I’ve just finished the fourth of seven classes for a class on Aphrodite.
It’s the first class I’ve created from scratch about a godd that I work with personally and that I don’t really talk about…
Until now.
It’s a relationship that is mine and mine alone. I don’t care what other people think of whether I’m doing it ‘right’ or not. It’s my relationship.
And even in the class, I don’t tell people what to do. It’s their relationship to create. To build. To grow.
Excerpt: Bringing Chants into Practice
When the memory of Her birth on sea foam glides into my mind, I know Her to be birthing and arising. From this place, I can offer gratitude and reverence. From a place of true exploration, it becomes less of how to make something happen and more of allowing something to emerge.
If you are seeking to create a chant for Aphrodite, think on the ways that you already encounter and experience Her. Think on the things you want to ask Her or the things you want to emulate in Her.
Perhaps it is love. Perhaps it is sexual desire. Perhaps it is joy.
Perhaps it is something different.
Bring yourself into a state of connection with the feeling that you want to explore. I invite the possibility that you can do this simply by showing up as you are. You can step into the expanse of desire to create and thus become a creator.
Things You Need:
- Time and privacy
- Paper
- A writing instrument you enjoy holding
- A recording device (if you have access and want for coming back to the song/chant)
To begin, bring out a piece of paper and allow yourself 10 minutes to write down everything you want to see happen in the chant or song. What do you want to say? What do you want to invoke? What do you want to feel?
Let it all out on the page, even if you’re not sure it’s right or proper in this moment. Just let everything out to play on the paper. You may want to write small or large or you might find you come back to the same word again and again.
If you’re stuck on what to say, write out a word and then write out all the words that you relate to this word. Write out images and feelings and experiences. Capture what you can with the realization that your work is between you and Her.
Once you have all the words on the paper, take a breath. Thank yourself for your action. Thank yourself for your vulnerability.
Close your eyes and think about Her. Call into your mind what you think She looks like, whether this is the vision of Her in a seashell or the one who luxuriates in some beautiful place. Bring Her into your mind as best you can, with all the qualities you know of and those that still seem right to you.
When Her energy has filled you and started to electrify your skin and bones, take a moment to ask Her for guidance. Ask Her for how you need to know Her and how you to need to celebrate Her at this time.
The moment you feel you have Her within you and the moment you feel Her guiding you, open your eyes again and read the words that you have on the paper. Soften your gaze and find the words that are calling to your attention first. Circle those.
You may find that you only circle a few words. You might circle more than a few words. You may find you circle groups of words.
Once you feel done with this point, begin to write the words you circled on a new piece of paper. Find out what you have brought into awareness. Can you make sentences out of these? Can you create a poem that rhymes?
Or maybe you find the words are able to come together in a chant that doesn’t need fillers or polishing.
What do you see? What is the gift that She gave you and that you are giving back to Her?
Some find that they can settle here and stop with the chant writing process.
Others might begin to feel a tune in their minds and try to sing different things until the song feels complete. This is why it can be helpful to have a recording device. It can help you try out new things until you find something that you like – and then remember it when you’re done.
You can continue in this space for as long as you like. You might turn your time with Aphrodite into a ritual or a spell working or a quiet time of reflection.
You might simply bask in the beauty of Her willingness to create with you. Or you might find that you create a song or chant, thank Her, and then stop what you are doing for the moment.
You can stay in the trance-like state for as long as you like. I only suggest that you find a way to bring things to a close by putting the paper away and having something to snack on at the end to ground yourself.
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I’d love to hear how this practice worked for you, so comment or reach me at my website!
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