In June of 2004, the planet Venus made one of it’s rare transits across the face of the sun, passing between the sun and the Earth.

No one alive on Earth had ever witnessed this event since the last pair of Venus transits took place in 1874 and 1882, a hundred and twenty-two years prior. The next transit, which is the pair to the June 2004 transit, will occur on June 5th-6th, 2012. It was believed that this transit of Venus would significantly affect all feminine energy on our planet. As we all know now, this divine feminine influence is much needed in our world today to offset the powers of greed, dominance and war so that we may begin to care more consciously for the well being of our planet, nature and one another.

Though women throughout history have always taken the lead in being the care takers of others, the planet and those less fortunate, I believe this transit did inspire many women to do and be more.

Women making a difference do not always make headline news, but I can assure you they are out there creating positive change. Many more women now than ever before are stepping up to the plate in politics; traveling to impoverished countries; speaking out for living green, caring for the planet and endangered species; assisting less fortunate women and children globally and creating non-profit organizations to help every living being and creature. I am an artist, and my journey as a painter did not escape this Venus influence. It came to me in a rather unexpected way in the fall of 2004.

I had just moved out of town to a beautiful, secluded ranch outside Santa Fe, New Mexico in the high desert.

The property came with a real working art studio that had been built by a well known woman painter here. Though I can make do painting in almost any space, I am always more inspired when I am able to work in a “real” studio space. I had been staring at a big blank canvas for days, and decided to take a long walk in the hills for inspiration. I hiked a long distance, and decided to take a short rest under a Juniper in the shade. I fell asleep, and when I opened my eyes, five coyotes surrounded me. Three of them were laying there very intently, one was sitting and the other was pacing restlessly behind me. I didn’t completely flip out right away as I had never heard of anyone being attacked by coyotes. But then again, my mind didn’t rule out the possibility. I didn’t know what to do. Do I even look them in the eye? Do I just say hello and then head for the hills? Or do I run like hell? I pondered all this for some time. It appeared that these coyotes were content to stay a while. We were clearly going to have a waiting game on our hands. So out of nowhere, I started to sing. I had memorized many songs while singing and painting. So I started in with Eric Clapton and Layla, then Bonnie Raitt with Nick of Time and Angel from Montgomery and on down the line with songs from Everything But The Girl, Gregg Brown, David Gray, James Taylor, Beth Orton and Patty Griffin. I just sang my heart out, all the while keeping an eye on this restless coyote behind me. I have no idea how long I sang, but suddenly the big coyote in front of me got up, approached me with a long, deep stare, then turned away and off they all went…just like that. Feeling relieved, but somewhat shocked, I ran all the way home. I dug through my kitchen cabinets to find a half bottle of Tequila, and spent the next few hours nursing that in the hot tub.

That night I had a dream, and saw a painting where I was singing to the coyotes.

I was up at sunrise, and in the studio, brush in hand. “She Sings To The Coyotes” was born. I left shortly after finishing that painting for a trip to Ireland with my two sons and a sister. I was going to a family reunion to meet relatives unknown to me, and to return to my roots. I had the opportunity to speak at length with an Irish relative where we discussed the role of women in Pagan rituals and Celtic traditions. I told her my coyote story, and she commented on what a feminine response I had to what was a potentially threatening situation. And that conversation opened the door to a journey I would take into the divine feminine through visionary art and paintings of women.

So what is the sacred, or divine, feminine, and why is it important?

The divine feminine is a mysterious, creative force that gives birth to all Life. It is the symbol for Oneness, and includes both male and female principles. It is the nurturing and sustaining energy in the Universe that enables us to maintain balance. It embodies the laws of Spirit: forgiveness, compassion, faith, love, peace and kindness. We become people and a world out of balance without these influences. It is no secret that the male principle, and man’s laws, have been the dominating influence for the last seven thousand years. And today, we are indeed a world out of balance. The female energy is one of response to the actions initiated by the male energy. Without respect for the need of the feminine response, our actions will inevitably lead to imbalance whereby we fail to nurture ourselves, one another and our planet.

Some would say it calls for the return of the Goddess.

It is possible that many of the problems we face in the world today are a result of our vision and faith in a God to whom we solely attribute masculine principles. Who is not to say the Goddess is right there next to God, and they are One. Every man I know on this planet embodies a feminine side so why not God. Maybe we need to inquire, and take a deeper look into our vision of God as only a He. We can restore the gifts of the divine feminine on the planet by creating a new vision for humanity that welcomes the feminine image of God, the Goddess, back into our lives. The sacred feminine influence is vital to the successful evolution of us as a people and as a planet. She has been quietly singing her songs and prayers for all life for a long time…and I know for sure the coyotes have been listening.