The Faces Of The Goddess

Discover the Guiding Goddesses in Your Birth Chart and Ignite Your Authenticity, Passion, and Purpose Did you know that astrology and magick are woven from the same threads? The more you learn about one, the more you'll intuitively understand about the other. This inspiring, hands-on guide shows you how to connect with the twelve faces of the Goddess through astrology, story, ritual, and pathworking. Explore cross-cultural myths associated with each goddess, delve into astrology from a groundbreaking feminine perspective, and discover the personality, archetype, and correspondences of each zodiac sign to unlock a deeper understanding of yourself as the heroine of your story. Work with the specific guiding goddesses in your birth chart, learn how astrology is connected to the seasonal turning points on the Wheel of the Year, and much more. The Twelve Faces of the Goddess is a reminder that connecting with the sacred feminine is an empowering and radical act that can guide you on your journey. Praise: "Join [Danielle Blackwood] at that moonlit crossroads where magick and the sacred feminine intersect with astrology...Let The Twelve Faces of the Goddess be a lantern for you."—Steven Forrest, author of The Inner Sky "This beautiful perspective on the stars and our relationship to them is uplifting and inspiring, enlightening and intriguing."—Spirituality Today, 5-star review "An inspiring exploration of the archetypal interconnections between astrology, ritual, and the divine feminine."—Kris Waldherr, bestselling author of The Book of Goddesses and creator of The Goddess Tarot "Danielle has beautifully woven a book that everyone can use to enhance their journey into the feminine and the mysteries on many levels. Though it is about the goddesses and the feminine found in the archetypes of astrology, mythology, ritual and the magical, it is not a book for women only. It is a book for all on the seeking path—to the realms of their own inner space; all the types are familiar to us, but now we have the language."—Erin Sullivan, author, astrologer, and teacher "A refreshing look at astrology from the perspective of the divine feminine. The topic of astrology is often intimidating to learn, but Blackwood presents information about the signs and how to use the magick and power of the goddesses connected to them in an easy-to-understand and relatable way...this is a must-read."—Stephanie Woodfield, author of Dark Goddess Craft "This beautifully written book is a thoroughly uplifting, as well as informative, read and now has a place at the top of my list of favorite astrology books."—Lisa Tenzin-Dolma, author of The Planetary Myths and Take Control with Astrology "Looking for a book that seamlessly weaves Goddess spirituality, archetypal psychology, and astrology together into a tapestry of love, magic, and (surprise!) real-world wisdom? The Twelve Faces of the Goddess by Danielle Blackwood is the book you are looking for."—Anne Newkirk Niven, editor of SageWoman

Indeed, human motherhood was held in such low esteem that Eskimo women were forced to give birth completely alone, with no human companionship and no helpful deities of childbirth. Likewise, while various Mexican goddesses ruled over healing, women's crafts, motherhood, and childbirth, and functioned as tribal protectors or divine ancestors, none of them either embodied the earth itself or granted fertility to the crops: for that the Mexicans looked to the male gods of maize and of rain. Nor were the rituals of these goddesses nurturing or peaceful.

The belief that the earliest humans worshipped a sovereign, nurturing, maternal earth goddess is a popular one. It has been taken up as fact by the media, who routinely depict modern goddess-worshippers as "reviving" the ancient religions of our ancestors. Feminist scholars contend that, in the primordial religions, the Great Mother was honored as the primary, creative force, giving birth to the world, granting fertility to both crops and humans, and ruling supreme over her family pantheon. The peaceful, matriarchal farming societies that worshipped her were eventually wiped out or subjugated by nomadic, patriarchal warrior tribes such as the early Hebrews, who brought their male God to overthrow the Great Mother: the first step in the creation and perpetuation of a brutal, male-dominated society and its attendant oppression and degradation of women. In The Faces of the Goddess, Lotte Motz sets out to test this hypothesis by examining the real female deities of early human cultures. She finds no trace of the Great Mother in their myths or in their worship. From the Eskimos of the arctic wasteland, whose harsh life even today most closely mirrors the earliest hunter gatherers, to the rich cultures of the sunny Fertile Crescent and the islands of Japan, Motz looks at a wide range of goddesses who are called Mother, or who give birth in their myths. She finds that these goddesses have varying origins as ancestor deities, animal protectors, and other divinities, rather than stemming from a common Mother Goddess archetype. For instance, Sedna, the powerful goddess whose chopped-off fingers became the seals and fish that were the Eskimos' chief source of food, had nothing to do with human fertility. Indeed, human motherhood was held in such low esteem that Eskimo women were forced to give birth completely alone, with no human companionship and no helpful deities of childbirth. Likewise, while various Mexican goddesses ruled over healing, women's crafts, motherhood and childbirth, and functioned as tribal protectors or divine ancestors, none of them either embodied the earth itself or granted fertility to the crops: for that the Mexicans looked to the male gods of maize and of rain. Nor were the rituals of these goddesses nurturing or peaceful. The goddess Cihuacoatl, who nurtured the creator god Quetzalcoatl and helped him create humanity, was worshipped with human sacrifices who were pushed into a fire, removed while still alive, and their hearts were cut out. And Motz closely examines the Anatolian goddess Cybele, the "Magna Mater" most often cited as an example of a powerful mother goddess. Hers were the last of the great pagan mysteries of the Mediterranean civilizations to fall before Christianity. But Cybele herself never gives birth, nor does she concern herself with aiding women in childbirth or childrearing. She is not herself a mother, and the male character figuring most prominently in her myths is Attis, her chaste companion. Tellingly, Cybele's priests dedicate themselves to her by castrating themselves, thus mimicking Attis's death--a very odd way to venerate a goddess of fertility. To depict these earlier goddesses as peaceful and nurturing mothers, as is often done, is to deny them their own complex and sophisticated nature as beings who were often violent and vengeful, delighting in sacrifice, or who reveled in their eroticism and were worshipped as harlots. The idea of a nurturing Mother Goddess is very powerful. In this challenging book, however, Motz shows that She is a product of our own age, not of earlier ones. By discarding this simplistic and worn-out paradigm, we can open the door to a new way of thinking about feminine spirituality and religious experience.

