother Goddess . . . She is speaking
May the firelight rekindle our connection with the Mother Goddess
May we come to know the wisdom of our ancestors that live within us
May we understand that we humans are all related through our ancestors
And will again be related through our children and their children's children
May you walk gently upon the Earth
May your journey be long and joyous
May it honor the ancient ancestors
May it honor your own living spirit
May it honor generations to come
http://spiralgoddess.com/OnceLongAgo.html