There
are as many ways to relate to the Goddess as there are fish in the sea!
The
endless colors and shapes, textures and flavors stretching across cultures and
traditions for millennia, harkens back to humanity’s inextricable link to the
Divine Feminine. This rich and wonderful diversity reflects the ability of the
Goddess to reveal herself in as many unique and individual ways as there are
beating hearts on our planet. Yet, perhaps the most meaningful path to trace is the
one She makes into our own lives.
Our
newly released anthology, Goddess: When She Rules, speaks not only of the shared anticipation for the
Goddess to come into her reign, but also illuminates a Goddess who never really
left us: a Goddess whom many of us have come to know quite intimately over the
course of our lives. Diving into dialogue with the Goddess then becomes a
mirror of our own selves and the magnificent multitudes we each contain.
The following is an excerpt from
the book, accompanied by a poetic video produced by Janavi Held, one of our
contributors. May you let it inspire your own explorations of the Goddess
throughout history, all around you and within you!
 |
| Photographic collage by the author, Janavi Held |
Sometimes
Janavi Held
Janavi Held
Sometimes I am all of them!
Aphrodite
and the woman
who craved the sea
and sprouted gills at night,
whose hair turned to seaweed,
the woman with red-earth running in her veins
and gold sunlight knitting her hair together.
And
sometimes
I am such an ordinary woman
taking up little room
walking unnoticed
inside a shell
of space
and skin.
I don’t last long without seaweed in my hair
those days roll by
collapsing me
on top of
me.
I am the woman running free at night
unable to breathe without the full force of the wind
liberating the fallen arches of my heart.
I was the girl who dreamed of magic.
Now
a woman
with empty hands
I spin this magical tapestry
from the golden threads
birthing inside my chest
keeping
my life
together.
Aphrodite
and the woman
who craved the sea
and sprouted gills at night,
whose hair turned to seaweed,
the woman with red-earth running in her veins
and gold sunlight knitting her hair together.
And
sometimes
I am such an ordinary woman
taking up little room
walking unnoticed
inside a shell
of space
and skin.
I don’t last long without seaweed in my hair
those days roll by
collapsing me
on top of
me.
I am the woman running free at night
unable to breathe without the full force of the wind
liberating the fallen arches of my heart.
I was the girl who dreamed of magic.
Now
a woman
with empty hands
I spin this magical tapestry
from the golden threads
birthing inside my chest
keeping
my life
together.
For a video narration of the poem by the author, click play:
Janavi Held is the author of Letters to my Oldest Friend: A Book of Poetry and Photography. She has also contributed poems to two poetry anthologies, Bhakti Blossoms: A Collection of Contemporary Vaishnavi Poetry and GODDESS: When She Rules: Expressions by Contemporary Women. Two of her poems were shortlisted for the prestigious Hamilton House International Poetry Prize awarded by the University Centre Grimsby, and published in their anthology "Eternal". Janavi started writing poetry and wandering around with her father’s camera as a child. At the age of nineteen, she began practicing Bhakti yoga. She held a bachelor’s degree from Goddard College where she studied poetry, photography, and media studies. She passed away peacefully in December of 2018 after having battled a brutal illness. You may read more of her poems and view her artwork on her website here and Facebook page here.
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