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Message of In Lak’ech Series – Visionary Collective Healing Paintings for the Now
I began a series in 2006, which took me on a four year intensive process of healing at great depths. I named it “In Lak’ech,” which is a Mayan saying meaning “I am another yourself.” Through my personal healing journey on inter-dimensional levels, I was also simultaneously embarking on a major collective healing journey that not only bridged all time, but took me across the world to sacred sites where the energetic work could be accessed in greater depth.
This series represents the Five Elements of Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Spirit that speak to the mind, body, heart, and soul, personally and collectively. They contain within them Mayan Sacred Glyphs as a connective thread through which a message of healing was revealed. They also weave in earth, cosmos, honor for all beings, astrology and planetary influences, ancient civilizations and potent symbolism. They are each embedded with healing messages that weave a visual story through infused telepathic encoding and act as healing, Reiki portals that transport the viewer into an altered consciousness where personal tranformation can take place.
This process of creation took me along a path where discoveries, inspirations, and compassion became the guiding lights of my journey. These encoded “Healing Portals” take us on a journey of integration and healing, as we embrace a return to natural harmony and imbue the beauty and value known by the Ancients into the now, along with healing those elements that it is time to evolve forward from. In light of the “Future of Education,” there is much to learn from Ancient wisdom; learning from the past in order to flourish in the now. Mother Earth is calling us to remember. The Universe is reminding us to believe. The healing revealed will be as unique as the individual experiencing it. The creation process has been a personally healing and integrative journey. However, as this healing takes place for me, that energy becomes available to everyone. These five paintings were a landmark anchoring of my life’s work and threshold to a new doorway of creative expression and being. Each painting has been executed over a period of one year each (excluding the last two that represented a speeding up of the process and time), from first inspiration to completion, mirroring a personal and collective process revealed and executed in divine timing.
To view this series: http://taniamarie.com/paintings.htm
Joyful Earth Crystals! – New Crystal Companions to Lovingly Support You and the Earth
Reverence and use of crystals goes back to the dawning of civilization and have been
used for centuries for their healing powers. Their connection with specific
parts of the body and its organs come from traditional Western and Eastern
Astrology. 5000+ year old ancient text formulas from India’s Ayurvedic records
and traditional Chinese Medicine claim healing with the use of crystals that
are now used in modern medical prescriptions. The Christian Bible refers to
crystals over 200 times, crystalline structures have been found in the ruins of
Babylonia and in the ancient Egyptian and Chinese tombs of rulers, and many of
the early civilizations of the Earth (Mayan, Aztec, American Indian, African,
Celtic) utilized quartz crystals in sacred ceremonies. These electromagnetic
synthesizers that were once only a royal and priestly experience, are now
a gift available to us all.
Joyful Earth Crystals are pendants created in honor
of Mother Earth and our partnership with her. The name
“Joyful Earth” came from my two dear friends, a Mini Lop-Eared Rabbit
named Joy and a Russian Tortoise named Gaia – Gaia being the Goddess and
embodiment of the Earth. They possess the symbolic and meaningful message
of “The Hare and The Tortoise,” conveying that life is about balance
and recognizing the beauty in everything and integrating opposites to create
harmony. Each possess a different kind of strength we can learn much from by
embracing. As a vegan raw foodist and explorer of ancient and cosmic mysteries,
I celebrate all life and unity consciousness, and convey this love of organic
nature fused with the Cosmos in all that I create. It is important to me
to understand our past in order to create the future in the now, which includes
compassion for our Earth and Universal connection. So in honor of these two
very precious and amazing beings in my life and to celebrate and
embrace a return to natural harmony with the Earth, Joyful Earth Crystals were created.
I intuitively hand-select each crystal and stone for its unique elemental properties, its
“essence” and its empowering ability to help the wearer embrace
and integrate deeper connection with that desired energy, cultivating more of
this energy and drawing it more fully into one’s life and experience. The focus
being on the energies of compassionate embracing and empowered regeneration.
Each piece is lovingly crafted and the designs are channeled
inspirations and visions from the Heart and Spirit. No two pieces are alike and
each is intended to embody a specific energy and designed with the individual (crystal’s keeper/steward) in mind.
