Saturday, September 27, 2008

Goddess of the Week




I thought it might be an interesting feature of this here brandy-new blog to choose a Goddess each week for a sort of general reading. Now, I admit, I'm not so sure of my reading abilities, or at least, I'm not so sure of my reading abilities when it comes to anyone else besides myself; but I will do my best to keep it general and not personal, though I suppose it is not something that can be helped.

So I took my current homemade working version of the Goddess Oracle Deck and shuffled it a bunch, while asking of the Goddesses: what do You want to tell the world right now?

And up came Ch'ang O, the Chinese Moon Goddess.

After all the talk of gung-ho involvement and Athena-style righteous anger in the last post, this choice struck me as odd. She is the Moon Goddess, in China associated with the hare or rabbit, as they (like many other cultures) see the shape of a rabbit in the markings on the face of the Moon; and She has always struck me as a fearful sort. In Her legend, She comes across Her husband's elixer/pill of immortality and takes it; and when He comes home She flees before Him, terrified of His (assumed) wrath. She runs so far and so fast She ends up on the Moon, which She then makes Her home.

Now, given that I personally am rather prone to anxiety, I have plenty of interpretations of this card and its timing for myself. But for the world?

At first I thought that with the current political situation this was more a time for action and involvement than fear, even if fear is the motive pushing us to get involved; but then I thought about the current economic crisis, something that affects most of us on a very deep level, that of our future prosperity and stability. Will I pay my bills? Will I keep my home? Will I have enough to eat? These are questions of a most basic nature, questions felt down at the root chakra level, and ones that are very much based in fear.

So I asked Her what She had to say to the world right now. And this is what She said:

Heed your fear. Be brave, but listen to it; it is wise. Fear will come in waves now; it will wax and wane. But do not serve it; have it serve you. Hide if it is appropriate. Run if it is appropriate. It is fight or flight, right now. Choose.


Perhaps, then, what She is saying is that we can choose to use our fear in these current very scary times to break through denial and do what needs to be done. That this energy is powerful and can be of use. But also, that if we are too frightened to act, not to pass judgement on ourselves. Survival, after all, is key.

Thoughts?

To read more about Her go here; to read Her Tale, here.

2 comments:

Evn said...

You know, a Goddess Card of the Week would be an excellent MetaPagan contribution...

Thalia said...

I like your thinking, Evn!