Goddess News: Thracian Temple Discovered

Quote from the article:
"Yesterday another temple to the Great Thracian goddess-mother was discovered near to the village of Benkovski, located close to the town of Zlatograd in Bulgaria. Professor Nikolay Ovcharov announced the news in an interview for FOCUS News Agency.  'It is an extremely interesting sanctuary in the form of a womb or a cave-womb, as they are called. This was a natural cave which the Thracians put into final shape and turned into a temple to the Great goddess-mother,' Mr Ovcharov stated.  He added the Great goddess-mother was one of the most important deities for the Thracians, along with Dionysus [the Thracian Dionysus] and Orpheus."

Link to Article

 

(photo copyright FOCUS News Agency)

Happy Solstice!

May the beauty of the season bring hope to your heart and illuminate your spirit.

Blessings of the Full Moon

 

May the "Long-Night's Moon" of December bring you quiet contemplation and peace.

News article: Tattooed Priestess of Hathor

Before this discovery only pictures in tombs and on pottery were the best evidence that some Egyptians were tattooed. Previously tiny faience female figurines showing tattoo patterns on their thighs, wrists, abdomen, and upper body had been discovered in tombs and the tattoos on the newly discovered mummies were in many instances almost identical to the figurines.  Suddenly it became obvious that the tiny figurines were actually depicting real tattoos and their meanings could be directly traced to the priestess’ of Hathor. - See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/tattooed-priestess-hathor-001122#sthash.HoNDHVYH.dpuf

Before this discovery only pictures in tombs and on pottery were the best evidence that some Egyptians were tattooed. Previously tiny faience female figurines showing tattoo patterns on their thighs, wrists, abdomen, and upper body had been discovered in tombs and the tattoos on the newly discovered mummies were in many instances almost identical to the figurines.  Suddenly it became obvious that the tiny figurines were actually depicting real tattoos and their meanings could be directly traced to the priestess’ of Hathor. - See more at: http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/tattooed-priestess-hathor-001122#sthash.HoNDHVYH.dpuf

From the article: 
"Before this discovery only pictures in tombs and on pottery were the best evidence that some Egyptians were tattooed. Previously tiny faience female figurines showing tattoo patterns on their thighs, wrists, abdomen, and upper body had been discovered in tombs and the tattoos on the newly discovered mummies were in many instances almost identical to the figurines.  Suddenly it became obvious that the tiny figurines were actually depicting real tattoos and their meanings could be directly traced to the priestess’ of Hathor."

Read the Full Article

(photo copyright Ancient Origins)

Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, also honored as Tonantzin, or Mother Earth of the Nahuan people.  Her feast day is December 12th.

 

 

(painting by toxicness/deviantART)

Statue of Mazu unveiled in Xiamen

A 32.8m-tall statue of the Goddess Mazu has been unveiled in Xiamen. From the article: "Mazu, or Mat-Su, the Chinese Goddess of the Sea, is the most worshipped sea goddess in China's coastal areas, especially in the southeast and on the Taiwan islands. Legends and stories have been told over centuries about Mazu rescuing and helping fishermen in distress at sea. People in these areas who make their living by fishing believe Mazu is their patron goddess of the turbulent sea. Mazu is also worshiped in East and Southeast Asia."

 

 Read full article:
Mazu Statue Article

 

 

(photo and article copyright WOX)

The 21 Taras

 

Homage to Tara swift and fearless
With eyes like a flash of lightning
Lotus-born in an ocean of tears
Of Chenresig, three worlds' protector.

Homage to you whose face is like
One hundred autumn moons gathered
And blazes with the dazzling light
Of a thousand constellations.

Homage to you born from a gold-blue lotus
Hands adorned with lotus flowers
Essence of giving, effort and ethics,
Patience, concentration and wisdom.

Homage to you who crown all Buddhas
Whose action subdues without limit
Attained to every perfection
On you the bodhisattvas rely.

