The Great Spirit Goddess

By Raven Hail

The Great Goddess Agehyagugun

Spirit of the sky above

Spirit of the underworld

Spirit of the land between

Spirit of the living waters

was once the Vital Essence of The People

of the sun and moon and stars and winds that blow

in all the seven ways:

from the Four Corners of the earth from the sky vault up above from the caves of nether regions from the very Center-of-Being.

The People understood The Goddess

All Her mysteries:

the cycle of the seasons, how the entities of earth are but a shadow

Of the stars that shine above; the infinity of youth and growth, maturity, old age, the mage of wisdom;

the dance of birth and death and re-creation to the music of the spheres;

women were free and men were free

in balance with the rhythm of The Earth.

And then the Demon of Oppression came

he devoured the hearts of men he taught them greed and avarice he sold their women into bondage he led them into bloody games of war.

The People were enslaved

their lands were confiscated their sacred springs befouled their ancestral burying grounds plundered their language banned

their names besmirched and stolen their ancient myths re-written their heritage distorted.

The women resisted

were raped and fettered then stoned for easy virtue burned as witches ridiculed to aged crones.

The Goddess was raped and fettered

stoned, burned and ridiculed and though She suffered the tortures of the damned She was not damned eternally.

The People kept the faith

preserved the ancient mysteries practiced the old ways

in secret sacred rituals hidden away from prying eyes, used the spoken word in old wives' tales magic formulas scribbled in forbidden language bits and pieces, scraps of paper; danced the dances sang the songs to a breathing, warm, pulsating Earth

and survived

hoarded the seeds of re-awakening passed along the arcane knowledge from generation to generation, mother to son

father to daughter; healer, shaman midwife, medicine woman weaver of dreams guardian of inner light keeper of the eternal flame; caring, waiting, hoping believing

but The People greatly suffered

sickin body sick at heart sick of ravening destruction; even The Oppressor suffered sick in body sick at heart sick of ravening oppression.

In this time of cataclysm

when The Earth is slowly dying when the land is in upheaval when the waters are polluted when the seeds no longer quicken

The People are remembering

the inner light the inner warmth the inner fire the inner beauty.

The Goddess of each heart awakens at the calling Drum; the time is come

The Time is Now!