Element of Fire

Today I thought I would look at the element of fire. I have been drawn to this element since booking to go to the Invoking the Goddess Retreat which took place a couple of days ago. I was inspired to create a fire quilt to take to the weekend and took part in the closing ceremony with the element of fire.

The fire of the Gypsy Retreat I attended in April this year.

This is the element which gives us fire in our belly's to go forth and create in our own special way, it gives life to everything, mine is through the vehicle of craft and the written word. Others have expressions through song, dance, drumming - music making etc. We are all individuals and we all express differently which creates for us a very diverse community to live and grow. 

The greek philosopher Empepedocles of Sicily formed the idea that everything was made up of the four element of antiquity earth, water, air, and fire. In the field of Mysticism these elements are still important today, to illustrate the oneness of all. Air feeds fire, fire dies by water, water is contained by earth, and earth creates the air. The cycle is meant to show the interconnection of all things, and the cycle of birth, life, change and transition. The ancient alchemist's symbol for fire is the triangle. Fire has two elements needed to create the flame to burn our fires, that being heat and light or flame and air. Fire transforms food into energy. It creates the impulses of nervous reactions, our feeling, and even our thought processes. Fire is considered a form without substance.

Photo Source http://www.kheper.net

Fire is also an impulsive and a dangerous element, that can smoulder and suddenly burst. Fire can give wings of courage, compassion and devotion. Fire is obstinate and heady and absolutely not subtle. It is seen as the force burning inside us, giving us an iron willpower to go for our goals, bestowing upon us the passion to do it with all of ourself, resulting in the honour and freedom to do it without backstabbing and with an open face.

Fire stands for unbridled emotions, hatred and anger, but also love and happiness. Fire is the thing burning in your soul, moving you to fight for the things you believe in. Even if there is just a tiny chance to survive. Fire represents a dream, a virtue, a belief, and never means your commitment only, but its realization. If the Fire has caught something, it fights for it until it has consumed it or has burned it down, destroyed it. It extinguishes by itself or is extinguished. Fire doesn't know fear or doubt. But it doesn't know mercy or shame either. If it wants something, it will get over everything on its path to get it. Fire also stands for inspiration, compassion, love, longing and lust. 

The commencement of the Fire Quilt

http://www.5elements.com speaks of tending our fire in summer.
We experience Fire, one of the elemental powers, most fully in the season of summer, the time when young energy that arose in the spring expands to its maximum potential. When nature’s energy flourishes and blossoms in the summer, it is time to enjoy the fruit from the seeds we have planted and the visions and plans we have made. Summer's special gift - the energy of Fire - allows us to give and receive warmth. By giving and sharing, we build our own Fire, open our own flower, and bring more of the summer sun to the world.

According to Chinese traditional medicine, the Fire element manifests in our body through the heart, small intestine, pericardium, and the function known as the triple heater,which regulates internal body temperature.
On a deeper level, the Fire element expresses itself as joy and manifests within us as love, laughter, and enthusiasm. During summer, the season of maximum expansion, we can become aware of ourselves at our fullest. Drawing on the expansive warmth of Fire we can reach out and relate to the world like a flower opening. Summer holds the power of maturity: In summer, the buds of spring mature into full flowers and now are able to share their pollen to make more flowers. With us, it is the same: Only in the fullness of maturity do we have the inner abundance and self-sufficiency to truly share with others.

Know that in summer the energy of Fire supports you in enriching your enjoyment of life, your relationships, getting closer, opening outward, being receptive to others. By giving and sharing we build our own Fire, open our own flower, and bring more of the summer sun to the world.

Adding the stitches to the flames & goddess.

http://www.thewhitegoddess.co.uk offers their thoughts on the element of fire.

The element of Fire is both creative and destructive, its qualities are Brightness, Thinness and Motion and its mode is Active. It is fire that we and our ancestors used to warm our homes, we use it to cook our food, we sit around it to ward of the darkness of night, and it fuels our passions. Fire, unlike the other elements, does not exist in a natural state. Its physical form can only take place by consuming some other element. Fire is the transformer, converting the energy of other objects into other forms: heat, light, ash, and smoke.

As you gaze into the transformational flame of a candle, immerse yourself in the energy of Fire. Fire is the natural element of animals and mankind, and they "have, in their natures, a most fiery force, and also spring from celestial sources."

In order to gain benefit from the energy of this element, we need to control Fire's destructive aspect. When we light a candle, we are not only calling upon the energy of Fire, we are also limiting its power. This destructive aspect should not be seen as negative, forest fires, actually help, clearing away under brush and encouraging seeds lying dormant within the Earth to burst forth into new life.

Fire is a masculine element, its aspects being change, passion, creativity, motivation, will power, drive and sensuality. It is sexuality, both physical and spiritual. Fire is used in spells, rituals and candle magick for healing, purification, sex, breaking bad habits or destroying illness and disease. Fire is the element of authority and leadership.

The finished quilt, spirals the ancient goddess worship symbol,
central goddess, flames, felted embers of the flames.

CORRESPONDENCES - Everything has a signature that connects it to symbols and meanings. Therefore it makes sense that some things work together, in a similar manner, in a supportive direction, for a common purpose. This is a list of things relating to fire.

DIRECTION: North (Southern Hemisphere) - the place of heat.

TYPE OF ENERGY: Projective.
BASIC NATURE: Purifying, destructive, cleansing, energetic, sexual, forceful. Heat is a manifestation of this element.
COLOUR: Red, Orange and Yellow - from the colour of flames.
PLACES: Deserts, hot springs, volcanoes, ovens, fireplaces, bedrooms (for sex), weight rooms, locker rooms, saunas, athletic fields.
RITUALS: Protection, courage, sex, energy, strength, authority, banishing negativity.
RITUAL FORMS: Burning or smouldering; heating.
HERBS: Stinging, thorny or hot, as thistles, chilli peppers and bougainvillea desert-dwelling, as cacti; stimulating, as coffee beans; generally seeds.
STONES: Red or fiery, as in jasper; volcanic, as in lava; clear, as in quartz crystal.
MUSICAL INSTRUMENT: Guitar, all stringed instruments, music of a drum, which can give a man courage by letting his blood flow faster through his veins, which helps him in his search for the truth.

