Information About the Moon and the Sun In Magickal Practice

Something to me that gets over looked often is the place the Sun has in pagan/witchcraft traditions. There are many spells better done during the day rather than at night. I personally always do protection spells during the day as negative entities are weaker than and the Sun can and does help make this type of spell stronger in my experience.

The Sun has phases just as the Moon does. Where the Moon phases go on a monthly basis the Sun’s phases are daily. So I decided the topic of informationally posts this week will be about the Moon or Sun in witchcraft. I find the differences in working spells and/or rituals during the day rather than at night can make a spell and/or ritual either stronger or weaker.

If there is a specific Sun and/or Moon Goddesses and/or Gods you would like me to post more information about please leave the deities name or names in a comment on this post.

(One Person’s View Point) 23 Moon Goddesses and Gods

The moon has long been a source of mystery, magic, and divine energy. Considering the celestial orb impacts the tides, the agriculture, and perhaps, us, it’s not surprising that it’s captivated us for so long. And, because of this, for thousands of years, many cultures have worshiped Moon gods and goddesses around the world.

Today, we think mostly of the connection between the moon and women, and female lunar deities such as Artemis and Hecate, but many of the earliest known lunar gods were male, including those from Mesopotamia, from where we have the first historical record of magic.

Whether you’re looking to deepen your lunar rituals, work with a specific moon deity, or simply learn more about the divine forces linked to the night sky, this guide will introduce you to some of the most powerful moon gods and goddesses throughout history.

Greek and Roman Moon Gods and Goddesses…

Egyptian Lunar Deities…

Mesopotamian & Near Eastern Lunar Deities…

Etruscan Moon Gods and Goddesses…

Norse and Celtic Lunar Deities…

African Moon Goddess…

Mesoamerican Lunar Deities…

South and East Asian Moon Gods and Goddesses…

Sources and Additional Reading…

Click here to read the rest of this article Source: .pagangrimoire.com

(One Person’s View) Working With the Gods and Goddesses c.2014

Working With the Gods and Goddesses

By Patti Wigington

There are literally thousands of different deities out there in the Universe, and which ones you choose to honor will often depend significantly upon what pantheon your spiritual path follows. However, many modern Pagans and Wiccans describe themselves as eclectic, which means they may honor a god of one tradition beside a goddess of another. In some cases, we may choose to ask a deity for assistance in a magical working or in problem solving. Regardless, at some point, you’re going to have to sit and sort them all out. If you don’t have a specific, written tradition, then how do you know which gods to call upon?

A good way to look at it is to figure out which deity of your pantheon would be interested in your purpose. In other words, what gods might take the time to look into your situation? This is where the concept of appropriate worship comes in handy — if you can’t take the time to get to know the deities of your path, then you probably shouldn’t be asking them for favors. So first, figure out your goal. Are you doing a working regarding home and domesticity? Then don’t call upon some masculine power deity. What if you’re celebrating the end of the harvest season, and the dying of the earth? Then you shouldn’t be offering milk and flowers to a spring goddess.

Consider your purpose carefully, before you make offerings or prayers to a particular god or goddess.

Although this is certainly not a comprehensive list of all the gods and their domains, it may help you a bit to get an idea of who is out there, and what sorts of things they may be able to help you with:

Artisanship

For assistance relating to skills, crafts, or handiwork, call upon the Celtic smith god, Lugh. Many other pantheons have forge and craftsmanship gods as well.

Chaos

When it comes to matters of discord and upsetting the balance of things, some people choose to to check in with Loki the Norse prankster god. However, it’s generally recommended that you don’t do this unless you’re a devotee of Loki in the first place – you may end up getting more than you bargained for.

Destruction

If you’re doing a working related to destruction, the Celtic war goddess the Morrighan may assist you, but don’t trifle with her lightly. A safer bet might be working with Demeter, the Dark Mother of the harvest season.

Fall Harvest

When you celebrate the fall harvest, you may want to take time to honor Herne, the god of the wild hunt, or Osiris, who is often connected with grain and the harvest. Demeter and her daughter, Persephone, are typically connected with the waning part of the year. Pomona is associated with fruit orchards and the bounty of trees in fall. There are also a number of other harvest gods and gods of the vine who may be interested in what you’re doing.

Feminine Energy

For workings related to the moon, lunar energy, or the sacred feminine, consider invoking Artemis or Venus.

Fertility

When it comes to fertility, there are plenty of deities out there to ask for assistance. Consider Cernunnos, the wild stag of the forest, or Freya, a goddess of sexual power and energy. If you follow a Roman-based path, try honoring Bona Dea. There are a number of other fertility gods out there as well, each with their own specific domain.

Home and Marriage

Brighid is a protector of hearth and home, and Juno and Vesta are both patronesses of marriage.

Love and Lust

Aphrodite has long been associated with love and beauty, and so has her counterpart, Venus. Likewise, Eros and Cupid are considered representative of masculine lust. Priapus is a god of raw sexuality, including sexual violence.

Magic

Isis, the mother goddess of Egypt, is often called upon for magical workings, as is Hecate, a goddess of sorcery.

Masculine Energy

Cernunnos is a strong symbol of masculine energy and power, as is Herne, the god of the hunt. Odin and Thor, both Norse gods, are known as powerful, masculine gods.

Motherhood

Isis is a mother goddess on a grand scale, and Juno watches over women in labor.

Prophecy and Divination

Brighid is known as a goddess of prophecy, and so is Cerridwen, with her cauldron of knowledge. Janus, the two-faced god, sees both the past and future.

Underworld

Because of his harvest associations, Osiris is often connected with the underworld. There are a number of other deities of death and dying.

War and Conflict

The Morrighan is not only a goddess of war, but also of sovereignty and loyalty. Athena protects warriors and imparts them with wisdom. Freya and Thor guide fighters in battle.

Wisdom

Thoth was the Egyptian god of wisdom, and Athena and Odin may also be called upon, depending on your purpose.

Seasonal

There are a number of deities associated with the various times of the Wheel of the Year, including the Winter Solstice, Late winter, the Spring Equinox, and the Summer solstice.

Source: About.com

(One Person’s View Point) THE GOD AND GODDESS OF WITCHCRAFT

THE GOD AND GODDESS OF WITCHCRAFT

A general complaint about Christianity by Witches is that there is the worship of the male deity to the exclusion of the female. In fact this is one of the main reasons for people (women especially) leaving Christianity and returning to the Old Religion. And yet it’s a strange paradox that many—if not the majority—of Witchcraft traditions are guilty of this same crime of
Christianity, if in reverse … they laud the Goddess to the near, or even total, exclusion of the God!

Witchcraft is a religion of nature, as any Witch will tell you. Everywhere in nature there is male and female, and both are necessary (I have yet to meet anyone who does not have both a mother and a father). It follows, then, that both the God and the Goddess are important and
should be equally revered. There should be balance. But balance is as woefully missing in most traditions of the Craft as it is in Christianity.

We are all—every single one of us—made up of both masculine and feminine attributes. The toughest, most macho man has feminine aspects just as the most traditionally-feminine woman has male aspects. So it is with the deities. The God has feminine aspects as well as masculine, and the Goddess has masculine as well as feminine.

What names you use for your deities is a matter of personal preference. In Saxon Witchcraft the name Woden is given to the God; in Gardnerian the Latin term Cernunnos is used; in Scottish, Devla. Each tradition has its own name. But names are only labels; they are only a
means of identifying. You should identify, then, using a name with which you can feel completely comfortable. For, after all, religion is a most personal thing, at the core, and—to be of real purpose—should therefore be related to on the most personal level possible. Even if you join an established tradition this is still valid—find a tradition that seems right for you (as I spoke about in Lesson One) but… don’t be afraid to modify where necessary to make it totally right for you. If the name used to identify the God, in the tradition you have chosen, happens to be Cernunnos (for example) and you have difficulty relating to that name, then choose another for your own use. In other words, respect the name Cernunnos in group worship and all matters pertaining to the coven but, in your own mind—and in personal rites—don’t hesitate to substitute Pan or Mananna or Lief or whatever. A name, as I have said, is a label. The God himself knows you are “talking” to him; he’s not going to be confused! (This all
applies equally to the Goddess of course).

It may well be for the above reason that the name Cernunnos is found in so many branches of the Craft. As I’ve mentioned, it is simply the Latin word for “the Homed One”. To add your own personal identification, then, in no way conflicts.

Traditionally the “dark half” of the year is associated with the God. But this does not (or should not) mean that he is “dead”, or incommunicado, in the “light half” of the year (and vice versa with the Goddess). During the light half he is fully active in his feminine aspect; just as the
Goddess is active in the dark half in her masculine aspect. So, both deities are active throughout the year, even though deference may be given to one over the other at certain times.