Joyful Earth Crystals are beautiful embodiments of raw Earth and Cosmos and make extremely memorable and unique gifts, can be used in meditation, worn as beautiful,
stand-out adornments for that special occasion, or simply worn as
energetic support to help cultivate harmonic balance. To the depth of
one’s choosing, they are meditative and supportive tools that can help one to
harness and discover what lies in the heart and step into empowerment and
better clarity while journeying their path.
Each piece is given a name upon it’s creation, embodies an alchemical process that
blends their energies harmoniously with the divine message they each uniquely
have to share through the visions and hands of their designer and will receive an infusion of Reiki, Love and Intentions upon their initiation into being.
Yes, Joyful Earth Crystal Pendants are back! Four new designs are now available. These are the first of 18 total that will be unveiled as they are birthed. Will post each one separately to give them their own featured space. All of the new designs are unique and one-of-a-kind and will use different metals, as well as design techniques. I work with different metal workers to bring about the visions and energies needed. These four that will be featured in their own posts were a magic fusion of my own and Tracy Partridge Johnson’s energies together. So, they are unique from the last batch of pendants created, as will be the next batch. I love to mix up the energies, mirroring what the crystals and the now call for. Some crystals are in their raw form and others polished. I am guided to work with both and to mix them together for that harmonious balance, as well as to bring together unique combinations that enhance and compliment the energies of the crystals. I ask each crystal what partnership they are drawn to and for them to reveal their name once the solidfying of their energy is complete.
Abundant Love and Magic!
Phase Shifting into Multi-Dimensional Heart Consciousness
Humanity has been awakening to a whole new experience, where rapid,
collective vibrational changes are taking place on the planet. Changes that
call for adjustments to be made on our part, where shifting to a path
of harmony involves consciously moving out of the current path of convenience.
Accelerated vibrations are rapidly increasing and needing to be embraced, but this
does not insinuate a “better than” feeling towards current vibrations. They are simply different and in need of compassionate integration, as all parts create the whole. Evolution is rapidly upon us, as we are called to remember and reactivate the beingness of the light bodies we once knew. We are phase shifting from one experience to a multi-dimensional experience, as we journey through the opening doorways we are manifesting with this
movement.
Earth is mirroring the shift movement taking place and experiencing a
birthing cycle in response. In this way, she is able to match the vibrational
changes we are moving into. In order to aid her in this transition and work in
harmony with the process, more conscious awareness and choices become
prevalent, as well as the need to always act from the knowingness of our
hearts. Challenges can be avoided, if we realize our connective thread and
choose to assist with the love of our light beingness. It is our natural
ability to adapt and to walk the Earth with harmonic presence.
We are all treasured children of Earth. She awaits our reciprocating support
and love during these vital transitions. Awareness, respect, nurturing, and love:
ingredients to cultivate the New Earth and a connective, joyful experience of
togetherness.
We are the guardians of our Earth and she relies on our honoring this
partnership with her. And the most powerful way we can support one another
cohesively, is to be a shining example of unconditional love. It’s simply the choice to be a
joyful being in every moment through love, honor, and conscious choices. We
have a profound affect on others in the smallest of ways. Just saying what is
in your heart reflects more power than any act of force or attached expectations. We are not here to proselytize another.
We are simply here on a joy quest to master the art of devouring the beauty of life. Allow the law of attraction to unfold, as it knows how to do the work on its own. Those attracted to you either are those that will get “it,” or they are those in search of “it.” “It” meaning, what you are emanating from the heart that others resonate with. Not much is necessary to be done or said. A simple, joy and love-filled smile from you can say it all.
Interesting piece of trivia: Did you know that if you rearrange the letters in the word “HEART” you get “EARTH” and vice versa? This is very significant symbolically in connecting the two vibrationally. When the frequency and vibration of our Hearts change,
so too does the Earth’s frequency, as a direct mirroring reflection. One is not
isolated from the other and so when we consciously expand our capacities for
compassion, non-judgment, and conscious awareness through unconditional love,
global change is inevitable and Mother Earth will flourish with the same joy.
I love the magic in seemingly arbitrary things we take for granted.
