Recently we touched on the topic of deity a bit and I was surprised at the
number of people who seem to know very little or have, at best, a distant
relationship with the Gods and Goddesses that may or may not guide them on their
way. Some people claim to have a connection with deity but don't even have a
name for them. Which is either sever laziness, lack of any real connection, or
some sort of desert period/lost issue. One even claims not to have any
connection at all. Which will forever lead us to wonder why they are so
interested in a spiritual group of people such as the Denians.
Self-confidence aside and we're back on topic.
The Gods.
We could keep breaking them down into their masculine and feminine counter
labels but I don't really care and neither do they really. Goddesses never had
the need for a feminist movement. And so we carry on.
Unlike the diluted and distant points of view of many I have an intense and very
personal relationship with a particular deity and always have. Same one all the
way through my entire tale with little to no interest in any other save one. And
the second is more like a messenger for the primary.
By reflection and all things Denian, Athena would be the best candidate for any
deity wanting to claim a place overlooking the Den. Being the warrior goddess of
wisdom she is a fitting patron and a good friend of mine. But Athena isn't the
driving force behind most of what happens in my life or the following
reflections in the Den. Hera is.
Most of the odd things that I know come from her. Most notably my point of view
on the cross-naming of the Gods, levels of disrespect, and what happens to those
people foolish enough to piss one of them off. But I also learn other things on
our relationship. Some important and others are just the every day ramblings of
any bitchy woman.
Hera is most often referred to as the Goddess of women and marriage. Thank you
feminist reconstructions of the ever fluffy wiccan bowel movement and uneducated
wanna-be historians. Hera was never a patron goddess of marriage until AFTER she
married Zeus. And man who she, to this day, hates with a passion. Hera will
NEVER love Zeus. And for good reason.
Hera is a mother goddess. One who enjoys her own gardens, harvests, and all
things earthy. And by earth I mean dirt. Hera took on may of the
responsibilities of Gaia when the titans fell during the war and took control of
many of the creatures and beasts who were also left to wonder without a master.
She became associated with the sky only after Zeus suspended her from it by
golden chains after she betrayed him the first time. But the punishment was not
the chains themselves but the suspension above the earth that she loves. Unable
to touch the earth for only a brief time can throw many things out of cycle.
Including the fate of those who are empowered by Hera's life force through their
connection with the earth.
Other personal references for the goddess boarder on the stupid. Hera's eyes are
not black as they are referred to in poetic notions of her being a "cow-eyed"
goddess. Her eyes are grey and turn dark only when she is extremely angry. When
content or offering a blessing they tend to get a few shades lighter and boarder
on light itself. They "cow-eyed" reference came from the shape her eyes take on
when she smiles…kind of round and childlike.
She also does not demand a virgin following. But she will curse those who betray
the sanctity of love and sex. Sex is sacred to Hera. And I have to say, she is
personally biased when it comes to anything contrary to the sacredness she
bestows upon it. Mostly because she has been cheated on a few thousand times by
her wonderful husband. Who, by the way, doesn't like me all that much. There's
just little he can do about it…directly anyway. But that's another story.
Hera does lend to the connection between earth and her stint in the sky with the
blueberry. A minor sacred fruit next to the pomegranate and the apple. The star
inside of an apple…that was Hera's idea. I wouldn't suggest otherwise. And the
pomegranate of course is a fertility fruit that links her with the earth and as
a Mother Goddess.
Hera also love terracotta pots and other works. Again it's the earth factor but
she says she likes the color. One of my next Crafty Crap projects is 4
terracotta pots linked together in a branch basket. Each pot is to be inscribed
with Hera's name in the original Greek and the basket it to be decorated with
peacock feathers and weeping willow garlands. These four pots are for votive
offerings of things like forest floor earth, olive oil, wine, herbs, and various
crystals. The votives mean nothing. It's just a nice gesture.
What means more is other offerings that are buried in consecrated pits near her
open temple. Which does include sacrificial animals. But don't get freaked. The
animals are actually killed and eaten. The bones and extras are placed in a pit
called a "bothros".
I could go on and on. This is all every day conversation stuff. General but not
so widely known facts of the goddess who gifts me many of the things that I am
able to gift to you. She's the one who pushed me to come around for a visit
tonight and brag her up. She loves the attention.
On a final note, for this work, you WILL be seeing much more of the Greek Gods
weaving in and out of the eye of man in the near future. We could already offer
up a good list of "sightings" over the last couple of years. It's not a fluke or
a coincidence.
