(After Hera's first appearance at Denia)
One of my general rules, I don't believe in coincidences.
Now, many of my dealings with the Gods in the past centered around Athena, for
good reason, and I think that her influence can be seen rather easily in many
things around here. Hera on the other hand...
ahem....
Not going to get into those tales just yet.
Anyway, back to the story...
I changed the Den homepage pic to the latest model interpritation of Hera. I'm
all for various images of the Gods and Goddesses. I think that the essence and
influence of the Gods can by invoked through any image that stirs something
inside you. You get that feeling for a good reason. It's a divine interpritation
of different strokes for different folks. And anyone who reads the old tales
knows full well that they will appear as damn near anything they want to appear
as. (Usually to screw with your head...but that's just my oppinion...)
Now to the oddity....
Yesterday, I found a single short peacock feather in the fountain at the center
of my garden.
My personal teachings tell me that feathers in general are normally a message.
Telling me something or letting me know that I need to pay attention ect. But
those are your average feather. The common type you would expect from local
messanger birds.
A peacock is NOT a local bird.
No where near local, not even as a pet, anywhere near here.
So, what was it doing in my garden and how did it end up there?
The garden proper where the fountain is is not a place frequented by anyone but
me. Most visitors get run out of there.
At any rate, I took the feather and put it in a small vase on my alter. The
"eye" on a peacock feather has always made me feel uneasy for some reason. Kind
of that excited/fear feeling. Also one that makes my defiant nature come out.
So...until I find out what she wants with me this time, the feather will stay
where it's at. It's probably going to be a key to an adventure I don't feel much
like having. But probably wont have a choice in the matter. I'll keep ya
updated. Once the key is turned and whatever door the feather is ment to open
opens, I'll place the feather in the trunk of all the other things that have
seemingly appeaered out of no where over the years and led me this way or that
along with a note that includes the date and story behind the "artifact". Then
I'll close the trunk and wait until I have grandkids to open it up, take all
that stuff out, and have proof that once upon a time grandpa had some
adventures. Not a bad practice hu?
Until then, for Hera's benefit...here's some general info:
Hera has three symbols which can be connected with her three ancient phases. The
first of these is the cuckoo, a bird in many places connected with springtime.
Later myths frequently mentioned that Hera had a tender spot for the cuckoo. At
Mycene, a Creatan colony, on the Greek mainland, miniature temples mounted with
cuckoos have been found buried in the rubble along with statuettes of a naked
goddess holding the same birds on her arms. As Hera's worship goes back to that
period, these statutes may represent her most ancient worship.
Another symbol of Hera is the peacock. Hera's watchfulness is symbolized by the
peacock and the 'eyes' in its feathers. The bird was a sacred symbol of Hera and
wandered the in temples of Hera. In addition, the peacock is often associated
with summer and therefore this may symbolized Hera's second phase, the mature
woman, the mother phase.
The third symbol for Hera is the pomegranate which she shares with Persephone.
She is often depicted holding the pomegranate but there is no reference in her
myths to its significant. Ripening late in the year, the leathery-skinned
pomegranate, so full of juicy seeds, is a marvelous image for a woman in her
late years, her crone years. The deep red juice of this fruit was often likened
to blood and in some areas of Greece, was designated as food for the dead,
heightening this connection to her crone phase.
Others symbols for Hera include lilies and cows. In ancient Greece at Hera's
temple in Argos, her priestesses gathered lilies of the valley and garlanded her
alter with them. The lily is a powerful symbol of the feminine and can be given
as an offering to honor the goddess and to invoke her presence. The cow, a less
frequent symbol of Hera, was associated with her because she was said to have
cow eyes, and disguised herself as a cow in one myth. Also cows were often
sacrificed to her. Hera's cow identity shows her to be a heavenly goddess ruling
the celestial vault and its luminaries.
Another symbol with Hera is the apple. At Her forced marriage to Zeus, Hera was
given a special magic garden in the West where she kept Her apples of
immortality. This magical garden was called the Hesperides, probably a symbol of
Her regenerating womb; Her apples were guarded by Her sacred serpent.
