Friday, December 28, 2012

Dark Goddess


Here is another thorny topic for some, the Dark Goddess.  Many honor the Triple Goddess with no room for a fourth, others mix her in with the Crone Goddess.  I think there are mysteries in life and that there is a fourth living in the shadows.  Not really a 'evil' Goddess, just the dark to balance the light.  Many of these notes are mixed since it is hard to find info solely on her.  This is not meant to offend anyone.  Use the notes as a starting place and follow up with your own research.


The Dark Goddess is the aspect of the Goddess most often deemed mysterious, dangerous, violent or ill tempered.  Dark Goddesses or God appear in almost all religions featuring female/male deities and are widely the most misinterpreted and misunderstood of deities worshipped by modern day practitioners.

Many Dark Goddesses deal with the subject of destruction.  The popular Hindu Goddess Kali, Supreme Dark Mother Goddess, is known as the Mother of Dissolution and Destruction.  As the Goddess of destruction, without further study one might assume that she is ill tempered and violent, sadistic or insane in nature.  Do your research.  According to Hindu mythology, she destroys ignorance, destroys that which opens chaos or disrupts harmony, destroys the ego which interferes with the workings of God, and blesses those who strive to know God.

Such misunderstandings is widespread in the study of the Dark Goddesses.  So, if Dark Goddesses are not evil, then why do we call them 'dark'?  One line of thinking is inherited from European practices in which men who sought to justify the conquering and enslavement of darker skinned people all over the world linked darkness of skin with evil.

Lilith, the first wife found in Jewish-Gnostic scriptures, is portrayed as a dark angel or a winged demon, also known as the first Eve.  She represents feminine evil, deeply suppressed in human unconscious.  As a handmaid she would gather men in from the fields for the sacred rites, willing or not.

Far earlier than that, when light skinned Aryan tribes moved into the area of present day India and began to conquer the dark skinned Dravidian people, the Aryan people subjected the natives to the caste system, which relegated all of the most darkly colored people to the lowest caste, marking them as something less than human.
Darkness in Wicca is not a negative thing, it is rest, stillness or letting go.  Wicca speaks of dark in its more original context: "hidden or unknown".  The Dark Goddess is the counterpart to the life giving aspect of the Goddess we usually associate with.  She brings death, for without death, we cannot fertilize the earth to bring new life.  She is the destroyer, for without destroying that which we no longer need, we cannot grow.  She is the keeper of magic and mystery, for without the hidden truths, our journey as a human seems without point and purpose.  Darkness should be honored, it is necessary and valuable to the circle.

The Dark Goddesses represents the hidden and suppressed aspects of a women and men psyche that lives unseen in the shadows of the personality.  In order to know oneself, one needs to intimately know and understand both your light and dark aspects. 

When the shadow is not integrated into the personality self, the personality will overcompensate for this imbalance in its reactive self.  Thus, as long as you suppress your dark feminine self, you will only express your light positive masculine self and the inner child will be subjected to an on-going cycle of pain and suffering.  It will continuously be subjected to inner criticism, the need for perfection, the need for acceptance and the need to be validated at all times.

As you understand your life’s mission and purpose on a deeper level, you will see that the Dark Goddess holds the key to Divine Will for your life.  It is to break the bonds of conditioning and to ask questions, it is often that which will bring you freedom.

The Dark Goddess symbols are the new moon m, cradle and grave, dog, winter, raven, midnight, fate and death, black, yew, dark in the light, balance, or the warrior and healer.

Hela h was the Goddess of Death and the Underworld in Norse mythology and for some myths she is the Dark Goddess.  Hela (Hel) was frequently thought of as a Dark Mother Goddess, and she was known by other names including the Goddess of Death and the Afterlife, the Underground Earth Mother, or the Ruler of the Realm of the Dead.  Her body was seen as half dead and half alive. Some say that part of her body was beautiful while the other was horrid like death.  This symbolizes the light and dark aspects within all of us.

The Dark Goddess speaks to us,

I am the Darkness behind the shadows.

I am the absence of air that awaits every breath.

I am the ending before life begins again,

the decay that fertilizes the living.

I am the bottomless pit,

the never ending struggle to reclaim that which is denied.

I am the key that unlocks every door,

for I am that which is hidden and secluded.

