Guest Post: I Too ...

by Debra

I, too, am a convert to the LDS church, over thirty years now. I too, love Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, the gospel, and the Church. I too, have always loved Heavenly Mother and have a special connection with her.

I too, believe the original gospel restoration that Joseph Smith brought forth contains the essence of truth, and the essence of the synthesis of truth that you seek and experience. I too, have observed that the institution of the LDS church as it has developed over the last 100 years, has moved a considerable and imho disturbing distance from the grandness and expansiveness and freedom and breathing room of Joseph's original vision and intent. It saddens and frustrates me.

I too, honor our Mother Earth, and incorporate ritual in my personal life. I too, believe we as LDS women have had priesthood restored to us in 1843, and that it is up to us as women to find the voice of God/Goddess within us, follow our own heart's path, stand up and claim our truth, and begin using our gifts, and fulfilling our divine birthright and destiny. I believe it is our sacred privilege, right, and responsibility as women of God to do this, and that the time is NOW that we do.

May you and your family be richly blessed in every way, and may our Heavenly Mother be with you in abundance.

Love and light

Guest Post: I Too ...

by Debra

I, too, am a convert to the LDS church, over thirty years now. I too, love Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, the gospel, and the Church. I too, have always loved Heavenly Mother and have a special connection with her.

I too, believe the original gospel restoration that Joseph Smith brought forth contains the essence of truth, and the essence of the synthesis of truth that you seek and experience. I too, have observed that the institution of the LDS church as it has developed over the last 100 years, has moved a considerable and imho disturbing distance from the grandness and expansiveness and freedom and breathing room of Joseph's original vision and intent. It saddens and frustrates me.

I too, honor our Mother Earth, and incorporate ritual in my personal life. I too, believe we as LDS women have had priesthood restored to us in 1843, and that it is up to us as women to find the voice of God/Goddess within us, follow our own heart's path, stand up and claim our truth, and begin using our gifts, and fulfilling our divine birthright and destiny. I believe it is our sacred privilege, right, and responsibility as women of God to do this, and that the time is NOW that we do.

May you and your family be richly blessed in every way, and may our Heavenly Mother be with you in abundance.

Love and light

Homemade Wine

So, I read this in our local paper this morning.

"Governor signs bill to legalize homemade wine competitions and festivals
By Elizabeth Wilson--Record-Bee staff
Article Last Updated: 06/06/2008 08:21:25 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Friday that legalizes home winemaking competitions. The law takes effect immediately, meaning home winemaking festivals from the state fair to Kelseyville's festival this month will be legal."

So, would you make or drink homemade wine? For my Mormon readers isn't "wine of your own making" OK according to the Word of Wisdom?

Just some random ponderings.....

Homemade Wine

So, I read this in our local paper this morning.

"Governor signs bill to legalize homemade wine competitions and festivals
By Elizabeth Wilson--Record-Bee staff
Article Last Updated: 06/06/2008 08:21:25 PM PDT

SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill Friday that legalizes home winemaking competitions. The law takes effect immediately, meaning home winemaking festivals from the state fair to Kelseyville's festival this month will be legal."

So, would you make or drink homemade wine? For my Mormon readers isn't "wine of your own making" OK according to the Word of Wisdom?

Just some random ponderings.....

The Girl Child

(This is me in 1988 in my Grandma's friends organic garden.)

I'm currenlty reading Patricia Lynn Reilly's "Imagin a Woman in Love with Herself" (among, like, 10 other books!) I love her concept of "the girl child." She often says, "In the beginning the girl child didn't know..." and then she usually goes on to say something like, she wasn't good enough, she wasn't pretty enough, or there was something wrong with her sexually - the girl child just WAS delighting in herself and her body without judgement.

This weeks RS meeting tied in with that. Our president gave a talk about how we need to love ourselves just as we are, free from judgments and then she had a great suggestion. She told us to take a picture of ourselves as a child and place it somehwere in the house where we would see it everyday. It's to remind us that our Heavenly Mother and Heavely Father (OK, she only said Heavenly Father but I can include Heavenly Mother if she wont LOL)anyhow, it's to remind us that that's how They stil see us, as that small girl child so full of love and wonder. They don't judge us for our mistakes, they don't think we are ugly or unfit. They just love us with all their hearts because we are Their children, their beloved daughters.

Ahhhh....that sits nicely on my mind.

The Girl Child

(This is me in 1988 in my Grandma's friends organic garden.)

I'm currenlty reading Patricia Lynn Reilly's "Imagin a Woman in Love with Herself" (among, like, 10 other books!) I love her concept of "the girl child." She often says, "In the beginning the girl child didn't know..." and then she usually goes on to say something like, she wasn't good enough, she wasn't pretty enough, or there was something wrong with her sexually - the girl child just WAS delighting in herself and her body without judgement.

This weeks RS meeting tied in with that. Our president gave a talk about how we need to love ourselves just as we are, free from judgments and then she had a great suggestion. She told us to take a picture of ourselves as a child and place it somehwere in the house where we would see it everyday. It's to remind us that our Heavenly Mother and Heavely Father (OK, she only said Heavenly Father but I can include Heavenly Mother if she wont LOL)anyhow, it's to remind us that that's how They stil see us, as that small girl child so full of love and wonder. They don't judge us for our mistakes, they don't think we are ugly or unfit. They just love us with all their hearts because we are Their children, their beloved daughters.

