[CLASS] Goddesses

[Siren Stern]

Sanguina-chan

I'm going to have to stick up for the Hellenics and say that Hekate is not a crone, has never been a crone. Sorry, it's a pet peeve, and I'm not even a Hellenic.

What initiates claim Murray's theories are still relevant? Every initiate I've talked to is aware that they're inaccurate.

Hello Sanguina-chan. I appreciate your colaboration, but Hecate is worshipped as a Crone Goddess too. I agree that Hecate as Crone only begins to appear in late Roman literature, and even then it is far from universal, but as every Divinty, Hecate has multiples aspects. I classify her as Crone because she rules all the aspects of Crone Goddesses: death, wisdown, protection againt evil energy, mysteries and reborning. It's common to find Hecate as a Triple Goddess ou a Goddess of three heads. The Triple Goddesses have the three aspect on them: Maiden, Mother and Crone, as I said in later classes.

Robert Von Rudloff, researcher of History of Religions, wrote in his article "Hekate in early Greek religion" that there is an inclination to 'white' Hecate's dark aspects by some witches. I agree she isn't the bad mallevolent Divinty of traditional studies, but she isn't neither the benevollent divinty with just a good side that some neo Pagan books says. She is, in fact, a great big "gray", and the most incomprehend­ed divinty of Greek Mythology.

Robert Von Rudloff

A significant underlying problem is that it is wrong to assume that there was a single "form" of Hekate. There is a long-standing tendency to pigeon-hole deities of ancient cultures, such as "Apollo the Sun-God" and "Aphrodite the Goddess of Love." While these labels can be appealing, the evidence usually shows a much greater diversity than they allow for. The followers also show considerable diversity: NO Greek deity was conceived of in the same way by everyone at any single time or place in antiquity. Thus there often was considerable variance between cities concerning divine attributes.

As Hecate Chthonian, Hecate Antania or Hecate Prytania she was surelly depicted as a Crone Goddess, and those energies are what I'm going to focus on the class.

Although I'm going to work with her Crone face, I'll mention in the class the Tracian and Carian worshippers either, which depicted her as a Maiden Goddess.  

[Siren Stern]

too2sweet

This is so awesome!!! Thank you.

I really appreciate the Egyptian translation.

What is funny is that I am up every morning before sunrise, but am usually working about the time the sun comes up. I will have to find time to take a break one morning so I can go outside.

You just need to say this before the sunrise, too2sweet. If you can't prepare you Altar, you can just do this putting your mind on Isis energy. The most important thing is the honor for her. Those words, both in English of original version, are very powerful. I got an ineffable feeling doing this, and you should try this either.

Have a nice day wink  

[Songbird85]

LESSON ONE:

To me, the goddess came as a very pale woman with bright blue eyes and long brown hair. her hair was a little wavy. she had big wings. she was in all blue. she was hoovering over water.

would that make her water or air?

She said her name was Sara, but the name didn't seem right to me. when I asked what I should know, she said.. to relax.  

[Songbird85]

CLASS 2:

To me,

The maiden was a young girl. She looked about 14- 16. she had orange and yellow flowers in her hair. she had medium brown hair, blue eyes. she said I could call her Whitney

The mother was a woman in labor when she came to me. she was in the labor position at first. then later relaxed with a baby in her arms. she said she was Sara.

The midwife/cron was an elderly woman. she reminded me of grandmother willow. she had an all knowing voice. I felt safe when she spoke to me. she told me to call her mama.

I was confused, cause I thought that all of these goddesses were the same one, just different forms.  

[too2sweet]

The Goddess in her triple aspect usually does have different names for each aspect, so it isn't that unusual that each one was called by a different name.

When we take on new attributes or responsibilities in life we sometime are given new titles, and in particular when a woman goes from maiden to mother (through marriage) our names can change. In Trad Wicca and other pagan traditions it is often customary to receive a new craft name at each level of initiation. So again what you saw does make sense.  

[Siren Stern]

Songbird85

CLASS 2:

To me,

The maiden was a young girl. She looked about 14- 16. she had orange and yellow flowers in her hair. she had medium brown hair, blue eyes. she said I could call her Whitney

The mother was a woman in labor when she came to me. she was in the labor position at first. then later relaxed with a baby in her arms. she said she was Sara.

The midwife/cron was an elderly woman. she reminded me of grandmother willow. she had an all knowing voice. I felt safe when she spoke to me. she told me to call her mama.

I was confused, cause I thought that all of these goddesses were the same one, just different forms.

Hello Songbird.

As Too2sweet told, isn't uncommon the Triple Goddesses being called by distinct names for each face. It happens to Kali/Durga/Maya, Lakshmi/Sarasvati/Parvarti, Perserphonne/Demeter/Hecate... but there is also some Triple Goddesses who are called by only one name in all the three faces, like Brigit for example.

