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Miriam

 

 

WELCOME TO MIRIAM’S HOME – THE WORLD OF THE GODDESS

(skip to ‘ABOUT’ and then browse the Goddesses by name in ‘RECENT POSTS’)

 

 



GAIA

‘Gaia’, as a name for our planet, came back into our consciousness from the most ancient times, when an English scientist working for NASA suddenly realised one day that our home planet was a living organism, and he reminded us of her name, Gaia. His name was James Lovelock…

But who is Gaia?

The ancients knew her as the goddess who brought the world into form, as her body, from which all other life grew. It was from her physical incarnation that she gave life to all her children – the land and oceans, plants, animals and humans. To anyone who is a mother –

Can you remember the immense love in your heart when you felt the desire to create a baby with your man?

Can you remember the realisation that you had conceived – the joy mixed with trepidation, the privelege mixed with the weight of responsibility, even fear?

Can you remember the first stirring in your womb that told you that you were carrying a real, live, new creation?

Can you remember the mixture of dread and relief as you entered the delivery phase? Oh, the hard work! The blood, sweat and tears!

Can you remember that precious moment when you first saw your child and held your miracle of life against your breast?

Gaia must have experienced all these things. And the whole range of experiences she has had with every one of her children, from the warmest love and gratitude to despicable abuse and injury.

One of the oldest statues depicting Gaia – or the Earth Mother, Mother Earth, Mother Nature or the Primal Woman – was found on Malta and other islands in the Mediterranean, but she is found world-wide:

There are literally thousands of different images of the female form of Woman, the Creatress – but what is thought to be a ‘modern beauty’ definitely does not relate to the picture above – why not? The Earth Mother seems to be a different aspect to the Heavenly Goddess, who is slim, soft, sensual and flowing, angelic and other-worldly:

Gaia, the Earth Mother, is the Creatress Mother of the physical body and the Heavenly Mother is the spirit of the Divine Feminine Principle. Gaia, by necessity, is a Body of Life and is often shown baring her regenerative parts – her breasts, a pregnant womb and the vulva. It is through her body that Life is given birth as our Planet Earth, which takes the Seed, is the womb of gestation, holds the vulva portal into the physical 3rd dimension and provides the food, or milk,  of nourishment. She gives of herself, her body, and nourishes us with air to breathe, food to eat, water to drink, a home to live in and beauty to please us. She is a self-sacrificing body who loves and cares for all her children, for it is her children who give her her purpose for being.

The temples found in Malta are different to most other temples – in which male priests deliver their doctrines and rituals for our religious and spiritual learning; the round forms of the Maltese temples mirror the round form of the Mother.

And it is in these temples that we find the sleeping Mother. Was the goddess of these temples the provider of food, protection, warmth and care? Were these temples more like store-houses rather than places of spiritual ritual? Perhaps the ceremonies performed here were of gratitude to the peoples’ Mother.

For any woman who has experienced motherhood, the dedication, unconditional love and hard work of the Earth Mother to provide for her children will be known, alongside the worry for her children, the pain they sometimes cause and the sorrow she feels at their death.

Do we appreciate our own mothers as much as we should; do we tell her how grateful we are for birthing us into life, for always being there for us and for all she provides? Do we feel her pain, her suffering and understand her role? She may not look like a perfect angelic being, because her body may not be perfect or recognisable as a goddess, or eternally youthful, and she may have to think of herself sometimes to protect herself. She may need to guide and teach us with some painful lessons and we may reject her for that. But we may only realise her true love for us after she has died.

Everything that applies to our own mothers – whatever that relationship entails – applies to our relationship with our Earth Mother – it is obvious that some do not understand this vital similarity.

• Do we appreciate her?
• Do we love her?
• Do we care for her?
• Do we respect her?
• Do we know how much she loves us?
• Do we recognise when she is suffering from our neglect or abuse?
• Do we know when she is dying?
• Do we understand that she is a living spirtual entity?
• Will we have matured and evolved enough, and learnt everything she can teach us, when she is not there anymore?

The triple spiral motif found in ancient petroglyphs are thought to represent the triple goddess – the Maiden, Mother and Grandmother. This form of the Mother shows the cycles of time through the seasons in the process of growth, fulfilment and decay. It is imperative that this cycle of life is acknowledged to understand the different phases of life and that death precedes rebirth.

ANCIENT MOTHER
  The music video below is a haunting Native American poem translated into Gaelic.