Ahhhh....that sits nicely on my mind.

Mormon Homebirth Part 1

From my thesis:



I grew up in a largely Mormon area of Southern Nevada and Utah. When I studied midwifery most of my mentors were local Mormon midwives. When I gave birth to my first son a Mormon midwife “caught” him. After the birth of my son I joined a local natural mothering group. The group had been started by a Mormon mother and doula (birth assistant), and it seemed that the women in the group were either half Mormon or pagan. I thought it was interesting how so many Mormon mamas I knew gave birth at home.

Later as my son grew and as I joined in other Mormon community events I saw so many moms who were either Mormon or raised Mormon having home births. I thought perhaps it was the area I lived in but after moving to Northern California I observed the same thing. Friends of mine had Mormon sisters, friends and co-workers across the country and so many of them were birthing at home. It seemed the highest rate of home birthing women I knew outside of the hippie and pagan communities.

I always wondered why this was and after some investigation it all seemed to come together. A tradition rooted in herbal medicine, natural healing, women healers, distrust of doctors, domestic empowerment of women and an emphasis on family and community, lent itself to an easier home birthing culture for Mormon women.

Patty Bartlett Sessions, a pioneer Mormon midwife recorded this entry on March 21st, 1846; “Zina had a son at the river. Comfortable. Traveled four miles. Double teams up and camped. It rains tonight.” This baby boy was born exactly 132 years before I was. His birth was greeted as a sacred, every day event, happening at the bank of a river as the Mormons walked their way across America (Noall 24).

Joseph Smith, we already know, came from a magickal family and his mother worked her magick to heal setting a path for Joseph to prefer the nurturing power of women healers. When Joseph’s younger sister fell ill the local doctors told the family to give her up for dead. Lucy Smith would not have it. She scooped up her tiny daughter and paced back and forth praying for her recovery. The little girl got better and her excellent health became a light in the life of young Joseph – a lesson in the power of women to heal spiritually (Noal 16).

The Smith family did not all fair as well as Joseph’s sister. His brother Alvin died from an obstruction in his bowel caused by a strong dose of calomel for colic administered by a doctor. This turned Smith toward a natural healing philosophy of the time called the Thomsonian method. Tomsonian is from, Samuel Thomson, who did not agree with the conventional physicians of the time. Thomson developed his own theory based on natural healing and herbal medicine (Brady 88).

By the time the Word of Wisdom, a code of Mormon health, was revealed by God to Joseph Smith, Joseph was a firm believer in Thomsonian medicine. The Word of Wisdom is very in tune with the practice of midwifery and directs herbs to be used in the healing of disease (Brady 88). The Word of Wisdom was given as a health code for all Mormons however Smith also directed midwives to use it in particular. He “set apart” Ann Carling, a midwife in Nauvoo, IL, and while laying his hands upon her head he told her that she would be successful in caring for the sick if she would use herbs exclusively in her work (Brady 88).

Early Mormons especially regarded these codes of health and many still do. These laws of health, they believe, come from God. To disobey the laws of health, such as the Word of Wisdom, would be to sin against their Heavenly Father (Brady 85). Following the Word of Wisdom and Thomsonian methods as well as Joseph’s divine directives, three midwives total were set apart during the Mormons stay in Nauvoo, IL. Using the same method discussed for Ann Carling, Joseph also placed his hands on the heads of Patty Sessions and Vienna Jaques, anointing them and directing them not only as midwives for the women but community healers as well (Noall 16).

Patty Sessions and Vienna Jacques were women of priestly authority following their anointing. They used their skills both herbally and spiritually to assist in birth and to heal the Mormon pioneers who walked from the east to Utah, ending in the Salt Lake basin (Noall 18). So effective were their abilities to heal and so great was the confidence place in them by their fellow Mormons, that often when doctors attempted to assist in difficult situations Mormon men would slam the door in their face (Noall 18).

In the early days of Utah Mormon settlements, midwives were, as Margaret K. Brady puts it, the feminist alternative to regular medicine (Brady 87). Midwives were the voice of authority in Utah and held a mystical place for their patients (Noall 15). Intertwined with spirituality the midwives and other women blessed each other often. Eliza Snow, a woman whom we will remember had been given the priesthood and had revelations on Heavenly Mother, is known to have blessed midwife Patty Bartlett on the occasion of her birthday (Noall 33).

Mormon midwife healers lived in the land that their Book of Mormon described and they knew through their spiritual beliefs that the thistle and sage growing in the hills around them had once been used by the Nephites, one of the early American tribes according to The Book of Mormon (Noall 16). This speaks to the midwives deep connection with the land on which they lived and they knew through their faith that the earth would heal them.

