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Good God!
Meet: Liber Liber may well have originated as a native Italian god of fertility, vegetation, and wine. He is also associated with intoxication and was known for throwing wicked parties. The Romans later merged his identity with that of the Greek god Dionysus. Like Dionysus, Liber represented uninhibited freedom and the subversion of the powerful. He was a patron deity of Rome’s plebeians – the largest, least powerful class of citizens – who rejected the civil and religious authority of the ruling class elite. Before being adopted as a Roman deity, Liber was a phallic deity and a companion to two different goddesses in two different archaic Italian fertility…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Faunus As part of the festival of Lupercalia, held on February 15, the ancient Romans honored Faunus, the god of forests, fields, and plains. One of the oldest Roman deities, he epitomizes the reproductive force intrinsic in the universe. He is the essence of wild male sexual energy and the urgent biological need to procreate. Similar to the Greek god Pan, Faunus is typically depicted as an attractive man from the waist up and a goat from the waist down, with human feet and goat horns. He kept company with similar creatures, known as fauns, in the woodlands. While delicate and humble, they were also…
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She Who is All – The Goddess and The Divine Female
Sheela-Na-Gig (Photo: bbc.com) Sheela-Na-Gig. Who is She? What is She? Carvings of her abound in Europe, with the bulk of them being in the British Isles, most commonly Ireland, and dating back to the 12th century. Her image, carved in stone, has a grinning face, knees bent with legs open, holding open her vagina with both hands, for all to see. Every time I see Her, I smile. Archeologists, scholars and theologians all have varying theories of Her origins. Some say She is a warning against lust, in general, and women, specifically. It is theorized that is why she is on many ancient churches, as a warning of the…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Belenus Belenus is one of the most ancient, beloved and widely worshiped Celtic deities. It is believed that the Latin name evolved from Bel or Belen, a Celtic word interpreted as “brilliant,” “shining,” or “luminous.” Orally, little is known about Belenus. The most archaeological remains dedicated to him were found in France, thought to be the center of his worship, but artifacts and references to him have been found in Northern Italy, Southern Gaul, the Alps, Austria, Rome, Scotland, Spain, and Britain. His shrines were often dedicated to healing and included therapeutic springs. “Votive offerings found at his shrine at Sainte-Sabine include terra-cotta horses and…
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She Who is All – The Goddess and The Divine Female
Tawaret/Tauret (Photo Credit: www.commons.wikimedia.org) Tawaret is the ancient Egyptian Goddess of fertility and childbirth, a protector of women and children and the Goddess of the annual Nile flooding, which brings with it, its’ fertile soil, which brings life to the Land. She is a Goddess of female sexuality. Originally seen as evil and associated with the Northern sky (Nebetakhet), which was cold, dark and dangerous, She was known as the Mistress of the Horizon. Over time, She became to be seen as nurturing and protective, with a ferocious streak when it came to protecting women and children. She is also a Mother Goddess, who was associated with Hathor, as can…
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She Who is All – Goddesses and The Divine Female
Nanshe (Photo Credit: wikipedia) Nanshe – Goddess of water, Goddess of fertility, Goddess of Prophecy, Goddess of Social Justice, Lady of the Storerooms. Nanshe was worshipped from the 3rd millennium BCE to the advent of Christianity, throughout the history of Mesopotamia. She was born to Enki, the God of wisdom, magic and water and Ninhursag, a Mother and Earth Goddess. Being most strongly associated with water, she is the Goddess of fishing. The fish is one of her symbols, as s symbol of life; her other symbol is the pelican, who sacrifices itself to feed her young. She is often depicted as a woman dancing above the water. Her…
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She Who is All – Goddesses and the Divine Female
CERNUNA (Image Credit – Deviant Art by Kendigo) I had a special request to do a column on the Horned Goddess Cernuna. As it turned out, there is not much available on Her. As per usual, She seems to have been superseded by the Horned God Cernunnos, who is represented by his torque, holding a snake and surrounded by animals. It would/could be assumed that all representations are of Cernunnos, however a small bust of a Horned Goddess was found in Kent, UK. Two others have also been found; one rests in the British Museum of London and the other at the Musee de Clermont-Ferrard in France.…
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Celebrating The Old Ways In New Times
Celebrating The Old Ways In New Times for April 2020 Bright Blessings! Before we know it, Beltane will be upon us, and many will be going to gatherings where Maypole is danced, and emphasis on sexuality, and the union of the Mother Goddess and Father God are celebrated. Talk about fertility, union, and all things about growth will abound! I’ve gone to multiple celebrations, all of which often have a focus on the union of things to reproduce. But the older I get, and the more people I meet, the more I realize, THIS, in particular does not apply to all people… Now, sure, we all celebrate the…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Papa Legba Papa Legba is a lao – a spirit in Haitian and Louisiana Voudou – acting as an intermediary between humans and Bondye, the creator god considered to be unknowable to mortals. For that reason, spiritual work is done with the loa much like with angels or saints, however sources indicate they want to be fed and honored before being asked for help. Papa Legba guards the spiritual crossroads. Because he speaks all languages and has the gift of elocution, he can translate human petitions and decide which to deliver to the loa. He has evolved from his origins in Dahomey, a…
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GoodGod!
Meet the Gods: Cernunnos Merry meet. Cernunnos is one of the Ancient Ones, as old as the earth. The nature and fertility god is said to have been born of the All Mother Anu, working his magic in the wildwood as the first humans on earth came to be. He was part of evolution, seen “as a shape-shifting, shamanic god of the Hunt” in prehistoric times, according to the article, “Cernunnos – Ancient Celtic God” by J. M. Reinbold. His image was painted on cave walls and carved into cliffs. People dressed in skins, bones and feathers danced to communicate with him. They still do a dance in…