Echoing Multiverse

 In his book, Lord of the Four Quarters, Myths of the Royal Father , John Perry writes, "There is evidence in many parts of the world..., the council or assembly of elders of a tribe, served as the governing body for a Divine Woman or Queen who personified the Great Mother and presided over a matrilineal society.  The early king of such cultures ruled, not in his own right, but in his capacity as consort to the Divine Woman." In the case of early Rome, the Divine Woman was the Goddess Egeria ( source ).  She counseled and guided the legendary second king of Rome, Numa Pompilius (Latin numen designates "the expressed will of a deity"), during his reign from 715 - 673 BCE ( source ).  She gave Numa the laws and rituals of Rome.  She was also an oracle, and is sometimes described as a nymph, possibly due to her association with water.  Egeria's spring, once surrounded by a sacred grove, is located close to Porta Capena gate to Rome.  Its waters were dedic...

 Cihuateteo means "Women Goddesses".  These Goddesses are native to Mesoamerica, appearing in the pantheon as mortal women who died in childbirth and then were deified.  The Chihuateteo travel throughout the day, dwelling first with the stars in the western sky in the heavenly region called Cihuatlampa or "place of women".  Then, from noon to sunset they accompany the sun, following it through the night as it lights the underworld.   Every 52 days the Chihuateteo would descend to earth to reign for a day associated with the west.  On these days, children were cautioned to stay inside and men to be careful.  Only those skilled in dealing with divine possession should be outside on the days the Chihuateteo descended.   In modern writings the Cihuateteo are often characterized as monsters, however this was not originally the case.  Rather, they were powerful, benevolent ancestors who were honored and revered.  In prayers they were...

 Nisaba is the Sumerian goddess who invented written language.  She likely began as a goddess of grain, and inspired her priestesses to keep track of the harvest with marks on clay tablets, which gradually become more complex until the first written alphabet was created.  The cunieform symbol for Nisaba combines the symbols for deity and wheat. She was the Goddess of scribes, and all writing began with her praises.  She was described circa 2125 BC in the Gudea cylinder as holding a gold stylus and a clay tablet carrying the image of starry heaven.  In the Hymn to Nisaba, her tablet is made is of lapis lazuli, a semi-precious gemstone prized for its deep blue color. Nisaba Charts the Heavens original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Prints, stickers, and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . "Inscriptions make clear that her temple at Eresh was known as Esagin, 'House of Lapis Lazuli,' which was a center of worshi...

 "Eurynome, the Goddess of All Things, rose naked from Chaos, but found nothing substantial for her feet to rest upon, and therefore divided the sea from the sky, dancing lonely upon its waves.  She danced towards the south, and the wind set in motion behind her seemed something new and apart with which to begin a work of creation.  Wheeling about, she caught hold of this north wind, rubbed it between her hands, and behold! the great serpent Ophion."  -- Robert Graves, the Greek Myths Eurynome original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Prints, stickers, and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . Eurynome is the Pelasgian Creator Goddess.  The Pelasgians were inhabitants of the Aegean region before the arrival of proto-Greek speakers around 1200 BCE.  They are mentioned numerous times by ancient Greek writers, and archaeological evidences suggests the Pelasgians were farming in Athens and surrounding areas as ...

 I was inspired by recent 4th of July festivities to do some plein air painting at Valley Forge.   George Washington's Fasces original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Prints and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . In the park, there is a prominent statue of General George Washington with his favorite prop, the fasces.  George here is gazing out towards the house he stayed in during the encampment at Valley Forge.  He brought his enslaved cook Hannah along, who was half Oneida Native American and half African.  Most of his hundreds of other slaves stayed at his Virginia plantation during the war. Washington's Headquarters, Valley Forge ( source ) The room at Washington's Virginia plantation in which the female house slaves were locked every night. Prior to the Revolution, George single-handedly started the French and Indian/Seven Years War when he ambushed and killed a French patrol in French territory during pe...

 Cybele processing through Rome, with her lions and frame drum.  Cybele original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Prints and other merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . Cybele was an Anatolian Great Mother Goddess.  The Romans were losing the Punic wars against Carthage.  Tanit, the lion Goddess of Carthage was too strong.  So the Romans sent to Phrygia for Cybele.  Cybele arrived in Rome in 204 BCE, the war was won, and Cybele became one of the chief deities of Rome.  St Peters Cathedral in the Vatican is built on the site of Her temple. "Roman emperors like Augustus, Claudius, and Antonius Pius regarded her as the supreme deity of the empire.  Augustus established his home facing her temple, and looked upon his wife, the empress Livia Augusta, as an earthly incarnation of her." ( source ) When Cybele moved to Rome, she brought Attis along, her tragic son/lover, whose self-mutilation, death and resurrec...

 Sekhmet and Hathor, Lion and Cow, Cow Goddess Hathor has been known to transform into Lion Goddess Sekhmet, The divine feminine has many avatars, Both are solar deities, Both are Mother Goddesses, Both wear the wadjet, Cobra, snake, symbol of rebirth. Hathor and Sekhmet original painting available through Saatchi Art .  Prints and merch available in shop or through RedBubble or Fine Art America . Hathor began as an extension of Nut , Great Mother Goddess of the Sky, who was represented as either a nude female or a cow, arching over the world.  Each evening, Nut would swallow the sun, rebirthing it each morning.  She is the Goddess of the sky and all heavenly bodies, mother of the gods, she who holds a thousand souls.  In her cow form, she represents the Milky Way. Hathor is also the Cow Goddess of the Sky who births the sun. According to Wikipedia, “Hathor's Egyptian name was ḥwt-ḥrw or ḥwt-ḥr. It is typically translated "house of Horus" but can also be render...