Once Long Ago . . .

 

                                                                      

  

~ IsIs ~ Arinna ~ Yemaya ~ Diana ~ Inanna ~ Ishtar ~ Hecate ~ Brigid ~ Freyja ~ Nammu ~ Astarte ~ AuLat ~ Maat ~ Minerva ~ Nut ~ Otohime ~ Hathor ~ Mawu ~ Aphrodite ~ Kanayama-hime ~ Luna ~ Kali Ma ~ Quan Yin ~ Selene ~ Kore ~ Amaterasu ~ Pandora ~ Medusa ~ Nathor ~ Venus ~ Gaia ~ Funadama ~ Sedna ~ Iris ~ Corn Mother ~ Dana ~ Kannon ~ Cerridwen ~ Irene ~ Macha ~ Rhiannon ~ Kishimo-jin ~ Hel ~ Mary ~ Benzai-Ten ~ Frigga ~ Vinca ~ Lady of the Beasts ~ Uba ~ Rowan ~ Artemis ~ Ma ~ Ki ~ Gabjauja ~ Lhamo ~ Amentet ~ Demeter ~ Gabija ~ Laka ~ Selene ~ Allat ~ Uac Rapito ~ Pavasiya ~ Lahar ~Zemyna ~ Securitas ~ Sechat-Hor ~ Pandara ~ Saps ~ Rheia ~ Ma-Zu ~ Ran ~ Quiritus ~ Prende ~ Kishi-Bojin ~ Flora ~ Mayahuel ~ Chup-Kamui ~ Mafdet ~ Diti ~ Fauna ~ Aradia ~ Kaminari ~ Vaisgamta ~ Atabey ~ Pales ~ Zeme pati ~ Kaupuole ~ Rasyte ~ Marisha-Ten ~ Artemis of Ephesus ~ Kami-Musubi ~ Aparajita ~ Hina ~ Oya ~ Zenenet ~ Bona Dea ~ Uma ~ Daphne ~ Heket ~ Ixtab ~ Saule ~ Caca ~ Baubo ~ Eye Goddess ~ Ixchel ~ Helene ~ Quilla ~ Izanami ~ Queen of Heaven ~ Unut ~ Ostara ~ Benzai-Ten ~ Zana ~ Bastet ~ Anuket ~ Sothis ~ Ana ~ Oshun ~ Hygeia ~ Sengen ~ Pele ~ Sauska ~ Aditi ~ Lilith ~ Toyouke-Omikami ~ She Who is Many ~ Athena ~ Zemes Mate ~ Ceres ~ Fulla ~ Ningal ~ Marama ~ Uni ~ Lucina ~ Grandmother Spider ~ Am-No-Tanabata-Hime ~ Nepit ~ Adraste ~ Persephone ~ Ba ~ Jord ~ Cybele ~ Hera ~ Anath ~ Parvati ~ Jian Lao ~ Asthoreth ~ Inar ~ Laka ~ Epona ~ Uzume ~ Circe ~ Damona ~ Camunda ~ Anat ~ Rosmerta ~ Sophia ~ Zuimaco ~ Anahita ~ Pomona ~ Eos ~ Tyche ~ Peitho ~ Korrawi ~ Sachmet ~ Isara ~ Nemetona ~ Kubaba ~ Fortuna ~ Aurora ~ Jurate ~ Antum ~ Hine-nui-te-po ~ Ala ~ Karitei-mo ~ Ahurani ~ Kybele ~ Kaltes ~ Nana ~ Ida ~ Pachet ~ Milda ~ Zemyna ~ Fravasi ~ Brigantia ~ Blodeuwedd ~ Yuki-Onna ~ Artio ~ Nakatsu-Hime ~ Selket ~ Tlazolteotl ~ Abundantia ~ Alpan ~ Uli ~ Neith ~ Krumine ~ Venus of Laussel ~ Vinca Bird Goddess ~ Ame-No-Mi-Kumari ~ Medeine ~ Bride ~ Asherah ~ Jurakan ~ Ihuanaboina ~ Acatl ~ Pergubre ~ Moon Goddess ~ Laima ~ Giltine ~ Laksmi ~ Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kidul ~ Minoan Snake Goddess ~ Brigit ~ Gaea ~ Kali Ma ~ Kuan Yin ~ Mother Earth ~ Neoilithic Goddesses ~ Dolni ~ Haniyasu-hime ~ Kojin ~ Kishijoten ~ Goddess of the Amazons ~ Dewi Sri ~ All Ancient Goddesses whose names we do not know ~


                                         Once . . .

