http://www.goddessgift.net/ixchel-statue-SS-IXN.html
( Used with Permission from Photographer Susan )

 

 

'Ix'- meaning Sacred Feminine
'Chel'- Meaning rainbow or light

Rainbow mother, Goddess of the sacred light,  the first weaver, Lady of the Sea, Lady Splotch of blood and lady all embracer.

 

Name glyph of Ix Chel including the prefix 'red', Dresden Codex
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixchel

She is the keeper of souls, guardian of the weavers, artist, Patroness of the healer, Her Mysteries are the womb, The Goddess of the moon, earth, ocean, pregnant women, healing divination, procreation, sexuality, and  yet she was the Destroyer, maker of Chaos, creator of the storms,  creator of Hurricanes .  She is indeed a great cosmic mother.

Mayan, Mesoamerica
around 2600 BCE to 900 AD

 

Places that were and still are sacred to her are the pyramid site of Uxmal, Isla Mujeres (the island of women) and Cozumel.  Temple in the Yucatan.

This myth states that the sun was her lover.  Her grandfather was very upset with this and he threw lightening bolts  at her which  killed Ix Chel. The,  Dragonflies came to her body and began to sing.  They sang songs to her for 183 days.  She then woke up.  She went back to the Sun.  The sun soon turned jealous thinking she was having an affair with his brother the morning star and he threw her out of his kingdom.  Later he was sorry and begged her to come back.  She agreed and all was well for a short time.  He became jealous again and having enough of his accusations and abuse,  she left him.  She went off into the night  to get away from him and she stayed invisible when the sun was around. She used the nights to help women in labor.

 

http://www.goddessgift.net/ixchel-statue-SS-IXN.html
( Used with Permission from Photographer Susan )

 

 

http://www.moonflowerenterprises.com/categories.php
picture used with permission by Felipe
(felipe@moonflowerenterprises.com)

For thousands of years, Mayan women have made the pilgrimage to Isla Mujeras with offerings of clay statues, cocoa beans, turquoise, and hand woven objects, to give to the great mother goddess Ixchel in thanks for what She’d given them.   The women also prayed for Fertility, a safe delivery, and for good fortune. 

It was believed that IxChel actually formed the faces of the new born babies while they were in the womb, so the women would also pray to her to give their child good looks. In ancient times, it was believed that a lunar eclipse was a great threat to pregnant women, causing their children to be born with defects and abnormalities. Women who were going through labor at the time of an eclipse were supposedly in the greatest danger, so they were given amulets of Ix Chel to put under the bed during this time to protect them, and incantations and prayers were said to the goddess until the eclipse passed.

Fishermen also prayed to the Goddess IxChel  as she controlled the seas.  They would pray for safe travels on her waters,  and for a good bounty of fish for their people. Many people would travel to the scared island for  IxChel priestesses to give them a Prophesy to take  home.

http://www.goddessgift.net/ixchel-statue-SS-IXN.html
(Used with Permission from Photographer Susan )

Global Warming summit begins with prayer to Mayan goddess Ixchel. Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and a native of Costa Rica, opened the summit with an invocation to the ancient Mayan  goddess Ixchel.

"the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you -- because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools."

This is a prefect example of the Goddess IxChel's re-emergence into our world

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcotner/2747736812/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Used with permission by the photographer Meg
(meg@harmoniousbelly.com)

 

In Mayan script, she is represented by a Uterine symbol, rainbows, all healing waters, cross bones, upside down watering pot where the waters can be healing or destructive depending on what aspect she is I.

  • Animals:
    Snake, Rabbit, Dragonfly, Jaguar Spider and the Swallow

  • Scents:
    copal incense

  • Colors:
    Blue, Silver, White, Green

  • Elements:
    Water, Earth and Fire

  • Seasons:
    Ostara, Litha, and Samhain

  • Stones:
    Turquoise and Jade

  • Planet:
    The Moon

 

Picture by Mary Moon
http://www.blessourhearts.net/2010/06/for-rebecca.html
With Permission from the photographer Mary Moon (mmerluna@aol.com)

Beginning in 2007, A sacred journey was recreated by a consortium of sponsors interested in reviving the Mayan culture.  They  began to rebirth the of paddling across the Riviera Maya to the sanctuary of the goddess Ixchel on Cozumel.  They prepared for this pilgrimage by doing  a  four month of preparatory workouts of rowing, and swimming. The actual pilgrimage takes seven hours to paddle 31 miles round trip.  Once there,  they will receive a message from the Goddess to take home to their people.  To learn more about this remarkable journey, please visit :

http://matadornetwork.com/bnt/2010/06/23/fantastic-voyage-recreating-the-sacred-mayan-journey

