Maiden. Mother. Crone.

Maiden. Mother. Crone. 

A Women's Trajectory through Life

In 2016, as I was rising up from my
eight year immersion in the UnderWorld,
I came to know that 

my Maiden years were over. 

They had been for a while, however, 
I did not have the terminology, 
perspective, or courage,  

to claim this knowing yet. 

As this awareness moved through my being
I saw this ending as a beginning
to the next stage of my life.
 I took several months to honor this passage
 with ceremony & prayer.

Featured in this blog are some of my
 SoulCollage creations
that highlight my adventure 

through the trilogy of a woman's life:
Maiden - Mother - Crone 

As I started this passage process,
I spent several months reflecting
on the passage of time
and the youth of my life.  

I took time to name & honor

that I was moving into the middle spectrum
of my life journey as Mother. 

I do not have children of my own, however,
I parent many creations in the world. 

I hold a strong mothering energy
within my circle of friends
and community.

I mother my creations alive in the world,
nurturing them as children;
guiding them on their journey of maturation
towards their own independence.

As I released myself
from being a Maiden,

 I felt a lot of sadness.

Thoughts went through my mind like: 

"I am no longer young, pretty, 

filled with vigor, capable, etc..."

 I saw so many ways I did not take advantage 

of the youthful time of my life. 
I saw so many ways I wasted 
some of the life force I'd been gifted.

Tears fell as I honored steps 

closer towards my death.

As I moved through this process, 

something amazing happened.

I realized that if I was going to release 

the “good” aspects of my youth, 

it was important to release 

the “bad” aspects as well. 

This was a HUGE epiphany for me. 

I engaged in several powerful ceremonies
around releasing traumas, fears
and outdated stories & beliefs 

formed during my Maiden years.
It was a massive ending
to a chapter in my life.
Time to move into the next New. 

Passage Ceremony 

To honor the "official'"closure
of my Maiden years -
and step forward into the adult phase
of my life as Mother,
I engaged in a 5 day
Rites of Passage ceremony
in the mountains of Colorado.

The property was filled with
stone altars, meditation spaces,
tee-pees, trees houses,
and so many other delights.
I was able to work with the land,
in so many beautiful & ceremonial ways.
It was pure delight.  

Cabin I stayed in 

Angel Blessings  

As I was in ceremony at this location, 

the musical artist Prince died. 

He was a powerful musical influence 

to me throughout my Maiden years. 

It seemed fitting that he pass away 
as I moved out of this phase of my life.

Here's one of the SoulCollage cards
from my personal deck
that I created many years ago
to honor the Prince era of my life.

Another interesting thing that happened 
during this time frame of ceremony is that, 
 one of the wild cats that lives in my yard 

 had kittens. She moved from her Maiden years 
into Motherhood...and had 5 kitties. 

Amazing synchronicities 

to support & guide my passage.  

Taking time in nature 
to honor this passage of my life 
was lovely and so supportive. 

- How do you honor major milestones in your life?  

- How do you mourn the passage of time in your life?

- How do you celebrate your maturation process? 

- What vocabulary inspires your evolution?

- What future is calling you forward?

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Blood & Stuff

This last moon cycle of Summer has been intense. 

In addition to several experiences that reminded me to practice Kindness, Compassion, Acceptance, Love and Forgiveness in situations that fall short of my expectations, I have also been visited by a lot of wild animals at my back door; many species of bird, stray cats, skunk, raccoon, opossum. 

My yard has become a haven for creatures, and for the most part, this ecology has been peaceful. However, during this moon cycle, the energy has bumped up a notch. A creature ripped my screen door off, came into my house and ate all my cat food, several times. 
I suspect raccoon. 

Last night, I opened my front door and there was blood everywhere. Blood clots and splatter throughout 4 rooms of my house. It's alarming to open the door to your house and see blood  everywhere. The first thing I did was check my cat. She was ok, however, traumatized by what ever happened (she has not left my side since). 

I do not know what creature(s) came in, or what happened to cause so much blood, however, this definitely goes in the category of Wild. After spending the evening cleaning up blood, clearing the house with tobacco and calling in protection, I am ready now to reflect on this experience in a more contemplative way. 