There is a common theme of death and resurrection found in myths throughout the world. The symbolism is frequently furthered in a descent to the underworld with a later return. We find it with Ishtar’s descent and search for Tannaz; with Sif’s loss of her golden tresses; with Idunn’s loss of her golden apples; with Jesus’ death and resurrection; with Siva’s death and resurrection, and many more. Basically all represent the coming of fall and winter followed by the return of spring and summer; the lead figure represnting the spirit of vegetation. From Witchcraft here are “The Myth Of the Goddess” as found in (a) Gardnerian Wicca and (b)
Saxon Wicca.

“Now G* had never loved, but she would solve all the Mysteries, even the Mystery of Death; and so she journeyed to the Nether Lands. The Guardians of the Portals challenged her, ‘Strip off thy garments, lay aside thy jewels; for naught may ye bring with ye into this our land.’

So she laid down her garments and her jewels and was bound, as are all who enter the Realms of Death the Mighty One. Such was her beauty that Death himself knelt and kissed her feet,
saying, “Blessed be thy feet that have brought thee in these ways. Abide with me, let me place my cold hand on thy heart.’ She replied, ‘I love thee not. Why dost thou cause all things that I love and take delight in to fade and die?’

‘Lady/ replied Death, ‘it is Age and Fate, against which I am helpless. Age causes all things to wither; but when men die at the end of time I give them rest and peace, and strength so that
they may return. But thou, thou art lovely. Return not; abide with me.’

But she answered, 1 love thee not’.

Then said Death, ‘An’ thou receive not my hand on thy heart, thou must receive Death’s scourge’.

It is Fate; better so’, she said and she knelt; and Death scourged her and she cried, ‘I feel the pangs of love’.

And Death said, ‘Blessed be’ and gave her the Fivefold Kiss, saying, ‘Thus only may ye attain to joy and knowledge’.

And he taught her all the mysteries. And they loved and were one, and he taught her all the Magicks.

For there are three great events in the life of Man: Love, Death and Resurrection in a new body; and Magick controls them all.

For to fulfill love you must return again at the same time and place as the loved one, and you must remember and love them again. But to be reborn you must die, and be ready for a new
body; and to die you must be born; and without love you may not be born. And these be all the Magicks.”

–The Meaning of Witchcraft
Gerald B. Gardner, Aquarian Press, London 1959

“All day had Freya, most lovely of the goddesses, played and romped in the fields. Then did she lay down to rest. And while she slept deft Loki, the Prankster, the Mischief-Maker of the
Gods, did espy the glimmering oiBrosingamene, formed of Galdra, her constant companion. Silent as night did Loki move to the Goddess’ side and, with fingers formed over the ages in
lightness, did remove the silver circlet from about her snow-white neck.

Straightway did Freya arouse, on sensing its loss. Though he moved with the speed of the winds yet Loki she glimpsed as he passed swiftly from sight into the Barrow that leads to
Dreun.

Then was Freya in despair. Darkness descended all about her to hide her tears. Great was her anguish. All light, all life, all creatures joined in her doom. To all corners were sent the
Searchers, in quest of Loki; yet knew they, they would find him not. For who is there may descend into Dreun and return again from thence? Excepting the Gods themselves and, alack, mischievous Loki.

So it was that, still weak from grief, Freya herself elected to descend in search otBrosinga-mene. At the portals of the Barrow was she challenged yet recognized and passed. The
multitude of souls within cried joyfully to see her yet could she not tarry as she sought her stolen light. The infamous Loki left no trail to follow, yet was he everywhere past seen. Those to whom she spake held to Freya (that) Loki carried no jewel as he went by. Where, then, was it hid? In despair she searched an age. Hearhden, the mighty smith of the Gods, did arise from his rest to sense the bewailment of the souls to Freya’s sorrow. Striding from his smithy, to find the cause of the sorrow, did he espy the Silver Circlet where Loki Mischief-Maker had laid it:
upon the rock before his door.

Then was all clear. As Hearhden took hold of Brosingamene, (then did) Loki appear before him, his face wild with rage. Yet would Loki not attack Hearhden, this Mighty Smith whose strength was known even beyond Dreun.

By wiles and tricks did he strive to get his hands upon the silver circlet. He shape-shifted; he darted here and there; he was visible then invisible. Yet could he not sway the smith.

Tiring of the fight, Hearhden raised his mighty club. Then sped Loki away. Great was the joy of Freya when Hearhden placed Brosingamene once more about her snow-white neck.

Great were the cries of joy from Dreun and above.

Great were the thanks that Freya, and all Men, gave to the Gods for the return of Brosingamene.”

–The Tree: The Complete Book of
Saxon Witchcraft
Raymond Buckland, Samuel Weiser, NY 1974

Source: Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft

(One Person’s View) The Goddess And The Horned God In Wicca c.2014

The Goddess And The Horned God In Wicca

Neither evocation nor invocation is part of modern witchcraft, however, and white witches do not recognize any demonic figures in their religion. When we refer to the Goddess and her son-consort, the Horned God of Wicca, we are referring to the archetype or source energies of the feminine and masculine aspects of ultimate power. They are the creative female and male principles, acting not in opposition to each other but as complementary and necessary parts of a whole. All the named goddesses and gods in witchcraft represent the different qualities of these supreme forms, for example the goddesses of the hunt, or specific forms in different cultures.

There are, of course, variations within Wicca; some traditions emphasise the importance of the Goddess, while others regard the Horned God as her equal, with each assuming different aspects according to the season and ritual. For example, the Goddess may appear as the Earth or Moon deity, and her male counterpart as the Corn God or the Sun.

Source: Cassandra Eason

Spell For Tomorrow – Apollo’s Devotional Chant for Inspiration

(YOU CAN COPY AND PASTE ANY SPELLS POSTED TO A DOCUMENT TO PRINT AND/OR SAVE ON YOUR COMPUTER FOR PERSONAL USE ONLY)

Apollo’s Devotional Chant for Inspiration

In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo is a standout god, born to Zeus and Leto and twin to the huntress Artemis. Over time, Apollo and the sun god Helios started to blend in people’s minds, similar to how Artemis got linked with Selene, the moon goddess. Despite this confusion in religious circles, myths and literature always kept Apollo and Helios, as well as Artemis and Selene, separate. The Etruscans also honored him as Aplu, showing Apollo’s wide-reaching influence in ancient cultures.

Light an orange candle during this devotional.

Incense for Apollo:

Frankincense, Vanilla, Cedar.

Offerings to Apollo:

Bay leaves, Olive oil, Wine, Sunflowers, Sunflower seeds.

In Greek mythology, Apollo is one of the most important and multifaceted Olympian gods.

The ideal of the young beardless, Apollo has been variously recognized as the god of truth and prophecy; archery; medicine and healing; music, poetry, healing, and more. In later times, Apollo became partially equated with Helios, the Sun god. But Apollo and Helios remained separated beings in literary and mythological texts. In Etruscan mythology he was known as Aplu.

Invoke Apollo’s power and bring inspiration, focus, concentration and creativity to your art, your new project or work. Use this chant as a morning ritual prayer, or combine it with a spell for good luck, healing, creativity and more.

Devotional text

Come blessed healer,

Bearing a golden lyre, generative, agrarian, Oracular one,

Wild, radiant divinity, lovely one, glorious son,

Cultivator of joy, whose arrows achieve their aim, mighty archer.

You who achieve from afar, prophet, holy one,

all-seeing eye bringing the light which shines on mortals,

Golden-haired, making clear oracular utterances,

Hear me with gracious soul as I pray on behalf of mankind.

Upon the blessed earth you look from above through the dark of night.

In the restful shadow of a night filled with stars,

You clearly see the root below and you arrange and support the boundary of all:

For the origin and completion are both in your care,

The cause of the blooming of all things,

with your resonant lyre you command the axis of the heavens,

Placing all in harmony, by which, indeed, you advance to the lowest pitch,

Elsewhere to the highest, at times playing in the Dorian mode,

Tempering all the poles you keep the tribes of living creatures distinct.

Let inspiration come to me.

Support my quest for creativity.

Make my imagination unlimited.

And my mind open to new ideas as I manifest my talents.

Let me surround myself with creative people.

So I can be in touch with my creative source.

Help me release any resistance to fully expressing my creativity.

Give me the time to think, to relax and focus.

Powerful spirit, express yourself in all possible ways.

Let inspiration flow so that I can easily express myself.

My creative work fills you with joy,

And anything can be my source of inspiration.

I promise to always look out for new experiences.

To recognize and overcome my limitations.

If you eliminate all mental blockages, remove barriers,

And any habits that oppress my inspiration.

Dear Apollo, come to me.

You have mingled harmony into the share of all mortal men,

Giving each an equal measure of winter and summer,

The highest three strings in the winter, the lowest in the summer,

The Dorian mode produces the lovely and blooming spring.

Thereupon the mortals celebrate and call you lord and

Pan, the two-horned God who sends the whistling winds,

Wherefore you form and bear the seal of the entire Cosmos.

Hear, happy one, the supplicating voices of the initiates and save them.

