“Ancient moon priestesses were called virgins. ‘Virgin’ meant not married, not belonging to a man – a woman who was ‘one-in-herself’. The very word derives from a Latin root meaning strength, force, skill; and was later applied to men: virile. Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all called virgin, which did not refer to sexual chastity, but sexual independence.
And all great culture heroes of the past, mythic or historic, were said to be born of virgin mothers: Marduk, Gilgamesh, Buddha, Osiris, Dionysus, Genghis Khan, Jesus – they were all affirmed as sons of the Great Mother, of the Original One, their worldly power deriving from her. When the Hebrews used the word, and in the original Aramaic, it meant ‘maiden’ or ‘young woman’, with no connotations to sexual chastity.
But later Christian translators could not conceive of the ‘Virgin Mary’ as a woman of independent sexuality, needless to say; they distorted the meaning into sexually pure, chaste, never touched.”
— Monica Sjoo, The Great Cosmic Mother: Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth
Once upon a time, ‘virgin ‘ just meant unwed, free or often, lesbian. It also pertained to Virgo as the Virago, bold and forthright.
Christians weren’t delighted at all the pagan priestesses, scholars, perfume-makers, statues to female deities, female-only households, lady-assassins, single mothers, cat temples, and other set-ups in cities like Babylon. They worked hard to redefine virginity with the concept of the Virgin-Mother as possibly their peak triumph and the Madonna-Whore complex an obvious ‘side effect.’
Greco-Roman cultures had multiple titles for goddesses as well – some emphasized the form of Juno that protected new mothers, others her warrior aspect. Juno was also the feminine of Genius – a magical spirit that would guide and protect a woman throughout her life. The jealous wife of a philandering male god role came much later.
Similarly, Venus had various epithets for her multiple roles – Venus Urania, Venus Pandemos, the mother of desire, the Contriver, Lady of the Flowers – depending on whether she was the Venus worshipped by sailors seeking shore and the nearest tavern or lovelorn girls seeking intel on a potential lover.
The origin story of Ishtar/Inanna is extraordinarily rich, replete with tales of how the goddess battles with an almighty unrequited crush, hunts down her rapist, creates sanctuaries for wild animals and women, goes to hell and back…you get the idea.
Even Guenivere, the adulterous wife of King Arthur, has a huge back story as a druidess. And as you may know, the name ‘Lucifer’ – ascribed to the Christian devil – is from Venus Lucifer AKA Morning Star Venus. Lucifer means ‘light-bearer.’
And I’m still waiting for the secret story of the so-called holy ghost lol.
This post has made my day! Gives whole new meaning to being a “born again virgin”. Bring me another lover…
This is so awesome and profound I know really know what to say.
After bragging about how great I was feeling yesterday- I got my come upance (is that a word? ) whatever! Fuq…head on pillow and no sleep. just HELLO FEELINGS. God why do I always assume “no news is good news” ? esp when I have almost no water and zero skill at processing my feelings aka, they simply DO NOT EXIST. Until they do.
Ugh..
bleh
Cool post tho just feeling soooooooooo icky
yuck
Kinda off-topic, or perhaps not since Venus is also social relationships? My friend cancelled on my bday celebration to go to a kink party that happens every month. He honestly sees nothing selfish in his choice, but then again I may be demanding too much for someone to change their plans for me.
My Venus is in Aries and his ascendant is in Libra, clearly getting that Mars Rx disease.
(And no, new friends isn’t and option. I don’t treat people like things you can just drop and pick up again. Toros know the value of things you know…)
The name Monica means Virgin
Hah – well there ya go!
OMGoddess, the moon over Adelaide is at her most abundant, almost pregnant looking. Huger than big, bigger than usual.
A bit of magnificence in the night sky. It’s a Tantric Moon, having woven every art of itself into a giant silver orb, floating in the stars.
Yes, have had a teeny blunt 🙂
..poetry party! Enjoy Pegasus, fly over that moon. 🙂
i dunno why, but I was reminded of “Animal crackers in my soup” by Charles Bukowski when reading this post….. snakes, animals, woman breeding a new super species…
And “The Great Cosmic Mother…..” by Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor should be taught in schools.
Thanks Mystic, great post.
Monica Sjoo has also written another fabulous book called “New Age and Armageddon” in which she paints a not so rosy picture of the New Age movement. She claims the the “fixation on the pursuit of a personal nirvana, and beliefs in creating our own reality at the expense of communal values may sabotage our efforts to transform the future”…..I tend to agree with her judging by the number of self appointed, money-grabbing “gurus” I have come across. I also believe that part of the financial melt-down that culminated in the downfall of the Lehman Bros was in part aided by the selfish teachings of some of these New Age gurus i.e., “you deserve everything that you want”…including a ferrari or mansion, if that’s what you want – without actually pointing out a most basic principle – that “wanting” is not necessarily a virtue but an addictive state……anyway, interesting read.
