Legends of goddess worship have endured through many millenniums and lives on in many cultures around the world. Our stories begin with the stories of Atlantis, and the goddess Athena, who gifted us with wisdom and excellence in war.
Greek history holds its share of goddesses, beginning with the earth mother Gaia, from which everything originates. Other goddesses include: Hestia, goddess of hearth and home; Demeter, the sister of Hestia, the goddess of fields; Hera, wife of Zeus, the protector of marriage; Athena, also known in Atlantis as the goddess of wisdom; Artemis, goddess of hunting; Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty; and Persephone, goddess of the spring.
Roman goddesses speak of the same qualities under different names: these goddesses include the famous Venus, associated with Aphrodite; Ceres, associated with Demeter; Diana, a parallel to Artemis, and Vesta, the image of Hestia. Many Roman goddesses were “numina”, associated with living things and places rather than individuals.
Isis is the most common name that rises from the list of goddesses in the ancient Egyptian beliefs. The influence of Isis flows with health, healing, love, and immortality. Other goddesses in the Egyptian records are Hathor, Bastet, Ma’at, Nekhebet, Nut, Sekhmet, Selkhet, Nephthys, Taheret, Tefnut, and Uadjet.
Celtic stories hold fascinating stories such as the goddess Achtland, who could not find sexual satisfaction with a mortal, so took a giant for her mate. The goddess Adsullata continued the association between goddess and the moon. The goddess Aeval was thought to be in the form of a faery, while Anu held the role of mother earth, like Gaia in greek legend. The list of Celtic goddess goes on.
Hindu goddesses also abound, and with that note are associated often with the concept of abounding, or abundance. Lakshmi shows us fortune and fame, though her name means “goal”. Kali means time, and is associated with death. The goddess Durga is the mother, like Gaia and Anu.
In the Mayan culture there were far more gods than goddesses. The goddesses were also associated with the moon, childbirth, and fertility. This is not surprising, the stories of the Mayan culture speak of the Quetzalcoatl or “feathered snake”. Our duality is highlighted with the separation of Quetzalcoatl from Tezcatlipoca, his opposite, and Quetzalcoatl was sent into exile on a raft of snakes. This snake symbol, in this instance and culture is seen energetically as strongly masculine and domineering.
This is only a small list of the goddess influence throughout time around the world. Their messages and continued spiritual support bring wisdom and comfort to many, even in our “modern times”. Even if we dismissed the idea of goddess presence in our worldly living, we still benefit from the virtues and abilities we are reminded of within ourselves.
Author Estee Taschereau offers spiritual and intuitive sessions interlaced with the wisdom and healing energies of the goddesses. Sessions are by appointment, and can be scheduled for phone or skype connections.
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