Cernunnos: Horned God of the Celts

Cernunnos is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in Celtic mythology. Depicted as a horned god, he was worshipped by the ancient Celts throughout much of Europe.

In this article, we will explore the myths and legends associated with Cernunnos, and examine the many roles he played in Celtic religion and society.

Who was Cernunnos?

Cernunnos was a god of the Celts, who were an ancient people that inhabited much of Europe during the Iron Age. He is depicted as a horned figure, often holding a torque, or twisted metal necklace, and accompanied by various animals, such as stags, bulls, and serpents. Despite his popularity, little is known about Cernunnos and his exact role in Celtic religion and society remains a matter of debate among scholars.

The Horned God

The image of the horned god is one of the most distinctive and enduring symbols of the Celts. The horns are typically those of a stag, and they represent the god’s connection to … Click here to read the rest of this article Source: celticnative.com

Cernunnos – The Enigmatic Antlered God of the Ancient Celts

The Celts can rightfully be placed amongst the world’s most important ancient cultures and civilizations. Their far-reaching ancient origins are the irreplaceable part of every historical lesson, and their role in history was crucial in the development of the world as we know it today. Yet even so, many aspects of the Celtic culture and belief are a bit of an enigma – even today. Because they didn’t leave any considerable written records, the Celts are largely mysterious, and most of what we know of their early history comes from Roman or Greek historians. We do know, however, that Cernunnos was one of their foremost deities. A mystical antlered god, he was revered by the Celts across Europe.

Who was Cernunnos, the Antlered God of the Celts?

With the relatively recent discoveries of ancient Celtic core sites of La Tene and Hallstatt, in the mid-1800s, the world and the culture of these ancient Europeans came to the closer view of the general public and historians as well. Suddenly, there was so much more to learn about the Celts, about their art, their lifestyle, and their beliefs. Before the 1800s, the pantheon of the ancient Celts was largely enigmatic, but with new archeological material, typesites, and a closer glimpse into their religious rituals, we were finally able to paint a more detailed picture of the ancient Gods of the Celtic peoples.

Arguably the best-known deity in their pantheon is Cernunnos, the sylvan antlered god that likely has origins that far predate the emergence of the Celts. Sometimes also known as Carnonos, his name has firm Proto-Indo-European origins. It stems from the PIE word *k̑r̥no-, and is thus cognate to Germanic *hurnaz and Latin cornu, all meaning “horn”. In the Celtic Gaulish language, this word was karnon, and the connection with the name of Cernunnos is clear – it reflects the deity’s stag antlers, growing from his head. Thus, Cernunnos literally means “the horned one”.

This can also be deduced from the surviving imagery related to the god. In almost every surviving depiction, Cernunnos is presented as … Click here to read the rest of this article Source: .ancient-origins.net

Cernunnos Celtic God: Exploring the Ancient Deity’s Significance and Symbols

Cernunnos

Cernunnos Celtic god holds a significant place in ancient Celtic mythology. Represented as a horned deity, Cernunnos symbolizes nature, fertility, and the cycle of life. This ancient god intertwines with Celtic culture, rituals, and festivals.

Content of this Article

(One Person’s View) List of the Most Used Gods in Witchcraft

Adonis: Greek – consort of Aphrodite

Anubis: Egyptian – Jackal-headed God responsible for conducting souls to the underworld.

Apollo: Greek & Roman – God of the Sun, twin brother of Artemis

Cernunnos/Kernunnos: Celtic – The Horned God, consort of the Lady.

Dionysus: Greek – God of wine, fertility, and vegetation.

Eros: Greek – God of love and passion.

Herne: Celtic/Saxon – see Cernunnos.

Horus (the elder): Egyptian – God of the all-seeing eye. Has the head of a falcon and the body of a man.

Hymen: Greek – God of marriage and wedding feasts.

Lucifer: Italian – God of light, brother of Diana.

Mithra: Persian – God of the Sun and of victory in war

Odin: Scandinavian – God of the dead and of war. Consort of Freya.

Osiris: Egyptian – Fertility God, brother and consort of Isis.

Pan: Greek – God of nature and of woodland.

Poseidon: Greek – God of the sea.

Ra: Egyptian – God of the Sun. Father of Hathor by Nut.

Shiva: Hindu – God of the cycle of birth-death-rebirth. Consort of Kali.

Thor: Scandinavian – God of the sky and of thunder. Son of Odin

Thoth: Greek – God of wisdom and of writing.

Zeus: Greek – Supreme God. Brother of Demeter.

Jupiter Roman King of the Gods

Jupiter

Roman King of the Gods

In terms of Roman mythology, the god Jupiter is the king. In fact, he is often referred to as the king of the gods. He may not be the original creator of the MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURES that dominated tales and lore; that distinction belongs to his father Saturn. But Jupiter is the main man, a la ZEUS in Greek mythology.

Mythology dominated religious culture in Rome up until the point in which Christianity took over. Until that happened, Jupiter was the main deity. He was the god of the sky and, along with the help of the kings of the time, established principles of the Roman religion.

His similarities with Zeus and the GREEK MYTHS didn’t stop with their connections with the sky and thunderbolts. Jupiter was brother to two other gods: Neptune and Pluto. Like the Greeks, each of these three gods controlled one realm of existence: the sky (Jupiter), the sea (Neptune), and the underworld (Pluto), with Jupiter being the most powerful.

Click here to read more about the Roman God Jupiter (Jove) from greekgodsandgoddesses.net

Helios – The Sun God

Helios rides his Chariot across the sky

HELIOS FACTS
Name(s):	Helios
Rules over:	The Sun
Title:	Titan God of the Sun
Gender:	Male
Symbols:	Sun, Chariot, Aureole
Sacred animals:	Horse, Rooster, Cattle, Wolf
Items:	Frankincense, Cornucopia, Black Poplar, Heliotrope
Parents:	Hyperion and Theia
Consort:	Clymene, Rhode – possible others: – Clytie, Perse, Leucothea
Other significant others:	Siblings: – Selene and Eos
Children:	Abundant children including: – The Charites, Phaethon, The Horae, Pasiphae, Circe, Aeëtes, Heliadae, and Heliades
Roman name:	Sol

Helios – The Sun God: https://greekgodsandgoddesses.net –

That was the image that would come to the minds of ancient Greeks when they thought of Helios. To them, he was the representation of the sun and sunlight, traveling across the sky every day. Some authors report that select Greeks revered him as much as they did Zeus.

Helios Appearance

Artwork of the time often shows Helios to be wearing a shining aureole, or halo, of the sun upon his head. He had piercing eyes and long, curly hair.

Family History

Helios was the son of the Titan Hyperion and the Titaness, Theia, making him a second generation Titan.
His sisters were goddesses Selene, the moon, and Eos, the dawn.

Children of Helios

Helios sired many children with his different wives. The Charites, Phaethon, The Horae, Pasiphaë, Circe, Aeëtes, Heliadae, and Heliades are among his known offspring.

The All Seeing Eye

It is not uncommon so see Helios given the epitaph Panoptes, or all-seeing, as the Greeks believed that he could witness anything in the heavens or on earth.

According to the myth about Persephone’s abduction by Hades, it was Helios who saw the crime occur. When Demeter, Persephone’s mother, demanded to know the whereabout of her daughter, the Titan was able to inform her that Hades had kidnapped the goddess.

Another tale illustrating his ability describes Helios witnessing an affair between Aphrodite and Ares. He reported this to Hephaestus, Aphrodite’s husband, and helped set a trap to catch the two lovers. Caught in the act, the gods then banished Ares from Olympus for his crime.

This ability would have made him a valuable friend to keep and a frightening enemy to have.

Daily Travels

As the sun god, Helios would make a daily journey across the sky. Four horses, Aethon, Pyrois, Phlegon and Eous, drew his chariot.

Each morning, his sister, Eos, would paint the dawn sky with her fingers and pull the misty curtain, through which Helios would appear, aside. He would drive his blazing chariot across the heavens until his travels were complete. At this time, he would he would hide in a golden cup that fell to earth while his sister, Eos, would begin her nightly trek.

Meeting with Hercules

Legend has it that one day while lost in his quest to find the island of Erythia, Hercules grew frustrated and shot an arrow towards the sun. Upon realizing what he had done, he apologized to the Titan. Helios, however, was so taken with the boldness of this action that he presented Hercules with his golden cup. Hercules was then able to use this cup to reach his destination.

Helios Appearance in The Odyssey

Helios has a small but notable role in the Odyssey. When Odysseus and his men land on Thrinacia, one of the islands dedicated to the sun god, Odysseus warns them not to touch any of Helios’ cattle or sheep that graze on the land. They do not heed this warning and, in his absence, slaughter some of the best of the animals.

Alerted to this by one of his daughters, Helios appeals to Zeus for revenge. He threatens to take the sun and shine it onto the dead of the Underworld, instead of on the earth, if the men’s act goes unpunished. Zeus then strikes the crew’s ship with a lightning bolt, killing everyone except for Odysseus.

