My friend thea Gaia : 80 years old
thea Gaia is my friend - an amazing Woman, who is known to be one of the early driving forces behind the Goddess Movement in Australia. She was a minister of the Church who asked enough questions to hear her own faith, to find where she stood as Woman of the Earth and learnt to give her life meaning. through Ceremony and trust in her feminine Self. She travelled to the US and met Carol Christ, Starhawk, Vikki Noble and others and brought back their ideas - then transformed them to fit into the Australian Way. She published posters of Ancient Goddesses and taught Women that all forms of the feminine is Divine. Today my dear friend thea turns 80. I will go to a celebration of 13 women and we will hold Space and Ceremony til late in the night, to honour this amazing life that has so far been the life of thea Gaia. And so I share with You, the poem I will take to share. Bless.
- Read more about thea Gaia's story in Doug Ezzy's book : Practising the Witch's Craft: Real Magic Under a Southern Sky, where there is an entire chapter dedicated to the story of her journey from Church minister to Woman Goddess.
thea the Amaz-ing
There is a Woman I know,
I found her in a book
And upon reading her story I knew
I must find her and look -
At this Woman I know
And share her rainbow colours
cos the work she is known for
inspires my work with others.
And so this Woman I know
her name being thea
has changed the lives of women
even those who do not meet her.
For this Woman I know
is brave, cheeky and wild
The Goddess saw her coming,
and proclaimed with a smile
That this Woman I know
will weave a new world
simply by talking
about what it is to be a girl
And then this Woman I know
made waves in the church
right up to the steeples and
set the girls off with a lurch
This Woman I know
Taught a whole new way of being
She showed Women they were special
with a new way of seeing
This Woman I know
made way for the new
and together with others
she became more than a few
Now this Woman I know with her cheeky wild ways
is 80 years old on this very day.
She's brave and strong and is known to be
the one who inspired courage in Women like me.
And so as I stand with this Woman I know,
I celebrate with knowing and grace,
giving thanks for all that has gone
for I will always know her beautiful face!
-with Love from Hollie B.
A wish for thea Gaia
from Hollie B.
I wish I wish with all my might,
That your life is full of joy and bright-
shining things in every colour;
Love and Grace and friends and others.
This wish is granted here right now,
With the help of a Goddess who wears a crown,
and She Who Is of many things,
Like laughter, stars and dancing rings.
And on this night when you go to bed,
You'll rest and be happy with all in your head,
For as the Earth turns slowly round,
Happiness and pleasure you know you've found.
So at this time and as I wish,
I wish that you may also wish;
for all that makes you happy this day,
and that you get all you want in every way.
thea has since passed, and you can read about the end of her life here >>>