Wisdoms, Insights and Contemplations Coming Through:  

• As Raven Shree, these types of mystery activations will occur in my life. It is part of the medicine and magic that finds its way to me and the type of work I am called to face and interact with from a humble presence of curiosity, acceptance and love.  
• Use my tools. Rather then just cleaning it up and say “oh my goodness”, use my tools. Engage my practice. Prayers, chanting, bells, tobacco clearing, banishment, cleansing, healing, protection...journaling, art, soulcollage, breath, yoga, meditation.  This experience calls on the Magician to do her work. Bring my full self forward in this ceremony of life. 
• Invasion of the home, and trauma within the home, is a powerful force. When things happen “out in the world”, that is one thing, however, when they come into your home, a deep fundamental vibration is activated. Home is intended to be a safe, nourishing container. When this thesis is challenged, a deep chord is struck within our primal being. 
• Opening the door and seeing blood all over the place brought me back to a past experience from which I ran from and have not revisited since. This  allowed me to  see energy currents from the past calling for healing and release. I see some SoulCollage cards coming through! 
• Last week a Dove flew into my window and died on my back patio. I honored this passage of life and harvested the wings, tail and claws. As I deepen my practice of Shamanic Arts, the universe hears that I am open to this energy, and this type of energy will come. If I am to walk the Shamanic Path, blood will be part of that journey. 
• As I was cleaning the blood, I found myself wanting to be in partnership. To have an intimate, lover, other to share this type of initiation with. Someone that lives the mystery, can be a witness to the magic, and participate in evolution with me. As I scrubbed the blood from the floor, I heard my soul calling for more romance and shared intimacy with man in my life. 

Here are SoulCollage cards from my personal deck that represent some of these contemplations. May these images inspire you in some way to explore mystery in your life as well . 

Raven Shree: Shining Light In The Shadow 

Use My Tools

Shamanic Arts: Feather Wand I created with Magpie wing and talons.  

 This Rock Structure represents my deep yearnings for relationship; Read More 

Lessons from a Lake

Poem & Image by Raven Shree 

The lake laps at my feet 

slapping against the earth. 

Wind caresses ripples.  

Sun sparkles play. 

Shree Morris Code to my soul.

Birds chirp; 

singing the songs

of their species.

Bees buzz; pollinating

through the service 

of their living 

bring abundance and life 

to the world. 

Hummingbirds flitter;

small magic beings 

moving through air and sky.

I watch one rest 

on a branch

of a Blue Spruce Fir. 

I want to watch him fly, 

however, his rest reminds me 

to be grateful for 

Rest and Relaxation. 

Flowers bloom; all shapes and color 

opening, spreading to life. 

Colorful aromas attract visitors; 

synergistic relationships 

that feed the vitality of life on our planet.

And here in the center of all this 

I sit. 

An Animal in the Wild. 

A Spirit in Flesh. 

A Wise Woman. 

An Innocent Child. 

Perched in the center 

of my universe 

I bow with gratitude, 

to the passions inside 

that continually guide me 

to places

and experiences like this.

I drink in beauty 

breathing in the experience 

of freedom. 

Anchoring the potentiality 

and actuality of now 

into my flesh, 

into my heart, 

so that I may bring this magic

back with me 

and out into the world. 

~ Raven Shree 

Cultivating Heart Flame

Last night in my Shaman's Circle, during our invocation drum journey, I experienced the embodied imagery of a lit candle in my solar plexus. 

The candle was small, like a birthday candle for a cake. I felt called to grow this power in me, and asked spirit for the courage and ability to grow this candle force in my belly. 

The candle immediately grew in width and height, taking up the whole circumference of my abdomen. The increased height of the candle raised the flame up into my heart space. 

With this increase in power potential and light force, I was reminded that a candle needs wax to burn, it need a fuel source to continue burning its flame. 

My daily practice is the fuel source for my heart flame. My daily practice of meditation, bodywork, gratitude, time in nature, SoulCollage, presence, love, authenticity, living in alignment with soul...this is the fuel that keeps my flame alive and vibrant.  

If my practice diminishes, the height of my candle will lower, bringing the flame back down into the abdomen, keeping me striving from a place of adolescence grasping and egoic limitation. These energetics may have served me well historically, however now it is time to live from the flame of the heart. To do this, it is imperative that I engage commitment and accountability to a daily practice that adds fuel to the flame of my inner fire. This practice will keep the height of my inner candle flame in my heart space and light my way in life from this central source. 

Here is one of my recent SoulCollage creations that honors this intention of living. It reminds me to engage my daily practice as a tool to continually add fuel to my heart flame. My hearts desire is to live my life as a beautiful service to the living of beauty and intentionality in this world, and to do so with embodied grace and enlivened presence. 

• What imagery encourages you to expand into wider realms of fullness?  
• What soul work is calling to be honored and realized through your living? 
• How can you rise you up from the personal into wider realms of service to the collective?