Ancient Mother, I hear you calling,
Ancient Mother, I hear your song,
Ancient Mother, I feel your laughter,
Ancient Mother, I taste your tears.

(alternate ending lyrics):
Ancient Mother, I hear you calling,
Ancient Mother, I sing your song,
Ancient Mother, I join your laughter,
Ancient Mother, I dry your tears.
Lyrics traditional, music and Gaelic translation by Susan McKeown “This is a traditional Native American poem. In Dublin in 1984 a man told me that the sound made by the earth as it revolves is a musical note, a low G. So that is the key in which this song is written.” (SMK)
© 1998 Sheila-na-Gig Music (IMRO)

KALI

In the east, one comes across Kali. She is known as ‘The Destroyer’, or the ‘Dark Mother‘, yet she is a part of the Divine Mother, the Creatress. Kali knows right from wrong but she will fight like an aggressive warrioress, swords poised, ready to kill, when her angry thoughts see red. She turns the world towards the Dark, while holding the Light behind her. She can be seen in the eyes of those set to destroy, incensed by a mad rage in the battle with evil.

Kali is the fearful and ferocious form of the Mother goddess. In the Devi Mahatmya (a text of the 5th – 6th century AD) she is said to have been born from the brow of the goddess Durgha during a battle with evil forces. During the battle Kali became overawed by the evil and destruction, lost self control and began destroying everything in sight and, to bring her to her senses, Lord Shiva threw himself under her feet. Shocked, Kali stuck out her tongue in horror and put an end to her rampage.  Kali teaches that rage can easily lose control and take on a destructive force, but the moral strength of a person must differentiate between what is right and wrong. This is a common image of Kali:

Humans on Earth, are, apparently, falling from Grace: we started from a high and refined place and ended up here, in what the Hindus call the Kali Yuga.

The Kali Yuga is the last of four ages or phases of involution during which Man has gradually lost awareness of his inner and subtle and higher existence. From a state of perfection and truth, Man has descended to the pits, where evil and dishonesty rules the day. All manner of destruction, selfishness and ignorance characterise this age – the one we are now in – because we are preoccupied with the materiality of everything. We are living in the darkest and densest phase of our evolution. The ancient schools of knowledge all knew this would come and the time-line of these Ages and Epochs has been described for our benefit – so that we know what is happening and what will happen next.

In the Tulasi Ramayana, Kakbhushundi foretells: “In the Kali Yuga, the hot-bed of sin, men and women are all steeped in unrighteousness and act contrary to the Vedas (religious texts); every virtue is engulfed by the sins of Kali Yuga; all good books disappear; impostors promulgate a number of creeds, which they invent out of their own wit. The people all fall prey to delusion and all pious acts are swallowed by greed.”

It is also predicted that at the end of the Kali Yuga, Lord Shiva will destroy the world and all will undergo a great transformation. After this dissolution, Lord Brahma will recreate the world and man will become ‘Beings of Truth’ once again.

When Kali enters your life and causes chaos she may be trying to show you that you have conflict in your heart or mind or soul: the battles inside us manifest outwardly as arguments, discontentment, anger, hatred, pain or some other disturbing event. Are you fighting evil that you see in the world around you or is there a demon controlling you? Take time to meditate on this and look within; be gentle on yourself and have compassion for the pains and injustices that you may be feeling. To continually blame others, or ‘life’ for the chaos you are experiencing is side-stepping the valuable lessons to be learnt from this. Seek out tranquility in Nature and see if you can bring a little peace to yourself first.

LAKSHMI

Goddess Lakshmi

Lakshmi

Lakshmi is a fabulously beautiful and colourful Hindu Goddess who brings good fortune to all and, as her name signifies, her aim and goal is to help mortals to also achieve wealth and prosperity in both a material sense and in spirituality.

She is a favourite Goddess for women who aspire to her beauty, her luxurious clothes and her ability to manifest a richness in life. It is often frowned upon, this desire for glamour and wealth, and yet we love to see beautiful women adorned and successful. Why should our spirituality not include the enjoyment of comfort and ease, with sumptuous silks and jewels decorating not only our bodies, but our homes, and a glorious cash-flow, like a river of gold coins coming to reward our hard work? Perhaps it is feared that we may be distracted from our spiritual journey by too much pleasure? And yet every culture has a long history in creating fine fabrics, embellished with sacred symbols and gems of every colour that emanate celestial energy. The Divine beings of ancient indigenous worship were adorned with gold, gems, rare feathers and beautifully crafted symbolic artifacts, so why not us – the Divine children of God?

