The Hospitality of PHILOPHROSYNEand her Sisters

PHILOPHROSYNE is the Greek goddess of welcome, friendship and kindness. She is one of the Sraces, a group of goddess sisters Euthenia, Eupheme and Eucleia. Philophrosyne reminds us that we cannot always choose the people who surround us, but we can choose how respond to them. With an open heart she holds her hands out to welcome everyone with kindness and non-judgement. Forming human connections and creating and enhancing community is the essence of Philophrosyne.

We all live different lives and different opinions and so acceptance of others makes us better able to secure friendships. By bringing friendliness to any social situation we can, hopefully encourage openness and tolerance. Friendships are a vital part of our lives and our well-being. According to anthropologist Robin Dunbar human brains have a limit to how many meaningful relationships they can keep. Dunbar says most people have up to: 5 intimate bonds, 15 close friends, 50 friends, 150 casual friends.

In the modern world where we have never been more more connected loneliness is prolific in our society as we turn from others to face our screens and social media. Loneliness not only makes us unhappy, but it can lead to a lack of confidence and mental health problems like depression, stress and anxiety.  May we all enjoy the friendships we have and remember to REACH OUT to those who may be lonely……..I AM FRIEND

“I love my friends
neither with my heart nor with my mind.
Just in case…
Heart might stop.
Mind can forget.
I love them with my soul.
Soul never stops or forgets.” ― Rumi

The Hospitality of PHILOPHROSYNE and her sisters
I AM FRIEND

TELES – The Perfect Imperfection

TELES  was known as the Goddess of Perfection. It must be said however that in Greek mythology most of the Gods and Goddesses were seriously flawed. In fact most mythologies highlight the truth that nothing is perfect, be you divine or human. TELES is as flawed as the beautiful bowls in her cabinet. These are Kintsugi bowls which displays the Japanese art of putting broken pottery back together with gold, offering the idea that in embracing flaws and imperfections, one can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art. Every break is unique and instead of repairing an item like new, the 400-year-old technique highlights the “scars” as an important part of the design.                                    

“there is a crack in everything …that’s how the light gets in..” Leonard Cohen

This beautiful craft is a metaphor for the act of embracing our flaws and imperfections. A constant desire to achieve, or a need to fulfill others expectations can lead us to be overly harsh with ourselves leading to low self worth, anxiety and depression. This is an addiction to perfection and describes the shadow feeling within us of never feeling good enough. As in the Kintsugi pottery the process of healing things that have broken within us can create something more unique, beautiful and resilient. Realising that we are always feeling bad about ourselves can be a start to becoming kinder to ourselves, allowing us to build the much needed self-acceptance and self-worth that informs us that WE ARE ENOUGH     I AM IMPERFECT

“Perfection massacres the Feminine. Our culture pulses to the pressure of Perfection.”……..”Perfection rapes the Soul”…”Perfection does not allow for feeling”…..”working so hard to create Perfection we forget we are a human being” Words by Marion Woodman: Books: Addiction to Perfection & Coming Home to Myself

TELES – The Perfect Imperfection
I AM IMPERFECT

 

BAUBO the Belly Goddess opens her skirt……

The ancient Greek belly goddess BAUBO speaks from ‘between her legs’. She plays an important part in the greatest mystery of the ancient world, the Eleusinian Mysteries. Her story begins when she encounters Demeter, the Earth Goddess, whilst walking in the wild valleys. Demeter was sodden with tears and ravaged with grief and despair at the abduction and loss of Persephone, her daughter. Baubo engaged this sad soul in conversation and very soon started to tell her obscene jokes accompanied by raucous belly laughs. Demeter was shocked but slowly started to smile at this surprisingly crude, playful and joyous old woman who had started to dance crazily pulling open her skirt. Baubo then directed, among other things, her belly, breasts and vulva towards Demeter. The mourning Goddess found herself suddenly overcome with a laughter that rose up from her belly. Her darkness fled from her, her spirit soared and her own power within moved her life journey onwards. The belly Goddess had shaken Demeter out of her grief by reminding her of the sacred feminine which sat at the centre of her being ….of which they both shared.

Baubo welcomes us back to life with her wild laughter, her shaking belly and the magic of her vulva . Her wisdom can bring us back from darkness by reminding us of who we are so we can thrive once again……I AM LIFE

The flowers in this print are CLITORIA a genus  named after the human clitoris, for the flowers bear a resemblance to the vulva.

BAUBO the Belly Goddess opens her skirt
I AM LIFE

 

Arianrhod Goddess of the Winter Solstice

The moment the Sun reaches its southernmost point in the sky marks the December solstice, the official beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year. From now on our days will begin to grow longer and the nights shorter. Since ancient times the winter solstice has been seen as an auspicious time. There are more known rituals throughout antiquity associated with this solstice than for any other time of the year. And so we too celebrate the rebirth of the Sun…. a time of hope, rejuvenation, healing and renewal, and hear the call to find rest and restoration as we start the slow journey back into the light to eventually find the awakening of inspiration at Imbolc.🌀

Arianrhod is the Welsh Winter Solstice Goddess who spins the Silver wheel of life, death and rebirth. She is a Goddess of the moon, stars and sky who resides in a revolving castle of initiation known as Caer Sidi. Her spinning silver wheel is vast in the heavens and transports the dead to her castle where they may rest and prepare for rebirth. Caer Sidi lies in the depths of the light phenomena we know as the Northern Lights or the Aurora Borealis. This magnificence is created from the Sun’s flares which release highly charged particles that penetrate our earth’s magnetic field. These particles collide with molecules in the earth’s atmosphere, giving off the spectacular light displays…I AM PHENOMENAL

"Look into the wintry northeastern sky to the Corona Borealis;

There you will see the Crown of the Goddess.

