For
many years I have known and loved the Goddess
as Diana, Hecate, Astarte, Coventina, Isis, Ishtar, and by many other
traditional northern hemisphere names. I have also felt a deep connection
to her here in Australia, the place of my birth, the land of my heart. I
have theorised endlessly about the place of the European Goddess tradition
in Australia; discussed ways of adapting it to suit our geography and
culture; sought insights into the Goddess in/of Australia, until at last I
have come to understand the simple, and profound, truth that it is in the
most basic elements of life - water, earth, fire and air - that we meet
the Goddess. The multiple ways in which these four elements are
encountered in Australia can tell us more about the Goddess in this land
than any academic discourse. It was as if the Goddess herself had spoken
to me - clearly, directly and elementally - revealing the truth of her
being in Australia.
I
longed to connect
with these manifestations of the Goddess in a more intimate way, to know
their names, to engage with the Goddesses of water, earth, fire and air,
to listen, share and learn. My day time thoughts and my night time dreams
were filled with the knowledge and the confidence that the Goddess is to
be found in Australia in rivers, creeks and sea tides; in earth, soil,
plants and animals; in the sun and the bushfire; in high winds and gentle
breezes, in the stars and the sky. Tentatively at first, and then with
growing certainty, I became aware that the Goddess of water is named
Aqualena; that the Goddess of earth is Althera; the Goddess of fire
Hattannah; and the Goddess of air Areia. It seemed perfectly natural to me
that she who has been called ‘The Goddess of Ten Thousand Names’
should be known in Australia by these four additional names.
This
insight
has changed the way in which I relate to the Goddess in Australia, to the
elements, the land and my own self. While the Goddess is not identical
with any of the elements, in each
one of them she is revealed. In water I meet Aqualena; in earth I see
Althera; in fire I encounter Hattannah; in air I know Areia. In learning
more about the Goddess in the elements I understand more deeply water,
earth, fire and air. In exploring the relationship between the Goddess as
Aqualena, Althera, Hattannah and Areia, and the associations of each of
the elements with human emotions and concerns, I have gained a deeper
knowledge of myself.
Perhaps
it should come as no surprise that the Goddess is
to be encountered in the elements, for Australia has a rich spiritual
heritage which acknowledges and celebrates the sacredness of the land and
of all that shares in its life, spirit and essence. The commitment of
Aboriginal peoples to nurturing the spirit of land and country has also
created a fertile seed bed for other earth centred religions, such as that
of the Goddess. Thus, for the Goddess to be manifest in Australia in the
four elements is consistent both with the spiritual tradition of
Australia's original peoples and with the sacred relationship which so
many Australians, both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal, have with this land.
Out
of this knowledge of the sacredness of the elements,
and of the land, the Australian
Goddess Cards
were
born. May Aqualena, Althera, Hattannah and Areia be with you as you
journey through Australia’s sacred landscape. May the Lady Most Holy,
the Goddess who is within us, between us and around us, guide your steps,
nurture your dreams and inspire your visions.
Blessed be
Patricia
Rose
Adapted from an address given at Ariadne's Thread Goddess Conference,
Melbourne, Australia, March 2004.
