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 Radio1 - The Body
Provided By: Copperwoman
Composer: Moya Brennan
Title: Harpsong
Radio2 - The Mind
Radio3 - The Soul
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Advice is what we ask for when we already know the answer but wish we didn't.
-- Erica Jong
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· Using Witchvox – a walkthrough
(Sep 02, 2009)
· Nutritionist Stephen Heuer Arrested in FDA Raid
(Jan 19, 2009)
· Spelling it like it isn't
(Aug 09, 2008)
· Funding the pagans
(Mar 08, 2008)
· Giuliani gets Robertson Endorsement
(Nov 12, 2007)
· The Dangers Of Feminism
(Aug 30, 2007)
· The secrets behind crazy airfare prices
(Aug 27, 2007)
· Petition To Rename Stretch Of 401 'Highway Of Heroes'
(Aug 24, 2007)
· Mummified Toronto child a newborn boy
(Jul 27, 2007)
· Quick Summer Meals without all the heat!
(Jul 18, 2007)
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 Topic: Gods, Goddesses & Deities
The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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Ishtar – Goddess of Love and Sex
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Posted by: Makarios on Monday, March 08, 2010 - 12:00 PM
84 Reads
By Mary DAlba
Today we are going to discuss Ishtar, the Babylonian Goddess of Fertility, Love, War and Sex. She was likened to Venus, Aphrodite and Inanna. Ishtar and her cult are associated with sexuality including sacred sex and prostitution. Her symbol is the eight pointed star. Ishtar was known to have many lovers, however, she treated them cruelly. Her love was known to tame wild animals and could be trouble for even the gods she consorted with in her travels. Ishtar is known to be cruel and a punisher, not caring who she destroyed in her path to get what she wanted. One of the more popular myths regarding Ishtar is her decent into the underworld to get her lover Tammuz. She was made to travel through seven gates to reach the Underworld. At each entrance, she was made to remove a piece of clothing or jewelry. When she finally reached Ereshkigal, the Queen of the Underworld, she was bare of everything but herself to ask for his return. Ishtar did get Tammuz out and as she traveled back up through the seven gates, she retrieved her clothing and jewelry.
Read the complete article: Pagan Pages
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Durga: The Beautiful and Deadly Hindu Goddess
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 04:00 PM
247 Reads
By Jo Bingo
<snip> According to the Puranas, a demon named Mahisa or Mahisasura for years was in meditation. Since he meditated so well, Brahma gave him the power to never be killed by man. Consumed with greed, Mahisa dropped meditation and decided instead to conquer the earth and heavens, which he succeeded in doing with little difficulty. Angry and frustrated, the gods decided to create a woman with all of their divine power combined. Out of the mouths of Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu came lightning, which resulted in the ten-handed goddess Durga or Shakti. Durga in sanskrit has been said to mean “unattainable,” “incomprehensible,” and “invincible.” Each god made a certain body part (for instance, her head was made by Shiva, arms by Vishnu, toe nails by Brahma, the list continues) and each god gave her his especial weapon, which she carries in her many hands (for example, Shiva gives his trident, Vishnu his discus, the list goes on). A lion from the himalayas was given for her to ride. In battle, the demon Mahisa attacked her in the form of a buffalo, and she quickly cut off its head. The demon came out in his true form and she stabbed him in the chest with Shiva’s trident, completing the task she was created to fulfill.
Read the complete article: Bemusing Jo Bingo
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Greco-Egyptian Dionysos is bad-ass
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, February 20, 2010 - 02:00 PM
274 Reads
By Sannion
During the Classical period there was a pretty broad repertoire of Dionysiac depictions, many of which cast the god in a hardly favorable light. The comic poet Aristophanes, for instance, made him a bumbling fool in The Frogs who has to ask directions to the underworld and pisses all over himself when confronted by Empousa (288 ff).
Certainly this is the sort of thing that one expects from Aristophanes (who regularly included jabs at the audience in his plays, calling them cock-suckers, parricides, and greedy cowards) but Dionysos isn’t treated much better by the respectable authors.