Altar and Statue Created by OceanPhoenix

Items needed:

  • Two main altar candles (white)
  • bowl of water
  • one tea light candle to focus on
  • Rattle or drum
  • Pen and note book
  • Incense
  • picture or statue of  Ixchel
  • Turquoise or  Jade
  • altar cloth the color of the ocean
  • a CD of the sounds of the Ocean
    (Ocean Waves St Ives Moods CD is a good one for this)

 

Time of day:

At Night when the full moon is high

The beginning:

Take a bath to cleanse away any stress.  (you can ask Ixchel to lend you her healing waters to purify and cleanse you as well if you like)  Dress in something flowing like water.  Maybe even wear blue.

To begin, first start off by creating an altar for the Goddess IxChel. Decorate it any way you wish using all your items.  you might want to add fresh flowers or shells.... dress your candles in the oil of your choosing and place the picture or statue of Ixchel in a special place on the altar

Spend sometime clarifying your questions for IxChel so you will know exactly what to ask.

 

Ritual meditation:

Turn on your CD.(you can put it on repeat so you do not have to leave your sacred space.) Get in a comfortable position in front of the altar.  Light the candles and incense and take deep breaths.Ground, center and surround yourself with white light. Know that this shield protects you in your journey and you are safe.  once you feel you are  balanced, Listen to the sound of the ocean as it breathes.  listen to your heartbeat.  use  the drum or rattle in time with your heart.  feel the rhythm of it  As you breath in and out, imagine a white mist forming.  You notice your feet are in sand, Beautiful white sand.  You hear the ocean in front of you.  You can smell the salt in the air.  Behind you , you feel the warmth of a fire.  turn and walk towards it.  There are two bowls on the ground, Large copper bowls for offerings and tall torches .  They invite you to the path between them.  You may wish to leave an offering in the bowls  as you pass.  Walking up the path, you see a pool of water surrounded by beautiful stones. The smell of sage and Jasmine fills you senses "you must step into this pool to enter the temple", a strong female voice says to you. You step in the water.  It feels cool on your skin.   When you step out, the mist has cleared completely and you see a small temple in front of you.  You have found the hidden temple of the Priestesses of IxChel.  There is an elderly woman  between the four young ones. She beckons to you to come up the steps and be with her. 
You enter the temple into a large room.  There is a fire crackling and around it soft pillows.  She invites you to sit with her.  She looks at you with a smile and says, "You have questions for me?" You tell her yes.   She smiles,  "Ask away."    Make sure you have your list with you and ask IxChel for her Wisdom and listen well, for she is the great cosmic mother and she knows all that is to know.  Listen to her wisdom and remember.  Thank her for her gifts  and bid her farewell.  Begin to  descend the stairs of the temple back into the mist.   Let the sound of the ocean be your guide and carry you back.  The mist grows thinker and thinker.  become conscious of your body and feel the ground under you.  When you are ready open your eyes.  Take some time to write all IxChel shared with you.   Know that you can always returned to the temple now that you have found it to seek out her wisdom.  She loves you and she will always be with you. 

 

IxChel Lullaby:
by Amy Martin
Lady Rainbow, colors sublime
(walk in together wave-like)
Weaving existence from the sky
(walk out together wave-like)
You hold for all the cycles of time
(walk in together wave-like)
Ix Chel, I pledge myself to you
(walk backwards hands across chest)
Living in the ocean wave
In healing plants the lives they save
In the Moon in every phase
Ix Chel, I pledge myself to you
Making fertile life on Earth
Guiding mysteries of birth
Embracing sex and all pleasure
Ix Chel, I pledge myself to you
Maiden fair and apocalypse crone
Mother to all, compassionate one
Her promise is of restoration
Ix Chel, I pledge myself to you.

http://www.blueroebuck.com/ixchel.html
with Permission from Amy Martin (amy@moonlady.com)


Great Goddess IxChel, please bless me with you light and wisdom in my life.  Teach me your ways that I might be stronger and wiser in my life. Bless my friends and family with your protection in their times of need. Thank you for all that you have given.  Blessed Be

 

 
   
   

Auset, Priestess Brandi. The Goddess Guide: Exploring the Attributes and Correspondences of the Divine Feminine. Woodbury Minnesota. Llewellyn publications. 2009.  Pages: 43,85,88,90,94-95,101,107,109,142,148,150,153,162-163,168,173,182-183,186,188,200,213,225,240,246,255,268.