 

 

Selection from the Homage to the 21 Taras:  Read the entire devotion

Blessings of Abundance

The Goddess Abundantia, holding Her cornucopia

(painting by Rubens, circa 1630, National Museum of Western Art)

Full Moon in Taurus

 

November's full moon is often referred to as the Beaver or the Frost Moon.  In our area, the native Tohono O'odham refer to it as "Moon of the Fair-Cold".  May the Taurus Moon ground your dreams and visions into beautiful expressions of creativity!

 

 

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Reminder: Home-Study Enrollment Deadline

 

Enrollment in our home-study mystery school is coming up on December 1st. Please have your applications in by Sunday, November 24th to be included. (Our next enrollment is March 2014.)

Also, for those who have previously inquired with us, please download the newly updated version of our Enrollment Guide. Thank you.

If you would like to receive our Enrollment Guide and/or learn more about our correspondence programs, please see this link:
 

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Wadjet

 

The Goddess Wadjet. 
Relief at the Temple of Hatshepsut.
Theban Necropolis, Egypt.

 

(photo copyright Remih)

 

Goddess in the News: Altanta Earth Goddess to Stay

"Earth Goddess, the popular giant living sculpture in the summer exhibition Imaginary Worlds: Plants Larger Than Life, will be calling the Atlanta Botanical Garden home after the blockbuster show closes October 31. The... acquisition not only celebrates the enormous success of the exhibition of topiary-like sculpture but also is expected to become an icon for the city... At 30 feet wide by 25 feet tall, Earth Goddess is one of 19 sculptures in the exhibition created by International Mosaiculture of Montreal - shown for the first time in the United States. Mosaiculture is the centuries-old horticultural art of covering fabricated steel forms with a planting material and "plugging," or planting, it with tens of thousands of tiny plants.. .The mission of the Atlanta Botanical Garden is to develop and maintain plant collections for display, education, research, conservation and enjoyment."
 

Read the Full Article

Dia de los Muertos

The holiday of Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) begins on the evening of October 31st.  On that night, the small angelitos (spirit children) arrive, with the spirits of the adults following on the 1st of  November.  Family graves are decorated and altars created to honor the previous occupations and preferences of their ancestors.  On Nov. 2nd a large family meal is shared with favorite foods and the spirits are then bid goodbye until next year.

 

These activities mirror an ancient Aztec festival, which honored the Lady of the Dead - the Goddess Mictecacihuatl - during their summer corn harvest.   It is celebrated now at the time of All Soul's Day throughout the world, including in many parts of the U.S., Central America and Spain.

 

Blessings of the ancestors to one and all!

 

 

 

 

(photo of La Calavera Catrina holding traditional marigold flowers of Dia de los Muertos, copyright Luis Roj.)

Circe

"When they reached Circe's house they found it built of cut stones, on a site that could be seen from far, in the middle of the forest. There were wild mountain wolves and lions prowling all round it. . they did not attack my men, but wagged their great tails, fawned upon them, and rubbed their noses lovingly against them. Presently they reached the gates of the goddess's house, and as they stood there they could hear Circe within, singing most beautifully as she worked at her loom, making a web so fine, so soft, and of such dazzling colors as no one but a goddess could weave."

Homer's Odyssey, trans. Samuel Butler


(Painting of Circe by Wright Barker, 1889)

October's Full Moon

Blessings of the Full Moon in Aries!  This moon is referred to as the Blood or Hunter's Moon.  There is also a penumbral eclipse that will be visible in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas (although it will still be light during most of the time in the Americas).

May the igniting energies of this full moon reveal hidden inspiration!

Hymn to Tethys

 

Tethys I call, with eyes cerulean bright,

Hid in a veil obscure from human sight;

Great Ocean's empress, wandering through the deep,

And pleased with gentle gales, the earth to sweep;

Whose blessed waves in swift succession go,

And lash the rocky shore with endless flow:

Delighting in the Sea serene to play,

In ships exulting and the watery way.

Mother of Venus, and of clouds obscure,

Great nurse of beasts, and source of fountains pure.

O venerable Goddess, hear my prayer,

And make benevolent my life thy care;

Send, blessed queen, to ships a prosperous breeze,

And waft them safely over the stormy seas.

