The Goddess and the Sun

For long has the Goddess been associated with the moon. Although in many cultures in the ancient world, she was also associated with the sun. With the start of patriarchal society, much of the old wisdom of the Goddess was repressed along with her. Any ancient power sources she claimed for herself, were stripped away and given to the newer more "powerful" Gods. She was relegated to being just a Goddess of the moon. No longer was she given the representation of the power of the sun. Not that being a Goddess of the moon is a downgrade by any means. It shows us just how much patriarchal societies actually took from our ancient Mother.

It makes sense that the Goddess would be associated with the sun due to it's life giving properties. Ancient people worshiped the sun because they knew how important it was for their survival. It's great power gave life to their crops and warmed their bodies. Every winter people in cultures all over the world would hold great festivals celebrating the power of the returning sun, when life would be abundant on the earth once again. The female aspect comes to us by those life giving properties the sun is known for. Women and the Goddess give birth to new life. So connecting the Goddess to the sun would make perfect sense to the ancient people.

There are many Goddesses associated with the sun, such as Brigid, Aine, Bast, Isis and Amaterasu to name a few. Brigid and Aine are both Celtic Goddesses associated with the warmth and life giving power of the sun. Bast, the cat Goddess of Egypt, symbolized the fertilizing rays of the sun. Isis is the Great Mother Goddess of Ancient Egypt. She wears a sun disc on her crown. Lastly Amaterasu is the Japanese Shinto Goddess whose name means great shining heaven. Her symbol is the rising sun which appears on the Japanese flag.

If you have ever watched the sunrise, I'm sure you will find it easy to connect it with female energy. I've actually seen many beautiful sunrises, in which I have felt the strong energy of the Goddess. As the sun creeps over the horizon, with her colors of oranges and yellows, pinks and reds, she is so majestic in her beauty. It literally stops you in your tracks, and you can not tear your eyes away. That big ball of fire rising, has a primal energy, ancient energy. Connecting you with the same ancient people who looked upon her same great face. The primordial connection to the earth and all of her beautiful creatures is what you will feel when you connect with the power of the rising sun.

She is reborn each and everyday to give the rest of the world a chance to be reborn. Her fertile light makes us as humans feel whole and connected. If you haven't seen a sunrise, please do yourself the favor. While watching it rise meditate, listen to the sounds of the birds and the other animals rising for the day. Connect with that ancient energy of life, we used to be so in tune with. After your sunrise meditation, record any thoughts that came to you.

During one of my special sunrise experiences, I recorded this quote from my thoughts:

I imagine that She is Isis awaking from her slumber, Stretching her golden wings far and wide, To reach the depths of our souls...

I hope you enjoy working with the ancient female power of the sun!



Picture courtesy of : Methvenite.wordpress.com The name of the artist is Jody Hewgill