An Inner Journey: The Moon, Mythology, and You

Oya

2012-02-02T05:06:00.000-08:00

Today is the Yoruba/Santeria feast in honor of Oya, the mother goddess of the Yoruba people in Nigeria. She is the 'good mother', but as goddess of storms she has her terrifying aspect as well. She manifests her force in strong winds, in tornados, in the powerful river Niger, in lightning and fire. She may be considered a fierce goddess, but good to have Her on your side if you are being threatened or bullied. Her power over natural phenomena, such as tornadoes, is what provokes fear all over the Yoruba territory.

Her name means 'she tore' in the Yoruba language, and She presides over wind, lightning, hurricane, and tornado, the chaos that disrupts unjust social orders. In Africa, Oya is the goddess of the Niger River, flowing north and west through the Yoruba territory. She is the chief wife of the thunder god, Chango, of strong temperament and authoritative, who epitomizes female power and righteous anger, qualities expected of a warrior goddess.

Axomama

2012-02-01T04:51:00.000-08:00

The Inca believed that all useful plants were animated by a divine being who caused their growth. Axomama is the Peruvian goddess who presides over the growing and harvesting of potato crops. Indians. Her name means 'potato mother'. She is one of the daughters of Pachamama, the earth mother. Potatoes formed a vital part of the food supply of the Incan people, and it was Axomama who protected their crops.

The ancients made a model of this deity out of parts of the plant and kept it for a year before burning it in a ritual to ensure a good potato harvest. The next time you are cutting up a potato, be sure ti give thanks to Axomama and ask for Her blessings of sustenance for another year.

Aranyani

2012-01-30T03:53:00.000-08:00

Aranyani, the Hindu goddess of the woods and forest, has been worshipped in India for centuries as a representation of the highest expression of life and fertility. She governs the forests and is the protectress and the guardian of animals. She is the mother of them all.

Aranyani has been described as elusive, fond of quiet glades in the jungle, and fearless of remote places; She a rarely seen deity who is recognized in the sounds of the trees, particularly at dusk. Yet, Aranyani has the distinction of having one of the most descriptive hymns in the Rig Veda dedicated to Her.

Her worship has declined in modern day Hinduism, and it is rare to find a temple dedicated to Aranyani.

Goddess of wild and forest who seemest to vanish from the sight.

How is it that thou seekest not the village? Art thou not afraid?

What time the grasshopper replies and swells the shrill cicala's voice,

Seeming to sound with tinkling bells, the Lady of the Wood exults.

And, yonder, cattle seem to graze, what seems a dwelling-place appears:

Or else at eve the Lady of the Forest seems to free the wains.

Here one is calling to his cow, another there hath felled a tree:

At eve the dweller in the wood fancies that somebody hath screamed.

The Goddess never slays, unless some murderous enemy approach.

Man eats of savoury fruit and then takes, even as he wills, his rest.

Now have I praised the Forest Queen, sweet-scented, redolent of balm,

The Mother of all sylvan things, who tills not but hath stores of food.

Rig Veda Book 10

Day of Ishtar

2012-01-27T03:02:00.000-08:00

On this date, the annual Day of Ishtar ceremony takes place to honor the ancient Babylonian Mother Goddess. Her name means 'Star', the 'Light of the World'. She was the most popular goddess in Assyria and Babylon. Ishtar is a Mesopotamian goddess of air and sky, of vegetation in nature, as of fertility among mankind. She was the queen of the heavens, and also the goddess of war. Represented by the planet Venus, Her symbol is the the sacred star with eight points. She was said to march at the head of armies to lead and protect kings who had gained her favor. In this role she is usually pictured standing on a lion holding a bow or brandishing a curved dagger.

As the life-giving goddess, Ishtar was viewed also as the goddess of sexual love, and it would appear that priestesses were connected with the Ishtar cult who symbolized their devotion to her service by rites of an obscene prostituting themselves at her temple for Her. Furthermore, there was one old Babylonian custom that required that each woman, at least once during her lifetime, was to sit at the shrine of Ishtar and offer her body to a stranger. Accordingly, the man would enter the temple, make his choice, and then toss money into the lap of the women he selected. Afterward, having completed her 'duty' to Ishtar, the woman was then free to return to her home.

"Praise the Goddess, most awesome

of the Goddesses,

Let one revere the mistress of the

people, the greatest of the Gods.

Praise Ishtar, the most awesome of

the Goddesses,

Let one revere the Queen of Women,

the greatest of the Gods.

She is clothed with pleasure and

love.

She is laden with vitality, charm

and voluptuousness.

In lips she is sweet; life is in

her mouth.

At her appearance rejoicing

becomes full.

She is glorious; veils are thrown

over her head.

Her figure is beautiful; her eyes are brilliant."

-from a First Dynasty Babylon text, circa 1600 BCE -

Thorgerd

2012-01-26T05:09:00.000-08:00

Thorgerd was a mighty warrior-goddess, charged with protecting her people from enemies. Some say She was Finnish in origin. Her name means Thor's protection. Her full name was Thorgerd Holgabrud. She was originally a woman, half goddess, half witch, who was skilled in divinity and sorcery. She is a fiercely protective goddess, and when Her people are attacked, She becomes larger than life and sharp arrows that are said to fly from each of Her fingers.

In Her form as the goddess Thorgerd, She wept tears of gold as She rode Her golden boar through the forest. She was invoked for success in fishing and farming. She was also regarded as having power over nature, and used Her magic to call thunder, lightning, and hail when invoked to do so.

Later She became known as a troll.

When from our ships we bounded,

I heard, with fear astounded,

The storm of Thorgerd's waking,

From Northern vapours breaking;

With flinty masses blended,

Gigantic hail descended,

And thick and fiercely rattled

. Against us there embattled.

To aid the hostile maces,

It drifted in our faces;

It drifted, dealing slaughter,

And blood ran out like water—

Ran reeking, red, and horrid,

From batter'd cheek and forehead;

We plied our swords, but no men

Can stand 'gainst hail and foemen.

And demon Thorgerd raging

To see us still engaging,

Shot, downward from the heaven,

His shafts of flaming levin;

Then sank our brave in numbers,

To cold eternal slumbers;

There lay the good and gallant,

Renown'd for warlike talent.

Our captain, this perceiving,

The signal made for leaving,

And with his ship departed,

Downcast and broken-hearted;

War, death, and consternation,

Pursu'd our embarkation;

We did our best, but no men

Can stand 'gainst hail and foemen.

Hou Tu

2012-01-25T05:12:00.000-08:00

In Chinese mythology, She is the goddess of the earth and soil, and is the embodiment of fertility. The earth goddesss, Hou Tu, serves in a similar capacity as that of the goddess Gaia in that She represents the deification of the earth. As the patroness of fertility, her element is Earth. Hou Tu's domain is all earth magic. She was worshiped by the burial of a yellow calf.

The worship of the goddess Hou-Tu is a little known cult of great antiquity. Originally, Hou Tu was a god, the god of the soil and harvest. Offerings to him were usually buried. It was during the 14th century that, for no clear reason, Hou Tu’s cult mysteriously changed him into a female earth deity. Many temples were dedicated to Her. As one of the four sovereigns, Her image is seen in many Daoist temples. There are about 40 shrines still thriving today. Its center is in the Houshan Mountain.

Po Ino Nogar done

2012-01-24T03:06:00.000-08:00

Po Ino Nogar, called the 'Great One' and the 'Mother of the Land', is the Cambodian goddess of fertility who rules over agriculture and fertility among its people. She is the Cambodian ruler of worlds, creator of the Earth, sandalwood, and inventor of rice who was born amid the clouds. Po Ino Nogar is associated with the sky, clouds and water; hence, She is said to control the rainfall and protect the fields from drought and disease. She is a polyandrous goddess who has 97 husbands and 38 daughters

As the most powerful female deity of the Cham peoples, She is still worshipped as the protectress of the city, In rural villages you will see food offerings in rice paddies as a prayer from farmers.

Kadru, the Serpent Goddess

2012-01-23T03:00:00.000-08:00

Indian mythology tells of the serpent goddess Kadru, who gave birth to the Naga, a thousand beautiful serpent beings from Hindu myth. The Nagas were guards of treasure of palaces under the sea and keepers of books of mystic knowledge. Legend says that they still live today as snakes in human form. Kadru is the daughter of the god, Daksha, an early creator deity. Many royal houses in ancient India claimed descent from Kadru's offspring. She is invoked for fertility and wealth.

The Naga tribes in southern India, named for Kudru's mythical serpent children, retained matriarchal customs, practiced matrilineal inheritance, and put no sexual or marital restrictions on women. Supposedly, for their proper reverence for her the Goddess granted them with longevity.

Festival of the Muses

2012-01-22T06:28:00.000-08:00

It is the Muses

who have caused me

to be honred: they

taught me their craft.

Sappho

Today is the Festival of the Muses, mythological beings believed to provide artistic inspiration to humans. In Greek and Roman mythology, the Muses were the nine goddesses of all artistic, intellectual, and scientific pursuits. They were the daughters of Zeus (Jupiter) and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. Each year on this date, the invisible spirits that inspire and watch over all poets, musicians, and artists are honored and invoked with goddess inspired poetry, music, and dancing.

Whether on Ida's shady brow,

Or in the chambers of the East,

The chambers of the sun, that now

From ancient melody have ceas'd;

Whether in Heav'n ye wander fair,

Or the green corners of the earth,

Or the blue regions of the air,

Where the melodious winds have birth;

Whether on crystal rocks ye rove,

Beneath the bosom of the sea

Wand'ring in many a coral grove,

Fair Nine, forsaking Poetry!

How have you left the ancient love

That bards of old enjoy'd in you!

The languid strings do scarcely move!

The sound is forc'd, the notes are few!

William Blake

January 21 done

2012-01-21T08:47:00.000-08:00

This day of the year is sacred to Yngona, an ancient crone goddess who was worshipped by the Danish people in pre-Christian time. In the myths of the Saxons, she is a crone-like goddess of death. Her festival occurs when the sun moves into Aquarius. The original goddess, Yngona, must have been potent for some say that the legend of Saint Agnes sprang from Her cult when She was later Christianized.

On the eve of Saint Agnes' Day, according to ancient legend, an unmarried woman will see her future husband in a dream.

And on sweet St. Agnes' night,

Please you with the promis'd sight,

Some of husbands, some of lovers,

Which an empty dream discovers.

Veja Mate

2012-01-20T03:16:00.000-08:00

The Latvian culture is among the oldest surviving Indo-European cultures, and its seasons, festivals, and numerous deities reflect the essential agriculture nature of their tribal life. Veja Mate is the Latvian goddess of the wind and the ruler of the weather. Her name means 'Mother of the Winds'. It was She who nurtured the forests and birds. Together with Meza Mate, Mother of the Forest, which provides forest mother it for the forest and here particularly for the birds, those animals, which move in air, their element. The Latvian's say that when She travels across the land, it is said that 'she is blowing her flute' since the wind often makes the noise of flute tones.

Veja Mate is mentioned in song texts as a protection goddess of sailors, who ask Her for a good wind for sails.

Abnoba done

2012-01-19T05:26:00.000-08:00

Abnoba was the Celtic goddess of the Black Forest in Germany, childbirth, and a number of rivers She gave Her name to many rivers named Avon, including the famous one in England that flows through the town where William Shakespeare was born. Her name is related to 'wetness' or 'river'.

The Romans associated this goddess with Diana, and in the well-preserved Roman bath at Badenweiler there stands to this day an altar consecrated to Abnoba. We may assume,also, that because Her altar is located at a therapeutic bath, it is probably safe to assume that She was similar in nature to other female deities associated with healing springs. Abnoba may have associations with fertility and women's rites.

Festival of Perth: January 18th

2012-01-18T05:06:00.000-08:00

On this day is held the Austrailian Festival of Perth, a day sacred to the Aborigine mother goddess, Nungeena, a benevolent guardian spirit who restored beauty to the world after an evil spirit nearly destroyed by hordes of insects.

According to legend, when the evil spirit, Marmoo, let insects loose upon the world to destroy it, Nungeena created the birds to eat all of the insects. They were, however, not just any birds, but the beautiful Lyre Birds of Australia. In turn, the Lyre Birds then created assistants, such as the magpies to help with their sacred task. Together they saved the beautiful plants and flowers of the world, thus renewing the world's beauty.