 

Orphic Hymn

(translation by T. Taylor)

 

(Goddess Tethys: mosaic in the Antakya Museum, Antioch, Turkey)

 

For more devotions:  In Her Name website



Final three nights of Navatri

 

Honoring Sarasvati on Oct. 11th-13th

of the Sharad Navatri.

 

 

(painting by Raja Ravi Varma, 1896, Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum)

Goddess news: Woman finds statues in Lakhampur village

From the article:

"A 45-year-old tribal woman, on Monday, found seven idols of Hindu goddesses in a cave on the Khapra hilltop in Lakhampur village of Wada taluka. She said she went to the cave and started digging inside after repeatedly dreaming of a goddes...s trapped there. 'For the last three months, I regularly dreamt of some divine powers calling me to rescue them from the hilltop but I ignored the dreams. However, it soon started to affect my health and I eventually decided to follow my dream,' said Usha Mukne, a daily-wage labourer in the village and a believer of Goddess Santoshi. Mukne cleared the entrance to the cave, which had been blocked by trees as no one had gone there in a long time, and started digging.

Villagers hailed her dream-turned-into-reality as a miracle and blessing, especially as it coincided with Navratri, and thronged the hilltop to pray.  'I told the locals about my dream and findings. They couldn’t believe goddesses had directed me this way,' she said. A local, Sunil Patil, said, 'It’s the first time that ancient artifacts have been found here.' Local authorities were also informed; they will inform the archaeological department."

Link to article:
Woman finds Goddess statues

Navaratri continues

 

Honoring Lakshmi on Oct. 8th-10th

of the Sharad Navaratri.

(Murti of Lakshmi, Cologne, Germany)

Blessings of Sharad Navratri

 

In honor of the Sharad Navaratri from Oct. 5th-13th, 2013.

 

This nine-day Hindu festival will start tomorrow. In the Sharad Navratri, nine forms of Shakti/Devi are given respect. Each region in India celebrates this festival in their own tradition's manner, but in some areas three days each are dedicated to Durga, Lakshmi and Sarasvati, respectively. This holiday culminates on the tenth day with the observance of Vijayadashami.

 

 

(Goddess Durga, Kolkata, by D. Roy)

Temple of Mazu (Matsu)

 

Temple of the Sea Goddess Mazu

Yantai, Shandong province, China

 

Goddess News: Sekhmet Statue Unveiled

 

Egyptian goddess statue unveiled in İzmir’s Red Basilicaz. 

 

From the article:  "An almost nine-meter long lion-headed Egyptian goddess Sekhmet has been revived in the Red Basilica (Kızıl Avlu) in the largest structure of the ancient city of Pergamon in İzmir’s Bergama district, and opened to visits on Sept. 26. The statue has already drawn great interest from tourists in the area.  German Excavation Institute Chairman Ferix Pilson said it would contribute to Bergama’s inclusion in the UNESO Cultural Heritage list in June next year. The Egyptian statue pieces found during the excavations since 1930 in the Red Basilica are among the most important statues from the Roman Empire. Among them, the lion-headed goddess statue was reconstructed thanks to the support of the Studiosus Foundation. The statue was raised last year for trial purposes and with further works, and it reached an impressive height of 8.5 meters."

 

Go to News Article

 

 

(photo copyright DHA)

Tewa Prayer

When the Corn Mothers are Fed

Cornmeal is thrown on the altar by Bear Priest:

 "Now and here
 My old women gods I give you
 This corn meal
 And thank you."

All join and throw cornmeal on the altar:

"Now and here,
 Our old women Gods,
 Take this!
 Long life give us
 And our children!"

 

 

(Traditional Tewa prayer.  Photo of Tewa girl with butterfly whorl hairstyle by Edward Curtis, 1922.)

Other Devotions:  In Her Name

Happy Equinox!

 

A reminder that every harvest also holds the seeds of new beginnings. 

Abundant Autumn blessings!

 

 

 

(photo of oak acorn, copyright D. Ramsey)

Goddess News: Aphrodite Unearthed in Turkey

From the article:
"A group of archaeologists has discovered a life-sized marble head of Aphrodite while uncovering an ancient pool-side mosaic in southern Turkey. Buried under soil for hundreds of years, the goddess of love and beauty has some chipping on her nose and face. Researchers think her presence could shed light on the extent of the Roman Empire's wide cultural influence at the time of its peak."