So may it be.






Friday, December 21, 2012

Elements

There was a request at the end of Yule gathering about my rune placement with elements.  Not a common practice but I do have them on a table. I do mix my runes with Anglo Saxon but you should be able to find most of Elder runes on it.  I'll combine with this one for a new table ~ Table updated 12/31/12.


Element Table - The Norse do use Ice and Fire as elements - from the creation story.  But being also Wiccan I use the classical 4 elements in this table.  As you will see, we have already touched on Earth, Justice, Yule and other parts of it; with more to come later. It is just an example of tables that you can build as you learn and gather notes.  Just find some paper and write keywords down, you can add runes, tarot, spirit, events, planets, your own divine items or whatever helps.  I have one posted in the front of my Book of Shadows since this is how I ordered my notes.  Just some ideas for the New Year...

  Water   Air Fire  Earth 
Associations Tides, Ocean, Moon, Fog, Blood, Bathroom, Lake, Rain, Fountain, Cup, Ice, Shell, Well Wind, Smoke, Breath, Mountain Top, Rainbow, Bedroom, Feather, Sky, Incense Desert, Knife, Volcano, Sun, Candle, Kitchen, Stars, Lighting, Lava Cave, Salt, Forest, Soil, Valley, Metal, Field, Living Room, Garden, Bone, Tree
Colors Blue, Sea Green, Aqua, Silver Yellow, Sky Blue, White Red, Orange, Yellow, Gold Green, Brown, Black
Direction West East South North
Moon Phase Waning Moon T Waxing Moon G Full Moon M New Moon m
Season Autumn Spring Summer Winter
Months September (Harvest), October (Hunters), November (Snow) March (Storm), April (Frog), May (Flower) June (Sun), July (Buck), August (Sturgeon) December (Cold), January (Wolf), February (Wind)
Sabbats Autumn Equinox, Samhain Spring Equinox, Beltane Midsummer, Lammas Yule, Imbolc
Time Sunset, Maturity Sunrise, Infancy Noon, Youth Midnight, Old Age
Virtue Temperance, Truth Wisdom, Dignity Justice, Love Strength, Acceptance
Action Harvest Planting Growing Resting
Rune w, i, j, p, h, K, d l A, d, T, m, G, r, y, x t, c, k, s, f, n, j      E, q, u, e, I, b, N q                 
Deities/Beings Crone, Hela, Manni, Njord, Sif, Norns, Skaldi, Valkyrie, Sea Serpent Heimdall, Idunn, Maiden, Odin, Thor, Elf, Giant Balder, Dragon, Freya, Loki, Mother, Sunna, Tyr Dark, Freyr, Frigg, Dwarf, Earth
Animals Sea Birds, Crab, Dog, Fish, Dragonfly, Turtle, Swan Bear, Hawk, Bee, Eagle, Goat, Raven, Spider, Rooster Cat, Serpent, Fox, Salamander, Lion Boar, Bovine, Horse, Squirrel, Rabbit, Stag, Wolf
Body/Aspects Chest, Womb, Taste, Heart, Blood, Emotion Hope, Breath, Speech, Imagination, Knowledge, Smell Soul, Sight, Brain, Heart, Mobility, Health, Energy Hands, Body, Touch, Skeleton, Skin
       
Stones Aquamarine, Moonstone, Amethyst, Coral, Opal, Pearl Topaz, Pumice, Mica, Aventurine, Clear Quartz Fire Opal, Jasper, Ruby, Bloodstone, Volcanic Stone, Sunstone, Amber Salt, Coal, Jet, Agate, Granite, Emerald, Jade
Plants Coltsfoot, Fern, Water Lily, Willow, Lotus, Periwinkle, Reed, Seaweed, Rose Anise, Aspen, Violet, Dandelion, Frankencense, Peppermint Chile, Almond,Coffee, Garlic, Hawthorn, Tobacco, Witch Hazel, Onion Barley, Buckthorne, Corn, Ivy, Oak, Licorice, Moss, Acorn, Lichen
Scents Onycha, Myrrh, Lily, Vanilla, Sandlewood Galbanum, Lemon, Peppermint, Lavender Frankincense, Cedar, Olibanum, Orange, Sulfer Spikenard, Cypress, Storax, Sweetgum
Sound/Music Cymbal Flute, Bell Guitar, Stringed Drum, Percussion
Appeal Emotion, Death, Concerns, Dreams, Family, Healing, Love, Mind is Divine Mind, Intuitive, Karma, Birth, Learning, Spirit is Enchanted Activity, Marriage, Creativity, Wealth, Life, Purification, Body is a Temple Prosperity, Abundance, Grounding, Stability, Earth is Home




Blessed Be!