Mormon Homebirth Part 1

From my thesis:



I grew up in a largely Mormon area of Southern Nevada and Utah. When I studied midwifery most of my mentors were local Mormon midwives. When I gave birth to my first son a Mormon midwife “caught” him. After the birth of my son I joined a local natural mothering group. The group had been started by a Mormon mother and doula (birth assistant), and it seemed that the women in the group were either half Mormon or pagan. I thought it was interesting how so many Mormon mamas I knew gave birth at home.

Later as my son grew and as I joined in other Mormon community events I saw so many moms who were either Mormon or raised Mormon having home births. I thought perhaps it was the area I lived in but after moving to Northern California I observed the same thing. Friends of mine had Mormon sisters, friends and co-workers across the country and so many of them were birthing at home. It seemed the highest rate of home birthing women I knew outside of the hippie and pagan communities.

I always wondered why this was and after some investigation it all seemed to come together. A tradition rooted in herbal medicine, natural healing, women healers, distrust of doctors, domestic empowerment of women and an emphasis on family and community, lent itself to an easier home birthing culture for Mormon women.

Patty Bartlett Sessions, a pioneer Mormon midwife recorded this entry on March 21st, 1846; “Zina had a son at the river. Comfortable. Traveled four miles. Double teams up and camped. It rains tonight.” This baby boy was born exactly 132 years before I was. His birth was greeted as a sacred, every day event, happening at the bank of a river as the Mormons walked their way across America (Noall 24).

Joseph Smith, we already know, came from a magickal family and his mother worked her magick to heal setting a path for Joseph to prefer the nurturing power of women healers. When Joseph’s younger sister fell ill the local doctors told the family to give her up for dead. Lucy Smith would not have it. She scooped up her tiny daughter and paced back and forth praying for her recovery. The little girl got better and her excellent health became a light in the life of young Joseph – a lesson in the power of women to heal spiritually (Noal 16).

The Smith family did not all fair as well as Joseph’s sister. His brother Alvin died from an obstruction in his bowel caused by a strong dose of calomel for colic administered by a doctor. This turned Smith toward a natural healing philosophy of the time called the Thomsonian method. Tomsonian is from, Samuel Thomson, who did not agree with the conventional physicians of the time. Thomson developed his own theory based on natural healing and herbal medicine (Brady 88).

By the time the Word of Wisdom, a code of Mormon health, was revealed by God to Joseph Smith, Joseph was a firm believer in Thomsonian medicine. The Word of Wisdom is very in tune with the practice of midwifery and directs herbs to be used in the healing of disease (Brady 88). The Word of Wisdom was given as a health code for all Mormons however Smith also directed midwives to use it in particular. He “set apart” Ann Carling, a midwife in Nauvoo, IL, and while laying his hands upon her head he told her that she would be successful in caring for the sick if she would use herbs exclusively in her work (Brady 88).

Early Mormons especially regarded these codes of health and many still do. These laws of health, they believe, come from God. To disobey the laws of health, such as the Word of Wisdom, would be to sin against their Heavenly Father (Brady 85). Following the Word of Wisdom and Thomsonian methods as well as Joseph’s divine directives, three midwives total were set apart during the Mormons stay in Nauvoo, IL. Using the same method discussed for Ann Carling, Joseph also placed his hands on the heads of Patty Sessions and Vienna Jaques, anointing them and directing them not only as midwives for the women but community healers as well (Noall 16).

Patty Sessions and Vienna Jacques were women of priestly authority following their anointing. They used their skills both herbally and spiritually to assist in birth and to heal the Mormon pioneers who walked from the east to Utah, ending in the Salt Lake basin (Noall 18). So effective were their abilities to heal and so great was the confidence place in them by their fellow Mormons, that often when doctors attempted to assist in difficult situations Mormon men would slam the door in their face (Noall 18).

In the early days of Utah Mormon settlements, midwives were, as Margaret K. Brady puts it, the feminist alternative to regular medicine (Brady 87). Midwives were the voice of authority in Utah and held a mystical place for their patients (Noall 15). Intertwined with spirituality the midwives and other women blessed each other often. Eliza Snow, a woman whom we will remember had been given the priesthood and had revelations on Heavenly Mother, is known to have blessed midwife Patty Bartlett on the occasion of her birthday (Noall 33).

Mormon midwife healers lived in the land that their Book of Mormon described and they knew through their spiritual beliefs that the thistle and sage growing in the hills around them had once been used by the Nephites, one of the early American tribes according to The Book of Mormon (Noall 16). This speaks to the midwives deep connection with the land on which they lived and they knew through their faith that the earth would heal them.

I submitted my first Sunstonee Abstract! (Biting Fingernails)

Abstract for submission to the Sunstone Symposium Salt Lake City 2008

Submitted by: Ayla Serenemoon
M.A. Women's Spirituality, New College of California, San Francisco


Heavenly Mothers, a Look at Magick, the Divine Feminine and Homebirth in the Mormon Community of North America

Mormons are a distinct community which kept homebirth alive throughout the 20th century while nearly all other American women were coerced into birthing in hospitals. I wish to heuristically explore an interesting commonality within this culture - home birth and celestial feminine/magickal practices. I do not seek to “prove” that because this culture has a history of the Divine Feminine and magic that they always birth at home - but rather to show the synchronicities between the spiritual heritage of Mormonism (which can be seen in history as well as their current practices) and their tendency to birth at home.