Full Moon flashback thread from Myst….Monica Soo now there’s a name.
Just love the top drawing of serpent.
Serpent shape is a key to cosmic doings along with other symbols/shaps of course. ‘Man & how Symbols’, Jung.
At the sweet age of 16, was wearing a little silk dress, pale blue with tiny flowers with a neckline that allowed just a hint of mounds…anyways at this party, the party-giver placed his python on me as i requested:
‘please please i wanna hold him’says Sagg teen.
H
The python wound it’s way around my body. SILK DRESS-Satin PYTHON. It was the most sensational feeling and if everyone tried that, there would be no fear of snakes per se. That is not a snake cure for phobias.
My middle name is Diane 🙂
Your a legend Pegs. Love your story telling abilities. x
Dears..have been busy moving and loving and moving, I knew Saggables are awesome but to fall in love with one? Hay caramba in however many languages.
Sagg-Cancer combis are unexpected but reading you two interact is like watching mirrors, mayhaps I suggest you join forces and do a shared journaling blog?
There’s a level of simpatico betwixt that’s stunning..as I’d mistakenly read S in another post and thought it was Pegs. Thoughts?
Thoughts? ANgel have you hooked up with a SAGG?
You are not marrying your boss are you…lol.
Remember i was brought up by a Kataka Nanna from 3-14 years adored her, she gave me a love of art, books, animals. She loved sewing, china painting, flying ducks, crocheting and anything Asian :-), so always a soft spot for the soft spot of a Kataka. x
Hooked up? Oh shudder at that term. I’m not sure what kind of time warps Saggables scare up, but it’s a bit way past that point. He’s not my boss (thinks he is) but yes, I’m being Sagged on a daily basis.
The er..appetite is Jupiterian. 🙂 I’ve always adored Saggacious women but managed to avoid Jove’s sons save for one soiree ages ago.. I was tootling along when voila.
Terribly, terribly happy. Shall send you updates on breaks between non-stop smiling. xxx
PS DO consider the back and forth thought journaling between you and S, think it’ll be tres interesting.
Just saw Debbie Harry with Blondie on Daily Show. 68 and rawking the leather, hitting the notes. Being a woman has it’s challenges but being an older woman, fuck.
Thanks to Debbie and Jessica Lange and Helen Mirren. O primal Goddessy Qi, I feel like I’m still in the game.
Love Debbie Harry, saw her at Melbourne winery gig a few years ago. Playing with Chrissie Hynde! Fabulous duo of older wise women. They were both awesome!
What a show! I just tried my old usual factory default setting Friday’s child stuff. Delete.
Just didn’t cut it this AM. I had to hurl some “Pleasure and Pain”. Playing drums would be thirsty work.
Blessing to all for a wicked Good/Night. 🙂
Funny thing, the stuff about the slight mistranslation from Aramaic into Greek/Latin regarding the status of Mary was told to me by my protestant pastor (way back then I still belonged to a church) during the prep course for one of their teenage rites.
Interesting timing to read this, MM.
Just been reconnecting with a fave ecofeminist author, Vandana Shiva. Ordering her book Making Peace With Mother Earth.
Thanks for the scoop on virgin-ness.
Certainly the modern usage has diverged from it’s roots. Modern equivalent is what- amazon? Super freak, as in the disco song “the type you don’t take home to mutha” ?
HeHeHe – I’m a bit of a snake whisperer myself. I love them and seem to attract more than my fair share of close encounters with them – mind you I do live in the rainforest so you get that. I have yet to experience any agro from them, and have saved many from becoming road-kill.
It was just last week a huge diamond back python was halfway across the road with a very full tummy indeed, so was slow and drowsy. I asked a couple blokes in a passing car for some assistance – pppffft, yeah thanks mate, they were all freaking out and taking photos on their iPhones while I got a large stick, slid it under him and lifted him off and back into the bush.
Peeps always say “grow some balls” when implying one should harden the fug up –
BITCH PLEASE! – I’ll keep my ‘virginal’ vajayjay thanks anyway.
xo
As a fire snake…totally hear you on this one.
Shedding your skin, takes time.
My Grandparents house used to get snakes in the bath tub. But that’s Nerang. (Holding back judgement – while hearing apes). Enough said.
1994 was the last time I got to see a green tree snake wrapped around the rails of the front stairs, at my previous “hell in a cell”.
Maybe that snake was just cleaning up a scene. Nasty stitches in the lady zone as a kid, which happened years before.
