| Homeric Hymn, 7th Century B.C.3
I will sing of well-founded Gaea, Mother of All, eldest of all beings, she feeds all creatures that are in the world, all that go upon the goodly land and all that are in the paths of the sea, and all that fly: all these are fed of her store. More than any other Goddess, Gaea is identified as the divine and animate Earth Mother. In her pre-Hellenic myths, Gaea brought forth all life from the darkness and chaos, bringing form and matter to the earth. Gaea was originally revered as Deity itself. Later, in the Hellenic, patriarchal myths, Gaea was simply relegated to the role of Mother of the twelve great Olympians. Gaea was the original prophetess whose priestess presided over the Delphic oracle. Delphi was considered to be the omphalos, the navel of the earth, the connecting point where human life and earth met, and the place where the wisdom of both worlds could be interpreted. Originally the omphalos may have been a grave mound. It is possible that Gaea was a death goddess who received the dead back into her body, the earth. Her oracle was situated over a deep cleft in the earth and on it resided the Python, the symbol of women's wisdom. Vapor from the earth arose through the cleft, and the presiding priestess interpreted Mother Earth's information for the seeker. Gaea's oracle was revered because it represented the wisdom inherent in the earth itself. The information revealed to seekers aided in the sustenance of human life. Under later Greek patriarchal rule, the temple and oracle at Delphi were assumed by the Greek god Apollo. By honoring Gaea, women return themselves and their female ancestors to the original primordial source of power, the Great Mother. Gaea connects us to the universal source of "mothering" and "nurturing," so often lacking in our modern world. Gaea's influence is seen today in ecofeminism, a political philosophy which joins ecology and the feminine, and declares that when the earth is abused, humans suffer the consequences. Color: green Gems/Stones: green calcite, amber, jet, black tourmaline, geodes Symbols: cave, serpent Feast/Festival Days: Earth Day, Arbor Day Fragrances: honeysuckle, cypress Flowers/Herbs: all flowers and vegetation |
