Echoing Multiverse

Ausrine is a Lithuanian dawn goddess, described in the 16th century as "goddess of rays of the sun that descend and rise above the horizons".  She is associated with the morning star, Venus, and is a member of a group of Indo European dawn goddesses with similar names, including Eostre , Eos, Aurora, Ushas, Auseklis, Hausos, and Jesus.  I'm painting these goddesses this week, as Eostre's big day is this coming Sunday, the Anglo Saxon festival of Easter. Ausrine is known for her beautiful hair, the same as the Sun's, and sometimes draws the Sun's jealousy.  As the goddess of youth and beauty, Ausrine is sometimes suspected of drawing the Moon's attention away from the Sun, although she is, of course, innocent. Ausrine original painting, prints, and merch are available via the shop link above, or through Fine Art America or Redbubble . Sources:  Wikipedia Signs of the Morning Star Ausrine in the Baltic Tradition: Regional and Intercultural Features The Whit

The flowers are beginning to bloom, the sun has returned, Sunday is Easter!  You've probably noticed that the date of Easter, unlike most Christian holidays, changes from year to year.  Did you know that this is because Easter date is set by the "solar pagan calendar".  The yearly celebration of bunnies and zombies occurs on the Sunday after the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.  Why would a Christian holiday be celebrated based on a pagan calendar?  According to  The Field , "In 595 CE, Pope Gregory sent a mission of 40 monks led by a Benedictine called Augustine, prior of St Andrew’s monastery in Rome (and later the first Archbishop of Canterbury), to England with instructions to convert the pagan inhabitants to Christianity. Augustine was advised to allow the outward forms of the old, heathen festivals and beliefs to remain intact, but wherever possible to superimpose Christian ceremonies and philosophy on them." Imbolc became Candlemas.  Lughnasadh b

When you think of Medusa, you probably think of snake hair.  But, do you know why she has snake hair?  Misogyny and rape culture. Medusa was raped by Poseidon in Athena's temple.  As punishment, Athena gave Medusa snake hair.  This made Medusa an exciting prize for would be heroes, so, in the aftermath of her rape, she was hunted by trophy-seekers.  Perseus was the one to finally take her head.  As a prize, he was reward with Pegasus, a flying horse who sprang from Medusa's severed neck, her rape baby with Poseidon.  Thanks, Greek mythology. Original painting on recycled cedar shingle.   More on Medusa: Vice News Prospect Magazine Wikipedia

Dogfish Shark Woman is a supernatural ancestor spirit of Haida mythology.  The Haida people are indigenous to the Pacific Northwest, in what is now Canada, and are known for their totems and masks . Dogfish Shark Woman's power came from the spirit of the dogfish, a bottom-dwelling shark known to arch its back and secrete poison when in a defensive mode.  Born a Haida woman of the nobility, she was carried off from the rocky shoreline by a dogfish man, who brought her into his undersea village.  As she stayed in the dogfish village, fins began to grow upon her arms, her legs, and her back, slowly transforming her into Dogfish Shark Woman. Some sources claim that she is able to transform herself back again into her human form, but she chooses to stay with her dogfish family.  She became the royal ancestor of the Haida families who now claim the Shark or Dogfish Mother as their crest. Dogfish Shark Woman original painting, prints, and merch available through shop link above, or via F

As Easter approaches, so do thoughts of ritual sacrifice and rebirth.  Lately, when I think of ritual sacrifice and rebirth, the first deity to come to mind is Coatlicue .  She was worshipped by the Aztecs, but there is evidence that she predates the Aztecs.  An ancient earth mother great goddess adopted by a conquering empire, Coatlicue was considered to be mother of the gods, the sun, the moon, and the stars.  There are stories of Coatlicue being decapitated by her son Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war.  However, in another variant of the story, Huitzilopochtli doesn't decapitate his mother, he simply consumes her heart, "an act suggesting that she died as a result of heart excision, a common form of Aztec human sacrifice, according to colonial authors."  Cecelia Klein pieces together evidence to argue that Coatlicue was one of the three goddesses (along with her sisters) from Aztec myth to sacrifice herself to give birth to and energize the fifth and present sun. 