A way to this new experience of ever-loving, harmonious, magical, abundant, joyous, expansive synchronicity, is in finding it increasingly important to move towards peacefully cocreating with conscious awareness. There is power in one, but the power of many is unimaginably potent. Moving from duality to Unity Consciousness creates change towards
a balanced New Earth experience. And part of that balance involves a new
partnership between “Awakened Humanity” and the “Elemental Kingdoms of Nature” together with the other “Kingdoms of Consciousness.” New relationships between Humanity and Nature are increasingly magnified in significance now more than ever.
Living with respect, love, and with compassionate sharing helps us to no longer feel alone.
Together we have much beauty to experience and so much more we can achieve. Becoming skilled with cocreative processes aligns and activates evolutionary vibrations to bring us closer to Source/All That Is/The Universe/Our God Essence.
I believe it’s never too late. We can manifest change in the here and now, that will transform the present, create a bright new future, and reshape the past. Our power is in
the present moment. With every thought, belief, feeling, and action, it is possible
to create miracles in the now. We need to believe and nurture a bit
of that childlike hope we once had.
The animals have messages to share with us as well. We need only to listen and
resonate with their vibrations in order to receive it. With intelligence and
conscious awareness comes responsibility. The animals have been communicating the
Universe’s transitions. They’re showing us how our choices are affecting the
Earth. It is no mystery that change is needed. There is so much we can learn and share from and with them. They remind us of the beauty of our Earthly existenece and the need for integration of all of our parts. As we progress intellectually and spiritually, we mustn’t forget our emotions and our physical bodies and the beauty that manifests when we
harmonize them into intuitive, instinctual sychronicity.
May the peace of the nature of the cosmos be in each and every one of us.
My Vegan Journey and Then Some
My personal journey led me on a natural progression
to follow a raw vegan diet, which for me was simply a process of
becoming aware that my body was telling me what my soul already
knew and desired. A time for change and evolution was to take place for
me. I realized that my body had reacted cellularly, even before it could
register mentally.
Eating products from animals would affect my stomach, making
me feel ill and certain products would also make me cough with extreme
and irritated congestion. As a sensitive and empath, anything relating to animals would affect me greatly.
The more I opened myself up to embracing who I was, acknowledging the
path I was on and where it was to lead me, the more it manifested in my life
clearly, as to the steps I needed to personally take in terms of everything, including my conscious food choices. This helped to align myself with the choices that were most supportive to living the life that I believed in and came into this life to express. It also simultaneously helped to raise my vibration and provide better clarity and vibrant energy. It increased my sense of connectivity, depth of compassion, unconditional love, joyful exuberance for life, as well as supported creative inspiration, and channeling my authenticity, as a direct reflection of my chosen spiritual nature.
This was “MY” path and time, for change and understanding on a
whole new level, which would start to take shape in my dietary choices. For me,
my diet, health choices, lifestyle, beliefs, service and creative expression were starting to
all interweave and become cohesive. I believe in being consistent with my spirituality and honoring what I feel in my heart and what I soulfully believe. And I can’t tell you how much my experience of life has changed with this choice. Life gets to be as bright,
colorful, beautiful, succulent, and as vast as the variety found in Mother Earth’s natural beauty. And the array of veggie delights are no exception!
It was just simply time for me to experience life in a different way and
to live and choose consciously. And so for me, while the trigger was a message from my physical, the core driving force for my decision was heart-felt and spiritual. I see life to be about consistency and walking the walk and so I do my best not only to be the change I want to see, but to live by what I believe and feel in my heart is right for me.
That is what works for me and it’s important, to me, that I be consistent with the
energy I am putting out there and what it is I am sharing with others. So what
you see, is what you get. There are no “behind closed doors” behaviors and thoughts in my world.
I feel that part of my journey is to live my life openly so that
others can feel safe to do the same. It’s not about right or wrong, but about
being true to yourself, whatever that means. I feel it is important to listen
to what our bodies tell us and to go with what feels natural. Part of knowing
and understanding what is natural is to understand what is authentic to you and
what is not, and to find that right balance.