CREATURES: Snake, cricket, lizard, praying mantis, ladybug, bee, scorpion, shark. The symbolic animal of Fire is the phoenix, the "Bird of Flames", a legendary immortal beast, which rises again and again from its own ashes, whose eternal flame can never be extinguished.
SEASON: Summer - the time of heat.
TIME: Noon.
MAGICAL TOOL: Knife/Athame.
SENSE: Sight.
NATURAL SYMBOLS: Flame, sun, lava, a heated object.
TYPES OF MAGIC RULES: Candle, storm, time and star.
GODDESSES: Brigit, Pele, Vesta.
GODS: Agni, Hepaetus, Horus, Promtheus, Vulcan.

Ix Chel Mayan Goddess

With all the talk of the Mayan calender at the moment I wanted to look into a goddess of the Mayan people.

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change  invoked the goddess in her opening remarks in Cancun on 29 November 2010, calling her “the goddess of reason, creativity and weaving. May she inspire you — because today, you are gathered in Cancun to weave together the elements of a solid response to climate change, using both reason and creativity as your tools.”

Figueres went on to say: “Excellencies, the goddess Ixchel would probably tell you that a tapestry is the result of the skilful interlacing of many threads. I am convinced that 20 years from now, we will admire the policy tapestry that you have woven together and think back fondly to Cancun and the inspiration of Ixchel.”
Ix Chel pronounced "ee shell", (sometimes spelled Ixchel), may be the greatest of the Mayan goddesses. She is depicted as maiden, mother and crone. Ix Chel is a goddess of waters, of the earth, of the moon, and matron of weavers and artisans. She was known as Lady Rainbow, Mother Earth, Womb, She of the Pale Face and The Cave of Life. She has a role to play in the "2012 arena" as Mother Earth transitions into the '5th Sun' of the Maya Long Count calendar. 

Photo Source http://www.thaliatook.com/AMGG/ixchel.html

Here she is shown in her three aspects left to right Chak Chel The old Moon Goddess called the midwife of creation Ix Chel in her main form as Mother Goddess and weaver who sets the universe in motion and the Young Moon Goddess shown with her totem animal the rabbit.

In her youthful form, she's the goddess of fertility, midwifery, medicine, childbirth, weaving and rainbows. Ix Chel is a moon goddess and, appropriately, her domain in the land of the Maya is the Caribbean coast where a temple built to her is still a destination for pilgrims who visit her island of Cozumel. 

Photo Source http://traveltips.usatoday.com/

Photo Source http:/www.panoramio.com

Mothers and daughters made pilgrimage to her temple on Cozumel, known as the "Island of Women", off the eastern coast of Mexico. At her sacred temple, she was worshipped on the 6th day of the moon with a special ceremony that honoured and celebrated her powers of medicine and magic. 

In her myths, Ix Chel was married, but she came and went as she pleased and had other lovers. When she got fed up with the jealousy of her lovers, she made herself invisible to them and spent her nights assisting women in childbirth. As protector of mothers and children, she is often depicted as a maiden with a rabbit, a symbol of fertility and abundance across the world. 

The Young Moon Goddess may have originally been a different Goddess of the Moon who was later absorbed into Ix Chel's legend. She is often depicted with a rabbit, for the Maya, like the Chinese, saw a rabbit in the markings on the face of the Moon. 

Ix Chel is a great Water Goddess, the consort of the chief God of the Maya pantheon, Votan. Her name means "Lady Rainbow", and She is said to have founded the city of Palenque at the command of the Gods. She is a Weaver Goddess, whose whirling drop spindle is said to be at the center of the motion of the Universe. She has many aspects and titles, such as Ix Kanleom, the "Spider's Web Catching the Morning Dew".

Photo Source http://www.sacredsource.com/ 

Ix Chel is a great Water Goddess, the consort of the chief God of the Maya pantheon, Votan. Her name means "Lady Rainbow", and She is said to have founded the city of Palenque at the command of the Gods. She is a Weaver Goddess, whose whirling drop spindle is said to be at the center of the motion of the Universe. She has many aspects and titles, such as Ix Kanleom, the "Spider's Web Catching the Morning Dew".

In her dark aspects, she is depicted as a crone wearing a skirt with crossed bones carrying a serpent and a jug of water. The serpent assisted her in the role of keeper of the cycles of life and death, keeper of female sexuality, and goddess of magic and medicine. Serpents symbolize regeneration, cycles, and the power of sexuality in magic and medicine. With her jug of water, Ix Chel would pour rainstorms and floods onto the land to destroy, cleanse and make way for rebirth.

Chak Chel, "Great (or Red) Rainbow" is the Goddess who brings about the destruction of the third creation by causing a great flood. By pouring the waters from her jar, she prepared the way for the next age, known in Maya legend as the Fourth Sun. She is shown as an old midwife, for experienced elderly women helped younger women to give birth, and were traditionally caretakers of children. Chak Chel also helped the Maize God to be reborn, and helped in the birth of His own sons. 

During ancestral times, pregnant Maya women would paddle to the island to beseech Ix Chel's blessings for a healthy happy family. Linguistically, Cozumel connects us to the honey bees and the sweetness of fertility. "Mel" is the root word that refers to honey in several languages. The Greek word, "mele" means bee priestess and in Spanish the word 'miel' translates as honey. Indeed, Cozumel was known to be a lush place where the honey bees thrived. Disappearing bees have now captured our attention and the sacred Mayan bees called Melapona are 'characters' in the 2012 drama that we're experiencing. Amazing bees without stingers & their honey is used to cure cataracts! Watch out for wrathful goddesses! Recently, hurricanes in the Yucatan have decimated jungle areas where honey bees always visited flowers to find nectar and pollen.