Tried to get an afternoon catnap on, but some dude on a motorbike buzzing around. I’d suggest a Gemini Sun. Problemo solved by finishing painting my toe nails.
What day is it? What time is it? It’s the Zap Zone = zooming along.
Bring on the New Moon. 🙂
Lovely post as always MM!
Nerang eh – I live up on the Mountain!
And I’m a Scorpion Wood Snake (no jokes please)
Small world.
xo
Hello to you. Tang in your nite 🙂
Totally small world. I was born here. Ex-Southportian. Surfers Paradise aka Suckers Paradise (one born every minute 😉
Even had a clean GC Cab last night (must be dreaming). What no vomit in the back seat? A CSI team has been here. Off the hook. Nice cabbie asked if I wanted to go to Sydney? NO.
A good cabbie should, always know the back way. Got to thank my lucky stars for that ride.
The owner of this house did artwork on the walls. Must of left in a hurry. So many questions. Because it’s not up to code. It ticks me off, sans masking tape to crop the edges on feature walls. A red room….with a deliberate stroke on the white. Too many questions.
Also think some of this furniture here belongs to a dude. It’s all my Kataka vibe at this stage but my nose is onto something. I’d say an SOB’s Saturn or whatnot. xoxo
“Why do people say “grow some balls”? Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.” ? Betty White
Lol. #truth
😀
Amen to that
LOOOOOVE posts like this.
Genghis Khan’ was from the goddess ?
I can just see the military court scene where they describe his murder and rape of 100s of thousands in his quest for world domination. His mother sitting in the back row shaking her head in disbelief. “My genghis wouldn’t do those things ? He’s a loving boy who always helped around the house and bought me flowers for Mother’s Day ? ” Genghis smiling from the dock waving to her, blowing kisses.
From ‘Life of Brian’ (Monty Python, strangely apt for this post)
“He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy!”
Ha ! Yes ! was searching for that line in my head. Your the best V x
LOL
Totally!
Also, ‘boss yourself back into authenticity”
LOVE
ah eris on my MC natally as well. oh wow ok. So Mystic why do you think she should be called persephone? I thought they were different myths? obvs happy to learn more. But would be extra… interesting as then ‘persephone’ would be direct opposite my natal pluto and we all know about THIS story. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
other than that, I basically read this post as “get your gaaaaaame on ladies as you alone are the umpires” etc
Oh that’s amazing synchronicity, as per usual!
I was just posting this bunch of links via crystalinks on reptilian/snakes in mythology to someone who had a trance session that produced ‘snake people’ and didn’t know what to make of it. Literally just pressing paste:
http://www.crystalinks.com/reptilians.html
Was reading how the Cobra Goddess in Egypt, or the Uraeus snake on the crown, acts as an “Eye.”
“She is the Iret Eye (“the Doer”), the active power of Re. The idea is similar to Shakti, the active, feminine power”.
As to maidens, well, single mums rule! (Or their kids do) 😉
the amount of happy your link is making me is off the charts!
i love reptilians. never understood why they generate so much hate. but then my girl and i were just discussing serpent mothers like 20 minutes ago and sobek yesterday! 🙂
Oh I am so glad! I hesitated b4 linking because reptilian stuff is such a trigger for some. I don’t have an issue with it either, it’s just a vibration that is very grounded & interested in mass consciousness, it doesn’t make it bad intrinsically. Snake energy is power but power does corrupt and the snake is an elegant channel for power too. The Rainbow Serpent is the great creator, so it follows that destruction is part of it’s cycle.
I have the Anubis Oracle which I use as a meditation tool sometimes. I haven’t gotten to meditating with Sobek, must investigate!
the Rite of Hekate is being performed worldwide as we speak!
Askei Kataskei Eron Oreon Ior Mega Samnyer Baui Phobantia Semne
is her invocation. 🙂 http://hekatecovenant.com/rite-of-her-sacred-fires/
my new virgo moon means i all of a sudden GET this virgin woman unto herself thing. it’s brilliant. my favorite serpent mother lately is Tiamat, who unfortunately doesn’t have an asteroid, just that sitchin story.
which i guess means that she gets ALL the asteroids! mother of monsters indeed. 🙂
I’ll have to check out that Hekate stuff, considering her asteroid is caressing my north node in a tight hug.
when a woman teams up with a snake? only awesomeness can come from it!
I’m cuddling a lil corn snake right now. he’s a cutie patootie!
Oh they are so cute!
🙂
Sweet!
‘Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all called virgin, which did not refer to sexual chastity, but sexual independence. ‘
Oh my goddess the words above gave me chills up my spine! I was/am an ancient moon priestess! beautiful. Also love the shimmering snake.