Lakshmi dollars??!!

Modern life is full of celebrities – our versions of the demi-gods of the past –

Lakshmi bride

and film stars have inspired their fans with extremes of beauty and glamour. Even a bride will seek out a dress that will show her new husband the truly beautiful, pure and fertile woman he is about to marry, inspiring him that her love will also bring a successful and prosperous life for them both.

Elephant Love

And so Lakshmi is the Goddess of this aspiration – for she was the Lord Vishnu’s counterpart and known as ‘Mata’ (Mother) and ‘Shri’ (female supreme being) – and so she sits in a fully opened lotus flower. The two elephants that usually stand by Lakshmi gently spray water, suggesting the ease with which this prosperity may come, like gently falling rain. Coins trickle from Lakshmi’s hands, also flowing with ease, and her other two hands hold lotus buds, a symbol of purity and fertility. Her rich red silk dress represents activity, for wealth does not come to an idle, aimless person; the gold lining of her dress is the wealth of her efforts. Lakshmi emanates gracefulness, charm and the glowing light of spiritual success.

Spiritual Light

There are many reasons why Lakshmi can encourage our spiritual progress. Negative karma holds us in difficulties, due to past transgressions, but these can be overcome with effort and an ambition to be free. We can be encouraged to persevere in our karmic lessons by the end-goal of happiness we see in Lakshmi’s face. Her four hands hold four ends of the spiritual journey in human life – kama (desires), artha (wealth), dharma (righteousness) and moksha (liberation from karma, the cycle of birth and death).

Very often spirituality becomes so serious and painstaking, denying the physical side of our humanity – surely All of God’s creation can be celebrated – our own beauty, colourful expression, rewards for effort and success in material life – as a material parallel to the bliss of spiritual glory. Nevertheless, we are the architects of our own lives and no Goddess or money-tree will bring lasting wealth for us – as in all things, it is in our own work that we find a deeper satisfaction.

Make a sacred space for your own ideas of wealth – both material and spiritual. Place objects of beauty there and perhaps some coins that signify reward for your own hard work. Make it as colourful and beautiful as you like incorporating the colour red for manifestation. Place a photo of yourself there – one where you are celebrating happiness and success, or a picture of Lakshmi to inspire you.

Lakshmi is celebrated daily, but particularly in October on the night of the full moon (Kojagari Purnima). Offerings to Lakshmi are made in the home for the whole household.

In Bollywood films we can enjoy lovely feminine stars who embody the Goddess Lakshmi – a whole host of loveliness!

BOUDICCA

Boudicca (Boadicea) is not strictly a Goddess in the usual sense as she was a mortal, but I am including her here because she offers all women an important role-model. (Perhaps she has ascended to Goddess-status anyway!)

Boudica English Warrior Queen

This is a film clip of Boudicca played by the best actress for the part (in my opinion), ALEX KINGSTON. It is noisy and violent but sets the scene for the story of Boudicca…

(you can always watch it with the sound off!)

Boudicca

Who was Boudicca? She was an English queen, the widow of King Prasutagus of the Icene tribe, and mother of two daughters. The Roman occupiers in 43AD had made a treaty to rule equally but the Roman General broke the treaty and tried to break Boudicca, first under torture and then by gang-raping her daughters before her eyes. They miraculously survived, broken in body but not in spirit. Furious, she gathered the support of all the local warriors and attacked the Romans in a fierce battle, taking the capital. Although she was finally defeated in 60AD by the Roman Paulinus, Boudicca and her daughters went down in history as heroines. It is thought that Boudicca took poison to avoid capture but she lives on in the memories of the English as a woman who dared to fight; who overcame her subjugation by matching, even surpassing, the physical strength and personal courage of the men around her to win freedom for her people and her own self-respect.

In Boudicca we see an expression of woman that is an important antithesis of the submissive, quiet, gentle, soft-natured woman archetype. She is a woman scorned – and ‘Hell hath no fury…’ by comparison. By suffering the terrible injustices wrought against her – the breaking of a treaty, the impingement of her personal rights and freedom, the horror of torture and watching her daughters raped – Boudicca unleashed a power from within that was born of anger and despair, outrage and injury. This power is often judged as a bad thing when it is seen as base anger, hatred and revenge, yet there must be times when to rise up against your aggressors and oppressors is a good thing and seen as courage in its extremity and an intention to bring justice back into balance.

