Sunday, April 28, 2013

The Lady of the Dawn who became the Great Woman of the Light

Hine-titama
by Robyn Kahukiwa
As the Wheel of the Year turns once more, the gateway to the dark months, that of Samhain, opens before us.  As the veil between the realm of the living and that of the dead thins, we are reminded of our own mortality.
 
According to Maori, the Goddess of night and of death was Hine-nui-te-po (meaning "Great Woman of the Night"), who was also the ruler of the Underworld.  Also known by her earlier name, that of Hine-titama ("Lady of the Dawn"), she was said to be the daughter of  Tāne-matua (the God of the forests and birds), and Hine-ahu-one (“woman created of earth”), who was the first woman.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Last Dark Goddess Workshop - Not to be Missed


Dark Goddess altar
For the last six or so years, around Samhain every year, I have been hosting a rather intensive interactive workshop on the Dark Goddess.  Using ritual, myth and magick, these various workshops take the participant on a journey into the Underworld - a realm that can be rather foreboding for some, yet comforting for others.
 
Every year a number of Goddesses who fall into the category of being a "Dark Goddess" are specifically chosen.  Some of whom we have worked with over the years have included Persephone (the Greek Queen of the Underworld), Erishkigal (Babylonian Underworld Goddess), Cerridwen (Celtic Keeper of the Cauldron of Mysteries), Baba Yaga (Slavic Initiator), Durga (Hindu Warrior Goddess), Lilith (the Hebraic Shapeshifter), Sekhmet (Egyptian Lioness) and Pele (Hawaiian Volancanic Goddess). 

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Homer's Hymn to the Mother Earth

O Universal Mother, who dost keep
From everlasting thy foundations deep,
Eldest of things, Great Earth, I sing of thee!
All shapes that have their dwelling in the sea,
All things that fly, or on the ground divine
Live, move, and there are nourished... these are thine;
These from thy wealth thou dost sustain; from thee
Fair babes are born, and fruits on every tree
Hang ripe and large, revered Divinity!

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Baba Yaga - The Slavic Wild Woman

In Russian and Slavic folklore Baba Yaga appears as a fearsome witch with iron teeth who lives deep in the forest in a hut that moves about on large chicken legs.  Despite having a ferocious appetite, Baba Yaga is described as "thin as a skeleton".

She travels about in a large mortar where her knees almost touch her chin, and pushes herself across the sky with a pestle.  Whenever Baba Yaga appears on the scene, a wild wind begins to blow, the trees around creak and groan and leaves whirl through the air.  Shrieking and wailing, a host of spirits often accompany her on her way. 


"Dancing the Sacred Wheel" now available again

"Dancing the Sacred Wheel" now available again
The second edition of "Dancing the Sacred Wheel: A Journey through the Southern Sabbats" is now available through www.createspace.com or direct from the author (Australian customers only) for an autographed copy.

Great Goddess Isis

Great Goddess Isis

Exhortation of Isis

You are She in the dust of whose feet is the hosts of Heaven,
Whose body encircles the Universe,
Who turns the Earth in its orb,
Who gives light to the Sun,
Who rules the World.

You tread death underfoot.
To Thee, the stars are responsive,
To Thee the seasons turn and the Gods rejoice
And the elements are in subjugation.


You are She that is the natural Mother of all things,
Mistress and governor of all elements,
The initial progeny of worlds,
Chief of Divine powers,
Queen of Heaven,
Principle of all the Gods celestial and the light of Goddesses.

At Your will are disposed the planets of the air,
The wholesome winds of the seas
And the silences of the unseen world.