Home, Shonagh.  Ix-Chel Wisdom: 7 teachings from the Mayan Sacred Feminine. Redmond WA. Ix-Chel publishing's. 2010.

Home, Shonagh. music by Ani Williams. Ix-Chel Wisdom - Guided Meditations. Seattle WA Fastrax Studios.2010 ( ideas for meditations and rituals from  track one and two)

Home, Shonagh. Woman Remembered. Redmond WA. Ix-Chel Publishing's. Excerpt from "woman Remembered" 2011 ( Emailed to me by Shonagh home to Katherine Mathiowetz March 16,2011* as it is not out yet.* )

Illes, Judika.  Encyclopedia of Spirits: the Ultimate guide  to the magic of Fairies, Genies Demons Ghost  Gods and Goddesses. New York NY. Harper-Collins.2009 Pages 516-517.

Mercier, Patricia.  The Mayan End Times: A Spiritual Adventure.  Wells St. London. Watkins Publingings.2009 Page 59.

Telesco,Patrica. 365 Goddess: A Daily Guide  to the Magic and Inspiration of the Goddess. New York NY. Harper-Collins Publishing. 1998 (may 7)

Phone:
Phone call with Shonagh Homes March 16th 2011

Email :
Wednesday, March 16, 2011 6:52 PM from Shonagh Home.  Ix Chel and ceremony info.
Excerpt from ‘Woman Remembered’ by Shonagh Home
Copyright 2011 by Shonagh Home
3/16/2011 Katherine Decker has my permission to use the information from this chapter for her project. It is my great pleasure to share this with her before the publication of ‘Woman Remembered.’ ( she used my maiden name as it is on my email...)  if you would like to get to know Shonagh Home please visit her wonderful site:  http://shonaghhome.com/index.html

http://www.cosmicmysteries.com/books/Book1Chapter.pdf
http://home.birthwisdom.org/mayan-goddess-ixchel/
http://www.whats-your-sign.com/mayan-symbols-of-ixchel.html
http://www.globalgoddess.org/oracle/Imbolc_2011/IxChel1
http://64.182.253.128/Sitios/sacred_mayan_journey/history/mayan_symbols.html
http://atheism.about.com/od/mayangodsgoddesses/p/IxchelMayan.htm
http://atheism.about.com/od/mayangodsgoddesses/p/IxchelMayan.htm
http://www.isla-pasion.com/blog/2009/05/22/the-goddess-ixchel-and-passion-island/
http://reclaimingthedarkgoddess.blogspot.com/2010/02/ix-chel.html
http://mysticwicks.com/showthread.php?t=115972
http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/ixchel.html
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/mayan-goddess-ix-chel.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ixchel
http://www.goddessgift.net/ixchel-statue-SS-IXN.html
http://www.hummingbirdhorizons.com/Goddesses.htm
http://www.angelfire.com/on/lunamoonworld/ixchel.html
http://www.catalystmagazine.net/component/content/article/49/289-profile-of-a-goddess-ix-chel-goddess-of-the-moonhttp://weiserbooksblog.com/2010/12/08/divinity-of-the-day-ix-chel-mayan-goddess-of-the-moon/
http://www.examiner.com/conservative-in-spokane/global-warming-summit-begins-with-prayer-to-mayan-goddess-ixchel?do_not_mobile_redirect=1

Google books: pages 325, 328http://books.google.com/books?id=b7KbLLjzuRgC&pg=PA327&lpg=PA327&dq=plants+to+are+associated+with+IxChel&source=bl&ots=UR0llTbut9&sig
=oWU3yT4RKxDUU1PmpcQfLSnYW6U&hl=en&ei=Mc2TTfapBcmD0QHB_fX-Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.blessourhearts.net/2010/06/for-rebecca.html with permission from Mary moon the photographer   (mmerluna@aol.com)

http://www.blueroebuck.com/ixchel.html  IX CHEL LULLABY by Amy Martin. Used with permission from Amy Martin (amy@moonlady.com)

http://www.moonlady.com/media/writings/cozumel.html  Searching for Ix Chel   in Cozumel An American Copadilla Goes to the Yucatan
By Amy martin (aka:  MoonLady)  used with permission (amy@moonlady.com)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mcotner/2747736812/sizes/m/in/photostream/
Used with permission by the photographer Meg (meg@harmoniousbelly.com)

http://ambergriscaye.com/landa/ybac44.htm  from the Dresden Codex

Altar to IxChel ~  Created and owned by OceanPhoenix
Prayer to Ixchel ~ Created by OceanPhoenix