Venus of Willendorf, 28,000 to 25,000 BCE Many statuettes of female figures have been found across Europe, dating to 28,000–22,000 years ago. We can only guess as to their purpose. Many assume that these statuettes were objects of reverence, representations of the Great Mother. When a human child asks where they came from, the answer is often "from mummy's tummy" so perhaps it is only natural to view the entire world as coming from a Great Mother. When trees spring out of the ground, are they being born from Mother Earth? When new stars are formed in the heavens, are they being born from Mother Nature? Is the entire Universe one great womb? Many religions have a "mother of the gods" who is Great Mother to a whole pantheon of deities. Some believed that all the deities were emanations or fascets of one supreme godhead. In Hinduism, the Great Mother (Mahadevi) manifests herself in various forms, representing the universal creative force. She be...

Tarot of Marseilles This card shows a central figure that we might describe as Mother Nature, surrounded by symbols for the Cardinal Directions. These four quarters also represent the four suits of the Minor Arcana which are to follow. The World card is a reflection upon the third card, The Empress. This is the final card in the Major Arcana, and therefore represents the "big picture" of the cosmos as a unified being. "The number 21 is the number of destruction or rather of universal termination, because, as 2 is separated from 1, it is necessary that it has a means of to unite there if it wants it. This number shows at the same time the command of the production of things and their end, as well in the spiritual one as in the corporal one." Claude of Saint-Martin The destruction here is of illusion, of egocentricism. When the illusion is shattered, we wake up to the stunning reality of the universe.  "21, the highest possible number of 3 in the cor...

Tarot of Marseilles Traditionally, the Empress is depicted as a woman sitting on a throne, holding a shield and sceptre. The eagle eblem on the shield represents the Holy Roman Empire, which developed during the Middle Ages. Modern decks portray her with a starry crown, a Venus glyph, a waterfall and vegetation. As the number three, she represents what Pythagoreans called "the first true number" as it is the first time a geometric shape can be created, the triangle. The symbol of a triangle with an eye in the middle, known as the Eye of Providence , represents the Supreme Being. In Buddhism, the number three signifies the ways of understanding the nature of the Universe. Three represents an awakening to the true reality. The three ways that a Buddha becomes awakened are by understanding the nature of past lives, of karma, and the noble truths. Three types of Buddha are recognised; those who reach enlightenment by following the teachings of the Buddha, those who reach ...

I was recently asked a question by a friend of mine, regarding portrayals of the divine. She asked whether or not it was helpful to portray the Great Goddess in human form. Using a small statue to represent someone so boundless, so vastly supreme, may seem fruitless. Is it possible to accurately depict Her? Is it helpful to try and depict Her in human form? Since my childhood, I like to imagine Her as a warm and loving mother, but I knew that she was much more than that. And image we come up with is merely a symbolic representation of our experience of the divine.  The Metamorphoses of Apuleius describes a vision of the Great Goddess. She emerges from the sea, to announce that she is known by many names... "the Phrygians call me the mother of the Gods: the Athenians, Minerva: the Cyprians, Venus: the Candians, Diana: the Sicilians Proserpina: the Eleusians, Ceres: some Juno, other Bellona, other Hecate: and principally the Aethiopians which dwell in the O...

I remember when I was at school we had a text book that covered all the major world religions, and there was one section of the book called "Earth-based Religion" which covered neopagan spirituality. The phrase "Earth-based" amuses me because it suggests that some religions are based on other planets. Many religions speak of worlds that are separate to this planet, heavens and hells which exist in different dimensions. An Earth-based religion would be concerned with the here and now, rather than other worlds. It also suggests to me a religion which is well "grounded" in reasonable ideas, and is "down to earth" in the sense of being practical, straightforward, and sensible. I asked some friends what "Earth-based" and "Nature-based" spirituality and religion meant to them: "To me; It means a spirituality brought about by an awareness, born of the Wonders of Nature and of the Planet, the elements and the c...