Posts Tagged ‘comparative religion’

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Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. My guest today is Heather Mendel, born in South Africa, she now resides in the US, where she teaches classes in Kabbalah with a feminine approach to Judaism. Her book is: Dancing in the Footsteps of Eve: Retrieving the healing gift of the Sacred Feminine for the human family through myth and mysticism.

Kala: Heather, you write about the mystical Four Worlds of Kabbalah— Intuition, Thought, Emotion and Action, accessed by the archetypal Mystic, Student, Dreamer and Humanitarian within. Can you give us a brief explanation about the four words and the archetypes?

Heather: There are many ways we engage and experience reality. We think, we feel and we act— for too many raised in western traditions, we have diminished the riches of the intuitive realm. Mysticism not only reinstates the validity of the intuitive but also acknowledges the interrelationship of intuition, thought, feeling and action as of equal importance. On the stages of our inner worlds, archetypal characters play their parts as we live out our lives. I imagine the interplay of four of them in our inner worlds. The Mystic seeks and integrates images and feelings from the intuitive realm— processing and connecting dreams, hunches, and gut-feelings. She invites us to note the synchronicities and ‘co-incidences’ that, if we attend to them, fill our days. Co-incidence we are told, is God’s way of remaining anonymous:-)

The Student dwells in the realm of language and logic and thrives through learning about the physical world, past and future, that we access through the five senses. The nostalgic and romantic Dreamer remembers times past and longs for a better future. She projects her visualizations of how the world could be. The Humanitarian understands that what we do is more important than what we think or believe. As a sacred activist she knows that alone, she cannot correct all that is wrong in the world. With the input from the Mystic, the Student and the Dreamer, she wisely chooses the areas about which she feels passionate about and tries to make a difference in those spheres by appreciating diversity, celebrating commonalities and practicing an inclusive, non-judgmental love for life that causes harm to none.

Kala: I’ve studied comparative religions my entire life, beginning in my childhood. I’ve always felt/known/believed that the story of Eve is wrong. Many of the Jewish teachings are parables, to teach and explain and not meant to be taken as completely literal. Over the centuries, the story of Eve appears to have been used to cast a shadow over the Divine Feminine, as Patriarchal rule began to arise. That’s my thoughts on the matter. Please share with our readers what your research and writings have uncovered….

Heather: A Buddhist teaching reminds us that the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon— the stories we tell, sacred and secular are all parables that invite us to delve below the surface as we seek the full meaning of the metaphors used. The story of the Garden of Eden is an ancient answer to the perennial questions of who are we and why we are here. Written thousands of years after the patriarchy was established in the Ancient Near East, the literal version of the story that we all know so well describes ‘Eve’ as the disobedient temptress and describes an earlier stage of human development that was hierarchical. God was envisaged as the authoritarian parent who needed obedience above all else. As we evolve out of our spiritual childhood as a human species, we are ready for a new story. Judaism teaches that biblical text was never meant to be read only on a literal level and offers at least four deepening levels of understanding for these ancient tales.

We are co-creators with Divinity. Delving beneath the surface of the literal story of the Garden of Eden, the metaphoric Eve, resident within each of us, emerges as humanity’s hero— the intuitive aspect of all human beings that leads our story forward. At the start, the human journey begins because of Eve’s blessed curiosity and courage. With Eve recognized and reinstated in the present, our human connection to the Sacred Feminine is reaffirmed. We honor our God-given gifts of courage and intuitive curiosity that God intends us to use— when we are ready for all that life in the physical world brings including the pain, suffering and separation as well as the joys, delights and successes that are part of every human experience. As we dance in Eve’s footsteps we reawaken the Divine Feminine whom we welcome back into our midst.

Kala: What about Lilith? Did you look deeper into the story and parables about her life?

