Nemetona

(England) Also known as She of the Sacred Grove.

Nemetona is the Celtic G.o.ddess of power places, sacred grounds and circles, labyrinths, and medicine wheels.

A shrine to Nemetona stands at the ancient healing spa, Bath, in southern England. In ancient times, Celts never held sacred ceremonies indoors-they were always held in open-air settings. Nemetona watched over these gatherings in the way that an angel or master would watch over a church or temple today.

I spoke with Nemetona, appropriately, at the sacred circle Stonehenge, not far from Bath. She struck me as being somber, stately, and stern in the most loving but no-nonsense way. Infused with ancient energy, she stands guard over power places, holding in the energy of the prayers invoked by people who visit these lands. Nemetona has overseen outdoor sacred rituals and ceremonies throughout time (she explained that they all occur simultaneously, instead of in linear time).

Nemetona said, "When you pray in a sacred power place, you join in a simultaneous reality with ancient rituals being currently performed in a parallel dimension. Prayers for increased power, psychic abilities, and manifesting abilities join with ancient tribal dances and sacred-rite prayers."

Helps with: Infusing ceremonies with guidance, overseeing wisdom, and protection s.p.a.ce clearing in your home's back and front yard INVOCATION.

When you begin a ceremony, especially one that involves having people stand or sit in a circle, or one where people walk a labyrinth, invoke Nemetona to oversee the process: "Sacred G.o.ddess, Nemetona, we invite your presence and partic.i.p.ation into our circle. Please infuse it with your magically loving energy, and bless all involved with our ceremony. Nemetona, please clear the s.p.a.ce in, around, below, and above our circle. Thank you."

Oonagh

(Ireland) Also known as Onaugh, Oona.

Oonagh was married to Fionnbharr, the head of the Tuatha De Danaans, the inhabitants of Ireland before the Gaelics took over the land. The Tuathas became leprechauns after the invasion. Oonagh was faithful and patient with her husband even though he had many affairs with human women.

In artwork, Oonagh is portrayed as having golden hair that's long enough to touch the ground. She's a G.o.ddess of devotion in love relationships, aesthetics, and magic; and she's also a fairy queen.

I called on Oonagh while sitting in the midst of an Irish fairy garden, and I saw the most beautiful vision of opalescent, shimmering, glittering light with the brightest fairy in the middle, glowing from the inside. I could hear music like a celestial choir, and instrumental hums emanating from her, as if her every move elicited an electric rhapsody of melodies. Oonagh didn't say anything-she just beamed with joy, love, and beauty.

When I asked Oonagh what she wanted to tell the readers of this book, she simply gushed, "Love." After a few moments of pregnant silence, she continued: "Be in Love. Not 'in love,' as in relationship love with just one other person, but be stationed in the midst of Love. That is what you see glowing around me. That is why your breath deepened, you smiled, and your heart rate increased when you first caught sight of me.

"It is I who inspires ballet and other lovely dance, for the flower fairies have taught us all to be graceful ballerina dancers in so many ways. Use movement to make your heart swell with excitement and grat.i.tude. Being stationary too long makes your legs swell and your body feel old and tired. Call upon me for the motivation to exercise, and I shall visit you at twilight and again just before dawn. I shall sprinkle over you my magical and potent fairy dust to get you moving upon awakening. I shall act as a physical therapist and dance coach to encourage you to stretch, sway, dance to rhythms in nature and music, and enjoy the beauty and grace of your heavenly body. Live in love."

Helps with: Beauty and attractiveness Dance and movement Divine magic Exercise and motivation Fairies, contacting Love relationships, all aspects of INVOCATION.

Oonagh loves to dance and move her body, and she loves it when we engage in this activity with her. To synchronize yourself to Oonagh's presence, imagine yourself as a graceful ballerina (male or female), dancing among the flowers. Better yet, stand up and dance in an imagined or real field of flowers. As you move around (in your imagination or in reality), think the word love repeatedly. Then, mentally ask Oonagh to dance with you. As she moves alongside you, have a mental conversation with her about your love life. Hold nothing back-tell her everything that's on your mind: your worries, desires, past relationship issues, and current situations. Notice how she lifts heaviness out of your heart during this conversation and helps you to feel light and carefree, which is the essence of faith. Thank Oonagh for her dance and her a.s.sistance.

Pele

(Hawaii) Also known as Ka-'ula-o-ke-ahi: Redness of the Fire.

Pele is the fire G.o.ddess who rules Hawaii's volcanos and takes various forms: a young, beautiful woman; a wizened crone; a dog; and a flame. In the Hawaiian islands, Pele is highly respected as a powerful deity.

Many legends surround Pele's origination. A common theme is Pele's sibling rivalry with her older sister, Hiiaka, G.o.ddess of the ocean. When Pele decided to use her firepower to bring land up from the sea to create new islands, her sister battled her. Hiiaka poured water onto Pele's beloved lava, and steam from the two warring sisters poured out of the volcanos.

