Tag: divine feminine
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Powerful Pomegranate
“But if [you tasted food], returning beneath [the earth,] you will stay a third part of the seasons [each year] … By what guile did the mighty Host-to-Many deceive you?” the Goddess Demeter asked her daughter Persephone in the The Homeric Hymn to Demeter (As translated by Helene P. Foley). From the featured photo today,…
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Temple of Hera, Goddess of Marriage
The Temple of Hera (which in the Roman era was known as the Temple of Juno) is a 5th century BC temple dedicated to the Greek goddess of marriage, childbirth, and families. One of the many magnificent ruins at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Valley of the Temples, the Temple of Hera possesses an altar…
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Viva Sant’Agata!
Last night, “cittadini” of Catania (or citizens) packed the streets to pay homage to their patron Sant’Agata. 4-foot tall candles lit the way for the pink-flower-decorated, silver carriage, or fercolo, that carried the Saint’s statue and her relics to all of the important locations where Agatha lived and suffered, so devotees could reflect and pray.…
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She Gives Them Fever
Ever since I read “The Stone Boudoir” by Theresa Maggio, I’ve dreamed of going to la Festa di Sant’Agata in Catania. Maggio describes in detail the rituals of the event that is a combination of cultish religious devotion, prayer, folklore, fireworks, and culinary delights. The celebration is two nights and two days long, representing the…
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Keeping You Abreast
From February 3 to 5 the city of Catania is alive with passionate fervor as devotees celebrate their patron, Saint Agatha. These ricotta-filled pastry, pictured, called “minna di Sant’Aita” or Saint Agatha’s Breast represent Agatha, who is the patron saint of martyrs, bakers, earthquakes, wet nurses, and breast cancer patients. Her story starts in early…
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Tanit, Ancient Goddess
This image represents the ancient goddess Tanit who was revered by Punic peoples throughout the Mediterranean and north coast of Africa. She was a heavenly goddess of war, a virginal mother, and a nurse. At Solunto, an ancient Phoenician site established between the 8th and 7th centuries BC near present-day Bagheria and Santa Flavia, there…
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Castle of Love
Erice boasts a 12th century castle—Il Castello di Venere or the Castle of Venus—that was built on top of an ancient Roman temple dedicated to the goddess of love. However, before the Roman iteration and the still standing current Norman castle, centuries before, the site was dedicated to the ancient Elimi tribe’s mother goddess of…
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Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas! Buon Natale! Mother and child, Maria S.S. di Conadomini, Patron Saint of Caltagirone also known as “Our Lady of the Bread” in recognition of her protection of farmers and their crops. May peace be with you, your family, and loved-ones this Christmas!
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She Answered Their Prayers
A severe famine struck Siracusa and its environs in 1646, the time of Spanish domination of Sicily. For relief, the citizens prayed to their patron saint, Santa Lucia, and in May that year during a mass, a quail flew into the Cathedral squawking at the faithful. At the same moment, a messenger entered the church…