A few words I was inspired to write now for Hecate's night. She is described as "saffron cloaked" which always made me think of the sun and how She is seen with Apollo in the typical tale of the Eleusinian Mysteries. I nearly smacked my head and said "duh!" when I realized that saffron is sacred to Mercury, with whom I believe She is a divine pair. He is the essence of Saffron and She is Saffron cloaked? Sounds like a euphemism! Also, the two appear together in the same tale as the Psychopomps who return Persephone to Demeter.
I'm off to celebrate Her tonight!
Now it is the time of night That the graves all gaping wide, Every one lets forth his sprite, In the church-way paths to glide: And we fairies, that do run By the triple Hecate's team, From the presence of the sun, Following darkness like a dream, Now are frolic: not a mouse Shall disturb this hallow'd house: I am sent with broom before, To sweep the dust behind the door.
I don't know if "autumnalia" is an actual word or if I just made it up. Who cares? "Mabon" is a made up name too, so let's just roll with it.
Tonight I did a simple ritual, nothing pre planned, all from the heart. I made offerings and petitions, and told the story of this time of the year. However, tonight's rendition was a bit different than in times past. I used to romanticize the abduction of Persephone and Demeter's lament, and the wine and grain festivals and a young girl becoming Woman and Queen. Then I grew up, gained some perspective, and did some research.
Also, with what I now understand of this holiday as a time of parthenogenetic Goddess worship and the passing of knowledge, lore and magic from mother to daughter, woman to woman in a community of women, I just get angry. Now I see my once romanticized mystery for what it is- not just an abduction of a daughter, but the abduction of a way of life and a culture. These Mysteries were taken from Sicily to male dominated Athens exactly the same way Persephone was taken from Demeter, and that just frosts my cookies. On top of that, so many people go around calling it "Mabon" that if I rolled my eyes any harder they'd shoot laser beams. Why the rolling?
Well, let's stick some more Male mythology on top of it all, shall we?
For some, this is about a son, Mabon, being taken from his Mother and rescued by King Arthur. So why is it about the son and not the Mother? It's Her lament! And she is given back what she lost by a man. Just sayin. Modron is typically syncretized with Demeter too. Interesting.
Then we have the perpetual battle of the Holly King and Oak King, with one vanquishing the other through the year. All male all the time.
Don't get me wrong, I adore men and am having a red hot love affair with Mercury. But as this is the supposed to be the time of balance (the sun is even in Libra now- the literal sign of balance!), I have to ask: Where is the balance in all of these celebrations?
There is the matriarchal focus which I mentioned earlier, and others who unwittingly celebrate this holiday from an entirely patriarchal point of view. Is there ever any actual balance involved here?
After the Eleusinian Mysteries had concluded, there was a festival of Demeter and Apollo. These two are not often associated with each other. Don't you think they would be? In aspect as Mother Earth and Father Sky? If there is no sun, there is no grain. Apollo is mentioned along with Hekate in the lore of Eleusis, but only in passing (Hekate was hanging out with Apollo in the sky and they saw what had happened to Persephone). So how were Demeter and Apollo celebrated together? Were they? Anything about Demeter having a connection with male deities is either Zeus or Poseidon and remotely, Dionysus. However! There still stands the ruins of a temple dedicated to Demeter and Apollo as a pair on the island of Naxos:
This has been a lot of Greek talk tonight- so what did Italians do? Eat. Drink. Make offerings of bread and wine and fruit. Prep for the winter. There's no time to be high falutin when you're concerned with survival!
No matter which way you look at it, this is not the happiest time of year, a time to bid adieu to the blooming earth for a while, knowing that She will be restored. No wonder so many Pagans skip this holiday or just gloss over it!
No matter how you celebrate, no matter what you call it, I hope you have a good one :)
I've been having the best time catching up on the blog Wandering Woman Wandering. I first came across the blog when searching for a picture of Mercury to use on here. I found one of her posts about Mercury and I loved the way she described him as The God of Exchange. Perfect! I've been going back through her previous posts and between that and our limited email conversations with each other, I have realized something- Not only are we are both devotees of the same deity, but we have had similar experiences with Him. She and I share many of the same opinions on several topics, and gravitate towards similar deities aside from Mercury. I haven't seen a picture yet, but I'm betting that she has a mischievious grin and sparkle in her eyes!
I've taken a look tonight, and an informal poll about the qualities of the followers of different deities. Shall we start with Mercury? I've already mentioned the smile and sparkle, but right there on a devotee's brow, you'll find the trace of his sigil- that is just a little more angular than the crescent moon, tho both dovetail nicely together. You might be marked by Mercury if...