Isla Mujeres is another place with a Temple of Ix Chel. This beautiful island, lies about 10 miles north east of Cancun  at what is essentially the most eastern tip of Mexico. The island gained its name (English Translation: Island of Women) because the Spanish found a great many carved images of women on the island. These carvings were the product of the Mayan worship of the goddess Ix Chel. The Mayans built a temple to the Goddess Ix Chel at the South-eastern most tip of the island and within this temple they incorporated an observatory. Ix Chel was the Mayan Goddess of the Moon and was closely associated with the sophisicated Mayan astronomical readings taken here and elsewhere. The remnants of the temple are still there. 

Photo Source http://www.cancundays.com

Photo Source http://tripwow.tripadvisor.com

This is the most easterly point in Mexico. One of the reasons it was so important to the Mayans. The temple was also used as a lighthouse, used to guide mayan seafarers through the darkness to the island or help them on their way to nearby ports like Tulum. 

Ix Chel roles within the Mayan structure of divine rites was complicated. As the goddesses of a community she had to change with her people and the evolution of the Mayan culture. She is known as a moon goddess, an agent of fertility and a midwife. She's been a water goddess, which ebbs nicely with esoteric symbolism of childbirth (water being closely associated with the womb, and the birth of a child being symbolic of being born from the cosmic oceans of teeming life). She's also been a healer, a shaman and a female warrior. Deity of Healing & Divination, Patroness of Weaving and Goddess of Earth and Crone of death have all been functions she has performed.

Even though her purpose and functions morphed throughout the Mayan generations, her symbols were relatively resolute in their meanings. For example, the symbolic meaning of serpents (a goddess symbol associated with Ix Chel) remained pretty consistent within the collective understanding of the Mayans. Even if Ix Chel's persona shifted from benevolent mother to intolerant crone...the meaning behind Ix Chel's symbols remain relatively constant. So, where her personality changes, her goddess symbol meanings offer an anchor and thus a guide to her purpose in Mayan culture.

Photo Source http://www.bonanza.com Ix Chel in Chiapas Mexico

The serpent is an undeniable centrepiece in the Mayan's symbolic nobility. As they swallow their prey whole, which is considered big magic, the Mayans saw it as totally transforming a body (snake food) - causing a whole body to disappear completely. The serpent illustrates the potential of metamorphosis. The serpent's mouth is symbolic of a gaping void, or an open cave. Whatever the snake consumes whole, that object enters a vast mystery and will be forever altered by entering the "dark cave" of the serpent's mouth.

Serpents are associated with the sky in Mayan wisdom. In fact, we see countless depictions of snakes with feathered wings in ancient ruins. With their connection with the sky, serpents are divine. In this way, they are also connected with water because rain falls from the skies, and snakes are sky creatures. With these three points, we see themes of: Transformation, Initiation, Divine Communication. 

Therefore the serpent of Ix Chel is a Mayan symbol of complete alteration of the mind, body and spirit. It encourages the adept to take the first step, enter the serpent cave, be consumed and come from the digestive process completely changed. There is also a connection between the initiate and a newborn child. The first breath of new life in this world is further step in transformation - something of which the snake is wholly symbolic. 

Photo Source http://www.womenofgrace.com

Serpents are also associated with the earth according to Mayan wisdom, and therefore reinforces Ix Chel's role as an earth goddess.

Some scholars identify her confidently in certain ruins, holding a rabbit (which is often synonymous with the moon in Mayan symbology). In fact, there are artifacts that could legitimately portray Ix Chel with the moon - but in these portrayals, Ix Chel is a crone. Although the moon is a Mayan symbol of regeneration (birth), it also carries with it themes of withdrawal, shadows, time and mystery. The moon works her powers under the cloak of night, and whatever schemes she works out is a mystery to mankind. 

Invading tribes, failed crops, terminal illnesses - these can easily be attributed to the moon(goddess) and the dark plans she weaves in shadow where no one can see or understand what she's doing, or why. As an old goddess - a hard-lined, fiendish-looking crone - Ix Chel manipulates darker forces which explain the darker events of the Mayan culture. 

In this lunar light, Ixchel is still a transformer (as the moon is a Mayan symbol of transformation too), but she is also a justifier. The moon is symbolic of the unseen aspects of existence, and only an elderly goddess like Ix Chel has the experience and wherewithal to see the shadows of life and manipulate them in a way to restore balance. War, famine, death - these are manifestations of Ix Chel's manipulations "behind the scenes." Ix Chel's crone aspect is also linked with her role as the tapestry-maker. She is weaving consequences behind the scenes because only she can see in the shadow, so only she can adequately connect cause with effect.

Ix Chel is often seen with a pail or a jug, presumably holding water. In her more maiden-like visage, Ix Chel is said to pour out her healing rains upon the land, and extol blessings, insuring abundant provisions to the community. Vessels are also symbolic of the womb, and Ix Chel portrayed with a pitcher would imply her role as midwife and/or doting mother/grandmotherly type to newborns within the community . Water is also a life-giver (insuring survival of the community, continuation of agriculture). Her association with water would lend further credence to Ix Chel's role as a life-bringer, a midwife, and the goddess of childbearing. Water is symbolic of cleansing and healing, which would support Ix Chel's younger (more beautiful) role as a healing deity. 

Photo Source http://archaeology.about.com/od/mayaarchaeology Ix Chel as Young Moon Goddess

Bones crossed in an "x" is Mayan symbol of foreboding. Crossbones are a mortal Mayan symbol calling upon the concept of crossroads, which are considered ominous locations. Bones crossed are symbolic of a juxtaposition between god/man, life/death, dark/light, etc. - there is a "meeting of duality" in this crossed bone gesture. Bones were often left at crossroad sites as a gesture to discard contaminants. Crossbones have been identified as adornments on the Ix Chel's clothing (in some of her renditions). This would imply she could be a sin-eater of sorts. It may also suggest Ix Chel morphed into a warrior goddess at some point in the Mayan culture. She has been seen holding a spear and a shield too. These Mayan symbols along with crossbones might reinforce a vengeful attitude, and would suggest Ix Chel as fully capable of reaping shrewd judgement in times of tribal war.

