The name of the Great Goddess

As one can tell, I am a Pagan in the Goddess tradition (although I do follow Deity in a variety of male forms like Mercury). I have been curious about ancient knowledge and the lore of the Goddess's of antiquity. It does seem many are so ancient their exact beginnings are unknown. Kybele is one of the most ancient Mother Goddesses out there as a find of a Mother Goddess image of older than 200,000 years has been found.

The face of wisdom is almost always shared with a Goddess, from Sophia to Minerva. (Mercury is also known as Thoth and is a teacher of knowledge also, but most are associated with the Goddess imagery). Is it possible that is why most teachers today are women? Were the ancient teachers women before the days of the paternal order which took over and has since led us?

This is one of many topics I am going to get into here. I hope to learn a lot and maybe teach a bit also.

If you were by chance a fan of the HBO series Rome I think a lot of what they portrayed on ancient gods and goddess beliefs had a lot to do with the fact the female is by nature the carrier of the child or egg in most species. With the exception of some fish and other species of animals. Where the female just lays the egg and the male is the nurturer of it.

I think when I see Goddess - I picture swollen belly or very full figured women. As in a "mom" someone that takes care of you. Mothers are after all usually the ones teaching us our prayers at night as kids and so forth. Teaching us how to cook. By nature as a woman - I feel a need to do so. Perhaps part of it is psychological.

That is a very beautiful statement about the Goddess aspect of Paganism. There are usually three versions of most Goddesses (accept the youthful ones such as Hebe, Eos, Iris etc): Maiden, Mother, Crone. This is one of the earliest triads out there which is why many other religious ideas follow a triad.

It is interesting that the Mother Goddess idea is still among us no matter how hard they tried to stamp it out.

Even Lord of the Underworld had to have a wife.. Persephone.

Men in a sense have to have a feminine aspect in their lives to have balance. Whether you are gay, straight doesn't matter. You have to as a human have some form of balance.

Probably a study on the feminie aspects of religion somewhere..

The feminine aspect of Christianity was all but culled by the men in the early Church. They elevated Mary to Moon Goddess Diana/Artemis status in the early 3rd Century. There is a very old altar that was for the Moon Goddess Diana which was converted to being devoted to Mary. She was elevated to Mother of God status, which some will state is Goddess level. The Church denies she is a Goddess, but she has the title of Queen of Heaven.

The problem the early Church came across was how popular some Goddesses were. Brigid, Minerva, Venus, Diana, Ceres, Isis and many others remained very popular. Even after Mary was elevated, the Goddesses would not die out.

Persephone is a very old Spring Goddess. She was originally known as Kore and has been worshiped since antiquity. She is still popular especially since the emergence of the New Age/Pagan movement.

There practices were known as Mystery Rites for the most part. Most agriculture deities are Goddesses and were very important for those reasons. Many of the Gods get all the attention and stories, but for practical purposes, the Goddesses were very popular.

I had started writing a gothic comic strip years ago about Persephone. I had stopped but recently thinking of returning to it. I always loved the change of seasons and in the end she didn't seem sad to be with the God of the Underworld..

Her Mother Goddess Ceres/Demeter/Kar is the one who was sad and caused the seasons to die off. But winter does have a beauty of its own, and the changes of the seasons make the Earth a wonderful place.

I do hope you finish your Persephone story as she is an interesting Goddess and quite powerful (although Ceres is one they didn't mess with).

I'll get back to it again when I get inspired. Usually do around Halloween. That is when my darker self comes out - I tend to re do my entire house with the change of seasons.

I see seasons in colors

fall= orange

late fall early winter- light blue

late winter prelude to spring- light mint green

spring- pink, green and white

summer= yellow

late summer early fall- red and black

It is like an emotion in me I can't help it. =0) Plus some colors help in spell casting. I am not a wonderful wiccan either like a back sliding christian or something. but when I get a good mojo it is usually very cleansing.

I like the ancient asian belief systems of cleaning out old - in with new. I feel amazing after cleaning my entire house.

I will throw out stuff and it could have been fairly new. I just sense something about it- stagnant and it must go!

I need to get rid of some of my clothes too - I will do that come spring. But I feel like 100% better after I do it.