Hebe, the Goddess of Youth

2012-01-17T03:01:00.000-08:00

Now the gods, seated by the side of Zeus, were holding assembly on the golden floor, and in their midst the queenly Hebe poured them nectar, and they with golden goblets pledged one the other...

Homer, Iliad 4.1

In Greek mythology, Hebe is the goddess of youth and beauty. Sometimes called the 'Downy One', Hebe is the personification of youth and has always remained young, warding off old age by the use of nectar and ambrosia. On Olympus She held the office of cup-bearer to the gods. Among Her other duties She assisted Juno to yoke Her carriage when about to take a ride. When Apollo and the Muses played She danced with other deities. She was also the patron goddess of the young bride and an attendant of the goddess Aphrodite.

Hebe was considered to be the most beautiful goddess of them all. In art, She is usually depictedas a charming young girl, Her garments adorned with roses, and on Her head a wreath of flowers. In one hand She carries the amphora of nectar, and with the other She presents the cup of eternal youthfulness. She is the daughter of Zeus and Hera and the sister of Ares and Hephaestus and Eilythia, the goddess of childbirth. Hebe married Heracles just after he had obtained immortality, and the couple gave birth to two sons. Through Hebe, Heracles also gained eternal youth which was much to the dislike of Hebe's mother, Hera, who was fighting against Heracles constantly.

And mighty Heracles, the valiant son of neat-ankled Alcmena, when he had finished his grievous toils, made Hebe the child of great Zeus and goldshod Hera his shy wife in snowy Olympus. Happy he! For he has finished his great work and lives amongst the undying gods, untroubled and unaging all his days.

Hesiod, Theogony 950

When patriarchal invaders overtook the Goddess culture, Hebe was displaced by Ganymede. According to the legend, legend, one day Hebe slipped and fell while serving nectar, thus exposing Her naked body. The gods were in shock, and Her indecency made the, question Her manners. It was then decided that Hebe was unfit to continue to perform Her duties. Ganymede, the beautiful young man who charmed all the gods, became Her replacement.

Gefjon

2012-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Gefjon was one of the Aesir, a race of warlike deities who were very similar to the Greek deities of Mount Olympus. She was a goddess of agriculture and fertility. She is associated with the skill of plowing. Her name seems to be connected with the root meaning 'to give' and She herself lives up to Her name by functioning as a goddess of good fortune and prosperity.

Gefjon was also one of the maidens in Frigga's palace, and to Her were entrusted all those who died. To the Northern Germanic people, She was the goddess of virginity, and it has been said that all women who die virgins go to Her hall. However, according to some authorities, Gefjon did not remain a virgin herself, but married one of the giants.

According to one myth, Gylfi, the King of Sweden, told a beggar woman that She could have as much of Sweden as She could plow with four oxen in one day. What he didn't know was that this unknown woman was none other than the goddess, Gefjon, who had learned Her magic from the Vanir. The four oxens She harnessed the plow were, in reality, the four sons whom She had by a giant who lived far off in the icy regions. She returned to Sweden in Midgard with Her sons and plowed all of the land which is now known as Zealand so it became part of Denmark, thereby tricking Gylfi.

Leisure

2012-01-13T03:13:00.000-08:00

Leisure, thou goddess of a bygone age,

When hours were long and days sufficed to hold

Wide-eyed delights and pleasures uncontrolled

By shortening moments, when no gaunt presage

Of undone duties, modern heritage,

Haunted our happy minds; must thou withhold

Thy presence from this over-busy world,

And bearing silence with thee disengage

Our twined fortunes? Deeps of unhewn woods

Alone can cherish thee, alone possess

Thy quiet, teeming vigor. This our crime:

Not to have worshipped, marred by alien moods

That sole condition of all loveliness,

The dreaming lapse of slow, unmeasured time.

Amy Lowell

The Carmentalia

2012-01-12T05:10:00.000-08:00

The Carmentalia was an ancient Roman festival dedicated to Carmenta, the birth goddess who brings in the new generations ; it was held on January 11th and 15th. Carmenta was an ancient goddess belonging to the religion of Rome, but of Her cult, we know hardly anything. Her festival was solely for women's energies: birth or beginnings, divination, fertility. Pregnant women offered Her rice and fresh produce in exchange for a safe delivery.

Carmenta rules both birth and prophecy. Her powers of divination pertain to the present, and She chants Her prophecies in verse and song.a deity presiding over childbirth, whose priestesses cast the fortunes of children at the moment of their birth. Her name translates as magical spell, oracle, or charm, and She also presides over poetry and bodies of water.

Haltia

2012-01-11T05:00:00.000-08:00

Haltia is a household spirit, a goddess of hearth and home. She is the Lady of the Home who was believed to rule over houses among the Baltic Finns. In Estonia they called Her Holdja. A benevolent goddess, Haltia was considered to be a central part of the actual structure of the home. It is Her energy which forms and holds the house together. She lives on the roof beam of every house and brings good luck and health to the residents it they acknowledged Her presence and greeted Her every time they crossed the threshold.

In later years, Haltia's powers were dispersed, perhaps due to the influence of Christianity, with Her name coming to connote a group of male and female fairies concerned with domestic affairs rather than a single majestic goddess.

Chih Nu

2012-01-10T03:09:00.000-08:00

Chih Nu is the Chinese goddess of spinners and weavers. She is a beloved goddess of China, who had the job of weaving the of weaving the heavenly garments of the other gods and goddesses. She was the daughter of Yu-huang, a Jade Emperor of China.

According to Her myth, one day She left the heavens to bathe, and while She bathed, a cowherd took Her clothes, after being told to do so by his ox, his guardian spirit. Chih Nu was unable to return to the heavens without them so She married the cowherd had two children with him. Seven years later She found Her clothes and returned to the heavens. The cowherd asked what to do and his ox told him how to get to the heavens. Chih Nu confessed that She was the wife of the cowherd, and he was made immortal. The cowherd and Chih Nu became gods of two separate stars and could only meet on the seventh month of the seventh year.

Amalthea

2012-01-09T03:08:00.000-08:00

As one of the nurses of Zeus when he was a child, Amalthea has been variously described as a nymph, a she-goat, or possibly a goddess in the form of a goat. It was Amalthea who nursed the infant Zeus. She raised him as one of the kids in the herd in a cave at Lyktos on the island of Crete. Amalthea, and Her sister, Melissa, help him grow strong so he would one day overthrow his father and become king of the gods, the “cloud-gatherer” himself. When he was old enough, his first wife, Metis ('Wisdom'), helped him to subdue Cronus and compel him to vomit up the other children.

The myth also relates how, one day as Amalthea was playing with the child Zeus, he accidentally broke off Her horn. When Zeus was grown up and had acquired the dominion of the heavens, he promoted Amalthea to be the goddess of plenty or fortune and assured that the broken horn would always to be full of whatever its owner desired. It became known as the Horn of Amalthea or the Cornucopia, an eternal symbol of abundance.

In a later myth, Amalthea, with Her one horn, is transformed into the constellation, Capricorn where She remains eternally suspended between the earth and the heavens.

Midwife's Day

2012-01-08T07:46:00.000-08:00

Midwife's Day is celebrated on January 8th each year to honor midwives and all women. In Greek Macedonia, this was a day that was dedicated to Eleithyia, the goddess of birth, the midwife goddess who protected women during pregnancy and labor. She was an ancient goddess who, according to some, existed at the beginning of time. Pregnant women from all over Crete traveled to Her sacred cave Her blessing on their pregnancy and Her aid in an easy birth.

In one story, she was sent by Hera to delay Heracles's birth so that another child in the bloodline of Perseus would be born first and, thus, claim the title of King of Argos. Consequently, Eurystheus was born before Heracles and became Heracles's earthly master.

Although She never played a very large role in Greek mythology She was, nonetheless, a major cult goddess with a large number of shrines located throughout Greece. Eileithyia was invoked by women in labor, to further the birth and ease the pain of labour.

The Flight of the Goddess

2012-01-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

A man should live in a garret aloof,

And have few friends, and go poorly clad,

With an old hat stopping the chink in the roof,

To keep the Goddess constant and glad.

Of old, when I walked on a rugged way,

And gave much work but for little bread,

The Goddess dwelt with me night and day,

Sat at my table, haunted my bed.

The narrow, mean attic, I see it now!--

Its window overlooking the city's tiles,

The sunset's fires, and the clouds of snow,

And the river wandering miles and miles.

Just one picture hung in the room,

The saddest story that art can tell--

Dante and Virgil in lurid gloom

Watching the lovers flow through Hell.

Wretched enough was I sometimes,

Pinched, and harassed with vain desires;

But thicker than clover sprung the rhymes

As I dwelt as a sparrow among the spires.

Midnight filled my slumbers with song;

Music haunted my dreams by day.

Now I listen and wait and long,

But the Delphian airs have died away.

I wonder and wonder how it befell:

Suddenly I had friends in crowds;

I bade the house-tops a long farewell;

'Good-by,' I cried, 'to the stars and the clouds!

'But thou, rare soul, thou hast dwelt with me,

Spirit of Poesy! thou divine

Breath of the morning, thou shalt be,

Goddess! for ever and ever mine.'

And the woman I loved was now my bride,

And the house I wanted was my own;

I turned to the Goddess satisfied--

But the Goddess had somehow flown.

Flown, and I fear she will never return;

I am much too sleek and happy for her,

Whose lovers must hunger and waste and burn

Ere the beautiful heathen heart will stir.

I call--but she does not stoop to my cry;

I wait--but she lingers, and ah! so long!

It was not so in the years gone by,

When she touched my lips with chrism of song.

I swear I will get me a garret again,

And adore, like a Parsee, the sunset's fires,

And lure the Goddess, by vigil and pain,

Up with the sparrows among the spires.

For a man should live in a garret aloof,

And have few friends, and go poorly clad,

With an old hat stopping the chink in the roof,

To keep the Goddess constant and glad.

Thomas Bailey Aldrich

Gran Ibo

2012-01-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Gran Ibo is the Haitian goddess of wisdom and patience. She is seen as the great mistress, the grandmother, the wise old woman of the swamp. Her roots go back to the beginning of time. Appearing in the guise of an old swamp witch, Her home is in the solitude of nature. Gran Ibo is the loa of wisdom and patience who holds all the secrets and mysteries that lie therein. She is the one who knows the magic and the medicine found in the healing plants and herbs of the forest; She is a master herbalist who knows the mysteries and can teach them to you.

Her home is in the solitude of nature , and Her sacred animal is the yellow canary. She sits quietly alone, but sees all and knows all. She understands the language of plants She rarely speaks, and when she does, it is often in tongues. When we take the time to listen to her stories, we can learn much about the ancient ways of the earth.

Louhi

2012-01-04T05:49:00.000-08:00

Louhi is the name of the Finnish goddess of sorcery, evil, dark magick. Her name means “magic”. She is the mistress/goddess of the Underworld, the world of the dead. She is described as a powerful witch with the ability to change shape and weave mighty enchantments. Her realm in the Arctic North is called Pohjola; it is a dark and gloomy place which is reached by crossing a fiery stream. In Finnish mythology, the realm of the dead. Louhi also controls the wind, fog, illness, and wild creatures.

Louhi was goddess who was so powerful that She was able to steal the Sun and Moon away from the sky and hide them in Her house at North Farm. She is also the main opponent of Vainamoinen and his group in the battle for the magical artifact Sampo, a magical tool that created abundance, in the Kalevala. Louhi has a number of beautiful daughters and when suitors came to marry them, in true fairy tale form, She set them impossible tasks and if these tasks were overcome she had her army of frost giants kill them.

Hsi Wang-Mu

2012-01-03T05:53:00.000-08:00

Hsi Wang Mu, known as the Taoist Queen Mother of the West, is a Chinese Taoist goddess of life and immortality. Hsi Wang Mu is considered the goddess of life, death and resurrection. She is the keeper of the sacred Peaches. Worshiped from prehistoric times through the present, Hsi Wang Mu is the Chinese goddess of longevity and is associated with Autumn, the season of old age. Her sign is the crane, Chinese symbol of longevity. She is the embodiment of the feminine aspect of Yin, the very essence of feminine power.

She lives in a lives in a nine-story palace of jade in the far west mountains guarded by dragons and hands out the Peaches of Immortality to those whom She favors. In Taoist legend, these magical peaches were said to have grown in Her garden. This peach tree forms only one peach every three thousand years, which then takes another three thousand years to ripen. When it is ripe, Hsi Wang-mu invites the immortals to a feast to celebrate their birthday and to partake of the miraculous peach which bestows another lease of immortality.

