From Goddess Spirituality for the 21st Century
© Copyright 1997 by Judith Laura. All Rights Reserved.


 Waning Moon Invocation

On the wings of the waning moon,
we see the spiral arms of our galaxy,
and you, Goddess, are there.
On the wings of the waning moon,
we sense the spiral within us,
and you, Goddess, are there.
In the smallest of particles, you shine.
In waves of light, you flow.
In the dying of the darkest hole,
you bear the spark of new life.

Slowly fading crescent,
Honored Crone of change
Ancient One of transition,
open our minds to your wisdom
and our hearts to your love.
On the wings of the waning moon,
be with us here now.

[Reprinted in A Pagan's Muse (Kensington/Citadel 2003). Appears in slightly different form in Goddess 2000 Project's "Dancing the Goddess Home" Ritual ]

From She Lives! The Return of Our Great Mother
© Copyright Judith Laura 1989, 1999. All Rights Reserved.

Self-Blessing Belly Dance
(Dance of the Womb)

What is commonly called belly dance originated in ancient Goddess worship and is a mime of the birth process that helped women prepare for childbirth. It is a sacred dance. Since I first choreographed this dance in 1985, acknowledgment of this connection has become widespread and the reclaiming of this dance continues. In the sacred dance that follows, you may wish to vary or add to what is given.

(The four directions, beginning with the East, are blessed by extending arms upward, striking the zills (finger cymbals) once, while speaking or thinking the first line. Follow the striking of the zills with the movement known as "snake hands" in front of your body.)

(After blessing each direction, go to the center and begin spinning slowly. Continue this slow spin throughout the dance. As you chant the first line of each couplet, touch the designated part of your body three times with the ends of a long veil which also covers your head; then strike the zills once and rotate hands upward. As you chant the second line, draw your hands down in front of your body, palms facing your body, or use the snake arms gesture again.)

Bless my brain,
that I may always know your wisdom.

Bless my eyes,
that I may always see your beauty.

Bless my ears,
that I may always hear your music.

Bless my nose,
that I may always smell your fragrance.

Bless my lips and my tongue,
that I may always taste your goodness
and sing your praises.

Bless my touch,
that like yours, it may heal.

Bless my breasts (or heart),
that like you, I may nurture others.

Bless my womb (or sex or creativity),
oh Mother of All,
and bless the fruit of my womb
(or creations).

(Starting in the West, repeat the striking of zills and snake hands at each direction as in the beginning, while saying or thinking:)

Great Mother,
thank you for your protection
and for blessing this dance.

[This is the version from the 1999 10th Anniversary Edition of She Lives!  It contains updated instructions and information not available when the meditation was first published in SageWoman, Fall 1986, Issue 1, and  in the 1989 Crossing Press edition of She Lives!, and when it was reprinted in The SageWoman Cauldron (anthology 1993)]