It is increasingly important to become more conscious and to be more proactive in decisions and choices, to listen more to ourselves and to keep informed, but with a wise filter that takes in only what feels right and is not just accepting of whatever the
majority is doing. So many of us don’t know why we do certain things, and never even think to stop to ask the question why, as we are much of the time on auto-pilot. We just
do it because it’s what we’ve always done, or it’s “just the way it
is,” or it’s what we’ve been shown or taught, or it’s what everyone else
around us is doing.
And sometimes we think change is too challenging and believe a sense of loss or isolation will happen, or that it’s just too hard or timely to figure out how to do it differently. These beliefs, while valid because you believe them, are the very and only thing that holds you back from the change. As what lies on the other side of the wall you can’t see over, holds more joy, freedom and fulfillment than what you think you have now. The only hurdle is the decision to step over or stop straddling the wall, if in fact that is what you want. And there are many to help support you, moreso than ever before. And the process is so much easier now than it used to be, because so many are paving the way, which energetically creates an open path for everyone else to easily follow.
I follow what I am feeling as true to my heart and authentic self, as much as possible, in the moment, and if in question as to where those thoughts or behaviors came from,
then I ponder their source and explore their authenticity to my life. Is this really a me thought or feeling? Does this feel right to me? Does this match the authentic me I have come to know? Is it consistent with everything I believe in and my passionate service? Is this the desired result I want to see in the world around me? How will my authentic decisions affect not only me, but the collective? Does it matter to me that my decisions create an effect on the struggles, pains, traumas and tortures of all other beings that walk this Earth with me?
In learning to follow my natural flow, I also realize that just like nature and the Earth, we all go through cycles. Some of us more than others. And it is important to listen to what your body and intuition is telling you. Doing things just because you are good at discipline doesn’t always produce the most benefit to your life. Doing things because it is your heart’s passion and consistent with your core beliefs and authentic self, will reap abundant fulfillment without feeling a sense of loss. And along with this, there are times our bodies and paths energetically need certain things more than others. Not because some doctor, the FDA, commercial, or article you read said so, but because your body, heart and soul needs so.
This leads me to vary the percentage of raw vegan and cooked vegan foods I may
intake at any given time. I have been vegan since 2005 and raw since
2008. I find that I mainly fluctuate between 85-90% raw (lately more like 50-50 with changes and needs in my life), depending on how I feel and circumstances I desire to put myself in. That is, I balance raw with vegan cooked foods, but if I do cooked I always try to choose very healthy, light, organic options including things like steamed veggies and rice, tofu, beans, etc. I allow myself a few vices too, when I have a craving, and
usually if i honor that, then I’m not in need of having it all the time. I have found
this balance to be very healthy, to feel good, and keeps me grounded and at optimal functioning, as well as maintains a level of tolerance in my body that enables me to travel and be in different social situations when needed.
It also supports honoring my body’s natural rhythms and needs, which allows me to flow more and to not be so structured. It feels good to keep a balance and to simply listen to what the body needs at any given moment and not what the mind thinks it needs. There
are times outside of balancing that I can be very extreme, briefly varying
my percentages even more, depending on what my body is relaying to me, if
I’m traveling and at social events or outings. I will then supplement the
balance of my diet choices with very healthy, vegan cooked foods. Yet, I always
make healthy, conscious, preferably organic choices.
I personally believe, and have experienced, that vegan foods really support more conscious, clear, healthy, harmonious and loving vibrations for individuals and the collective planet. Any small shifts towards some vegan foods, in your own way and timing, can be extremely transformative and effective in your life and for the Earth. And supplementing at least some raw vegan veggies/foods or green juices can increase all of that to an even more optimal level and when needed, can produce miraculous results in reversing illnesses, shifting behaviors and emotional challenges, as well as create clearer channels of creative inspiration and vibrancy.
No matter how I swing, I ALWAYS maintain a 100% strict vegan diet across the board, which means I never consume any animal products, and I make every conscious effort not to purchase any commodity that comes from, or has been tested on, animals.
