The Triple Goddess was revered as far back as 25,000 BCE. Maiden, Mother, Crone; Virgin, Mother, Wise Woman; always there are three aspects of the Goddess with which we deal. She has been known as Kali (Parvati/Durga/Uma) to the Hindus; as the Irish Morrigan (Ana/Babd/Maccha); and Hebe/Hera/Hecate to the Greeks to name a few. We will begin our exploration of the different faces of the Goddess and how She her presence is felt by examining Her in Her Maiden aspect.
Our modern interpretation of the Maiden or Virgin is different from the understanding the ancients had of this aspect of the Goddess. In ancient times a virgin was a woman who was unmarried and needed no other to make her whole. Whether or not she had entered into sexual relations with a man had nothing to do with this distinction. The Virgin birth of Jesus Christ illustrates perfectly the Virgin's state of wholeness and needing no other to create.
The Maiden is known by many names. As Ireland's Brigid, she is the keeper of the fires of fertility and creativity, the hearth, healing, inspiration and transformation. Pallas Athena is the keeper of wisdom in Greece. She assists people on their journey back to wholeness by keeping them in contact with their higher selves. The Vestal Virgins of Rome, named for the goddess of the home, Vesta, were a group of young priestesses responsible for keeping the fire in the temple burning which in turn insured the survival of the Empire.
Regardless of the country, culture or tradition from which the myths surrounding the Maiden spring, Her message is always the same. Fire-sexual fire, creative fire, transformational fire-is necessary to the survival of Her people. The Maiden, just like the fire, experiences life passionately and with abandon, albeit at times recklessly. The Virgin lives intuitively, ever aware of Her connection to the Whole. There is no separation to Her, only a sense of knowing the interconnectedness of all things.
There are still indigenous groups of people on the planet who live in this state of awareness of the interconnectedness of all things. Some Native American tribes, such as the Lakota, use the greeting "Mitakuye Oyasin" which means "all my relations." Deep within all humans there remains the awareness that we are connected to everything and a deep desire to return to a space of knowing.
May you greet each day, each one you meet, and retire each night knowing your connectedness.
All my relations!
No comments:
Post a Comment