Immortal Peaches of Xiwangmu (part 2)

Immortal Peaches of Xiwangmu (part 2)

Tiger Shaman: Goddess from the West

Who is this Goddess hail from the West? What are her origins, and her special gifts toTigermother humanity? Her origins can be traced back to oracle bone inscriptions of the 15th century BCE that record sacrifices to a “western mother”. Originally called Xiwangmu (西王母), literally “Western Queen Mother,” she was a primordial divinity with her headquarters to the west of China. However, so powerful was her stature that she was deserving of ritual by the people of the Shang dynasty,

Therefore, Xiwangmu isn’t even an indigenous deity. Her roots are Shamanic, and she was something fierce, and she came before organized Taoism. She appears first in writings dating to the Western Han dynasty (206 BC – AD 9). The earliest known mention of her in the “Guideways of Mountains and Seas“(山海經). The profile that emerges is that of a powerful woman shaman who lived up in the snowy mountains, gathering around her a following compelled by her awesome powers and personal charisma.  The very first depictions of her showed her with tiger teeth and a leopard tail!

During the Zhou Dynasty, Xiwangmu was depicted as a ferocious goddess with the teeth of a tiger, who sent disease and pestilence down upon the world. A thousand years passed.  When the Silk Routes were opened up by 2nd century BCE, and traffic and trade picked up in northern and western parts of China, Xiwangmu was adopted into the Taoist pantheon. Eventually she was raised to the level of Top Goddess, Primordial Yin. Her name became synonymous as dispenser of abundance, long life, and eternal bliss.  Xiwangmu was given a Han name, the Han being the largest ethnic race in China proper. That name is Gold Mother of Shining Lake. As the name suggests, her vibration is that of pure golden luminosity. Her domain/field evokes the sparkling, fluidity of plasmic string theory. In my articles I will use the names Xiwangmu and Gold Mother interchangeably, since they represent the same entity with minor variations.

Kunlun Mountain, Semi-Mythical Paradise

kunlunThe Queen Mother of the West presides over a palace paradise on the semi-mythical Mount Kunlun, in the etheric realm. Incidentally, there is a modern Mount Kunlun named after this. It is the longest mountain range in Asia. From the Pamirs of Tajikistan, it runs east along the border between Xinjiang and Tibet autonomous regions to the Sino-Tibetan ranges in Qinghai province. That is why she is called Queen Mother of the West. She is not an indigenous deity from China mainland, but an exotic “spiritual configuration” imported from the West. The mythical Mount Kunlun was believed to be a cosmic pillar, a meeting place between humans and the gods. And Xiwangmu’s domain (a parallel reality to ours) is sheer bliss and utter perfection.

In modern times Xiwangmu has further evolved into an endearing Goddess She is often lovingly called Wang Niángniang (王母娘娘), Nanny, and Queen Mother.

 

Peaches of Immortality!

peaches

According to Chinese Taoist texts, next to Xiwangmu’s palace is a most luxuriant orchard where she groomed ‘peaches of immortality. ‘ In the fantastic novel, Monkey (Journey to the West, 16th century), Monkey is guilty of crashing Xiwangmu’s birthday party, and gulping down all the peaches of immortality so there were none left for her guests.  You can bet the Queen Mother wasn’t quite happy with Monkey! To this day, pan tou (flat peaches from Shandong Province, the most priced and delicious!) are still associated with longevity, and in Chinese birthday parties,  steamed sweet buns served up in the shape of lush peaches, stuffed with lotus seed or red bean paste filing, are still a big favorite. All of this stemming from the legacy of Xiwangmu.

The peach of immortality is the classical symbol for longevity and eternal bliss. It is also a veiled metaphor for “Amrit-nectar of immortal life” for Taoist adepts. Is the initiation by Xiwangmu -Gold Mother, an invite to practice the path of immortality?