Using intuitive inquiry, reflective listening, I will present research on my topic of inquiry alongside my inner reflection on the matter. Using methods in addition to research, I hope to draw the reader into an interactive experience, integral inquiry, with the paper by using prompts for reflection, indwelling, narrative considerations to create meaning in the human life cycle, as well as artful expression.

This paper (presentation) is an excerpt from my thesis presented for completion of my Master's degree in Women's Spirituality earned in the fall of 2007 from New College of California, San Francisco.


Author Bio: Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., is a Mormon convert, a scholar and columnist writing for SageWoman magazine. She is married and is the homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of two small boys. She makes her happy home in Northern California.

I submitted my first Sunstonee Abstract! (Biting Fingernails)

Abstract for submission to the Sunstone Symposium Salt Lake City 2008

Submitted by: Ayla Serenemoon
M.A. Women's Spirituality, New College of California, San Francisco


Heavenly Mothers, a Look at Magick, the Divine Feminine and Homebirth in the Mormon Community of North America

Mormons are a distinct community which kept homebirth alive throughout the 20th century while nearly all other American women were coerced into birthing in hospitals. I wish to heuristically explore an interesting commonality within this culture - home birth and celestial feminine/magickal practices. I do not seek to “prove” that because this culture has a history of the Divine Feminine and magic that they always birth at home - but rather to show the synchronicities between the spiritual heritage of Mormonism (which can be seen in history as well as their current practices) and their tendency to birth at home.

Using intuitive inquiry, reflective listening, I will present research on my topic of inquiry alongside my inner reflection on the matter. Using methods in addition to research, I hope to draw the reader into an interactive experience, integral inquiry, with the paper by using prompts for reflection, indwelling, narrative considerations to create meaning in the human life cycle, as well as artful expression.

This paper (presentation) is an excerpt from my thesis presented for completion of my Master's degree in Women's Spirituality earned in the fall of 2007 from New College of California, San Francisco.


Author Bio: Ayla Serenemoon, M.A., is a Mormon convert, a scholar and columnist writing for SageWoman magazine. She is married and is the homeschooling, stay-at-home mom of two small boys. She makes her happy home in Northern California.

FYI! New Mormon Groups and a way to help the FLDS Women!!

This is an informative post. Enjoy!

First to all you Mormons like me out there here are some incredible new groups and websites that are popping up:



iMoroni Yahoo Group This group was formed to explore the question, "what if this angel, prophet, historian [Moroni] was in fact a nature divinity of the Hill Cumorah?
This is what I would like to explore, this pagan aspect of this being.This group is for like minded people whom wish to learn more."

I cannot express how excited I am about this group and concept! So join the group and the discussion!

Early Mormon History is a myspace group for Mormons who like to debate their faith

Discussing Mormonism is another liberal Mormon group with some awesome discussions going on, so sign up and express your voice too!

The John Whitmer Historical Association is like a Sunstone group for the Church or Christ (formally the Reoganized Church Latter-day Saints)

Reform Mormon is a home-based group for Mormons interested in
• rational thinking
• the importance of knowledge, intelligence, and progression
• freedom from judgement and condemnation
• eternity (an existence other than this one)
• morality and accountability
• evolution and man's ultimate destiny as an evolved being

they are

• we're pro-gay, pro-women, and pro-intellectualism
• we keep church and state separate

Now on to helping the FLDS women!



Over 400 children are being torn from their mother’s arms by the US government in the state of Texas.

Here are the facts:

No complaining victims exist and the original abuse allegations were fraudulent, pumped up in the media by anti-polygamist activists.

No pregnant girls were found at the YFZ Ranch who were under 16 (the legal marriage age in Texas, with parental consent).

10 women between the ages of 16 and 19 were listed as married to older men. Five were listed as having children.

Angie Voss from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has testified that the supposition that abuse may happen some day in the future justifies the removal of over 400 children of both sexes and all ages from their environment.

What kind of country are we living in that instead of a case by case investigation, the government rounds up and steals 400 children including nursing babies?!

ANY alternative lifestyle could be next! Please help by signing the online petition at

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/free-the-innocent-flds

Write to the governor of Texas Rick Perry, and voice your outrage:

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428

Call him at: (512) 463-1782

Share this information! Get the word out to help these women :)

FYI! New Mormon Groups and a way to help the FLDS Women!!

This is an informative post. Enjoy!

First to all you Mormons like me out there here are some incredible new groups and websites that are popping up:



iMoroni Yahoo Group This group was formed to explore the question, "what if this angel, prophet, historian [Moroni] was in fact a nature divinity of the Hill Cumorah?
This is what I would like to explore, this pagan aspect of this being.This group is for like minded people whom wish to learn more."

I cannot express how excited I am about this group and concept! So join the group and the discussion!

Early Mormon History is a myspace group for Mormons who like to debate their faith

Discussing Mormonism is another liberal Mormon group with some awesome discussions going on, so sign up and express your voice too!