Mayans were a primarily agricultural group, and so we see rain plays a vital role in their community, beliefs and consciousness. So, anything resembling or having to do with rain will be a remarkably important icon. Clouds were especially revered, and consulted as auguries (namely, seeking optimal agricultural cues). Rainbows would have been very powerful Mayan symbols because they are associated with rain, which is a life-giver. Rainbows were guideposts to the Mayans, and were considered to be oracles of renewal, life and an appeased status among divine moods. This ties in nicely with Ix Chel's function as a divinatory goddess. Further, there were members in the Mayan community with specialized ability to interpret deeper meaning from rainbows. Ix Chel would have been called upon to aid in interpreting a rainbow's portent. This lends creed to Ix Chel's role as a consulted goddess of divination. Or, better said, Ix Chel would have been a gateway into divine knowing. She would have been responsible for sending rainbows to the Mayan people as a symbol of life and renewal. Lastly, as a Mayan symbol of life, the rainbow is a common-sense feature associated with Ix Chel in her role as divine midwife.

The Mayan Symbols of Ix Chel was sourced from http://www.whats-your-sign.com

As an aged woman, Ix Chel is usually portrayed with a serpent headdress, a skirt adorned with crossed bones, and jaguar claws instead of hands. It has been proposed that the two variants correspond to different aspects of the moon: the old Ix Chel is connected with the full moon, and its waning aspect, and the young Ix Chel is connected with the crescent moon.

Dragonflies are shamanically associated with Ix Chel. Did she create a mystical Dragonfly Crop Circle to convey her presence in the '2012 arena'? Interestingly, the date of June '3' 2009 suggests that we had 3 years until 2012. In ancient times, the goddesses were recognized as essential aspects of nature, as integral to Earth as clouds, stars, and flowers. According to the Maya Long Count, we're completing a 5,125 year cycle of time called the '4th Sun'. At the onset of this era, according to archeological evidence, the goddess cultures began to be destroyed. Today, on the cusp of the '5th Sun', certain significant goddesses such as Ix Chel are making themselves known. We are wise to 'feed the holies' as did our ancestors in the times when life was in balance.

Photo Source http://home.earthlink.net

Triple Goddess

The "Maiden, Mother, Crone" goddess triad or Triple Goddess symbolises both separate stages of a females life cycle, the phases of the moon, life - death and rebirth and also earth, underworld and the heavens.

Scholar Marija Gimbuta's theories relating to goddess-centered culture among pre-Indo European "Old Europe" (6500-3500 BCE) have been widely adopted. She had been referred to as the "Grandmother of the Goddess Movement" in the 1990's.

Bringing together archaeological evidence, comparative mythology and folklore, and symbolic interpretations, Gimbutas's work asserts the existence in prehistoric Europe of a widespread culture centered on the Goddess, life giver and sustainer, as well as death-wielder. Through the examination of hundreds of Paleolithic and mostly Neolithic pieces, she traces cross-cultural and cross-chronological symbolic parallels. The central and venerated position of women in the unconscious of early European people.

Gimbutas postulated that in "Old Europe", the Aegean and the Near East, a great Triple Goddess was worshipped, pre-dating what she deemed as a patriarchal religion imported by the Kurgans, nomadic speakers of Indo European languages. Gimbutas interpreted iconography from Neolithic and earlier periods of European history evidence of worship of a triple goddess represented by: "stiff nudes", birds of prey or poisonous snakes interpreted as "death", mother-figures interpreted as symbols of "birth and fertility",
moths, butterflies and bees, or alternatively a symbols such as a frog, hedgehog or bulls head which she interpreted as being the uterus or fetus, as being symbols of "regeneration".

She has published many books if you care to look into her work more closely. A wonderful DVD of her work and studies is "Signs out of Time" and I would highly recommend anyone watch this to gain a better understanding of ancient worship.

Photo Source http://marijagimbutas.com

Temple of the Dark Moon http://www.templedarkmoon.com/tgod.pdf by Frances Billinghurst

Trinities of the Goddess can be found in various cultural mythologies such as the three Norns of the Norse, and both the Moira and Erinnyes which are found in Greek mythologies. According to ancient Irish myth, when the Milesians arrived on the shores of the country they later named Eire, and began to make their way to Tara (the seat of sovereignty), they came across three aspects of the Goddess of Sovereignty - Bandha, Eriu and Fodha. When their poet Amergin promised Eriu that Ireland would bear her name as its first and only name, and she, in turn, declared Ireland to belong the Milesians until the end of time. Even in Hinduism, a specific distinction is made between separate aspects of the Great Goddess, the “MahaDevi”, these being
Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Kali.

Photo Source http://www.templedarkmoon.com/tgod.pdf

In modern Paganism, the Triple Goddess is more often considered to be a personification of the Moon whereby the triplicity corresponds with three of the four Moon phases. The youthful Virgin or Maiden Goddess represents the Waxing phase; the Mother Goddess is the Full Moon; and the Crone (or Hag) represents the Waning phase of the Moon. In this instance, three Goddesses are related under one aspect of the Great Goddess.  For example, the Greek Goddess Artemis is often perceived as the Virginal huntress who is associated with the Waxing Moon, and who rules the Earth.  Selene is the Mother aspect of the Goddess who is associated with the Full Moon and who rules the sky.  Finally completing the triplicity is Hecate, the Crone, who is associated with the Waning and Dark Moon, and rules the Underworld.  It is interesting to note that when these three Greek Goddesses are used in this manner, the Triple Goddess is not only perceived as a Lunar Goddess but also the ruler of the three worlds – the Heavens, Earth and the Underworld.  This aspect is reflected in the Garland of Laurell, a poem by 15th century English poet John Skelton:

“Diana in the leaves green,
Luna that so bright doth sheen,
Persphone in Hell.”

In modern Paganism, one reason for the possible popularity of the Triple Goddess is that She represents all aspects of the female life cycle.  The freedom and independence of youth, the joys and sorrows of motherhood, and the wisdom and independence of old age, which return when we are free of the obligations of family.  Modern society has tended to venerate the young and the beautiful and to neglect and devalue other aspects of womanhood.