For the sake of being open, I also have personally opted to leave all alcohol out of my life (not touching any for the last 6 years )and have never once in my life touched a cigarette or any form of drug or mind-altering substance. These are all personal choices and my chosen path because they authentically mirror “my” beliefs and what is authentic to me and my heart and what makes me feel I’m operating at my optimal. Everyone has their own path and it is not for any of us to judge what that path is. For myself, I have just never had any resonance towards certain things since I was a little girl and part of that stems from my desire to utilize my own capacity and abilities to go to desired states of experience. Interestingly, I have been told that some of the art I create is similar to what some have seen in their altered states. Hence, I have no reason personally to go there. My inner world, imagination, dreams, and “travel” are crazy enough as it is!
For me also, a high raw diet is what feels most balanced and healthy and I can instantly feel the difference when I stray off of that, unless cooked vegan foods support more of the energy I’m needing. I also prefer simple, light raw foods and unless I’m out, I don’t
do too much of the complex or high nut raw meals. My body operates much more
smoothly with low nut density and less complexity, but do enjoy gourmet foods
when I’m out or feasting with friends!
I follow what my body tells me, consciously, and I find that the less I try to create rules, the more my body falls into its natural rhythm and doesn’t have to do the extremes as often.
And, if it does, I allow it and by doing so it quickly gets back into finding a new, healthy balance, which is ever-changing as I am, because I honored it.
Being vegan, or for that matter a vegan raw foodist, is not as hard or
challenging as one would first think. There is always a way to simplify things
and there are so many restaurants and services available these days that truly
help make life more convenient if you don’t have enough time yourself to
prepare or shop for meals and ingredients. I find restaurants to be very
accommodating if you simply ask! Asking is the key and most chefs are much more
than willing to do what they can to help your dietary needs and a lot of times
find it an adventurous or exciting task to step outside of their normal routine
box of menu items to explore their creativity. Chef and delivery services are
another option, as well as local meetups and potlucks.
I used to live in Reno, where I did not have all the plethora of options as I do here in Southern California, but I STILL managed to get what I needed, whether thru personal chef services, ordering out-of-state weekly meal boxes from such places as “Seed” in Northern California or Rawvolution in LA, getting quick and easy recipe books to do myself and asking local chefs to help out. If I can do it, anyone can. Maybe if you have a friend or friends interested as well in switching diets, you can each take turns making meals. Make them in servings that can be enough for each of you to share and it will cut down on the amount of time to prepare yourself.
There is so much variety to explore out there in terms of food, life and experience. Part
of the key is in being open to change and trying new things, to explore new
horizons and possibilities and above all to live life with conscious choice.
Sometimes we neglect to ask ourselves the questions like, “Why do I do this?” and don’t follow through with the answers. Perhaps because we don’t want to really know the answers for fear of what that might mean to our lives as we’ve known them, or that we might find ourselves alone, which never really is accurate, as the moment you make a decision and act upon it, suddenly you draw in resonating others that mirror the new choice.
If we stop to be curious for a moment, we may hear a different voice speaking through that could energetically change the way we see and experience life, may affect our
health, draw in interesting synchronicities and like-mindedness from others on
similar paths and wave-lengths and expand our awareness in
totality.
Everyone has their own journey along the path of life and everyone is operating on their own time, which is EXACTLY as it should be. Yet, everything is happening in
synchronicity and cohesiveness and unravels perfectly. The beauty of life
is choice. With choice, there are eternal possibilities and such is ALL THAT IS
– it is eternal and ever-changing. What would be the purpose of life if we were
all the same? So while I celebrate the beauty of the creatures of our Earth, I
also celebrate the beauty of every human who shares it with them.
Nutrition can be a spiritual experience and enhances your spiritual nature.
Conscious choices are empowering choices.
Butterfly Messengers – Ancestors of Wisdom for the Now
This is a time of remembering. The time to experience the mystery of life in its reality. A time to allow and embrace all that is in your heart to come forth, putting aside fears and drawing forth your soul’s authentic voice to commune with those of others in symphony. The butterfly is a beautiful and powerful example for us to learn from. So much of the answers we seek are present in the miracles that are all around us as gifts from Mother Earth. We need only to look with our hearts and be consciously present to receive.
In a previous post, I shared a little bit about the Mayan Hunab Ku symbol, also known as the One Giver of Movement and Measure and the Galactic Butterfly (my favorite description). I wanted to explain its symbolism a little further and its connection to the now, as well as its butterfly connection. To the Mayans, butterflies are seen as ancestors returning for a visit to physicality, and part of that return is to support the shifts in consciousness by bringing back the wisdom, integrated into the now, for a return to natural harmony.