Heather: Lilith was not a biblical character but appears in the Talmud— ancient Jewish wisdom literature that interprets biblical text. In the story of feminine energy that predates the patriarchy, she represents ‘the wild woman within.’ The legend of Lilith describes the first ‘wife of Adam’ —women’s potential prior to the patriarchy. She is the archetypal shadow of Eve, feared by men who believe that subjugation of the feminine is necessary for male empowerment. Lilith refused to be dominated and flies away. Adam asks for Divine help to bring her back, to no avail.

As women and men, we all have the power to reinvest Lilith energy into our lives and honor our independence, our intuitive wisdom and our willingness to step forward into life and its challenges with courage and fortitude.

Kala: What do you believe that the Divine Feminine presence is bringing to humanity at this time?

Heather: The feminine face of God offers balance, harmony and healing. Represented by the human capacity for true intimacy and respectful relationship with one another and the natural world, She knows that the unseen aspects of lives need to be honored. Through storytelling and deep listening she offers a pathway to sharing our and intuitive wisdom. She reminds us to laugh and not take ourselves so seriously, to still the busyness of our clock-and-calendar-driven world of past and future (Chronos) and take time to live in the present moment that is Kairos. All of these possibilities bring balance and healing to a fractured existence.

Kala: Many patriarchal religions have eliminated the Goddess/Divine Feminine from their belief systems. Do you feel that there will be a return to understanding and embracing the Goddess?

Heather: During the thousands of years of the patriarchy, She may have been dethroned, demoted and diminished but never destroyed. She is rising from the depths and we feel the transformation in consciousness that is underway. We see it in the breakdown of patriarchal institutions, the breakthrough of the blindness that separated us from nature and the natural setting which the Garden of Eden symbolizes. She is helping us to break away from hierarchical discrimination based on the outdated paradigm. As we move away from the exclusionary rituals of organized religious traditions that separate us, we reclaim the spiritual underpinnings of all faiths in which our commonality lies. In so doing, we are able to reinvest religion with spiritual sanctity. The Divine Feminine will not overpower the Divine Masculine as both are needed for the maximizing the full potential of the human journey of spiritual beings. As She takes back her power, She brings alignment, balance, healing and harmony as our consciousness continues to evolve. In Judaism there is a perfect name and image for God that fits this new evolution in consciousness— neither female nor male, God is intuited as “I shall be that I shall be” – Divinity that is constantly present and continually changing as we evolve and grow into knowing the right questions to ask.

Kala: Heather, thank you for joining me here on Kala’s Quick Five. More about Heather and her book can be found at her website: www.dancinginthefootstepsofeve.com

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More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. She lectures on the Ancient Wisdom Teachings of Egypt and the Mystery Schools, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom. More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com and readings and consultations with available at: http://www.exploreyourspirit.com/psychic.html

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Welcome to Kala’s Quick Five, where I chat with fascinating authors, artists, teachers and researchers and ask them five questions about their work. Our guest today is Dr. Gabriel Constans, author of the novel, Buddha’s Wife. Gabriel Constans has served the community since 1974 as a grief counselor, chaplain, social worker and massage therapist and is certified in Thought Field Therapy (TFT). He is the co-parent to five children in The States and an extended family at ROP Center for Street Children in Rwanda.

Kala: Gabriel, thousands of books, texts and stories have followed Siddhartha’s path to becoming The Buddha (and his teachings), but little has been written about his wife Yasodhara, how she reacted to his leaving her and their newborn child in the middle of the night, and her desire to find compassion and enlightenment for herself and others. What prompted you to write this book?

Gabriel: Until it was pointed out to me a number of years ago by a friend, I had forgotten that The Buddha had even been married (when he was known as Siddhartha). Even though I’d been a Buddhist for 40 years, none of my teachers had spoken about it, let alone told me about his leaving his wife and only child just days after he was born. I wanted to give Yasodhara (pronounced Ya show da rah) a voice, as well as all the other nuns and women followers.

Kala: How does the novel discuss the portrayal of women in literature and religious life, in the past and in the present?

