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Goddess Gift E-zine

 Mother Goddesses

 This Issue: Table of Contents

It's A Dirty Job, but Somebody's Gotta Do It!
The Egyptian Goddess Nut
Mother's Day : History and Traditions

Just a brief issue to pay homage to all the goddesses who are mothers, whether they be those who have given birth to a child or are a 'mother of invention' in the world of work. In mythology 'Mother Goddesses' abound : we think of the ancient Great Goddesses, of course, but those like Demeter and Isis and others in times much closer to our own.

I am the one who tells you the way, who
shows you the path. I am the one who,
weaving my wand, creates the new world.

~ Patricia Monaghan, The Queen of Wands

"Nobody loves me but my mother. . . and she could be jivin', too",  bluesman B.B. King once lamented. He was giving voice to the most basic of all human anxieties. If your mother doesn't love you, then who will?

No one but a mother is willing to endure neglect and hurt feelings, nor to risk martyrdom. Who else has such a powerful impulse for connectedness that they wholeheartedly suspend all rational thought to embrace the idea that the "Very Best Kind of Jewelry" is the kind you get on Mother's Day -- jewelry crafted from household refuse such as pasta, styrofoam chips, and paper clips?

No, life as we know it would hardly be the same if it weren't for mothers nurturing and guiding the children . . . not to mention the overprotective mothers who, in spite of all our accomplishments, still treat us like babies.

This is not to say that mothers are always a comfort. (As my friend puts it, "If it's not one thing, it's my mother!")  Mothers are supposed to make us suffer. It's in their job description.

First they squeeze us out into the cold, cruel world, and then they follow up on that by setting impossible standards and demanding that we meet them. Then, having taught us the skills we need to make our way in the world, they promptly shove us out of the nest, and expect us to remember to call and visit every now and then.

But even when we forget to call because we're too busy, a mother always manages to forgive us. She recognizes that we are doing just what she always intended for us, living our lives to the fullest.

Dan Quayle, a former vice-president known for his frequent butchering of the language, said at least one thing that contained a measure of wisdom: "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child." 
      

Something Enjoyable for Mother's Day

"My mother had a great deal of trouble with me, but I think she enjoyed it."   
       ~ Mark Twain

The Goddess Nut

Like all our major holidays, Mother's Day celebrations have close ties to ancient pagan festivals -- the earliest recorded in history were held to honor the Mother of All Gods, the Egyptian goddess Nut.

For a while it seemed that this incredibly generous and loving wife of the all powerful Re (God of the Sun) would never be able to have children. But a little trickery on the part of Thoth, the god of Divine Words, changed her fate.

Nut gave birth to five different gods and goddesses, including the Egyptian goddess Isis. She had to labor for so long to deliver them all that the Egyptians had to add five days to their calendar . . . and that is how we came to have 365 days in a year instead of the 360 in the ancient calendar!

Use this link to read the complete story:
Goddess Nut

The History of Mother's Day

Few of us are aware of the history of our modern celebration of Mother's Day, a holiday that in the USA had its roots in the child welfare and peace movements. 

  • "Woman's Work Day for Child Welfare"

  • "Mothers March for Peace"

  • A perpetual memorial created for a mother who died

  • Founder of Mother's Day arrested protesting against it

But long before that pagans and Christians celebrated the contributions of mothers:

  • Hilaria, the three day festival honoring Gaea and Rhea

  • Creation of the "Mother Church" and the war with the "White Goddess"

  • "Mothering Sunday"

  • The Festival of St. Brigid

You can read all about it at:
 History of Mother's Day Celebrations

In closing, a reminder . . .

that whether or not we’re fortunate to be bound to "our Mothers" by blood ties,
we should give thanks for ALL the nurturing, growth-giving, suffering, and enduring women who have brought us into the light-- those women who have been the spiritual mothers in our lives. 

Thanks, Moms!!

Sharon
The Goddess Path

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