Euripides called him “effeminate” (Bakkhai 350), Aiskhylos a “womanly man” and a “weakling” (Edonoi frag. 30-31). Stories were told of Dionysos being dressed in the clothing of little girls or changed into a goat to escape the wrath of Hera, and eventually he was said to have been driven insane when she inevitably caught up with him. (Apollodoros 3.28)
Read the complete article: The House of Vines
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The Morrigan
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, February 12, 2010 - 04:00 PM
248 Reads
By Danielle Ní Dhighe
The Morrígan is a goddess of battle, strife, and fertility. Her name translates as 'Phantom Queen,' which is entirely appropriate for Her. The Morrígan appears as both a single goddess and a trio of goddesses, which includes the Badb 'Vulture' and Nemain 'Frenzy'. The Morrígan frequently appears in the ornithological guise of a hooded crow. She is one of the Tuatha De Danann (People of the Goddess Danu) and She helped defeat the Firbolgs at the First Battle of Magh Tuireadh and the Fomorii at the Second Battle of Mag Tured.
By some accounts, She is the consort of the Dagda, while the Badb and Nemain are sometimes listed as consorts of Néit, an obscure war god who is possibly Nuada the Sky Father in His warrior aspect. It is interesting to note that another battle goddess, Macha, is also associated with Nuada.
Read the complete article: Mythical Ireland
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Brigit the Goddess
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Posted by: Makarios on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 08:00 AM
267 Reads
The Romans equated Brigantia with Minerva, a goddess of war, wisdom and crafts. There is evidence of this from a statue at Birrens in Dumfriesshire which shows her with Minerva’s symbol of the Gorgon’s head on her breast, a mural crown, a spear and the globe of victory.
Modern scholars accept the link between Brigit and Brigantia who was the tribal protector of the Brigantes, a powerful tribe in the north of England. She was a bringer of fertility and prosperity, a patron of the arts and associated with healing. On the continent there was a tribe known as the Brigantii near Bregenz in Austria and since we know that Minerva was honoured there it is reasonable to assume that Brigantia was also a Celtic goddess of that area and that tribe.
There are seven inscriptions to Brigantia, in two of them she is referred to as ‘dea Victoria’ which possibly reflects her function as tribal protector. In another she is called ‘Nympha Brigantia’ and invoked for healing (‘pro salute’). In yet another she is described as ‘Caelestis Brigantia’ or heavenly Brigantia which evokes images of her as both exalted and wonderfully pleasing, and suggests that she has a place in the heavens perhaps as the sun which is a heavenly body.
Read the complete article: Brigits Forge
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Apollo: “Light” God or “Dark” God?
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Posted by: Makarios on Saturday, January 30, 2010 - 12:00 PM
293 Reads
By Fiamma
<snip> So there is this god, I’m not going to tell you his name. He is a god of many things- of light, of music and beauty, poetry, truth and healing. He is rational and wise. He is called Radiant, and Averter of Evil, Rescuer, Protector from Harm, Healer. He is known for defending his mother from attackers and insults, his music is unrivaled. He id a god of knowledge. Some consider him a sun-god. Surely, this is a light god I am speaking of, no?
And there is a god who is known far and wide for his wrath. One who, with his sister, killed innocent children for their mother’s insolent bragging; who skinned alive a satyr who dared challenge him to a musical contest and lost. He is a god of death, one who sends plague. His lovers are slain or punished through his wrath- or otherwise meet with tragic endings- the latter, he mourns. He is enigmatic, mysterious, oblique. There is no question: we are speaking of a dark god, are we not?
The two gods are, of course, the same. The god is Apollo, one thought of by many as a “light” god.
Read the complete article: Memories of Pain and Light
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Bacchus and Dionysos – more than just good drinking buddies
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Posted by: Makarios on Wednesday, January 20, 2010 - 04:00 PM
287 Reads
By thehouseofvines
Every now and then I come across people who insist that the Greek and Roman gods are completely separate beings. Not only do they possess totally different names, have different forms of worship attached to them, and performed different functions within their respective pantheons, but they feel different to those who worship them.