Read the Entire News Article

 

 

 

(photo copyright M. Hoff)

Full Moon of Autumn

 

Blessings of the Harvest Moon in Pisces.

May the rich abundance of this season be shared by all.

 

 

 

 

(Harvest Moon by Samuel Palmer, circa 1833. Yale Center for British Art.)

Devotion to the Goddess Marici

 

 

"One who merely remembers your name
Will be protected from all fears.
I revere the Goddess Marici,
Granter of supreme, stainless bliss.
You ride a jeweled chariot drawn by seven wild boars,
Seated gracefully on a lotus and moon seat,
With one face and two hands, dazzlingly golden,
I pay homage to you, Lady Marici.
With your right hand in the gesture of blessing
And your left bearing an asoka tree,
Draped with jewelry and enjoying every opulence,
Adoration to you, glorious Marici."

(quote from the Maricinama Dharani. photo of Marici by Oracle Bone, Hongfashan Temple, Hong Kong)

More devotions:  http://www.inhername.com

Isis leads Nefertari

 

For those who are having difficulty with any type of underworld experience right now:

Isis leading Queen Nefertari

 

 

(reproduction of a painting in Nefertari's tomb, Valley of the Queens)

Statues from Malta

"The Great Ones"

Temple statues from Hagar Qim, Malta. 

National Museum of Archaeology of Malta

Hymn to Athena

 

Great Goddess, hear! and on my darkened mind
Pour thy pure light in measure unconfined;
That sacred light, O all-protecting queen,
Which beams eternal from thy face serene:
My soul, while wandering on the earth, inspire
With thy own blessed and impulsive fire;
And from thy fables, mystic and divine,
Give all her powers with holy light to shine.
Give love, give wisdom, and a power to love,
Incessant tending to the realms above;
Such as, unconscious of base earth's control,
Gently attracts the vice-subduing soul;
From night's dark region aids her to retire,
And once more gain the palace of her sire:
And if on me some just misfortune press,
Remove the affliction, and thy suppliant bless.

 

Proclus' Hymn to Athena
(trans. T. Taylor)

(Statue of Athena of the Parthenos. 1st century Greek copy of the original work from the 5th century BC. National Museum of Rome.)


In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

 

Happy Full Moon

 

Blessings of the Full Moon, the second one in a row in Aquarius.

May She rise in beauty in your dreams and visions.

Enrollment Reminder

Our next deadline for applications is Sunday, August 25th, for our September 1st enrollment.  Please also note - we are enrolling every three months now, so the next opportunity will be December 1st.

To learn more about our correspondence courses our website link is below. Thank you!

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

 

Hymn to Hekate

 

Yes, lend me your hand I pray,
And reveal to me the pathways of divine guidance that I long for.
Then shall I gaze upon that precious Light
Whence I can flee the evil of our dark origin.
Yes, lend me your hand I pray,
And when I am weary, bring me to the haven of piety with your winds.
Hail, many-named mother of the Gods, whose children are fair
Hail, mighty Hekate of the Threshold.

 

Diadochus Hymn, 5th century CE

(translation by Vogt)

(Marble relief from Crannon, Thessaly, 4th century BCE. The British Museum.)


For more Goddess devotions: http://www.inhername.com

Mama Ocllo

 

Mama Ocllo is an Incan mother-Goddess related to fertility, who taught women the arts of spinning and weaving.  She and her brother (husband) founded the capital city of Cuzco. Her mother is Mama Quilla, the Moon Goddess, and her father, the Sun God Inti.

 

 

(painting by anonymous artist, Peru circa 1840, San Antonio Museum of Art)

Lammas Blessings

 

With the same grace and love

that the Earth Mother provides the harvest,

may we receive it.

Full Moon in Aquarius

 

Blessings of the Full Moon in Aquarius.

May your creativity pour forth in beauty!

 

 

 

Painting by Susan Seddon-Boulet.