Cult Worship

The island of Rhodes, believed to have been shaped by Helios, is a place where people honored him as an important deity. Legend has it that when the island first came into being, it was muddy and uninhabitable. Helios dried the land and filled it with life, including seven of his sons known as Heliadae. Because of Helios’ life-giving intervention, some residents of the island worshiped him, and the island became sacred to Helios.

In the 3rd Century BC the people of Rhodes built the Colossus of Rhodes which was a 30 metre (90 foot) statue of Helios, it was won of the Seven wonders of the Ancient world.

The Dorians, one of the four major ethnic groups of Greece at the time, also seemed to have celebrated Helios more than many Greeks of the era. There is even speculation that they were the people who brought the worship of the sun god to Rhodes.

Conclusion

Despite having what some historians believe to be a significant place in the Greeks’ hearts, Helios did not play a massive part in their mythology, and it seems that he was eventually replaced by Apollo. Nevertheless, his image as the handsome Titan driving a blazing chariot pulled through the sky by his fire-breathing steeds lives on to this day.

Quick Facts:

Mother: Theia
Father: Hyperion
Siblings: Selene and Eos
Known wives/consorts: Selene, Perse, Clymene, Aegle, Neaera, Rhodos, Ocyrrhoe, Leucothoe, Nausidame, and Gaia
Known as: the Sun God
Roman equivalent: Sol

Gods – Cu Chulainn 1 of the Most Famous Celtic Mythological Heroes

Cu Chulainn would be a demi-god, but the Celtic pantheon does not have demigods.

The Story of Cu Chulainn

Cu Chulainn is one of the most famous Celtic mythological heroes. He appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, and Scottish and Manx folklore. He was said to be the son of Deichtine and the god Lugh, and the nephew of Conchobar mac Nessa, the King of Ulster. His given name at birth was Setanta but he gained the name Cu Chulainn, meaning ‘Culann’s Hound’ after he killed a ferocious guard dog belonging to a smith named Culann. Cu Chulainn offered to take the place of the guard dog until a replacement could be reared.

The stories of Cu Chulainn’s childhood, which date back to the 9^th century, are many. It is said that as a small child, he had asked incessantly to be allowed to join the boy-troop at Emain Macha (today known as Navan Fort in County Armagh, Northern Ireland). According to the legend, he sets out on his own, and eventually runs onto the playing field at Emain, unaware of the custom of asking for protection. The other boys see this as a challenge, and attack Setanta, but he beats them all single-handedly as he carries the trait of ‘ríastrad’, in which he undergoes a sort of distortion, becoming an unrecognizable monster who knows neither friend nor foe. King Conchobar put a stop to the fight.

In the next part of the story, Culann the smith invites Conchobar to his home for a feast.

At this point, Conchobar is so impressed by Setanta that he asks him to join the dinner. Setanta is unable to attend right away, but promises to join them at Culann’s house later. However, Conchobar forgets, and Culann lets loose his ferocious hound to protect his house. On arrival at their house, Setanta is forced to kill the guard dog in self-defense. Culann is devastated at the loss of his guard dog and Setanta feels so bad that he offers to rear a new one, and to guard Culann’s house until the new dog is ready to do so.

When Cu Chulainn is seven years old, he overhears a druid named Cathbad teaching pupils at Emain Macha. Cathbad states that any pupil who takes arms that day would have everlasting fame. Desiring everlasting fame, Cu Chulainn goes to King Conchobar to ask for arms. Conchobar gives Cu Chulainn many arms to try, but none can withstand Cu Chulainn’s strength until finally Conchobar gives him his own arms. Unfortunately, Cu Chulainn did not listen to Cathbad’s full prophecy, and he was unaware that a pupil who took arms that day would have everlasting fame, but a short life.

As Cu Chulainn gets older, he decides he would like to take Emer, daughter of Forgall Monach as a wife. However, Forgall is opposed to this, and tells Cu Chulainn that he should train with Scottish warrior-woman, Scáthach. Forgall’s true intent is that Cu Chulainn will be killed. While Cu Chulainn is gone, Forgall offers Emer to Lugaid mac Nóis, a king of Munster, but when the king learns that she loves Cu Chulainn, he refuses to take her hand.

Scáthach teaches Cu Chulainn all the arts of war. His fellow trainees include Ferdiad, who becomes Cú Chulainn’s best friend and foster-brother. During his training with Scáthach, Cu Chulainn comes to face Aife, Scáthach’s rival. Although the two are evenly matched, Cu Chulainn eventually seizes Aife, and demands that she bear him a son. While Aife is pregnant, Cu Chulainn leaves Scotland, and returns to his love Emer, but Forgall still refuses to allow the marriage. Enraged, Cu Chulainn storms Forgall’s fortress, kills twenty-four of his men, abducts Emer, and steals Forgall’s treasure. Forgall falls to his death.

King Conchobar fears the marriage of Cu Chulainn and Emer, because Conchobar has the “right of the first night” over all marriages and is afraid of Cu Chulainn’s reaction if he sleeps with Emer. On the other hand, Conchobar will lose all his power and authority over his subjects if he doesn’t. The druid Cathbad suggests that Conchobar sleep with Emer, but Cathbad sleep between them.

After eight years pass by, Cu Chulainn’s son by Aife, Connla, comes to find him. When Connla refuses to identify himself, Cu Chulainn kills him. As Connla dies, his final words are that he and Cu Chulainn could have “carried the flag of Ulster to the gates of Rome and beyond,” leaving Cu Chulainn grief-stricken.

Several years pass, and Cu Chulainn rides out to face a group of men who have conspired to kill him. They are all sons of men he had killed. On his way, he encounters three one-eyed hags eating a feast of roast dog. They invite him to join them. Cu Chulainn had several gessa, which are self-declared taboos which, if broken, would lead to his inevitable downfall. Two of his gessa were to never eat dog meat, and to never refuse hospitality. At this junction, he has no choice but to break one of his gessa. He takes one bite and places the bone under his thigh. The hand he used and his thigh are immediately weakened. Cu Chulainn continues on his journey, and is eventually killed while fighting his conspirators. When he received his fatal wound, he tied himself to a pillar so he would die standing and facing his enemies. As the prophecy foretold, Cu Chulainn had reached fame but died at a young age.

The legends of Cu Chulainn are still told to this day. As a mythological hero, the stories of his strength and power have lived on, re-told throughout the years in many ways. Today, the image of Cú Chulainn is invoked by both Irish and Ulster (Northern Ireland) nationalists. Irish nationalists see him as the most important Celtic Irish hero, while unionists see him as an Ulsterman defending the province from enemies to the south.

If you would like to read more about Cu Chulainn warrior tales here is a link for a general search on Táin Bó Cúailnge

Gods – Celtic Cernnunos

Celtic God Cernnunos

The God In The Wild Wood

At the Sacred Centre, in the Grove of all Worlds, He sits with legs crossed beneath an ancient Oak. Entranced, connecting the three worlds Earth, Sea, and Sky, and the worlds behind the worlds, the god and the Great Tree are One, His immense limbs widespread, stretching into distant sky and starry space.
His massive trunk, spine of the Middleworld, is the heart of the Ancient Forest around which all Life, all worlds turn; His limitless root web growing deep into secret earth and Underworld; above him the great turning circles of Sun, Moon, and Stars. All around Him subtle movements of the leaves in melodious, singing air; everywhere the pulsing, gleaming Green awash in drifts of gold and shimmering mist; beneath Him soft moss creeping over the dark, deep, moist of spawning earth. At His feet is the great Cauldron from which the Five Rivers Flow.

Through the forest stillness they come, whispering wings and secret glide, rustling leaves, and silent step, the first Ancestors, the Oldest Animals, to gather around Him: Blackbird, Keeper of the Gate; Stag of Seven Tines, Master of Time; Ancient Owl, Crone of the Night; Eagle, Lord of the Air, Eye of the Sun; and Salmon, Oldest of the Old, Wisest of the Wise leaping from the juncture of the Five Springs. He welcomes them and blesses them, and they honour Him, Cernnunos of the nut brown skin and lustrous curling hair; the god whose eyes flash star-fire, whose flesh is a reservoir of ancient waters, His cells alive with Mystery, original primeval essence. Naked, phallus erect, He wears a crown of antlers limned in green fire and twined with ivy. In his right hand the Torq of gold, testament of his nobility and his sacred pledge; in his left hand the horned serpent symbol of his sexual power sacred to the Goddess. Cernnunos in His Ancient Forest, His Sacred Temple, His Holy Grove, Cernnunos and His children dream the Worlds.

