December 2019 brings the magick of new beginnings, life-planning, and transformative action to our lives. This month, it is the grounding and abundant energy of the Goddess Gaia who helps us create a new foundation for 2020.
According to the Greeks, the Goddess Gaia was the primordial mother, the force of life that emerged from the void of chaos and gave the earth form. The ancestral mother of all of creation, she is the personification of the earth, and birthed all of the gods and thereby humanity. She was the land, and from her womb spilled the sea, Pontus, and the sky, Uranus. From her union with Uranus, the Titans were born; the sea-gods came from her mating with Pontus; the Giants came from her tryst with Tartarus (the Underworld). And mortals were said to be born directly from her flesh.
Gaia is represented by all things green and lush, and is generally depicted as a full figured woman rising from fertile soil. In Roman mythology, she was known as Terra.
Gaia teaches the true meaning of abundance.
Every day, in obvious and hidden ways, we are feed the idea of scarcity- that there is not enough money, love, food, comfort to go around. But this is a falsehood, brought to life from feelings of greed and inadequacy perpetuated by a patriarchal society. We are taught that in order to have our needs met, others have to go without. Even when we consciously understand this is not true, there sometimes remains an unconscious belief that there are limits on what we can have, and what the Goddess can supply.
Gaia reminds us that she is the ultimate source of all creation. Her power is omnipotent, her supply unlimited, her energy infinite. The flow cannot be stopped, and is available to us if we simply take the time to recognize her blessings in whatever form they come in. Her essence is of nourishment, Her will is to provide more than enough for all her children to be happy and taken care of.
An abundance of love.
An abundance of safety.
An abundance of comfort.
An abundance of wealth.
An abundance of nourishment.
For the Greeks, Gaia was a sacred and living presence whose laws were written in the lives of all creation. Greek thought held that the law of Gaia was not only the order of Nature but a moral order. A human crime (a profanity) against divine order was the original meaning of the word pollution.
Thus, we can look at greed, and fear of “not having enough” as a pollution of the spirit.
The thing is, Gaia is not in charge of the distribution of Her resources. We, her children, are. It is greed and fear which leads us to believe that we will be left without. It is our job to ask Mother Earth for what we need, for she gives to all who ask, and to accept it graciously. It is up to us to give our thanks for these blessings. With Mother Gaia, our purpose is to realize and accept her blessings with gratitude, then to spread that abundance throughout the world, until everyone and everything has what they need.
Celebration and commitment for Gaia comes from spending time in Nature and recognizing the blessings that we have been given. The world that surrounds and supports us is a moment-by-moment miracle – a divine ecosystem working in harmony and we must find our proper place in it. As we support Her, we are supported.
This cycle of giving and receiving is how Gaia reminds us of:
So, what is it that you need?
Make this question your journal focus for the month. Start with the basics, like shelter, food, etc, then move into your emotional needs, your spiritual needs, your physical needs. How does the earth, Mother Gaia provide for you? Would you feel confident going to Mother Gaia and asking for what you need? Or do you have doubts about Her ability to give, and your ability to receive?
December 12th 2019: Full Moon in Gemini
This Gemini Moon invites you to embrace your instincts and express your emotions. It’s a good time to pursue adventures regarding travel, romance, and new interests – or, at the very least, determine a plan to start inviting these types of escapades into your life. AS Gemini is an air sign which promotes a bit of scatterbrain energy, there may be a bit of a struggle to retain your focus. Pay attention to what and who in your life excites you, and plant your energy there.
Emotions are running high and low (it’s that twin/shadow thing) but feel free to express yourself because this lunar cycle is all about getting some stuff off your chest. Just be aware that this Gemini moon is opposing the Sagittarius sun, which means your logical mind may not be in its best form. You want to be spontaneous and open, not irresponsible and careless.
Connect with Gaia’s earth energy to help you remain emotionally and mentally balanced during this lunar cycle. You’ll want to ground and center yourself every morning this week, to ensure your decisions throughout the day aren’t rash or based in poverty consciousness.
December 26th 2019: New Moon in Capricorn, plus Solar Eclipse
Remember those fun, airy plans we were making at full moon? Well, now its time to make the earthly plans: career, success, and general adulting.
The Capricorn energy during this lunar cycle and Solar Eclipse gives you the opportunity to make changes that will affect your life into the New Year. It’s a perfect time for divination regarding 2020 – things like choosing your guiding word and overall Goddess for the year to come. This New Moon is all about new beginnings, in the larger sense. What goals do you have for the New Year? Is it time for a career change? What about improving your finances, and your standard of living? How can you further develop your Self and your abilities? And most importantly: what are the things in your life and in your heart that need to be left behind, so that you can move forward?
Gaia is an Earth Goddess, and Her energy carries the power of stability, growth, and blossoming – all the things you need to set a foundation of success and wholeness. Meditating and invoking Gaia during this New Moon and Solar Eclipse can heighten your vibration, and add an extra boost to your earthly endeavors.
All-Fertile, All-Destroying Gaia,
Mother of All, Who brings forth the bounteous fruits and flowers,
All variety, Maiden who anchors the eternal world in our own,
Immortal, Blessed, crowned with every grace,
Deep bosomed Earth, sweet plains and fields fragrant grasses in the nurturing rains,
Around you fly the beauteous stars, eternal and divine,
Come, Blessed Goddess, and hear the prayers of Your children,
And make the increase of the fruits and grains your constant care, with the fertile seasons Your handmaidens,
Draw near, and bless your supplicants.
Gaia Correspondences
Energy: nature, creativity, manifestation, the earth, grounding, nourishment, nurturing, mothering, abundance, prosperity, blooming and blossoming, fertility, growth, life and death, success, employment, supply and demand
Color: greens, browns, and blacks – but truly, all colors found in nature
Totem: all animals
Crystals: quartz, chrysocolla, peridot, malachite, agate, onyx, blue quartz, moss agate
Fragrance: rich earthy scents and bright florals
Suggested Resources:
GAIA Guiding Goddess Oil (limit quantities, available only during December 2019)
Nurturing Goddess Statue and Tealight Candles Holder
Goddess Circle Ceramic Tea Light Candle Holder
Louie Schwartzberg TED Talk on Nature. Beauty. Gratitude.
Sisters of the Earth: Women's Prose and Poetry About Nature by Lorraine Anderson
Lost Goddesses of Early Greece: A Collection of Pre-Hellenic Myths by Charlene Spretnak
Making Magic with Gaia: Practices to Heal Ourselves and Our Planet by Francesca Ciancimino Howell
The Gaia Oracle Cards by Toni Carmine Salerno