I thought I would start a thread for us Pagans and I'll add to it hopefully everyday

The Goddess Companion

Hail, Hecate! Underworld Goddess,
you make dogs tremble when you
walk through cemeteries, you make
the blood of the dead run black.
Hail, Hecate! Assist me
in making this potion. Make it
as strong as Circe's, as strong as Medea's,
as strong as that little blonde Perimede's.
~Greek Poet Theocritus, Idyll

The witches decorating homes and offices during this season are caricatures of the crone, the elder woman who represents the third part of the sacred family trinity. In Greek times, the triad of maiden-mother-crone was composed of the spring maiden Goddess Persephone, also known as Kore or Proserpina; the corn mother Demeter; and the dark Goddess Hecate, who walked through the highways with her baying hounds, making magick and mischief.

She was honored with offerings placed at crossroads where three roads met, for which the Romans called her Trivia. Hecate suppers were also held at the dark of the moon, when she was thought to walk the world. Hers was the wisdom that comes in darkness, in pain, in suffering, in dreams. Thus her wisdom is available to all, though few embrace it.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

Of course you may start your own pagen thread... but just FYI there have been several in the past- you might be interested to look back at them....

We had a drum circle once too... that was fun... maybe I need to bring it back...

Hmmmm.... where did we leave the drum circle?

The Goddess Companion

Warrior, here is some ale, mixed
with strong magic and stronger songs,
with honor and spells, strength and charms.
If you want victory, carve the runes
of victory on your swordhilt.
If you want healing, learn the runes
of healing. Learn sea-runes if you want
to go to sea, speech-runes to be eloquent.
But most important: learn mind-runes,
so that, among all people, you will be wisest.
~Scandinavian Lay of Sigrdifa

Oracular traditions like the Scandinavian runes are symbolic languages developed over the ages. They themselves have no power. Tarot cards have no power, coffee grounds have no power, astrological charts have no power. But there is power in the intuitive mind, which uses these symbolic systems to make sense of the chaos of experience.

Our minds can find other ways to tap into intuitive perceptions. Everyone has intuition. It is simply the ability to see patterns that have not yet made themselves visible. It is like looking at a city from the air. Long arterial streets cut across the grid of square blocks, raying out to form distinctive designs. On the ground, we may travel one of these streets, unaware of how it forms the pattern of the city, but from the air nothing could be more obvious. Intuition is like that. Runes and cards can help focus that, but the intuition itself is one of the mind's great powers.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

Glad to see this thread up and running. I just got back from Hecate Sickle, a festival over in Western Washington. It was amazing.

Hail Freya

In the shadows,
in the dark forest,
something follows you -
death follows you,
tearing the leaves,
ripping the calabash.
But Oya protects you.
She rips death's body.
Great Oya! Yes!
~African Chant

The role of the Goddess as our protector is emphasized in many myths, songs, and chants. Yet it could be said that the goddess helps those who help themselves. Or that our inner Goddess must be invoked for protection, so that we act in accordance with what is in our best interest.

Yet another way to describe the Goddess' protective agency is to realize that we receive substantial information through our senses, and we can live more safely and happily if we listen to that information. If we feel uneasy in a certain situation, there may be reason to feel so. If we feel in danger, we should act upon that feeling, rather than talking ourselves out of following our instincts. One of the Goddess' gifts to us is our body, with its rich repertoire of instinct and perception. Paying attention to those instincts, those perceptions, is one way of honoring her.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

*clearing my space with sage & sandalwood*


Finally,
a place to rest and
Honor
The Lady & Lord.

Athena, maiden Goddess, put on
a disguise; a gray wig, a stick to lean on,
so she looked many times her age.
She addressed Arachne, thoughtless weaver:
"Girl, take heed of what your elders say.
It takes years to earn wisdom. Listen now:
people say you're good with wool.
Accept their praise for industry and art,
but remember to thank the Goddess
for your gifts, remember to make offerings
to Athena, do not forget to say your prayers."
~Ovid, Metamorphoses

On the dark of the moon in this month, the ancient Greeks celebrated the festival called the Chalkeia. It was a feast dedicated to the great Goddess Athena, who descended from the protective snake mother of Crete to become the city Goddess of Athens. Her shrine still stands on the hill called the Acropolis, looking down on the busy city as it has for almost three millennia.

Each year in midsummer, Athena's birthday was celebrated. Her statue was decked with newly woven robes, signifying new energy, new fortunes, new power. On this night, the warp was set upon the looms for the next year's robes. All year, the women of Athens wove the splendid garments for the Goddess's birthday. Thus this was a festival for crafters and artesian, especially weavers, who celebrated their skill and beauty they created. Today we are less aware of the power of the artisan, but we still could not live comfortably without the cloth and glass and other products they create. Taking one day to be aware of how much we consume, and how much it costs in human labor to produce it, can be enlightening.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

The Goddess Companion

The Assyrian came down from the northern mountains.
He arrived with his vast army.
He bragged that he would burn my land and kill my men.
He bragged that he would kill my infants.
He said he would take my children hostage.
He said that he would rape my women.
But he has been defeated and will do none of that.
He has been defeated by me, a woman.
Not by a man, not by an army, not by a giant, but by me, Judith, daughter of Merari.
~Judith 16:4-11

The great figure of the warrior woman appears in almost every culture. Among the Hebrews, she was Judith, a young widow who lured the violent general Holofernes to his death. Seduced by Judith's charms, he invited her to his tent. And there, she cut his throat, freeing her people from his oppression.

