A Her-etical Gift Idea
by Tia Keenan

For those sin-ister sisters who have always had a sneaking suspicion that the common stories surrounding the ritual of winter solstice (insert your hole-y day of choice) don't really concern them-at least in a meaningful way-have I got a her-etical treat for you. The Goddess Oracle, a set of 52 goddess cards illustrated by Hrana Janto accompanied by a book by Amy Sophia Marashinsky, A Way to Wholeness Through the Goddess Ritual.

To read my own cards I conjured the right mood for my living room. Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, candle light, computer - off. I chose the three card spread, having always had a reverence for the number three. I placed the cards on the rug, amazed at how desolate my apartment can get without the incessant clicking of a keyboard.

I asked the Goddess what part of myself I needed to honor in order to find a true path in my writing. The feline eyes of Sekhmet gazed at me, symbolizing anger and rage. Compassion and love followed, completing the three card spread. I was shocked but not surprised, and did the cards again. The same cards, again.

It is the beauty of cards depicting Goddesses from around the world, rendered in watercolor and pastel that are what make the Goddess Oracle experience a worthwhile one.. With many cards, Janto used women friends and other real life Goddesses as models of inspiration. The shapes and curves of every Goddess are uniquely real. They are a myriad of colors, young and old. To tell you the truth, I was a little shocked when I first saw the cards. I hadn't seen the image of a beautiful woman with a pot belly in quite a while.

I do not subscribe to New Age spirituality. I do not submerge myself in the pleasures of Reiki. I've never read the Celestine Prophecy. And yet-and yet-I sat on the floor of my apartment, which was originally an art gallery, but is now more like an office with a bed. I am: a student, writer, wild woman who has perception of the deception that is offered by androgynous spirituality which is really about the masculine. I know myself (sometimes) and know what I need (most of the time) and the one thing that I sometimes find missing in my life is the voice. Sometimes it is my voice, my carnal howl, my inner knowledge. Sometimes it is the voice of the woman in the stained sweatshirt at the supermarket check-out line who eyes me suspiciously.

It has always been a struggle for me to listen to and respect the world in my head as well as the world outside. For many women the answers to the questions that they have about the world and their place in it are not easily found. Often we do not trust ourselves enough to follow our own voice, the voice that says, "Go get 'em girl". So, this is the power of the Goddess Oracle. There are no answers that do not already exist in your own soul. There is only (only?) the guided wisdom of the goddesses, and the image of their knowing eyes. The Goddes Oracle accomplishes a wonderful feat. It lets women find out what we knew all along. And sometimes that is the hardest thing to do.

The Goddess Oracle is available from Esoterica Books in New Paltz. 255-5777.

Green Christmas

Here are some tips on how to have a creative, green holiday from the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency and the Cornell Cooperative Extension:

• Rather than killing a tree for the holidays, buy a living tree which can be replanted in your own backyard.
• Avoid over-packaged items and disposable, one use items. Consider that every purchase you make will be discarded so ask yourself: How long will this gift last? Can it be reused or recycled?
• Be creative with gift wrapping: reusable boxes, cloth sacks, newspaper, magazines, old maps and posters all make great wrapping paper.
• Give gifts that will last. Buy durable and/or repairable gifts with good warranties. Rechargeable batteries and a charger are great gifts for any occasion.
• Encourage a child's imagination: Give a Dress-up Box of old clothes for costumes or an Inventor's Box of old gadgets and tools.
• Wonderful gifts can be found at rummage sales and flea markets, and don't forget gifts you can make at home from available materials or giving ostensibly "used" items, like a favorite book, or a family keepsake or piece of jewelry.
• Give the gift of oxygen - give plants!
• Gifts can be things to do or services, not just things to own. Spend time with those you care about; the best gift you can give is of yourself, your time, your skills.
• Happy Holidays, and as you give, remember how much the earth has given you, and how little the earth asks in return. Reduce…Reuse…Recycle.