The John Whitmer Historical Association is like a Sunstone group for the Church or Christ (formally the Reoganized Church Latter-day Saints)

Reform Mormon is a home-based group for Mormons interested in
• rational thinking
• the importance of knowledge, intelligence, and progression
• freedom from judgement and condemnation
• eternity (an existence other than this one)
• morality and accountability
• evolution and man's ultimate destiny as an evolved being

they are

• we're pro-gay, pro-women, and pro-intellectualism
• we keep church and state separate

Now on to helping the FLDS women!



Over 400 children are being torn from their mother’s arms by the US government in the state of Texas.

Here are the facts:

No complaining victims exist and the original abuse allegations were fraudulent, pumped up in the media by anti-polygamist activists.

No pregnant girls were found at the YFZ Ranch who were under 16 (the legal marriage age in Texas, with parental consent).

10 women between the ages of 16 and 19 were listed as married to older men. Five were listed as having children.

Angie Voss from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has testified that the supposition that abuse may happen some day in the future justifies the removal of over 400 children of both sexes and all ages from their environment.

What kind of country are we living in that instead of a case by case investigation, the government rounds up and steals 400 children including nursing babies?!

ANY alternative lifestyle could be next! Please help by signing the online petition at

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/2/free-the-innocent-flds

Write to the governor of Texas Rick Perry, and voice your outrage:

Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 12428
Austin, Texas 78711-2428

Call him at: (512) 463-1782

Share this information! Get the word out to help these women :)

What do I do all day?

So my Dad called yesterday with his regular, "What have y'all been doing?" and I found myself stumbling for an answer yet I am busy from the second I wake up until my head hits the pillow (and the 5 or 6 hours of non-stop breastfeeding while asleep!)

But somehow in the back of my head my daily tasks such as the dishes, cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, laundry, reading, gardening, playing, giving kisses, singing songs - this isn't what spills out of my mouth when I think about what I'm "doing."

Is this because these tasks are so ingrained as ordinary I don't comsider them, or is it because they aren't considered by our society at large?

When did the lexicon of "something" take on an "outside of the house" conotation? When did housework become non-productive background noise in the preformance of our lives?

I feel much comfort from this quote by Ezra Taft Benson:

"There is no satisfactory substitute for mother, and no one can take care of her children as she can. No so-called social obligations, social enticements, or outside interests should impel any mother to neglect the sacred charge that is hers of caring for her own flesh and blood. I feel confident that while civic and social activities may be rewarding, a mother will serve her community and her nation best if she first devotes herself to the needs of her own children." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 518.)

Somehow I feel stuck on drama and outside measures of accomplishment instead of the value of simply being present. (Perhaps this is why my student loan bills are over $500 per month?) Is this the true advesary in our lives? This promotion of conflict between social expectations and family, when there should be no conflict?

I wonder.....

What do I do all day?

So my Dad called yesterday with his regular, "What have y'all been doing?" and I found myself stumbling for an answer yet I am busy from the second I wake up until my head hits the pillow (and the 5 or 6 hours of non-stop breastfeeding while asleep!)

But somehow in the back of my head my daily tasks such as the dishes, cooking, cleaning, homeschooling, laundry, reading, gardening, playing, giving kisses, singing songs - this isn't what spills out of my mouth when I think about what I'm "doing."

Is this because these tasks are so ingrained as ordinary I don't comsider them, or is it because they aren't considered by our society at large?

When did the lexicon of "something" take on an "outside of the house" conotation? When did housework become non-productive background noise in the preformance of our lives?

I feel much comfort from this quote by Ezra Taft Benson:

"There is no satisfactory substitute for mother, and no one can take care of her children as she can. No so-called social obligations, social enticements, or outside interests should impel any mother to neglect the sacred charge that is hers of caring for her own flesh and blood. I feel confident that while civic and social activities may be rewarding, a mother will serve her community and her nation best if she first devotes herself to the needs of her own children." (Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988], 518.)

Somehow I feel stuck on drama and outside measures of accomplishment instead of the value of simply being present. (Perhaps this is why my student loan bills are over $500 per month?) Is this the true advesary in our lives? This promotion of conflict between social expectations and family, when there should be no conflict?

I wonder.....

The Elect Lady

I feel called to write about Emma today.

Oh, sweet and powerful Emma, I adore and love you, my prophtess, the Elect Lady.

Emma is described to us by the revelation of Spirit in D & C 25. This revelation was given to Joseph Smith, Jr in Emma's hometown of Harmony, PA which in and of itself is a huge revalation.

Let's have a glance at the spiritual nature of Pennsylvania, the pot from which the flower that is Emma grew. The following except is from my Master's degree thesis, Heavenly Mothers and Plain Goddesses.

"[Many authors and scholars] trace the current practice of Pow Wow faith healing to the magick and herbal tradition brought by the German communities [to Pennsylvania], fused with mystical Christianity and Native American practices of the region (Guiley and Valiente). Ravenwolf, Valiente, Guiley, pagan practitioners and writers, are backed up by scholars like Barbara Louise Reimensnyder of the University of Pennsylvania, who have found elements of German paganism in what RavenWolf calls the “Avalon of the Americas”, Pennsylvania. The cloak for paganism became the reality after several generations and Pow Wow artists often pray to Jesus and Mary instead of a God and Goddess.

