Tirza Schaefer: Romance Author & Goddess Facilitator
Wohpe
I love to explore the Divine Feminine and write about Goddesses. For a list of those, click on the link: Goddesses. In order to become more balanced within ourselves and, through that, to bring greater balance and harmony to the world around us, we must find greater balance between the masculine and feminine energies within ourselves that each one of us possesses, regardless of physical gender or any other ways of self-identification.
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Peace on Earth
Wohpe is the Lakota Goddess of peace. Her name means meteor and she is associated with falling stars. When such an event takes place, it is a sign of her coming down to the earth from the heavens. She is the daughter of the Sungod Wi and the Moongoddess Hanwi and her themes are fulfilling wishes, peace, beauty, pleasure and cycles, as well as time and meditation. Her other symbols are sweetgrass and the peace pipe which, according to mythology, she brought to humanity.
She was later associated and fused with the Goddess White Buffalo Calf Woman whose mythological story you can read here. It is believed that the birth of a white buffalo is a sign that the world will come together in peace. This event took place in 1994, when such a calf was born, and seen as the harbinger of people coming together in peace. However, this is not a magic wand and work has to be done within each of us to bring this about. Nevertheless, steps are being taken and a new era is heralded in.
In New Age terminology, this era is also often entitled as the Age of Aquarius in reference to the astrological background of certain celestial constellations. A very well researched article on this subject can be found here.
With this in mind and the background of the knowledge that Lakota mythology has long been an oral tradition, which is the reason why no certain reiterations were recorded in writing on which to base any research or historical evolution of a mythological archetype, character or story, we can enjoy the story of the far more widely known White Buffalo Calf Woman which Wohpe developed into or merged with over time, and now take a closer look at Goddess Wohpe herself.
Her father, the Sungod Wi, desired for his daughter to be a mediator. In order for her to be able to fulfil this role, he granted her the power of responsibility to bring forth peace on earth and to heal relationships. Wohpe appeared on earth to teach the people a variety of ways to pray, perform rituals and live. She gave the people the peace pipe to be smoked with sweet grass and tobacco. During a ceremony, she taught the tribe how to send messages to the Great Spirit by using the peace pipe.
Creating Beauty & Harmony
Goddess Wohpe is considered to be the most beautiful of all Goddesses in Lakota mythology. Her beauty is a symbol for harmony and aesthetics, for divine order and sacred geometry, the perfection of all of creation. In this, she clearly shows the unity of this sacred order and how everything is connected to create one giant whole, a matrix of interconnectedness through the energies and wisdom of the divine spirit.
This is symbolised through the peace pipe which, with its smoke, symbolises this unity. When passed around in a circle, the smoke evaporates in the air, yet even though it is invisible, it is still there. You cannot see it, but yet, everyone is connected through it. The circle is one. This promotes peace and harmony between the individual parties taking part in the ceremony, so that they may reach decisions and find solutions that are in the highest interest of all concerned and inspired by divine wisdom.
At the same time, the burning sweetgrass gives pleasure and thus, the connection between peace, divine inspiration and pleasure is established. Following the path of the Great Spirit is not one to fear, but to welcome. When one is in alignment with divine energies, the feeling is one of lightness and joy. The sweetgrass is the physical manifestation of this pleasurable joy to remind everyone participating in the ritual of smoking the peace pipe that a divinely guided outcome, solution and course of action will bring the most benefits to all concerned.
Wohpe, also being a celestial Goddess, is also in charge of measuring time. Mythology tells us that she created the seasons in order for people to know when to perform certain rituals. This is a beautiful sentiment, as it is a reassurance for us, that we are divinely supported and our best interest is always kept at the heart of the matter (pun intended). The Lakota tell that when a meteor falls, it is Wohpe mediating on our behalf with the Gods and the spirit world, thus making her our divine guardian, our champion, advocate and protector.
In many cultures, wishing upon a star is an integral part of popular belief, whether this is rooted in superstition or religious mythology. These beautifully to behold celestial events have always held a certain magic in them. They are special occasions and don’t happen every day, so when they do, they are deemed a fortunate omen and a facilitator of the manifestation of your desires.
When you connect to the energy of Wohpe, you are invited to go stargazing. Feel the vastness of the universe, the infinity of heaven. Call to mind that you are part of this infinite beauty, this divine order, and without you taking your place amongst it, the order and formation of the very universe, of infinity itself, would not be the same.
At first, a feeling of being infinitesimal and insignificant may overcome you, yet this will soon make place to a feeling of grandeur and divine joy and ecstasy in the knowledge of knowing that you are part of something so incredibly beautiful and grand. And when you see a shooting star, it is a reminder that you hold this divine, infinite power within you to create anything you like in material form. You matter.
In my book A Magical Family Holiday, I reiterate my thoughts and feelings sitting in the dark garden under a starry sky. In this scene, the magic of the night becomes apparent and anything seems possible. I am musing whether there are mice scurrying through the bushes or whether the fairies have a ball.
Everything seems magical, enchanted. It is an act of balance between the real world where physical laws apply and the realm of fantasy and nature spirits. Each time it seems, I lose my footing and fall over to one side or another, I catch myself and even accept in that moment that I don’t know it all, but that this doesn’t take away anything from the magic of the moment, the beauty of the night or the enchantment of the Other Realm. And it is in this surrender that all things become possible, for I am the universe, I am the stars in the sky and the small creature on earth all at once.
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In Lakota mythology, this means that Wohpe is there, taking up your wishes and bringing them to heaven to be granted by the Gods, the personifications of the archetypes at play within you, your own innate divine powers.
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Love & Peace
To create harmony between yourself and other people, you can also burn sweetgrass or lemongrass in a sacred ritual. As you burn it, visualise the people involved and blow the smoke into the direction of where this person or the persons are living and speak empowered words that create harmony between all. Hold this intention fast in your mind and heart.
If possible and you feel called to do so, get in touch with the people afterwards to see whether harmony in your relationships can be restored. However, you can also use this ritual when you wish to make peace with a deceased person and let go of any trauma, anger or guilt and shame that may still be attached to your relationship with this person or group of people.
Thus, the power of Wohpe can also be used for purely self-healing purposes. Follow your intuition on this when you are connected to your own inner wisdom and allow the Goddess to guide you to take the next steps that are of your highest good.
Wohpe’s energy will always support you in creating beauty, harmony, love and peace and will assist you to be able to go more deeply into meditation as well.
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In my reverse harem novel Her Badass Bikers, Ava, the female MC, and Snubbs, one of the bikers, have a special relationship. Snubbs suffers from ADHD and PTSD caused by childhood trauma. He is high-strung and has a lot of nervous energy when they first meet. However, Ava has a calming and soothing influence on him over the course of the book while Snubbs' presence enables Ava to sleep the night through. Thus, both bring each other inner peace.
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Wohpe's metals are Gold and Silver and red clay is also linked to her. The Goddess’s animal familiars are Bison and Buffalo, as well as Eagle and Hawk, both raptors being considered to be messengers between the earth and the spirit world, whereas Buffalo stands for peace and unity. If you would like to work with scents or essential oils connected to Wohpe, try sage, wisteria, tangerine, or rose geranium and see which one calls to you most intuitively.
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Tarot Card
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Crystals
Agate, Turquoise, Rose Quartz, Snow Quartz, Jasper, Titanium Aura Quartz, Chalcedony, White Howlite, Gold, Silver