Again, this symbol (Hunab Ku) is said to represent all consciousness that has ever existed in this galaxy: all our physical ancestors including human, animal, reptile, fish, shell fish, plants, as well as the consciousness which organized all of the raw material from a whirling disk into stars, then planets, and solar systems. It’s meaning is so huge that the original Maya had no symbol for this. In their civilization it was like having no name for God. Just knowing the concept was good enough. Later this pattern was devised by Toltec or Zapatec weavers as a pattern for blankets and this is where Jose Arguelles came across it. He called it Hunab Ku. The indigenous peoples call it “The Galactic Butterfly.”
This symbol is very powerful, as it broadcasts one’s reaching to actively join the consciousness of our galaxy. The Maya taught that the Milky Way Galaxy is the generator of life. The architect of the universe is called Hunab Ku, The Absolute Being, The Center of the Galaxy, The Universal Dynamism, which stimulates and motivates life in its total manifestation of spirit and matter. The principle of intelligent energy that pervades the entire universe. Hunab Ku is understood to transmit radiant energy information through stars which serve as lenses to transmit energies to planets. Our Sun is the chief mediator of Hunab Ku for our planetary system, the lens by which Earth receives direct galactic information. The pulsations of Hunab Ku are understood as a language of codes and energies recorded in the form of the Tzolkin, a universal harmonic module accommodating every possible permutation of Hunab Ku, also known as the Sacred Calendar. Numerically, Hunab Ku is communicated as the union of numbers 13 and 20, which represent movement and measure, energy and form, spirit and soul.
Hunab Ku, who can see and understand everything, knows that the time for the great change has come. We will complete a 26,000 year cycle, according to the calender on 12/21/12 – not the end of the world, but the beginning of a new experience of life as we have never known. A new cycle has already begun and life as we know it is evolving continuously and rapidly. A cycle that calls us to realign with the cosmos, which can provide essential energy needed to live together harmoniously and with honor for our Mother Earth. We are not separate from anything or anyone. These are the times in which all races, from all directions, must come together in harmony and unity. The Hearts of All Beings are connected. It is impossible to be disconnected.
Many indigenous peoples of the New World hold butterflies in a special place in their culture and butterfly motifs were used everywhere including ceramics, stone carvings, mural paintings, codices, feather work, wood carvings, and gold ornaments. They appear not only in pure form, but in many highly stylized renditions, sometimes so abstract that they were frequently misinterpreted by pioneer archaeologists.
Xochiquetzal, symbolized by a Mayan mythological butterfly, was called “precious flower” and regarded as a mother goddess, goddess of love, goddess of flowers, as patron of all fine arts, as the symbol of beauty, as the symbol of fire, as a symbol of the spirits of the dead, as the patron of domestic laborers and as the patron of warriors killed in battle.
Itzpapalotl, the Aztec “obsidian butterfly,” was a mother goddess, goddess of obsidian and knives, of human sacrifice and of war, the personification of the Earth, the patron of women who died in childbirth and more.
Massive figures of warrior-priests (about 15 feet high) have breastplates decorated with a butterfly motif. Along with the snake, the butterfly was one of the most frequently represented animals of Ancient Mexico that held deeply religious symbolism. Butterflies represented fire, soul, death, warriors, travelers, and hummingbirds. They were a component of many poems and songs. 
The butterfly has come to mean many things to many people, collectively and individually. Some of its symbolism includes: resurrection, transition, celebration, lightness, time, soul, transformation, joy, unquestioning embrace, keeping the faith, grace…
I celebrate the beauty of the butterfly, recognizing it’s rich spirituality and honoring it as I would myself. For, if butterflies are said to carry the souls of our ancestors, then isn’t it quite possible that all creatures, great and small, possess the essence of intelligence beyond what we are presently conscious of? We have much to remember.
Nature has so much beauty to behold and the butterfly is an exquisite example of the precious miracle of life. 