Maternal Protection

It is said that any mother will protect her offspring to the death, like a tigress fighting off a predator, yet this willingness to fight may only be unleashed in humans under extreme conditions.

Bangladeshi Women Freedom Fighters

After a predominantly masculine-dominated era in politics, religion, the workplace and domestic life, women in ‘the west’ came to a ‘Boudicca Moment’ and fought back. It has taken more than a century to bring that courage and

fighting spirit to a peaceful conclusion in what we see now as equal rights for women, but in the ‘far east’ and ‘middle east’ cultures this equality is far from being achieved. When push comes to shove women will fight back, they will speak out and make their presence known and all women can find the courage to fight for what they believe in – especially justice, peace, equality and security for their children and homes.

Sometimes protest and activism can be achieved by uniting as a female warrior force while using peaceful means with intellect, diplomacy, care and humour, but sometimes women have to take a positive and very courageous stand against the rigid and unjust laws that work against them. Changes are always possible even when it does not seem probable or easy.

To bring change, try making a sacred space dedicated to your aims and ideals and while focusing on some simple symbols to represent your objectives, seek to take one step at a time in the right direction. Examine your

emotions. Try to identify the source of those feelings – are they bringing your attention to just a bruised ego or are they urging you to step forward to fight for a bigger issue? Is your own personal self-concern standing in the way of a call to find your courage to fight for a truly important matter? Sometimes it is good to feel the fear and do it anyway! But guard against hot-headedness and uncontrolled aggression as this can be destructive and may not achieve anything worth-while. Anger is an energy – use it as a tool, not a weapon.

Kali

In the east, one comes across Kali. She is known as ‘The Destroyer’, or the ‘Dark Mother‘, yet she is a part of the Divine Mother, the Creatress.

Kali knows right from wrong but she will fight like an aggressive warrioress, swords poised, ready to kill, when her angry thoughts see red. She turns the world towards the Dark, while holding the Light behind her. She can be seen in the eyes of those set to destroy, incensed by a mad rage in the battle with evil.

Kali is the fearful and ferocious form of the Mother goddess. In the Devi Mahatmya (a text of the 5th – 6th century AD) she is said to have been born from the brow of the goddess Durgha during a battle with evil forces. During the battle Kali became overawed by the evil and destruction, lost self control and began destroying everything in sight and, to bring her to her senses, Lord Shiva threw himself under her feet. Shocked, Kali stuck out her tongue in horror and put an end to her rampage.  Kali teaches that rage can easily lose control and take on a destructive force, but the moral strength of a person must differentiate between what is right and wrong.

Aung San Suu Kyi

Only this week (13/11/2010) there has been a female freedom fighter in the news –

“YANGON, Myanmar—Pro-democracy hero Aung San Suu Kyi walked free Saturday after more than seven years under house arrest, welcomed by thousands of cheering supporters outside the decaying lakefront villa that has been her prison.

Her guards effectively announced the end of her detention, pulling back the barbed-wire barriers that sealed off her potholed street and suddenly allowing thousands of expectant supporters to surge toward the house. Many chanted her name as they ran. Some wept.” (read more…)

Aung San Suu Kyi

And so I promote Boudicca to Goddess status and in so doing bring her into the spotlight as an archetypal female energy for women to ‘fight back’ under suppression.

Goddess Boudicca

PELE

 

Pele - Fire Goddess

Does Pele die in this quiet tomb?

No, she sleeps in her mother’s womb!

And when her mother strains her girth

She’ll laugh at her volcanic birth;

Her mother’s blood is shed in pains

As lava flows across the plains;

A wounding of the earth’s deep crust

Fills air with steam and acrid dust;

And as the goddess fires the sky

Pele lets her spirit fly;

New land is formed as lava stills,

Rich in minerals for future hills;

Gargantuan waves and Pacific rain

Bring down her spirit once again;

Then Pele seeks her mother’s womb

But never is it Pele’s tomb.

(Dedicated to Kilauea Volcano on Big Island, Hawaii; W. Salter, 2008)

Pele is the fire heart of the Mother, the Magma Core, emerging through the Volcanic Mouth to burst forth into the world, renewed, reborn, as the Phoenix would, with Dragon’s Breath. Bold and brazen is she in fire-serpent tongues, spewing her words of wisdom in lava flow across the scorched earth. Passion, is she, Making Love with Air, the dimension of Thought, and together they bring inspiration, awe and wonder.