Such are the most logical arguments brought to the discussion, though I must confess that most of the discourse isn’t carried out on this level. We’ll ignore the often rude, vulgar, and nonsensical arguments that this often generates and instead focus on something more relevant. Namely the fact that far too often people who ought to know better assert that the ancients themselves never accepted the identification of the respective pantheons, and that the only reason that some people do today is because of the popularity of the early 20th century children’s handbooks on mythology by the likes of Thomas Bullfinch and Edith Hamilton. I can only assume that such people haven’t bothered to crack open a copy of Ovid, Vergil, Horace, or even Plutarch for that matter, but I suppose expecting literacy among people on the internet is asking for too much.
Read the complete article: The House of Vines
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Who is Tyr?
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Posted by: Makarios on Monday, January 18, 2010 - 08:00 AM
245 Reads
By Uncle Thor
The references to Tyr are scattered throughout the Germanic, Nordic and Anglo-Saxon lore. These are scant. In some places, evidence shows that Tyr and Odin were worshiped equally. We know that in much of Norway and Denmark, Odin was considered the chief God between 800 and 1100 CE. Other evidence shows that in formerly Viking areas of Scotland, Tyr was either the main God or was worshiped equally. We get the same from Germany. Keep in mind that the designation of chief God is more human preference than a Divine writ. Much of the old lore is human perception of the Gods rather than the revelation of the Gods themselves.
Tyr is referred in one Runic charm as “the oldest God.” Once again, belief is subject to local variances. The Eddas have a myth where Thor helps Tyr recover a cauldron. It tells of Tyr’s parents as being jotuns. This is but a local variant wherein Tyr is not a major deity, but a minor one. In most of the old references, Tyr is a major God and, again, he is regarded as the chief God in several of them.
Read the complete article: Uncle Thors Lessons
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Hekate: Threeformed Images
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, January 15, 2010 - 12:00 PM
378 Reads
By Sorita d’Este
When we examine the myths and legends of the many cultures and religions of the ancient Mediterranean, the Goddess Hekate stands out from the rest. There is simply no other Goddess like her, with evidence stretching back into time, but also crossing the boundaries of tradition, religion and pantheon in rather remarkable ways. Her mysteries are open to all, and her magic to those who have the wisdom to see and who are able to put fear aside in order to cross the boundaries and learn from her.
Like many other people I first encountered Hekate in literature, poetry and art, from where I learned about the image of her as a scary mistress of Witchcraft, who is invoked on moonless nights to bring forth her infernal powers. Many years later when I discovered her again, it was very much this image of Hekate which inspired those around me, who were eager to speak of her as a scary old Crone Goddess, as part of the modern “Maiden Mother Crone” construct, who whilst being wise, should be feared and who would bring doom and gloom upon those who made any mistakes in the evocations which were taking place.
Read the complete article: Penton Pagan Magazine
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Gaia, Greek Goddess of the Earth
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Posted by: Makarios on Thursday, January 07, 2010 - 12:00 PM
360 Reads
By Mary DAlba
Today, we are going to discuss Gaia (also called Gaea or Ge), the Greek Goddess of the Earth. Gaia is considered as the “Great Goddess”, “Mother Earth” and “Mother Nature”. Her equivalent in Roman mythology is Terra Matter. She is usually pictured as a woman with some sort of green around her. Most pictures have shown her pregnant with the world in her belly. There are others with Gaia sitting in the leaves, blowing them around off her hand and finally others of her sitting on a throne with cornucopia surrounding her. The Root Chakra, femininity, nature, fertility and spirit are associated with Gaia.
Gaia was created out of Chaos to give birth to all of earth. When living things die, they must return to her when their lives and time on earth is over. Gaia is known in the Greek tradition to have stretched out of the beginning of time, becoming the earth’s land. She continues to give life and sustenance to the world, even when the weather turns cold. Promises made with one hand “one Gaia’s sacred soil” are known to be irrevocable. Gaia is known for abundance, thankfulness, nature, promises and earth.