The Triple Goddess is often depicted as both sexual and a mother.  These two aspects have been divorced in the nearest Western equivalent to the Goddess, that of the Virgin Mary of the Catholic Church.  This leads to a denigration of the life of the body, which can be damaging for both women and men.  The original meaning of the word “virgin”, however, is not necessarily in a non-sexual sense, but in the sense of not owned.  It is this original meaning that is meant when referring to the Virgin Goddess.

The Mother aspect of the Triple Goddess is represented by the Full Moon, or the Earth. Often this aspect of the Goddess is seen as Gaea (or Gaia), the Earth itself, and is thought of as the Great Mother - the Divine Feminine which gives birth to us, nourishes and sustains us and in which we finally find our rest and rebirth.  This aspect of the Goddess, although suppressed by the Christian Church, persisted throughout the Medieval period amongst scholars and others who were still orientated to the ways of ancient Paganism.  In a 12th century English herbal, for example, the Goddess is hymned as:

Earth, Divine Goddess, Mother Nature,
Who dost generate all things
And bringest forth ever anew the Sun
Which Thou hast given to the nation;
Guardian of sky and sea and of all Gods and powers;
Through thy influence all Nature is hushed and sinks to sleep …
Again, when it pleases Thee,
Thou sendest forth the glad daylight
And nurturest life with Thine eternal surety;
And when the spirit of humankind passes,
To Thee it returns.
Thou indeed art rightly named Great Mother of the Gods;
Victory is Thy Divine name.
Thou art the source of the strength of peoples and Gods;
Without Thee nothing can either be born or made perfect;
Thou art mighty, Queen of the Gods.
Goddess, I adore Thee as Divine,
I invoke Thy name;
Vouchsafe to grant that which I ask of Thee,
So shall I in return give thank to Thy Godhead,
With the faith that is Thy due.

Photo Source Unknown

The last aspect of the Triple Goddess is the Wise Woman, the Crone or Hag, who is the keeper of the Mysteries.  The Crone Goddess symbolises our own inner wisdom, but also the elders who, in a tribal society, were the living repositories of the history and lore of that tribe. Their role was essential to the successful functioning of society and age had an honoured place.

A common error that people often tend to make when first coming across the Triple Goddess is relating human years to the various aspects.  While the Virgin or Maiden aspect of the Goddess is more often than note depicted as a youthful young woman, it does not mean that someone of a more mature age cannot associate with this youthfulness.  It is an increasingly common today to see people over 50 years of age enjoying freedom and life in a way they have never experienced before.  Likewise, with the pressures of modern living and the breakdown of what is deemed the “traditional” family unit, it is not unusual for children
to be stepping into the role of the Mother Goddess by looking after younger siblings. The different aspects of the Triple Goddess can therefore be experienced at whatever age we find ourselves at.

Why does the Triple Goddess have such modern appeal? Through the phases of the Moon, and the cycles of our own lives, we can see three distinct aspects of the Great Goddess. To know her in these different ways allows us a deeper insight into the Divine Feminine as a whole. We may look into Her many faces, and see some that resemble our own.  We may feel her changing rhythms, and know more about our inner changes, from Moon phase to Moon phase, and throughout the course of our years.  Each aspect of the Great Goddess lives within us.  Each brilliant face of the Great Goddess can be seen in the vibrant expressions of Her natural world!

Photo Source http://mentat0209.deviantart.com

The website http://www.mother-god.com/triple-goddess.html explains their understanding of the Triple Goddess.

The Triple Goddess is a term first popularised by the poet and scholar Robert Graves in the 20th century. He depicted the triplicity as Maiden, Mother and Crone, recent archaeology has made it abundantly clear that "Goddess Triplicities" are to be found throughout ancient Europe.

In Hinduism today, the triplicity of the Goddess in Shakta worship is of cardinal importance, and outside the Indo-European world the Triple Goddess is found in Africa and Asia.

While many of us contemplate the single image of Our Mother, there has always been an important Trinitarian aspect to Her worship. Ironically the great Christian theologian, St. Augustine, mocked the pagans for their belief that the Triple Goddess could be One and also Three. After his conversion he found himself defending the masculinised version of the same doctrine!

Actually, the lunar aspect of the Trinity is the Daughter, and the contrast between the Solar Mother and Lunar Daughter is one of the beautiful and powerful aspects of Trinitarian Déanism.

The Mother and the Daughter, or Maiden, are typified by demeter and Persephone. Indeed, the name De-Meter means simply "God [the] Mother" or "Mother God", while Peresphone was most often known by Her devotees as Kore, which means simply "Maiden" or "Daughter".

We understand at least a little about the Mother and Maiden aspects of the Triple Goddess, but what of the so-called "Crone"? The term "crone" does not originally signify an old woman. Indeed most ancient images of the Triple Goddess do not include an old woman. "Crone" comes from Greek cronos, meaning time. Thus the significance of "Crone" is identical to that of Kali, which comes from Sanskrit kala, also meaning time.

The Dark Mother, the third (or first) Person of the Trinity is often seen, from the human perspective, as Time the Destroyer. It is She who in-breathes all the worlds at the end of time, just as it is She who out-breathes them at time's beginning. She is beyond time and space and the whole of manifestation. She is called "dark" because we, as mortal, time- and space-bound creatures cannot really conceive of Her.

She is sometimes depicted as a very old woman (signifying Her association - from the human perspective - with Time and Death). She is sometimes depicted simply as one of a Triple Goddess group (signifying the triune nature of the Goddess). In truth, however, She is beyond Name and Form.

The Mother and the Dark Mother are, in Sanskrit terminology, saguna brahman and nirguna brahman - God with Form and God beyond all Form.

Photo Source http://lightgrid.ning.com

While the Déanic Trinity is often, and rightly, compared to the Christian Trinity, a comparison that is in many respects more helpful is with the Hindu Trimurti. As with the Trimurti, the three Persons of Goddess are respectively the Creatrix, Preserver and Destroyer of the worlds. This truth is also reflected in such triple figures as the three Fates, Greek Moirae or Teutonic Norns, who are respectively the Spinner (creatrix), Weaver (Preserver) and Cutter (Destroyer) of the Thread of Life. This is in fact a relatively microcosmic reflection of the macrocosmic reality of the Holy Trinity.