FIRE cannot consume Goddess Pele, but consume us she can, with desire, passion, creative urges not only of the flesh but of the spirit, and so she brings her power to us to create, new life, new children, new fertility to the Earth and new ideas.

TO CREATE SOMETHING NEW, A NEW REALITY, A NEW CHILD, A NEW VISION AND A NEW WAY OF BEING, WE MUST FIRST OF ALL IMAGINE IT, IN EVERY DETAIL, IN ITS COLOUR, SOUND, FORM AND TEXTURE.Imagine volcanic Pele erupting with heart-fire, exuberance and unstoppable inspiration.

Baby-love

When two loving people come together to create their offspring, they can spend time contemplating this brand-new human form of Man-Incarnate. Love will do its magic, but Love needs a warm, safe, comfortable place to emerge as a new-born. Do this together – parents of the future! Create a Space, a Home-of-Love, then let Goddess Pele ignite your ardour to move your bodies in accordance with your spirits, to sow the seed of Creation.

Artsitic creation comes from Divine Inspiration so let it in, let it ignite the images of your mind and then bring it into being, whether that is in the form of painting, music, drama, writing, dancing, and anything else you can think of.

Tamaraa de Lempicka 'The Musician'

Elisabeth Frink 'Walking Madonna

GREAT MODERN FEMALE ARTISTS HAVE ILLUMINED OUR WORLD IN THIS WAY – DAME CLARA BUTT (sang Madam Butterfly), OM KOLTHOUM (Egyptian, sang Enta Omri) THE (Russian) BOLSHOI BALLET, ELISABETH FRINK (English sculptress), YOKO ONO, GERMAINE GREER (writer, feminist), TAMARA DE LEMPICKA (Polish artist) INGID BERGMAN (actress) AND ENID BLYTON (Children’s stories)…

And Pele can destroy, sweep all living things before her path, annihilating them to dust. Why should our Goddess wish to burn and smother? Because she knows the dross of life must be incinerated to make way for the new. She dances as she flows down the volcano’s breast, snaking, writhing, flowing into the lower world, there to come to rest.

Pele Dancing

LILETH

Lileth, Owl Goddess

She is pure, the innocent virgin, yet wise beyond imagination, pure love – Goddess Lileth flies towards us in our dreams like the silent flight of the snowy owl, luminous and radiant in the silver light of the full moon. Untainted by the world of carnal desires, she brings a clarity of thought and feeling which is found in the spirit of the Divine daughter.

So pure is she, that Adam, first Man, desired her for his first wife, but she refused, to not be subjugated, and to preserve her chastity; so she flew out into the primeval forests to wander alone. Among the great cedars and tall pines, she preserved for Woman the purest thoughts of Love, as a child of the Universe and Daughter of God. Only the purest of minds can imagine Lileth, but she is feared by the corrupt for they have no sway with her – no-one can taint her ethereal spirit; no-one can capture or imprison her for she is Freedom, as a moonbeam landing momentarily on the mists of Time quickly dissipates back into the unseen.

Lileth of the Moon-owl

There are no temples built to honour Lileth as she is so illusive she cannot be tied to one place, but if we wish to call upon Lileth for her wisdom, we must wait for the full moon, ponder dreamily on our thoughts and then we may hear her answer in the ‘twoo..twoooooo…’ of the night. Only the pure in heart, who can walk without fear into the forest, may see her in flight.

If the innocent are in danger and Lileth needs to get our attention to protect our babes, she will call harshly, as the screech-owl might call. It is not to frighten us, the sisters and mothers of the world, but just to warn us.

Those with mal-intent towards the children or the innocent will, of course, be terrified by her sudden, silent might, and flee with dread. Her protection of the vulnerable is an awesome power not to be underestimated.

Lileth and Owl

A young woman, still a virgin, may meet Lileth and see her as a young woman like herself.

She will smile sweetly and show her how beautiful and powerful purity can be, and help her resist carnal temptations and to await the dear heart of her dreams, who will cherish and respect her in a happy marriage – after which they will not see her again, except in her daughters.

Innocence

Innocence I saw,
Saw in you;
You are most beautiful;
Your beauty being innocent,
Innocent for the simple things,
Things you do to look pretty,
Prettier than you already are;
Pretty for being you,
You are the prettiest,
Prettiest for me;
All your innocence fills my heart and melts for you,
Innocence never seen before,
Never by me;
Such is innocence,
Innocence of your beauty.

