October Threads: From Paleolithic Caves to Diwali Lights

October has been a month of deep exploration into history, memory, and traditions for me. I've enjoyed journeying through Paleolithic caves, learning about Aboriginal sacred fires, and the essence of the goddess's embodiment on Navaratri & Diwali. These felt like living threads in our collective imagination, telling stories of the feminine divine that have shaped us for millennia.

Remembering the Ancient Feminine

Marija Gimbutas’ work on prehistoric goddess cultures opens a portal into a world where the sacred feminine was not peripheral but central, embodied in the earth, in ritual, in the rhythms of life itself.

Did you know that the oldest archaeological figurines, found in caves, burial sites, and temples, depict the mother divine?

Watch this lecture by Marija Gimbutas to learn more.

Her findings validate that mother-earth-centered communities were the norm in prehistoric times. So, now we can wonder how we got here into a complete patriarchal capitalist regime :), so now we can know that patriarchy and patriarchal Gods were not an 'always' thing in our human history.

Similarly, as we look into the ancient mythic presence of Isis, Hathor, and other goddesses, we are reminded that feminine power has always been here, encoded in our earliest art, our oldest songs, and our most primal ceremonies. They are sparks, alive, urgent, and insistent. They call for revival. They ask us to reimagine the present through the lens of what has been forgotten or buried. They invite us to remember that the feminine is not a static archetype, feminine goddesses are not always sublime, submissive, and in relation with only her masculine husband, but a living force capable of reshaping the world, an embodiment of balance of feminine & masculine within her own essence.

A beautifully intricate mandala design features the Flower of Life pattern against a warm sunset gradient background, symbolizing deep feminine wisdom throughout the ages.

Shifting into our contemporary world, I’ve been sitting with the teachings of Womanist and Mujerista theologies as well—these feminine scholars were like divine sparks illuminating our way to uncover masked truths. These voices insist that spirituality cannot be divorced from justice in our times! They challenge us to look beyond the inherited frameworks of heteronormative hierarchies, to question the narratives that have shaped our traditions in recent centuries. To honor our heritage is not to replicate it uncritically—but to engage it with discernment. Sometimes, to be faithful to our roots means being unfaithful to the distortions that have grown around them. It means reaching not just to our grandparents, but to the deep time of prehistory, to allow space for proper reflection on how we evolved before we embark forward.

Festivals such as Diwali as Portals of Feminine Presence

As the month turns from the fierce grace of Navaratri to the luminous tenderness of Tihar and Diwali, I felt these threads reflected in the seasonal rhythms. The goddesses of Navaratri reminded us of protection, courage, and the triumph of light over illusions. Tihar, with its rituals of honoring animals, ancestors, and the hearth, invites us into intimacy and gratitude.

These festivals are not merely cultural observances; they are invitations. They ask us to slow down, to feel the sacred in the everyday, to celebrate the feminine not as a commodity but as a presence that animates all of life. To honor these traditions with an aware heart is to touch their essence, stripped of spectacle, alive with meaning :).

Listening for the Threads

October asks us to trust the process, practice the art of attention. To listen to the stories etched in stone, to the songs carried by wind, to the sacred texts and silences that ripple through time. These echoes are not distant; they are within us, shaping how we move, how we speak, how we love.

Let's close this month with our hearts open to multiplicity: to the voices of ancestors, to the rhythms of the earth, to the luminous energy of the goddesses, and to the tender presence of the feminine in everyday life. Love and light to you, Salana Aura.