God the Mother as Creatrix is a familiar truth. It is She Who has brought all things into being and Who is the Mother of All. When, at the dawn of time, souls became separate from Goddess, ceasing to live in perfect union and bliss with Her, it is said that the Light of the Solar Mother became "too bright for us to look upon".

It was then that the Mother gave birth to a Daughter that was one with Her and yet apart from Her, so that the Daughter could take the Light of Goddess into those places where the Goddess was not.

Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun in a gentler radiance, so the Daughter reflected the Mother's Light with a radiance that mortal beings can look upon.

However, there is also a Cosmic function performed by the Daughter: for if the universe were ever truly separated from the Mother, Who is its Creatrix and sole Source of being, it would instantly cease to exist. Thus the Daughter, in mediating the Mother to the created world, is the Preserver of its very existence.

Yet the world must end eventually, and the Dark Mother is called the Destroyer. This understanding of her, however is from the worldly perspective. She is the First Cause of all things and will be their Final End.

Photo Source  http://lightgrid.ning.com

She is described as "Dark beyond the Light and Light beyond the Darkness". This means that she is the Dark that lies behind the Light of the Bright Mother, yet she is also the Light that lies beyond Her Own apparent darkness.

Just as, in Buddhism, Nirvana is confused with extinction (and from the mortal perspective is extinction), and yet is in fact the final bliss and liberation, so the "destruction of the world" is also its redemption; and the Daughter's vow to save all beings "even to the last blade of grass", will, in its fulfilment also be the in-breathing of the Dark Mother. So the Great Wheel of Creation comes full circle.

If this is hard to understand, please do not worry. Certain things are hard to understand from our human perspective, and have only been fully realised by a few great saints and sages among our fore mothers.

For most of us, the love of our dear mother is sufficient to carry us through this life. The sweet lunar light of the Daughter and the healing touch of Her gentle Spirit are our guide through earthly existence and through the worlds to come.

Nonetheless, the knowledge of the Trinity adds a fullness to our knowledge of the Goddess. Behind the often confused image of the Triple Goddess that one may glean from some modern sources lies a profound and beautiful Truth, that is indeed the very Secret of the Universe:

Things in Threes - Triquetra Symbol

I have always been fascinated how many of things we come into contact with on a daily basis come in threes or have connections to the number three.

Just to start off -

• Earth is the third planet in the solar system.
• Atoms consist of three constituents protons, neutrons and electrons.
• White light is a mixture of the three primary colours red, green and blue. 
• Family Mother, Father & Child - Trinity Father, Son & Holy Spirit - Triple Goddess Maiden, Mother & Crone
• Past Present & Future
• Mind Body & Spirit
• Power Wisdom & Love
• Several cities are known as Tripoli from the Greek for three cities.
• Counting to three is common eg if you are angry to calm down, if a group want to do something together they count to 3.
• In music there are three notes in a triad which is the basic form to any chord.
• Three repetitions of a rhythmic pattern is called a tihai in Indian classical music.
• It is considered lucky to have things happen in threes.
• There are three words in motto's eg united we stand and love thy neighbour
• Three are three books in a trilogy
• Macbeth had three witches
• The game Paper Rock Scissors has three items.
• Triathlons have three components swimming, bicycling and running
• The human ear has three canals and the inner ear has three ossicles.
• World religion contains triple deities or concepts - Christian Holy Trinity, Triple Goddess in Wicca, Three Pure Ones in Taoism, Three Jewels in Buddhism, Tridevi in Hindu (Great Trinity Goddesses Saravati, Lakshmi and Parvati) Trimurti in Hindu (Great Trinity as Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara) 
• Triangle - three sides when pointing up affirming masculine energies and when pointing down affirming female energies.

• 
  Three is the largest number written with as many lines as it is a number. The ancient Romans use to write four as IIII but this was replaced by IV.
  

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org

Triquetra originally meant "triangle" and was used to refer to various three-cornered shapes. Nowadays, it has come to refer exclusively to a particular more complicated shape formed of three vesicae piscis, sometimes with an added circle in or around it. This has been used as a religious symbol of things and persons that are threefold.

The triquetra has been found on runestones in Northern Europe and on early Germanic coins. It presumably had pagan religious meaning and it bears a resemblance to the Valknut, a symbol associated with Odin.

It is also found on Celtic crosses and slabs from the early Christian period. The fact that the triquetra rarely stood alone in medieval Celtic art has cast reasonable doubt on its use as a primary symbol of belief. In manuscripts it was used primarily as a space filler or ornament in much more complex compositions, and in knotwork panels it is a design motif integrated with other design elements. Celtic art lives on as both a living folk art tradition and through several revivals. This widely recognized knot has been used as a singular symbol for the past two centuries by Celtic Christians, Pagans and agnostics as a sign of special things and persons that are threefold.

Christians believe that the three points represent the three elements of the trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (or Holy Ghost). Pagans, which are basically modern offshoots of the original Celts/Druids, take a more tellurium approach to the symbolism, seeing it as a representation of the natural forces: earth, air, and water. On a more spiritual level, it has also been known to symbolize life, death, and rebirth. There are also several other meanings that basically boil down to one thing: three separate entities that are inter-connected.

Sometimes, the traditional triquetra symbol is accompanied by a circle. The circle, in many belief systems, is a symbol of eternity. Whether it is the eternity of God's love or the eternal circle of life itself, the circle adds even more weight to the significance of the triquetra.

Photo Source http://www.zazzle.com.au

The Funbo runestones constitute a group of four runestones originally from Funbo in the province of Uppland, Sweden which were raised by members of the same family during the eleventh century.  Chronologically U 999 is the oldest inscription and is followed by U 990 and then the two stones U 937 and U 991.

Runestone U 999 has text within a band that ends in a serpent head and was raised by Haursi and his brother after their father. This granite stone is 1.65 meters in height and is considered to have the oldest inscription of the four runestones from Funbo.