I like to draw from a few sources when I’m making this point which is why I brought up Ravenwolf, Valiente, Guiley and Reimensnyder. I think it’s important to keep in mind that practicing witches in the area, like Ravenwolf, can discover things and make connections that a scholar might not be able to find while scholars like, Reimensyder from the University of Pennsylvania, can bring in academic oversight to the conversation of magick.

Many German descendants practicing PowWow are female, in keeping with the German female healing tradition. Pow Wow artists have many magickal aspects to their practice including the use of a magickal knife called an athome for divination, amulets, casting of lots, pagan symbols in rosettes of their churches, traditional Hex colors or red, white and black and they use astrology to determine gardening schedules, as we will discuss in depth later in the paper (Ravenwolf, Guiley, Valiente and Reimensnyder)."

We know that Joseph used astorology, amulets, seer stones and a magickal daggers in early Mormonism. We also know that the woman called by Spirit, the Elect Lady, the wife of the prophet, was from an area reffered to as The Avalon of America.

If you're wondering about Avalon read here.

So let's review a few of my favorite passages from D&C 25.

3 Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.

7 And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit.

8 For he shall lay his ahands upon thee, and thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, and thy time shall be given to writing, and to learning much.

15 Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of brighteousness thou shalt receive

A crown of brightness. All hail Queen Emma! :)

Joseph called her "My beloved Emma—she that was my wife, even the wife of my youth, and the choice of my heart" (History of the Church, 5:107). (http://prophets.ldsblogs.com/?cat=194)

I adore you Emma, you give me strength and courage, my beloved Prophetess.

The Elect Lady

I feel called to write about Emma today.

Oh, sweet and powerful Emma, I adore and love you, my prophtess, the Elect Lady.

Emma is described to us by the revelation of Spirit in D & C 25. This revelation was given to Joseph Smith, Jr in Emma's hometown of Harmony, PA which in and of itself is a huge revalation.

Let's have a glance at the spiritual nature of Pennsylvania, the pot from which the flower that is Emma grew. The following except is from my Master's degree thesis, Heavenly Mothers and Plain Goddesses.

"[Many authors and scholars] trace the current practice of Pow Wow faith healing to the magick and herbal tradition brought by the German communities [to Pennsylvania], fused with mystical Christianity and Native American practices of the region (Guiley and Valiente). Ravenwolf, Valiente, Guiley, pagan practitioners and writers, are backed up by scholars like Barbara Louise Reimensnyder of the University of Pennsylvania, who have found elements of German paganism in what RavenWolf calls the “Avalon of the Americas”, Pennsylvania. The cloak for paganism became the reality after several generations and Pow Wow artists often pray to Jesus and Mary instead of a God and Goddess.

I like to draw from a few sources when I’m making this point which is why I brought up Ravenwolf, Valiente, Guiley and Reimensnyder. I think it’s important to keep in mind that practicing witches in the area, like Ravenwolf, can discover things and make connections that a scholar might not be able to find while scholars like, Reimensyder from the University of Pennsylvania, can bring in academic oversight to the conversation of magick.

Many German descendants practicing PowWow are female, in keeping with the German female healing tradition. Pow Wow artists have many magickal aspects to their practice including the use of a magickal knife called an athome for divination, amulets, casting of lots, pagan symbols in rosettes of their churches, traditional Hex colors or red, white and black and they use astrology to determine gardening schedules, as we will discuss in depth later in the paper (Ravenwolf, Guiley, Valiente and Reimensnyder)."

We know that Joseph used astorology, amulets, seer stones and a magickal daggers in early Mormonism. We also know that the woman called by Spirit, the Elect Lady, the wife of the prophet, was from an area reffered to as The Avalon of America.

If you're wondering about Avalon read here.

So let's review a few of my favorite passages from D&C 25.

3 Behold, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called.

7 And thou shalt be ordained under his hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church, according as it shall be given thee by my Spirit.

8 For he shall lay his ahands upon thee, and thou shalt receive the Holy Ghost, and thy time shall be given to writing, and to learning much.

15 Keep my commandments continually, and a crown of brighteousness thou shalt receive

A crown of brightness. All hail Queen Emma! :)

Joseph called her "My beloved Emma—she that was my wife, even the wife of my youth, and the choice of my heart" (History of the Church, 5:107). (http://prophets.ldsblogs.com/?cat=194)

I adore you Emma, you give me strength and courage, my beloved Prophetess.

The Authentic Masculine and Leadership

Last weekend Seth and took a work shop from Jed and Carlin Diamond
about the authentic masculine and the authentic feminine. It was fun and very insightful. I always believed that gender was a concept of our society - and I still believe that the stereotypes are - however there are just some distinct differences (usually)between what Jed and Carlin call egg people and sperm people.