Hunab Ku: The Galactic Butterfly
Hunab Ku has been a prevalent part of my life since my synchronous reconnection with it in my early twenties, now over 15 years ago. I was drawn to it through rememberance and connective threads by following messages, intuition, signs and guidance received. I then incorporated it into my own “Spiritual Skin” as sacred tattoo art on my sacrum (my 2nd tattoo after the butterfly, which was my first). And, later, it was integrated into one of my paintings, the fifth and last of my In Lak’ech series called “Spirit.” It is part of my life in many ways and the core basis of what I share in message through my work. Its potency of symbolism and message is simplistically beautiful.
Mayan Hunab Ku Symbol: One Giver of Movement and Measure. Also known as the Galactic Butterfly is said to represent all consciousness that has ever existed in this galaxy. Hunab Ku, who can see and understand everything, knows that the time for the great change has come. Hunab Ku calls us to realign with the cosmos, which can provide essential energy needed to live together harmoniously and with honor for our Mother Earth. We are not separate from anything or anyone. These are the times in which all races, from all directions, must come together in harmony and unity. The Hearts of All Beings are connected. It is impossible to be disconnected.
Mayan Hunab Ku Symbol: The Galactic Butterfly - Image from "Spirit" painting as my artistic interpretation.
Gaia – Earth Mother and Turtle? Ancient Wisdom For Conscious Living
Eternal Earth ~ Agate
Gaia is etymologically a compound word composed of two elements: Ge, meaning “Earth,” which is also a pre-Greek substrate word related to Ki in Sumerian, also meaning Earth and Aia comes from an Indo-European derivative meaning “Grandmother.” Therefore, the full etymology of Gaia was once “Grandmother Earth.”
Most of us know Gaia simply as Earth or Mother Earth; the primordial element from which all things originated, which is what the Romans believed as well. They knew Gaia, the Great Mother, as a single living entity that encompassed the totality of every element in the Universe; land, sea, or sky.
The Greeks knew her as an ancient primeval goddess who personified the Earth and whose emergence appeared at the creation of the Universe, born from Chaos. Gaia’s power was far reaching in Ancient Greece, making oaths sworn in her name to be the most binding of all.
If only such value for her was still a part of our lives, perhaps we’d discover more honor in promise to the planet we live on and more synergy and harmony through conscious, symbiotic care of the collective she signifies.
Agate Properties: grounding, balancing, centering to physical energy bringing emotional, physical and intellectual into harmony, soothing, calming, brings great strength, multiple layers bring hidden info to light, builds self acceptance and confidence, helps to speak one’s truth and improve mental function, overcomes negativity of heart, fosters renewal of love and courage, sense of safety and security, encourages quiet contemplation, raises consciousness and links to collective awareness of oneness of life.
Throughout the ages and cultures, active worship of this titan of fertile Earth came under the guise of many names and varied forms ranging from reverent bowing to Druidic ritual, all in an effort to get more in tune with the rhythm and continuity of nature she embodies. She represented to all, the Earth, or spiritual embodiment of the Earth, and sometimes was the goddess of all creation from which all other gods sprang.
Only Egyptian mythology holds a reverse personification, whereas Geb is the Earth Father while Nut is the Sky Mother, as opposed to Zeus as Sky Father and Gaia as Earth Mother.
In Indian religions, the Mother of all creation is called “Gayatri,” which is a very close form of Gaia. She is the mother of all Vedas, consort of the God Brahma, and personification of the all-pervading Parabrahman – the ultimate unchanging reality that lies behind all phenomena. Many Hindus view connection through the pure love and essence of the Gayatri Mantra as Divine awakening of the mind and soul and a way to reach the most Supreme form of existence.
Simply, the mantra helps us reach toward our divine mother and receive her blessings and wisdom to support us through the challenges of life.
Gaia’s qualities of divine femininity express her desire to nurture mankind and mirror for us, the reverence we have forgotten to honor.
Far too coincidental and divinely synchronous, turtles are the most ancient, vertebrate creatures that also possess Gaia’s wisdom and mother energy and through such, have much to impart. Many ancient myths, such as those of the Indigenous North Americans, describe the world as resting on the turtle’s back and many still refer to North America as Turtle Island.