Liberating ourselves from negative habits, whether they be actions or thoughts, takes a steely resolve and sharp action. We can be warrior women, without ever lifting a weapon, by being ruthlessly honest with ourselves, by cutting out what keeps us from living our best lives, by freeing our energies from the aspects of ourselves that hold us back.

We can also emulate heroines like Judith in our outer life by fighting against anything that oppresses us or others, against injustice and poverty and violence. The energy of the warrior woman is available to all of us, whether male or female, for use in our inner and outer struggles.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

Very refreshing indeed to break from the monopolistic 'fundamentalist' view on all religious topics.

I sense an 'anima' perspective from your thread LadyValkyrie37, and I might be off.

But if that is the case, there might no be anything more pressing for humanity than waking-up to, tapping into, and freeing up 'anima' energy as it were, in both women and men, with clear intent to massively 'alter course'.

Enough for now, I might be off topic. Not sure?!?!?

Let me know! ... and great post anyway!

:)

I hadn't really thought about the anima or the animus when I read it or as I was posting it. I'm going through some very difficult things in my life right now and that particular Goddess Companion entry spoke to my heart on a very deep level. In retrospect I guess it does have an anima/animus feel to it. Thanks for pointing that out!

The Goddess Companion

Enter, Goddess, by the power of seven,
by the power of a cobra's tear,
by the dewdrop, by the mango,
by the power of journeys at sea.
Joyously we bring you our gifts,
joyously we make music for you.
With hollow horns and flutes and
the deep sound of the conch, we call on you.
~Sri Lankan Song To The Goddess Pattini

Prayers of thanksgiving and petition go hand in hand. Thanks for this harvest, people prayed each year, and make it last through the winter. Thanks for this child, a mother prayed, and let her be healthy enough to survive. Thank you for this lover, a happy man called to the Goddess, and let her continue to love me this well.

When we are lacking something - food, or money, or love, or success - we feel that having it all will surely make us happy. But no sooner do we have it than we begin to feel the pinch of fear. What if we lose what we've so longed to have? Happiness is just a treaty we make with our circumstances. One can be happy in squalor, while another whines in luxury. It is not what we have that makes us happy, nor what we lack that makes us unhappy. True thanksgiving means acknowledging what life has given us, without bargaining to get more or holding on more tightly.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

The Goddess Companion

Hestia, highest Goddess among
both mortals and immortals,
you in your eternal home
are the one most revered of all.
Without you, we can hold no banquet,
for yours is the first drop of sweet wine
poured out on the ground, and
yours is the last drop too, O Hestia.
~Homeric Hymn To Hestia

Hestia was, to the ancient Greeks and to the Romans who called her Vesta, the Goddess who
represented the bonding force of family and community. She was represented by the flame of the
hearth, whether that was at home or the sacred fire of the city's center. To her were dedicated the first, and the last, drops of wine at a banquet, for it was because other unifying power that people gathered to celebrate together.

This is the season when we too gather to recognize the power of home family and friends. It is also
a season when people most poignantly feel any lack of connection and community. It is thus appropriate to invoke Hestia, then, whether to thank her for providing the supportive connections we need or to ask her to do so. For no one is an island; we need each other to survive and to thrive. True community is not formed merely of blood, but of shared ideals and values. The lack of community may simply indicate that an individual has not found such connection, just as the presence of a family hearth does not necessarily mean a true flame is burning brightly there. To search for real community is to honor the symbolic significance of Hestia.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

Wonderful thread! Thank you for representing pagans even here. Very pleased to come across great people.

The Goddess Companion

Spirit Mother, hear my prayer!
Accept the offering we send
with the blood of our food.
We thank you for this elk
you sent. Its head is for you.
We kneel to you, we bow to you,
Spirit Mother. This is for you!
And now send another elk
right up from the riverbank,
right in front of our boat,
and let it neither see nor
hear us coming.
~Prayer of Siberian Udegei

This Thanksgiving, why not give thanks in a different way? Give thanks for all that the earth has given you. Give thanks for the food that keeps you alive and which itself once lived. Give thanks for the beauty of the seasons. Give thanks for your own body and its pulsing life. Give thanks for the sun that warms us, the moon that pulls us, the stars that call to us.