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Justice


Principles and Guidance

¥      Justice, Equity and Compassion in human relations.

§  Words and deeds of prophetic women and men which challenge us to confront powers and structures of evil with justice, compassion and the transforming power of love.

·       Justice, a strength that builds a healthy community:

o   Active citizenship (Sam Nzima)

o   Fairness (Mohandas Gandhi)

o   Leadership (Nelson Mandela)

 

Justice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.

Understandings of justice differ in every culture, as cultures are usually dependent upon a shared history, mythology and/or religion. Each culture's ethics create values which influence the notion of justice. Although there can be found some justice principles that are one and the same in all or most of the cultures.

Justice is one of the four cardinal virtues in classical European philosophy and Roman Catholicism.  It is closely related, in Christianity, to the practice of charity, because it regulates the relationships with others. It is a cardinal virtue, which is to say "pivotal" because it regulates all such relationships, and is sometimes deemed the most important of the cardinal virtues.

Social justice generally refers to the idea of creating a society or institution that is based on the principles of equality and solidarity, that understands and values human rights, and that recognizes the dignity of every human being.

Criminal Justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, or sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts. Those accused of crime have protections against abuse of investigatory and prosecution powers. Norse society was based on agriculture and trade with other peoples and placed great emphasis on the concept of honor, both in combat and in the criminal justice system.  It was, for example, unfair and wrong to attack an enemy already in a fight with another.



Justice is a Major Arcana Tarot card, numbered either VIII or XI, depending on the deck. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination.

A. E. Waite was a key figure in the development of the most famous of modern Tarot interpretations.  His version of the Justice card contains, as his cards usually do, references to classical Mythology. In his deck, the card is 11 (switched with the Strength (Tarot card)).

 
Wicca is a nature oriented religion.  Wiccans consider the natural processes of the Earth and the greater universe to be divine.  All life and all lives are sacred. Most covens rule and govern the Circle with justice and with love as representative of the Goddess and/or God.

Many Wiccans also seek to cultivate a set of eight virtues mentioned in Doreen Valiente's Charge of the Goddess, these being mirth, reverence, honor, humility, strength, beauty, power and compassion.

Compassion is the virtue of empathy for the suffering of others. Compassion allows you to have true love, not only for others, but also for yourself. It allows you to forgive yourself when you make mistakes. It's also the ability to have deep feelings and concern for the misfortune and suffering of others. Compassion allows you to share another's pain, gives you the desire to relieve it, and the willingness to act on that desire.



Forseti (Norse God of Justice and Reconciliation)  He is the son of Balder and Nanna. Forseti was the wisest, most eloquent and most gentle of all the Gods.  He bears the axe as his symbol and his hall is Glitnir, the Hall of Justice, which is said to have golden pillars and a ceiling of silver and radiated light for some distance.  Forseti's name would be said before a trial to ensure that the argument was perfectly reconciled. But not really not a popular God since most Norseman preferred revenge not justice.

Tyr (Norse God of War and Law)  The bravest of the Gods, he willingly sacrificed his right hand in order to bind the dangerous Fenris wolf.  He is the overseer of the Thing, the legislative body of the Gods of Asgard, and also one of the most capable warriors among the deities. The Tiwaz Rune t is balance and justice.  The rune of sacrifice of the individual (self) for well-being of the whole (society).  Tyr is the reason we shake hands - it is to show that we have no fear and that we hold no weapons a true warrior does not need one. 

Syn (Norse Goddess of Justice and Defense) Her name means “denial”.  She is one of Frigg‘s handmaidens and she stands guard at the door of Frigg’s palace, refusing entrance to any who are not invited.  Syn also defends the weak, and she is called upon by those who have been wrongly accused of crimes to aid them in their battles.

 

"Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honor and humility, mirth and reverence within you."