Goddesses and Gods.wps - Welcome to Our Temple

Maiden. Here, she revels in the enchantment, in the joy of coming into fullness and
mating with the God. Here, she is maiden bride and we can most easily understand
that facet of the Maiden aspect. I should probably note here that some see this festival
as maiden turning into mother, with the maiden being in full at Candlemas, but I do
not agree with that.
Youth, newness, innocence and beauty are fundamental facets of the Maiden aspect.
But beneath those are seeking, and love, and love of seeking. There is more to
understand of the Maiden though. Enchantment does not end with maidenhood, it is
simply the beginning of the Mystery of Life, for that, above all, is what the Goddess
stands for.
In Circle, in the Balanced Universe, the Maiden takes her place in the East. In
examining this most comfortable quarter, you learn more about the Maiden Aspect.
East (Air) rules the free mind and intellect. It is the place to seek the ability to learn
and to open spiritually, to open your mind and find answers. It is a masculine quarter,
ruled by intellect, and analytical logic, but she brings to it an intuition which is
required to use these to best advantage.
"The river is flowing, flowing and growing, the river is flowing back to the sea.
Mother carry me, a child I will always be. Mother carry me, back to the sea."
This Circle chant, sung in joy, sung in sorrow, is a cry to the Mother Aspect for
comfort and warmth, a power chant calling upon the steady power and fullness of the
Mother and a plea for guidance. While the Earth Mother, and the fully aspected
Goddess are placed North in the Earth quarter, the Mother aspect alone belongs in
the west.
Comfort and love rule here. Emotions, sorrow, joy, tears, these belong to the ripeness
of the Mother. Caring and loving for all her children, watching in pain and pride as
they struggle to gain their own, knowing full well she could reach out and do it for
them, but being both bound and desirous to let them do it for themselves.
There is a considerable difference, as you might have interpreted from the above,
between the Earth Mother and the Mother Aspect of the Goddess. That is why we've
started with her quarter, because it reveals the limitations of the Aspect.
The Mother aspect is ripeness, the ancient bearing of fruit, child and grain. She
represents emotion and sexuality. The Goddess in that aspect is most of the altar (as
discussed in the Great Rite lesson.) It is interesting to note the practice in numerous
ancient cultures of lovemaking or outright sex magick in cornfields to help make the