The Origins of Cernnunos

Cernnunos, a nature and fertility god, has appeared in a multitude of forms and made himself known by many names to nearly every culture throughout time. He is perhaps best known to us now in his Celtic aspects of the untamed Horned God of the Animals and the leaf-covered Green Man, Guardian of the Green World, but He is much older. Cernnunos worked his magic when the first humans were becoming. Our prehistoric ancestors knew him as a shape-shifting, shamanic god of the Hunt. He is painted in caves and carved everywhere, on cliffs, stones, even in the Earth Herself. Humans sought to commune with Him and receive his power and that of his animal children by dressing themselves in skins and skulls, adorning themselves with feathers and bones, by dancing His dance. Yet He is older still. In the time of the dinosaurs, the great swamps and subtropical forests of cycads, seed ferns and conifers, and later in the time of the deciduous plants and flowers, when the pollinators came and the first tiny mammals were creeping up from beneath the ground, Cernnunos was the difference and diversity of life, the frenzy and ferment of evolution. But, He is much older still. He is oldest of the Ancient Ones, first born of the Goddess. At the time of First Earth, Cernnunos grew in the womb of the All Mother, Anu, waiting to be born, to come forth to initiate the everlasting, unbroken Circle of Life.

The Many Faces & Natures Of Cernnunos

Cernnunos, as The Horned God, Lord of the Animals is portrayed as human or half human with an antler crown. Though he wears a human face his energy and his concerns are non-human. He is protector of animals and it is Cernnunos who is the law-sayer of hunting and harvest. While He is recognized most often through his connection to animals and our own deeply buried, dimly recalled, instinctual animal natures, Cernnunos is also a tree, forest, and vegetation god in his foliate aspect of The Green Man, Guardian of the Green World. His branching antlers symbolize the spreading treetops of the forest as well as his animal nature. As Master of the Sacrificial Hunt, His is the life that is given in service of new life. His wisdom is that the old must pass away to make way for the new.

In his Underworld aspect Cernnunos is The Dark Man, the god who dwells in the House Beneath the Hill, the Underworld. He is the one who comforts and sings the souls of the dead to their rest in the Summerlands of the Otherworld. Cernnunos, as Master of the Wild Hunt, who pursues the souls of evil doers, is not associated with a biblical or even modern morality, but with the protection and continuance of the Land and Nature and the spirits that dwell therein.

Pan, lusty Satyr god of the Greeks is another aspect of the Horned God. ‘Pan is a proud celebration of the liberating power of male erotic energy in its purest and most beautiful form.’ (5) He is portrayed as playful and cunning, but He also has a darker, dangerous nature. The panic or terror often associated with Pan is not related to human violence, but to the Life and Death of the natural world. In this form he is called the “All Devourer.” However, Pan, as Protector of the Wilderness and as a god prone to fits of madness and violence, can induce panic or wild fear in those who threaten his domain.

Cernnunos appears again in Elizabethan England, and is mentioned by Shakespeare, as Herne the Hunter, the demon and guardian of Windsor Forest, the Royal Wood. In this aspect it is said that he appears as Guardian of the Realm during times of National emergency and crisis. In modern times he is often called the God of the Witches and embodies uncorrupted masculine energy. A masculine energy that is fully-developed and in balance with the natural world

Cernnunos & The Sacred Wheel Of The Year

We celebrate and honour Cernnunos as the Green Man in spring and summer, the light half of the year and as the Dark One or the Dark God in autumn and winter, the dark half of the year. He appears in spring as the young Son, child of the Goddess, embodiment of the budding, growing, greening world. In summer He is the Green Man, vibrant, pulsing with life essence, the consort of the Green Lady Goddess. It is in autumn, the dying time, that perhaps we see the Horned God most clearly. He is the sacrificed one, who, wounded unto death begins his journey to the Underworld, returning to the Earth from which he was born and where the seeds of light released from his decaying body will quicken Her womb with a new Sun once again.

The Path To Cernnunos

The path to Cernnunos is both through the natural world: seeking out the wild places and a deep understanding of the processes of growth, bounty, decay, rest, and rebirth, and through Otherworld journeys to the Middleworld forest of which he is guardian. One may experience this both actually and symbolically by following the path that disappears over the horizon into the distance and moves away from the ‘civilized’ world and into the heart of the Wild Wood. Often experienced as traveling away from the centre to the perimeter, this is in actuality a return to the Centre. When the seeker reaches the god’s forest the track ends, and her/his pathways are found by other means. After entering the Wildwood the seeker cannot be followed, nor can s/he follow another. Whatever pathways are discovered disappear in passing, and the Wood is trackless once again, for each one’s way is different. In the Forest of Cernnunos there is a stillness, an otherworldly feeling, as if one has passed out of time. Here the mind is not supreme. It is instinct, the innate wisdom of the body that guides us to Him.

The Way Of Cernnunos

The way of Cernnunos is the way of the shaman or any person who truly seeks Communion with the Land. Yet, one cannot speak of Cernnunos without speaking of Anu or Don, the All Mother who gave Him birth. The way of Cernnunos is through the One. Like Her, Cernnunos is a Being or Power that existed before time and before the gods, the Shining Ones. Together they are First Mother and First Father, All Mother and All Father who brought the gods into being. Limitless and everlasting His energy permeates Her matter through every aspect of life to the sub-atomic. As Lord of the Dance He is present in the billions and billions of infinitely small movements that make up the seemingly chaotic Dance of Life, the Dance of Making and Unmaking. He is truly the Life that never, never dies, for even as nothingness he is self-originating. He is triple as She is triple. He is Cernnunos: Father, Son, and Wild Spirit.

Cernnunos Chant

Cern-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Stag Horned Hunter, Hunted One
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Cer-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Greenwood Lord of Life and Death
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Cern-nu-noh-oh-oh-oh-os
Herne and Pan and Every Man
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Gods – Buddha Was Not a God

Buddhism Source: buddhism.info

The negative connotation associated with the term ‘atheist’

To be labeled an atheist or godless often has an insulting and derogatory connotation.

It implies that one denies worship, denies morals, denies any spiritual or social obligation and denies a religious life. This in no way describes the teachings of Buddha.

The terms atheist and godless are also often associated with one who subscribes to an entirely materialistic belief system, a doctrine that knows nothing beyond worldly senses and the slight, temporary happiness it can bestow.

Buddhism advocates nothing of the sort. Both Buddhists and followers of other religions believe that true and lasting happiness cannot be found in the material world.

In only one sense can Buddhism be described an atheistic religion – Buddhism denies existence of a Creator God, being an eternal omnipresent God who created the world and who can miraculously save others.

Unlike some other beliefs, Buddhists do not believe that a certain god will appear in this world at some future date to destroy the wicked, unsaved people and to protect the good ones.

Similarly, in Buddhism, there is no belief that someone can wash away their sins simply by asking for forgiveness.

Buddhists believe that redemption is only possible when people sincerely realize that what they are doing is wrong and then subsequently try to change their ways and do good.

It is only through this process that a sinner can counter the bad Karma that has accrued to them based on their evil deeds.

Although Buddhism does not depend on a Creator God, Buddhism emphatically recognizes the existence of moral and spiritual values.

Moreover, Buddhists believe in humanity – we believe that each human being is precious and important and that everyone has the potential to develop into a perfect human being.

The problems with religions based on Creator Gods

All theistic religions consider their concept of God to have ultimate authority over humans.

This supposed sacred authority can be dangerous as it can blindly strip us of our individuality and freedom.

These God-religions attempt to make you a follower and preach that the only true path to salivation is through God.

Under these theistic religions, it is possible for a person to have led a perfectly righteous and virtuous life, but still be condemned to eternal hell since he or she didn’t believe in the existence of a particular group’s idea of God.

On the other hand, someone may have led a life of sin, yet made a repentance before death, and thus that person can be forgiven and ‘saved.’

Buddhists believe there is no rational justification for this type of teaching.

However, as we discussed in detail in Buddhist Views on Religion, Race and Tolerance, it is critically important that we show respect and tolerance to everyone regardless of their religions views.

The benefits of religions based on Creator Gods

Although Buddhism has succeeded as a peaceful religion without incorporating a creator-god, we cannot overlook the fact that the believe in God has done a great service to mankind.

First, the believe in God has helped people control their animal nature.

Secondly, much help and charity has been given to others in the name of god. Many people also find inspiration and protection when the belief of god is in their mind.

Given these benefits, it is easy to see why so many people find the god concept so desirable.

Buddha was not a god

Unlike most other religions, Buddhism does not claim to have originated from heaven.

Buddha never said that he was the son of God, the messenger of God or a reincarnation of a God.

In fact, Buddha emphasized himself that he was not a god, rather he declared himself a simply a human being who was “full awake” and aware of the true nature of existence.

Buddha asked not to be worshiped by his followers but encouraged his followers to look deeply inside their own minds to answer fundamental questions about life, death and happiness. As such, Buddhists do not worship Buddha as a god or deity.

Although many Buddhists have statues and other Buddhism symbols in their homes and place of worship, this is done only as a reminder of our ability to have wisdom and compassion like the Buddha.

As we discussed in The Importance of Prostrating in Buddhism, prostrating or bowing before such figures can be very beneficial in your practice. However, such acts are not done to worship Buddha or the figure itself, but rather to show respect, gratitude and recognition.

