Sisters of the Burning Branch Goddess Gallery presents...
Goddess Diana
I
took this
picture and when I saw it, I knew it was the spirit of Diana shining
through. I
wrote this that same day to honor Her that blessed me with her presence
and
showed me how greatly she can shine within. Notice how the light
approximates
the various Chakras.
Ode
to Diana
I
am Diana
Know
me
I
have many names, many faces
You
know me as the Queen of Heaven, The Huntress, Lady of the
Wild Creatures, Lunar Virgin, Daughter of the Moon,
My
name has been Ishtar, Astarte, Artemis, Ashtoreth.
I
am mother to Aradia. Sister to Lucifer. Daughter of Zeus, most
high.
You
will find me in Tifata, near
My
temple is at
My
temple is in your heart.
My
name is your name.
My
life is your life, our hearts beat as one.
I
am Diana
Celebrate
me
When
I am a maiden on Ostara, call me by name…
Diana,
Aphrodite, Arianrhod, Venus, Cybele, Freya, and Rhiannon.
When
I am the mother on Litha, call me by name…
Amaterasu,
Hestia, Juno, and Sunna
When
I am the Crone on Samhain, call me by name…
Hecate,
Inanna, Machi, Mari, Ishtar and Lilith.
Call
me down when the moon shines full.
Embrace
me when the moon is dark.
Caress
me when the moon waxes and wanes.
I
am Diana
Honor
me
In
the night sky as the Great She Bear.
In
the phases of the moon,
In
nature, the beauty of a sunrise
The
mystery of the moon rise.
Speak
to me at dawn, at noon when the sun’s heat warms your face
Whisper
to me at dusk when purple fingers of nights stain the
sky
Sing
to me at midnight as you dance beneath my silvery
luminescence.
Light
a white candle and I am there
Use
jasmine and breathe in my spirit.
Place
a moonstone in your pocket and I walk with you.
Carry
me within your heart and we shall be together
Always.
Written
by Ladyhawke. Copyright 2008 ã
Diana
Hail to thee, Diana!
Goddess of Witches, Queen of Heaven, Protector of Women, Virgin
Huntress!
You have long protected my mothers and my heritage that has been passed
down by
blood.
I hear your cries of strength as you approach.
I invoke you here to teach me and show me the joys of the wild ride.
As the wind moves my hair and cools my face I feel your touch.
Hail! Beautiful Diana! Hail!
By
Martha Karnes used by permission.
Diana
in prayer, magic and divination.
Hail
Diana
Hail
Artemis Diana
Blessed Lady of the Beasts
I dedicate myself to You
May
my path honor Thee
May my spirit celebrate Thee
May my life force magnify Thee
These
things I pray
Be fulfilled this day
Goddess Mother help me
to know what is right
~
Abby Willowroot © 1999
Hymn
to Diana
Catullus
translated by John Anthony Bernard
Harrison (1909-1983)
Pure unblemished children, we
Chant our tuneful hymn to thee;
Pure unblemished boys and maids
Praise Diana of the Glades.
Latona’s child begot by Jove,
Offspring of his royal love,
Near the Delian olive tree,
Mistress of the woods to be:
Mistress of the babbling rills,
Mothers hail thee in their pain,
Cross-roads call thee not in vain.
Shining through the velvet night
As the moon, with alien light;
With the months to mark thy road,
Fill with first fruits each abode:
Hallowed by what name thou wilt,
We will serve thee to the hilt:
Bring us fortune from on high
As thou didst in days gone by.
PRAYER
TO
DIANA
O
My Goddess,
Diana, hear my song of adoration.
Hear
my voice
when I sing Thy praises.
Hear
my songs
as they rise heavenward,
when
the Full
Moon, brightly shining,
fills
the
heavens with Thy beauty.
O
my beautiful
Moon Goddess,
hear
me as I
stand before Thee.
See
me when I
reach toward heaven,
when
my arms
reach upward toward Thee.
When
the Full
Moon shines upon me,
give
me Thy
blessings, O Diana.
Teach
me of
Thine ancient mysteries,
ancient
rites
of invocation
that
the Holy
Strega spoke of,
for
I believe the
Strega's story:
when
she spoke
of Thy shining glory,
when
she told
us to entreat Thee,
told
us when we
seek for knowledge
to
seek and
find Thee above all others.
Give
us wisdom,
O Diana:
how
to bind our
oppressors,
how
to cure the
sick among us.