ROHIT SAPRA

Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs

The fairy story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs may be derived from the innocence of Lileth; Snow White was killed by jealous hatred and deception and resurrected by pure love. The seven immature natures of the dwarfs were transformed by their love for Snow White. (Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey and Doc, Happy, Bashful, and Grumpy).

This innocence lies dormant in the mature woman who has seen the harshness of life, yet it is still there to help her understand the delicate vulnerability of Nature. In this way women can find a concern for the environment and work actively with a tender loving care for all that may be trampled on and harmed. Is there something, or someone, close to home that you, embodying Lileth, can protect?

Make a sacred space where you can place objects or pictures that represent anything vulnerable that could benefit from your protection – your children or grandchildren, animals, or trees. Perhaps there is a local project you could put your energy into, or a global issue online, like the oceans damaged by pollution, or woodland in danger from development.

Lileth – in Jewish folk-lore, she is a female spirit of the night associated with owls; in Hebrew Law, the first wife of Adam who refused to subjugate herself to him and was expelled from Eden to become a wanderer; Sumerian ‘Lila‘ is a winged woman surrounded by owls; Sanskrit ‘lila’ means ‘Divine Play’ and signifies God’s delight at his creation; Gaelic, she is the snow-white lily depicting purity, innocence and chastity; ‘Lelia’ or ‘Lilia’ in Slavic means Love, winged Goddess of love, or Female aspect of God, an owl; ‘Mater Sva’, the mother of ‘Svarog‘, Creator of the Universe; Old Russian ‘lilit’, modern ‘leleiat’, means cherish or love.

 

 

ANAHITA

Anahita brings her life-force to Earth in the flowing, sparkling, life-giving waters. She holds all the creatures of the oceans and rivers, and the yet-to-be-born, in her heart. On snow-wrapped mountains, in mist-enshrouded valleys, the Divine Mother of Water strokes the Earth with her Love. Droplets fall from her eyes in Heaven to awaken the seeds of life, nourishing their roots from hidden underground veins. Love springs eternal from Anahita’s soul.

ANAHITA (or Anaitis or A-Nahid) was (and still should be) the Divine Mother of Persia, Afghanistan, Armenia, and Uzbekstan, and later, Greece. Her name means ‘pure’ and she was called the ‘Queen of Heaven’. She was said to be tall and beautiful.

Anahita

“Anahita is usually portrayed as a virgin, dressed in a golden cloak, and wearing a diamond tiara (sometimes also carrying a water pitcher). The dove and the peacock are her sacred animals. Anahita is also represented dressed in gleaming gold with a crown and jewels. Anahita is often shown wearing a golden kerchief, square gold earrings, and a jeweled diadem, and wrapped in a golden-embroidered cloak adorned with thirty otter skins. (Otter is a four-legged mammal with short brown fur, which swims well and eats fish). Anahita is also portrayed and honored with offerings of green branches and white heifers. And she is sometimes depicted as driving a chariot drawn by four white horses, representing Wind, Rain, Clouds, and Hail”. (Please let me know if you come across a picture of her like this.)

These Mid-Eastern or Asian countries had for their mainstay god Mithras, the Fire or Sun God, in the pre-Christian and pre-Islamic years. Even before Zarathustra (Zoroaster), the founding visionary of Zorastrianism, whose origins are not really known but guessed at around 300 BCE, Mithras and his Lady Consort Anahita brought their Divinity to the people.

Anahita is also known as Venus – so we are talking about a truly Heavenly Goddess. (Venus was the star of Ishtar and Astarte). As an expression of the Feminine Principle, Anahita gave birth to, and was Guardian of, all the watery aspects on Earth, but also the mysterious Star-Kingdom and the Fates.

“All the waters of the world created by Ahura Mazda (The Wise and Good Lord) was entrusted to Anahita – the life-increasing, herd-increasing, fold-increasing water that makes prosperity for all countries. This source is at the top of the world mountain Hara Berezaiti (High Hara), around which the sky revolves and that is at the center of Airyanem Vaejah, the first of the lands created by Mazda.

