13 of My Favorite Goddesses

Thirteen of My Favorite Goddesses 1.  Kuan Yin - Goddess of Compassion.  Exerpt from Goddess & Heroines by Patricia Monaghan  Just as Catholic Christianity has provided an antidote to pure theological patriarchy by encouraging the reverence of the Virgin Mary, so Chinese Buddhism evolved a feminine bodhisattva, or Buddha-to-be, named Kuan Yin. And just as Mary captured the hearts of Catholic worshipers, so Kuan Yin far outstripped the male bodhisattvas in popularity. Both in Japan (as Kwannon, who is often pictured as male) and in pre-revolutionary China, this semidivine being was honored in virtually every home; she was the most powerful being in the entire Chinese pantheon. It was said that Kuan Yin was so concerned for humanity that, upon receiving enlightenment, she chose to retain human form rather than transcend it as pure energy. And so she would stay until every single living creature attained enlightenment. Her name translates “she who hears the weeping world”; Kuan Yin sat on her paradise island P’u T’o Shan answering every prayer addressed to her. The mere utterance of her name in prayer was said to assure salvation from physical and spiritual harm. Even better was the observance of Kuan Yin’s own testimony of peace and mercy; her most devout worshipers ate no flesh and lived entirely without doing violence to other beings.  **************  2.  Oya - Change 3.  Brigid - Inspiration. 4.  Isis - Mothering 5.  Hecate - Crossroads 6.  Pele - Awakening 7.  Maya - Illusion 8.  Artemis - Selfhood 9.  Vila - Shape Shifting 10.  Maat - Justice 11.  Lakshmi - Abundance 12.  Sekhmet - Anger and Rage 13.  Ix Chel - Creativity

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My Goddess Oracle Reading

Okay, on Sunday, I did a Goddess Oracle reading.  It was very interesting.  For my past I got Blodewedd, representing betrayal.  For my present I got Sedna, representing the victim, and for my future I got Kuan Yin, one of my favorite goddesses, representing compassion.  I find these cards to be very helpful, not in an “oh what is my fortune?”  kind of way, but in using goddess as representation of  psychological archetypes.  I hate to admit it, but the cards were right on target.  I was very disappointed this weekend because I did not have my crystal healing session.  I had been looking forward to it for a long time, and I was very upset when it did not happen as planned.  I felt like I needed it.  I felt that it was important to me, and that I was being blown off.  I guess you can say that I felt what I thought was betrayal (hence the Blodewedd card).  I felt like my problems and issues were not important.  This triggered feelings from my childhood, where I was disregarded and viewed as insignificant (hence the Sedna card).  I was falling into the victim mode, where the world is against me, and that I am an insignificant and unimportant person to the people I care the most about. 

After nursing my initial wounds, I came to the realization that my issues are important (Hence the Kuan Yin Card).  I need to look at myself and my friends with compassion.  I need to step out of the Victim mode and and accept that I am lovable.  I have a hard time with people that are close to me.  I do not like to talk about my stuff, because I often feel my problems are stupid, or not important.  I need to stop being so hard on myself and my friends.  I need to give them the benefit of the doubt.  I need to open myself up and trust the people that I care about.  The only person I have ever truly trusted is my younger sister.  She really does have the ability to read my mind.  I expect my friends to have this same skill.  I need to express myself honestly and openly.  I will try harder at this, I promise!  I know my friends love and care about me, it is just very hard for me to accept.  The cards helped me to completely analyze my situation.  The Goddess Oracle Cards, are very useful for true introspection and Jungian self analysis.  If you are interested in the cards, here is the link:

http://www.goddessoracle.com/GOF-home.html

The artwork on the cards is amazing.