Teach
me, O
Diana.
Give
me Thy
blessings,
O
Great Moon
Goddess.
Shield
me from
my oppressors.
Receive
me as
your daughter, Diana.
Receive
me,
though I am earth-bound.
Grant
me
ancient Wiccan knowledge.
When
my body
lies resting nightly,
speak
unto my
inner spirit;
teach
me all
Thy holy mysteries.
I
believe Thine
ancient promise,
Thy
promise
unto the ancient Wicca
that
we who
seek Thy holy presence
will
receive
Thy Wisdom.
Now
the Full
Moon shines upon me.
Hear
me! I
stand before Thee!
Grant
me
wisdom! O Diana!
Prayers
for
Beltane
Morning
Prayer:
Lady—
You dance before the altar
of Your womanhood,
all innocence to flee like
morning’s gold.
The carefree season of
Your joyous splendor
softly fades to summer’s
fecund hold.
O Maiden Bright Star
of the fleeting moment,
tonight You join to Be-come
Mother Earth;
in days to come Your
dance waxes eternal
as through Your love
we all receive new birth.
Evening
Prayer:
Lady—
Desire, stone-encased, stirs
and flowers forth from breasts
and thighs.
The sleeping Goddess sighs.
Unconscious omnipotence stirs
and wakes.
The Goddess reaches out as,
horned and laughing,
the wild Oak King takes Her.
Lady of the Fields grant us
fruitfulness of mind and heart
and earth and teach
our souls to soar.
Night
Prayer:
Lady,
Lady of the day
clad in blossoms of the May,
happily You laugh and play,
lead me on Your joyful Way
and one day bring me home.
Lady, Lady of the earth,
You of sorrow and of mirth,
Your harvest is beyond all worth,
grant to me my own re-birth
and one day bring me home.
Lady, Lady shining bright,
gliding through the starry night,
clothed in softly glowing light,
touch me with Your lustrous might
and one day bring me home.
Closing
Prayer:
I
bow to Thee, Hecate, Diana, Mari,
and thank
Thee for Thy blessing—
the Cauldron of Night
full of life, and death, and life again;
Thy magic gives me wings.
Blessed Be.
Magic
related to Diana
To
work magic
with Diana, timing is important. She is best addressed during a new or
crescent
moon. And under a blue sky. When addressing Diana, wear Roman type
sandals and
perhaps a white, red, green, or turquoise dress or cloak. Images
appropriate
would be a dog, guinea fowl., elephant, horse, bear, dove, deer and
bee. Plants
and scents appropriate are anemone, flowering almond, hazel,
ranunculus,
honeysuckle, thistle, laurel and fir tree. Scents are jasmine, aloe,
ginseng,
lemon verbana, and camphor. Stone and crystals are moonstone, pearl,
quartz,
crystal, silver, turquoise, iron, aluminum, diamond. And colors are
silver,
white, red, green and turquoise. She honors autonomy, independence,
freedom to
take or reject, is true to her nature, symbols are night, earth,
nature,
hunting and wild animals, Guardian and protector of all who give life,
virgin
moon goddess, goddess of the hunt and childbirth, warrior goddess of
the
amazon. The tree goddess, the bear, the nymph, and the lady of beasts.
Represents variable energies of the feminine psyche. Moon and water
reflect
her. Aramanthe is sacred to her. Which relieves menstrual disorders.
The
following
are places known to be sacred to Diana, but of course, all places are
sacred to
Goddess as long as we hold Her in our hearts.
CENTERS OF HER WORSHIP:
Delos, Arcadia, Taurus, Sparta, Mount Taygete, Troezen, Hermione,
Brauron,
Ephesus, Crete,
Sicily, Southern Italy Great Temple of Artemis at Mouth of
Danube
The
following are festivals sacred to Diana. Use any of the prayers
contained with
here for rituals or for simply speaking one’s heart to Goddess.
FESTIVALS:
Great Festivals
Most
of
these dates are variable. A lunar calender is all that is needed for
the
appropriate and accurate date.
6th
Day of
the New Moon in late February to early March
The festival of Elaphebolia, in honor of Diana, Deer Shooter. Stags and
cakes
in the shape of stags made of honey and sesame seeds were offered to
Her. the
entire lunar cycle this festival falls in was once the Athenian month
of
Elaphebolion, and was wholly dedicated to Diana.
6th Day of the New Moon in late August to early September
The festival of Kharisteria 'Thanksgiving', in honor of Diana
Agrotera.
