Elen & Chariklo

More than halfway through the year, & most of my posts have been over on my Creation Station blog, as I've been 'painting up a storm!' That journey, following my own 'Soul's Curriculum' as I study & practice intentional art has brought much joy, & more than a dozen completed paintings! 

On Saturday, I participated in a day long painting retreat (at home) via Livestream with artist Shiloh Sophia McCloud Lewis, following her invitation to paint our own Black Madonna. Millie, an artist in our group, who lives in the British Isles, posted that she felt a connection between the Black madonna, Isis & Elen of the Ways .... hmm ... Elen? 

I asked Millie about Elen, & she wrote 'We have Brigid & others, but (Elen) is more easy to follow everyday, because she is us "of the way" our roads are her tracks. 
Think Lay Lines.  ...The Mother/ Grandmother of us all.' 

Caroline Wise - monograph 'Elen the Green Lady'
Elen Sentier - book 'Shaman's Path, Elen of the ways'
Sam Willow - blog the Antlered Road

Like my grandmother's name Vestella, Ellen is a family name - my daughter's. Pulled out of the hat by my husband, we agreed on Mary, had a couple of choices for her middle name; Ellen won. Ellen, Helen, Elenore all colme from the Greek root ēlē - light, torch, bright. When I mentioned Elen of the Pathways to my daughter, she commented maybe Elen lights the path, the way.

"Elen is elusive, ethereal, gossamer, yet in my research and experiences over the years, she has shown me glimpses of her quicksilver thread as she revealed herself in her various guises." - Caroline Wise

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Another lady who came to my attention in a recent blog post - Chariklo, is also fascinating!  

Chariklo was discovered by James V. Scotti of the Spacewatch program on February 15, 1997, & is the largest confirmed centaur/planetoid of the outer solar system (orbiting close to Uranus). Chariklo is named after the nymph Chariclo (Χαρικλώ), the wife of Chiron and the daughter of Apollo. Last spring, astronomers discovered she has rings, like several of the planets! 
(#10199, to place her in your astrological chart)
 
One friend commented that Chariklo transformed from a Nymph or Naiad into a Centaur so that she & Chiron could wed .... the ultimate in transforming for a partner!  With an orbit of almost 63 years, she 'returned' to her home spot in my chart last year. Fascinating!! I have read quite a bit about Chiron, the wounded healer, & have two books ... I don't recall seeing any reference to his wife!! 

Naiad, by Henri Fantin-Latour

Her name means the 'Graceful spinner' - how lovely! 


Astrologer Zane Stein writes: "It is too soon to come up with keywords for Chariklo. But I am postulating one keyphrase: "question reality.' We need to plunge ahead and study her in charts to discover the validity of this, & find what other keywords might apply.
"Representing Chiron's wife in mythology.....will that be reflected in her actual astrological meanings? Just like Chiron, she acts as a link between Saturn and Uranus; how will her linkage differ from Chiron's? And she is the largest, brightest Centaur, more so than Chiron. What does this mean astrologically?"

Another astrologer, Phillip Sedgwick, says: "Chariklo heals by redefining the concept of boundaries, & forgiving inadvertant transcressions" (quoted in an article by Mark Andrew Holmes
    
"her qualities and themes include a particular capacity for silent witness and reflection which can be an essential part of healing. To ‘hold the space’, serve receptively the healing process on a practical level, to bear with, abide with, persist and endure. The patience of the Earth, radical acceptance, kindly awareness, trust, loyalty to the ways of spirit, the power of quiet courage. Interestingly, she was not born a centaur, but took this form when she fell in love with Chiron. Before, she had been a companion and devotee of the goddess Athena." - Melanie Reinhart, author of Chiron & the Healing Journey

In my natal chart, I find Chariklo conjunct Ceres, the nurturing mother, square my Sun. My work as a healer, & someone who nurtures through information, & nudges others to find their own path, their own healing seems to fit.

Oregon's own Demetra George writes: "The earliest literature of Homer alludes to the divine causation of disease as something sent by the gods as punishment for having failed to honor them. Cure of the disease involved consulting an oracle as to which god had been offended, pilgrimage to the cult site of that god, making offerings at his or her temple, and perhaps becoming initiated into the rites. The modern word therapy is derived from the Greek therapeia, which means “attendance upon the gods.”

Relationships & Commitment

Day 11 - Relationship When I think of Relationship, I think of commitment - to a person, to oneself. My sense of relationship to 'creator being' is lifelong, I can't think of a time I didn't feel connected to 'All that Is,' & I was lucky to grow up in an eccmenical household, with parents who looked for commitment to ones' values, rather than to the particular path. My dad had Cherokee heritage (thru his dad), & my mom's mom, Mary, I've written about - Lois told me "Mama always said 'the Indians have a perfectly good religion/ spiritual path; no need for us to convert them!"
My sense of spirit tends to be that of evolution of the soul, collective & individual. I lean toward 'goddess' if I put gender on that limitless being - women, after all, are the ones giving birth!

I am also thinking of commitment to process - I am in a reading group that focuses on 'Women's Spirituality,' & the current book is Echart Tolle's 'New Earth' - I've had resistance to reading it; feeling it restates things I've already read - but I do (finally) have it on order, so we'll see!!
I also ordered the 'Soul Coaching' book - today, & 'SoulCollage' - honed my book order down to just the three I truely want right now - rather than getting a few others, simply because they sound interesting!
A number of truely delightful books have come to me that way, & I am working on being more selective about what I choose to BUY. Clearing clutter is still a priority, & something I am working on!

A Soul Collage friend identifies collecting as being a 'Sea Gull' trait - I'd place it more with Magpie! Oh, what lovely black & white birds!! & seeking treasures - as I continue to clear clutter, I intend to identify treasures - 'friends,' & to id. ones to pass on or send off, as well. In the Crow family, usually thought to be good luck, & the only 'non mammal' known to recognize themselves in a mirror! In my young married years, I remember talking with someone who'd had a magpie as a 'pet' - & they attested to its cleverness. So I invite magpie to help me clear my clutter!

Earlier this evening, I found a link to Isha Lerner's lovely flower cards reading - the card that came was 'Manzanita' While I don't have that essence, I know the plant & it's lovely little bell flowers (similar to those of blueberries). The message was tapping the love of the Goddess, her roots, her branches, to dance (!) & to love one's body, exactly as it is!

I tend to be pretty satisfied with my body - but heck, I'm female!! OK, OK, I love myself just as I am!! & I think of the lovely, curvey branches, which I enjoyed using to hang small ornaments (as my own 'Christmas tree' in my room, when I was ~ 10 or 11) or easter eggs. Maybe Manzanita will assist Magpie in lovingly pruning some 'things!'
I also did a Goddess reading, & got "Flying into Spring" - rise above old routines, go up the mountain. Spiritual journey? "I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help!' I always loved that image - & when living in the mountains, would pause on the footbridge, looking up river at the hills that rose above camp . . .

blessed be!