Ragana

2012-01-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

The ancient Lithuanian goddess, Ragana, was goddess of destruction and regeneration, goddess of night, the dark moon, and winter. She is extremely dangerous when nights are short. She has also been known to cause eclipses of the sun and to control the growth of the moon. Ragana dates far back to the Neolithic era and rules over night, winter, death, rebirth, and regeneration. According to Lithuanian folklore, She can change into a toad and cause death as well as birth. In some tales, Ragana appears as an old woman or a beggar.

Ragana was a prophetess and sorceress, and a goddess of magic. Her name is related to the verb "to know, see, foresee" and to the noun for "horn, crescent". She is a seeress who reveals the future and knows how to control supernatural powers. Later, with the advent of Christianity, She is degraded to a witch who brings misfortune to humans and animals. Hunters honored Her by offering Her their first catch.

Bertha

2012-01-01T06:56:00.000-08:00

This day is sacred to the goddess, Bertha, also known as the White Lady, the ancient Germanic goddess of the New Year. Her name means 'Shining Light'. In many tales in German folklore, She appears, not only as clad in white, covered with a white veil which falls from Her golden hair. She is also depicted with a snow white body —a perfect Woman in White. She was associated with the Moon, the hunt, and fertility of the land. She is the great nature goddess of the Germans.

Bertha was a very popular goddess, and as a result, She was demonized by the Church and evolved into a bogey woman who protected the grain so formidably that children were warned that they must not go into a field where it was growing for fear that the werewolf, whose howl they could sometimes hear in the wind, would seize them. Later, She was invoked as a threat against children to make them behave.

Nortia done new years

2011-12-31T07:08:00.000-08:00

Nortia is the goddess of the Etruscans who presices over luck and ceremonies. She ruled over time, fate, destiny and chance. Her name is linked to both the word north and the direction, the symbolic place of wisdom and the direction of the spiritual quest. She is chiefly remembered because each year, in a New Year rite, a nail was driven into the wall of her temple as a primitive calendar--perhaps originally begun as a magical practice for averting plague or some other evil. This custom survived well into Roman times in the temple dedicated to Juno, Jupiter, and Minerva.

Queen and Huntress

2011-12-30T06:43:00.000-08:00

Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,
Now the sun is laid to sleep,
Seated in thy silver chair
State in wonted manner keep:
Hesperus entreats thy light,
Goddess excellently bright.

Earth, let not thy envious shade
Dare itself to interpose;
Cynthia's shining orb was made
Heaven to clear when day did close:
Bless us then with wished sight,
Goddess excellently bright.

Lay thy bow of pearl apart
And thy crystal-shining quiver;
Give unto the flying hart
Space to breathe, how short soever:
Thou that mak'st a day of night,
Goddess excellently bright.

Benjamin Jonson

Sigyn

2011-12-29T08:23:00.000-08:00

Since not much has survived about the pre-Christian goddess, Sigyn, we know little about Her. Her name is often translated as meaning victorious girl-friend. What we do know is that She was the third wife of the trickster god, Loki, and despite his frequent indiscretions and sexual escapades, She remained loyal to him. She was know for Her compassion and gentle temperament and represents faithfulness and loyalty, especially when relationships face times of turmoil.

When Loki discovered a way to kill Baldur, the Norse god of peace, with mistletoe built into the form of an arrow, he found himself surrounded by an angry mob. As punishment for killing Baldur, Loki was bound between two boulders with a poisonous snake positioned above him, dripping venom on his head. Sigyn though remained loyal throughout this punishment and stood beside him with a bowl which caught the deadly venom that dripped from the snake's fangs, thereby protecting Her husband. When the bowl was full, She had to turn away, and in those moments, Loki, in great pain from the venom, would struggle and shake the earth causing earthquakes.

Dzunukwa

2011-12-28T08:01:00.000-08:00

Dzunukwa is the Kwakiutl Goddess of abundance and rebirth. She is the 'Wild Woman of the Woods' who lives in the mountains of and forests of the Pacific Northwest. She is a terrifying and threatening creature. It is said that She bestows wonderful blessings upon men who could tame Her, but is also greatly feared by children, because she is also known as an ogress who steals children and carries them home to eat. She has been depicted as a hideous looking giantess who carried children away from their homes and deep into the forest.

According to an old legend, after Her son was killed by hunters, a young orphan, led Her to his body and helped Her to carry him home. To thank the young man for his kindness, She threw some magical water on him and on the body of Her Son. At once, the orphan became handsome, and Her son came back to life. She then gave the orphan all of the secrets of rebirth and revived his parents with Her magical water.

Dzunukwa is associated with copper which is highly valued for its brilliance, and as a symbol of abundance, She is called upon in potlatch ceremonies which are central to the distribution of wealth and spiritual blessings. According to Kwakiutl belief, spirits come to earth each winter and live amongst the humans and passing on their magical powers to a worthy young man or woman. Winter Ceremonials are performed, and dancers and performers cherished and enacted what was thought to guarantee the tribe's spiritual renewal and economic prosperity.

Performers used magic, trickery, and effects. The impersonators pretend to die in a viscious bloody fashion, then be brought back to life. Statues and objects could talk during these ceremonies. Magical objects would fly from place to place. And they would appear and disappear mysteriously. There were many ceremonial props to help the Kwakiutl perform these ceremonies. They were mostly masks, but were also some other fine things.

Birthday of Freya: December 27th

2011-12-27T05:43:00.000-08:00

If you were born on this day, you share a birthday with the Norse goddess named Freya. She was a major figure in the Norse pantheon and was widely worshiped. Her name means "Lady" or "Mistress". She is the northern European goddess of love, sexuality desire, sorcery, enchantment, and magic, as well as the mistress of cats. She was the patron of crops and the spring. Freya was a sweet and gentle goddess, who loved the spring and the flowers, and presided over love, and music, and fairies.

She is also a goddess of war and of death. After every battle, Freya and Odin enter the battlefield to collect the souls of the dead. Those who are fortunate enough to be chosen by Freya are taken to Her palace in the Otherworld where they are treated with feasting and festivity.

Freya was absent from the earth during the autumn and winter, and it was Her departure that caused the leaves to fall and the earth. It is said that during this time, She searches throughout the nine worlds for her beloved husband, Odin, bitterly crying tears of gold and amber until they are reunited.

Freya is invoked for love, romance, and fertility.

In fall Freyja left us Traveling southward.
Now she returns again,
Bringing soft words.
Out of her golden hair Spring flowers fall Tumbling like melodies,
Sounding the call.
Chaste through the winter Women now pine,
Wanting their lovers home Sharing the wine.

(A Scandinavian song
to the Goddess)

Qebhet

2011-12-26T06:30:00.000-08:00

Qebhet , the Celestial Serpent, is the Egyptian goddess of the mystical water of life. Her name, meaning 'the cool one', gives rise at an early date to myths which connect Her with sky or water. This goddess is considered the personification of cool, refreshing water; therefore, She was a patroness and symbol of the eternal paradises. She personifies the freshness and purification through water. She was also associated with the Nile and Solar cults.

Qebhet was a serpent-goddess, the daughter of the funerary god, Anubis, and the granddaughter of Nepthys. She served as Her father's assistant in the traditional mummification process by blessing and empowering the water that is used in the funeral rites.

Invoke this goddess to preside over your cleansing rituals.

A Hymn to Venus

2011-12-23T05:53:00.000-08:00

O Venus, beauty of the skies,
To whom a thousand temples rise,
Gaily false in gentle smiles,
Full of love-perplexing wiles;
O goddess, from my heart remove
The wasting cares and pains of love.

If ever thou hast kindly heard
A song in soft distress preferred,
Propitious to my tuneful vow,
A gentle goddess, hear me now.
Descend, thou bright immortal guest,
In all thy radiant charms confessed.

Thou once didst leave almighty Jove
And all the golden roofs above:
The car thy wanton sparrows drew,
Hovering in air they lightly flew;
As to my bower they winged their way
I saw their quivering pinions play.

The birds dismissed (while you remain)
Bore back their empty car again:
Then you, with looks divinely mild,
In every heavenly feature smiled,
And asked what new complaints I made,
And why I called you to my aid?

What frenzy in my bosom raged,
And by what cure to be assuaged?
What gentle youth I would allure,
Whom in my artful toils secure?
Who does thy tender heart subdue,
Tell me, my Sappho, tell me who?

Though now he shuns thy longing arms,
He soon shall court thy slighted charms;
Though now thy offerings he despise,
He soon to thee shall sacrifice;
Though now he freezes, he soon shall burn,
And be thy victim in his turn.

Celestial visitant, once more
Thy needful presence I implore.
In pity come, and ease my grief,
Bring my distempered soul relief,
Favour thy suppliant's hidden fires,
And give me all my heart desires.

Sappho

Wishing you all a happy holiday. May all of your dreams come true.

Ereshkigal

2011-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

In Sumerian myth, which predates classical Greek myth by many centuries, it is the great goddess, Ereshkigal, the "queen of darkness", originally a sky goddess, who was carried off by force to the Sumerian Underworld by the dragon, Kur, and there enthroned as its lady. Her world is a place of shadows and dust, a place where the the spirits of of the dead huddle in the darkness. She rules over the magickal arts, secret knowledge, and oracles. She was also the sister of the well known goddess, Ishtar.

Ereshkigal is known to us chiefly through two myths, both believed to symbolize the change of seasons, but intended also to illustrate certain doctrines developed in the temple schools of Babylonia. One of these myths is the famous story of Ishtar's descent to the lower world. When Ishtar ventured into the Underworld, Ereshkigal forced Her to take off a piece of clothing at each of the seven gates She had to pass through to reach Her. Ereshkigal knew that if Inanna arrived naked, She would be stripped of her special powers. and her reception by her sister who presides over it; the other is the story of how the god Nergal, living in heaven, became the god of the underworld at the expense of Ereshkigal and eventually married each other.

Colleda

2011-12-21T07:40:00.000-08:00

Colleda is the Serbian goddess of the Winter Solstice. In Russia, She is called Koliada. Her name is related to the word Wheel, and She is celebrated as a 'personification of time'. As goddess of Winter and the Earth, She is honored at the dark time of the Winter Solstice when She adorns Herself in a holiday robe, enters Her sleigh, and re-creates the world by embroidering a new one. Songs were sung in celebration of the renewed life that She brings after the Winter Solstice.

Kolyada! Kolyada!

Kolyada has arrived

On the Eve of the Nativity.

We went about, we sought

Holy Kolyada,

Through all the courts, in all the alleys.

We found Kolyada

In Peter's Court.

Round Peter's Court there is an iron fence,

She is the recipient of the Yule log, and as it burns, Colleda brings back the light into the world. When daylight was reborn, the children go from house to house, begging for favors to offer Colleda, and also for themselves. they were given sweet cakes. With the advent of Christianity, this festival became blended with the Christmas celebration.

Frau Holle

2011-12-20T05:49:00.000-08:00

Surviving to this day are several popular German fairy tales about the benevolent Mother Holda or Frau Holle, who lives in the forest. This figure comes from the ancient goddess Holda, part woman and part tree, who was said to be the mother of humankind.

In the Germanic tradition, Holda, whose name means "gracious one", is the goddess who spins in a kingdom below the earth. Mother Holda was a maternal cave-dwelling crone who had power over weather. Because She was believed to preside over the weather, the people declared that when the snowflakes fell that Frau Holle was shaking her bed, and when it rained, that She must be washing Her clothes. At Yuletide, she drives Her carriage through the sky and bestows good health, good fortune, and other gifts to humans that honor her.

Among the Scandinavian races, Holda is described as an old woman who lives in a cave. She travels either in a wagon or bearing a plow and attended by the spirits of unborn children. She is a protector of the household and patron of the housewife and mother. In some districts she was even accredited to the task of bringing children to expectant mothers, in the manner of the stock in the Western tradition. She was also believed to rock children's cradles after the nurse had fallen asleep.

Geese are sacred to Holda, and some say she is the source of the storybook character Mother Goose. She is also associated with spinning wool and creating flax, and it is also said that She gave flax to mankind and taught them how to use it.

Before Christianity was introduced into Germany, the rose was held to be the favorite flower of the maternal goddess Holda, who, as we have before seen, was often called "Frau Rose," or "Mutter Rose. In time, however, the goddess Holda, the dispenser of happiness and plenty, shared the fate of the other divinities. By degrees, her worship suffered neglect, tradition grew vague about her mission and attributes. Many of these symbols of Holda were transferred to the Madonna.

