In the Name of The Mother...

Nine Vows for the Ninefold Goddess

Less a movement - more of a meme!

This a project to honour The Mother and to encourage affirmative action in protecting and supporting mothers and children world wide.

The main aspect of the meme, is to spread awareness of the vows, and encourage everyone to put their name, and their beliefs, behind them. All you need do is sign into this, or the other groups set up. By doing so, you are agreeing to take the Nine Vows.

There are nine vows to match the nine points on the Star of the Goddess. (This nine pointed star is sometimes called The Ninefold Goddess.) When one continuous line is drawn in this encircled nine pointed star, it creates a matrix of living, moving energy, within a stable protecting whole. This matrix is the womb, from which all life springs, and therefore this symbol represents The Goddess in all her aspects.

The nine vows are designed to allow you to reflect, and act, upon aspects of everyday life that will uphold and protect the core belief of female centred religions: that all life and love we know flows from The Mother.

For the life she has birthed us, We, as Her Children, owe Her all honour and respect. By honouring and respecting all mothers, and all children, we celebrate Her in all Her aspects and wisdom.

In the Name of the Mother... I thus avow...

... I vow to help enable all women to have the freedom to choose their partner/s as they will it, and according to whatever vision of The Consort they endear to.

... I vow to help enable all women to have access to appropriate fertility services.

... I vow to help enable all women to have access to appropriate maternity services.

... I vow to help enable all women to have access to appropriate lactation services.

... I vow to support all children in breastfeeding freely for as long as they and their mother mutually desire.

... I vow to help enable all mothers to be able to access appropriate paid maternity leave and provison in order to enable them to mother their children according to their will and desire.

... I vow to help ensure that loving, caring and nurturing child care is available to all children for when such is required by their mother.

... I vow to support all orphaned or abandoned children in knowing the loving arms of a mother.

... I vow to support all bereaved mothers in their loss and to support them in their pathway to understanding, acceptance and hope.

Thus shall it be.

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The Image of The Mother... a smaller meme to aid a larger one!

The pagan revival has meant that interest and understanding of knowing The Mother has never been greater. Yet images and awareness of The Mother continue to be mediated through a patriarchal lens. Images in Wicca, and other female centred traditions, continue to perpetuate the image of woman as that of a sexually attractive and alluring 'maiden'.

Every now and then, there is a pregnant image of the perfect young woman, or the very rare image of the perfect young woman breastfeeding a tiny faceless bundle. Where are the children?

Stand in any gathering, and look at the images on the items in the stalls, the t-shirts, pendants around the neck? Examine the artwork and the tarot cards. Look at the range of female forms available to you. For every representation of The Mother within Maiden/Mother/Hag... how many have children in them?

The very essence of being a mother, is that you have a child. In a world that seeks to seperate mothers and children, and remove the children in our community to seperate rooms and seperate lives, this project seeks to redress the balance.

The Image of The Mother is a project to encourage new images in our beleifs and traditions. The Mother of Us All, is represented as a day to day mother, surrounded by her children. She is a powerful mother, a symbol of life and living, and her children are part of her journey. She does not enter their world: they enter hers.
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She is The Mother and she has children. Children which are the centre of everyday life, in everday communities. They go with her shopping, they go to the restaurant, they attend conventions and Fests and they are at the table when bread is broken. The poorer classes in all nations have always kept their children close by them - and that has, until now, been lost in the images surrounding our worship. We seek to bring the children back to the arms of the Goddess, and in front of your eyes! You are a child of the Goddess, where are your siblings?

For a piece of art to qualify for the Image of The Mother, it must contain a powerful mother with her children. The children must be with her in real space and time, as she goes about her life and living. It can be one child, it can be many. They must be with her, and of her.

Somewhere in the imagery, the nine pointed star, the Star of the Goddess, should appear. This is a common theme that will identify the image as part of this idea of re-imaging our traditions. The Star can be round her neck, on the ball of the children playing, on the spokes of a bike or a wheelchair, woven into a sling, or on her head as a diadem. It must be present somewhere.

There is no prize, no organisation, no event. Just a meme to enocurage drawing, painting, photos, sculpture, tarot card design - anything you feel that moves you. Encourage you to create an Image of The Mother, and to share it with others.

Drawings and photos etc should be posted in the various groups so we can all share in Her Glory.
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http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15643372199

http://community.livejournal.com/the_nine_vows/profile

This is a bookmark site, to explain the project to all who read it. Feel free to copy the details and set up sites in other internet communites. You can post "I vow" as an affirmation of the Nine Vows here in comments if you wish.

Artwork and projects will be posted in the above community sites. If you set up a new community site, post it here and I'll edit into this message.