English translation Haursi and Ketill raised these stones in memory of Þegn , their father; in memory of the good husbandman of Funnir/Fúnir

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org

Runestone U 991, which is composed of granite and is 1.5 meters in height, consists of runic text within a serpent that circles a central beast. Although having different imagery, it contains the same message in its inscription as U 937. Because they have the same message, it has been suggested that they once formed part of a coupled memorial at the same site to the deceased brother Veðr. These are considered to be the most recent of the four Funbo inscriptions and, although unsigned, are attributed to the runemaster Fot. 

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org

Runestone U 990 has its runic text within a serpent that circles a central Christian cross. It remains in its original location in Funbo. It is composed of granite and is 1.5 meters in height. Characterized by runic bands that end with animal heads when seen from above.

English translation Veðr and Thane and Gunnar raised this stone after Haursi, their father. God help his soul.

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org

Found in Uppsala in 1875 in the walls of a Francisan Monastery between the streets of St. Persgatan and Klostergatan, and is currently located at a park in Uppsala University is the runestone U937. The fact that its inscription mentions names from the same family as the runestones of Funbo, shows that it was formerly part of the same group. Like many other runestones, it had been used as construction material at a time when the historical significance of the stones was not understood. This runestone has slim and stylized animals that are interwoven into tight patterns. The animals heads are typically seen in profile with slender almond-shaped eyes and upwardly curled appendages on the noses and the necks. On this stone the runic text lies within a serpent that circles a triquetra, which would have been considered a high status motif.

Because the runic text of runestones U 937 and U 991 have the same message, it has been suggested that they were once at the same site and formed a coupled memorial to the deceased brother Veðr. They are considered to be the most recent of the four Funbo inscriptions and, although unsigned, are considered to be the work of the runemaster Fot. 

English translation Thane and Gunnar raised this stone after Veðr, their brother.

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org

As seen in the above runestone the triquetra symbol is drawn differently the common symbol of earth, wind, and sky in the worship of druidic goddesses.

Vodicka Triquetra 

A triad, in simplest terms, is defined as a "group of three". The first of plane figures in Sacred Geometry and one of the most significant. Considered to be the most stable of forms. The number three represents equilibrium. It is represented by the sacred triangle, the first shape to have a beginning, middle, and an end. The triad represents time as it is the past, present and future. Three also represents creation, for it symbolic of the monad, the Divine Father, and the duad, the Great Mother, and out of the two, the world was created. In this aspect, three represents the soul of man.

The triangle is the archetype symbol of a sacred enclosure, since space cannot be bounded by fewer than three lines. The triangle is thus conceived as the first closed figure to emerge when creation emerged from chaos. In this aspect it is known as the root of all manifested nature. The rhythm of creation is crystallized in this primal form. Tantra calls the triangle the cone of fire, a reference to its shape. This is the fire of aspiration which is ever burning in the heart of the spiritual seeker.

Triangle is triune nature of the Universe – earth, sky and human. Triangle is one of the most powerful and universal symbols. Triangle inside a circle means triune, the world of forms, enclosed in eternity circle. Swastika inside triangle symbolizes cosmic harmony. Three triangles of rays form represent an ancient form of World Triple Light.

In various ancient cultures great importance attached to this form. In antiquity times with triangle associated origin of Milky Way and three stars - Deneb, Vega and Altair, which forming triangle shape on the sky. Chaldean religion equilateral triangle symbolizes the light of life. At Pythagoras school the same form means light, symbol of health and wisdom. Ancient Egypt triangle was a symbol of beautiful and fertile land. In Hinduism, point-down triangle representing the symbol of female energy (Shakti). Shakti principle connected with water and underground kingdom power. The point upwards triangle was male energy principle (Shiva). Shiva symbolizes fire and celestial power. Combining two triangles together will form 6 ultimate star which means unification of male and female principle (Shiva - Shakti), the victory of spirit over matter. In ancient Europe point upwards triangle meant tongue of flame and male fire. Point down triangle meant water that go down from the mountain tops to the earth.

One of the most common uses we see of the triangle is a pyramid which is the circle, squared off. All of its sides are triangles for the most stable of forms. The stress is spread out in an almost circular fashion. In esoteric terms, it means the way of mind, body and spirit, as one unit. Three dimensions in action, thought, the body that houses it, and the spirit that moves it.

Photo Source http://www.examiner.com - The Merkaba

The Merkaba is a geometrically precise field that is formed from the pattern of the first eight cells of the fertilized zygote. The location of these eight cells is in the geometrical center of the human body in the base or root chakra. The eight cells also provide the center point for all of the energy fields and grids that surround the body. Thus, the Merkaba field is the matrix of creation.

The Merkaba, the first of many geo forms that make up the body is one of the things that allow us to astral project. Your Light body as its called, is a grid work of light and geometry that brings together your physical, mental and spiritual being. This body radiates light energy and electromagnetically links your multidimensional self with the infinite universe. It connects you to your encoded data through high electrical currents that assist you in translating and manifesting your hidden talents and soul purpose. As you activate, build and integrate your Light body, you reorganize your molecular structure, allowing your body to be less dense and more free to express itself with the source of the universe."

Another thing that I have always done is have my past business name and now this blog name as an aliteration of three words. I don't really know why I am so drawn to use these types of titles other than I think they are very catchy and will be remembered.

Just for fun I put the blog name Gratitude Grace Growth into the following website, specialising in calculating business names, which gives a numerological reading (The insights that numerology can give us is just amazing) of the name and here is what it said.
http://www.numberquest.com/knowledge_free_numerology_calculator_word.php

Expression: 104 / 5 

You use life changes like rungs on a ladder. Growth, variety, beginnings and endings are constant elements in your life. You are able to let go of anything or anyone in order to further your growth. Because of this ability, coupled with a talent for translating new ideas into logical, useful explanations, you would make a great teacher and/or writer. Travel is something you are made for, even if only through your mind.

Soul Urge: 30 / 3 
Your urge is to bring hope, joy and beauty to all you meet. You feel the best when you are in beautiful and comfortable surroundings. You have a creative essence and use your inspiration and imagination to make others happy. You enjoy attention and admiration, and you desire recognition for your talents.