Nanshe

2011-12-19T06:28:00.000-08:00

The dream interpreteter went into the sacristy and made glittering silver ecde cups ready for her. The temple cook ......, and prepared hot and cold food for her. He ...... of the oven for her (?) and ...... made the great shovel bellow for her. After the meat had arrived in large bowls and cool water had been brought from the Sirara-canal, after the festival trappings had arrived from Lagac and wine had been brought from the countryside, her great oven which vies with the great dining hall, Nance's shrine of food offerings, was humming. From 'The Nanshe Hymn'

The Sumerian goddess, Nanshe, was a water goddess of prophecy worshipped throughout Mesopotamia. She was an important goddess in the Old and Neo-Sumerian period, and Her functions as a goddess were varied. She was a goddess of social justice, prophecy, fertility and fishing. She is referred to as the Interpreter of Dreams, and She blesses Her priests with soothsaying abilities. She was the daughter of Enki the sister of the warrior god, Ningirsu, and Ninhursag. Nearly five thousand years ago, she was a patron goddess of scribes. Her symbol was a vessel of water with a fish in it.

In a Sumerian hymn, the southern Mesopotamian goddess Nanshe is called the 'guardian of the widow' and the mother of the orphan:

She is concerned for the orphan and concerned for the widow. She does not forget the man who helps (?) others, she is a mother for the orphan; Nance, a carer for the widow, who always finds advice for the debt-slave; the lady who gives protection for refugees. She seeks out a place for the weak. She swells his collecting basket for him; she makes his collecting vessel profitable for him. For the righteous maiden who has taken her path, Nance chooses a young man of means. Nance raises a secure house like a roof over the widow who could not remarry.

From another hymn dedicated to Her, we also learn that in Her temple She was seen as a great administrator and arbiter of social justice. She held dominion over the Persian Gulf and all the animals within. Her seat of power was the Sirara temple, located in the city of Nina.

Urania's Lover.

2011-12-14T09:05:00.000-08:00

Will be going offline for about a week, maybe less. Tomorrow I will be moving to a new apartment, and hopefully will have service soon. At any rate, I will have access to a computer when I return to work next week. Blessings to all of you.

O poet, thou art called to tread her ways,
Hers, mistress of the soul, Urania fair.
(Ah God! how fair, how all adorable,
But those who have wooed her can tell!)
All of thy nights and days,
All of thy light and air,
Hers only, so thy soul shall haply win
Grace in those eyes
That goddess-wise
Smile in that heaven man's highest have enter'd in.
Thou'rt called to Love's high hest, soul-wooer thou
Of the divinest beauty man may know —
Soul-wooer and soul-winner, so thy feet
Fail not nor falter, so earth's cheat
Clip not thy burning brow
With its chill wreath, and so
Darken the heavenly light within the brain;
But let thy forehead be
Starred with pure poesy,
So thou to her high mystery attain.
Thy love a Goddess and her heaven thy home!
By the ethereal beauty in those eyes,
O poet! bless the loss of all things here
So but thy soul in that fine sphere,
Beloved of her, may roam
No more with wandering cries —
At last may bow before her face, and be,
Though woman-born, divine,
When all of hers is thine,
And thou a star of God's ascendency.
Ah! through that heaven shall not the wonder trail
Of thy first worship, like a comet's hair
Leagues on leagues floating from the flying star?
Shall not thy first faint steps afar
Move like a being pale
Amid the glory there
Up to the voiceless beauty of her brow,
As thou dost see, as 'twere,
Thy whole life with her there —
See from that height the depth where thou art now?

Robert Crawford

St Lucia Day: December 13

2011-12-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

Each year on this date, the people of Sweden and Norway celebrate St. Lucia's Day as the Festival of Light. It is also known as Little Yule. The festival goes back to the days of the Vikings when people celebrated a festival throughout this night. It comes from an ancient festival honoring the sun goddess, Lucina, a Roman goddess of the harvest, light, and life. Lucina was also the goddess of childbirth whg safeguarded the lives of women in labor.

At daybreak, the first-born daughter of the house wears a candle crown in obvious reference to the Pagan symbols of fire and life giving light, and serves her family cakes. In a Swedish ritual on Saint Lucia's Day, the oldest daughter in the family wears a white gown and a crown of lighted crown full of candles. She serves her parents Lucia buns and coffee or mulled wine. This ritual honors the legend of Saint Lucia bringing food during a famine. Many of the men dress as elves, who are known as Lucina's helpers. A traditional song is sung:

Santa Lucia, thy light is glowing

Through darkest winter night, comfort bestowing.

Dreams float on dreams tonight,

Comes then the morning light,

Santa Lucia, Santa Lucia.

St. Lucia's was also a day for many different prophecies. For example, those girls that wanted to know who was to be their future husband would bite from an apple every day from St. Lucia's Day until Christmas Eve. If the apple started to rot it would be the sign that the girl would not marry. The last bite would be taken on Christmas Eve, and when the girl went to church that evening, the boy who talked to her first would supposedly become her husband.

Tonantzin/Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12th

2011-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who bears the titles Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas, Mexico’s most important religious holiday. On this day people from all over Mexico travel to the chapel Tepayac Hill in Mexico City, where the mother of Jesus is said to have appeared before an Indian peasant named Juan Diego back in 1531. In pre-conquest times, Tepeyac had housed a temple to the earth and fertility goddess, Tonantzin, Our Lady Mother, who, like Guadalupe, was associated with the moon.

Tonantzin is an Aztec goddess who was worshipped as a Mother Goddess, the patron of childbirth, and was identified with the moon and the focus of large scale pilgrimages. Her cult is ancient and as a goddess of fertility of the earth she was also regarded as a goddess of human fertility. She was also the one to decide the length of life. She was both the giver of life and the one who took it away. Aztecs traveled from the cities and rural areas from all over the empire to Tepeyec Hill to hold sacrifices and feasts in honor of the mother goddess.

One of the temples destroyed during the Spanish Conquest was that of the goddess Tonantzin. The Aztecs mourned their goddess and felt threatened by such a desecration. Since the Christianization of Mexico, Tonantzin has isappeared as a distinctive deity, as have all of the rites that were associated with her worship. Today, there is only one mother goddess, the Christian, Mary.

On this day people from all over Mexico travel to Tepayac Hill in Mexico where the mother of Jesus is believed to have appeared before an Indian peasant named, Juan Diego in 1531. Accordingly, Mary told Juan to go to the bishop and ask that a church be built on the hill so she could be close to her people. The bishop, needing proof of this vision, asked Juan to have a miracle performed by Mary. Juan returned to Tepayac Hill and found roses growing where previously there had only been cacti. Juan wrapped the roses in his cape and along with a picture of Mary, brought them to show the bishop. He was convinced and the chapel was built.

Huge fiestas are held all over Mexico and Central America to honor the day of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Throughout the day, people come to the church to pray. Many of them pin milagros, or miracles, near the statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe. These small silver or tin objects are shaped like hearts, arms, or legs, and symbolize the giver’s thanks for a cure.

The Birth of Love

2011-12-09T09:13:00.000-08:00

When Love was born of heavenly line,

What dire intrigues disturbed Cythera's joy!

Till Venus cried, "A mother's heart is mine;

None but myself shall nurse my boy,"

But, infant as he was, the child

In that divine embrace enchanted lay;

And, by the beauty of the vase beguiled,

Forgot the beverage--and pined away.

"And must my offspring languish in my sight?"

(Alive to all a mother's pain,

The Queen of Beauty thus her court addressed)

"No: Let the most discreet of all my train

Receive him to her breast:

Think all, he is the God of young delight."

Then Tenderness with Candour joined,

And Gaiety the charming office sought;

Nor even Delicacy stayed behind:

But none of those fair Graces brought

Wherewith to nurse the child--and still he pined.

Some fond hearts to Compliance seemed inclined;

But she had surely spoiled the boy:

And sad experience forbade a thought

On the wild Goddess of Voluptuous Joy.

Long undecided lay th' important choice,

Till of the beauteous court, at length, a voice

Pronounced the name of Hope:--The conscious child

Stretched forth his little arms, and smiled.

'Tis said Enjoyment (who averred

The charge belonged to her alone)

Jealous that Hope had been preferred

Laid snares to make the babe her own.

Of Innocence the garb she took,

The blushing mien and downcast look;

And came her services to proffer:

And Hope (what has not Hope believed!)

By that seducing air deceived,

Accepted of the offer.

It happened that, to sleep inclined,

Deluded Hope: for one short hour

To that false Innocence's power

Her little charge consigned.

The Goddess then her lap with sweetmeats filled

And gave, in handfuls gave, the treacherous store:

A wild delirium first the infant thrilled;

But soon upon her breast he sunk--to wake no more.

William Wordsworth

Turan

2011-12-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

Turan was the bejeweled Etruscan goddess of love and fertility, the mistress of life and sex. She was originally a goddess of vegetation and of the market; she acquired most of the features by which she is known, however, from the imported Greek Aphrodite. Turan has influence over matters of love. Her name means 'Lady' or 'Mistress'. Turan has influence over matters of love. She is the spirit of lovers, of peace and, of course, of beauty and seduction.

She is commonly associated with birds such as the dove, goose and above all the swan. Turan is represented by the Greeks as rising from the sea.

Turan survives in Italy as the good fairy, Turanna, the spirit of peace and love. She is said to be very beautiful and does good things for those who call upon her blessings. Turanna deals out cards and the hands of fate.

Haloia of Demeter: December 7

2011-12-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

On this date, an annual rite called the Haloia of Demeter was performed in ancient Greece. This festival commemorated the goddess Demeter's sorrow at the loss of her daughter Persephone, and the coming of the winter. Each year at this time She wanders the earth, Her sorrow bringing Winter to the world as She searches for Her stolen daughter Persephone. Spring returns however, when Persephone is allowed to temporarily leave the darkness of the Underworld and Demeter once again rejoices.

Demeter was no doubt originally the 'Mother Earth', but in worship, She has become primarily a goddess of the grain. Demeter founded a temple to her daughter Persephone at Eleusis, near Athens, which became the center of a religious cult thought 'to hold the entire human race together'.

Damgalnuna/Damkina

2011-12-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

Damgalnuna is the earlier Sumerian name of the goddess, Damkina. She was the principal mother goddess, involved in the various versions of the creation of humanity. Her name can be translated as 'the great wife of a prince.' Originally a mother goddess, she was worshiped as the wife of the Sumerian god Enki, the lord of freshwater, and dwelt with him in his subterranean kingdom. Together they were the parents of Marduk, the great god of Babylon, who was born in the watery depths of the abyss. For or this reason, She is sometimes called 'the queen of the Abyss.'

O Damkina, mighty queen of all the gods, O wife of Ea, valiant art thou, O Ir-nina, mighty queen of all the gods . . . Thou that dwellest in the Abyss, O lady of heaven and earth!

She is portrayed as the ideal mother, focused on her son, passively remaining in the background. She only acquired a distinct personality after her marriage to Enki.

Abeona

2011-12-05T12:16:00.000-08:00

Abeona was the pre-Roman goddess of passages and departures who was often petitioned to provide for the safety of children of children who are leaving the parental home for the first time and for travellers who are about to embark on a journey. Her name comes from the Latin verb meaning "to depart or to go forth". She safeguarded children as they took their first steps and when they left home for the first time. Abeona works in conjunction with a sister spirit, Adeona, goddess of safe returns. Together, they teach babies how to walk.

Abeona was also the protectress of the city of Rome for it was a city that many people departed its through gates on journeys and adventures.

The Bona Dea: December 4th

2011-12-04T06:22:00.000-08:00

The Bona Dea was the Good Goddess; She didn't have a name, or rather, Her name was secret. Her name, Bona Dea, implies, that all good things necessary for the support of life proceed from Her. On the night of December 4th, the wife of a high Roman magistrate, usually the consul, celebrated in her house the feast of the Bona Dea with other Roman matrons. It was a secret rite about which little is known.

She was a mysterious divinity of the Roman mythology who was believed to be the wife of King Faunus. It is said that he beat Her with myrtle rods until She died, because She disgraced herself, and acted very unsuitable to the dignity of a queen, by drinking so much wine that She became drunk. But the king afterwards, repenting of his severity, deified his dead wife and paid Her divine honors. This is the reason assigned why it was forbidden that anyone should bring myrtle into Her temple.

