THE SACRED ART
 -Preclassical Mediterranean Myth
In the very first times
both people and animals -Nalungiaquan Inuit Woman Ixchel and the Rabbit As aspects of the Great Goddess, animals are equal with humans, plants and minerals. The Goddess comprises all forms of existence, each of which is essential to the Great Whole. Revering animals and other forms of life can help us to re-establish the sacred balance of life in our environment. Animals may also aid us in our everyday lives, or in our dreams, meditations, myths and fairytales. Some Native American teachings say that, since they were created before humans, animals are closer to the Source. Thus, animals can act as allies, guides and familiars in our search for wholeness.
Guanyin (Kuan Yin) is the most
universally beloved of Chinese deities. As the
Bodhisattva of Compassion, she hears and answers
the cries of all beings. In popular conception,
Guanyin went through a long and interesting
transformation from male to female . In this
beautifully powerful, androgynous statue of
painted wood from early 12th Century C.E., she
is in the "royal ease" posture:
seated, but about to rise to help those in need.
In other images, she carries the pearl of
illumination or pours a stream of healing waters
from a vase, blessing her devotees with physical
and spiritual peace.Women in particular devote
themselves to Guanyin. Like Artemis, she is a
Virgin Goddess who protects women. Again like
Artemis, she is a deity of the wild places,
often appearing under a full moon, by ponds and
willow trees.
Yet
many kept the Goddess's tradition alive,
both inside and outside the Church. This piece
was probably made by someone who wished to
portray Mary literally as the Mother of God.
Closed, she is the traditional Virgin with
Child. However, she may also be seen as the
archetypal Mother, creatrix of life, holding the
sphere of the world in her hand. Opening her
reveals the truth: She contains God, Christ and
the rulers of the spiritual and temporal
spheres. To whom, then, are these pious
worshipers offering their prayers.
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The Heart of the
Goddess:
The knowledge and direct
experience of the Great Goddess, once revered
throughout the world, has been lost, obscured
by patriarchal repression and distortion.
Different aspects of the original Great
Goddess have survived in various cultures and
deities. We must look to all of them in order
to find out who the Goddess really is. Images have an enormous
influence on us, as evidenced by the mass of
visual media and advertising in our culture.
In order to free our psyches, we must
carefully chose our images and the messages
they convey. Pictures speak to our hearts and
our guts, as well as to our minds.
In
the lands of the universe there is no place
Here we have a
French woodcarving that is a tribute to those
who kept the teachings of the Great Mother alive
during the Christian era in Europe. She
continued to be central in people's psyches. In
the early days she was worshiped equal with
Christ. Later , an astonishing percentage of the
wealth, energy and artistic talent of the Middle
Ages was devoted to the construction, sometimes
over generations, of the cathedrals of Notre
Dame, "Our Lady".