Personality: 74 / 11 / 2 
You have a very neat, composed appearance to the outside world. Peaceful and unobtrusive, you are the one people go to for companionship and harmony. You seem to have a quiet, non-judgmental wisdom which attracts those needing advise and an objective point of view. Your ability to see both sides of a situation makes you appear indecisive.


This is what it said about my old business name Simply Stylish Stamping

Expression: 98 / 17 / 8 

Business, power and money are in your blood. You are the steadfast executive who attains their goals through hard work, amazing courage and untiring determination. People elect you to lead them because of your aura of control and confidence. You like things BIG, and secretly, you like them lavish. Physical strength and stamina make you a likely sports enthusiast as well. Your expression will most likely find you financially supporting others in some way.

Soul Urge: 42 / 6 
Love, giving it and getting it is your main concern. You are drawn to people and situations that allow you to express your ability to harmonize, heal and sympathize. Family relationships take up much of your attention as you always like to know what's going on, and you are good at resolving conflict. Beauty and the arts or decorating are also ways that you may express yourself.

Personality: 56 / 11 / 2 
You have a very neat, composed appearance to the outside world. Peaceful and unobtrusive, you are the one people go to for companionship and harmony. You seem to have a quiet, non-judgmental wisdom which attracts those needing advise and an objective point of view. Your ability to see both sides of a situation makes you appear indecisive.

In my next blog I will continue on the theme of three and discuss the Triple Goddess so keep posted.

Gratitude Day 21 Embedding New Habits

Today is the 21st day of my 21 Day Gratitude Challenge and I have so enjoyed completing the challenge but also writing a blog. I am amazed at how much clearer your thinking is when you put it down in words that you know others will read. Also at the depth at which you learn when you are the teller of tales/guide rather than the student/listener. The benefits of completing this challenge have been far greater than I had anticipated when starting out with the blog as a new concept. So I am deeply grateful for this and proud of myself for taking the steps necessary to stretch my boundaries of what I am comfortable doing.

Photo Source Path to Truth

They say it takes 3 weeks to change a habit or form one, and I have been again surprised at how true this is, at first I had to try and remember to do the blog however now it is almost as natural as thinking of what I will have for lunch. It is just a part of my daily routine.

There are numerous ways to create a habit or change one but one of the first steps would be commitment, you need to be genuinely commitment to the task and authentic in your intention. You have to want to do this for yourself not to please somebody else. Focusing on what you want is also pivotal to your success so think, speak and act as though it has already taken place, a rule of manifesting. 

For me making the challenge into a blog gave me the added incentive that I would be accountable for my daily commitment to any readers that were following the blog. If we fall short of our intended commitment being king and gentle on ourselves as we would be to others is the next step. Instead of beating ourselves up for not doing something we could focus this energy into completing the commitment the next day with a new fresh vigour. Just keep stepping forward and over time your commitment to your new habit will have paid off and you will be doing it without thinking.

Photo Source Path to Truth

I am going to keep writing this blog because I have enjoyed it so much and also as I said earlier as I am learning so much about myself. It will be on varying topics and may not be a daily post however I will be adding to the blog regularly. As my commitment to myself to keep learning and growing on my journey though this life.

Please keep reading the blog and make sure you add a comment to let me know that you are there and we can journey together along this path of life.

Gratitude Day 20 Transport

Today as I am about to head off to my regular Monday morning group, I am very grateful for my motor car. The freedom I have to participate in any activity I choose with the ease of getting there with my car, is something that I truly appreciate. I could still attend these things on public transport however this would not be at the freedom of a quick decision like speaking with someone on face book and deciding to have coffee. Your activities if you use public transport would have to be planned to fit with timetables and bus routes etc. I have so much more time in my day to attend to other things because of my car. Going to the nursing home is a 20 minute drive each way however this would be much longer involving two buses if I had to reply on public transport and would almost consumer my entire day to visit for 1 1/2 hours.

My wonderful car of freedom - I can do anything with her

It is no secret that cars have played a tremendous part in the development of the world? A review of the history of automobiles and its production advances will give us a window into this marvellous machine. The automobile as we know it was not invented in a single day by a single inventor. The history of the automobile reflects an evolution that took place worldwide. It is estimated that over 100,000 patents created the modern automobile.

Many believe that the concept of the car formed years before Henry Ford was born. One of the earliest car plans was attributed to Ferdinand Verbiest in the late 1600?s and then again to Leonty Shamshurenkov in the mid 1700?s. These versions were only remotely akin to the vehicles we know now. These early auto pioneers used engines powered by steam with one version using a human propelled rolling machine. The car was truly in its infancy if not in utero. Later, in 1801, Richard Trevithick invented a steam-powered road car called the Puffing Devil.

Photo Source http://inventors.about.com - 1771 Steam Powered Car

Cars were now on their way to becoming a tool of the masses. Karl Benz is probably the person most responsible for the automobile as we know it. In 1885, he built his first Motorwagen.

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org - Motorwagen

The ability to manufacturer large quantities of cars produced on an assembly line was first introduced by Ransom Olds at his Oldsmobile factory in 1902.

Photo Source http://inventors.about.com

By 1914 Henry Ford was taking Olds original production patterns and vastly expanding on them. Working on very specialized tasks in a safe and fair environment allowed Ford's workers to pave the way for automobile building success. As the efficiencies of cars began to accumulate in the United States the rest of the world started to take notice.

Photo Source http://en.wikipedia.org - 1927 Ford Model T

Now that the automobile had the world's attention, Citroen, in 1921, became the first European factory to take up the assembly line method of manufacturing. With the innovation of electric ignitions, electric self starters, independent suspension and four-wheel brakes, it was now possible for cars to be in the hands of people of more modest means than ever before.

We can at least gain some insight as to how life changing the invention of the automobile really was and how much it deserves worldwide respect and appreciation. Cars are lovely, useful machines. After seeing the above pictures you can really appreciate our totally sealed car with air conditioning to make our journey so much more comfortable than being open to elements as they once were.