In Her sacrifices, the vessels of wine were covered, and when the women drank out of them, they called it milk, not wine. The modesty of this goddess was so extraordinary that no man ever saw Her except Her husband nor even heard Her name. Her sacrifices were performed in private, and all men were excluded from the temple. Her worship was secret, and Her festival was solely for women.

And, because these were mystery traditions from which men were excluded, little documented information about the Bona Dea survives.We do know that She was a matronly and prophetic goddess, a goddess of fertility, healing, and virginity. She is a goddess who is inclined to favor love, joy and happiness. Her sanctuary was in a cavern in the Aventine Hill.

Queen of Sheba

2011-12-01T08:11:00.000-08:00

In Arabic traditions, She was the goddess, Bilquis. To the Ethiopians, She was also known as Makeda, and the Romans called Her Nicaula. To scholars, She was the legendary Queen of Sheba, the famous visitor of Solomon's who appears in the Quran and the Bible. Bilquis, the sacred concubine, was half djinn on her mothers side and was endowed with magical powers. Raised among Her mother's people, Bilqis joined humanity as a young woman. As the Queen of Sheba, She is one of the most famous figures in mythology an unearthly beauty with profound wit, and great wealth. This was the goddess of love.

This mythical Queen ruled the ancient kingdom of Sheba and is referred to in Hebraic and Islamic scriptures, including Kabbalistic treatises and legends of this Queen are common throughout Arabia, Persia, Ethiopia and Israel. She is perhaps best known for a story in the Book of Kings when She visits Israel's King Solomon to test his legendary wisdom. After Solomon successfully answers Her riddles, the She showers him with gifts. According to Ethiopian tradition the queen returned to Sheba and bore a son by Solomon, Menelik I, who became the founder of the Ethiopian dynasty.

Sang Solomon to Sheba,
And kissed her dusky face,
"All day long from mid-day
We have talked in the one place.
All day long from shadowless noon
We have gone round and round
In the narrow theme of love..."

Sang Solomon to Sheba,
And kissed her Arab eyes,
"There's not a man or woman
Born under the skies
Dare match in learning with us two."

--William Butler Yeats--

Rauni

2011-11-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

In Finnish mythology the goddess Rauni is a goddess of air, clouds, and the life-giving rain. She is the goddess who provides feminine fertility, strength and sexuality, and oversees the harvest. She is the the Finnish goddess associated with spells and runes. Her name is derived from the word meaning, 'rowan', a blessed tree which offers protection against evil spirits. Twigs and branches of the rowan were, and still are, used as protection against evil.

According to the ancient Finnish creation myth, at the beginning of time, there were no plants, there was nothingness. Rauni looked down from the heavens and saw that the earth was dry and desolate. This caused Her much grief, so She descended to earth at the beginning of Time, there were no plants. She incarnated in the rowan tree, whose red berries were sacred to Her, and brought plant life to the Earth by having intercourse with Ukko, the god of thunder. Their offspring are all the plants of the world.

Sita

2011-11-29T05:32:00.000-08:00

Sita has been a much revered figure amongst the Hindus. Her name is derived from the Sanskrit word for furrow. She is a goddess of agriculture and the harvest. As a goddess of fertility, Sita is a daughter of the earth and the personification of womanly ideals in Hindu society. According to the great religious Hindu epic Ramayana, She is the consort of Rama, the seventh avatar of Lord Vishnu. Sita is believed to have been an incarnation of the goddess Lakshmi.

To Hindu wives, She is considered as the ideal daughter, ideal wife, ideal queen and ideal mother since ages, a goddess sent to earth to show how well women can bear suffering, and She endured a lot of it. When kidnapped by the demon king, She was forced to defend Her honor against him. Then when She was rescued, She had to defend Her honor by walking through fire. And then, Rama, disturbed by the rumors that his wife had been unfaithful to him, sent Her away to protect his reputation even though She was pregnant with his children. She is the virtuous faithful woman who, in most respects are portrayed as ideal wives in Hindu mythology.

Sita lacks both an identity and will of Her own. She is seen as a symbol of power by every female.Though considered as a diety, She is rarely worshipped in Her own right. She remains in Rama's shadow to such an extent that She disappears into the earth. Through Her great character, She has captured hearts of millions of people.

Day of Sophia November 28

2011-11-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

Prize Her highly, and She will exalt you; She will honour you if you embrace Her; She will place on your head a fair garland; She will bestow on you a beautiful crown.

--Proverbs 4 VIII-IX

The Gnostic religion centered around the figure of Sophia, or the goddess of Wisdom. It was believed that She came down from Heaven to earth, where She became tarnished, but was raised up again by God to heaven. She is the beginning as well as the great source of wisdom and keeper of the knowledge of righteousness. Sophia is not only of the Earth itself, but also of the heavens. She was revered as the Wise Bride of Solomon by Jews, as the Queen of Wisdom and War by Greeks, and as the Holy Spirit of Wisdom by Christians. In Hebrew, She is called Chokmah and is viewed as the Mother of the Universe; in Latin, She is Sapientia.

For ancient peoples light was symbol of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom, and it is Her spark of life that exists within all living things. She is an archetype of the sacred feminine in Judaism, and She he represents the keys to Gnosis, the first light from within the darkness which is the wisdom that is necessary to attaining enlightenment.

All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, knowledge rather than choice gold. For wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with Her.
I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.

Proverbs, 8 VIII-XII

Her symbol is the dove, makes Her recognizable both as goddess of love and of peace. To the original Christians, who valued men and women equally as expressions of God and the Goddess, Her symbol was a central figure in their understanding of theology and the universe. The patriarchal Roman Church eradicated the Christian Goddess.

She is honored and invoked annually on this day by prayers and liturgies, libations, and secret Pagan rituals performed by those who seek to acquire esoteric wisdom and knowledge.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T08:25:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving wishes to you and yours. May your day be filled with family, friends, love, peace, and joy.

Ausrine

2011-11-23T05:34:00.000-08:00

Ausrine is the Morning Star in Lithuanian mythology. She is identified with the goddess, Venus. She is the daughter of Saule the sun goddess, and Perkunis, the god of thunder. As the goddess of beauty, health, love, and youth, She is depicted as a maiden of remarkable beauty with golden hair who wears the image of the Sun on Her crown. As the Bringer of Dawn, each morning She and Her servant prepare the way for Saule.

According to folklore, the people found Her more radiant than Saule, and sang songs to worship Her as She shined gloriously over the waters. There was no question that Ausrine was beautiful, and at times Saule hated Her daughter for shining so brightly and became jealous of Ausrine's beauty and brightness. But, regardless their rivalry, Ausrine chose to be loyal and continues to serve Saule. Ausrine tries to keep peace with Her mother by rising before the sun and getting the sun ready for Her.

Styx

2011-11-22T05:46:00.000-08:00

The goddess, Styx, was the eldest of three thousand daughters of the aged sea god, Oceanos, and Tethys,the ancient sea goddess. She was dark, dangerous, and powerful. Her consort was the Titan, Pallas. Styx was a Naiad, a type of Nymph that presides over fountains, wells, springs, and brooks. Naiads were believed to know the future and to foretell humans their destiny. She was the goddess who represented the river, Styx, a crossroads between the land of the living and the land of the dead; in fact, Styx was the only female river. She lives deep in the darkness of the Underworld in a huge house with silver columns. Her river, the most holy and sacred, formed the boundary of Hades, and only the properly buried dead were ferried over it.

It is at the River Styx that the Gods took their most solemn oaths. According to legend, when Zeus revolted against Cronos, Styx deserted Her kin and along with Her children, stood with the new king of the gods. The war raged for a decade before Cronos was finally deposed and banished with his Titan allies. The first act of Zeus was to give Styx the style and functions of 'oath-sanctioner', declaring that that, forever after, all of the oaths sworn by the gods had to be done on the waters of Her river.

Evaki done

2011-11-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

Among the Bakairi Indians of South America, Evaki is the South American goddess of sleep. According to legend, She stole sleep from the eyes of lizards and gave it to all living creatures. It is She who teaches the power of dreams and their meanings. They consider Her the guardian of both the day and the night.

Along the Amazon, people said that this goddess of darkness had a pot with a lid which She keeps with Her at all times. In the morning, She pulls the lid off the pot the sky filled with daylight. At the end of the day, She places the sun in a pot every night and moves it back to its starting point in the east every day. This is the night.

Ardvi Sura: November18th

2011-11-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

Women, on the point of bringing forth, will beg of thee a good delivery. All this wilt thou grant unto them, as it lies in thy power, O Ardvi Sura Anahita! - Hymn to the Waters, Avesta

Her full name was Ardvi Sura Anahita, or "The High, Powerful, Immaculate," and She is described as a beautiful maiden, powerful and tall. She is the ancient eastern Iranian goddess of all the waters upon the earth and the source of the cosmic ocean. She is regarded as the source of life. She sends down a flow of motherly waters that run along the earth. Her origin remains a mystery, but She may have originally represented the female principle of creation. As life-giving water, She is the source of all fertility, purifying the seed of all males and sanctifying the womb of all females.

"Yea in truth her arms are lovely,
White of hue, more strong than horses;
Fair-adorned is she and charming;
...
With a lovely maiden's body,
Very strong, of goodly figure,
Girded high and standing upright,
Nobly born, of brilliant lineage;
Ankle-high she weareth foot-gear
Golden-latcheted and shining.
...
She is clad in costly raiment,
Richly pleated and all golden,
...
For adornment she hath ear-rings
With four corners and all golden.
On her lovely throat a necklace
She doth wear, the maid full noble,
Ardvi Sura Anahita.
Round her waist she draws a girdle
That fair-formed may be her bosom,
That well-pleasing be her bosom.
On her brow a crown she placeth,
Ardvi Sura Anahita,
Eight its parts, its jewels a hundred,
Fair-formed, like a chariot-body,
Golden, ribbon-decked, and lovely,
Swelling forth with curve harmonious.
She is clad in beaver garments,
Ardvi Sura Anahita,
Of the beaver tribe three hundred."

On this day we honor Her with a sacred festival called the Ardvi Sura, The Day of Ardvi. The festival, celebrated since ancient times, takes place under the nighttime stars.

The Goddess Prayer

2011-11-17T07:44:00.000-08:00

Gracious Goddess who art Maiden, Mother,
and Crone,
Celebrated be your name.
Help me to live in peace upon your Earth,
and grant me safety in your arms.
Guide me along my chosen path,
and show me your great eternal love
as I strive to be kind to those who do
not understand your ways.
Lead me safely to your cauldron of rebirth,
for it is your spirit that lives within me
and protects me.
Forever and ever. So mote it be!

(author unknown)

(Found this about a year ago and misplaced it. Hope you enjoy...and if you happen to be the one who wrote it, please take credit for it. It was originally listed as unknown.)

Euterpe

2011-11-16T07:27:00.000-08:00

The ancient Greeks and Romans worshipped music, particularly wind instruments, and song in the form of a goddess named Euterpe, one of the nine muses who were supposed to preside over the fine arts. They were the daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, goddess of memory. Euterpe’s name means 'rejoicing well' or 'delight'.

Euterpe and was the patron of wind instruments, and is often depicted holding a double flute wearing a crown of garlands made from flowers. By the river god, Strymon, Euterpe was the mother of Rhesus, the king of Thrace who fought on the side of Troy in the Trojan War.

Soft echoes of thy hymnody

Shall soar upon the wings of song,

And bear the magic of thy strains along

The wind-swept reaches of the dancing sea.

Then, as we scan our dim-deciphered chart—

Striving to steer our barque through sunless gloom,

Mantled in misery—

If Thou but deign to soothe our agony

Low melodies the happy truth impart,

'The ear doth prove an ante-room

Where music stirs the heart.'

-William S. Mavor-

Feronia: November 15th

2011-11-15T05:38:00.000-08:00

Feronia was the pre-Roman guardian goddess of woods orchards, and groves. She flourished from at least the third century BC onwards and was honored with the first fruits of the harvest in a Thanksgiving type of ritual thought to ensure a bountiful harvest for the next year. Feronia was a deity both of markets and harvests and was a patroness and a lover of nature. She presided over fire, fertility, and woodlands, and is honored annually on this day with great fairs and festivals. She was also the goddess of travel and waters.

