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Dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many Forms |
| Hear the words of the Star
Goddess, the dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven, whose body
encircles the universe:
"I who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me they must return. Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold--all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning will avail you not, unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire." -- from The Spiral Dance by Starhawk. |
I am Nature, mother of all, mistress of elements, daughter of time. I control the realms of spirit. I am sovereign of death. I am queen of the immortals. I am all gods and goddesses at once. By a gesture I command the shining vault of sky, the gentle breezes of the sea, even the dark silence of the underworld. I am worshipped everywhere.
Each nation has its own name for me, seeing only one of my aspects, knowing only one of my myths, worshipping me with only one of my possible rites. In ancient Phyrgia I am Pessinunica, mother of gods; in Athens, where men are birthed from the soil itself, I am Artemis; on the island of Cyprus I am golden Aphrodite. The Cretan archers call me Dyctinna, the trilingual Sicilians Proserpina, and the Elusinians the ageless Mother of Grain. Some call me Juno, others Bellona of the Battles, others Hecate or Rhanumbia. But there are those who know me best, those upon whose lands the sun shines first, and they call me by my truest name: lady Isis (Aset), queen of the sky.
Cease your tears now, for I have come to help you. I looked down and saw the sorrows of your life. So dry your tears now. All things will soon change for you, as under my watchful light your life is restored, renewed.
Apuleius, The Golden Ass
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Once upon a time there was the Goddess. She was actively involved in the life of Her children. She ruled the earth for many cycles. Then she slept for eons. She is now awakening, demanding recognition. She is the Eternal Feminine...Creatrix...Mother of all. She is the veiled One. She has been venerated in many forms by her earth children. As Rock. As Cave. As Ocean. As Sky. As Sun. As Moon. As Earth. As Animal. As air and fire. She has appeared in many guises on all continents in all cultures over the eons. She has been called by many names...Gaia, Anu, Innana, Ereshkigal, Okanaga Earth Woman, Kunapipi, Nut, Spider Woman, Oma, Demeter, Persephone, Anat, Asherah, Eve, Lilith, Isis, Astarte, Sekhmet, Hathor, Hel, Hecate, Ishtar, Kali, Diana, Tiamat, Bridget, Morrigan, Tara, Pele, Cybele, Athena, Hera, Aphrodite, Sophia, Venus, Minerva, Medusa, Juno, Shekinah, Baubo, Mari and many more. While the ancient Goddess slept, the patriarchal Gods emerged. Goddess worship receded. She was superseded. Yet her earth children dimly recalled her. She continued -- and continues -- to influence us still, lightly touching us in our dreams, our reveries, and our meditations, appearing in one of her triune aspects, as Maiden, Mother or Crone. She appears as Healer or as Destroyer. She appears as Anima or Shadow, cloaked in multiple disguises. There are signs that She is re-awakening. This thought is not original -- others, including modern psychologists, artists, scholars and mystics, have come to the same conclusion. -- Introduction to "Who Is the Black Madonna?" by Bonney Herbakk Rega, Hearts & Wings, Spring-Summer 2001 |
Prayers and Prose to the Goddess
Link to Goddess Invocations
Link to Shiva Mandir Photos
Link to Lakshmi's Petals Painting
If you wish to make a comment about this website, e-mail Noori at annamayz@hotmail.com.