For example, egg's are discerning. They can reproduce only once per year at most (not counting twins). They are not mobile, they sit large and full healthy chromosomes and they can invite or reject approaching sperm. Sperm are driven, mobile and more expendable. They are extremely small compared to the egg but out number the egg by billions. They can produce as many babies per day as they get a "shot" at and thus are more about driving forward and getting things done, while the egg makes
sure that what's getting done is quality.

We did all kinds of excises to put us in touch with both our egg and sperm brains (and everyone got to play each role).

We discussed how in many cultures the world over, men are considered more expendable than women. Now this is not a judgement of that being right or wrong it was simply
the best way, especially for our tribal ancestors, to keep the
population going - because for every man killed, their was another man
behind him with billions of sperm just waiting to get the job done.

Thus men where the leaders. When traveling in groups they walked out first
in case a mountain lion jumped down or some other danger suddenly exploded in
front of the heard. They did the dangerous work of hacking through,
plowing, and leading and women nurtured (not just babies).

Men build systems and plan, they're also more reckless.
Women on the other hand nurture those systems, get creative with them and sustain them. Of course this is a general view and each family and neighborhood has their own way to work within and without of this paradigm.

I loved this view because it doesn't mean that women cannot go out in th so-called business or corporate world and it doesn't mean that men can't stay home, it's about recognizing the drive to lead and the drive to nurture within the egg and sperm people's chosen field. It gets us more in touch with our authentic selves.




That having been said I want to give a nod to the traditional family. Now I'm talking 1950's Leave It to Beaver kinda family but I am saying that, for my family, a two parent structure where each parent has certain responsibilities works the best for us.

Parent 1 - Leads (but doesn't force), builds the design of the family, creates the structure and moves the family forward

Parent 2 - Nurtures that system, tends the needs within, uses creativity to help it flow smoothly

In our family Seth earns the money and deals with the finances. (That having been said I think that every person who chooses to let their partner deal with the money MUST have a way to earn money on their own if they need because unfortunately in our society money equals power so you cannot allow another to have complete power over you.) But back to my family, let's take the house hunt for example. We all went out to look at potential new homes, we all gave our opinions on what we liked
and didn't like but in the end a house is a lot of money and Seth knows what money we
have and what we don't have. He's comes to us and says "We can afford this
one, and we can't afford that one, and we could make this one work if
we changed this....etc." Then we give our opinions again and he makes
the choice, signs the papers, gets the deposit together, goes to the
bank not to mention figures out how and where our finances are going to
cover everything, etc.

Meanwhile, I pack the boxes, make sure
the truck is rented, organize our things, figure out the layout of the
new place and where furniture should go, locate the nearest health food
store, sew new curtains, etc.

If one of us had to do ALL those
things or if we were both trying to do part of each of those things,
without honoring our authentic selves and what we are good at, it just
wouldn't work. We would get overwhelmed, grouchy, confused, and we would run
into the "too many cooks spoils the pot" scenario.

If I tried, with my creative brain, to do the math needed to balance the finances
I *could* do it but I wouldn't do it as well as Seth does. That being
said, if Seth had to organize the moving boxes and sew thecurtians he *could* do it but not as well as I could.

I think nothing makes a family work better than honoring our authentic selves. That having been said it doesn't have to run on gender, if mom's good at math and dad kicks ass at sewing or you have two dads or two moms, then roles would shift, I'm
just using my family as an example.

So in my family Seth leads, or ideally he does. It's my choice to be led because I get too stressed out with trying to make the big choices and keeping the lunches packed and the home school work sorted out. I've balked at this so many times but every time I just take a deep breath and let (and most importantly TRUST) Seth to handle it, I feel better, he feels better and things run so much more smoothly for us.

So with that I felt very inspired when I read this quote this morning:

"President [Howard W.] Hunter said: 'A man who holds the
priesthood regards the family as ordained of God. Your leadership of the
family is your most important and sacred responsibility. The family is the
most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every
other interest in life' (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)."

OK, so in my personal tradition Seth does hold the priesthood of our family (of course I have the priestesshood which is equal just different ;)) But I interpret this quote thusly, when a man is in touch with his natural importance and leadership role in the family, which is ordained by God(dess)
and/or nature, he knows that his family is the most important and
sacred responsibility he has. It empowers the man (or in the case of gay and
lesbian couples the most "sperm brain" minded of them) to lead with the
knowledge of his/her sacred duty to protect and provide for his family.

What do you think? What have you experienced in your family? What role does your faith play in your families leadership?

The Authentic Masculine and Leadership

Last weekend Seth and took a work shop from Jed and Carlin Diamond
about the authentic masculine and the authentic feminine. It was fun and very insightful. I always believed that gender was a concept of our society - and I still believe that the stereotypes are - however there are just some distinct differences (usually)between what Jed and Carlin call egg people and sperm people.



For example, egg's are discerning. They can reproduce only once per year at most (not counting twins). They are not mobile, they sit large and full healthy chromosomes and they can invite or reject approaching sperm. Sperm are driven, mobile and more expendable. They are extremely small compared to the egg but out number the egg by billions. They can produce as many babies per day as they get a "shot" at and thus are more about driving forward and getting things done, while the egg makes
sure that what's getting done is quality.

