Author Archives

I'm an artistic, creative, somewhat eclectic person with a huge passion for painting, dance,sunsets,travel,friends and life in general. Being an artist is an exciting path with which to journey through life.

• A Tribute to Viktoria Maroniva by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on October 24, 2018 • ( 14 )

  

  It’s been a very tough month for women. The “Me Too” movement started in 2006, when Tarana Burke coined the phrase “Me Too” as a way to help women who had survived sexual violence. Then on October 15, 2017 it was… Read More ›

• Pig/Sow – Animal Spirit Guide by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 26, 2018 • ( 13 )

  

  Pigs, who were called boars in the wild, were the first animals to be domesticated. Pig domestication occurred about 9,000 – 10,000 years ago in two places – central China and Neolithic Anatolia in modern day southwestern Turkey. Around 7,000… Read More ›

• Sweet Honey Bee – Animal Guide, by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 22, 2018 • ( 17 )

  

  Bees have been part of the human community since the days of prehistory. Cave paintings created by Neolithic people in Spain from between 6000 and 8000 BC show them gathering honey from wild bee colonies. The earliest record of beekeeping… Read More ›

• Women Can Change the World by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 25, 2018 • ( 24 )

  

  These are dark days for those of us who believe in democracy, social justice, environmental stewardship/protection, and connectivity.  A rise in authoritarian rulers – from the U.S. to pockets of Europe to Turkey and beyond – are threatening the values… Read More ›

• Swan – Guide to Love and Spiritual Evolution by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 27, 2018 • ( 16 )

  

  Swan glides gracefully across the mirror-like surface of the lake, stirring sensibilities of purity, loyalty and love in our hearts. Her long, curved, delicate neck reflects in the water as gentle ripples spread out behind her. Swan evokes feelings of… Read More ›

• Fox Wisdom – Cunning, Camouflage and Persistence by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on May 23, 2018 • ( 21 )

  

  Fox, as a member of the Canidae family, is related to wolves, jackals and dogs. But unlike these animals who hunt in packs, fox hunts alone. Fox is intelligent, clever and cunning. While it is persistent, fox is gentler and… Read More ›

• Dragonfly, Guide to Transformation and True Sight by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on April 25, 2018 • ( 17 )

  

  Dragonfly, dragonfly darting quickly hither and yonder, up and down, left and right –  a transparent shimmering spark with effervescent wings, representing the dreamtime and the illusionary nature of reality.  Dragonfly, dragon – both immortalized in mythology worldwide.

• We All Come From Stardust by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on March 28, 2018 • ( 13 )

  

  “We are a way for the universe to know itself. Some part of our being knows this is where we came from. We long to return. And we can, because the cosmos is also within us. We’re made of star… Read More ›

• Horse – Symbol of Power and Freedom by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on February 28, 2018 • ( 10 )

  

  The horse was first depicted in art about 32,000 years ago on the cave walls of southern France and northern Spain. Though  archeologists disagree as to whether the paintings are realistic depictions or symbolic markings, many concur that they are both…. Read More ›

• Yemaya, Mother Whose Children are the Fish by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on January 24, 2018 • ( 8 )

  

  I spent the winter holidays in Rio de Janeiro with my sister. It was wonderful to experience the warmth of both the Brazilian people and summer in the Southern Hemisphere but a little odd to miss the quiet, dark time… Read More ›

• Wisdom of Reindeer Goddess and Owl by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 27, 2017 • ( 16 )

  

  At this time of year in the Northern Hemisphere we are called to embrace the darkness. Nighttime rules, the cold has set in and we curl up for the long winter nights with our hot beverage and an anticipation of… Read More ›

• Gratitude – A Salve to Heal Our Wounds by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on November 22, 2017 • ( 23 )

  

  Tomorrow being Thanksgiving in the United States offers an opportunity to reflect on gratitude. With so much anger bubbling up on all fronts is it possible that gratitude could be the salve to heal our wounds?