Buddhist views of miracles, angels and praying

Often times people’s belief in their Creator God is confirmed or renewed because they prayed in a time of need and their prayer was answered.

Here, correlation doesn’t prove causation. Buddha rejected all of these as foolish and warned about the futility of taking refuge in the hills, woods or shrines when people are full of fear.

If miracles were possible, then there would be no need for hospitals and cemeteries.

Buddhists also don’t expect the gods to do things for us or the angels and guardians to protect us.

If you believe in these things, Buddhism teaches that you will suffer because you will always be waiting for the right day, the right month or the right year for your miracle.

Instead of praying to supernatural beings, Buddhists seek a practical means of conquering birth, aging, pain and death by destroying their mental defilements which cause greed, anger and delusion.

Buddhism doesn’t entice people into living a fool’s paradise, nor does it scare people with imaginary fears.

The traditional concepts of heaven and hell

From a Buddhist point of view, there is no such thing as the traditional concept of heaven and hell, being a permanent, eternal placed created by a God.

Buddhists believe that such a belief is ignorant, unreasonable and foolish to believe that there is an eternal heaven above the clouds or hell under the oceans.

Furthermore, Buddhists believe that it is unreasonable to condemn anyone to eternal hell for their human weakness.

The Buddhist concept of heaven and hell

However, Buddhism does have its own concept of heaven and hell.

Unlike other religions, these places are non-permanent, mental states of mind.

In other words, Buddhist believe that wise people make their own heaven while foolish people create their own hell.

Put yet another way, Buddhists define heaven as a temporary place where those who have done good deeds experience more sensual pleasures.

Hell is another temporary place where those who do evil experience more physical and mental suffering.

Hell is simply a place where one experience painful sensations due to suffering and heaven is a place where one experiences joyful and happy sensations.

However, these mental places are not permanent and there is no God involved. Each person experiences pleasure or pain, heaven and hell, according to their good and bad Karma.

Why do we experience heaven and hell?

According to Buddhists, people experience the fire and misery of hell in this world due to their anger, greed and ignorance. As we can all relate, human beings experience a mixture of both pain and happiness.

In other words, one experiences more pleasure or happiness in this world, then that place is a heaven to those who enjoy their worldly life in that place and time.

When there is more suffering, then that place is a hell to those who suffer. From a Buddhist point of view, if you are in hell, then you can get yourself out by creating good merit and Karma. T

here are no locks on the gates of hell. Hell is only a temporary place and there is no reason for humans to suffer there forever.

Buddha as the Enlightened One

Although Buddha was just a man, he was not an ordinary man like us. He was an extraordinary and incomparably person.

As such, Buddha is considered the Enlightened One, the most compassionate and wise person who ever lived in this world.

For this reason, people take refuge in the Buddha as a teacher or master who has lived and shown the real path of inner peace.

While people may show their respect and gratitude toward Buddha, they do not pray to Buddha with the illusion that he is a god who will reward or punish them. Nor do they ask for material favors through Buddha.

They simply pay homage to a great religious teacher. Those who recite verses from his teachings do so as a means of recalling his great virtues and good qualities in order to get inspiration, confidence and guidance for themselves.

This is all done so that we can try to be like him.

In Buddhism, salvation can only come from within

In some religions, people seek protection in certain objects which they believe are inhabited by spirits.

Buddhists however, know that the only protection they can have is through a complete understanding of their own natures and eradicating their base instincts.

When Buddhists seek refuge in Buddha, it simply means that they accept Buddha and his teachings as the means through which they can end their suffering.

Whether you call Buddhism a religion, philosophy or a way of life, Buddhism is practical, rational and presents a realistic view of life and the world as it exists today.

In the here and now, we should look into our own actions, speech, and Karma. By doing good, you inherit goodness; by doing bad, you inherit badness.

If we can understand that good and bad, right and wrong all lie within us, then we won’t have to go looking for those things somewhere else.

Put another way, if we lose our inner peace here, we must look to find or restore it where we lost it – within ourselves.

Even if you don’t find it at first, keep looking where you dropped it. Usually, we lose it within ourselves and then go looking outside of ourselves for the answers, but we’ll never find it over there.

Gods – Ra Egyptian Sun God

Ra The Sun God of Egypt

The ancient Egyptians revered Ra as the god who created everything. Also known as the Sun God, Ra was a powerful deity and a central god of the Egyptian pantheon. The ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra more than any other god and pharaohs often connected themselves with Ra in their efforts to be seen as the earthly embodiment of the Sun God.

Ra Mythology

The ancient Egyptians believed that as the sun god, Ra’s role was to sail across the heavens during the day in his boat called the “Barque of Millions of Years.” In the morning when Ra emerged from the east, his boat was named, “Madjet” which meant “becoming strong.” By the end of the day the boat was called, “Semektet” which meant “becoming weak.” At the end of the day, it was believed that Ra died (swallowed by Nut) and sailed on to the underworld, leaving the moon in his place to light up the world. Ra was reborn at dawn the very next day. During his journey across the heavens during the day, he fought with his main enemy, an evil serpent named Apep, or also, The Lord of Chaos. In some stories, Ra, in the form of a cat named Mau, defeats the evil serpent, Apep. This is part of the reason why cats are so highly-revered in Egypt.

Ra created himself from the primordial chaos. He is also known as Re and Atum. His children are Shu, the God of Dry Air and Father of the Sky, and his twin sister Tefnut, the Goddess of Moisture and Wetness. As a lion-headed goddess, Tefnut is responsible for dew and freshness. Humans were created from Ra’s tears.

Although Ra was highly revered and devoutly worshiped by the ancient Egyptians, there is a story to suggest he eventually grew weak. In the Legend of Ra, Isis and the Snake, as Ra grew old, he dribbled saliva. Isis knew that Ra’s power was hidden in his secret name. Isis gathered Ra’s saliva and created a snake out of it. She set the snake in Ra’s path and it bit him. Isis wanted the power Ra had always enjoyed, but she knew she had to get him to tell her his secret name. Eventually, because of the pain he was in, Ra allowed Isis to “search through him” and in so doing, she healed him and Ra’s power was transferred over to her.

The Tree of Life is an important religious symbol to the Egyptians. The Tree of Life was located within Ra’s sun temple in Heliopolis and was considered sacred. The fruit that sprang from this tree was not available to humans, but only in aging-rituals reserved for pharaohs. The Tree of Life is also referred to as the mythical, sacred Ished tree. Eternal life came to those who ate the fruit from the Tree of Life.

Another important ancient Egyptian symbol connected to Ra is the “Bennu”. Bennu is the name of the bird that represented Ra’s soul. This bird is a phoenix and it was seated at the Tree of Life in Ra’s Sun Temple in Heliopolis. Inside the temple, on top of an obelisk, sat the Benben Stone. This pyramid-shaped stone served as a beacon to Bennu and is also an important ancient Egyptian religious symbol.

Worship of the Sun God

Solar temples were built for Ra but did not contain a statue of the god. Instead, they were created to be open to the sunlight that Ra represented. The earliest known temple built in honor of Ra exists in Heliopolis (what is now a Cairo suburb). This solar temple is known as “Benu-Phoenix” and is believed to have been erected in the exact spot where Ra emerged into creation.

Although Ra dates back to the second dynasty, he is not the oldest of the Egyptian gods. It wasn’t until the fifth dynasty that Ra became closely associated with the pharaoh. As the king and leader of Egypt, the pharaoh was seen as the human manifestation of Horus, so the two gods became connected. This new deity fusion was then referred to as “Ra-Horakhty” meaning Ra is Horus of the Horizon. Ra’s relationship with other gods did not stop there. As the powerful creator of mankind and the sun god, he also became associated with Atum to make “Atum-Ra.”

Fifth Dynasty and subsequent pharaohs were all known as “The son of Ra” and Ra became incorporated into every pharaoh’s name from then onward. During the Middle Kingdom, the new deity, Amun-Ra was formed. Amun was one of the gods who formed the Ogdoad (the assembly of eight gods who represented eight elements of creation).

The New Kingdom brought new heights of worship to Ra. Many tombs in the Valley of the Kings portray depictions of Ra and his journey through the underworld. During this time, many solar temples were built.

Eye of Ra

Present in the ancient Egyptian mythology is the Eye of Ra, shown as the sun disk with two ‘uraeus’ cobras coiled around it, next to the white and red crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Initially associated with Horus (similarly to the wadjet, the Eye of Horus), the Eye of Ra shifted positions in the myths, becoming both an extension of Ra’s power and a separate entity altogether.