Read the complete article: Pagan Pages
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Janus, the Two Faced God
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Wednesday, January 06, 2010 - 03:00 PM
362 Reads
 by Patti Wigington
In the mythology of ancient Rome, Janus was the god of new beginnings. He was associated with doors and gates, and the first steps of a journey. The month of January -- of course, falling at the beginning of the new year -- is named in his honor. He is often invoked together with Jupiter, and is considered a high-ranking god.
In many portrayals, Janus is depicted as having two faces, looking in opposite directions. In one legend, Saturn bestows upon him the ability to see both the past and the future. In the early days of Rome, city founder Romulus and his men kidnapped the women of Sabine, and the men of Sabine attacked Rome in retaliation. The daughter of a city guard betrayed her fellow Romans and allowed the Sabines into the city.
Read the complete article: About
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The Horned God: His lore and Worship
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Posted by: Makarios on Friday, December 25, 2009 - 12:00 PM
318 Reads
By BlueDruid
As the winter solstice approaches, I’d like to spend some time writing about one intimately connected to this season, The Horned God, by whatever name you choose to call him (Cernunnos, Herne, etc) as viewed by a contemporary Pagan (i.e. me) . As part of my effort to spend more time focusing on my Druidry, I’ve been trying to better know this enigmatic figure in my own personal practice. For me it has not been easy, but I feel the rewards are worth the effort. I feel that there are two ways to get to know a deity, through their historical body of lore and through the UPG and experiences of their current worshipers. Unfortunately both seem to be lacking where Cernunnos is concerned. Originally either Tracian or Gaulish, almost all historical lore on him has been lost beyond the name, and try as I might I can find almost no one sharing their experiences with him on the net. For the longest time I just considered him to be the “generic horned god ” and I could not relate to such an impersonal figure. That is one of the main reasons I am a polytheist (as opposed to a monotheist or a duotheist). I seek a personal connection to the Divine that I just cannot begin to touch with either of those other systems of belief. For the longest time I came to the conclusion that he just wasn’t real enough or relevant to my spiritual practice. It turns out I just had to dig a little deeper to learn of his mysteries. I will split this post into two parts, Lore and my experiences:
Lore of the Horned God
As I mentioned above his lore is sparse. The deity that modern pagans call Cernunnos is most likely a collection of antlered and horned Gods based around local cult centers across Europe that all seem to have gotten collected under one umbrella. The only reason we know of the name is because it is because of inscriptions found in France and Germany. The name literally means Horned God. This name was then attributed to many carvings of an antlered god found on relics all across Europe. One of the most famous of these is the Gunderstrup Cauldron. These depictions all share similar elements, namely an antlered, sometimes ithyphallic man sitting cross legged. He holds two items, a torc and a ram-horned serpent, and is surrounded by various animals such as wolves, stags, bulls, dogs, rats, etc. Sometimes he is holding a bag of money. His worship seems to stretch back into the Iron Age and he is also often associated with a famous cave painting found in France termed The Sorcerer showing just how far back his worship goes.
Read the complete article: Of Oak and Ivy
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Deities of Winter Solstice
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Posted by: Copperwoman on Wednesday, December 09, 2009 - 01:00 PM
357 Reads
 by Patti Wigington
While it may be mostly Pagans and Wiccans who celebrate the Yule holiday, nearly all cultures and faiths have some sort of winter solstice celebration or festival. Because of the theme of endless birth, life, death, and rebirth, the time of the solstice is often associated with deity and other legendary figures. No matter which path you follow, chances are good that one of your gods or goddesses has a winter solstice connection.
Alcyone (Greek): Alcyone is the Kingfisher goddess. She nests every winter for two weeks, and while she does, the wild seas become calm and peaceful.
Ameratasu (Japan): In feudal Japan, worshippers celebrated the return of Ameratasu, the sun goddess, who slept in a cold, remote cave. When the the other gods woke her with a loud celebration, she looked out of the cave and saw an image of herself in a mirror. The other gods convinced her to emerge from her seclusion and return sunlight to the universe.
Read the complete article: About
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By Austin Cline