The Temple of Artemis , in modern day Turkey, was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.  However, Artemis of the temple, Artemis of Ephesus , is not the virgin huntress we usually associate with the name.  At Ephesus, Artemis represents an older great mother goddess, more reminiscent of Cybele. She is associated with bulls and lions, like Inanna .  Some sources identify her as a fertility goddess with many breasts, others say that the elliptical objects on her chest are bull testicles or eggs.  There are also bees on her skirt, illustrating a possible connection with Hannahanna , another Anatolian great mother goddess. Some images show Artemis of Ephesus with dark skin .  Painting her, her facial features definitely felt African to me.  My depiction is based on a 1st century BCE statue owned by the Ephesus Archaeological Museum .  The temple was torn down by a Christian mob in 401 CE under orders from the archbishop and never rebuilt.   Interestingly, Artemis's city of Eph

In Cherokee lands, Unelanuhi is the sun. Her brother is the moon. Unelanuhi didn't pay much attention to humans until she noticed that they never looked directly at her and smiled, like they did for her brother. She was jealous so she decided to punish the humans with intense heat. The spirit people were worried about the humans, and advised killing Unelanuhi. A human transformed into a rattlesnake and waited for Unelanuhi at her daughter's home, where she spends each night. Ready to kill Unelanuhi, the daughter was somehow killed instead. The daughter became a cardinal, but mom was not happy. She cried until almost the entire land was covered in her tears. The Cherokee gathered on the highest mountains, their villages submerged below. They danced their best dances and they drummed their best songs. Unelanuhi finally noticed they weren't so terrible. Since then, she shines more moderately, so humanity will not be burnt. When she remembers her grief, it still sometimes rains

In patriarchal societies, the sun is often represented by a god in mythology.  However, the sun could just as easily be a woman.  Women are powerful. They give life.  They shine.  In Hittite mythology, the sun was a woman.   The Sun Goddess of Arinn a, Queen of All Lands, in sphinx form.  She guards the gate to her namesake city , located in modern day Turkey. Prints and merch available from Fine Art America.

The Burney Relief , also known as Queen of the Night, lives at the British Museum .  It is a Mesopotamian high relief plaque from 1800 - 1750 BCE.  Studies of pigment residue have revealed that it was originally colored as shown in my painting below.  The relief is believed by many to be Ishtar (Inanna's new name after around 2300 BCE).  However, others believe the relief instead depicts Ereshkigal - Ishtar/Inanna's sister - the goddess of the underworld.  What do you think - which sister?  To me, owls say underworld.  I think this is Ereshkigal, triumphant after Inanna's visit. Would you like the triumphant goddess of the underworld on merch, or a print, or even the original painting?  She could adorn your life, thanks to Fine Art America .

In January, I submitted art to a gallery exhibition for the first time.  It was just an online exhibition due to coronavirus, but it was still exciting to see my work on a gallery website.  The gallery in question does a monthly exhibition.  The first exhibition of the year was entitled "About Face", and accepted one work per artist.  The second exhibition was Textile, Fabric, or Fiber Art", and was accepting up to three pieces per artist.  So, even though I've been primarily working with acrylic paint on canvas, I decided to make some textile, fabric, or fiber art.   The first piece I made was entitled "Salvador Dali Basking in the Glow of Elsa Schiaparelli".  I still used a canvas and acrylic paint, but I covered the canvas with shocking pink fabric, featured my favorite historical fashion designer, and added a touch of embroidery and embellishment.   Elsa Schiaparelli was a fashion designer, possibly the most brilliant of all time, working in Paris at th

Coatlicue is the Aztec mother of the gods, the sun, the moon, and the stars.  Her name means snake skirt, because that is her awesome fashion statement.  At one point, she lost her head...but it was okay because two snakes grew in its place.  To match her serpentine skirt, she wears a skull pendant, surrounded by human hands and hearts.  As a befitting a mother goddess, her breasts are no longer high and perky.  She has nursed the universe, and so her breasts are relaxed, having done their work well.  Coatlicue is available on prints, stickers, and other merch from RedBubble . Fun fact:  The most famous statue of Coatlicue, on which my painting is based, resides in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City... but the the first time it was uncovered by archaeologists, in 1790, they reburied it because it was too terrifying.  Source, World History Encyclopedia . Another fun fact:  On a mythology subreddit I subscribe to today, a man asked why are there goddesses of hunting and w