Hymn to the Fates

Daughters of darkling night, much-named,

draw near Infinite Fates, and listen to my prayer;
Who in the heavenly lake where waters white
burst from a fountain hid in depths of night,
and through a dark and stony cavern glide,
a cave profound, invisible abide.
From whence, wide coursing round the boundless earth,
Your power extends to those of mortal birth.
To men with hope elated, trifling, gay,
a race presumptuous, born but to decay;
whose life 'tis yours in darkness to conceal,
to sense impervious, in a purple veil.
When through the fatal plain they joyful ride
in one great car, Opinion for their guide;
'til each completes his heaven-appointed round
at Justice, Hope, and Care's concluding bound.
The terms absolved, prescribed by ancient law
of power immense, and just without a flaw;
For Fate alone with vision unconfined,
surveys the conduct of the mortal kind.
Fate is Jove's perfect and eternal eye,
for Jove and Fate our every deed descry.
Come, gentle powers, well born, benignant, famed,
Atropos, Lachesis, and Clotho named:
unchanged, aerial, wandering in the night,
restless, invisible to mortal fight.
Fates all-producing all-destroying hear,
regard the incense and the holy prayer;
propitious listen to these rites inclined,
and far avert distress with placid mind.

 

The Fumigation from Aromatics. LVIII.
Hymns of Orpheus, trans. T. Taylor

 

 

(Photo of relief of the three Moirai, from the tomb of Count Alexander von der Mark, by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow. Old National Gallery Berlin.)

Goddess Hathor: Awake in Peace!

Awake in peace!

You, yourself beautifully wake in peace!
Hwt-Hrw, Mistress of Iunet, Awake in life!
The Neteru themselves raise to worship you each day,
The venerable sky!
For you are the one, the ball of the sun that pierces the sky,
Flooding the country side with gold, who brings life in the east,
Who then immerses the setting sun each night in Iunet.
Awake, Hwt-Hrw, in peace!
The Great Mistress of Iunet, Eye of Ra,

Mistress of the sky,
Queen of all the Neteru,

The venerable and powerful one

Who takes Her place in the barge!
You, yourself Awake in peace!
Awake in peace the Mistress of Iunet,

Queen of women, beautiful of face,
Whose eyes are made-up, whose breasts shimmer,

The Mistress of costume and beauty!
You, yourself wake in peace!
Awake in peace beautiful woman whose love is soft,

The Mistress of the Menat,
Queen of the Sistrum, your son - Ihy, the child - appeases you!
You, yourself wake in peace!

 

Dendera, translated by S. Cauville

For more devotions, please visit our website:  In Her Name

Sarasvati in Washington D.C.

 

An article by NPR about a new statue of Sarasvati installed in front of the Indonesia embassy in Washington D.C.:

 

Hindu Goddess Blesses Embassy Row

 

 

 

 

(photo copyright Sarah Ventre/NPR)

 

Summer Moon

Blessings of the Full Moon in Capricorn!

A Litany to Tellus

 

Precatio Terrae:

Holy Goddess, Tellus, Mother of all Nature, engendering all things and regenerating them each day, as you alone bring forth from your womb all things into life. Heavenly Goddess, overseeing all things on earth and throughout the seas, in whatever by silent nature is restored in sleep and in death, in the same way that you put to flight the night with the light you restore each day.

Earth, Enricher of Life, you dispel the dark shadow of death and the disorder of vast endless Chaos. You hold back the winds and storms, the rain showers and tempests. You alone regulate the weather cycles, either bestirring or putting to flight the storm, interspersing them with cheerful days.

You give the Food of Life unfailingly, in fidelity, and when the soul by necessity departs, in you alone do we find refuge. Thus, whatever you give, in you all will be returned. Deservedly are you called Great Mother of the Gods. Piously then are all the celestial powers distilled in you. The One and True Parent of all living things, human and divine. Without you nothing could be born, nothing could grow, and nothing mature.

You are the Great Goddess, the Queen of Heaven, you, Goddess, I adore. I call upon your power, come. Make what I ask to be readily and easily accomplished, and draw my thanks, Mother Earth, that, in fidelity, you do rightly merit.