Beyond this jeweled archway into the underworld is

The Northern Castle of Initiation, Caer Sidi.

Deep in a sea of brilliant lights lies the Aurora Borealis;

There you will find Arianrhod,

Queen of the moon, the sea and the stars.

As her Silver Wheel turns the middle world past the Solstice point,

Arianrhod guides our souls into the upper world."

ARIANRHOD and the Northern Lights
I AM PHENOMENAL

The northern lights, or aurora borealis

The Lawlessness of DYSNOMIA

DYSNOMIA was the Greek Goddess of Lawlessness and poor civil order. She was the daughter of Eris, Goddess of strife. The dwarf planet Eris was discovered in Jan 2005 , it has one known moon named Dysnomia. In modern times the Goddess Dysnomia has been embraced by some Anarchists  as a symbol or personification of freedom and rebellion.
Here Dysnomia jumps the ‘red line’ and lands now in a place where her safety can no longer be guaranteed and her actions may be found to be unacceptable. The line is now crossed and there may be serious consequences? But there may also be a requirement for drastic change to be made.

The metaphorical red line is observed as a threat. Crossing it creates an act of lawlessness which in society can be described in various ways.

ANOMIE is a breakdown of social bonds between an individual and their community, in which individuals do not feel bound by the moral structures of society.

ANARCHY meaning “without leadership” is a condition in which a person or group of people reject societal hierarchies, laws, and other institutions.

ANARCHISM is a political philosophy that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions

CIVIL DISORDER or civil unrest, refers to public disturbances generally involving groups of people, and may result in danger or damage to persons or property. Civil disorder is a breakdown of civil society, and is usually a form of protest. It may take various forms, such as illegal parades, sit-ins, riots, sabotage, and other forms of crime.

Rebellion is the only thing that keeps you alive ! Marianne Faithfull

The Anarchy of DYSNOMIA
‘Crossing the Red Line’
I AM REBELLIOUS

 

 

SULIS MINERVA creating FIRE WATER

SULIS MINERVA ..is a fusion of a Roman and Celtic Goddess who resides in the town of Bath which houses the only thermal springs in the UK. The Romans named this place Aquae Sulis and built an extensive spa temple on Her ground. They merged the ancient Goddess Sulis with Minerva their Roman Goddess of wisdom and justice. The name Sulis means ‘eye‘ describing an all-seeing Goddess offering wisdom and counsel with all matters of justice and possible punishment. Many ancient curse tablets have been found at the temple site dedicated to Her. Sulis Minerva is a powerful conduit of both fire and water, channeling solar energy down into the Earth for it to rise up again as the sacred FIRE WATER. She embodies both the power of a dark Earth Goddess and the light and strength of a Sun Goddess. The earth from which Her water flows is rich in Iron and rust in colour. Her healing powers still brings people to this day to her shrine, to receive Her  blessings and partake of her fiery waters. She is both Sun and Moon, Fire and Water……I AM A CONDUIT   
Alchemists of ancient times claimed that by achieving the perfect balance of fire and water it was possible to produce a chemical/spiritual reaction that was powerful enough to transform lead into gold.

SULIS MINERVA at Her BATH SPA TEMPLE
I AM A CONDUIT

The Waters of Bath….Bath exists because of the emergence of three natural springs in the heart of the city which deliver over 1 million litres of mineral-rich water every day. Uniquely in the UK, the mineral water is hot – it rises to the surface at a constant temperature of at least 45° C. The Sacred Spring lies at the very heart of the ancient monument.

ACHOS mourning under her veil of darkness and love

ACHOS  along with her sisters were know as ‘The Pains’ as they each personified aspects of  suffering of both the mind and body. She was the Greek Goddess of GRIEF who brought with her the flowing of tears and lamentation. She witnesses the the wounds of the loss of our loved ones and walks beside us as we enter the darkness of the MOURNING process where healing begins. Grief takes many forms and endures varied lengths of time…it cannot be rushed. Eventually the process leads us from the Underworld back into the everyday world. Our grief can then be transformed into deep loving memories that are held within us forever.
The psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross the author of the groundbreaking book ‘On death and dying ‘(1969) discussed her theory of the five stages of grief, which may not be linear in how they present: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. As mortals we all experience the death & loss that leads to periods of grieving in our lives. Such times include many forms of personal loss; illness, the end of relationships, the loss of a job, separations, infertility or the loss of a loved one.

“I thought:
Maybe death isn’t darkness, after all,
but so much light
 wrapping itself around us—
As soft as feathers—
that we are instantly weary
of looking, and looking, and shut our eyes,
not without amazement,
 and let ourselves be carried, 
as through the translucence of mica,
 to the river 
that is without the least dapple or shadow—
that is nothing but light—scalding, aortal light—
in which we are washed and washed
out of our bones…..Mary Oliver

ACHOS – Goddess of Grief
I AM MOURNING