Hello All!

It's my favorite season! This is a short greeting, as I am off to play in the forests, after which I will be wandering the streets, begging for candy from strangers! Hooray October!

Have a safe and wonderful Samhain everyone, know that I am praying your New Year is bright, and may the best of your past be the worst of your future.

 

Blessings,

Brandi Auset

The Goddess Votary of Los Angeles is a spiritual temple dedicated to the celebration and worship the Divine Feminine. Also referred to as Goddess, Mother Earth, and Nature, the Divine Feminine can simply be defined as the female aspect of God. At GVLA, we embrace the practices and ideology of the modern Goddess movement and the use of holistic metaphysics to promote the healing and wholeness of the human consciousness. It is our belief that through spiritual education and compassionate living, the true spirit of humanity can be restored, and the loving essence of the Goddess will not only spread throughout the Los Angeles community, but the World.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit religious organization, our purpose is to create a sacred space where women and men may come together, and where the Divine aspect of Goddess is honored. We are committed to providing an awareness of Goddess spirituality through workshops, speaker events, sacred pilgrimages and celebrations. In addition to providing weekly services and rituals, GVLA aids the community with charitable programs supporting social change, health and wellness, and environmental activism.

The vision of GVLA is to build a Temple Sanctuary and an Educational Retreat Center in the greater Los Angeles area. We are also holding the vision for the complete fruition of GVLA's many social projects. Donations of all sorts - whether tangible, emotional, energetic, or monetary - are gratefully and lovingly accepted.

For more information, contact info@goddessvotary.org

Animal Totem of the Month

Dragonfly

The magic of the dragonfly inhabits both water and air, and brings in the influence of passion balanced with mental clarity. The dragonfly pushes us to move past illusions, to see the true colors of every situation. When the dragonfly appears, be ready for serious yet joyful transformation to take place in your life, generally in cycles of two days, weeks, months, or years.

Artist Russelle Westbrook of California is creating beautiful pieces of feminine art. Her website "The Forgotten Goddesses" is a splendor of color, imagination, and magick. I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Westbrook recently about the wonder of her work.

How did you discover your talent for art?

R: Although it was in my genes (there were many professional artists in the family) I did not know it myself until a teacher in fifth or sixth grade took me under his wing and convinced me I had talent. I later got accepted to Parson's School of Design and majored in Communications - not a good fit!


How did you get started as a professional artist?

R: I taught myself to paint when I moved to California in 1987 and had a body of work and a gallery show within a year. My work was completely different back then; I was still making "observations" but my technique was different and my knowledge of anatomy was abysmal. I started doing portraits as gifts and women started to find my by word of mouth. In 2004 my life and my style changed quite dramatically and is, as you see it, today.


Do you work from life, photographs, or your imagination?

R: All three. It depends on what I am painting. I work from photographs when I am working on a portrait and whatever reference family members send me. When I paint "for myself", I use my imagination, I work outside for landscape reference, and use the work of my favorite painters for reference as well - say, if I need a hand facing a certain way. I also use objects in my own home, including quite frequently my Grandmothers ring.


What techniques do you use? What mediums do you work in?

R: I have no idea what technique I use, but a teacher once described my work as "magical realism". I work exclusively in oils. I use glazes and fan brushes to rid my work of any brush strokes. Some of my paint brushes have three or four hairs on them as I am very detail oriented. I'm not sure why I cannot abide brush strokes in my own work - I certainly admire the use of them in the work of many other artists.


What do you feel is more important – content or technique?

R: I am always trying to become a better painter and I take reference from everywhere. However, content is always more important to me. In my own work there are messages and symbols all over the place. Whether or not the viewer is aware of all of them does not matter - I am, and there is enough content in my work so that most women pick up on a lot intuitively and emotionally.


What do you feel the role of an artist is in society?

R: To be quite honest, I have only recently realized that I had something to share with the world through my art. I believe that each artist must decide whether or not they feel the need to contribute, or not. We ultimately paint for ourselves, and only the individual can decide whether or not he/she needs to, or feels the need to, play a "role in society", i.e. to affect change, to document.


Your work focuses on women, goddess, and the Divine Feminine. How do you feel your subject matter reflects/affects society?