Click here to learn more about The Eye of Ra

Ra God Facts

The ancient Egyptians worshiped Ra to such an extent above other gods that some historians have argued that ancient Egyptian religion was indeed a monotheistic one with Ra as the singular god.
Historians believe that the pyramids might represent rays of sunlight, further connecting the pharaohs with Ra, the sun god.
During Ra’s journey through the heavens he was accompanied by several other gods including Thoth, Horus, Hathor, Maat, Abtu, and Anet.
Nut, goddess of the sky and heavens, is sometimes referred to as Ra’s mother, because he emerges from her and is reborn every morning.
The morning manifestation of Ra is known as “Khepri the scarab God.”
The evening manifestation of Ra is known as the ram-headed god, Khnum.
The sacred cobra that encircled Ra’s crown symbolized royalty, sovereignty and divine authority.
The right eye of Ra represented the Sun; while the left eye of Ra represented the moon.
Ra is also closely associated with the Tree of Life myth, the Ben-Ben Stone and the Bennu Bird myths.
Ra’s glory came to an end during the time when the Roman’s conquered Egypt in 30BC.

Who is Ra?

Ra (pronounced ray) represents sunlight, warmth and growth. It was only natural that the ancient Egyptians would believe him to be the creator of the world, as well as part of him being represented in every other god. The ancient Egyptians believed that every god should illustrate some aspect of him, while Ra himself should also represent every god.

Ra’s Appearance

Ra was usually depicted in human form. He had a falcon head which is crowned with a sun disc. This sun disc was encircled by a sacred cobra named Uraeus. Ra has also been depicted as a man with the head of a beetle and also a human man with the head of a ram. The ancients also depicted Ra in full species form such as a serpent, heron, bull, lion, cat, ram, hawk, beetle, phoenix and others. His main symbol, however, is the sun disk.

Spell for Sunday – Ra Egyptian God of the Sun

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Set Up An Altar for Ra Egyptian God of the Sun

Setting up an altar for the god Ra is a great way to invite him into your spiritual practice and life. It creates a meeting place for you and your god to connect and communicate. Any flat surface will work such as a table, nightstand, bookshelf, counter, etc. Then add things to represent Ancient Egypt and the god Ra to your altar including: crystal pyramids, a statue of Ra, the Eye of Ra symbol, candles, incense with an incense burner, sun decor, a bowl of water, etc. Cleanse and bless your Ra altar before use.

Wearing Ra Amulets Source: otherworldlyoracle.com

Traditionally, amulets were worn by Ra worshipers to invoke their beloved deity and to show their dedication. Select an amulet that means something to you, but also reminds you of the sun god’s unique qualities. Perhaps a stone the Egyptians revered such as lapis lazuli, quartz, turquoise, or onyx. More appropriately, a sunstone would make a great Ra amulet. Cleanse your new amulet, then ask Ra to imbue his power into it. I like to set my amulets on my gods’ altars to really soak up their energy. Then wear the amulet daily or during special sacred rituals in honor of Ra.

List of Lunar Deities

Source: en.wikipedia.org

A lunar deity is a deity who represents the Moon, or an aspect of it. Lunar deities and Moon worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms. The following is a list of lunar deities:

African[edit]

Name	Mythology / Religion	Details
Abuk	Dinka	Goddess of fertility, morality, creativity, and love
Amesemi	Kushite	Protective goddess and wife of Apedemak, the lion-god. She was represented with a crown shaped as a falcon, or with a crescent moon on her head on top of which a falcon was standing.
Ayyur	Berber
Gleti	Dahomean
Mawu	Dahomean
Iah	Egyptian
iNyanga	Zulu	Goddess of the Moon
Khonsu	Egyptian	The god of the moon. A story tells that Ra (the sun God) had forbidden Nut (the Sky goddess) to give birth on any of the 360 days of the calendar. In order to help her give birth to her children, Thoth (the god of wisdom) played against Khonsu in a game of senet. Khonsu lost to Thoth and then he gave away enough moonlight to create 5 additional days so Nut could give birth to her five children. It was said that before losing, the moonlight was on par with the sunlight. Sometimes, Khonsu is depicted as a hawk-headed god, however he is mostly depicted as a young man with a side-lock of hair, like a young Egyptian. He was also a god of time. The centre of his cult was at Thebes which was where he took place in a triad with Amun and Mut. Khonsu was also heavily associated Thoth who also took part in the measurement of time and the moon.
Thoth	Egyptian	God of wisdom, the arts, science, and judgment
Ela-Opitan	Yoruba

American[edit]

Aztec mythology[edit]

Deity Metztli
Goddess Coyolxauhqui
God Tecciztecatl

Cahuilla mythology[edit]

Goddess Menily^[1]

Hopi mythology[edit]

God Muuya^{[citation needed]}

Incan mythology[edit]

Goddess Mama Killa
Goddess Ka-Ata-Killa
God Coniraya

Inuit mythology[edit]

Lakota mythology[edit]

Goddess Hanwi^{[citation needed]}

Maya mythology[edit]

Goddess Awilix; Xbalanque was their mortal (male) incarnation
Maya moon goddess

Muisca mythology[edit]

Goddess Huitaca
Goddess Chía

Nivaclé Mythology[edit]

Jive’cla

Pawnee mythology[edit]

God Pah^{[citation needed]}

Tupi Guarani mythology[edit]

God Abaangui
Goddess Arasy
God/Goddess Jaci (gender depends on tribe)

Voodoo[edit]

God Kalfu

Asian[edit]

Ainu mythology[edit]

God Kunnechup Kamui

Anatolian[edit]

Chinese mythology[edit]

Jie Lin, God that carries the Moon across the night sky ^[2]
Chang Xi Mother of twelve moons corresponding to the twelve months of the year
Chang’e Immortal that lives on the Moon
Tai yin xing jun (太陰星君; Tàiyīn xīng jūn) of Investiture of the Gods in taoism and Chinese folk religion^[3]^[4]
Tu’er Ye Rabbit god that lives on the Moon
Wu Gang Immortal that lives on the Moon

Elamite[edit]

God Napir

Hinduism[edit]

God Agni, invoked as a moon deity in some hymns^[5]
God Chandra or Soma, The moon god

Hurro-Urartian[edit]

God Kušuḫ (Hurrian mythology)
Goddess Selardi (Urartian mythology)

Indonesian mythology[edit]

Goddess Ratih
Goddess Silewe Nazarate

Japanese mythology[edit]

God Tsukuyomi

Korean mythology[edit]

Goddess Myeongwol^[6]

Mari mythology[edit]

God Tõlze

Philippine mythologies[edit]

Kabigat (Bontok mythology): the goddess of the moon who cut off the head of Chal-chal’s son; her action is the origin of headhunting^[7]
Bulan (Ifugao mythology): the moon deity of the night in charge of nighttime^[8]
Moon Deity (Ibaloi mythology): the deity who teased Kabunian for not yet having a spouse^[9]
Delan (Bugkalot mythology): deity of the moon, worshiped with the sun and stars; congenial with Elag; during quarrels, Elag sometimes covers Delan’s face, causing the different phases of the moon; giver of light and growth^[10]
Bulan (Ilocano mythology): the moon god of peace who comforted the grieving Abra^[11]
Bulan (Pangasinense mythology): the merry and mischievous moon god, whose dim palace was the source of the perpetual light which became the stars; guides the ways of thieves^[12]
Wife of Mangetchay (Kapampangan mythology): wife of Mangetchay who gave birth to their daughter whose beauty sparked the great war; lives in the Moon^[13]
Mayari (Kapampangan mythology): the moon goddess who battled her brother, Apolaqui^[14]
Apûng Malyari (Kapampangan mythology): moon god who lives in Mount Pinatubo and ruler of the eight rivers^[15]
Mayari (Tagalog mythology): goddess of the moon;^[16] sometimes identified as having one eye;^[17] ruler of the world during nighttime and daughter of Bathala^[18]
Dalagang nasa Buwan (Tagalog mythology): the maiden of the moon^[19]
Dalagang Binubukot (Tagalog mythology): the cloistered maiden in the moon^[20]
Unnamed Moon God (Tagalog mythology): the night watchman who tattled on Rajo’s theft, leading to an eclipse^[21]
Bulan-hari (Tagalog mythology): one of the deities sent by Bathala to aid the people of Pinak; can command rain to fall; married to Bitu-in^[22]
Bulan (Bicolano mythology): son of Dagat and Paros; joined Daga’s rebellion and died; his body became the Moon;^[23] in another myth, he was alive and from his cut arm, the earth was established, and from his tears, the rivers and seas were established^[24]
Haliya (Bicolano mythology): the goddess of the moon,^[25] often depicted with a golden mask on her face
Libulan (Bisaya mythology): the copper-bodied son of Lidagat and Lihangin; killed by Kaptan’s rage during the great revolt; his body became the moon^[26]
Bulan (Bisaya mythology): the moon deity who gives light to sinners and guides them in the night^[27]
Launsina (Capiznon mythology): the goddess of the Sun, Moon, stars, and seas, and the most beloved because people seek forgiveness from her^[28]
Diwata na Magbabaya (Bukidnon mythology): simply referred as Magbabaya; the good supreme deity and supreme planner who looks like a man; created the Earth and the first eight elements, namely bronze, gold, coins, rock, clouds, rain, iron, and water; using the elements, he also created the sea, sky, Moon, and stars; also known as the pure god who wills all things; one of three deities living in the realm called Banting^[29]
Bulon La Mogoaw (T’boli mythology): one of the two supreme deities; married to Kadaw La Sambad; lives in the seventh layer of the universe^[30]
Moon Deity (Maranao mythology): divine being depicted in an anthropomorphic form as a beautiful young woman; angels serve as her charioteers^[31]