Hear me, please, and favor me. This I ask of you, Holy Mother, and may you willingly give answer to me: may whatever herbs grow by your providence bring health to all humankind. May you now send these forth to me as your medicines. May they be filled with your healing virtues. May everything that I prepare from these herbs have good result, each and every one in the same way. As I shall receive these herbs from you, so too shall I willingly give them out to others, so that their health too may be ensured through your good graces. Finally, Mother Earth, ensure your healing powers for me as well. This I humbly ask.

By: Antonius Musa
(translation: M. Piscinus)

(photo of relief of Tellus Mater, from the walls of the Ara Pacis Augustae,13 B.C.E.)

For more Goddess Devotions:  http://www.inhername.com

Tewa Prayer

 

Our Old Women Gods, we ask you!
Our Old Women Gods, we ask you!
Then give to us long life together,
May we live until our frosted hair
Is white; may we live till then
This life that now we know!

 

Our Old Women gods,
Come hither,
Take this!
Long life give us
And our people!

We bring you corn meal
For arm-leg nourishment
Then grant to us
Our span of life
And to our children also!

 

 

(Traditional Tewa Prayer & Pottery Bowl)

Happy Flower Moon

 

Blessings of the Full Moon in Sagittarius

and the Penumbral Lunar Eclipse!

Enrollment Application Reminder

Please have your materials in by this Friday, May 24th, to be included in our June 1st enrollment. To read more about our home-study courses, go to our website link below. Thank you!

In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning

Navajo Song of the Earth

 

The Earth is beautiful
The Earth is beautiful
The Earth is beautiful.
 
Below the East, the Earth, its face toward East,
the top of its head is beautiful.*
The soles of its feet, they are beautiful
Its feet, they are beautiful
Its legs, they are beautiful
Its body, it is beautiful
Its chest, it is beautiful
Its breast, it is beautiful
Its head-feather, it is beautiful
The Earth is beautiful.

 

Below the West, the Sky, it is beautiful, its face toward West,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the East, the dawn, its face toward East,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the West, the afterglow of sundown, its face toward West,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the East, White Corn, its face toward East,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the South, Blue Corn, its face toward South,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the West, Yellow Corn, its face toward West,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the North, vari-colored Corn, its face toward North,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the East, Sahanahray, its face toward East,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the West, Bekayhozhon, its face toward West,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the East, corn-pollen, its face toward East,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

Below the West, the corn-beetle, its face toward West,
the top of its head is beautiful -

 

The Earth is beautiful.
 

 

*The rest of this stanza is repeated after each of the lines following.

 

 

(Navajo Ceremonial Song from the Blessingway chant,

translated by Dr. Harry Hoijer,

Sand painting of Sky Father and Earth Mother.)

Happy May Day!

 

“Sweet May hath come to love us,

Flowers, trees, their blossoms don;

And through the blue heavens above us

The very clouds move on.”

 Heinrich Heine

 

 

("Goddesses on Mount Olympus" by Edouard Bisson.)

Full Moon Blessings

 

May the Lunar Beltane ~ Full Moon in Scorpio

bring you love and joy!

Earth Day

 

 In honor of Earth Day, please enjoy this beautiful painting

called "Windflowers" by John William Waterhouse

Home-study enrollment deadline

A reminder that applications need to be in by next Wednesday, April 24th, for our May 1st enrollment. For more information on our correspondence courses, please go to our website link below. Thank you!

http://www.inhername.com

News article: When art and tradition come alive

 

From the article: "It is the combination of colours and the intricacy of design that strike the viewer. On Wednesday, the fifth day of the Vadakkupurathupattu festival, which is held once in 12 years at Vaikom Mahadeva temple, the artistes of the ritual drawing called kalamezhuthu had portrayed Goddess Bhadrakali with 16 hands. . .Drawn with colours obtained from nature, the artistes blend the available elemental colours to make the desired shades. The green from the leaves of the Mayflower tree, turmeric for yellow, saffron for orange, carbon powder obtained by burning paddy husk for black, rice powder for white and lime are used to create different colours. Each day, the kalam is wiped away using flowers and hands after the ritual singing of hymns and songs."

Read more:  When art & tradition come alive

(photo: V. Chandran)