Essence of Water

The water, warm and clear, flows through a hundred thousand golden channels towards Mount Hugar (the Lofty), one of the daughter-peaks of Hara Berezaiti. On the summit of that mountain is Lake Urvis (the Turmoil), into which the waters flow, becoming quite purified and exiting through another golden channel. Through that channel, which is at the height of a thousand men, one portion of the great spring Aredvi Sura Anahita drizzles in moisture upon the whole earth, where it dispels the dryness of the air and all the creatures of Mazda acquire health from it. Another portion runs down to Vourukasha, the great sea upon which the earth rests, and from which it flows to the seas and oceans of the world and purifies them”. (Wiki)

If we take a few minutes just to look at all the expressions and manifestations of Water, we will very quickly see that Anahita has huge influence, power and responsibility – and of course life on Earth could not exist without her Essence and watery manifestations.

Lake Parishan, Persia

WATER is of the oceans, rivers and streams, especially the freshwater springs that feed them; ice and snow, steam, mist and vapour; the amniotic waters of the womb, and the fluid of sperm; the sap and blood of living plants and creatures. Also the flowing emotions that connect body and spirit.

Flood

Glancing at the massive destructive force of Water in the terrible floods in Pakistan recently, where nearly a fifth of the country has been devastated, we are witnessing Water out of balance. With the balance of Water so heavily weighed down in this tragedy, the opposite on the scales is drought – still a desperate problem in so many other countries.

Water droplet

Why does this happen? Why cannot Water trickle its life-giving gift to all parts of the world gently and lovingly, so that crops can flourish and people can drink?

Perhaps we have all forgotten to honour the mighty Anahita.

High in the North of Afghanistan, part-way along the old Silk Route at Balkh, in old Bactria, there once shone a proverbial diamond set beside the granite mountains of the Hindu Khush- a Temple dedicated to Anahita. Such was the sparkling monument to the Goddess, marvelously adorned in silver and gold, that its likeness had never been seen before. Dignitaries and crowds would come from miles around to pay homage in its glory – but of course the greedy and violent despots arrived in due course and Anahita’s Temple was destroyed; there is no evidence left of its whereabouts.

All traces of this temple, a Heavenly Portal for the Divine Goddess of Water, have disappeared – but the Portal is still there, if only… If only the women of Afghanistan and Persia could remember their Guardian Goddess and provider, perhaps things may be different in that part of the world.

Anahita Statue

Other major temples of Anahita, now fallen stones in ruin, or disappeared altogether under modern buildings, were built at Kangavar and Bishapur in Persia and in Susa and Babylon. The constructions took place in about 300 B.C., which was during the time that Persia was under Seleucid rule.]

Water

Water, water everywhere, water all around,
Water in the ocean, water in the ground.

Water in a river, water in a creek,
Water in a faucet with a drip-drip leak!

Water in a fountain, water in a lake,
Water on a flower, as day begins to break.

Water from a waterfall, rushing down from high,
Water from a dark cloud, raining from the sky.

Water boiling hot, water frozen ice,
Water in a blue lagoon, clean and clear and nice.

Water at a fire, gushing through a hose,
Water in a garden, so every flower grows.

Water for the animals swimming in the sea,
Water, water everywhere for you and for me!

Aleksandra Lachut

Little Goddess

Water is one of the four elements in life on Earth, and therefore it is in us as a Divine gift. Drinking living water restores the living energy in our bodies, so seek out pure, fresh water. If you live in a clean environment, put out a bowl to catch rain water and drink it for health. Otherwise find good spring water (don’t use plastic containers). The element of Water is seen in our emotions – do they flow freely, are clean and pure,as a message from our spirit, or are they muddied by negative emotions. Take a look at these negative emotions and try to heal them by remembering that the Divine Spark of Light is in all of us and Love can bring your shining spirit alive. Why do we feel negative? Is your understanding of where your emotions originate clear to you? By exploring your ‘self’, awareness of the causes can heal old hurts and resentments. Acceptance and forgiveness can clear these negative energies from your soul.

Call upon the Goddess Anahita to help you: imagine her loving heart, her clear mind and refreshing energy; embody her; become Anahita. Be grateful for the gift of Water, sing in the rain, dance in the surf, swim, meditate beside a lake or pond, river or stream. Watch the Light play on the surface of water.

Little Anahita

Make a sacred space for Water in your home – a small beautiful place where you can put pictures of waterfalls, oceans or raindrops, crystals, flowers, coloured ribbons in blues and turqouise, white and aquamarine; find a small figurine that can be your own Anahita.

Goddess Light