Sedna, Inuit Goddess of the Deep Ocean

Sedna is the Inuit Goddess of the deep ocean and the Underworld. She is often depicted as a mermaid with long dark hair. Many stories of her begin with her being a mortal woman who later became a Goddess. Her myth is a sad story but it's also filled with important life lessons.
 
Sedna, daughter of a widower, was said to be quite beautiful and had many suitors after her affections. Although Sedna refused them all as she wanted no part in marriage. Then one day she was approached by a handsome man who asked for her hand and she said yes. He took her away to his island, the land of birds, all the while hiding his secret identity which was that of a bird spirit. When Sedna realized this and that the man lied to her, she became sad and pleaded with her father to come rescue her.

Sedna's father then went in his boat to save her. Although once they were both in the boat on the way home, Sedna's husband became enraged that his wife was taken from him and caused a deadly storm. He created huge waves almost sinking the boat and putting the Inuit people in danger. In order to save himself and his people, Sedna's father threw Sedna in the ocean to appease this God and when Sedna tried to climb back in the boat, her father cut off her fingers. She sank to the bottom of the ocean where her body became all the sea life.

Sedna rules over Adlivin, the Underworld, where she is said to live in a house made of whale bones. Some say that she is feared because of the dark depths she represents. The message she brings though is very important as sometimes we must all reach down into the darkness in order to have the light shine.

It is said that Inuit shamans journey to her and when they do they bring a comb to brush her long dark hair. They rely on Sedna to provide them with the creatures of the sea for the hunters to gather food for their families. Sedna teaches us to keep going through the dark days because there will always be brighter days ahead. She also helps us with inner anger showing us that bringing it to the surface and letting it out is the only way towards inner happiness.




Picture courtesy of Love Your Design

Magic Monday, Make a Witches Bottle

A witches bottle has been used for centuries to ward off or trap evil or malevolent spirits, hexes or curses. They originated in the UK around the 1500's and the practice was brought over to the states with immigration. Some old witches bottles have been found in Greenwich, Worcestershire and Pershore, England some dating back to the 17th century. The original witches bottles were made during the witch hunts and were used to protect against "witches" and their magic. They were seen to reflect the evil magic back to its sender.
 
A witches bottle is basically a glass jar with a tight lid that has sharp objects as well as liquids and other items placed into it. The bottle is then sealed with wax and usually buried. One of the main ingredients in the old witches bottles was urine or menstrual blood, although if you don't feel comfortable using bodily liquids feel free to use a magically charged oil or other personal item that identifies with you. The purpose for using these liquids was to personally attach oneself to the bottle. Although the original witches bottles were used to ward off evil magic, modern ones can also be used for protection, prosperity among other things. I will be giving instructions one how to craft the original witches bottle.
 
Supplies:
 

• One glass jar with a tight fitting lid
• Nails, pins, glass, thorns (some call for bent or rusty nails)
• Liquid such as water, magically charged oil, vinegar, wine, urine, menstrual blood
• Sea salt or regular salt
• Candle wax
• Any other personal item you would like to add

You may choose to use one of each ingredient or however many you wish. Take your bottle and place the sharp objects inside first, fill it about halfway. Then pour in your salt to match up with your sharp objects. Now fill up the bottle halfway with whichever liquid you wish to use. If you don't feel comfortable using urine (which is understandable!) you may spit into the bottle once its filled to personally connect your body with it, or place a very personal item in it. Keep in mind though that this bottle should not be re-opened once sealed to retrieve your personal item if you decide to do that.
 
After your bottle is filled, close the lid tightly and take a lit candle and pour wax around the lid and seal to secure it. You may correspond the color of the wax with whatever magical purpose you want the bottle to serve. For example black for negativity, green for prosperity, etc. When your bottle is completely finished, charge it and cleanse it with sage. Now traditionally the bottles are buried but not all of us have a yard and some of us live in apartments. If this is the case you may bury it in a flower pot and place it by your front door or patio, or it can also be hid in a closet.
 
I hope you enjoy crafting your very own witches bottle!










Picture courtesy of Tumblr

Asteria, Greek Goddess of the Stars

Asteria is the Greek Goddess of the stars, prophetic dreams and necromancy. She is one of the Titans and daughter to the God Coeus and the Goddess Phoebe who were both original Titans born from chaos. Asteria is known for reading the stars (astrology) and prophetic dreams. She and her husband, Perses, God of destruction, are parents of the Goddess Hekate.
 
There is a myth involving Asteria in which her body becomes the creation of the island Delos. Asteria was fleeing from the God Zeus who was sexually pursuing her. She transformed into a quail and threw herself into the ocean to get away from him. It was then that the God Poseidon pursued her and the quail she became then turned into the island Ortygia (quail) which later became known as Delos. It was there that her sister Leto, seeking refuge from the jealous Hera, gave birth to Artemis and Apollo. Asteria is sometimes referred to as Delos as the island was originally named after her. In myth it is said that this island fell from heaven like a star.
 
It is said that Asteria was a dream Goddess worshiped on her sacred island of Delos. She is known as the oracle of night and sends prophetic dreams. She is also said to be a Goddess of falling stars as well as necromancy. She dwells in the realm of night amongst the stars and dreams and also among the dead. Her daughter Hekate is also a Goddess of night, the dead and necromancy. Call on Asteria when reading the stars, before sleep and to communicate with spirits.





