Ushas

Ushas is the goddess of the dawn from the Rigveda, the oldest holy book of the Hindu religion, estimated by linguists to be written around 1500 BCE. Forty of the hymns in the Rigveda are dedicated to Ushas. According to Wikipedia, "She is portrayed as a beautifully adorned young woman riding in a golden chariot or a hundred chariots, drawn by golden red horses or cows, on her path across the sky, making way for the Vedic sun god Surya, who is referred either as her husband or her son. Her sister is Ratri, or the night."

She is a member of the same family of Indo European dawn goddesses as Eostre (from whom Easter takes its name), Ausrine, Eos, Auseklis, and Aurora. As these dawn goddesses are associated with the morning star, Venus, I would surmise that one could also include Inanna, Ishtar, Astarte, Aphrodite, and Venus in their extended family.

According to Vedicfeed.com, "Goddess Usha is generally associated with light and wealth. She reveals herself with the daily coming of the light to the world. She passes forth light and is accompanied by the sun. She alone leads the Sun and discloses her excellence and fire to her world. She is honored by the worshippers for driving away oppressive darkness and chases away evil spirits. She sets all the things in motion and also sends off people from their duties after the completion of the day. She carries not just light to the sleeping mankind, but hope, happiness, riches, and all the good things. She has the magic of looking at everybody at the same time."

My painting of Ushas is available through the shop link above or via Redbubble Redbubble or Fine Art America.

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Asherah

An inscription from Khirbet El-Qôm (near Jerusalem) dated to the 700s BCE and translated by archaeologist Judith Hadley reads, "Uriyahu the Rich wrote it. Blessed be Uriyahu by Yahweh for from his enemies by his Asherah he has saved him by Oniyahu by his Asherah and by his A[she]rah.” ( Source ) Asherah was the Great Goddess of the Ancient Near East. From this inscription and other evidence, it is surmised that Yahweh, the God of the Jews, once had a wife - Asherah. Asherah was also sometimes known as Astarte and was associated with lions and the planet Venus, like her relative, Ishtar/Inanna. Asherah's symbol was the tree of life, and her worship involved sacred groves and asherah poles. Asherah original painting available through Saatchi Art . Stickers, prints, and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America. All of the Asherahs in my painting are based on figurines housed in the Isra...

Sophia and the Apocryphon of John

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 ...

Sheela Na Gig and the Power of the Vagina

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 favorit...

Malakas and Maganda

Malakas and Maganda are a mythical couple from the Philippines. In the beginning, there was nothing but sea, sky, and a kite bird. The kite bird tired, so she stirred up the sea and sky into a furious battle. The sky threw down boulders, creating islands. The land breeze and the sea breeze had a child, bamboo. Bamboo struck the kite bird accidentally, so the kite attacked the bamboo, pecking until it split open, revealing the first woman and the first man. Maganda, meaning beautiful, and Malakas, meaning strong. Malakas and Maganda original painting, prints, and merch available via shop link above, or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . Sources: http://bakitwhy.com/articles/ancient-philippine-creation-myth-malakas-and-maganda https://pantheon.org/articles/m/malakas.html

Xuannu

Xuannu, also known as Jiutian Xuannu, is a Chinese Goddess of War. Her name has been translated as Dark Lady, Mysterious Lady, or Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens. From Wikipedia, "The Yongcheng Jixian Lu (墉城集仙錄[a]), written by the Daoist master Du Guangting (850–933), contains a biographical account of Jiutian Xuannü. It mentions that Jiutian Xuannü is the teacher of Huangdi. The work relates a story about the goddess appearing before Huangdi during a time when the latter was in conflict with Chiyou. Chiyou had caused a great mist, which was so impenetrable that it obscured day and night. Huangdi would dwell in the mist for several days. Jiutian Xuannü rode a cinnabar phoenix, holding phosphors and clouds as reins, into the great mist. She wore variegated kingfisher-feather garments of nine colors. Huangdi greeted her and received her command. Jiutian Xuannü said: "I base myself on the teachings of the Grand Supreme....

Shakespeare's Birthplace and Drastic Changes in Fashion

We recently visited the U.K., researching schools for the progeny. We put almost 1600 miles on the rental car, visited 7 campuses from Edinburgh to the tip of Cornwall, and splurged on admission to Shakespeare's Birthplace. Shakespeare's Birthplace There, we learned that Shakepeare's dad was a glover. A prosperous tradesman with several apprentices and a relatively luxurious home. Father Shakespeare was well respected in the community, being named community ale taster. The family was solidly middle class, perhaps even upper middle class. While most paintings and other sources of information on historical fashions focus on the clothing of the elite, the visitor center museum at Shakespeare's Birthplace had an exhibit focusing on clothing of the middle class during Shakespeare's lifetime (1564 - 1616). Looking at the exhibit, it was striking to see how drastically styles changed during Shakespeare's lifetime. The fashions of the middle...

Echoing Multiverse

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