We did all kinds of excises to put us in touch with both our egg and sperm brains (and everyone got to play each role).

We discussed how in many cultures the world over, men are considered more expendable than women. Now this is not a judgement of that being right or wrong it was simply
the best way, especially for our tribal ancestors, to keep the
population going - because for every man killed, their was another man
behind him with billions of sperm just waiting to get the job done.

Thus men where the leaders. When traveling in groups they walked out first
in case a mountain lion jumped down or some other danger suddenly exploded in
front of the heard. They did the dangerous work of hacking through,
plowing, and leading and women nurtured (not just babies).

Men build systems and plan, they're also more reckless.
Women on the other hand nurture those systems, get creative with them and sustain them. Of course this is a general view and each family and neighborhood has their own way to work within and without of this paradigm.

I loved this view because it doesn't mean that women cannot go out in th so-called business or corporate world and it doesn't mean that men can't stay home, it's about recognizing the drive to lead and the drive to nurture within the egg and sperm people's chosen field. It gets us more in touch with our authentic selves.




That having been said I want to give a nod to the traditional family. Now I'm talking 1950's Leave It to Beaver kinda family but I am saying that, for my family, a two parent structure where each parent has certain responsibilities works the best for us.

Parent 1 - Leads (but doesn't force), builds the design of the family, creates the structure and moves the family forward

Parent 2 - Nurtures that system, tends the needs within, uses creativity to help it flow smoothly

In our family Seth earns the money and deals with the finances. (That having been said I think that every person who chooses to let their partner deal with the money MUST have a way to earn money on their own if they need because unfortunately in our society money equals power so you cannot allow another to have complete power over you.) But back to my family, let's take the house hunt for example. We all went out to look at potential new homes, we all gave our opinions on what we liked
and didn't like but in the end a house is a lot of money and Seth knows what money we
have and what we don't have. He's comes to us and says "We can afford this
one, and we can't afford that one, and we could make this one work if
we changed this....etc." Then we give our opinions again and he makes
the choice, signs the papers, gets the deposit together, goes to the
bank not to mention figures out how and where our finances are going to
cover everything, etc.

Meanwhile, I pack the boxes, make sure
the truck is rented, organize our things, figure out the layout of the
new place and where furniture should go, locate the nearest health food
store, sew new curtains, etc.

If one of us had to do ALL those
things or if we were both trying to do part of each of those things,
without honoring our authentic selves and what we are good at, it just
wouldn't work. We would get overwhelmed, grouchy, confused, and we would run
into the "too many cooks spoils the pot" scenario.

If I tried, with my creative brain, to do the math needed to balance the finances
I *could* do it but I wouldn't do it as well as Seth does. That being
said, if Seth had to organize the moving boxes and sew thecurtians he *could* do it but not as well as I could.

I think nothing makes a family work better than honoring our authentic selves. That having been said it doesn't have to run on gender, if mom's good at math and dad kicks ass at sewing or you have two dads or two moms, then roles would shift, I'm
just using my family as an example.

So in my family Seth leads, or ideally he does. It's my choice to be led because I get too stressed out with trying to make the big choices and keeping the lunches packed and the home school work sorted out. I've balked at this so many times but every time I just take a deep breath and let (and most importantly TRUST) Seth to handle it, I feel better, he feels better and things run so much more smoothly for us.

So with that I felt very inspired when I read this quote this morning:

"President [Howard W.] Hunter said: 'A man who holds the
priesthood regards the family as ordained of God. Your leadership of the
family is your most important and sacred responsibility. The family is the
most important unit in time and in eternity and, as such, transcends every
other interest in life' (Ensign, Nov. 1994, 50)."

OK, so in my personal tradition Seth does hold the priesthood of our family (of course I have the priestesshood which is equal just different ;)) But I interpret this quote thusly, when a man is in touch with his natural importance and leadership role in the family, which is ordained by God(dess)
and/or nature, he knows that his family is the most important and
sacred responsibility he has. It empowers the man (or in the case of gay and
lesbian couples the most "sperm brain" minded of them) to lead with the
knowledge of his/her sacred duty to protect and provide for his family.

What do you think? What have you experienced in your family? What role does your faith play in your families leadership?

97 Day Challenge

I've decided to take the challenge here to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. It shouldn't be too hard, I have to read just over 5 pages per day to finish in 97 days.



During this reading I'm really going to focus on the roles of women and mothers and work to develop a better sense of what I see as a tribal God(dess) set up in the scriptures (which is very intriguing to me and a line of thought I want to pursue further). I'm going to our local bookshop today to buy a special bookmark.



Who wants to join me? I'll blog regularly about what I've been reading and my take on it. Should be fun!

97 Day Challenge

I've decided to take the challenge here to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days. It shouldn't be too hard, I have to read just over 5 pages per day to finish in 97 days.



During this reading I'm really going to focus on the roles of women and mothers and work to develop a better sense of what I see as a tribal God(dess) set up in the scriptures (which is very intriguing to me and a line of thought I want to pursue further). I'm going to our local bookshop today to buy a special bookmark.



Who wants to join me? I'll blog regularly about what I've been reading and my take on it. Should be fun!