• Season of Change – Transformation by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on October 25, 2017 • ( 7 )

  

  Fall is here, the leaves are changing color, the days are shortening and our ongoing natural cycle of change and transformation now moves toward the dark, quiet days of winter. Both the idea and the process of transformation have fascinated… Read More ›

• Badb, Goddess of Life and Death by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 27, 2017 • ( 13 )

  

  With the ongoing occurrence of huge hurricanes, floods, mudslides, earthquakes, possible nuclear war and more in both the US and worldwide it seems that the wrath of the Goddess has been awakened. I felt the need to revisit the Celtic… Read More ›

• Corra, Celtic Serpent Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 23, 2017 • ( 9 )

  

  Even though snakes never inhabited Ireland, as in the rest of the ancient world both the serpent and the dragon were ancient symbols of life, fertility, wisdom and immortality for the Celts. Ancient Celtic ornamental work is entwined with serpents and… Read More ›

• Inanna, Queen of Heaven & Earth Brings Gifts, by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 26, 2017 • ( 17 )

  

  In the early 1990’s I discovered the compelling story of Inanna, the ancient Sumerian Goddess, translated and retold in the book, Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth by Diane Wolkstein and Samuel Kramer.  I was inspired to create a series… Read More ›

• Star Tree – Star Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 28, 2017 • ( 22 )

  

  In a world where humans were small and nature was big, surrounded by forests of trees of immense size and stature, it’s not surprising that the ancient Celts came to hold trees as sacred. Like many others, the Celts revered… Read More ›

• Shapeshifting Goddesses by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on May 21, 2017 • ( 7 )

  

  Magic, divine intervention, shapeshifting – what do these things offer the modern mind, concerned with time clocks, definitive proofs and skeptical disbelief? Yet to the ancients, shapeshifting was a well known tale, found in stories and mythologies across the world.

• A Return to Light by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on April 22, 2017 • ( 11 )

  

  Spring is here in the northern hemisphere and with it the return of light in the yearly round of seasons. Today is Earth Day. Flowers bloom, new seedlings emerge and birdsong fills the air. As the cold and dark of winter… Read More ›

• Darkness and Light by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on March 22, 2017 • ( 21 )

  

  “Deep in their roots, all flowers keep the light.” – Theodore Roethke “Returning violence for violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot… Read More ›

• The Celtic Otherworld, by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on February 22, 2017 • ( 8 )

  

  Did the ancient Celts believe in heaven and hell?  Not exactly – because of their belief in reincarnation they did not identify a particular place that one went to after death. Instead the Celts believed there to be a home for their supernatural… Read More ›

• Triple Goddesses in the Celtic World by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on January 25, 2017 • ( 22 )

  

  Many neopagans and modern Goddess worshipers mistakenly equate the triadic nature of some Celtic Goddesses with the Triple Goddess concept first popularized by Robert Graves in his book, The White Goddess. Graves stated that Goddesses were frequently found in triplets… Read More ›

• The Reindeer Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 18, 2016 • ( 42 )

  

  Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is the day of the least daylight and the longest night. Long before Christmas our Northern European ancestors celebrated the Winter Solstice, the moment that heralds the return of the sun and with it… Read More ›

• Murder at the Rummage Sale: Book Review by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on December 15, 2016 • ( 12 )

  

  Murder at the Rummage Sale (Albany, NY: Imagination Fury Arts, 2016) by Elizabeth Cunningham is a mystery novel with a style and depth of thought that offers not only the fun of figuring out “Who Dun It”  but also gorgeous… Read More ›

• The Bird Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on November 23, 2016 • ( 12 )

  

  Birds soaring high above the earth reaching for the heavens have long inspired humans as links to the divine realm. Birds fulfill various functions in world cultures and religions – from playing a central role in creation, to birth, to… Read More ›

• Tailtiu, Celtic Earth Goddess of Endurance by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on October 26, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  The Celts were fascinated by the number three – triple designs, images and triadic ideas. The Goddesses and Gods who related to the mysterious rather than the mundane nature of life were always worshiped in threes. Unlike the Greek triple… Read More ›

• Elen of the Ways by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on September 28, 2016 • ( 22 )

  

  Dawn follows darkness; shining day gives way to starry night – cycles of change and flow. Elen of the Ways is She who guides us on these paths of change.

• Killing Us Slowly by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on August 24, 2016 • ( 13 )

  

  Killing us slowly with your rules. Killing us slowly with your technology. Killing us slowly with your bureaucracy. Killing us slowly…….

• Boann, Celtic Goddess of Inspiration and Creativity by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on July 27, 2016 • ( 14 )

  

  Boann, Celtic Goddess of Poetry, Fertility, Inspiration, Knowledge and Creativity was one of the Tuatha De Danann (People of Danu). She was associated with the 70 mile long river Boyne in Northeast Ireland and its source, the Well of Segais. … Read More ›

• Olwen, Welsh Flower and Sun Goddess by Judith Shaw

  By Judith Shaw on June 22, 2016 • ( 8 )

  

  Olwen (pronounced O-loon), Welsh Flower and Sun Goddess is most probably an ancient Goddess whose original stories and power have been lost to us. Her name means “Golden Wheel,” making Her the opposite of the powerful Sky Goddess, Arianrhod who… Read More ›