Other tales are of Pele's tragic love affairs with mortals and G.o.ds. The lava is said to be Pele's hair and tears from her anguish over her love life. It's been said that taking lava rocks from the Hawaiian islands will result in Pele's wrath. Supposedly, many tourists have mailed back lava to the islands to undo bad-luck streaks that occurred after bringing the lava home.

Pele is a powerful yet trustworthy G.o.ddess who helps us tap in to our pa.s.sions and true heart's desires. In Kona, she told me, "We each have burning fire within us, fire that when properly channeled, fuels us with pa.s.sion and a sense of purpose. If we deny ourselves as we follow our desires and pa.s.sions, we may erupt in a volcano of fury. Even then, however, we can turn our anger and indignation into creative forms of beauty, much like when my lava flow hardens and turns to rock, allowing new soil and extensions of my islands to be formed."

Pele also helps us be more honest in relationships, especially when we're feeling angry or hurt. She knows that if we keep our feelings buried within us, the hidden anger will smother and extinguish the flames of pa.s.sion, or else explode like a volcano. Ask her for guidance when you need to tell someone that you're angry with them so that you can keep the pa.s.sion in that relationship alive.

Helps with: Empowerment Energy Goal-setting and goal-getting Honest communication in relationships Pa.s.sion Prioritizing INVOCATION.

As the G.o.ddess of sacred fire, Pele helps us burn a flame of pa.s.sion in our careers, relationships, and lives as a whole. If you feel that your life is colorless in any way, call upon Pele for help. First, light a warm-colored candle (such as red, orange, yellow, or white), then stare at the flame and say with great reverence and respect: "Sacred G.o.ddess Pele, I ask for your help in reigniting my inner flame. Help me be illuminated with pa.s.sion for life. [If you have a special project or relationship that you'd like to get enthusiastic about, describe it to her now.] Help me temper this pa.s.sion with loving kindness, and summon up the courage to speak my truth if anger arises within me."

Saint Francis

(Catholic) Also known as Saint Francis of a.s.sisi, Francis Bernardone, Poverello.

Born Francis Bernardone in 1181, in a.s.sisi, Italy, into a rich family, Francis spent his youth getting into his share of trouble. As a young adult, he served part time as a soldier, during which time he was imprisoned. It was in that Perugia jail that Francis had a epiphany, wherein he heard Jesus tell him to put aside his worldly life. This experience profoundly changed him, and when he was released, he followed a path of spirituality and devotion.

Francis led the life of an acetic, dressing and acting like a beggar while preaching about Jesus and peace. He volunteered in hospitals, ministering to the sick, and formed a spiritual order called The Franciscans in 1212.

Francis may be best remembered for his Dr. Doolittle-like interactions with animals. Legend says that during an outing, he saw a flock of birds. As Francis stopped and began preaching to them, the birds c.o.c.ked their heads and behaved like members of an enthralled audience. After Francis was done, he walked next to the birds, even brushing them with his jacket, and they didn't move. After that experience, Francis began preaching to birds, animals, and reptiles about G.o.d's love. They responded to him as tame, rather than wild, animals. For instance, the birds would become quiet as he spoke, and a wild rabbit continually jumped on his lap even after he put it on the ground several times. Similarly, a wolf accused of killing and harming both people and animals became placid under Francis's loving guidance.

He wrote many prayers and meditations, including the famous Prayer of Saint Francis: Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

when there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so

much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand,

to be loved as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we're pardoned,

and it's in dying [to ourselves] that we're born to eternal life.

Francis pa.s.sed into the spirit world on October 4, 1226, and two years later, he was canonized as Saint Francis of a.s.sisi.

I've seen Saint Francis in the presence of many of my clients who are animal lovers, or whose life purpose involves helping and healing these wonderful creatures. He continues to be a pa.s.sionate advocate of animals, and helps us learn from these wise and gentle beings with whom we share the planet.

Helps with: Animal communication and healing Career, finding a meaningful Environmentalism Life's purpose, finding one's Peace, personal and global Spiritual devotion Youths trying to overcome delinquency INVOCATION.

Since Saint Francis is so closely a.s.sociated with nature and animals, you'll feel the greatest connection with him in a natural setting or when you're with your pets or other animals. A kind, grandfatherly being, Saint Francis will come to anyone who calls upon him, especially if you're willing to help animals or the environment. If you're outside in nature, use all of your senses to enjoy the beauty: smell the fragrances, listen to the sounds, and feel the wind blowing past you. If you're indoors with pets, use your senses to notice details as well. The point is to slow down and appreciate nature's intricacies and loveliness.

As you're immersed in appreciation, mentally ask Saint Francis to join you (chances are that he already has before you even called upon him). When you sense his presence, take a few moments to talk to him cordially, just like you're engaging in conversation with a friend.

Saint Francis always asks us to take our time and appreciate the moment, so you needn't rush while asking Saint Francis for help or for a Divine a.s.signment. Just enjoy the mental conversation, and allow the topics to naturally flow to the point where you request his a.s.sistance. As you develop this bond of friendship, you'll start to mutually support one another-you from your vantage point on the Earth plane, and he from his heavenly home.

Saint-Germain