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The Moon Goddess
She is the ruler of the tides of flux and reflux. The waters of the Great Sea answer
unto her, likewise the tides of all earthly seas, and she ruleth the nature of woman.
One of the most significant archetypal symbols of the Goddess is the Moon. The
Triple Goddess is seen in the Moon as Maiden (Waxing Moon), Mother (Full Moon),
and Crone (Waning Moon). The Moon Goddess has been known by many different
names in many different cultures. It is said that the Moon Goddess created time and
measurement. Ancient calendars were based on the Moon's phases. She is usually
seen as the protector of women, and she rules magick and childbirth. In ancient
Thessaly, the Moon Goddess was invoked in a rite called "drawing down the moon",
which we still practice today.
The Moon Goddess has many different names in many different cultures. In Finland,
the Divine Creatress was called Luonnotar. In Scandinavia, She was Mardoll, or "The
Moon Shining Over the Sea". Gala or Galata is the original Moon-Mother of Gaelic
tribes. In Britain, an early name for the Moon Goddess was Albion, or "Milk-White
Moon-Goddess". To the Aztecs, the Moon Goddess was Mictecaciuarl, the devoured
of the dead, and She had the same role among the Maoris and the Tartars. Several
cultures believed that the Moon was the "Land of the Dead". In Africa, She is
Akua'ba, in China Queen of Heaven, and to the Ancient Romans she was Luna.
Greek/Roman Moon Goddesses include Artemis, Hecate, Bendis, Brizo, Callisto,
Selene, Prosymna, Diana, and Luna.
Artemis was daughter of Zeus and Leto, and twin sister of Apollo. She was the Lady of
the Beasts, Who roams the forest with her band of nymphs, protecting pregnant
beasts and their young. The Greeks assimilated her to a mistress of wild beasts. Bears
were sacred to her, and the guinea-fowl were her birds. Her name possibly means
"high source of water" (the moon being regarded as the source and ruler of all waters).
She was the mistress of magick, enchantment, and sorcery. She was a protector of
youth, especially of girls, and was called upon as Artemis Eileithyia by women in
childbirth. She is often depicted with a hound, and carrying a bow and arrows. One
of her forms was Callistro. Other names for her include Delia, Phoebe, Pythia, and
Parthenos. She was considered virginal, which means that she was her "own woman"
and did not have a consort, however this did not mean that she was celibate. She is
the Roman equivalent of Diana. Her tarot associations include nines, the High
Priestess, and Temperance. Her gemstones are quartz, moonstone, pearl, and crystal.
Sacred to her are the herbs mandrake, damiana, almond, mugwort, and hazel. Her