...you are are quick-witted, investigative, snarky, sarcastic, and at times irreverent.
...you ten to ask why and don't just take an answer at face value
...you vacillate between order and disorder
...you feel called to several other deities at once! I don't think he minds sharing, as long as he gets his due.
Don't mistake being called by/to several deities at once for indecision. Mercury is The Opener of The Ways and when He opens things for you, they can be Wide open. You get attention from others. I think Mercury calls those who can multitask on many levels!
The children of Apollo, for another example, are sun-kissed, or just sunburned. They play with fire, literally, and are golden in some way physically, be it their hair or skin or a physical warmth which radiates from them.
Those stamped by The Queens of Heaven - Isis, Astarte, Diana, Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna, Hera and others, share a quality of carriage- these are women and men who stand straight. There is a regal posture, a sense of dignity which flows from them. This dignity isn't about being better than, or stuck up, or overconfident, it's literally about having The Goddess inside of you and walking with you. Why would The Regal Queen of Heaven ever slouch? ;)
These are just a few scant examples and involve the Deities and Devotees I work with most often. I really would appreciate community feedback on this one!
I really like this topic. It's something to research and pursue! More questions keep coming up: Would the Mercury traits apply to devotees of Hermes? Or to any of the other deities He is syncretized with? We can also get into the chicken or the egg debate: Is the Deity attracted because the devotee already has the qualities, or does the devotee develop the qualities after they are "stamped" by the Deity?
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?
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!
Seriously, sometimes they barely bother to slap some veneer over the ancient practices.
Pretty crown of stars, eh? Can anyone name the big gold magic wand in her hand? Is it merely the scepter of the "Queen of Heaven and earth?" Speaking of hands, notice the baby is holding up the extremely Pagan by about 1,000 years Roman Hand of Power.
Here is Her prayer:
"Oh most beautiful flower of Mt. Carmel, fruitful vine, splendor of Heaven, Blessed Mother of the Son of God, Immaculate Virgin, assist me in my necessity. Oh Star of the Sea, help me and show me you are my Mother. Oh Holy Mary, Mother of God, Queen of Heaven and earth, I humbly beseech you from the bottom of my heart to succor me in necessity (make request). There are none that can withstand your power. Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee (say three times). Holy Mary, I place this prayer in your hands (say three times). Amen."
The emphasis is mine. Just pointing out some of the typical Pagan Mother Goddess titles which were reassigned to Mary. This one adds a different title: Star of the Sea. La Sirene? Yemanja? Astarte?
Mount Carmel was an important place in ancient times. Pythagoras found his way there, oracles were consulted in the caves. Zeus was worshiped there as was Baal. Early human remains have been discovered in the caves, including neanderthals and other paleolithic evidence. :-o
Pythagoras is said to have visited there "on account of its reputation for sacredness, stating that it was the most holy of all mountains, and access was forbidden to many" as per the holy wiki. It's difficult to delve into other sources on that because little of Iamblicus' work remains, so what we have here is at best third hand heresay.
Essene groups are also said to have lived in the caves there. Some claim the "lost" years of Jesus were spent with the Essenes. At this hour I can't tell if the web info I'm coming across is legit or crackpot, so I leave it to you to comence with Teh Googlez.
I also came across this group: "The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Society is an independent nonprofit Catholic Organization formed in 1875 by Italian immigrants new to Hammonton, New Jersey, who took time to celebrate their safe journey to America and a successful harvest by giving praise and thanks to the blessed Virgin Mary."
A main part of the Feast is handing out, and breaking bread with everyone. Why, hello, Demeter, virgin mother grain goddess of fertility :)
Consider this a part 1. Her feast ends on Sunday, so I hope to post more about it at some point. It's feast season, and I hope to not go overboard on the theme of Pagan origins of catholic practices, or, how Paganism survived to modern day. I couldn't possibly go overboard with that, especially not on this blog!
These feasts are uniquely Italian American. Aside from the much lauded patrick's day, I can't think of any other proper feast that isn't Italian (and Pagan!) in origin. Tonight I'll leave you with this video from a previous celebration in Williamsburg. Around minute 5 you see the boat on the left unite with the Star of the Sea on the right. This feast was started here by immigrants giving thanks. I'm happy to keep that tradition going. After all, I wouldn't be sitting here in America right now if my ancestors hadn't had the coglioni to get on a boat to a strange new country. I'm going to break bread with my family and with my friends, dance and celebrate the Star of the Sea, who, if you wear Her symbol, will personally escort you into Heaven. Pretty nifty, huh? SO much more to say about this... must sleeep!