One thing is apparent about Feronia is that She was a protector and friend of slaves, refugees, and the poor. On November 15, slaves also took part in a festival honoring the agricultural goddess, Feronia. During the festival, slaves sat on a holy stone in the goddess's sanctuary. They believed that this act would grant them their freedom. It is also said that those who were possessed with the spirit of the Goddess used to walk barefoot upon burning coals, without hurt.

Ameretat

2011-11-14T03:56:00.000-08:00

Ameretat is the Persian goddess of longevity, the divine feminine ideal of immortality. She is one of the seven Immortal Holy Ones, the attendants of Ahura Mazda. Ameretat belongs to the circle of Amemva Spentas, Archangels in Zorastorian, where She represents immortality. She is usually mentioned together with Haurvatat, whose dominion is over the waters. Haurvatat signifies health or welfare, and Ameretat, postponement of death, deathlessness or immortality. They are a Divine couple, almost never mentioned or invoked separately. Together, they are the guardians of the waters and the plants on earth.

Ameretat presides over the plant kingdom, protecting orchards and gardens, thus, enabling trees to bring their fruits to harvest. She is the opponent of hunger. She is the personification of immortality and eternal blessedness in the old Persian language called Avestan. She represents the ideals of vigor and are the sources of life and growth.

Plants represent Ameretat in this world.

Tin Hau

2011-11-11T06:16:00.000-08:00

Tin Hau is the Taoist goddess of the sea with a protective responsibility toward all mariners, and fishermen in particular. As the patron goddess of fisher folk, Tin Hau is honored by fishing communities throughout Hong Kong and there are many temples dedicated to Her, which are normally in prominent positions by the shore where they were frequented by fishermen and sailors. Tin Hau can forecast the weather and save people from shipwrecks.

Legend has it that over 100 years ago Tin Hau stood, as a mortal, on the shore guiding fishing boats home, and today it is believed that a good fishing season will be assured only when offerings are made to Her. Fishermen visit temples making offerings and hold a variety of celebrations asking for safety, fine weather and full nets.

Night of Nicnevin: November 10

2011-11-10T05:22:00.000-08:00

Then a clear Companie came soon after closs,
Nicnevin with her Nymphs, in number anew,
With Charms from Caitness and Chanrie in Ross,
Whose cunning consists in casting a Clew…

--Alexander Montgomerie--

Nicnevin is the crone goddess of witches, magic, and crossroads who hails from the old religion of pre-Christian Scotland. Her name means 'brilliant' and 'divine'. This is a goddess of witches, magic, crossroads; She is symbolically linked to Hecate and the dark moon. She reigns with a male consort at her side, but his name is never given. The tallest mountain in Scotland, Ben Nevis, was sacred to Her.

She is the Queen of the fairies, spirits, and strange creatures and has been know to appear as both an old crone or a beautiful young woman. She is said to be a deity of great wisdom and magickal techniques. In later folkloric tales, Nicnevin is cunning in charms and joins ranks with European witches in her ability to sail the seas in a sieve.

On November 10th, Old November Eve, the goddess Nicnevin was celebrated with a feast throughout the Scottish countryside, as She rode through the air followed by Her Unseelie host of spirits and creatures. It is said that, on this night between the hours of 9 and 10, She makes Herself visible to the world of mortals.

Echidna

2011-11-09T05:21:00.000-08:00

Echidna is an ancient goddess of the earth, as well as of death. It is She who controls rocks and plants. Her name means 'she-viper'. Echidna is a great goddess, the mother of a pantheon of spirits, who did not marry but bred repeatedly. Her mate was Her brother, Typhon, and it is said that most of the monsters in Greek myth were mothered by Her. Her parents were Gaea (earth) and Tartarus (underworld). Other myths say that she is the offspring of Callirrhoem, a naiad, and Chrysaor, the child of Medusa and Poseidon.

In some stories, with Her beauty, She lured men into the darkness of the cave (hiding her lower half) and then devoured them.

In his Theogony, Hesiod describes her as....'the goddess fierce Echidna who is half a nymph with glancing eyes and fair cheeks, and half again a huge snake. great and awful, with speckled skin, eating raw flesh beneath the secret parts of the holy earth. And there she has a cave deep down under a hollow rock far from the deathless gods and mortal men. There, then, did the gods appoint her a glorious house to dwell in: and she keeps guard in Arima beneath the earth, grim Echidna, a nymph who dies not nor grows old all her days'

This serpent goddess and Her offspring were held responsible for most of the chaos and hardship that existed in the world. Later, Christian symbolism turned Echidna into a notorious prostitute due to Her shameful lower nature.

Fuigo Matsuri: November 8th

2011-11-08T05:40:00.000-08:00

The kitchen is an important place for every witch it is the heart of every home. In Japan, the Fuigo Matsuri, Festival of the Kitchen Gods is held on this day. Oki-Tsu-Hiko-No-Kami is goddess of rice and the earth. Her name means She who possesses food. Her male counterpart is Uka-no-Mikoto, the kami of grains. As the children of harvest deities, their duty is in is food storage and preparation. Neglect of their shrine will cause the rice pot to boil over or the vegetables to rot.

According to Japanese mythology, the sun goddess, Amaterasu, sent the moon god, Tsukiyomi no Mikoto, to earth to visit this goddess who, turning towards the earth, the sea and the mountains, produced rice out of Her mouth. The myth states that Tsukiyomi no Mikoto was so angered and disgusted by this that he slew Her with his sword.

Another Japanese deity associated with the kitchen is Hettsui-No-Kami. She is the goddess of the kitchen range who protects and provides for people with harvested food

On this day, all of the pots and pans are washed and offerings of rice and rice wine are left in their honor.

Mami

2011-11-07T05:29:00.000-08:00

Mami is the ancient Mesopotamian mother goddess who is known as the 'mistress of all gods' and creatures. In fact, She is one of the oldest Goddesses we know about. In later times, She was called Ninhursag. She was involved in creation on mankind. According to myth, Mami, was called in to assist Enki whose skill was superior to hers.

You are the womb-goddess,

to be the creator of Mankind!

Create a mortal, that he may bear the yoke!

Let him bear the yoke,

the work of Ellil

Let him bear the load of the gods!

After a very complicated and lengthy process, man is created. As Nintu legends states, She pinched off fourteen pieces of primordial clay from which She formed womb deities, seven on the left and seven on the right with a brick between them, who produced the first seven pairs of human embryos. But the humans multiplied and their noise kept Enlil from sleeping.

Mami is a nurturing, loving, kind, warm and comforting goddess that can offer a lot to those who need a companion of great fortitude. Mami is a goddess in the Babylonian epic Atrahasis and other creation myths.

Mami made these rules for people:

In the house of a woman who is giving birth
The mud brick shall be put down for seven days.
Belet-ili, wise Mami shall be honored.
The midwife shall rejoice in the house of the woman who gives birth
And when the woman gives birth to the baby
The mother of the baby shall sever herself
A man to a girl... ...her bosom
A beard can be seen On a young man's cheek.
In gardens and waysides
A wife and her husband choose each other.
--Atrahasis Epic--

Prayer to Mother Earth

2011-11-04T05:23:00.000-07:00

And you, Mother Earth, the only Mother,
you who have shown mercy to your children!
Hear me, four quarters of the world
- a relative I am!
Give me the strength to walk the soft earth,
a relative to all that is!
Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand,
that I may be like you.
With your power only can I face the winds.

--Black Elk Speaks--

Janguli

2011-11-03T07:58:00.000-07:00

Janguli (knowledge of poisons) is an ancient Buddhist goddess who was revered by shamanic tribes in the region of Northern India and Nepal. She has three faces, the front face yellow, the right one black, and the left one white. According to some, She is as old as Buddha himself, She was a serpent goddess to whom mantras were chanted for the extraction of the poison from those bitten by snakes. The symbol of this goddess is snake.

The peacock is her symbolic animal.

Her image is believed to provide protection from snakes; hence, villages carry Her image to protect against any kind of poison. Her attributes are arrow, blue lotus, bow, lute and snake, and she is usually associated with color green, white or yellow.

Onile

2011-11-02T07:36:00.000-07:00

The goddess Onile (owner of the earth) is worshiped by all but is especially the deity of Ogboni, a secret society that has considerable influence, even over the Yoruba king. As one of the oldest deities in the Yoruban pantheon, She is recognized as the creator of the earth, as well as the progenitor of all human beings. The Earth is Her domain and She sometimes is simply called lie, meaning Earth personified. She is conceptually the counterpart of the Sky God, since Earth and Sky are of the same age.

As the deity representing 'Mother Earth, She supports mankind and mediates between sky and water. Of the elemental gods, Onile is goddess of earth and fertility, and as the goddess of motherhood, She is worshipped by all mothers. Onile, who represents the beginning and ending of life, also has control of the spirits of the dead.

Tethys

2011-11-01T06:02:00.000-07:00

Tethys is the ninth of Saturn's known moons and is the fifth largest. It and the prehistoric Tethys Ocean were named after the pre-Hellenic sea goddess who both sister and wife of Oceanus. Together they dwelt on the edge of the world. Oceanus and Tethys were the children of Earth and Heaven, and from these sprung Phorcys, and Chronos, and Rhea, and many more. The daughter of Gaea and Uranus, Her name was derived from the Greek word tethe "the nurse" or "grandmother." She was the source of all of the fresh water that nourishes the earth.

Tethys was the personification of the fertile ocean, and Her 3,000 daughters called the Oceanids became the springs, lakes, and rivers of the world as well as many other sons and daughters. She ceased giving birth after having 6000 children. Tethys was imagined feeding her children's streams by drawing water from Oceanus through subterranean aquifers.

Oceanus is remembered in many ways, but in the past two thousand years Tethys, mother goddess of the sea, has largely disappeared from human memory, her divine mantle dwindling to oblivion.

Biliku

2011-10-31T05:41:00.000-07:00

Biliku is a goddess from the Andaman Islands of India; She sometimes appears embodied in spider's form. She is a powerful creator goddess who was the first being to possess the secret of fire. The weather and seasons are ascribed to the control of Biliku, and particularly the northeast monsoon. In the northern group of islands this deity is female, and in the southern group is male. As sun goddess, Biliku is the consort of Buluga, the supreme god of the Islands.

She is the temperamental, feminine personification of the power of the northeast monsoon, both kindly and fearsome with Her unpredictable and harsh temper who creates the storms that wash away homes. The Islanders say that lightning is the flash of a pearl shell that she throws across the sky. She also uses the shell's sharp edge as a knife to cut off the head or limbs of a wrongdoer. The Andaman Islanders also believe that the burning or melting of beeswax arouses the anger of Biliku, the goddess of storms, the odor of the burning wax causing Her to create great storms so they abstain from burning candles during the rainy season.

According the creation myth:

Before the world was even created, Biliku was weaving Her webs and stalking the great empty night. Then She sat down to rest, and withHer great feelers, She fashioned the Earth and placed it in the sky. Afterwards, She created the first people, and put them on the Earth. So pleased was She with Her creation that She decided to live on Earth herself.

But the people found Her to be unpredictable. When She was in a good mood, She sent warm sunny days and was helpful to the people. But, when She was angry, She summoned up enormous clouds, terrifying winds and lashing storms. Her bellows of rage became thunder, and She threw huge bolts of lightning across the sky. Rivers flooded the land and houses were swept away along with their inhabitants.

Soon She grew tired of the people She had created and returned to Her home in sky, but everyone here on the Earth still fears Her terrible temper.

Cailleach

2011-10-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

At Samhain, the Goddess presents Herself as the Crone aspect, the Veiled Lady who gathers the dead to Her bosom, She who holds the scythe and the knife. Samhain is the time of the Cailleach Bheur , the crone who rules the cold winter season. Offerings and sacrifices were made in her honor. Now finally the primal elemental power of the Cailleach Bheur is revealed in Her full glory, She was known as the 'daughter of the winter sun' and was the personification of winter. Cailleach Bheur is alternately translated as hag, crone, or wise old woman. According to Celtic myth, at Samhain time, the goddess Cailleach Bheur hit the earth with her hammer, locking it into the iron-hard embrace of icy winter for three frigid months.

According to ancient legend, Cailleach Bheur reigns each year from the eve of Samhain until the eve of Beltane (April 30), at which time the Goddess Brigit deposes her and Cailleach Bheur becomes transformed into stone when she places her magic staff behind a holly bush.

Worship of the Cailleach Bheur may thus date to those primordial Irish who, some six thousand years ago, entered a nameless land. They were not Celts; the word Cailleach Bheur derives from a lost non-Celtic tongue, most likely that of her original worhsippers.

