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Spring Photo Blogging

Sunday, April 26, 2009


A young tree growing up against my shed.


I'm pretty sure that's a hawk.


Buds on the dogwood tree.


Some of the henbit that takes over my yard at times.


One section of my garden. That catnip is going to be huge and beautiful in no time.


Some pretty vinca vine. It has no idea that's not where it was planted.


That's a daffodil right? For some reason I felt they should always be completely yellow, but I know that's just silly.


The season's first dandelions.

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Changes and Life Reflections

Directly before my husband leapt into the arms of another woman I remember chanting daily to Kali-Ma to remove the obstacles of my life. I was unhappy and had been for years. I was so miserable I had pondered more than once just ending it all on some lonely drunken night. That was two years ago this Spring and I can now finally see what the purpose of all the pain was.

Even though some part of me had known for years that I needed to leave my marriage, there were still times during the affair when I was sure I would go mad trying to hold my life together, trying to keep someone in my life whose time had passed. It wasn’t until the Summer of 2008 that it all struck me and I knew it was time to let go for good.

Throughout the course of my marriage there were times when I had given up on love and on the idea that I would actually one day be understood and cared for in the way that I needed. You see, my husband and I hadn’t connected in a very long time. I wonder now if we ever really did. He is a good man, just no longer the right match for me. We married very young and as time passed we became two very different people who didn't exactly bring out the best in each other. I was a child when we met and I am now a woman with a full life behind her and ahead of her.

Over that Summer something hit me like a brick in the face. There was more out there, there was something else and it was coming my way. It was time for a shift, for things to change. I noticed that I had been focusing on the Crone for some time. Kali and Persephone had been patron Goddesses of mine since before all the changes began. I felt their transformative power begin to take root within me and along with that came some sort of acceptance.

I’m not very good at acceptance. In fact, I’m terrible at it. But despite what I wanted to accept, the Crone, in all her wisdom, managed to destroy my life with one swift movement of her hand and everything fell into a sort of chaos that I had never experienced before. I was lost in the entropy of every day, stuck in a haze of anger and fear. Then one day (that warm Summer afternoon) the acceptance just settled upon me like a gentle kiss that had flown in on a sweet wind and nestled its way into my heart.

It wasn’t until the Winter (the time of the Crone) when I finally made my decision to end my marriage forever. As I ushered in 2009 I was suddenly an autonomous woman with a world of possibilities ahead of me. As to be expected with any change, the season was one of turbulence. There were emotions and heartbreaks, both old and new, that overtook my days and ruled my thoughts. And then there was Spring.

A few weeks before the Vernal Equinox I was struck with something new, something strong and irresistible. I didn’t understand any of it at first; the feelings, the pull, the power. But as the first day of Spring hit I knew what I had been looking for was right in front of me and I knew I had found love – the kind of love you don’t pass up.

So I write this now a changed woman, a woman who feels more whole and understood in her life. All that I had been pining for over the years finally seems to have landed on my front door. The future looks so bright and I am unendingly grateful to the Goddess, the Universe, and to myself for all that I have been given. It’s amazing what can happen when you finally take control of your own life.

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Panthea Returns

Friday, April 24, 2009

After a long hiatus Panthea has returned. My life has undergone a lot of changes, a lot of turmoil, but finally I feel at peace. For the first time in my life I know what it is to be understood, appreciated, and loved for exactly who I am. While I do believe I had found those things within myself long ago, I managed to forget my own power over time; allowing someone else to strip me of all that makes me who I am. But that’s all over now.

I am now embarking on a fresh chapter in my life - one of independence and new love where I am confident that I will only grow and evolve as time goes by. For this I am forever grateful to the Universe. Sometimes all that is needed is for one to take control of their life. Everything else then seems to fall into place.

So, now it’s time to see about picking this place up a little bit. To those of you who were once regular readers: I’m not sure how long it will take me to get back into the swing of consistent updates, but all of the info that has always been here is still available and will remain so indefinitely. Feel free to comment, share you own links, etc. and hopefully Panthea will be as good as new in no time at all.

Thanks to those of you who are returning and to those of you who may be first time visitors. I hope you find something within these pages that stimulates your thoughts and your spirit.

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The Goddess Lilith

Friday, August 08, 2008

You've probably heard of "Lilith Fair", the festival that celebrates women in music. Or maybe you've heard whisperings of a demon named Lilith, even the first Vampire according to some Nosferatu enthusiasts. But what about the historical evidence that portrays Lilith as a benevolent Mother Goddess, (albeit with her dark qualities, as is the case with most Goddesses) who dates back to antiquity?

According to some myths Lilith was Adam's first wife who was banished from Eden for believing she was equal to her mate. Lilith basically wanted to "be on top" but Adam found this emasculating so she was forced to leave the garden and it is said she was forever cursed to give birth to tons of demon babies a day. That seems a little silly to me since I don't understand why "God" would want there to be tons of demons in the world. But I will suspend belief in this instance based on the fact that that's not the silliest thing I've ever read in mythology.