As I told you in PM about your first exercise, write this meditations in your diary or Book of Shadows. It will be important to you to see your evolution through your connection with the Goddess. Keep the energy of your Altar active, connecting with your inner Goddess or doing the meditations to the other Goddess faces listed here in the class.

Any doubt, you know, just send me a message.  

[Siren Stern]

Forth class: Eostre
The Lady of Spring

Eostre is a Teutonic Goddess which rules part in Anglo-Saxon Mythology, Nordic Mythology and in German Mythology - where she's known as Ostara. Her name Eostre came from the Anglo-Saxon word "East" (same meaning in English), and from the Old German "ostar" (which means "the sunrise") as Ostara. This way, we can see she is a Goddess of the morning, the daybreak, and was associated with the rising light of the Spring, the moment when she brings joy and blesses to Earth.

Later, when Rome invaded the Northen lands, Eostre myth and pagan festivals of Ostara was absorved to Christian Passover/Easter, and that's the reason "Easter" has this name, as well Eostre is the reason for chocolate eggs, bunnies and either the Easter date. With her own myths manipulated, so much about this Goddess became lost through time, and descriptions, myths and informations reguarding on her are very scarce nowadays.

Some historiographers related Eostre with the Greek Goddess Eos, Goddess of the dawn. Others says Eostre is just one of the several forms of Frigg, an epithet to represent Frigg in her vernal aspect. And there is some historiographers who associate Eostre to Astarte and Ishtar for the similarities in their Spring festivals.

Eostre is the first Maiden Goddess we will work because it's very easy to find the aspects of the Maiden in herself. She is a Goddess of purity, youth, beauty, Spring, fertility, joy, happiness, germination and love. It was common in the Spring people go out to collect the dew to use in ritual. It was said the Spring dew was replete of Eostre's energy of youth and purification, so it was used in renovation and beauty rituals.

 

[Siren Stern]

EOSTRE MYTH

The legend tells that Eostre had a special affection for children. Wherever she went, the children followed her, and the Goddess loved to sing and dance to entertain them. One day, Eostre was resting in a garden with her beloved children, when a bird flew over them and landed on Eostre's hand. The Goddess spelled some magic words and the bird became her favorite animal: a hare. The children became amazed.

But as the days ran, they noticed the hare wasn't happy with the transformation because it could no more sing or fly. So the children asked to Eostre to revert the spell. She tryed every single form, but she couldn't undo it. Then Eostre decided to wait until the winter pass, as her powers decreased in the coldness. Maybe in Spring, when she would restore her plenty powers, she could transform the hare into a bird again.

The hare waited the Spring until it came. In this season, Eostre succeeded in reversing the spell, but only for a moment. So thankful, the bird laid eggs in homage to her. When it turned into a hare again, it painted the eggs and distribute them all over the world as a symbol of its liberty and gratitude to the children which asked the Goddess to return it to its original shape.

So, to remember everyone on her foolish act of interfering in someone's free-will, Eostre engraved a hare face in the Moon, which can be seen until today by us.

 

[Siren Stern]

EOSTRE CORRESPONDENCES
Use this correspondences to adorn your Altar to Eostre rituals:

Face: Maiden
Symbols: eggs, hare, Sun, Moon, flowers, ribbons, dew, lollipops
Color: pink, white, yellow, green and sky-blue
Element: earth
Day of power: friday
Sacred animal: hare and birds
Sacred herb: lavender and flowers of the fields
Stones: emerald, malachite, quartz, turquoise, yellow zircon, copper, silver  

[Siren Stern]

CONNECTION TO EOSTRE

In a sunny morning, pick a egg and paint it as you desire. You can put some symbols that represent a wish if you want to. When you find the egg's ready, bring it to a beautiful tree and put it in there as a honor to Eostre, knowing now the seed for your wish is planted and will germinate as strong as the roots of the tree you placed the egg.  

[goddess_elppy]

Hi there!!
Sorry I've been out of touch so long, I've been in (and will be) the process of moving. xP I hate moving! I'll get on the second assignment just as soon as I'm able. D;

Question... Do we need to do the Connection exercises every day? Or is just once enough?

 

[Siren Stern]

goddess_elppy

Hi there!!
Sorry I've been out of touch so long, I've been in (and will be) the process of moving. xP I hate moving! I'll get on the second assignment just as soon as I'm able. D;

Question... Do we need to do the Connection exercises every day? Or is just once enough?

No, you don't.

The Isis exercise, the morning pray, is good to do everyday, but as we changed the Goddess this week, there is no need to continue it, only if you want to. This new exercise to Eostre is good to be done just one time. This ritual is a part of Ostara indeed, which happens once a year - it's common pagans paint eggs and lay them on tree roots that time. But you don't need to worry about we're going to Yule/Litha. This is the better and easier way to connect to Eostre's energy, not only a way of celebrate the Spring.