That's what I am tonight! I'm writing up new classes, workshop proposals, details for a Datura Press fundraiser, updating NYC Pagan Pride info and reaching out to vendors, workshops, musicians and volunteers. I'm also working on the dedication of the labyrinth, and a New Moon ritual. Also working on guest blog posts for other fabutastic blogs.
Ancient historian, Pausanias, writes about the connection of Hermes and Honey in his Description of Greece :
"Each month the Eleans sacrifice once on all the altars I have enumerated. They sacrifice in an ancient manner; for they burn on the altars incense with wheat which has been kneaded with honey, placing also on the altars twigs of olive, and using wine for a libation . . . The traditional words spoken by them in the Town Hall at the libations, and the hymns which they sing, it were not right for me to introduce into my narrative. They pour libations, not only to the Greek gods, but also to the god [Zeus Ammon] in Libya, to Hera Ammonia and to Parammon (from Ammon), which is a surname of Hermes."
In the Homeric hymn, Hermes and Apollo are involved with the Thraiae or Bee Nymphs, pictured here, who have a connection to the Delphic Oracle. I started talking about this in my review of Cult of Divine Birth.
I've also been reading about how bees were treated and revered in ancient Sicily: They were considered members of the family! They were told the family news of the day, and offerings of cakes or food were left whenever there was a celebration... the same that is done for the Lare.
I've been working a post about The Hero's Journey as illustrated by the lore of Proserpine and Demeter. However, you don't hear much about what happened once She descended. There are clues in the tale of Inanna, and a lot of talk about it lasting 3 days, during the dark of the moon, her ordeal, but most of what we have of Kore's tale involves the Greek Mysteries where Demeter is searching for her lost daughter. I think this whole thing is bunk and more about the relocation of the mysteries to Greece and the insertion of the Patriarchy into what began as Women's Mysteries. I also find it interesting that Hekate is associated with Ereshkigal, who appears as Queen of the Underworld and "older sister" of Inanna and eventually releases Inanna back to life, and Hekate escorts Proserpina back to the surface, in some portrayals it seems like Hekate is facilitating an escape.
There is so much out there about The Hero's Journey, especially since Star Wars was modeled on the steps, that I don't really want to recap it here, so I've linked to the wiki basics. If you don't want to surf over, there's a fun graphic illustrating the trip there and back again:
ie: Luke Skywalker is called to adventure by Leia (hologram message on R2D2), he's aided by the droids, mentored by Obi Wan, it goes on and on. The Matrix follows the formula too as does The Lord of the Rings. Actually, most movies and legends follow this archetypal formula.
Back to my Goddesses: There isn't much written about Kore in the Underworld because it is the crux of Initiation itself: It's removing each earthly accoutrement, confronting your dark side/your shadow self and surrendering yourself to transformation. It's also so much more, and despite it being incredibly individualized, initiates, true initiates- not the ones who are socially promoted for reading 10 books and making an origami tree of life- will recognize each other. There is a knowing, an understanding that you come to that cannot be imparted to someone who has not been through it, and need not be imparted to someone who has. Mothers understand this. Motherhood is an initiation.
In the Descent of Inanna, we see the steps she goes through to get into the Underworld, but we still do not know where her essence was when she was "dead" for those three days. Where did her spirit go? Since she's in the Underworld why didn't she just appear there and haunt her sister? What did she face? What did she do? What did she see? Perhaps the same thing every initiate sees: what they need to.
I feel like I've been on my own journey tonight, examining the similarities between the descent of Inanna and the descent of Proserpine. Funny how I've known both of these epics in great detail for so long but have never put them side by side and compared. In the Greek version she's taken against her will, but as per the link above to the Women's Mysteries, I don't believe it. I'm of the school that, like Inanna, Proserpine went of her own accord to learn the Mysteries and return to Her people with knowledge thereof and her dual role as Goddess of Spring/birth/fertility and Winter/death/barren is because She, as Innana did, merged with Her Shadow self and returned the wiser for it.
However, we also have Ereshkigal, who is established as the Queen of the Underworld. Wouldn't she be the appropriate counterpart here? Are Proserpine and Demeter sisters instead of mother and child? Does it matter? What does the familial relationship imply?
All very interesting, but now that it's after 2 am, I'm going to sleep on it and I hope you do too. I hope you ponder The Mysteries and ask the questions and challenge your own perceptions.
