5/31/2012

Hymn to Juno


Hymn to Juno

'O Royal Juno of majestic mien,
Aerial-formed, divine, Jove's blessed queen,
Throned in the bosom of caerulean air,
The race of mortals is thy constant care.
The cooling gales thy power alone inspires,
Which nourish life, which every life desires.
Mother of clouds and winds, from thee alone
Producing all things, mortal life is known:
All natures share thy temperament divine,
And universal sway alone is thine.
With founding blasts of wind, the swelling sea
And rolling rivers roar, when shook by Thee.
Come, blessed Goddess, famed almighty queen,
With aspect kind, rejoicing and serene.

Orphic Hymn
Translation by Thomas Taylor


Read other devotions to the Goddess:  In Her Name

5/20/2012

The story of Akewa & the eclipse


There are many examples of Solar Goddesses throughout the world.  In the Gran Chaco region of Argentina, the Toba people honored the Sun Goddess Akewa.  Long ago, she and her radiant sisters illuminated the sky, but they were curious about Earth and the men who lived there (without women), so they climbed down a rope to visit them.  The men cut the rope, preventing the star-women from ever returning to the heavens, but only Akewa remained in the sky as she had not yet descended.  Each day she walks above the Earth from one side to the next, reminding all women that they are related to Her.  On occasion a giant jaguar tries to eat her, resulting in a solar eclipse, but Akewa always escapes, as she is too hot for the jaguar to completely consume. 

Blessings of the Solar eclipse - may you be transformed in brilliance!

5/13/2012

Hymn to the All-Mother


Hymn to the All-Mother

Hail to our mother, who caused the yellow flowers to blossom,
who scattered the seeds of the maguey, as she came forth from Paradise.

Hail to our mother, who poured forth flowers in abundance,
who scattered the seeds of the maguey, as she came forth from Paradise.

Hail to our mother, who caused the yellow flowers to blossom,
she who scattered the seeds of the maguey, as she came forth from Paradise.

Hail to our mother, who poured forth white flowers in abundance,
who scattered the seeds of the maguey, as she came forth from Paradise.

Hail to the goddess who shines in the thorn bush like a bright butterfly.

She is our mother, goddess of the earth,
she supplies food in the desert to the wild beasts, and causes them to live.

Thus, thus, you see her to be an ever-fresh model of liberality toward all flesh.

And as you see the goddess of the earth do to the wild beasts,
so also does she toward the green herbs and the fishes.




(Photo of Toci/Teteoinnan from the British Museum.  Translation of traditional hymn by D. Brinton.)

Read more devotions on our website:  In Her Name

5/08/2012

Home-study Enrollment Reminder


Our next enrollment is on June 1st, so please have your student applications in by May 20th.  If you have not yet requested an enrollment guide for our correspondence courses, see the website below.  Thank you!




(Athena with Her owl of Wisdom, circa 450 BCE.  Her left hand is holding a missing spear.)


5/01/2012

Happy May Day!





(Village Scene with Dance Around the Maypole by Pieter Bruegel, 1634)