As you're moving, take a day you have free time and do the exercise. Then, if you wish, you can keep the egg in your Altar for some days until you get free time to put it in the tree.

Any doubt, please post here and I'll be glad to answer you.  

[Siren Stern]

Fifth class: Hecate
The Lady of the crossroads

Hecate is the Goddess of the Moon, the magic, the birth and the death. Formerly a wide worshiped Goddess, since Middle Ages her reputation was discredited for her connection to the witches, and so became the most uncompreensible Goddess of Greek Mythology. She is originally from Egypt, as her name carries the same etymology of Heqet, the frog-headed Goddess of magic and births, although the first documents describing her in a Helenic way are dated from 8th century B.C.E. in Caria. This way, today is considered Hecate is an Anatolian Goddess who was absorved by Greek Mythology.

In the 12 well studied centuries that are known by the historians, it's clear that Hecate assumed many parts through the several regions she was worshiped. When her cult arrived in Thrace, she assumed a part similar to Hermes as a messenger Goddess of wilderness. She was a Maiden Goddess, depicted with her hair adorned by the start that light up the dark night.

When her myth arrived to Greece, she was considered daughter of Asteria and Perseus, although some witches consider her nowadays, in fact, daughter of Nyx and Erebo for her close relashionship with Thanatos and Hypnos. As her myth spreaded, it found other more prominent divinties playing the same part of her. That's the way the Maiden Hecate became the Crone Hecate. When she arrived in Greece, Hecate found Artemis as the Moon and wilderness Goddess, a virgin Goddess depicted with wolfs. This way, her followers adapted her myth. Some of Artemis priestess associated Hecate to Iphigeneia's myth.

After 500 B.C., Hecate was associated to Medeia, and when her myth arrived to Rome, she got many associations with death, becaming a psychagogue/psychopomp Goddess, the way I classify her as a Crone Goddess. We will see why in her role in the Eleusinian Mysteries.  

[Siren Stern]

HECATE MYTH IN ELEUSIAN MYSTERIES

After derroting the old tytans; Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided the conquered lands: Zeus chose the skies as he was the one who defeated Chronus and let Poseidon choose the other third part, as he was older than Hades. He chose the seas, and so to Hades was given the underworlds. With his introspective nature, it wasn't unpleased to Hades to become the King of underworld. Hades was workaholic, rarely he left his domains. But at least once he came to the Earth, and in this visit he met the young Persephone and felt in love with her.

So Hades went to talk to Zeus, asking for Persephone`s hand. Zeus consent without talking to Persephone or Demeter, her mother. This way, in a sunny day when Persephone was playing in the fields with the muses, Hades appeared and kidnapped her, disappearing as fast as he appeared. Demeter searched for Persephone 9 nights and 9 days without stopping to rest, eat or bath, but no-one had saw Persephone. In the 10th day, Demeter found Hecate.

Hecate said she heard Persephone screaming and knew she was kidnapped, but she didn't know who was her ravisher. But Hecate took Demeter to Helios, the Sun God that sees everything. They went there and Demeter asked about Persephone. Helios said it was Hades who kidnapped her daughter, but suggest her to leave things this way, as Hades wasn't a bad son-in-law and Persephone would be Queen in the underworld. But Demeter didn't accept the advice. On the contrary, she felt outraged by Zeus and Hades, and so abandoned her role as Goddess of harvests.

This way, everything live started to perish, and nothing new grew. The severe starvattion frighten the manking, the eternal Gods lost their offerings. Zeus, this way, sent every single God to talk to Demeter with the most beautiful presents, but she refuse every single one of them. Instead, she always said "until I put my eyes on my daughter again, nothing will grow again". Zeus called Hecate and asked her to go to underworld to bring Persephone back. So she went, but in the months she stayed there, she already had ate the underworld fruit, so she could not return by the underworld laws.

So Rhea intervened and declared Persephone would stay 6 months in Earth with Demeter and 6 months in underworld with Hades. In the 6 months Persephone is with Hades, we live the Fall and Winter. When she returns to Earth, Demeter gifts her with the flowers of Spring. This myth became part of the Eleusinian Mysteries and shows the pagan tell "merry meet, merry part for a merry meet again".  

[Siren Stern]

HECATE CORRESPONDENCES
Use this correspondences to adorn your Altar to Hecate rituals:

Face: Crone (please, read about this here)
Symbols: crossroads, keys, torch, scourge, the night and caves
Color: black, purple and red
Element: fire and earth
Day of power: monday
Sacred animal: dog, horse, snake, weasel and moth
Sacred herb: mynt and cypress
Stones: citrine, alum, silver, onix, brimstone, staurolite, fossil, lepidolite, tourmalined quartz, obsidian, black tourmaline