Cicero - Self Initiation into the Golden Dawn Tradition_Part 01

The Zelator Grade 169
the starry body of Nut off that of the Earth god, thus forming the Earth, the
starry heaven and the air between the two.
TAMMUZ (or DUMUZI): The principle Earth deity and harvest god of the Assyro­
Babylonian pantheon. Tammuz was the lover of Ishtar, the primary goddess figure.
However, like a ripened ear of com, Tammuz was cut down-ravished by death in
the fullness of youth and forced to descend into the underworld. Ishtar descended
into the Earth and suffered death to save him. As a compromise, Tammuz was destined
to spend half of the year ruling over the land during a season of growth and
abundance. After harvest however, Tammuz entered a period of withdrawal back
into the underworld. Thus were the seasonal cycles of the Earth created.
Other Babylonian Earth deities include a great Earth Mother who was worshiped
under the various names of NINHURSAG, NINMAH, NINTU and KI. She was
the pre-eminent Mother goddess, who, like the Gaea of the Greeks, represented
the great creative principle.
GAEA (Equivalent to the Roman Tellus Mater): One of the most ancient of the Greek
deities, Gaea was the deep-breasted and fertile Earth which appeared out of Chaos.
From her was borne Uranus, the sky crowned with stars, followed by the mountains
and the sea. Together, Gaea and Uranus produced the first race, the Titans. She is
commonly represented in the form of a gigantic woman. In later times she became
identified with the goddess, RHEA, whose name means "Earth."
CYBELE: Originally a Greek goddess of caverns, Cybele personified the Earth in
its primitive and savage state. She exercised dominion over wild animals and was
worshiped on the tops of mountains. Greek representations of Cybele retained an
Asiatic character. She is usually depicted with the turreted crown of an Asian
Mother-goddess, seated on a throne flanked by two lions, or else driving a chariot
pulled by lions. ATTIS was the agricultural and vegetation god whose role in
respect to Cybele was comparable to that of Tammuz to the Babylonian Ishtar (or
ADONIS to the Phoenician Astarte).
DEMETER (Equivalent to the Roman Ceres): The Greek goddess
of the fruitful Earth, Demeter represented the fertile and
cultivated soil. She is above all a goddess of fruit trees and
fields. Demeter was especially a com-goddess, but wheat and
barley were also sacred to her. She governed the harvest and
all the agricultural activities. The goddess is usually represented
dressed as a mature woman in a long robe and often
wearing a veil that covers the back of her head. She is sometimes
shown crowned with ears of com or a ribbon, and she
holds in her hand either a scepter, ears of com, or a torch.
PERSEPHONE (or Kore"girl"): The daughter of Demeter is the
Greek goddess of harvest and fertility. Persephone was kidnapped
by the God of the Underworld, Hades. At the loss of
her daughter, Demeter set about making the Earth barren. The
Demeter