The Old Woman of Beare

The sea crawls from the shore

Leaving there

The despicable weed,

A corpse's hair.

In me,

The desolate withdrawing sea.

The Old Woman of Beare am I

Who once was beautiful.

Now all I know is how to die.

I'll do it well.

Look at my skin

Stretched tight on the bone.

Where kings have pressed their lips,

The pain, the pain.

I don't hate the men

Who swore the truth was in their lies.

One thing alone I hate–

Women's eyes.

The young sun

Gives its youth to everyone,

Touching everything with gold.

In me, the cold.

The cold. Yet still a seed

Burns there.

Women love only money now.

But when

I loved, I loved

Young men.

Young men whose horses galloped

On many an open plain

Beating lightning from the ground.

I loved such men.

And still the sea

Rears and plunges into me,

Shoving, rolling through my head

Images of the drifting dead.

A soldier cries

Pitifully about his plight;

A king fades

Into the shivering night.

Does not every season prove

That the acorn hits the ground?

Have I not known enough of love

To know it's lost as soon as found?

I drank my fill of wine with kings,

Their eyes fixed on my hair.

Now among the stinking hags

I chew the cud of prayer.

Time was the sea

Brought kings as slaves to me.

Now I hear the face of God

And the crab crawls through my blood.

I loved the wine

That thrilled me to my fingertips;

Now the mean wind

Stitches salt into my lips.

The coward sea

Slouches away from me.

Fear brings back the tide

That made me stretch at the side

Of him who'd take me briefly for his bride.

The sea grows smaller, smaller now.

Farther, farther it goes

Leaving me here where the foam dries

On the deserted land,

Dry as my shrunken thighs,

As the tongue that presses my lips,

As the veins that break through my hands.

Anonymous, c. 800

Astghik

2011-10-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Astghik is the ancient Armenian goddess of joy, love, beauty, and fertility, ruling all bodies of water. She is depicted as a beautiful naked woman in the act of swimming. She was the personification of the moon. Her name means little star in Armenian. Astghik was second to Anahit in the rank of adoration among the Armenians. Her principal seat was in Ashtishat. Her lover was the Iranian deity Verethragna, god of war and victory, known in Armenian as Vahagn.

In Armenian mythology, She spread love by sprinkling rose water and roses throughout the land. In Her honor, Armenians distribute roses and sprinkle water on one another.

She traditionally protects women, and those who cultivate roses are also under Her dominion. She presides over the ritual act of asperging... sprinkling with liquid in order to effect spiritual and magical cleansing. These rituals direct the elemental power of Water - the number one Energy that can be used for cleansing and purification. Asperging uses water droplets that have been charged with energy and sacred herbs to scatter protective and cleansing energy in a given area.

Astghik is still honored nowadays by Armenians worldwide by the Vartavar feast where people celebrate by water fights.

Elen

2011-10-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Elen is a a Welsh goddess of roads, pathways, and crossroads who is also known as Elen of the Ways. She is also associated with the ley lines which connect the wells, stone circles, hallowed hills, waterfalls, sacred wells, the woodlands and the animals who reside there, and other sacred sites. Elen is revered as a protectress of of travellers. She is usually depicted as a beautiful young woman holding a basket of fruit and accompanied by a small dog.

Elen is a representative of the land itself and, as such, she was considered the mother of elemental forces and supernatural beings. She is the one who reveals magickal quests and supports those who follow them, the guardian of the inner as well as the outer path. And, because of Her well developed Shamanic abilities, She was also sometimes amorously linked with magical traditions wizards such as Merlin.

In the course of time, the goddess Elen was confused with Saint Helen, the mother of Constantine the Great and the fabled discoverer of the Cross of Christ. Churches dedicated to St Helen have, in some cases, replaced a heathen site dedicated to this goddess.

Ba Chua Xu

2011-10-25T05:48:00.000-07:00

Ba Chua Xu, the Lady of the Realm, is one of Vietnam's most beloved goddesses and the subject of a huge annual pilgrimage which brings millions of people together annually in the worship of a spirit whose power is said to strengthen and stabilize economic and social life in the region. During this pilgrimage, the women act as spirit mediums for the goddess and associated spirits. And, because of Her nature, She is usually enshrined in the market or in one's place of business; those who work at home enshrine Her there.

Ba Chua Xu can provide assistance for business success, health, fertility, domestic harmony, scholastic success, and divination of the future. She is known for being supportive and responsive to prayer. She is also a protector deity who is willing to help anyone with their day to day difficulties. But, don't take Her kindness for weakness, for although Ba Chua Xu is known for being supportive and responsive to prayer, She can also brutal to those She feels have swindled Her.

Axieros

2011-10-24T05:55:00.000-07:00

Axieros, the great goddess who was venerated at the Samothrace Temple complex, is one the most ancient deities of Greece. Axieros was the Great Mother, an earth goddess whom the Greeks identified with Demeter, Aphrodite and Hekate. She was the mistress of nature who was often depicted as a seated woman, with a lion at Her side. Her consort was the fertility god, Kadmilos, and their twin offspring were the Kabiroi– a Semitic word meaning great ones.

Axieros was the all-powerful mistress of the wild world of the mountains, venerated on sacred rocks where sacrifices and offerings where made to her. She was closely identified with stones and minerals. For Her faithful, her power also manifested itself in veins of magnetic iron, from which they fashioned rings that initiates wore as signs of recognition.

Queen and Huntress

2011-10-21T06:45:00.000-07:00

Queen and huntress, chaste and fair,

Now the sun is laid to sleep,

Seated in thy silver chair

State in wonted manner keep:

Hesperus entreats thy light,

Goddess excellently bright.

Earth, let not thy envious shade

Dare itself to interpose;

Cynthia's shining orb was made

Heaven to clear when day did close:

Bless us then with wished sight,

Goddess excellently bright.

Lay thy bow of pearl apart

And thy crystal-shining quiver;

Give unto the flying hart

Space to breathe, how short soever:

Thou that mak'st a day of night,

Goddess excellently bright.

Benjamin Jonson

Auset

2011-10-20T07:54:00.000-07:00

She was the primordial great goddess of Egypt, the first daughter of the great sky goddess, Nut and Geb, the Earth, She has been with us since the beginning of recorded time. In Neolithic time, She was the bird goddess, and later was the serpent goddess of Upper and Lower waters of Egypt. She was the queen of fertility and the one who would give birth to a new nation. Her name is Auset, and it is She who eventually became the great goddess, Isis.

Her name in the ancient Egyptian language means 'seat' or 'throne,' and She was, indeed, the Egyptian throne. The pharaohs sat on her lap, protected by Her arms or wings. She wore a throne on her head to remind us that the child who sat on the throne; ie, the child in Her lap was heir of Egypt.

Auset, was the goddess who represented the moon and ruled the night sky. She holds dominion over life and death, marriage, healing, fertility and immortality and brings magical power and protection for those who call on Her. Auset's power is revered and used in nearly every type of Egyptian magic.

Ba''alat

2011-10-18T05:57:00.000-07:00

(Temple of Ba'alat)

The city of Byblos is one of the oldest cities in the world; it has been inhabited continuously since the Bronze Age. The most famous divinity of the town of Byblos was the fertility goddess, Ba'alat. She was a Phoenician goddess from that part of the world we now call Lebanon. Her name means 'the Mistress'. As Queen of the gods, She was the female counterpart of the great storm god, Baal, who dies annually in order to ensure the fertility of the crops and nature; Ba'alat, is the female partner in this holy marriage.

Ba'alat was considered the goddess of books, libraries, and writers. She was also the patroness of the sailors who set sail from Her port, and a beautiful temple overlooking the Mediterranean Sea was built in Her honor around 2700 BCE. She is depicted in carvings as having cow's horns, between which is found a halo, and Her name was kept secret to the uninitiated lest Her enemies gained knowledge of it and used it to invoke this diety against the Phoenicians themselves.

She was equated with the Egyptian goddess Hathor. To the Greeks, Ba'alat was a form of the goddess Astarte.

Paivatar

2011-10-17T06:13:00.000-07:00

Paivatar is the virginal Finnish Goddess of Light, the personification of the sun. According to the great epic poem, the Kalevala, She resides in the heavens where She helps with the creation of the world by weaving the golden light of day. She is the daughter of the Sun and the arctic cold. She possesses a silver reed, from which She spins the threads of destiny, and a gold shuttle, with which She weaves a glorious cloth of gold from threads of daylight. Her sister, the Moon, weaves a silver thread. Paivatar's symbols are connected to spinning and weaving.

"Twas the fair maid of the North
the Land's famous, water's choice
sat on the sky's collar bow
upon heaven's arch
shimmered in clean clothes
and in white garments;
cloth of gold she is weaving
of silver she is working
from a gold shuttle
with a silver reed.
The shuttle whizzed in her grasp
in her hand the spool swivelled
the heddles of copper creaked
the silver reed slammed
as the maid wove cloth
worked cloth of silver.

--Kalevala--

Ourania

2011-10-14T05:31:00.000-07:00

Urania was the Greek Goddess of Astronomy and astrology. She is one the the nine Muses, daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne. Her name is a Greek goddess of the Heavens, and She is depicted on ancient monuments pointing towards a globe of the heavens. She was also acknowledged as a goddess of the arts and sciences, and cosmological poetry. As the Muse of Astrology, She looks towards the future and what the stars will bring. Urania is a cosmic force, the source of all cohesion and order in the universe. She is also associated with Universal Love and the Holy Spirit.

Some say that Urania had two sons by Apollo—Linos, who personified songs of lament, and Hymenaios, who personified wedding songs. She usually depicted as dressed in a cloak embroidered with stars and keeps her eyes and attention focused on the Heavens. She holds a globe in Her left hand. Those who are most concerned with philosophy and the heavens are dearest to her.

Urania, o'er her star-bespangled lyre,

With touch of majesty diffused her soul;

A thousand tones, that in the breast inspire,

Exalted feelings, o er the wires'gan roll—

How at the call of Jove the mist unfurled,

And o'er the swelling vault—the glowing sky,

The new-born stars hung out their lamps on high,

And rolled their mighty orbs to music's sweetest sound.

—From An Ode To Music by James G. Percival

Jurate

2011-10-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

According to a very old Lithuanian legend, there is beautiful goddess of the sea, Jurate, who lives in an amber castle at the bottom of the Baltic Sea. She was the fairest of all goddesses, and the various fishes were her subjects. One day, when She learned that a fisherman, Kastytis, was casting his nets in Her kingdom, She sent Her mermaids to warn him to stop fishing in Her domain. When She saw that he did not stop, Jurate, Herself, went to demand it of him; however, when She saw how handsome and courageous he was, She fell in love with him and brought him to Her palace.

Perkunas, the god of thunder, justice, and moral order, was angered when he found out about Her relationship with a mortal which was a no-no amongst the gods. So, in a jealous rage, he sent a bolt of lightning to destroy the goddess' palace and had Kastytis chained to the ruins for eternity.

It is said that Jurate continues to weep tears of amber for Her lost lover, and when the storms stir the sea, fragments of Her palace ruins are driven onto the shores of the Baltic. Tear drop shaped pieces are thought to be particular treasures as they are the tears washed from the grieving goddess' eyes. And, it is said that whenever there is thunder over the Baltic Sea, you can still hear poor Kastytis’ cries.

Astarte

2011-10-12T04:48:00.000-07:00

Astarte is a goddess of ancient Phoenicia. She is one of the oldest goddesses to have been worshipped by mankind. In fact, She dates as far back as the Bronze Age. According to legend, She descended from the sky in the form of a fiery star. She is known for Her association with the sea and the Moon, and She is associated with both the Morning Star and the Evening Star. Her name means She of the womb in Canaanite and Hebrew. She is often simply addressed as 'Lady'.

Astarte was a goddess of many things. She was both a war goddess and was seen as the perfect example of the fertility goddess. And, as a goddess of love and fruitfulness, She rules over passion, marriage, and sexuality. She personifies the sensuality of the woman's body and the power of feminine independence. In Her dark aspect, She is the Warrior Queen; Her passion was channeled into war and battle victories.

Astarte is usually represented as a woman, naked, holding her breasts with her hands, with her hair long; She has horns on Her forehead. Her symbols include the bull, dove, horse and lion. She was also the sister and co-consort of Baal, sharing this role with their sister Anath.

King Solomon built a temple to Her near Jerusalem.