The planet provides for us at every instant. The intricate interconnection of plant and human sustains us with every breath, when we take in the oxygen plants breathe out, while we breathe out the carbon dioxide plants need to live. Not only do we eat plants, either directly or though consuming animal flesh, but plants also feed our lungs, our bloodstream. With every breath we should thank our green relations for their contributions. Thanksgiving does not come often enough for the thanks we owe this earth.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

The Goddess Companion

Wisdom moves more swiftly than the wind.
She is so pure that she penetrates all.
She is the power of divinity.
She is a sunbeam of almighty glory.
She reflects the light of eternity,
and is an image of divine goodness.
In every generation she finds the holiest
and makes prophets of them,
for the divine loves no one so much
as those who lie with Wisdom.
She is better that the bright daylight,
for it fades, and evil cannot prevail against her.
She reaches from one end of the earth to the other,
and Wisdom orders all things well.
~Wisdom, 8

In some of the Wisdom scriptures, this feminine figure resembles the Hindu goddess Kali, for she transcends allduality and offers a vision of a new, unified cosmos. We find the same intuition expressed in contemporary chaos theory. Where once the word chaos described an irredeemably disordered state, it has now been learned that disorder yearns toward order just as significantly as order breaks down inevitably into disorder. The whole system,order to disorder to order to disorder - is called chaos.

Wisdom is an image of chaotic disorder, a figure who is able to bring together the apparent opposites of life and to reconcile them into a new order. As long as we cling to one pole of a duality, we are forced constantly into confrontation with the other pole. By removing the two poles, by forging a unity between them, we are able to move beyond our fears and into a new, crystalline freedom.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

The Goddess Companion

Come, love, up the mountain with me.
Let us sit together on the mountain.
Come, love, let us watch the sun go down,
filling the sky with beauty.
Come, love, let us watch the night traveler
rise in beauty over the mountain.
Come let us watch the northern lights
playing ball in their icy homeland.
Let us sit there, on the mountain together,
and listen to thunder's loud drum.
Let us watch the way brilliance flashes
along the pipe of lightning.
Let us sit there, until the world falls asleep
to the sound of the owl singing.
Let us sit there in the beautiful mountain,
watching the tiny wakeful stars.
~Abenaki Song

Finding the beauty in the night, in the dark sides of our personality, in the dark sides of our life - that is a difficult spiritual challenge. It is easy to love some things: spring flowers, smiling children, the touch of a lover's hand. But how do we truly embrace and love all of life? How do we love our somber moods and our fears, our anger and our pain? How do we love these in other people?

There is no easy answer to these questions. To live fully, however, we cannot cut off and cast away half of life. We must struggle to accept what we wish to push away. Only by doing so will we become truly and fully alive to the possibilities of our world and ourselves.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

The Goddess Companion

I, Djanggawul, look behind myself to see the path of light that leads back to the island of Bralgu.
The light shines on our paddle dipping up and down in the sea.
The light shines from the island of Bralgu.
I, Djanggawul, see the morning star dancing onthe water's surface,and Bralgu's light shines like a feathered ball.
The sea's roar, the salt smell, the sound of our paddles,the taste of salt!
Within this boat we carry the sacred women's objects.
~Australian Song

There are many myths that tell the story of the arrival on earth of power objects from beyond this earth. These are not usually valuable in themselves; they are not gold coins or wrought silver or magnificent statuary. Instead, sacred objects usually look like a rough collection of stones, or some feathers, or an old worn-out human artifact.

Why did our forebears claim such insignificant objects as sacred? Because they were. Sacredness is not related to wealth or power; it is a quality that can be perceived by sensitive observers but that has no value in the marketplace. Think of how a child selects a stone - one single stone - from an ocean beach full of stones. Why that one? Why right now? But the instinctual child knows. She recognizes some power that rests, perhaps only briefly, in that stone. When it is gone, she throws the stone away. It is just as simple, sacred objects that were considered the most valuable possessions of the goddesses and their followers.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan

I want to thank you LadyV.
I haven't been on for a while, but I've still been reading.
Your posts, as controversial as they may seem to others, have given me a good read, and better. I have learned a lot from you, and I hope for it to continue. I can be like a sponge, soaking up information, processing it, spitting out what I don't need. You have nourished my cravings for information, and once again I thank you.

The Goddess Companion

The young bear woman set fire
across the mountains.
Wherever she passed
we saw burning mountains.
The young bear woman
sought the gods and found them,
on the mountain peaks,
with the help of my sacrifice.
~Navaho Song

The concept of sacrifice for spiritual reasons has been virtually lost in contemporary culture. Today, the word only has negative connotations, connected with victimization and cruelty and needless pain. Yet the offering of sacrifice has been part of most religious traditions. Ancient peoples offered up something they valued - for it would not be a sacrifice if it were worthless - so that spring would come, or order would be maintained in the cosmos, or a beloved child saved from death. Sacrifice may be a difficult spiritual practice today, but the wisdom of the ages calls us to consider it.

From "The Goddess Companion" by Patricia Monaghan