Nightshade - Upon Hera's Altar are three glass vials. The first vial holds a number of dried Greek olive pits, the second holds a blood colored measure of the potion used during the Ritual of the Shielded-Warrior during the lunar eclipse winter solstice in 2010. And the third holds a deadly concoction of Nightshade.Pictured here is the Nightshade during "processing". In this practice only four branches of wild nightshade are to be cut at a time. The blossoms and berries are removed first and place on the altar plate. Then, the leaves are sorted. From the first branch a number of "perfect leaves" are press dried between two stones. Another number of them are placed along with the berries and blossoms on the altar plate. The rest of the selected leaves are placed in an open urn to dry on their own.
The three remaining branches that are left whole are placed into vases on the left and right side of the altar and allowed to cross over the center.
The leaves and blossoms of the Nightshade dry much faster than the berries. As they dry they are crushed in a marble mortar and pestle and the powder is then mixed with half dried green and red berries creating a paste. The paste is then spread on a second plate to dry before it is crushed a second time in the mortar and allowed to set again until the next new moon.
On the night of the new moon the Nightshade powder is then placed into it's glass vial and allowed to remain open until the full moon. Only then is it capped and sealed. By the end of the ritual to create just one vial of "Heraian Nightshade" nearly two months may have passed.
The three vials represent the Sisters of Fate. The seeds of birth, the blood of life, and the dust of death. In a ritual that combines the three "the birth is crushed, the blood is spilled, and death is released".
In a later part of the same ritual enters one of the most mysterious and well guarded secrets of the ancient world. This being pure pomegranate juice.
The pomegranate was once the most sacred and most popular votive offered to the Goddess Hera. Myths abound about this sacred fruit the world over. Visitors to the Temple of Hera would never speak of nor write about it's power aside from one illumination that the juice of the pomegranate temporarily robs a God or Goddess of their immortality yet has the opposite effects on demigods and mortals, temporarily making them immune to the influence of the Fates or will of the Gods.
But when combined with cows milk the metaphysical effects of pomegranate juice are altered. Both are sacred to Hera and when combined become symbolic of her breast-milk ("kholos") or "The Rage of Hera" which, within the myths, are what gave demigods such as Achilles their ability and power. Once inside a demigod or mortal body the potion manifests itself as a "venom" and consumes the heart of the one "inflicted". Like any venom, once the milk of the Goddess is consumed by anyone it will remain in their veins for the rest of their lives.
In other myths, like that of Persephone, the pomegranate is considered to be a fruit of the underworld. It was the food used to trick Persephone into becoming the unwilling wife of Hades. Persephone ate three of the blood red segments of the fruit while in the Underworld and therefore must return to the underworld for 3 months out of every year.
This of course is the mythical reasoning behind the winter months when nothing grows as Persephone is locked away in the underworld and her mother searches for her.
Pomegranate votives were the most common gift left at the Temples of Hera up until about the 6th century B.C.E. when the offerings suddenly stopped. Scholars believe that this was around the same time that Hera went through a "mortal metamorphosis". Meaning that it was around this time that they began to stop seeing her as the all powerful Queen of the Gods, love above all, and began to see her as the more sub-servant wife of Zeus. Zeus, at the time, was not as highly respected or feared as the King of the Gods. Hera had many more followers and influences on the realms of man as an earth/river Goddess than Zeus did as the lord of the skies. But even after their supposed "marriage" which some might interpret as a play for power by Zeus or the early beginnings of a masculine dominated society where women had their rights and influence all but stripped away.
Pure pomegranate juice is a potent brew all to itself. Its a very bold flavored blood red juice that can have a hint of bitterness. It also does not store long. Once opened it should be drank within 10 days. Otherwise, it will begin to ferment itself.The importance and symbolism of the pomegranate here reflects that of ancient times before the metamorphosis. It is a common drink, votive offering, and ritual component in anything dealing with Herain the modern world.