Vietnamese mythology[edit]

Goddess Thần Mặt Trăng, the embodiment of the moon, the daughter of Ông Trời
Goddess Hằng Nga, goddess who lives on the moon

Semitic mythology[edit]

God Aglibol (Palmarene mythology)
God Almaqah (Sabaean mythology)
God Baal-hamon (Punic religion)
God Saggar (Eblaite religion)
God Sin (Mesopotamian mythology)
God Ta’lab (Arabian mythology)
God Wadd (Minaean mythology)
God Yarikh (Amorite and Ugaritic mythology)

Turkic mythology[edit]

God Ay Ata

European[edit]

Name	Mythology / Religion	Details
Arianrhod^{[citation needed]}	Welsh
Artemis	Greek	Artemis is the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt, wilderness, wild animals, chastity, and occasionally the Moon due to being mistaken for Selene.^[32]^[33] She is the daughter of Zeus and Leto and the twin sister of Apollo.^[34] She would eventually be extensively syncretized with the Roman goddess Diana. Cynthia was originally an epithet of the Greek goddess Artemis, who according to legend was born on Mount Cynthus. Selene, the Greek personification of the Moon, and the Roman Diana were also sometimes called “Cynthia”.^[35]
Artume	Etruscan
Ataegina	Lusitanian
Sen		Mesopotamian Religion
Bendis	Thracian
Devana	Slavic	Devana was the Slavic goddess of wild nature, forests, hunting and the moon, equated with the Greek goddess Artemis and Roman goddess Diana.
Diana	Roman	Diana is a goddess in Roman and Hellenistic religion, primarily considered a patroness of the countryside, hunters, crossroads, and the Moon. She is equated with the Greek goddess Artemis (see above), and absorbed much of Artemis’ and Selenes mythology early in Roman history, including a birth on the island of Delos to parents Jupiter and Latona, and a twin brother, Apollo,^[36] though she had an independent origin in Italy.
Elatha^{[citation needed]}	Irish	Elatha was a king of the Fomorians in Irish mythology. He succeeded his father Delbáeth and was replaced by his son Bres, mothered by Ériu.
Hecate	Greek	While associated with the Moon, Hecate is not actually considered a goddess of the moon.
Hors	Slavic
Hjúki and Bil	Norse
Ilargi	Basque
Kuu	Finnish
Losna	Etruscan
Luna	Roman	Roman counterpart to the Greek Titaness Selene. Sibling to Sol and Aurora. Considered one of the 20 principal deities of Rome, having had temples on both the Aventine and Palatine hills.
Mano	Sámi
Máni	Norse	Máni is the personification of the Moon in Norse mythology. Máni, personified, is attested in the Poetic Edda, compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the Prose Edda, written in the 13th century by Snorri Sturluson. Both sources state that he is the brother of the personified sun, Sól, and the son of Mundilfari, while the Prose Edda adds that he is followed by the children Hjúki and Bil through the heavens.
Mehnot	Proto-Indo-European mythology
Meness	Latvian
Myesyats	Slavic
Phoebe	Greek
Selene	Greek	Selene Titan goddess and personification of the moon. She was depicted as a woman riding sidesaddle on a horse or driving a chariot drawn by a pair of winged steeds.
Triple Goddess	Wicca

Oceanic[edit]

Malagasy mythology[edit]

God Andriambahomanana

Polynesian mythology[edit]

God Avatea
God Fati
Goddess Hina
Goddess Mahina
God Marama

Long-Lost Ancient Temple of Apollo Uncovered

A long-lost ancient temple of Apollo has been excavated after archaeologists from the Universities of Frankfurt and Kiel in Germany successfully located its whereabouts in Frangissa, near Pera Orinis in Cyprus.

The temple had been known about since 1885 but had been considered lost, a press release from the deputy culture ministry reported.

“The current research project aims to explore these complex structures, which often evolved over several centuries, and gain important insights into the functioning of ancient sanctuaries,” the press release said.

Current estimates place the temple as dating back to the Hellenistic period—a period of Ancient Greece that started in 323 B.C. and ended in 32 B.C.

“After its construction, the district underwent successive remodeling and expansion. In a later phase, transverse walls were added, altering the interior of the courtyard. Additionally, parallel flat stone bases were erected alongside the outer walls, likely serving as supports for columns and carrying the roof of a hall that surrounded all sides,” the statement from the ministry said.

In Ancient Greece, temples provided a place for worship and ritual practices, as well as providing a place for social, political, and economic functions.

In Greek mythology, Apollo was the god of sun and light and was worshiped at temples and during festivals.

“Through the exemplary investigation of the sanctuary of Frangissa, the current research project aims to explore these complex structures, which often evolved over several centuries, and gain important insights into the functioning of ancient sanctuaries,” the statement said.

Of particular interest was the discovery of fragments of terracotta—a type of ancient pot constructed from brownish-red earthenware.

These fragments belonged to a huge male terracotta figure, the press release said.

“The robe of the figure was intricately decorated with incised ornaments. Similar fragments were previously found in 1885 and taken to the Cyprus Museum,” it said. “The newly found fragments perfectly match these ancient fragments, confirming the identification of the sanctuary with the site excavated in 1885, which was previously based on various circumstantial evidence.”

Archaeologists also found a head of an archaic warrior statuette.

Excavations began in 2021, when the remains of ancient masonry were discovered. The work continued in 2022, until the temple was finally uncovered this year,

Excavations will continue in the area, to allow archaeologists to discover more about the site and the role it played in Ancient Greece.

Source: newsweek.com

Goddesses and Gods – Irish Celtic – Aine and Lugh – God of Justice and Oaths and Master of Crafts

Picture by Judith Shawart

Áine – Goddess of Love, Summer and Wealth

As the goddess of summer and wealth, Áine represents the abundance that the land has to offer during its most plentiful season.

Good, fruitful harvests were required to provide for the people and animals, therefore much emphasis was placed on gods and goddesses that represent fertility, such as Áine.

The goddess Áine is strongly associated with the feast of midsummer and the summer sun. She too, like the Morrigan is thought to have the ability to shapeshift and is represented by a red mare, known for its speed.

Áine is sometimes referred to as the Irish goddess of Love or as the Faery Queen.

There are several stories that connect Áine to rape, including one where she bites off the ear of the King of Munster after an unconsented encounter. By disfiguring him, the Celtic goddess of love made him ineligible to be king (only flawless, unmarred men could rule) and so he was removed from his throne.

In another story of rape, Áine exacted revenge by turned her offender, Gerald, Earl of Desmond into a goose.

The Hill of Knockainy (or Cnoc Áine) in County Limerick was an important site, where ritual blessings to this Irish goddess were carried out. Offerings to Áine have also been made at Lough Gur in County Limerick.

Lugh – God of Justice and Oaths and Master of Crafts

The god Lugh, (also spelled Lug or Luga) is one of the most notable of all the Irish deities and equates to the pan-Celtic god of Lugus.

Lugh was the god associated with justice and held power over oaths and law. He was also connected with rightfulness, especially in terms of kingship.

He was king of the glorified race of the Tuatha dé Danann, who were known for their superior skills and knowledge, particularly on the battlefield. The inscriptions on some early texts suggest that the Tuath dé Danann were deities, while others allude more to them having magical powers, including shapeshifting.

Lugh was a master craftsman and skilled warrior, known for his ability to throw a spear a very long distance and hence his other name Lugh Lámhfhada. This name means Lugh of the long arm in Irish.

He is believed to have led the Tuatha dé Danann to victory over the invading army of Fomorians as depicted in the Battle of Mag Tuired.

It is said that Lugh initiated a special games event, known as the Tailteann Games or Assembly of Tailti that focused on horse racing and martial arts that ran over the last two weeks in July and culminated with the start of the harvest celebration of Lughnasadh on 1 August. It is said that the games were founded in memory of Lugh’s foster mother Tailtiu, who was also thought to be a goddess.

Legend states that Lugh was also a bit of a trickster and is sometimes known as the Celtic god of mischief.

Lugh is thought to have been the father of demi god and famous Irish warrior, Cú Chulainn.

Are Celtic gods immortal? Seemingly not all of them, Lugh is said to have been speared and drowned in Loch Lugborta (or Loch Lugh) in County Westmeath, by the sons of Cermait after he killed their father.

Both the gods of Lugh and the Dagda are supposedly buried in the sacred center of the island of Ireland, Uisneach.

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