This morning, an armed man was arrested outside of the Vice Presidential residence. On inauguration day, I painted Kamala Harris emerging victoriously from the head of Mike Pence.  Titled, A New Dawn Emerging, I used the purple, white, and green of the women's suffrage movement.  Her purple suit was amazing, by the way.  This morning I made my painting available  as stickers, prints, and merch from Fine Art America.  75% of my profits will be donated to the Coalition to Stop Gun Violencev, an organization working toward a reinstatement of the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004, in addition to other gun control measures.   Also available from RedBubble - 75% of profits donated to CSGV . Then...from her oath of office I learned that her middle name is Devi.  I had been researching goddesses around the world, and had recently learned about the Indian goddess, Devi.  "She has a thousand names and faces — and countless tasks and talents. Even as a fierce warrior heroically sl

Zehra Dogan is a Kurdish artist, journalist, activist, and feminist from the country of Turkey.  For decades, Turkey has had a policy of suppressing Kurdish identity.  Violence against Kurds in Turkey increased around 2015. In 2017, Zehra Doğan was jailed for three years after being arrested on terrorism charges for her news reporting, as well as for sharing on social media an image of a painting she made of a Kurdish village destroyed by the Turkish military. In November 2020, she showed works created in prison at a show in Istanbul, covered by ArtNet News . I learned about Zehra while researching the Shahmeran, a mythical queen of snakes featured in Kurdish folklore.   One of Zehra's works featured the Shahmeran.  The Shahmeran holds the wisdom of the ages.  She lives hidden in a cave in a secret garden filled with snakes.  A mortal finds the cave and falls in love with Shahmeran.  He promises to keep the cave secret.  However, the king is ailing and is told that only the flesh o

Sky Woman appears in the mythology of indigenous peoples throughout the Great Lakes region and adjacent parts of North America.  The exact narrative describing her myth varies from tribe to tribe.  I was drawn to a version about Atahensic, the Huron Sky Woman.  In her story, the world begins as water, only water animals exist until Atahensic falls from the sky.  Two loons notice her falling and hurry to catch her.  They float together, providing a soft raft for her to rest upon.   Atahensic Falls original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Stickers, prints, and other merch available in shop or through  Redbubble  or  Fine Arts America . But she can't live on the backs of two loons forever, so the loons call to the other animals for help.  Snapping Turtle is the first to hear the call.  She calls the other animals.  Atahensic requires earth on which to live, so turtle commands the animals to dive down and bring up earth.  Beaver and muskrat try, but when they surface there is

Tiamat is the Sumerian mother of the gods.  Her name means sea.  At some point she took over the role of Goddess of Creation from Namma .   As Babylon grew more powerful than Eridu (Namma and Tiamat's city), the Babylonian god Marduk was written into her story. According to his story, after Tiamat creates the gods, Marduk slays her in battle. He cuts her into pieces. Her rib cage becomes the heavens, with the sun at her sternum. Her lower parts become the earth. Her breasts, the mountains. Her weeping eyes the sources of the Tigris and Euphrates.  Tiamat original painting, prints, and merch available in shop or through  Fine Arts America  or  RedBubble . But..take it with a grain of salt. His city is hundreds of years younger than Eridu, home of Namma and Tiamat, and his story also tries to obscure that fact. According to  Wikipedia , "Babylonian texts talk of the creation of Eridu by the god Marduk as the first city, 'the holy city, the dwelling of their [the other gods&#

On the god list An-Anum, tablet 1, line 28, Namma bears the title "mother who gave birth to the cosmos and all the gods."  Namma (also known as Nammu) is a Sumerian goddess from the city of Eridu, considered by the Sumerians to be the first city in the world.   Her name includes the sign for cosmic ocean. According to the  Penn Museum , "No husband or male god is attested in connection with Namma, this leading to the belief that 'the first cosmic production is asexual'."  The divine feminine alone created the cosmos. In addition to creating the cosmos and the gods, the myth of Enki and Ninmah has Namma creating humans as well.  Prior to the creation of humans, the gods had to do work, like, "digging the canals and piling up the silt". The gods became displeased with this lifestyle.  To free the gods from their toil, Namma creates humans from clay.  Wouldn't the divine feminine creator of the cosmos look great on your water bottle?  Namma sticke