Hymn to Astarte

Mother inexhaustible and incorruptible, creatures, born the first,

engendered by thyself and by thyself conceived,

issue of thyself alone and seeking joy within thyself, Astarte!

Oh! perpetually fertilized, virgin and nurse of all that is,

chaste and lascivious, pure and revelling, ineffable,

nocturnal, sweet, breather of fire, foam of the sea!

Thou who accordest grace in secret, thou who unitest,

ou who lovest, thou who seizest with furious desire

the multiplied races of savage beasts and couplest the sexes in the wood.

Oh, irresistible Astarte! hear me, take me, possess me, oh, Moon!

and thirteen times each year draw from my womb the sweet libation of my blood!

From The Songs of Bilitis

Ma'at

2011-10-11T08:39:00.000-07:00

The Egyptian vision of an ideal world established at creation is summarized in the concept known as ma 'at (order, right), which was personified as a female goddess. Ma'at was the goddess of the physical and moral laws of Egypt, the goddess who restored order upon the chaos of creation. She is a divine, eternal being, a goddess who was never born and will never die. She was the personification of truth, justice, law, and universal order. Ma'at was the beloved daughter of Ra, the creator sun god and traveled with him in the sun barque; She was the wife of Thoth, the god of wisdom and learning.

She was a positive force in the life of the ancient Egyptians. According to Wallis Budge, Ma'at was "the highest conception of physical and moral law and order known to the Egyptians." It was to embody this concept that the goddess Maat was conceived. She was the standard by which mankind was judged, and it was She who judged the souls of the dead. Before a soul could enter the afterlife, it had to pass through judgment...the heart of the deceased what placed on one side of the scales and the feather of Ma'at on the other side.

Ma'at governs the stars, the rising and setting of the sun, and the laws which underlie all of nature. She is usually depicted in human form, wearing a white ostrich feather tucked into a headband upon Her head, a symbol of the principles She represents. Ironically, despite Her importance, Maat did not have temples of Her own. Yet, She is present in the decoration of almost every Egyptian temple. Many pharaohs have taken the title “Beloved of Ma'at” to show their love of justice and truth.

Ma'at represents everything that we strive for...harmony and balance with all of creation.

Speak Ma'at, do Ma'at

For she is mighty.

She is great and endures

Her value rests in the hands of those who use her.

Ma'at leads one to sacredness.

From The Eloquent Peasant, dated from the Middle Kingdom

Akua'ba

2011-10-10T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Akua'ba is a Goddess symbol used for good luck in many parts of Africa, and is especially worn by women and children as a charm to lend protection, fertility and good fortune. They are usually carved from wood and have disk shaped heads. It is primarily from the Ashanti tribe in Nigeria. Akua'ba literally means Akua's child, from the story of a woman named Akua who, by carrying one of these figures, became pregnant and had a beautiful daughter by carrying this figure.

Originally these statues are said to have represented the Moon Goddess, Nyame, and in former times, barren women turned to the priests at the shrines to the Mother Goddess. They were given an Akua'ba to carry during the time they waited to have a child. Today, women carry Her effigy tucked into their skirts to help them get pregnant and give birth to healthy children. Maidens receive Her image from an elder when they come of age, welcoming them into their motherhood role in the tribe.

The Ashanti people also place images of Akua'ba over doorways as a symbol of welcome, ensuring the visitor will be well cared for upon entering the home.

Ode to the Goddess Ceres

2011-10-07T06:18:00.000-07:00

Ceres was an old earth goddess who became equated with Demeter. The worship of Ceres as goddess of grain in Italy goes back to pre-Roman times. This goddess took care of the harvests. She was patron of Roman farmers and a powerful figure in the Roman pantheon, with its emphasis on crops.

Dear Goddess of Corn, whom the ancients we know,
(Among other odd whims of those comical bodies,)
Adorn'd with somniferous poppies, to show,
Thou wert always a true Country-gentleman's Goddess.

Behold in his best, shooting-jacket, before thee,
An eloquent 'Squire, who most humbly beseeches,
Great Queen of the Mark-lane (if the thing doesn't bore thee),
Thou'lt read o'er the last of his - never-last speeches.

Ah! Ceres, thou know'st not the slander and scorn
Now heap'd upon England's 'Squirearchy, so boasted;
Improving on Hunt, 'tis no longer the Corn,
'Tis the growers of Corn that are now, alas! roasted.

In speeches, in books, in all shapes they attack us -
Reviewers, economists - fellows, no doubt,
That you, my dear Ceres, and Venus, and Bacchus,
And Gods of high fashion know little about.

There's B-nth-m, whose English is all his own making -
Who thinks just as little of settling a nation
As he would of smoking his pipe, or of taking
(What he, himself, calls) his 'post-prandial vibration.'

There are two Mr. M--lls, too, whom those that love reading
Through all that's unreadable, call very clever; -
And whreas M--ll Senior makes war on good breeding,
M--ll Junio makes war on all breeding whatever!

In short, my dear Goddess, Old England's divided
Between ultra blockheads and superfine sages; -
With which of these classes we, landlords, have sided
Thou'lt find in my Speech, if thou'lt read a few pages.

For therein I've prov'd, to my own satisfaction,
And that of all 'Squires I've the honour of meeting,
That 'tis the most senseless and foul-mouth'd detraction
To say that poor people are fond of cheap eating.

On the contrary, such the 'chaste notions' of food
that dwell in each pale manufacturer's heart,
They would scorn any law, be it every so good,
That would make thee, dear Goddess, less dear than thou art!

And, oh! for Monopoly what a blest day,
When the Land and the Silk shall, in fond combination,
(Like Sulky and Silky, that pair in the play)
Cry out, with one voice, High Rents and Starvation!

Long life to the Minister! - no matter who,
Or how dull he may be, if, with dignified spirit, he
Keeps the ports shut - and the people's mouth too, -
We shall all have a long run of Freddy's prosperity.

And, as for myself, who've like Hannibal, sworn
To hate the whole crew who would take our rents from us,
Had England but One to stand by thee, Dear Corn,
That last, honest Uni-Corn would be Sir Th-m-s!

Thomas Moore

Teteoinnan, Mother of All

2011-10-06T08:50:00.000-07:00

Teteoinnan, also known as Toci, is the ancient Mexican mother of the gods who gave birth to all celestial things. She was previously revered by the Toltec. As the grandmother to all humanity, She is the portal from whence all life arose. As an earth deity, She is the personification of the powers of nature; as a goddess of healing, She invented medicine and presides over medicinal plants.

Teteoinnan is frequently depicted with black markings around the mouth and nose, wearing a cotton headband with attached spindle spools. She was worshipped by doctors, midwives, and fortune tellers. The Aztecs believed that Teteoinnan was constantly weeping and sorrowful, just as Tlalteotl, and because of Her hunger for human flesh, a woman impersonator was sacrificed in her name. She is celebrated during harvest festivals with blood sacrifices in fields.

Eingana

2011-10-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

She is the Australian Aboriginal Goddess of creation, the mother of all things, maker of all water, land, and animals. The natives call Her, Mother Eingana. She is a snake goddess who lives in the Dreamtime, rising up occasionally to create more life. According to myth, She had no vagina so She had no means of giving birth and Her creations grew inside Her; She swelled up to an enormous size. The god Barraiya pitied Her agony and threw a spear at Her, thus, enabling life to come forth.

This mother who gives life is also a Goddess of death. They say She holds the thread of life that is attached to each of each of her creations, and when she lets go of it, the life ends. And, She Herself should die, they say everything would cease to exist.

Tethys

2011-10-04T06:15:00.000-07:00

Tethys was the primeval Greek goddess of the sources fresh water which nourished the earth, the mother of all the great rivers and fountains in the Universe. Her name is related to the ancient Greek word for 'grandmother.' Among the Greeks and Romans, Tethys was sometimes represented as the personification of the sea, the greatest of the sea deities.

A Titan, She was the daughter of Gaea and Uranus. She was the sister wife of Oceanus, the god of the sea, and in this incestuous relationship proved remarkably fertile by becoming the mother of the a race of daughters who ruled over the sources of fresh water, the 3,000 Oceanids. She was also the Godmother of Rhea and raised her during the civil war between the gods of Olympus and the Titans.

Tethys, a moon of the planet Saturn, and the prehistoric Tethys Ocean are named after this goddess.

Ahurani

2011-10-03T03:39:00.000-07:00

According to Persian mythology, Ahurani is an old Iranian water goddess. Her name means 'she who belongs to Ahura' (the god of light). Ahurani represents the water in all appearances: lakes, sources, rivers, snow, and rain. She was also the divine symbol of both health and prosperity. She watches over the sea and other waters and brings health, fertility, offspring, peace, wealth, and fame to all those who honor Her.

The people prayed to Ahurani for health, healing, prosperity, and growth. All water is Her home. It is said that She brings prosperity to the land and helps women to get pregnant. Water libations were a key part of any rituals for this goddess.

Fides

2011-09-30T03:52:00.000-07:00

The Romans had a goddess whose name was Fides, whose temple was first consecrated by Numa, the legendary second king of Rome. Her symbol was two right hands joined, or sometimes two human figures holding each other by the right hands. An ancient goddess, Fides is the Roman goddess of faith and trust. Her name means 'good faith' in Latin; our word 'fidelity' comes from Her name. She was the personification of honor, honesty, and good faith.

She was portrayed as an old woman with white hair, and was held by some to be much older than the great god, Jupiter. She wears a white veil and a crown made from an olive branch. People called upon this goddess to protect contracts and commerce in private lives as well as in commerce. She was invoked during the signing of treaties and the treaties are kept in Her temple. Her feast day is October 1st.

Minona

2011-09-29T05:30:00.000-07:00

Minona, a powerful spirit of magic, is widely known as the West African patron deity of witches. She is the protector of women , witches, and the home, as well as the ancestors. She dwells deep in the forest, teaching benevolent and protective magic to those women who value Her knowledge. Minona can foresee the future. She taught the shamans a method of divination through the use of palm kernels. Minona, too, gives power to sorcerers and protects them.

Minona became caretaker of women and imparts fertility to women and the earth. In a sense, She is Mother Earth herself. She has no temples or public shrines. Instead, women create altars in their homes in Her honor, with offerings of fresh fruits.

Kishijoten

2011-09-28T05:56:00.000-07:00

In Japan, Kishijoten is the Shinto goddess of beauty, song, dance, and luck. She is the sister of Bishanon, the god of war, and one of the seven deities of good fortune. As a patron of the arts, She can be likened to the Greek Muses. She is the protectress of the geisha, those highly trained women who entertain men with song and dance. Those who consider themselves modern geisha often seek Her protection.

She holds in Her left hand a white diamond, Her sacred symbol. Kishijoten is also acknowledged as a protector of children. Mothers ceremoniously invoke this goddess to provide protection and keep misfortune away from their infants and old children.

Sirona

2011-09-27T05:45:00.000-07:00

Sirona was a Celtic goddess of healing, fertility, and regeneration. She was often associated with warm, medicinal springs. Her name is related to 'star', so perhaps She also associated with night and darkness. Her emblem is a snake which symbolizes Her role in healing. And as an Earth goddess, She was often depicted fully draped and crowned; She carries three eggs and has a snake winding about Her arm. Both are symbols of a Celtic healer.

She was revered in Continental Europe at hot medicinal springs and mineral waters in diverse locales like southern France and Germany. Inscriptions with Her name sometimes appeared along with that of Her husband Grannos, which was another name for Apollo.

The Sirona Nature Trail was named in Her honor.

Radha

2011-09-26T06:02:00.000-07:00

Radha, the Hindu goddess of love, is the goddess who was the most beloved of the god, Krishna. She is the personification of love between humanity and God, as well as between woman and man. In the Vaishnava tradition of Hindu, She is regarded as a primary deity, often worshipped to as an incarnation of Goddess Lakshmi.

Radha is almost always depicted alongside Krishna as his loyal devotee and celestial wife. With Her eyes closed, She follows him wherever he takes Her, trusting in him completely and giving up Her own ego. She is both his devotee and his equal, abandoning herself to passion.

The love story of Radha-Krishna has become a legend in the Hindu mythology. The story is believed to have taken place in the Dwapar Yuga, when both of them took birth in this world. Radha was a cowherdess, who through her beauty and charm captivated the heart of Lord Krishna and became his beloved goddess. Lord Krishna is considered to be the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, whose birth was predestined.

Radha symbolizes the human Soul as it moves through eternity, seeking union with the Divine.