Picture courtesy of Emily Balivet

Magic Monday, Make a Scrying Mirror

Scrying is an ancient form of divination. It involves gazing into different mediums, such as a crystal ball, a mirror, fire, smoke or calm water to receive visions or messages. It is just another form of quieting your mind so your subconscious can give you the answers you seek. In order to prepare for scrying you must first put yourself in a trance while staring into the
medium you're using. This can be done be repeating a mantra, deep breathing, invoking a deity or sometimes simply the act of gazing is enough.

I find the best way to scry is to practice some deep breathing first, light some incense and then begin gazing. Sometimes it can be hard to keep your eyes adjusted and open the whole time. It is alright to blink and and refocus your eyes if need be. Once you are in a trance like state from the gazing your eyes will naturally adjust to your scrying. Take note of any visions that come through during your scrying session.

For this post I will go over how to make your own scrying mirror which is easy and fun!

Supplies:

• Picture frame with a glass insert
• Black matte spray paint
• Newspaper

Make sure you pick a frame that has some aesthetic appeal to you. Take the glass out of the frame and clean it off. Now take the glass to a well ventilated area (preferably outdoors) place some newspaper down under the glass and begin to spray paint one side of the glass. Let one coat dry then keep adding more coats of paint until the glass is no longer transparent. After the glass has dried, reassemble the frame with the painted side facing towards the back. This way the front of your mirror with not have paint on it and it will make the mirror appear deeper.

Now you may consecrate your scrying mirror and its ready for use! Feel free to paint symbols around the mirror or decorate it how you wish. Although with something like this, simplicity is best, it is your personal divination tool so an extra decorating will be entirely up to you.

Make sure to cover your mirror when its not in use with a velvet bag or some cloth. Enjoy making and using your scrying mirror!








Picture courtesy of eHow

Winner of Goddess Connections e-Book Giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered! And the winner is.........Aphrodisiastes! Congratulations! I will get you your Freyja e-book asap. I hope everyone had fun playing. Thanks again for helping Love of the Goddess reach 5000 fans on Facebook! Stay tuned for the next giveaway.

Giveaway! Goddess Connections e-Book of Your Choice!

In honor of reaching 5000 fans on Facebook I decided to have a giveaway! The prize will be one of my Goddess Connections Workbooks of your choosing. I'm so excited to have reached 5000 fans! Thank you all so much for your support. If you don't know about the Goddess Connections Workbooks check out the e-Books section of my blog: Goddess Connections. Here you will find information about the e-Books as well as which ones are currently available.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment stating which e-Book you would like and why you are interested in learning about that particular Goddess. For extra credit please follow this blog if you are not already. Please be sure to leave your email address in the comment so I can send you your book if you win. I will announce the winner on Saturday. Thank you to all who enter and good luck! And a big thanks to all the awesome fans of Love of the Goddess!! Without your support all of this would not be possible. Many blessings )O(

Nemesis, Greek Goddess of Justice and Balance

Nemesis is the Greek Goddess of divine justice and retribution. She keeps happiness and unhappiness balanced among the mortals. She sees that justice is served for those who have acquired things in a malicious way. She is associated with the Moriai (Fates) and the Erinyes (Furies), all of these are deities dealing with mortal fate and emotion. Nemesis also brings about loss or suffering in those she feels have been experiencing too much good fortune. This brings balance into ones life and humbles us. The cycle of good and bad must continue in our lives to ensure that the correct lessons are taught. Nemesis sees to it that this gets done.

Daughter to Nyx and Oceanus, Nemesis punishes those who partake in excessive indulgence. Some myths claim that Zeus is her father, instead of Oceanus, as is portrayed in the myth aboutthe birth of Helen of Troy. It is said that Nemesis is the mother of Helen of Troy. In this story it is said that Nemesis was forced to lie with her father, Zeus. Though she did not want this and fled across the sea. Zeus pursued her and she transformed into a fish but this did not slow him down. Nemesis then took off over the land and she transformed into many different creatures. Still Zeus followed. Finally she turned into a goose and Zeus turned into a swan. He forced himself on her and after which Nemesis laid an egg. She kept the egg in a box and when it hatched, Helen of Troy emerged and Nemesis claimed her as her own.

Nemesis is portrayed as a winged goddess with a sword in her hand. She is associated with the apple branch, whip and with balance. She is sometimes referred to as Nemesis Rhamnusia which stems from her cult following at Rhamnus in Attica. There was a temple sanctuary there in her honor. She is said to be the mother of four of the Telkhines which were metalworker/sea daimones.  They are known as mysterious magicians who crafted magical tools for the Gods. Their father was Tartaros who is the spirit of the great pit of the underworld.

In the tale of Narcissus, Nemesis is invoked by the nymph Echo to seek vengeance. Narcissus was known to be a quite handsome man, also quite vain. Everyone that laid eyes upon him fell in love with him although he rejected them all. Echo fell in love with Narcissus and when he rejected her, she became so sad that she faded away. But before she did she called on Nemesis for vengeance. Nemesis saw what happened to her and punished Narcissus by making him fall in love with his own reflection. He was condemned to stare at himself in the reflection of water in a pool for the rest of his days. There he wasted away, died and was transformed into the flower, Narcissus.

Nemesis will only see that justice is served if it is deserved, so take care when invoking her. You might be invoking your own punishment if the vengeance you seek is wrongly deserved. 

I hope you enjoyed learning about this ancient Greek Goddess!







Image courtesy of Camp Half Blood