The Constant and Changing Faces of the Goddess: Goddess Traditions of Asia contains essays written by established scholars in the field that trace the multiplicity of Asian goddesses: their continuities, discontinuities, and importance as symbols of wisdom, power, transformation, compassion, destruction, and creation. The essays demonstrate that while treatments of the goddess may vary regionally, culturally, and historically, it is possible to note some consistencies in the overall picture of the goddess in Asia. The book provides a comprehensive treatment of the goddess, culminating in the selections that draw from research on Indian, Nepali, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese traditions, seldom found in other works of similar subject. The volume will be useful for students in religious studies, gender studies, Asian studies, and women's studies. With the intent of making the volume truly broad in scope, an effort has been made to include works written by art historians, sociologists, anthropologists, and religious studies scholars. Culture cannot be separated from religion; they are intertwined as an organic whole, and variations manifest themselves in the rituals and daily lives of the people. In this sense, all the essays are interconnected: the goddess manifests in many forms and appeals to differing aspects of a particular culture as a paradigm of the divine feminine.

There are a multitude of female figures represented in the art of the ancient Near East and it has often been proved difficult to differentiate them. This study presents a collection of visual source material on godesses from Egypt, Ugarit, Syria and Palestine from c,1500 to 1000 BC. An introduction to the subject and previous research precedes a discussion of iconographic types (armed, seated, standing, equestrian and named women holding objects) and media (including reliefs, seals and amulets, bronze figurines, ivories and ostraca). Cornelius devises a typology of attributes for the goddess Anat, Astarte, Qedeshet and Asherah in order to define their individual qualities and provide a means by which these goddesses can be differentiated. Includes a large descriptive catalogue.

"...What is the Fourth Face of the Goddess? She is the Dark Moon, the opposite of the Full Moon...She is the hidden face. She shows us the darkest pieces of ourselves... In Her peaceful night, we can pull these out unafraid...May She bless and keep us all..."So begins this book of original poetry. Stories about Nature, Goddesses and Gods, and adventures in timeless realms of fantasy mingle with Haiku of the Tarot's major arcana. Words that delve deep into the human heart and its quest for peace are illustrated with works of original art, and a wealth of photographs. Written by a Wiccan priestess and witch, this will speak to those familiar with that path, but also illuminates the teachings and legends of Wicca for every reader. Poems about the eight high holidays of pagan tradition and meditations on the Quarters are included, and selections taken from the author's CD of words and music "Never Again the Burning."

The first exhaustive collection of goddess mythologies from India. •Explores the evolution of goddess worship in India over 4,000 years. •Stunning color photographs illustrate many stories of goddess lore never before available in one collection. In India it is said that there is a goddess in every village, a nymph in every lake. Demonesses stand guard on village frontiers, ogresses howl on crossroads, and untamed forests resound with the laughter of celestial virgins. It is a land of mysterious Apsaras and seductive Yakshinis, of terrifying Dakinis and wise Yoginis--each with a story to tell. In this wide-reaching exploration of ancient Hindu lore and legends, author Devdutt Pattanaik discovers how earth, women and goddesses have been perceived over 4,000 years. Some of the tales recounted are revered classics, others are common and folklorish, often held in disdain by priests. Until now, most have remained hidden, isolated in distant hamlets or languishing in forgotten libraries, overwhelmed by the din of masculine sagas. As the tales come to light through word and stunning color imagery, the author identifies the five faces given to the eternal feminine as man sought to unlock the mysteries of life: the female half of existence is at first identified with Nature, gradually deified and eventually objectified. She comes to be seen as the primal mother, fountainhead of life and nurturance. The all-giving mother then transforms into the dancing nymph, a seductress offering worldly pleasures that bind man in the cycle of life. As this nymph is domesticated, the dominant image of woman becomes the chaste wife with miraculous powers. Finally the submissive consort redefines herself as the wild and terrifying goddess who does battle, drinks blood, and demands appeasement. Exploring mysteries of gender and biology, and shedding light on the roots of taboos and traditions practiced in India today, the author shows how the image of the Mother Goddess can be both worshipped and feared when she carries the face of mortal woman.

For as long as we have sought god, we have found the goddess. Ruling over the imaginations of humankind’s earliest agricultural civilizations, she played a critical spiritual role as a keeper of nature’s fertile powers and an assurance of the next sustaining harvest. In The Goddess, David Leeming and Christopher Fee take us all the way back into prehistory, tracing the goddess across vast spans of time to tell the epic story of the transformation of belief and what it says about who we are. Leeming and Fee use the goddess to gaze into the lives and souls of the people who worshipped her. They chart the development of traditional Western gender roles through an understanding of the transformation of concepts of the Goddess from her earliest roots in India and Iran to her more familiar faces in Ireland and Iceland. They examine the subordination of the goddess to the god as human civilizations became mobile and began to look upon masculine deities for assurances of survival in movement and battle. And they show how, despite this history, the goddess has remained alive in our spiritual imaginations, in figures such as the Christian Virgin Mother and, in contemporary times, the new-age resurrection of figures such as Gaia. The Goddess explores this central aspect of ancient spiritual thought as a window into human history and the deepest roots of our beliefs.