R: I know my work has a profound affect on women for which I am incredibly grateful. As mentioned, women really respond on an emotional level to my work and are not at all put off by the wounds and the scars. Women seem to instinctively understand that I am painting from the inside out. As a woman living in a Patriarchal society, I am fascinated by the way most women, myself included, subjugate themselves without even knowing it, in almost all avenues of their lives, but especially in regards to their relationships. I am also fascinated by the differences in how women and men deal with matters of the heart. Grief. Anger. Wounding, past and present. Of interest, is that my male friends appreciate the visual imagery in my work almost exclusively, but are most often puzzled and/or frightened by the wounds. These differences fascinate me also.

Much of your work feels very personal, and evokes emotional responses in the audience. What inspires you to create, and how much of yourself is in each painting?

R: Everything in the work I have created since 2004 is about me. Each was created by my hand. Each bears my symbol. Every brush stroke contains a piece of my heart. Every painting is the direct result of my own life force, my questions, my angst, my sense of beauty, my processing of my own emotions. Every painting also contains elements of both life and death, light and dark, as I am fascinated by the way we manage to live with both every day. The world is truly a fascinating place.

Ms. Westbrook also works on commission, in addition to helping children find their artistic talents. Visit her website at http://www.theforgottengoddess.com

New Workshops!

Guided Chakra Meditation - Our energy can sometimes flow too strongly or too weakly. If this happens in one or more chakras, there can be a corresponding disharmony that affects our health and ease in life. In this guided meditation, we will explore and empower our energy centers using affirmations and visualization, while learning to recognize and release blockages in our own body, mind, and spirit.

Saturday November 7th 2009 ~ 12pm to 1:30pm in West Hollywood CA
Energy Exchange: $15
To register or for more information, contact Priestess Auset at info@brandiauset.com

 

 

---

Reiki Magick & Rituals - Reiki practitioners all over the world promote healing and a raising of the consciousness. However, some never learn the power of simple ritual techniques to create sacred space, safety, comfort and transformation. Rituals engage us and our clients to take an active role in healing. In this workshop you will learn how to use magickal and practical rituals to empower yourself and your clients for the highest healing good. Teachings will be based on a variety of information, including Christopher Penczak’s book, The Magick of Reiki. You must be a Reiki Level II practitioner to attend this workshop.

Sunday November 15th 2009 ~ 11am to 1pm in Burbank CA
Energy Exchange: $35
To register or for more information, contact Priestess Auset at info@brandiauset.com

---

Meditation Group Forming! - The ultimate aim of a meditation practice is to connect to the Higher Self, creating mindfulness and grounding your Spirit in love and trust. This weekly meditation group will include guided sessions, periods of reflection and silence, exploration into varying meditation styles, as well as group discussion.
Beginners to meditation are welcome!

Wed. evenings 7pm to 9pm beginning November 4th 2009 in Hollywood CA
Energy Exchange: by donation
To register or for more information, contact Priestess Auset at info@brandiauset.com

---

Online Classes coming soon!

Have an idea for an online class? Contact Brandi Auset!

Check out the new fun feature! CROSSWORD PUZZLES!

I am a big fan of crosswords and word searches, so I decided to make pagan themes puzzles a new part of the newsletter. Give the first crossword a try - you can print it out or complete it online - and be sure to send some feedback to me!

Crossword #1 - Common Goddesses -- online -- print

AVAILABLE NOW from Llewellyn Worldwide Publications

THE GODDESS GUIDE

by Priestess Brandi Auset

Which goddess will help me invite love into my life? Is there an Indian goddess who presides over wealth? Does Kuan Yin represent compassion or truth?

For anyone who's ever wondered which form of the Divine Feminine to invoke for a particular ritual, blessing, prayer, or meditation, The Goddess Guide is a goddess-send! As the first and only book of its kind on the market today, this invaluable at-a-glance cross-reference offers instant info on more than 400 goddesses from diverse cultures around the world—simply look up the keyword that best matches your intention.

The goddesses are organized according to their names, attributes, colors, elements, sabbats, light and dark feminine aspects (maidens, mothers, and crones), and geographical regions. Get to know all aspects of the goddesses who bring about healing, heightened passion, success, weight loss, and much more. This reference book deserves a spot on every serious practitioner's bookshelf.

Buy Now: Llewellyn ~ Borders ~ Amazon ~ IndieBound