Once my ancestors were

the people of the Mother Goddess

the hungry gatherers of the fields

the fierce hunters of the beasts

makers of shelter from the elements

makers of talismen and charms

makers of clothing and tools

 

Once my ancestors were

the discoverers of fire

the painters of Caves

the walkers who migrated

wise shaman of distant times

children of the Mother Goddess 

knowers of weather's secrets

listeners of the wind

 

My ancestors live in me

the ancestors live in my children,

the ancestors live in my neighbors

they live in my friends and enemies

deep within our DNA our ancestors live

we carry their knowledge with us

mostly forgotten now, it is still there

they are still a vital part of who we are

 

Our ancestors are waiting to be remembered

our ancestors are waiting to be honored

waiting for us, to thank their Mother Goddess

for our lives and our food and our shelter

waiting for us to remember who we are

deep in our cells, the ancestors wait

giving us strength and memories

immunities, instincts, and skills

we are our ancestors

and they are us

reborn

 

                                           

Our First Deity

Once our ancestors worshipped a Mother Goddess, and celebrated Her ability to create Life.  Nothing was considered more sacred than the power to create another within living being. We honored the Mother Goddess for feeding and nutruring us. We celebrated Her many miracles of birth, those births that created the animals we hunted, the animals who fed ourselves and our families.  Our ancestors on the all continents made stone, clay, bone, and wood  statues of their  Great Mother Goddess. Their hands shaped Her ample form, She was the source, a divine, living source of food, protection and security.  The Mother Goddess was the deity worshipped around the world, before history, before civilization, before cities, before Gods, and Shaman, before all others, we honored Her in ritual, song, and art. We asked Her blessing to be upon on our hunting and  upon our gathering, She guided us.

 


   Caves around the world are filled with images and symbols of ancient Mother Goddesses.  Many painted and carved caves have been found in France, Italy, Africa, Spain, Australia, Yugoslavia, the Americas, Mexico, Switzerland, Russia, the Middle East, Greece, and Asia. Each year, more caves emerge from the long forgotten darkness of obscurity, revealing their ancient splendors. Animals were also depicted, as were human hunters, and the hand prints of the Cave painters and their family members. 

     Animals were the gift of the Mother Goddess whose miracle of Birth insured the herds would bring forth new, young animals each year.  Men, women and children depended on the bounty of their Mother Goddess and fashioned images of Her in gratitude and to insure that the blessings of food and shelter would continue to be there now and in the future seasons.    


                            

   

        In re-learning how to honor the Ancient Mother Goddess, we are reclaiming and honoring our own common human heritage. Moving into the future, we must come to understand that we are all of one origin, one family, one race, the human race. The commonality of our ancestors' beliefs and rituals for living, hunting, worshipping give us powerful clues to the universality of the human spirit.  The ancient human understanding of the divine centered on the miracles of birth  and mothering.  All over the world, similar customs, Goddess figures and praise of the Mother Goddess shared many similar  beliefs and symbols.

    The power of the Great Mother was alive in the ancient human heart., and it is still alive deep within your own DNA.  Our ancestors saw Her in the world around them. She was alll powerful, benevolent and fierce, honored and feared.  The struggle for survival of we humans has always been very  challenging, and it still is today.  Unlike our ancestors, we no longer fear the cave bear, lion or wolf,  the dangers most of us fear are not usually posed by wild nature, but the many threats and dangers of our modern world.

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Learning to reclaim a reverence for Nature and our common human symbols will heelp us to reclaim sanity and a sense of security within our own culture.  Honoring the Mother  Goddess will lead us back to our ancient roots.  We can begin this journey by listening for Her in the wind, the rain, and the stillness of Nature. Our ancient Mother Goddess lives in the forests, the desserts, the mountains, the ocean, the rivers, the cities,  the fields, and in every cell of our bodies.  We are our ancestors, all of our ancestors.

   Listen for the Mother Goddess  . . . . . . She is speaking 



May the firelight rekindle our connection with the Mother Goddess

May we come to know the wisdom of our ancestors that live within us

May we understand that we humans are all related through our ancestors 

And will again be related through our children and their children's children





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Other things you will find in the Spiral Goddess Grove include; ~ altars ~ groves ~ earth goddess ~ hygeia ~ the hearth ~ kali ~ gaea ~ gaia ~ autumnal equinoz ~ vernal equinox ~ solstice ~ kuan yin ~ laussel ~ labyris ~ labyrs ~ mary ~ moon goddess ~ neolithic goddess ~ pagan ~ paganism ~ pagan goddesses ~ pele ~ nammu ~ mother ~ moon ~
~ ancestors ~ amazon ~ ancient goddesses ~ aphrodite ~ goddess art ~ luna ~ la lune ~ celebration ~ astarte ~ minoan crete ~ crone ~ earth goddess ~ dolni ~ athena ~ brigid ~ brigit ~ cave art ~ prayers ~ blessings ~ invocations ~ wicca ~ wiccan ~ dianic ~ witch ~ spirituality ~ goddess 2000 project ~ ancestress ~ greenman ~ green man ~ spirit path ~ nature ~ ancestors ~ spiritual paths ~ the things that bind us together and the things we use to isolate ourselves are shared by all humans. We are a family of creatures with a rich and diverse past that stretches far back into ancient times, times before language, times before history, times before nations and states, times before imagining.  Your imagination and your spirit will be nourished here at the Spiral Goddess Grove, enjoy your visit here.

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