7/27/2016

Goddess news: Roman goddess unearthed at South Shields

 
From the article:
"The dramatic discovery is a beautifully crafted miniature bronze figure of the Roman goddess Ceres which is thought to be a mount from a larger piece of furniture. Ceres was the goddess of agriculture, grain and fertility which is a highly appropriate goddess for Arbeia because it was a supply base where thousands of tons of grain were stored in granaries to feed the army stationed along Hadrian’s Wall. This is the second goddess that the WallQuest project has found at Arbeia in two years. In 2014, a local volunteer found a carved stone head of a protective goddess, or tutela.
 
 
 
 
 
(photo copyright The Shields Gazette.)
 

7/22/2016

Goddess news: Bonalu festival


"One of the central tenets of Hinduism is the concept of the Shakti, the feminine energy embodied by the universal mother who is revered in various forms across India. Currently, the mother goddess is being celebrated in the southern state of Telangana with an array of rituals that comprise the festival of Bonalu dedicated to Goddess Mahankali. The word ‘Bonalu’ means a meal or a feast in Telugu. It signifies the offering of rice cooked in milk and jaggery in new earthen pots which are presented to the goddess along with vermillion, turmeric, and bangles. . . Another important element of the festival is the ‘Rangam’ or the Oracle where a woman foretells the events of the next year by invoking the spirit of Mahankali on herself."

Read the article:
 
 
 
(photo copyright AFP/Getty)

7/19/2016

Full Moon Blessings


Happy Buck and Thunder Full Moon in Capricorn!
May you connect deeply with the Earth Mother
and with yourself in the process.

7/11/2016

Hymn to the Stars

 
"With holy voice I call the stars on high,
Pure sacred lights and genii of the sky.
Celestial stars, the progeny of Night,
In whirling circles beaming far your light,
Refulgent rays around the heavens ye throw,
Eternal fires, the source of all below.
With flames significant of Fate ye shine,
And aptly rule for men a path divine.
In seven bright zones ye run with wandering flames,
And heaven and earth compose your lucid frames:
With course unwearied, pure and fiery bright
Forever shining through the veil of Night.
Hail twinkling, joyful, ever wakeful fires!
Propitious shine on all my just desires;
These sacred rites regard with conscious rays,
And end our works devoted to your praise."
 
 
 
("The Hymns of Orpheus", trans. T. Taylor, photo of spiral snowflake galaxy by NASA.)
 
In Her Name ~ Temple of Learning:  Goddess Devotions

7/05/2016

Corn Grinding Song


Corn Grinding Song
 
There towards the North,
There the fog is lying,
There the fog is lying.
In the middle stands Blue Corn
Happily, prettily, she is singing
Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se
 
There towards the West
There the fog is lying,
There the fog is lying,
In the middle stands Yellow Corn
Happily, prettily, she is singing
Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se
 
There towards the South
There the fog is lying,
There the fog is lying,
In the middle stands Red Corn
Happily, prettily, she is singing
Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se
 
There towards the East
There the fog is lying,
There the fog is lying,
In the middle stands White Corn
Happily, prettily, she is singing
Ha-we-ra-na na-a-se
 
 
 
(Traditional Tewa song-prayer. "Corn Dawn Maiden" painting by Marti Fenton, copyright reserved.)