Yet other myths say nothing of Adam, but speak of Lilith's creative, protective, and sustaining nature. She is forever Maiden, free and of herself, yet she is also a Mother to her people; feeding them and protecting them from harm. She weeps when they are hurt and for the destruction she herself must cause as part of nature. Lilith seems in all ways to be a complete image of Goddess; Maiden, Mother, and Crone.

Lilith has also been linked with the Goddess Inanna. It is possible that glimpses of Lilith's oldest images may be found in Inanna's myths as well.

During my research I saw many references to Lilith as a demon and not as a Goddess. Could she perhaps be another demonized version of the Great Goddess that was made out to be evil by the influx of new religions who wanted to gain control over the people? Check out some of the links in this post and decide for yourself.

- Pic found here.

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A Mother's Lesson in Words

Monday, August 04, 2008

I'm posting this little tid-bit of my childhood as part of my Mama Monday celebration.

One of my earliest memories is of my mother teaching me to succeed. When I would say "I can't do it." after failing at a task, my mother would say very succinctly, "There is no such word as can't." I was too little at the time to rebut by informing her that I could simply say "can not" (or is it cannot?) and I would indeed be using real words instead of a conjunction. But that's not really the point. The lesson she was teaching me was that I can do anything I set my mind to and by saying "I can't" I am just making an excuse to fail.

While my mother was never one to hold back a swear word or two, she never let me say things like "I hate such and such" or "I'm gonna kill whatshisface". In fact the word hate was probably the biggest swear word in my house. I was not allowed to hate anything or anyone. Instead I had to get creative and expand my vocabulary at an early age in order to express my disgust of something. If I did accidently let a curse word drop I only really got in big trouble if I said it out of anger towards someone else. Even so, I didn't know the really bad swear words until I was an adult because my mother wasn't one for obligatory vulgarity.

When I was growing up hearing my mother correct my words was a giant nuisance. As an adult I find that I am teaching my daughter the same things; teaching her that she can do anything, teaching her not to hate - to be tolerant and accepting, teaching her not to express her emotions violently (even if we never really mean we're going to kill someone when we say we want to).

The more I thought about all of this it seemed to be about intent and the meanings behind our words, as we think of it metaphysical terms. The things we say can have a profound effect on our own energy, not to mention someone else's. Learning to express ourselves in less negative ways can only be beneficial to ourselves and everyone around us.

So, without even knowing it, my mother was teaching me a very important, magic(k)al lesson. I'm glad that, now that I am all grown up, I can appreciate the subtle lessons of my mother and pass them on to my own daughter.


Pic: Picasso's Mother and Child

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Interpreting Cernunnos

Friday, August 01, 2008

Above: The Gundestrup Cauldron

Mahud at Between Old and New Moons recently posed the question: "So Who is This Cernunnos Dude?". Surf over to read his post and learn about his great A-Z concept, then come back and read my comments. Or stay on his page and read my comments. Totally up to you.
What follows is my interpretation of Cernunnos based on the image on the Gundestrup Cauldron - which I have looked at many times seeking answers about this God.

As was said, Cernunnos is often pictured seated. Because of this, and the way he seems to be sitting in a lotus position, I tend to think of him as a kind of Buddha figure and a symbol for the human journey towards enlightenment.

Because of his antlers I have come to see him as a bridge between humanity and nature/the Divine and nature, and also the immanent force of Divinity in all life. He is a symbol for everything wild or untamed in us - a direct connection to the natural world.

He holds a torque in one hand and a serpent in the other. Both of these symbols have multiple interpretations. I see the torque as representing cycles, eternity, and the Goddess. Interesting how he is already wearing a torque of his own. I wonder if he might be offering the other torque in his hand to us. Could he be saying you too could "wear the torque" and reach enlightenment?

The snake is also a Goddess symbol. I have often wondered if he is choking the snake or simply holding it. Could the snake represent wisdom and thus be something to possess? Or maybe it's phallic? I'm not sure.

The way each item is held equidistant in each hand might show Cernunnos as a balancing force. This might further be illustrated by the animals surrounding him. Most of the prey animals are on his right while the predators, much more violent in appearance, are on his left.

Also within the Gundestrup image are representations of plants - perhaps seedlings of some kind. Most, but not all, of the plants appear to have the same shape as a womb, with fallopian tubes and a uterus clearly outlined. This could have obvious fertility connotations, with Cernunnos personifying the male aspect with the female aspect illustrated by the plants and symbolizing Nature, Mother Earth, Goddess.

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Create-a-Goddess

Thursday, July 31, 2008

In honor of Thou Art Goddess Thursday I'm announing a fun little Goddess doll making game. You can mix and match bodies, faces, head scarves, and pockets. Then add some hair, accessories: earrings, amulets, glasses, mermaid fins, and more.

This is meant as a fun game of dress up for kids and grown-ups both, but you can also create an avatar (a Goddess that describes your personality) to add to your blog or web page. Check out mine at the left.

Mix and match, or hit the randomize button to see what happens. Just sit back, relax, have some fun, and explore the possibilities.

Each and every one of us - no matter who we are, what our dreams may be, what we believe, who we love - is Goddess.

Panthea's Create-a-Goddess

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