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Serenissima, a
Found Goddess of Transformation
by Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D. |
Lately I have found myself much engaged with Found
goddesses. Found goddesses are the modern ones to whom
we pray in situations never dreamt of by ancient
peoples. Today, for example, we are Finding goddesses of
computers and potluck, and I am, in fact, writing a book
of Found goddesses that includes goddesses of meetings,
duct tape, air conditioning, apartment rental, and good
hair cuts. We should, I believe, take the Goddess and
our worship seriously, but we don’t have to abandon
our sense of humor when we practice the presence of the
Goddess. Finding a goddess is an act of creativity. It’s
an act of noticing a need and meeting it. It’s an act
of practicing the presence of the Goddess Whose aspects
may be both traditional and modern.
Reader, take some time now to interact with
Serenissima. Invite Her into your life and allow Her to
help you change your life.
Serenissima: Goddess of Taking Care of
Yourself
It was true for Grandma and for Mom and it’s still
true for us: woman’s work is never done. With economic
conditions being what they are for us ordinary people,
we are working harder than ever, often holding down two
jobs or working excessive overtime, plus trying to do
their share of housework and childcare. On top of
working too hard, we try to spend some time with our
children, our partners, and our parents, not to mention
keeping in touch with our friends. Some days it’s
impossible to keep up. Some days we can’t even cope.
It’s time to get help. It’s time to call on the
Goddess Serenissima, She Who holds our hands, rubs our
shoulders, tempts us into a bubble-bath, and teaches us
the vital, life-preserving skills of self-love,
self-care, and self-time.
This is a two-part ritual whose intention is to bring
the power and beauty of Serenissima into your life and
relief into your schedule. Your intention is to create a
whole day of self-time two weeks or one month from now.
You are, therefore, asking Serenissima to intervene in
your life in all Her ordinary, magical ways to
reschedule your obligations and clear a day on your
calendar.
For Part 1 of the ritual, decorate your altar with
beautiful things you love. Put a calendar page or the
pages of your daily organizer covering the next thirty
days, starting today, on the altar (but out of the way
of candle flames and dripping wax). Invoke Serenissima
with these words:
Holy Goddess Serenissima,
touch my life
and give me the space and time
to nourish myself
to cherish myself.
Sovereign Serenissima
touch my life.
Show me the path to your peace.
Light the candles and visualize Her fingers moving
across your organizer and making changes. See meetings
being postponed, deadlines being rescheduled, the work
being shared more equitably.
Understanding that Serenissima works in subtle ways,
remain aware of possibilities during the next two weeks.
Look for way to facilitate the changes you invoked. You
need to be alert. She may create the opportunities, but
it’s your own action that will open up your self-time.
One of the lessons Serenissima may give you may be to
learn to say no. Practice saying this powerful
little word at appropriate times. Another lesson may be
to learn to set priorities and delegate tasks, both at
work and at home. In very practical terms, this may mean
that you should stop trying to do it all yourself. You
may have to learn to give up perfectionism; sometimes
good enough really is good enough.
Work with Serenissima. Let Her guide you. And when
your promised day shows up, seize it.
Do Part 2 of the ritual during the morning of your
day. Your day.
Settle the logistics the day before, if not earlier:
who does what, when and where, and to whom while you’re
utterly unavailable. Tape notes for your family to every
surface in the kitchen and bathroom if you have to. Tell
them to do it themselves. Let them learn to be
resourceful.
Decorate your room and your altar with your favorite
colors. Spray your favorite scent into the air and open
a new potpourri. Touch your favorite essential oil to
your throat, wrists, and heart. Have your most beautiful
chalice ready, half filled with water. Speak to the
Goddess:
Most Serene Majestic Goddess,
I thank You for this day.
Tranquil One, o Easeful One,
I thank You for all my days.
Goddess of Harmony and Repose,
I celebrate all days as Your days.
As you light your candles, imagine that each tiny
flame is a star that brings serenity into your life.
Beautiful and gracious Serenissima,
Show me Your paths of peace,
Show me Your ways of woven light and dark,
Show me Your threads of shining work and play,
and I will move with You,
and in You I will dance.
Take a sip of water from your chalice. Savor the way
the water touches your lips and tongue, savor its taste.
Consider the natural, unthinking way your mouth accepts
the water, the way you swallow without thinking how to
do it.
Know that this sip of water is a tiny gift from the
Goddess, a single drop of the essence of the Most Serene
One. Remember also that water makes up over ninety
percent of our human body and that water also carved out
the Grand Canyon. Remember the simple power of water,
that water flows around all obstacles. Feel the water’s
glowing, calming essence as it enters your body and
remember that all nourishment—from your mother’s
milk to whatever you plan to have for lunch today—enters
your body and your being and becomes your body and your
being.
Continue to sip water from your chalice and recall
what the chalice is. It’s the true holy cup, the
original Holy Grail. It’s your Mother’s breast.
Remember that as you accept Serenissima into your
life, in sips and in seconds of time, that She is always
present. Like the water, She becomes part of you and you
are thus gradually and imperceptibly transformed. As you
move in the ways of Serenissima, you embody Her and
become more serene.
We are all, each of us and all of us, drops of Her
gentle rain on a parched and thirsty land, and when we
bring Her serenity into our lives, one day at a time, we
are bringing Her back to all of Her children.
Leave a few drops of water in the bottom of your
chalice and treasure all these things and ponder them in
your heart.
Most Serene Majestic Goddess,
I accept this day.
Tranquil One, o Easeful One,
I accept all my days.
Goddess of Harmony and Repose,
I accept all days as Your days.
Remembering that the circle is open but never broken,
spend the rest of your day doing whatever you want to
do.
From Practicing the Presence of
the Godddess © 2000. Reprinted with permission of
New World Library - www.newworldlibrary.com
Barbara Ardinger, Ph.D., author of Practicing
the Presence of the Goddess and Goddess
Meditations, Barbara lives with her cats,
Schroedinger and Heisenberg, in Southern California. She
is an initiated Dianic Witch and holds the Green Tara
initiations, given to her by Dagmola Jamyang Sakya. She
is currently at work on a book of humorous Found
Goddesses and looking for a publisher for her novel
about a vampire, a far-right extremist, and a coven of
witches who live in Orange Co., California. Barbara also
writes book reviews that are published in numerous
magazines, including SageWoman and PanGaia.
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