January 6th traditionally kicks off the Christian season of Epiphany.
A season of epiphanies sounds like a very fine thing, what with thousands of birds dropping dead from the sky and fish washing up dead in waters around the world, amongst other things (the inmates running the asylum in Washington, D.C., perpetual economic malfeasance & challenge, and so on, and so on).
A seriously big, delicious, delight-full dose of fresh epiphany (and the courage and joie de vivre to go with it) seems like good medicine.
So what might it be like to open 2011 with a fresh look at Epiphany -- and opening to the magic of epiphany throughout the year? What if we devoted to cultivating an Epiphany garden?
To really get into the spirit of a thing, bring it alive in my mind, body and spirit, I love to dive into the derivation of the word and its ancient history. I'm always amazed by what comes up, and by how things seems to weave back together in a way that can inspire and provide guidance.
For example...
On the face of it, Epiphany falls on January 6th on the Christian (Gregorian) calendar, wrapping the "12 Days of Christmas" and traveling towards Lent. But as with most of these traditions, Epiphany has deeper, far more ancient roots and meaning.
The word 'epiphany', if we look at the Latin, Greek, and Indo-European roots of 'epi' and 'phaneia', means to 'show forth', to manifest. Think of Divine manifestations, aha moments, intuitive inspirations, and revelations presenting themselves, often in a flash (and sometimes in that very sacred space: the shower). Yes, we like those.
As I contemplated the word 'epiphany' and let my very associative-mind do its thing, I remembered coming across mention of Phanes, a Greek deity from the Orphic tradition. Phanes was one of the Greek creator gods, sometimes associated with Eros and the highly symbolic Cosmic Egg from which all of creation is born.
A related Orphic concept is Metis -- from the ancient Goddess tradition (mother of the Goddess Athena), and meaning "Wisdom", "thought", or blending these, "wise thought" sourced from the Feminine sensibility.
Phanes, in this role, "brings to light" and, one might say, brings Light and "wise thought" into manifested form.
If you take a look at the images of the "light-bringing" God, Phanes, you can easily notice the similarities to the images of the very ancient Great Goddess (Lilith, Inanna, Ashterah, Elat), who also had an aspect known as the Light-Bringer, associated with the cycles of the bright planet Venus.
The concepts of the Light-Bringer, the Divine influence that brought inspiration, insight, revelation, vision, creative imagination, guidance -- epiphanies -- have a long, long history.
Though various things were used to symbolize this Divine Love-Light and inspiration -- planets, trees, the moon, silver, gold, fire, water, and so on -- the heart of it is the Divine inspiration and epiphany available to us. A Divine inheritance, so to speak.
Like a good garden, where the soil must be tended and prepared so that the seeds and plants may flourish, we do the same to create fertile ground for epiphany, inspiration, and Divine guidance. Sort of a 'return to the Garden' type of thing.
As we look around us, to the challenges that arise for us personally and to the great challenges that face us collectively, we definitely need more Divine inspiration and epiphany for more creative, inspired, imaginative awareness and approaches -- ones that go well beyond the short-sighted, greed-centered 'same old' that's holding center-stage now.
As Albert Einstein said, we can't solve the problems we face by doing what got us into the pickle to begin with. Even if the folks in Washington, D.C., Wall Street, and elsewhere are giving the 'same old, same old' back-and-butt-patting old frat-boy try. Einstein pretty much said that's the definition of insanity.
As we walk the path of great transformation, on the shifting ground of an old paradigm collapsing and a new one just beginning to take shape, we're not going to think our way forward or muscle our way forward. That's old-paradigm.
Truly creative, inspired approaches come from softer, more mysterious ground of the Feminine, intuition, vision, luminous imagination, heart-centered receptivity to inspiration and step-by-step guidance. Epiphany.
How about tilling the soil and cultivating an Epiphany garden? Who knows what will sprout and bloom as we travel this new year.
Blessings,
Jamie
** Cultivate the Feminine, Reclaim Your Mojo - Join us in the Feminine Mojo Mystery School.
** For more on our ancient Divine heritage & gifts of inspiration, listen to my recent Feminine Mojo Show interview with Scholar and Mystic, John Lamb Lash.
Image Credits: Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Delights (detail), circa 1500; Phanes, from Greco-Roman bas relief circa 2nd century (Modena); Osmosis Zen Garden.
