A meeting with the goddess…in Austin?

The Meeting with the Goddess

The meeting with the goddess represents the point in the adventure when the person experiences a love that has the power and significance of the all-powerful, all encompassing, unconditional love that a fortunate infant may experience with his or her mother. It is also known as the "hieros gamos", or sacred marriage, the union of opposites, and may take place entirely within the person. In other words, the person begins to see him or herself in a non-dualistic way. This is a very important step in the process and is often represented by the person finding the other person that he or she loves most completely. Although Campbell symbolizes this step as a meeting with a goddess, unconditional love and /or self unification does not have to be represented by a woman.

            There comes a time within the quest & journey of every hero, when she/ he must encounter the goddess.  Why is this?  Cause Joseph Campbell says so.   I didn’t make the rules up, I’m just a witness damn it!  Just go with it.  As I travel on my journey that is RISE, I to have crossed path with the powerful feminine that is the Goddess.  For me, this encounter took place in Austin, TX.  I know…I wouldn't have expected it either, but the hero’s journey will drag you kicking and screaming through some wild shit.  It's best to just let go and flow.  Savvy?

            On this particular meeting, the goddess revealed herself in many forms.  One in particular was incarnated through a woman named Jessica.  Although she cannot remember the details, this was not the first time I had the pleasure of meeting this exquisite creature.  Our paths first crossed in Scottsdale, AZ 6 years earlier.  Only a hand shake, smile, & a simple greeting was exchanged, but it made enough of a mark to resonate all these years later.  Another connection was made, this time by a mutual teacher; a woman whom Jessica & I have worked with.

I contacted Jessica in November 2011 to chat with her about RISE, and after a serendipitous conversation took place, she put forth the invitation for Zak and I to stay with her when we passed through Austin.  Little did I know what was set into motion.  Ignorance is not always so blissful.  As time passed and the journey was underway, we continued connecting with small dose of communication, I could hear the shift taking place in this strangers life as if I was living it with her.  You would have to ask her if she was witness to any shift within me.

            As we arrived at her living space, I was overwhelmed with a fantastic wave of energy.  I liken the sensation to an anticipated wave that crashes over you as you stand waist deep in the ocean.  Anticipated…yes, but still powerful.  Jessica had already displayed a spectacular way of communication, and our short time together was no different.  I found it necessary to shed the awe inspiring force that saturated me within her presence.  To fail to do so would be to forfeit my power to her.  This would have robbed both of us from learning and sharing a genuine experience, and there was too much to learn in such short order.  I made the choice to ground myself so that we may both gain from our interactions.  Surprisingly, this was something I had to do every morning.

            The second night in town, Jessica presented an invitation to accompany her to a weekly ritual called ecstatic dance.  I agreed, but attended as a witness.  Holy Jumping Shiva did I witness.  It was a powerful moment for me while on this cross country trek.  There were close to 40 people engaged in a beautiful and archaic form of expression.  They danced…and danced…and danced.  As each individual performed different styles and released a dramatic display of living poetry that captured my attention from the time the first movement was set in motion.

            Within minutes, I was shattered with an incredible amount of stimulation.  I had to quickly devise a selective viewing meditation in order to not get lost in the cluster.   Within my space, my utter stillness…I danced.  To those with an untrained eye, would see me as separate, but through my particular dance…I was touched & touched back all who were in this shared space.  Deeper I fell into a trance like state; I was slammed with a vision with Jessica as the primary focal point.  The room was a mandala & all the occupants, the moving pattern.  At the center was Jessica.  A door revealed itself in the center.

            This doorway was an invitation…an invitation and revelation.  For far too long I have basked in the fantasy of the life in which I wanted to live.  I always knew where I wanted to be and how I wanted to do it, but I always made up the excuses.  In Arizona, my dear friend Ashley was my link into this world.  She loves art, music, nature, dance, & connecting.  It was our mutual respect & love for these activities that pulled us together.  In my mind, I was always the first person ready to go on an adventure with Ash, but I never did.  I always made the excuse to stay in my mind.  I was without action, and miserable for it.  For this I am truly sorry.

            As the week went on, I shared more experiences & insight with Jessica.  We created space for one another to bounce thoughts & feeling back and forth.  I am eternally grateful for the time given to us to walk the same road, if for only a moment.  Who I was before I entered Austin, is not the same person who will be leaving.  At this moment, so near to ground zero, to make an attempt to describe it all in words would be a disservice.  One thing is for certain: on this Journey, The Goddess was revealed in Austin, she revealed love through truth.

            To place the label of Goddess on Jessica, I feel is a heavy burden, and maybe just a bit unfair.  She is more than that.  However, the Goddess encompasses all:  woman & men, element & situation.  She is a perfect personification of love, love of others & of self.  Through my experience, I have found what I want in a companion.  I can only hope that I do not lose sight of that intention.  To exude love with a true companion, the two must be the best of friend, the truest confidant, and equal partners without judgment.  When this takes form, the door to the divine is open, and the possibilities are endless.


                                                                         RISE!