This
month was called Boedromion 'running for help.'
Full
Moon in
late March to early April
This was a particularly elaborate festival, which seems to contain
elements of
the rites held in honor of the Thracian Moon Goddess Bendis. Young
girls
referred to as Arkteia who had lived in the Temple of Diana
during the
summer were dressed in saffron colored tunics and leaf
crowns, and carried
torches or twigs in a great procession. They then passed into the
Other ceremonies gave thanks to Diana for providing game animals.
Sacrifices
consisted of palm leaves and a female goat, either real or an
appropriately
shaped cake.
May 30 (approximate)
Great Full Moon festival, honoring Diana as the Moon Goddess and Lady
of the
Beasts.
Full Moon in August
Feast day of Diana.
November
22
The Sun enters the constellation of the archer.
New
Moon
in June-July
7th day of Thargelion, festival of Thargelia, birthday of
Diana. It
celebrated her as forest and Moon Goddess, protector of new growth.
Lesser
Festivals
6th
Day of Each
New Moon
These were celebrations of the fierce energy of new life, represented
by the
now reborn Moon. Particularly good for Magick that one needs to do with
this
patron.
Full
Moon
Celebrations
These were popular all over
surrender of Her worshippers to her power in the forest. There, they
would make
love without concern for the bonds of marriage or conscious
considerations,
only the presence or absence of
instinctive attraction. Unlike monotheistic faiths’ prudishly thinking
sex
outside marriage is sinful, these festivals were more about love and
celebration and highly Magickal. The Ides were the three day
period of the
dark Moon, when rituals were performed
to ensure the Goddess' safe return from the underworld.
The
following are things known to be sacred to Goddess. Use of any of them
with
your ritual will heighten the Magick one intends to do. When using one
of the
included prayers, the Magick is even more intense.
SACRED
ANIMALS:
horses, dogs, bears, wolves, lions, birds, deer, snakes, fish, boar,
goats,
bees wild animals in general, swan, kite, vulture, crow,
dolphin, quail
One need not use the exact animal. A poppet is acceptable in this case.
Make
one from corn, or cloth. Natural ingredients are best and known to be
pleasing
to Goddess.
SACRED
PLANTS:
amaranth, cypress, cedar, hazel, myrtle, willow, daisy, mugwort, date
palm,
laurel, silver fir,
walnut tree, oak tree, almond, damiana, mandrake…a few of
these are illegal,
such as mandrake in this country. Most, however, are available through
any
herbalist, however, Diana likes us to gather these fresh. So if
possible, try
to get fresh from the wild but always ask the plant before cutting.
POWERS
AND
QUALITITES:
transformation, judgement, natural law, instinct, prophecy, healing,
poetry,
music, magic, psychic abilities, purification, weather changing, light
bringing, death bringer, hunter of souls, action, temperance, maker of
time and
systems of measurement…here, one can ask for these attributes
through prayer
and use of the appropriate herb, stone, or scent. For example, if
asking for
prophecy, use of a white candle, an amethyst, or a clear crystal,
jasmine, or
sage are excellent choices for use in asking for help with prophecy.
PLACES:
lakes, marshes,streams, woodlands, ocean, Gargaphian Grive, Grove of
Nemi,
sanctuaries in nature….Diana loves the outdoors. Any time one
can, doing the
ritual outside is best for Her. It can be done indoors, should it be
necessary
but outside is always best with this patron.
OBJECTS:
water, Moon, Sun, double axe, lightning, thunder, bow and arrow,
javelin,
torch, the star Sirius, forest, herbal medicines, masks and facepaint,
Moonwise, swastika, the numbers nine and three,
the zodiac signs Pisces, Aquarius, and Sagittarius, moonstone, pearl,
quartz(amethyst), spring, summer, waxing sun, Meridiane(full
Moon at
midnight) . Of course, use one’s intuition here. The
swastika is NOT
from or indicative of Nazi thought or dogma. It comes to us from
Egyptian
mythology.
PATRON
OR
DEFENDER OF:
singers, young girls and women, women's fertility, sports, sailors,
priestesses who taught sexual mysteries
BIRTHPLACES
SUGGESTED FOR Diana:
1.
2. A cavern at the foot of a mountain near
3. The shores of
I
was tempted
not to include this but like Muslims who make the journey to
August 2008
The music playing is titled "Tenuous", by The Sleep Thief.
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