Photo by SevenStorm JUHASZIMRUS from Pexels - Unusual architecture / black concrete building (a demonstration of technical competence and creativity). In the final segment of this week's meeting and of our independent study of the subject of independent study - what could be more appropriate? - we concluded with some discussion around which subject to consider next. We didn't reach a decision but we expect to do so via offline discussion and to launch into consideration of the chosen subject (probably one of the candidates mentioned in this segment) in the next meeting. [Visit us online](http://sa-usa.org) and consider subscribing to our newsletter. We will be opening up general membership soon to anyone who is moved by [the Home Story](http://sophianicmyth.org), the [Sophianic Myth](https://nemeta.org/course/2-sophianic-cosmology/) that orients the human species within the cosmos, and who wants to establish and maintain a deep personal connection to the Goddess who is the living earth, Gaia-Sophia. And as a member, you too would enjoy the option to take part in this ongoing adventure of group learning and/or in other activities of the heretical, life-and-nature-oriented Sophianic church.

Photo from mtso.org.tr, entitled "The Conflict of Conflict and Conflict" * Reading of an excerpt from an article by JLL concerning Shodashi and the segue from a Bhairavi Shift into a Shodashi Shift some years past; summary of main points: ** Honoring another person implies recognizing within the other, male or female, the power of the Goddess ** Honor is the key virtue in Pagan ethics ** The honorable act is the courageous response ** Strength exercised in recognition of the Goddess is the mark of heroic character ** Live authentically in strength, honesty and honor unto death * Regarding Bhairavi's instruction, "Freedom stands at the end of secrecy," honesty does require disclosing all that one knows * There's a balance in the "need to know" between the interests of the individual and those of the group * Governments, pretending to be acting in the interests of the governed, tend to hide much that doesn't need to be hidden and shouldn't be hidden, which would expose their pretense if known * The right choice between disclosure and withholding information is associated with discernment, circumspection, which means careful consideration of all relevant factors and finding a balance that maximizes benefit and minimizes unnecessary harm * Alignment with the Bhairavi frequency means to embody honesty and honor to a heroic degree -- which is characteristically Pagan, not genuinely promoted (or at least, not prioritized) by the Abrahamic belief systems; it exemplifies a noble Pagan, Goddess-oriented, system of values and ethics * Part of the sacred mission in which each Sophianic animist participates is to revive and embody a system of genuine Goddess-oriented values and ethics -- which, like historical Pagan ethics, is an honor system * Important general point about the Shakti Cluster: The feminine bias of the personalizations of the 18 frequencies as devatas / dakinis / goddesses is due to the planetwide resurgence of shakti, feminine divine energy, as Gaia awakens in Her lucid dream, which is necessary to compensate for centuries of deviance into patriarchal excess and denigration / suppression of women; the ultimate objective is to restore gender balance and heal the gender rift * Origins and exacerbating factors in the gender rift include the (evidently, accidental) shearing of the Anthropos template by the Aeon Sophia, the use of divide-and-conquer agendas by the enemies of humanity and of life, and the tendency of humans to engage in "cycles of abuse" that will continue unless / until deliberate action is taken to end them * One may be able to cite from one's own experience inter-gender relationships that have been plagued by competition and power struggles and others that are firmly based in fruitful collaboration and mutual support; the results depend on both individuals and the way their energies combine (which may be related to their respective families of origin and their experiences during their formative years, among other things)