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Be
a Goddess to the Rescue
A Prayer
for the Women of Afghanistan
by Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway |
Dear Friends --
Over the past two years many of us have signed and
circulated a petition to help the women of Afghanistan.
It described their torturous lives under the Taliban
regime. But did we really know the depth and horror of
their daily existence -- until now?
I saw a report on CNN (on 9/28) that showed someone
described as a Taliban officer from the "Department
of Virtue" beating a woman, in a crowd of other
women, with a stick. Her crime: Her veil slipped from
her face.
Another "official" stepped in and hit her
too, in the face. The woman next to her was also
assaulted. It was a horrible sight. The women clung to
each other. I could see them heaving in sobs beneath the
draping of their clothes. It broke my heart. It will
break all of our hearts as we see the reality of the
treatment of women of Afghanistan. But I believe we can
do something to help.
Finally, as heartbreaking as it is, we can see with
our own eyes what is going on now. The veil of secrecy
is finally lifted. The veil of our ignorance and apathy
is the next to go, because few of us will be able to
watch this hideous humanitarian catastrophe play out and
stand by as other women are treated so brutally.
These women are worlds away but they are our sisters.
They represent the darkest aspect of treatment of the
feminine; they represent the horror of total oppression
of the feminine; they represent the ultimate betrayal of
the natural balance of the universe. And they mirror to
us what is deep, deep down in any culture that does not
honor the divinity in women and that objects to the
honoring and inclusion of The Goddess.
This archaic treatment of women in this day and age
is as insane as the thought that two planes could fly
into the World Trade Center and demolish it. It is all
the result of unbalanced, domineering, fanatical,
"male energy" run amok. The only way to
counteract, heal and balance it is to bring in the
feminine.
As an interfaith minister and chaplain, I have
watched with joy at the beautiful collaboration of
interfaith and intercultural prayer and spirituality
that has emerged from the ashes of the WTC tragedy. But
I have to say that once again, The Goddess has been left
out or played down. Yet She is a very important player
in the healing of our world.
It is time to remember the Goddess. It is time to
honor the Goddess, Mother of All things. It is time to
honor the Goddess within us -- the bright light and
energy of the feminine that gives us breath, and life,
and power. That is one of the first ways we can help the
women of Afghanistan ... by owning the power of the
feminine for ourselves and for them ... by representing
the Goddess and radiating and uplifting the light of the
feminine divine. We can't stand in our fear or
disinterest anymore. Our world desperately needs to
embrace The Divine Mother alongside The Divine Father.
We must move toward balance if we are ever to have true
peace.
The CNN report highlighted the RAWA -- Revolutionary
Association of Women of Afghanistan. They
"revolt" by teaching their daughters in secret
schoolrooms. And sometimes wearing make up around the
house. The basic rights we take for granted are their
daily struggle. There are reportedly 2000 members. It is
an underground movement, cloaked in secrecy for fear of
punishment. Membership, according to CNN, is death by
stoning.
A member of RAWA on CNN said this about women of
Afghanistan: "They are not just physically killed
and tortured -- they are mentally killed and tortured.
They are under attack. They are living in danger all the
time. They want to do something about it."
Let's all do something too. No petitions to sign, no
money to send. Just lend your spiritual support and send
your loving light into the darkness of that country (and
also Pakistan) and ask God, Goddess, All there is to
uplift those women ... to bring them closer together to
one another ... to widen their ability to gather amongst
themselves and rise above the suffering ... to shine a
light on them that allows humanitarian and spiritual
rescue for all who choose it. May they be protected and
uplifted.
This is not a call to "convert" the women of Afghanistan. Rather, it is an
opportunity for us to be "vision holders" for their evolution to basic human
rights that include the right to worship their own religion and express their
spirituality freely. At this time, these women are being oppressed by a
fundamentalist expression of religion that does not reflect the Pillars of
Islam or the true essence and beauty of the Koran. By opening our own hearts
to the balancing power of the feminine, we help create a spiritual
environment in which women and children are honored and nurtured, and where
they can know their own personal connection to the Divine.
If we all send the energy of love from our hearts and
souls it will propel light to the darkness. Let us light
a candle in our homes and in our hearts to shed the
light and power of the feminine to the women in
Afghanistan and all women who are oppressed.
We all have many things to give to in these times of
challenge. Bless you for participating in any way you
can. Feel free to pass this along.
Rev. Laurie Sue Brockway
|
A
Blessing:
May The Blessing of God Go
Before You
May Her peace and grace abound.
May her spirit live within you.
May her love wrap you ‘round.
May her blessing remain with you always.
May you walk on holy ground.
~Miriam Therese Winter, Life Prayers |
Read Rev. Laurie's Monthly Column at SoulfulLiving.com,
"Soulful Love"
Reverend Laurie Sue Brockway is an author, teacher
and contemporary clergy person who specializes in
matters of the heart and soul. As an ordained interfaith
minister and non-denominational wedding officiant, it is
her honor to regularly marry couples in love.
Prior to becoming a minister she enjoyed a successful
and colorful 20 years in media as a widely published
journalist, editor and author of several books on
relationships and romance—as well as being a noted
spokesperson on those topics. She was editor-in-chief of
two national magazines and several regional
publications, and her articles have been published
around the world and in many newspapers and national
magazines, such as the NY Daily News, The
Washington Post, Women’s News, New Woman,
Ladies’ Home Journal and Child.
She evolved years of specialized reporting in the field
of male-female relationship dynamics into a more
spiritual pursuit that led her to train to be an
interfaith minister, and then establish her wedding
ministry along with a number of popular relationship
enhancement programs. Her wedding ministry is based in
New York.
She is also dedicated to bringing about a deeper
awareness and understanding of the Divine Feminine. As a
graduate of The New Seminary in NYC, the world’s
premier seminary for interfaith ministers, she was
educated and trained in the tenants, spiritual practice
and worship of many faiths. She became a specialist in
the feminine aspects of God in all the world’s
religions. Today, she is widely recognized as a
minister, teacher and scribe specializing in women’s
spirituality and The Divine Feminine from an interfaith
and all-inclusive perspective. She is on the
board of directors of World Light Fellowship, heading up
their Feminine Faces of God programs, and is
Founder of Our Mother’s House, a cyber ministry at www.OurMothersHouse.org.
Long devoted to helping women access the
"Goddess Within," she is currently working on
two books that bring the wisdom of ancient archetypes to
modern women. Her newest book, A Goddess Is a Girl’s
Best Friend, is due out in Fall 2002.
To be placed on a mailing list for information about A
Goddess Is A Girl’s Best Friend: OurMothersHouse@aol.com
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