The Goddess Path Issue #043
Mothers of the World
May, 2006
This Issue:
Table of Contents
Even the Goddesses Had Monumental Maternal Meltdowns
The Celtic Goddess Rhiannon
Mother's Day : Origins of the Holiday
The Egyptian Goddess Nut--Mother
of the Gods
"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?
Which brings
us to the difficult subject of the . . .
The Bad Mom
. . . you know, like the one who had a 'monumental meltdown' and
recently made headlines when she booted
her bickering children out of the car and drove off.
Margaret Mead, the Great Goddess of modern anthropology,
once remarked that she didn't see much necessity for requiring a
license to marry but felt that parenting licenses would be a
good thing indeed!
I'm siding with
Romi Lassaly, author of True Mom
Confessions:Real Moms Get Real. Like her, I'm not as interested in
judging this mother as I'm hoping that all the public scrutiny fixated upon her will expose motherhood for the
very complex and demanding job that
it really is.
And it's easy to forget that mothers aren't always a comfort.
After all, they 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 make matters worse 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.
There are plenty of examples of goddesses who might be called 'bad
mothers', perhaps none more spectacularly than the Greek
Goddess Hera.
Living
under the intense pressure of being 'The Queen' (as well as the wife of
the impossible-to-manage Zeus), she couldn't love her son because he was
imperfect. So she threw him out of the nest ... quite literally. . .
leaving him lame for life.
Very bad decision!
Hephaestus turned out to be quite the success and she had to swallow
her pride to get back in his good graces.
This part of the
myths of the Greek God Hephaestus
is a cautionary tale for
modern mothers who face tremendous pressure to demonstrate perfection in every
way, an expectation that can propel 'otherwise sane women' do some
very crazy things.
Obviously the mom in the news story took things too far.
She certainly made a bad choice. My initial feeling upon reading the
news story was outrage. What a wounding thing to do.
Admit
it. Which of us at one time or another hasn't been tempted?
And felt twinges of shame when we were impatient or ill-tempered with
our young.
But, whether or not it was deserved, I can't begin to imagine the feelings of shame that her
instant notoriety must have brought in its wake.
And yes, there is even a goddess whose story instructs
us about the horrible burden of such shame. She was called Rhiannon.
Once a wild, headstrong young maiden who rode so swiftly
that no horseman
could catch her, she deserted the faery kingdom she
was to inherit in order to marry a mortal king for love. Rhiannon was to pay dearly for that choice.
Viewed with suspicion by her adopted countrymen since
she was an 'outsider', the goddess was falsely accused of murdering her infant son
and
forced to endure a humiliating punishment. But Rhiannon managed it with
such grace and dignity that she eventually won their respect and their hearts.
Her innocence was eventually proved and the goddess
Rhiannon was reunited with her husband and son and restored to her
throne.
Think of releasing all shame from your life as
you read the myths of the:
Celtic goddess Rhiannon.
The History of Mother's Day
Like many of our other contemporary holidays,
Mother's Day has links to
ancient pagan festivals. For centuries pagans and Christians
have celebrated
the contributions of mothers in:
-
the three day festival honoring Gaea and
Rhea called Hilaria
-
Creation of the "Mother Church" and the
war with the "White Goddess"
-
"Mothering Sunday",
and
-
The Festival of
St. Brigid
But did you know that
modern celebration of Mother's
Day in the USA
-
Started out as a
"Woman's Work Day for Child Welfare" and a "Mothers March for
Peace",
-
Became a perpetual
memorial for one beloved mother after she died, and that
-
The founder of
Mother's Day was later arrested for protesting against the holiday?
It's an interesting
story. You can read about it at:
History of Mother's Day Celebrations
The very first Mothers
Day celebrations, however, were held to
honor the . . .
The Mother of All Gods, the Egyptian
Goddess Nut
The goddess Nut, poor
thing, had to labor for so long to
deliver her babes that the Egyptians had to add five days to their
calendar so that she could get the job done . . . and that is why we now
we have 365 days in a year
instead of the original 360 days that were in the ancient calendar!
Enjoy the myths of :
the
Egyptian Goddess Nut
Doing Momma Proud
However far it has
migrated from its origins,
Mother's
Day can be much more than just a “Hallmark® holiday”. Its meaning is greater than
remembering to send flowers or a card or taking Mom out for lunch.
It means more, even,
than expressing gratitude for the instrument by which you came into
existence.
It is an opportunity to recognize that we are part of something
universal, that we are all connected with the same blood flowing in our
veins and the same needs and desires, all sons and daughters of this
earth (the Great Mother Gaea/Gaia).
It is about honoring each
other, and seeking the spark of Divinity that resides in each and every one of us.
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Something Special this Mother's Day
If your mom's already got all the macaroni necklaces she
can use, why
not give her something a little different this year . . . the gift of self-discovery . . . a gift certificate for the
Goddess Quiz.
What better way to let her know that she'll always be a goddess to you!
Gift
Certificates to Take The Goddess Quiz
Goddess Quiz Certificates
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Shame on Me
I plead guilty of webmistress sin. Put the Scarlet Letter on my
forehead.
Life has a way of happening on a different schedule, so . . .
We're not ready to share those mouth-watering, time-saving yummies, the
winning recipes from the 'Diva's Diner' competion.
Soon. Promise.
In closing, a
reminder ....
that whether or not we’re
fortunate to have been bound to our Mothers by blood ties,
we should give thanks
for all those women who have been the spiritual mothers in our lives.
Sharon
The Goddess Path
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