{"id":3353,"date":"2010-03-01T01:10:20","date_gmt":"2010-03-01T06:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=3412"},"modified":"2010-02-24T16:32:13","modified_gmt":"2010-02-24T21:32:13","slug":"3412","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2010\/03\/01\/3412\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Your Mama"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong>Are you cyclically  confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: large;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Ask Your Mama<br \/>\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\"><strong><\/strong><\/span><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: large;\"><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"> <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: medium;\"><strong>The What, When, Where,  Why, How, and Who of <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: medium;\"><strong>Ceremony &amp; Spirituality <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: medium;\"><strong>by<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: medium;\"><strong>\u00a9Mama Donna Henes,  Urban Shaman<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: medium;\"><strong>A Question of Numbers<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Dear Mama Donna,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">I have always felt drawn to the full  moon and would like to have some kind of ritual in its honor. The problem  is that I don\u2019t know anybody else in my town who would want to join  me. Don\u2019t you need a circle of people to have a ceremony?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Love,<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">One is the Loneliest Number in Ohio.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Dear Number One, <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">MacQuanity does not equal quality. Powerful  and meaningful ritual can be practiced by any number of people. And <em> one<\/em> is as good a number as any. One person, a single, solitary individual,  sufficient unto herself, is a perfectly adequate quorum, a complete  minion for the accomplishment of creative, effective, and fulfilling  ceremony. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">And by the same token, once is enough  for any one ceremony. It need never be repeated to be consummate. As  a matter of fact, it is completely impossible to perfectly replicate  any particular ritual once you consider that the amalgam of the combined  variables of the weather, the moon, your mood, and the chemistry of  any other participants, will never again be precisely the same. Each  time, each subtle permutation is true to itself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">It takes a certain disciplined sublimation  of our acculturated egos to release the nagging control of the question,  \u201cHow many?\u201d as if that were any more a measure of success than,  \u201cHow much?\u201d After all, how many, how much, is enough? And just when  is enough enough?<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">When, thirty-five years ago, I first  started to facilitate public rituals, I used to become nearly paralyzed  with panic about how many people would attend each event. It took years  of celebrating with groups as large as several thousand and as few as  two, for me to understand that no matter how many people are present  at a ceremony, the ultimate ritual experience always occurs within each  individual participant. The number of people in attendance is not testimony  to its profundity or the value of the rite. The only way to count true  tranceformation is one by one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">On the other hand, in the case of the  full moon, realize that there are at any moment millions of like-minded  individuals worldwide who are soulfully attuned, just like you, to the  magical ambiance of the night. Really, all our lunar ritual is but part  of an age-old human reverence for the moon. Worship of the moon was  pandemic, and in most cultures preceded a more recent shift of allegiance  to the sun.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Even today, the most dapper jaded urban  dwellers will take an instant astonished notice of the full moon as  if seeing it for the very first time. In so doing, they celebrate a  simple celestial observance that connects them with the cosmos if even  for a single mystical moment. This awe-filled gaze is ceremony at its  most elemental. Observance=Observance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Know that you are never alone in the  universe. Celebrating with the cycles of the moon is a super way to  remember and honor that profound cosmic connection. Reach out and join  the ancient song of our species. Stand with your feet on the ground  and your gaze toward the heavens. Do this with intention. Do this with  due ceremony.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Feel free to celebrate the moon and  celebrate yourself at the same time. We are all, after all, sisters  and brothers in space. Look for yourself in the moon&#8217;s reflection. Honor  your own devotion. Howl for the hell of it. Be proud to be part of this  glorious universe.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Yours in the spirit of solo celebration, <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">xxMama Donna<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">*Send your questions about seasons,  cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: <\/span><a href=\"mailto:CityShaman@aol.com\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">CityShaman@aol.com<\/span><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;\"> <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; font-size: small;\">Donna Henes is an internationally renowned  urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and  workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced  ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions  of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four  books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post and  UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately  called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice  and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals,  groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful  ceremonies for every imaginable occasion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.donnahenes.net\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.DonnaHenes.net<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thequeenofmyself.