ancient Rome

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BellaDonna – Do Not Betray A Beautiful Lady

September 14, 2009 in Metaphysical Quirks by Mystic Medusa | 16 comments

2706056510_f2ba0e937cI love the look of Deadly Nightshade aka BellaDonna…Beautiful Lady….I can never figure out how it is meant to be the same family as the comfort-spud, the potato!

“…It is of a cold nature; in some it causeth sleep; in others madness, and, shortly after, death,” wrote Culpepper.

A la Wikipedia...

“…It has a long history of use as a medicine, cosmetic, and poison. Before the Middle Ages, it was used as an anesthetic for surgery, and it was used as a poison by early men, ancient Romans, including the wives of two Emperors, and by Macbeth of Scotland before he became a Scottish King.

The genus name “atropa” comes from Atropos, one of the three Fates in Greek mythology, and the name “atropa bella donna” is derived from an admonition in Italian and Greek meaning “do not betray a beautiful lady…”

I tried to get some when i was 13, because some bodice-ripper i was reading had the heroine dropping BellaDonna drops in her eyes to make them sparkle & the pupils dilate, apparently madly arousing to men.  And – she claimed in this book – to make her see more magically.  Deadly Nightshade is also called Devil’s Cherries and Dwayberry…The latter deriving from the French word for grief.

“…The apples of Sodom are held to be related to this plant, and the name Belladonna is said to record an old superstition that at certain times it takes the form of an enchantress of exceeding loveliness, whom it is dangerous to look upon, though a more generally accepted view is that the name was bestowed on it because its juice was used by the Italian ladies to give their eyes greater brilliancy, the smallest quantity having the effect of dilating the pupils of the eye.

Another derivation is founded on the old tradition that the priests used to drink an infusion before they worshipped and invoked the aid of Bellona, the Goddess of War…”

From Botanicals

Mandrake is another version of it & was said to be the plant from which the enchantress Circe made her wine.

Ancient Astro-Spin

August 19, 2009 in Astro In Books, Astro-Fiends by Mystic Medusa | 3 comments

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Astrology In Ancient Rome: Poetry, Prophecy & Power.

“Whatever form the so-called publication of his horoscope took, we can be completely certain that Augustus wanted the world to know what sign he was born under. Let me refer you to the three images you’ve seen in this article. The first one is a coin, one of several Augustan coins featuring Capricorn. You can see the name “Augustus,” and the sea-goat holding the globe of the world. Augustus is Capricorn, in other words, and as the cosmocrator (master of the universe), he’s got the whole world in his hands. While Augustus’ rhetoric in words was putting forward an image of himself as “first among equals,” the astrological imagery of this coin is putting forward an unmistakable bid for autocracy and even kingship.

“The next image is the most famous cameo portrait of Augustus, the so-called “Gemma Augustea.” The woman placing the crown on Augustus’ head almost certainly represents the oikoumene, a Greek word meaning “the inhabited world” (we know this from similar representations on coins where the image bears a caption). Just behind Augustus’ head is a round lozenge containing a small image of Capricorn the sea-goat. We have a fair number of other Capricorn artifacts that probably belonged to private individuals, and these have been found throughout the empire. My third image, another cameo, is an example. The young man swimming the waves is both riding on Capricorn and probably also to be identified with Capricorn. His features, shown in profile, are recognizably those of the young Augustus.

“Why Capricorn? We don’t really know. Augustus’ sun sign was Libra. Capricorn was probably either his rising sign or, more likely, his Moon sign. What particular qualities of the sea-goat made this sign especially appropriate for Augustus? Again, we don’t know for sure. Possibly because Capricorn, then as now, was associated with stern moral authority.“

Imagine being a Libran Emperor and going to such pains to ensure you were branded Capricorn – i love this tale and it’s totally from astro-sceptical historians


Carna

June 1, 2009 in Metaphysical Quirks by Mystic Medusa | 7 comments

carna

Today is  the Ancient Roman festival of the nymph Carna -

Janus fell in love with her and gave her power over door hinges and handles. He remained the god of doorways, of course. And January. She later transformed into the Goddess of the heart and other organs & anyway, her festival is June 1 and its from her we get the term “Carnal.”

Astraea – The Star Maiden & Virgo

April 14, 2009 in Astro-Fiends, Metaphysical Quirks by Mystic Medusa | 37 comments

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Fernando Gallego

“…The Age Of Gold was the first age of the world, without hardship or toil for those who dwelt on Earth, and was without crime. The most recent age of the world, full of troubles and evils, is called The Age of Iron, but perhaps it would be better to call it the Second Age of Gold, for many of its troubles began when gold first tempted humankind to wickedness and war. through the Ages of Gold, Silver and Bronze, Astraea – the goddess of justice – still remain on Earth, but when the Age Of Iron began, she found she could stay here no longer. Now she shines down from the sky as the constellation Virgo, the virgin.  Astraea once carried a pair of scales with which she weighed up the rights and wrongs of any dispute. Now Astraea’s scales shine close by Virgo as the constellation of Libra…Astraea, whose name means Star Maiden, was the last deity to leave Earth…”

Mythology – Myths, Legends & Fantasies

In Ancient Greek & Roman parlance, they say that the return of Astraea to Earth heralds the return of the Golden Age. The Ancient Sumerians knew the constellation of Virgo as Ishtar…their Aphrodite/creation goddess. And, every now & then, someone steps forward to say that ‘virgin’ in this context refers to a temple virgin…ie; women who did not marry but initiated men into the worship of Aphrodite via sex magic.

I think that Mercury as ruler of Virgo does fit them – Virgo Rising with Gemini Midheaven is still very much the astro-signature of a writer & Virgo Suns disproportionately swell the ranks of published/acclaimed novelists – but i love the idea of Virgos also getting lovely Astraea, the Star Maiden as their sponsor. Even if she DID give away her scales to Libra in disgust. It is interesting how so many cultures have the idea of some deity coming back & beginning a fabulous new age. Whether it be aliens, Mayans, Christ, King Arthur, Astraea or other versions of the Divine Feminine.