Explore these questions in the upcoming

Intro to SoulCollage playshop 

offered by Raven Shree in Aurora, CO 

June 6th, 2015. 

Come create sacred soul art that inspires your heart flame 

and your soul service, for yourself and others 

as we move through this time and space of evolution. 

SoulCollage Creation Circle 

The Muddy Underworld

Mixed media art piece I started
to capture my journey.
I enjoy creating art
from my journey experiences. 

On the recent Imbolc Full Moon, which represents the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox, I went on a Shamanic Journey to the Underworld. 

My journey began looking for an entryway down. Sometimes it's hard for me to get started on these journeys. Often times the portals that present themselves do not make sense to the mind and reality I normally live in. 

Journeywork calls for you to allow the experience to guide you, deep into the mystery of the unknown. Trust what shows up and simply go with it....

My descent began with a smaller version of me walking a clockwise circle on my abdomen, which was a swirling vortex of black ooziness. The smaller version of me walked the perimeter of the vortex, and with each rotation sank deeper into the black ooze; to the ankles, knees, pelvis, abdomen - slowly sinking deeper and deeper...

...then suddenly the vortex sucked me down and in. 

Swirling around and down - the black ooze vortex spit me out onto a grassy prairie. Before me was a Tipi made of animal hide. I entered, and cicumnavigated the fire pit. Meditating on the flames I was informed that to descend into deeper wisdoms I must exit through the Doorway of the North. 

I approached the Doorway of the North and was instructed to take off my clothes. I did, stepped through the portal, naked and exposed, and descended into mystery calling me deeper.  

Once I stepped through the doorway, I found myself at the top of a steep muddy slope.  As I walked down it took so much effort to stay upright. With each step my legs sank deeper and deeper into the mud. Exhausted, I gave up, sat down and let the mud consume me. 

I was surprised. I had no fear of drowning. I had submitted to the process. Mud found an opening at the base of my spine and slowly started to fill the center of my being; filling me with dark, moist soil, weighing me down, taking me deeper into depths of mystery. 

Dripping out of the mud portal, I found myself on all fours, naked and alive in primal animal instincts. I found myself in a meadow I know very well. This was where I met Bear, many years ago, eye to eye, in the wild. One of the most profound experiences in my life.

Bear approached and I re-experianced the feelings of strength and power I absorbed from our last connection. However, this time, Bear shrugged its head and asked me to follow it through the forest. I did. 

Bear led me to it's den. I crawled inside and found two small cubs inside. Bear crawled in, laid on her side, exposed her underbelly, and welcomed us to her breast. The bear cubs and I crawled to her tits and started sucking.  

It was a POWERFUL experience, wrapping my lips around the nipple of Bear and sucking its milk. I had only connected to the strength and power of Bear from my past connection. This experience showed me the nurturing side of Bear, reminding me that we can be both strong and soft, and that both are needed in how we parent ourself. 

Throughout Winter, I've been engaging the Root Chakra and in doing so, have been transforming how I parent myself. I am so grateful that Bear has re-entered my life as a guide for me in this process. 

Thank you Bear for being such a powerful force in my life.

I bow to your strength, and your softness. I welcome these traits 

deeper into my life and honor you for you wild, primal living.  

What Direction Are Your Tires Pointing?

Want to learn more about the
Root Chakra? Join Raven Shree
in a Root Chakra Tele-Session. 
Click Here for More Info

Your feet connect you to the earth, to your physical foundation. They support your vertical architecture and hold you up against the ever present forces of gravity. Your feet have carried you through life, holding the weight of you since you started to walk. 

The feet and how you use them are excellent indicators of how stable and grounded you are, core aspects of deepening Root Chakra consciousness.

Feet are designed to be strong, yet flexible. Strong so you can be stable and self-supporting, yet flexible enough so you can move freely and safely through the uneven and often slippery terrain of life. 

If your posture is out of line (feet are part of posture too), your body has to compensate elsewhere. If the feet are not used properly, the full efficiency of your body cannot be realized. The body has to work harder to stand its ground and support you against forces of gravity. If your BodyMind feels it has to work hard simply to support your body, it will take more energy and effort to engage in higher level movement and actions in life.  

When a car is moving forward, what direction are its wheels facing?   Answer: Forward.  If the wheels were pointing in or out, the car wouldn’t move very far, and the axial would get messed up. The same is true of the body. If you want to move forward in life, what direction should your feet point?  
Answer: Forward!