My Statue of Gold MotherIMG-20130511-WA0015

In my previous blog, I shared with you the story of my encounter with the Goddess in the mineral springs of Beitou, Taipei, and the gist of conversations we shared. These events occurred in February 2012. Since then, I have received regular visions of Gold Mother. She suggests to me I should visit her from time to time in Taiwan, to get in-spired and to obtain her downloads, since there are no official temples dedicated to her in Hong Kong.  A few months ago, I conceived of the desire to venerate a statue of the Goddess on my home altar. I called my friend Jerry in Taichung.  “Can you help me pick out a nice statue of Gold Mother?” He said he would make inquires. Later he called back and said, “Apparently there is a protocol here. I went to the statue shop. The master sculptor informed me that one cannot casually order a statue of the Golden Mother. You have to put in a petition, and see if she would agree to send one of her Divine Spirit–bodies to your home.”

 

golden2This they did on behalf, in the Gold Mother Temple headquarters of Yi Lan County. The good news? Gold Mother agreed! The priests even gave me a choice. I could pick one of the three versions of the Goddess: Gold Mother the traditional Chinese version, Xiwangmu the western version, and Wang Mu Niang Niang, who is Nanny Queen Mother. I picked Xiwangmu, the Western Mother, since my affinities seem to be more western. In real life I have also traveled to the Kunlun Mountains in Xinjiang Province twice. It is part of the ancient Silk Route which now traverses the Uyghur Autonomous Region.

 

As I write this, Gold Mother’s statue is being gold-leafed. After which the various colors of her adorned robes will be added, with deep care and attention by the crafts people. It feels like something new is being birthed inside of me. Birthing a goddess is birthing the genuine part of myself.

My friends ask me why I am so excited about bringing her statue back to Hong Kong. My feeling is that Hong Kong is a city that is hyped up on money, speed and making deals, sometime at the expense of peace, health and well-being of her residents. My belief is that Gold Mother’s presence can bring a calming effect, optimistic radiance, and a powerful grounding for people of my community.

 

A New Archetype for a New Era

In recent years we have seen many Archetypes from the East enjoy a revival on the global stage. For instance, the growing popularity of many of the Hindu gods—Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi, Hanuman etc. By the same token, some Chinese deities are enjoying a revival too, such as General Kuan Di (Lord of Justice & War), Ma Tzu (Heavenly Queen who offers special protection to the fishing people of the Southeastern China coastal region). And of course, Gold Mother of Shining Lake. Why are these ancient archetypes showing up?

The Sacred Feminine, the Goddess Principle, is making a major comeback on the planet. The Gold Mother is a major archetype from the Eastern tradition, and in my opinion, parallel and equally as important as the archetype of Mother Mary or Hindu Goddess like Lakshmi, Durga or Parvati.

The arrival of any god/goddess archetype is to infuse the people with pristine hope, to stir up our sprits towards a new era, to promote more harmony, mutual respect and appreciation amongst our fellow humans. These are the true Goddess qualities, across the broad spectrum of all cultures and spiritual systems.

What are the causes that Gold Mother champions? Recover the lost Feminine, heal the wounded rift in the human psyche so we can all become whole, close the loop, balance & integrate the masculine-feminine nature of our Being, and achieve new and viable Balance.   This is a few of the tasks at hand.

Because she was the embodiment of Supreme yin, top goddess and ruler of female spiritual adepts, the Queen Mother of the West has always enjoyed a special relationship with all women. She is the mentor for all female Taoist practitioners.  From traditional society, this would include women who did not submit to the conventional norms of being shackled and relegated only to the role of child-bearing housewife. Xiwangmu is a mentor and Guide to the women who challenge the status quo and who aspire to true freedom. Yet she is not just a benign loving matriarchal—hardly!–but a fully-empowered and empowering, sovereign goddess. On the higher levels of human potential, she embodies the Supreme Yin which leads to immortality and eternal life.

So, what will the future bring? Now that Gold Mother is ensconced in Hong Kong, how will she contribute to the metamorphosis of our society? In future blogs I will share with you more of my adventures with the Gold Mother aka Xiwangmu.

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