Pagan Deities and Occult Themes
The goddess Šala is best known as the spouse of Adad, the god of storms, thunder, rain, and atmospheric violence. Alongside her husband, she was believed to have power over crop fertility. She is linked in the Mul-Alpin, the Standard Babylonian astronomical text, with the constellation Virgo, with her representing the brightest star as an... Continue Reading →
Tašmetu was the wife of Nabu, the divine scribe of destinies. This made Nabu the god of wisdom because knowledge was transmitted in written form. As his consort, Tašmetu was also linked to wisdom. But she was also associated with sexual attractiveness, an aspect she shared with the goddess Inanna/Ishtar. The Marriage of Nabu and... Continue Reading →
In the Mesopotamian creation myth, the goddess Tiamat was the primordial sea from which all life emerged, making her a “great mother” but also a dangerous force. As is often the case, she represents an older generation of gods that was the embodiment of a primordial force but was not worshipped. She was defeated by... Continue Reading →
The Mesopotamian sun god Šamaš, known as Utu in Sumerian, brought light and warmth to the land, enabling fertility. At sunrise, Šamaš was believed to emerge from his underground sleeping chamber to travel across the sky, and he oversaw everything during the day. As the ultimate observer, he also became the arbiter of truth and... Continue Reading →
In ancient Mesopotamia, each city had its own patron deity that protected the city. He was the patron of the city of Kiš, a major urban center in the 3rd millennium BC, a city believed to be the first city to receive kingship after the Great Deluge. Zababa was a fierce warrior god who was... Continue Reading →
Jupiter Dolichenus is one of the many new gods created when the Romans syncretized their deities with local deities they encountered as they expanded their empire. Unlike similar counterparts, this god became extremely popular beyond its region of origin, and his mystery cult was practiced, mostly by soldiers, across the empire. Mystery cults were very... Continue Reading →
When most people think about Medusa, they think about the story told by the Roman author Ovid in his Metamorphoses. He casts her as a priestess of Athena who was ravaged by Poseidon in Athena’s temple. As punishment for this sacrilege, Athena transformed Medusa into a hideous monster with snakes for hair and a gaze... Continue Reading →
Seeing the number 59 repeatedly can be a sign from the universe that you are going through a period of change. It encourages you to let go of something that no longer serves you, but you are still holding on to. This will create the necessary space to embrace new opportunities. Remember that you are... Continue Reading →
Ragnarok, or the "Twilight of the Gods," is a prophecy that recounts the inevitable and unavoidable apocalypse in Norse mythology. The Aesir gods, led by Odin, are destined to face an army of giants, led by Loki and the fire giant Surtr, with the two sides destroying one another completely. The actions of the gods... Continue Reading →
While Neopagans are pagans, the nuance of language is used to distinguish between the pagan religions that defined ancient cultures and modern takes on pagan philosophy. This article explains ancient paganism and when and how it started to be referred to as “pagan,” the disappearance of traditional pagan religions, and the modern revival of pagan... Continue Reading →