This is illustrated by their creation legends that tell of a time when Earth was covered by water and Turtle dove to the ocean’s depths to bring forth Earth on its back so the people could have a safe, dry home.
The Mystic by Tania Marie
Like Gaia, these ageless beings have carried a myriad of symbolic meanings throughout the ages and cultures, mysteriously linking them as symbols of the primal mother (except in African lore where it is a male symbol) and lunar cycles; again possessing Earth and Cosmic Universal significance and connection with the center.
Far East Asian myth believed turtles brought about the creation of the Universe from its parts, which are said to depict a map of the stars and sacred writings: the shell symbolic of the heavens and used in divination readings, the body symbolic of the Earth, and its undershell symbolic of the underworld. This cosmic order they represent, coupled with the magical ability to support us in uniting heaven and earth within our lives, supports our experience of life as “heaven on earth.”
They are the only animal to have the honor of symbolizing both Mother Earth and healing waters, as well as personifying winter, humidity, thunder to the Mayans, Venus, Aphrodite, Northern directions, and the moon (most turtle shells are divided into 13 sections depicting the 13 yearly phases of the moon.) Powerfully nurturing and protecting, turtle medicine is beautifully illustrated through shared attributes with its Earth Mother counterpart, Gaia, while their spirit symbolizes profound lessons in light of its own example.
There is a presence and flow of steadfast strength in their deliberate, steady, and thorough approach to a life of non-doing, non-reaction, acceptance, and naturalism. Always at home within themselves, they embody the meaning of “home is where the heart is,” understanding detachment and freedom. These carefree, patient, instinctual creatures honor the rhythms of life balance, demonstrate non-violent, self-defense mechanisms, and know when to turn within. Navigating one day at a time, they mirror the importance of moving at one’s own pace through life while honoring boundaries.
Turtles are survivors; living so near the Earth, moving slowly, aging gracefully, symbolizing groundedness, and embracing courage with faith, as is demonstrated through the progress they make only by sticking their neck out. It is no wonder they are considered the wisest of souls in the animal kingdom, offering a potent and profound analogy for humankind on many deep levels.
So intertwined are the turtle and Gaia; there is no mistaking the significance and association of their deep and profound symbolism that seemingly comes from two separate sources, but are synchronously bridged as one. Such contrast between an omnipotent presence and an unassuming innocence and yet the blood lines run through the core of the same essence.
Do not be fooled by the book’s cover, as both embody the spirit and soul of Earth and beyond and share with us invaluable knowledge and teachings. Across the board, whether known as Gaia, personified as Turtle, called, sung, or chanted by another synchronous name, she is the connection to the Universal mothering and nurturing source that leads us to a deep sense of profound peace and balance within and manifested without. Yet, more than any other goddess, she is consistently identified as the divine and animate Earth Mother; the living, conscious planet we reside on that provides sustenance and inherent wisdom to all of her children.
Gaia personifies awareness of our connectedness through the circle of life and the sacredness of all life, be it plant, animal, human, or stars above. She roots her values and respectively ours, helping us to remember that connection and to remind us that respect and gratitude for everything and everyone around us is the ever-present message she hopes to impart.
Through this conscious living we can attain that balance and wholeness that is the promise Gaia offers. Shifting our perspective to that of experiencing connection with her as a partner in life worth respect and honor, we can then enjoy the blessings of that union through the daily gifts of beauty and miracles she provides.
Dedicated and inspired by my friend and Russian Tortoise, Gaia: a sweet, magical, Taurean-born being possessing earthy, feminine energy, as her name suggests. Gaia’s name was spoken to me from the Universe as I listened to ancient mantras on the way home from receiving her into my life. She was restless in her box, but instantly calmed to a stillness with the sound of the first mantra playing. Ironically, as I listened to it and sang the words, the only thing that pervaded my thoughts and essence was the Gayatri Mantra, even though the mantra I was singing was not this one. I only had Gayatri on my mind for some odd reason and didn’t realize I hadn’t been listening to it, until hours later after reaching home. So while I sang the mantra playing, I heard the word “Gayatri” in my head and instantly thereafter, Gaya…Gaia. I turned to my little friend and knew. The Universe and she had both spoken her name to me through the ancient mantra playing. And now I know why.