Gabriel: Buddha’s Wife is told from Yasodhara’s perspective, as she is dying. She speaks about her life as a young girl, when married to Siddhartha, her grief and despair when he left, her life later as a nun and when she is older and leaves the order. A number of facts about Buddha’s reluctance to allow women to become nuns and his belief that “women would be the downfall of the order”are all spoken of in the story as they happened. Many of the issues women faced at that time and place (India around 550 BC) are still being perpetuated in present day, in a number of religious contexts (not just Buddhist).

Kala: Were this story to take place today, do you think Siddhartha would handle things differently?

Gabriel: Perhaps, but there have been many well known men who have been involved in large religious or social movements in the last century who also had little time for their own families or much connection with their children. We (Sacred World Productions and I) are presently in pre-production to make a film based on the book, yet set in a contemporary setting. It will be dealing with this question most intimately.

Kala: What does the novel teach about compassion, inspiration and forgiveness?

Gabriel: Even though the grief and loss experienced by Yasodhara, her son and family (when Siddhartha leaves them in the middle of the night) was great, she eventually finds a way to both acknowledge the pain and reality that it caused, while also finding forgiveness and compassion, not only for Siddhartha, but for people in general, even the woman she believes became involved with her husband later on. She doesn’t forget, but uses her life experience to work on herself and find ways to let go of her anger and resentment.

Kala: In the story, Yasodhara shares her belief that Siddhartha was scared of intimacy, emotion and love. Can you explain the thoughts around this idea to our readers?

Gabriel: I believe some people (historically male) find it difficult to share emotional love and intimacy with another. It is too threatening and raw and reveals the truth of who they are, as opposed to how they perceive themselves or wish to be, that they avoid it altogether or never completely commit. Many men (especially well known) are comfortable being superficially involved with thousands of people (in some role or capacity), but shy away from one to one relationships. In Buddha’s Wife, Yasodhara gives examples of why she believes that may be the case with Siddhartha.

Kala: Thanks for your time Gabriel, appreciate your time on Kala’s Quick Five. For more information about Buddha’s Wife and Gabriel Constans work, visit http://www.gogabriel.com or http://www.buddhaswife.com

Gabriel: Thank you for the excellent questions and the opportunity to share a little about the novel Buddha’s Wife.

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Enjoyed this article? Kala welcomes your comments and reads them all. Don’t miss a thing! Subscribe by clicking the button at the top right corner of this article. By doing so, you’ll receive e-mail updates every time a new article by Kala Ambrose is posted – and it’s free! To read archived articles by Kala Ambrose, visit her main page at National Metaphysical Spirituality Examiner.

Join Kala on July 23-25, 2010 as she teaches at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York for a weekend workshop entitled:
Energy Anatomy: Exploring and Healing Your Auras and Chakras.

More about Kala Ambrose: Kala Ambrose is an award winning author, business intuitive and talk show host of the Explore Your Spirit with Kala Show. Her thought-provoking interviews entice listeners to tune in around the globe! Described by her guests and listeners as discerning, empowering and inspiring, she speaks with world renowned authors, artists, teachers and researchers delving into metaphysical, holistic and paranormal topics. As a business intuitive she brings a wealth of knowledge to corporations, businesses and individuals providing insightful solutions with a competitive edge to achieve their business and personal goals.

Kala’s book, 9 Life Altering Lessons: Secrets of the Mystery Schools Unveiled delves into the mysteries of ancient Egyptian mystery schools and explains their wisdom teachings. Kala’s Guided Meditations CD’s include a sacred site trilogy including Spirit of Hawaii, Egyptian Mystery Temple and Tibetan Mountain Journey. Kala Ambrose is a highly interactive teacher on a mission to educate, entertain and inspire. Kala lectures on Wisdom Teachings, Developing Business Intuition, Working with Auras, Chakras and Energy Fields, and Wise Woman Wisdom (also known as the Divine Feminine). More information about Kala at: www.ExploreYourSpirit.com

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