From a BodyMind standpoint, if the momentum of your body is moving forward, and your feet are not pointed in that direction as well, your BodyMind receives conflicting messages. This dissonance can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression and the inability to get your needs met in a healthy fashion. And like the car mentioned above, if your feet are rotated in or out as your body moves forward, you’ll mess up your axial, which in this case are your knees and hips.   

Let’s do an Exercise
Stand up…
Yes, stand up, right now, this will only take a minute. 
Stand facing forward. No peaking or reading forward. 
Simply stand facing forward like you would if you were standing in line at the grocery store. 
Now freeze your body…no moving. 
Hold this position....
Read on. 

Look down…what direction are your feet pointing? 
Are both your feet pointing forward (2^nd toe pointing forward) or are one or both rotated in or out? 

• If they are pointed forward, continue to keep them pointing forward, not only when you are standing but when you are walking too.  
• If your feet are rotated, either slightly or a lot, this is not about judgement.  It's simply an awareness that you have access to additional resources in your body to support you with manifesting stability and expansion in your life. 

Root Chakra Encouragement  
As often as you can, be aware of what direction your feet are pointing. 
When you are standing in line, taking out the trash, washing dishes, hiking.. 
Adjust your feet as often as you can so 2^nd toe points forward. 
It may feel weird for a while, but stick with it and see what shows up.  
As your feet move into new positions, you may feel adjustments in other areas of your body. 
As you modify your foundation, your whole vertical architecture adjusts to it's new foundation and deepening roots.  

Each subtle adjustment you make to operate your body more effectively 

improves the whole of your being. 

Point your feet in the direction you want to go and you are more apt to get there!

The Return

SoulCollage card I created before my Vision Quest 
(yep...that's me in the drivers seat) 

Returning from journeys out into the world can be challenging. Being out on the open road, exploring foreign lands, and being alone in wild nature offers a sense of newness in everything; a permissioning of expansion into the Now Adventure. 

Returning home from a Vision Quest is an interesting loop around in the spiral.  We move forward then come back. We are changed and new, then put back into old to cultivate transformation. 

Coming back from a Shamanic Journey is similar. There is such a visceral and ethereal understanding that emerges when we do journey work; inspiration and soul stirring messages infiltrate the core of being and ignite the Aliveness of Now.

Returning home from these types of adventures can be disorientating. Our return holds up a mirror to see forms and constructs we have created with our life. Often times, the life we return to seems limiting, restrictive, flat, boring. We may find ourselves slipping back into old ways, writing off journey expiernaces as memories to simply reminisce about.

The Return is an important part of the Hero's Journey. On Vision Quests and Shamanic Journeys you are provided a magical potion; one that must be consumed, digested, and metabolized for its full effects to take place. Journey work calls us to bring what we discover on our journeys back into our daily living, back into our communities and how we relate with others, and into living our soul service to the world. 

This week I honored my return with ecstatic dance at Rhythm Sanctuary. Before entering, I gazed up at the starry sky, remembering my relationship to them on my recent journey. Deepening my gaze, I expanded into the space between the stars, breathing in the Great Dark Void and the expansion this space encourages in me.  

SoulCollage card I created to capture 
the experience I had
on my journey and in my dance. 
Potent Medicine. 

Learn how to make SoulCollage cards
to honor life experiences and understandings 
Intro to SoulCollage Playshop 
Denver, CO  More Info 

My dance begins. Embodying the Great Dark Void 

I expand in all directions, into no-thing-ness. To Be. 

My aura reaches out in all directions 

To touch stars around me, my fellow dancers

made of star dust and cosmic wisdom, are radiating 

Swirling through the universe at their own velocity.

I connect with other, a universe of sacred brother. 

Body to body we move through cosmic void 

Expanding and reaching out towards one another. 

His front body pressed to my back 

Our arms up-stretched, eyes closed, 

Breath Connected, Hearts Open, We Expand.

Then BAM...another universe merges with us. 

The fullness of another presses up against me. 
I am a star between two universes. 
We stay open. We Expand. We Breathe. 
Our stars pour into one another. 
A new universe is created through our dance
We engage in ecstasy
These two men and me. 

They lift me over their heads

I am spinning around shoulders. 

4 man hands support me. 

The Dark Void encourages me to stay open. 
It feels good to be supported by strong men
that love me. At one point, my mind kicked in, 
Fear of falling....I hesitate; 
He says, “I’ve got you” 

What a wonderful thing to hear from the universe. 

My abdomen rips open and so much joy spills out. 

I start laughing. 

I pulsate with gratitude. 

What A Beautiful Return.