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donna_Henes\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donna_Henes<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;\">Watch her videos:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Geneva; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MamaDonnaHenes\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MamaDonnaHenes<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;\">Follow her on Twitter:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/queenmamadonna\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/twitter.com\/queenmamadonna<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;\">Connect with her on Facebook:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/#\/donnahenes?ref=profile\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/#\/donnahenes?ref=profile<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;\">Read her on the Huffington Post<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"><span style=\"font-family: Verdana; color: #0000ff; font-size: small;\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/donna-henes\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/donna-henes\/<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you cyclically confused? In a ceremonial quandary? Completely clueless? Wonder no more. Ask Your Mama The What, When, Where, Why, How, and Who of Ceremony &amp; Spirituality by \u00a9Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman A Question of Numbers Dear Mama Donna, I have always felt drawn to the full moon and would like to have some kind of ritual in its honor. The problem is that I don\u2019t know anybody else in my town who would want to join me. Don\u2019t you need a circle of people to have a ceremony? Love, One is the Loneliest Number in Ohio. Dear Number One, MacQuanity does not equal quality. Powerful and meaningful ritual can be practiced by any number of people. And one is as good a number as any. One person, a single, solitary individual, sufficient unto herself, is a perfectly adequate quorum, a complete minion for the accomplishment of creative, effective, and fulfilling ceremony. And by the same token, once is enough for any one ceremony. It need never be repeated to be consummate. As a matter of fact, it is completely impossible to perfectly replicate any particular ritual once you consider that the amalgam of the combined variables of the weather, the moon, your mood, and the chemistry of any other participants, will never again be precisely the same. Each time, each subtle permutation is true to itself. It takes a certain disciplined sublimation of our acculturated egos to release the nagging control of the question, \u201cHow many?\u201d as if that were any more a measure of success than, \u201cHow much?\u201d After all, how many, how much, is enough? And just when is enough enough? When, thirty-five years ago, I first started to facilitate public rituals, I used to become nearly paralyzed with panic about how many people would attend each event. It took years of celebrating with groups as large as several thousand and as few as two, for me to understand that no matter how many people are present at a ceremony, the ultimate ritual experience always occurs within each individual participant. The number of people in attendance is not testimony to its profundity or the value of the rite. The only way to count true tranceformation is one by one. On the other hand, in the case of the full moon, realize that there are at any moment millions of like-minded individuals worldwide who are soulfully attuned, just like you, to the magical ambiance of the night. Really, all our lunar ritual is but part of an age-old human reverence for the moon. Worship of the moon was pandemic, and in most cultures preceded a more recent shift of allegiance to the sun. Even today, the most dapper jaded urban dwellers will take an instant astonished notice of the full moon as if seeing it for the very first time. In so doing, they celebrate a simple celestial observance that connects them with the cosmos if even for a single mystical moment. This awe-filled gaze is ceremony at its most elemental. Observance=Observance. Know that you are never alone in the universe. Celebrating with the cycles of the moon is a super way to remember and honor that profound cosmic connection. Reach out and join the ancient song of our species. Stand with your feet on the ground and your gaze toward the heavens. Do this with intention. Do this with due ceremony. Feel free to celebrate the moon and celebrate yourself at the same time. We are all, after all, sisters and brothers in space. Look for yourself in the moon&#8217;s reflection. Honor your own devotion. Howl for the hell of it. Be proud to be part of this glorious universe. Yours in the spirit of solo celebration, xxMama Donna *Send your questions about seasons, cycles, celebrations, ceremonies and spirit to Mama Donna at: CityShaman@aol.com Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, ritual expert, award-winning author, popular speaker and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed Ezine and writes for The Huffington Post and UPI Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion. www.DonnaHenes.net www.TheQueenOfMySelf.com http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donna_Henes Watch her videos: http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MamaDonnaHenes Follow her on Twitter: http:\/\/twitter.com\/queenmamadonna Connect with her on Facebook: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/#\/donnahenes?ref=profile Read her on the Huffington Post http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/donna-henes\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3353"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3417,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353\/revisions\/3417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}