The high priestess

Bast: Egyptian

Meaning

seeking knowledge, following intuition

Symbols

The seed of knowledge has been planted: the spirals represent the unending quest for wisdom and the continuous sea­son of change and renewal. The gemstone on the forehead is the third eye, gateway to enlightenment. The power of the gemstone imbues us with purity and self-illumination. The ethereal cats in the background are our spiritual guides; the stars are beacons of deeper understanding, illuminating our path as we continue on our journey to new heights of personal awareness.

Description

The Egyptians revered a cat goddess, Bast, whose lively presence protected the population from vermin and assured fecundity and health. She was a benevolent deity whose wor­shipers responded to her kindness with much jubilation. Every year thousands would make the pilgrimage by barge to Bubastis, the center place of her worship. Music, dance, drink, and victuals were plentiful during one of the most popular festivals in ancient Egypt.

As the daughter/wife of the sun god Ra, Bast was the deliverer of the morning sunrays and was also associated with the lunar mysteries of the night. She was known as the "eye of Ra" and pro­tected her father/husband from his enemies. Sometimes she is depicted as a lion-headed goddess. This image draws parallels to the leonine goddess Sekhmet; some think that this earlier Egyptian goddess incarnation represents a ferocious, darker side of Bast. Later representations show Bast as a regal, approachable cat-headed goddess who is adorned with jewels and is carrying a breastplate with a lion head attached to it.

In ancient Egypt, a cat reinforced the well-being of a house­hold and to kill one was punishable by death. So important were these domestic beasts that upon a cat's death, the family would mourn the loss by shaving their eyebrows and having the cat mummified and buried in one of the many cat cemeteries scat­tered throughout Egypt.

Cats are still one of the most popular animals in the world. Many believe that cats possess certain powers of intuition and their connection with nocturnal activities supports the belief that they are symbols of magic, fertility, and lunar cycles.

THE EMPRESS

Hera: Greek

Meaning

the Mother, nurturer, fertile ideas, the anima

Symbols

The goddess Hera is surrounded by a verdant land­scape complementing the earthy nature of her presence. The lilies are associated with purity and the nourishing power of Hera's milk. She sits upon a large rock, symbolizing her stability as a nur­turing force. She holds a cuckoo-topped staff, a symbol of power and dignity. The cuckoo is connected to the god Zeus, her com­panion and masculine counterpart. She -wears a crown of eternity decorated with spirals and olive leaves. Her dress is hemmed with pomegranate designs, an emblematic symbol of Hera representing spring and rejuvenation. A cow, a lunar animal associated with the fertile powers of the earth, and a peacock, her sacred bird, accom­pany her, symbolizing beauty and dignity. The uncurling fern fronds in the background symbolize hope and new life.

Description

Hera was a powerful Greek mother goddess who pre­sided over women, marriage, and childbirth. She was the daughter of Rhea and Cronus and eventually married Zeus. As queen of the gods, Hera protected the rights of women but was quick to exact punishment on those who became lovers with her husband. Her jealous nature revealed a human side to the goddess, who was not immune to feeling emotional. Her feeling nature endeared her as an earthy mother goddess.

She became the mother of many future Olympians. Eventually they all would contribute to her divine realm. Hera was venerated as a mother goddess whose beauty and pride was associated with her sacred animal, the peacock.

Hera represents the feminine or anima aspect of our psyche. Her loving nature or light aspect of her being is juxtaposed by her displays of jealousy or her dark side. Both attributes are necessary to recognize in ourselves if we are to achieve a feeling of individ­uation or wholeness. Hera is a reminder that by embracing our creative life force we can proceed down the path toward enlight­enment.

THE EMPEROR

Zeus: Greek

Meaning

the Father, leader, creating order and structure, the animus

Symbols

The Father holds a crystal ball to create a ray of light against a tumultuous sky. The crystal ball allows him to see things more clearly. Therefore he can act in the face of the coming storm clouds. He holds a gnarly staff entwined with ivy, symbolic of his masculine power and authority. His golden armbands signify immortality and the power of the sun. He wears a necklace with olive leaves, his emblem, reinforcing his omnipotence. The golden eagle is a noble creature and a primary attribute of Zeus. It keeps a watchful eye out tor potential disorder. The bull is a solar mascu­line symbol signifying virility and power. The spirals on the rocks and erratic branches echo the dynamic and ever-changing nature of the heavens.

Description

The supreme god of the Greeks, Zeus upheld law and order. He presided over the land following the defeat of the Titans and the overthrow of his father, Kronos. Zeus situated himself on the top of Mount Olympus and ruled the realm of deities known as the Olympians.

His marriage to Hera was considered sacred and important to the Greeks. In contrast to her nurturing, creative demeanor, Zeus maintained order with thunderbolts in hand that were a gift of the Cyclops. He maintained order over the seasons and natural phe­nomena such as the weather. He had the ability to stir up thunder­storms and fertilize the land with his rains.

Zeus had an insatiable appetite for goddesses and mortals alike. He had the ability to shapeshift into animals, thus seducing unsus­pecting females. Zeus's lustful nature exposed a human side to his behavior that created discord in his realm. His untempered actions infuriated his wife, Hera, and led to the punishment of his lovers.

Despite the negative, less than divine temperaments of Zeus and Hera, their marriage was honored by the Greeks. They served as a balance to the kingdom. Both the feminine principle of the empress and the masculine principle of the emperor are necessary for continued growth and expansion.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16