Olive Oil! (quickie)

Since I posted a recipe for an anointing oil last night, let's talk more about the base of the nifty concoction: Olive oil. Legend has it Athena won slot (ad naming rights?) to Athens because she placed an olive tree at the top of the acropolis and Poseidon, her rival for this competition, had created a spring. The olive tree was judged the better of the two.

Here's a link to a nifty article on the background of olive oil in Italy.

Olive oil has formed the basis of the renowned ‘Mediterranean diet’ for thousands of years, along with its medicinal properties. Homer, the great Greek poet, termed olive oil as being ‘liquid gold’ and Greek athletes would apply olive oil to their skin to render it supple as radiant. The olive tree is native to the southern Mediterranean but it is found in Lebanon, Iran and even parts of China. The olive tree was possibly brought to the Mediterranean by the Etruscans, who clearly delighted in its use. Ancient Etruscan vases depicted the scenes of the olive harvest and the tree was clearly a very special part of their mysterious culture.

The Tragic Women of the Greco-Roman world...

I hate the term Greco-Roman, but alas, that pretty much describes what we have here. Tonight, Nemesis and I were talking about Dido's lament (aka her suicide speech). I remarked about that being the moment opera was born. We waxed poetic once again about Medea and Jason and how Medea has been much maligned over the years. This lead to a chat about Jeff Mach's play, Seeds, a bdsm take on the relationship between Hades and Persephone. I think fans of Ann Rice's The Claiming of Sleeping Beauty‎ will like it. It's slated to premiere at The Geeky Kink event in NJ, Nov 4th - 6th. This got me to thinking about all of the "wronged women" in Greek and Roman lore:

Ariadne: Abandoned by Theseus, "rescued" by Dionysus.
Demeter: Daughter stolen, gets to see her for half the year..
Hera: Cheated on left n right by Zeus.
Diana: Tricked into killing her lover, Orion!
Medussa: Get's it on with Neptune on Aphrodite's altar and is turned into a stone-turning, snake headed monster. And what happens to Neptune? Jack and shit. Nice.
Khione: Date-raped by two Gods, gives birth to their twins.
Helen: The face that launched a thousand ships. Nevermind that it was her husband who went after her when he could have just given her a divorce. Sheesh.
Pasiphaë: Minos' wife who winds up mating with a bull because Minos wouldn't sacrifice the best one to Neptune. That's where we got the minataur! She was an innocent bystander, yet she's the one who's blamed for doing it with a bull! And check out Neptune's involvement in yet another debasing of a Goddess... how did he come to be associated with these stories?
Athena: Hephaestus tries to rape her and his spunk lands on the earth which impregnates Gaia who then gives birth to Erichthonius!

I'm writing the Wronged Goddess version of the Vagina Monologues. What should I call it?

I don't take these stories literally, but I, and I'm sure many of you who bother to read this blog have looked beyond the surface of the stories and into the deeper themes. There is some evidence that Hephaestus and Athena were considered a divine pair and that Erichthonius is their son (Shhh! Don't tell Marguerite Rigoglioso!)

Likewise, Pasiphaë, Europa and Ariadne are linked with the Moon Goddess in ancient Crete, the theory being that "Ariadne" is a Greek epithet for the Goddess the same way "Lucina" is in Italy. I also like to note that Pasiphaë is the sister of Circe, Aunt of Medea and both are from Thessaly. I don't always appreciate wiki articles, but this one is a wonderful starting place. Note the mention of Pasiphaë as an oracular Goddess!


That's all for tonight. Tomorrow, something practical!

Dress you up in my love

Tonight I was sewing by hand. Actually, I prefer hand sewing to machine sewing. Tho I do remember Grandma sitting at her Singer table (the machine flips down into it when you're done) and watching her foot hit the pedal as she moved the fabric through. I was fascinated by how she coordinated her hands, the fabric, the pins and her foot!

This came up because earlier I was sewing a tabard for a group I belong to. Tomorrow is the group's anniversary and I wanted to have a spiffy frock for the celebration. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it), the needle on my mini machine broke and I didn't have a replacement, or a way to get one. I decided to practice my hidden hem stitch. It took a while, and it's almost done, but I still have to finish the neckline, hem it proper and put in a few darts. It's kinda hard to pin yourself for alterations!!

Working by hand gives you a more intimate relationship with the piece; More of your energy is going into it. You take more time because you have to. Each stitch can carry an intention or a mantra whereby you enchant the piece for a specific purpose. And let's not forget the role of weaving as an act/symbol of parthenogenetic Goddesses like Athena and Neith and their Priestesses or Nymphs.

Back in the day, one of my favorite tops to wear out to a party or club was something I had made myself. I was in a good mood when I made it, and in the right frame of mind and I had unconsciously enchanted it for that purpose. The top was a favorite because it worked ;) You don't have to be adept at making your own garments, you can enchant them the same way you might consecrate a sword even though you didn't forge it yourself. I suspect most people have a favorite hook-up outfit, or the infamous power-tie, or a favorite pair of pants that make you feel a certain level of confidence. It's a piece of clothing you wear when you want to invoke, or evoke something specific. Lucky socks? First date underwear? Do you have a garment that does something for you?