 In 1945, thirteen leather-bound papyrus codices buried in a sealed jar were found by an Egyptian farmer near the town of Nag Hammadi, Egypt.  These early Christian texts date from the 3rd century CE, and include writings attributed to John the Baptist.  The writings of John became known as the Secret Book of John, or the Apocryphon of John.  A translation by Frederik Wisse can be read online . In the Apocryphon, there is a female counterpart to the Father - the holy Mother, Barbelo.  "She is the forethought of the All - her light shines like his light - the perfect power...  The first power, the glory of Barbelo, the perfect glory in the aeons, the glory of the revelation... she became the womb of everything, for it is she who is prior to them all, the Mother-Father." I became aware of the Apocryphon of John after reading a graphic novel by Marisa Acocella, The Big She-Bang, The Herstory of the Universe According to God the Mother (highly recommended, by the way).  In addit

Often compared to Sheela Na Gig, Baubo has a long and complex history.  She was first mentioned by Christian writers around 200 CE.  She appears in the story of Demeter, the Greek goddess of agriculture, who I happened to paint yesterday.  Original painting of Demeter, prints, and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . Homer wrote that Iambe cheered Demeter by jesting, helping Demeter to rouse herself from depression after her daugher Persephone was taken.  Because of Iambe, Demeter found the strength to fight to retrieve Persephone from the Underworld.  Thanks, Iambe, you prevented eternal winter.  As a result, the internet reports that iambic verse was named after Iambe.   The Christian writers, however, gave the role of cheering Demeter to a woman named Baubo, who, instead of using her wit and jokes, exposed her hilarious 'shameful parts'.   Later, Goethe included a lewd witch named Baubo, riding a sow to Walpurgis Night, in Faust.  Subsequently

 The Guardian published a piece on Sheela Na Gigs for International Women's Day on Monday.  Here's a link.   A few weeks ago, I painted two Sheelas. Found on churches throughout the British Isles and Europe, Sheela Na Gigs are "figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva."  There are over 100 documented examples just in Ireland.  The carvings may be remnants of a pre-Christian mother goddess.  They may also have been thought to ward off evil spirits.  They're often found over doors or windows, and they're generally smiling.   The two I have painted are from the Church of St. Mary and St. David at Kilpeck, Herefordshire, England and the Parish Church of Oaksey, Wiltshire. While I was researching the Sheelas I came across other related stories of, as the Guardian so deftly put it, "big vagina energy".  The power of women (especially the nude form) to create life, protect it, or - conversely - take it away. My favorite was the sto

 Inanna: I will wrench your neck, grab your thick horns, throw you in the dust, stomp you with my hatred, grind my knees in your neck, fighting is her play, she never tires of it... a whirlwind warrior, bound on a twister, wild bull Queen, mistress of brawn, boldy strong From Inanna and Ebih by Enheduanna , c. 2350 BC. Enheduanna was a priestess and author in ancient Sumeria.  She was the first poet to sign their work.  Her temple hymns tell of Inanna, the head of the Sumerian pantheon.  Yes, God was a woman. Inanna is associated with Venus, the morning star.  According to Wikipedia , Taurus is a Venus-ruled signed.  Coincidence?  Doubtful. I'm reading Venus & Aphrodite, History of a Goddess by Bettany Hughes . This is where Venus and Aphrodite began.   The headdress Inanna is wearing is borrowed from Queen Puabi, at the Penn Museum .  Since Queen Puabi's inscriptions make no mention of a husband, she is assumed to have been queen in her own right. Need Inanna goddess power

Hi! Welcome to my blog!  A few months ago, I started painting everyday.  I opened an Instagram account.  I kept it all low key, just a hobby while social distancing.  But really, secretly, I would like to be an artist. Can it be done?  I don't know.  I started three months ago.  I now have close to 1500 instagram followers.  People have said nice things about my paintings.   For instance, today, "I love your art so much.  This is the types of art I want more of in my life [heart emoji] raw and just like something inside of me that someone else spoke on [heart emoji]" Like, wow. This comment was about the image on the right, Dogfish Shark Woman, which is based on the art and stories of the Haida people of the Pacific Northwest (available through Saatchi Art ...and stickers and merch available through Redbubble ). And the other day, "I find your work interesting and important, which is rare..." Who knew strangers on the internet could be so nice! In January and al