Euphrosyne : The Greek Charities (Roman Graces) Part 1

 

The Greek Charities (Romana Graces), had the job of bringing beauty and joy to the world. They are usually pictured together. Each one represents charm and beauty. I think of them as the Greek version of a southern belle. Most mythology represents 3, Euphrosyne being the eldest. Hesiod indicates there were levels of Charities, elder and younger.

This daughter of Zeus and Eurynome, Euphrosyne sometimes referred to as Euthymia,  is one of the Greek Charities or Graces. Known for her association with joy and merriment her task was to bring joy into the world. There's a reason why her name is the root of the word Ephoria. She and her sisters, Thalia and Aglaia were often depicted dancing with Aphrodite and Eros.

It appears that Eurynome never took a husband, but instead enjoyed spending time with her sisters, attending Aphrodite, and spreading good cheer. 

The sisters were primarily worshiped in Athens and Sparta as well as Boeotia and Paphos.

Sources:

https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/the-charites.html

https://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/KharisEuphrosyne.html

https://www.greekmythology.com/Other_Gods/Minor_Gods/Euphrosyne/euphrosyne.html

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Grace-Greek-mythology#ref197310

Photo Credit: Artist Unknown (if you created this piece please let me know so I can give credit where it is due.)

November Goddess of the Month: Pasithea

 Pasithea is a lesser-known Greek goddess. She is one of the younger Charities (Graces) and the wife of Hypnos, the god of sleep. Her name literally translates to relaxation and she represents just that. She is the matron of relaxation, meditation, and restorative activities. 

To honor this goddess is simple. Relax. Take some downtime just for yourself. Engage in an activity that you find calming and restorative. She's all about rest and self-care.   

If you have time with us how you plan to honor Pasithea.

November 2021 Challenge: Maintain Your Battery

 October left me floundering for energy. Not time but energy. I'm not sure why. I was exercising. I was sleeping well. I was making sure my housework was done.  I was engaging in my relaxation activities. I was rocking the school day. But by 2 pm I was just out of energy and I still had dinner to make. With the holidays coming, American Thanksgiving and the Christmas season, it's important that I manage this now. 

The only thing different is how often I was asked to pull my focus from the task before me to deal with something not related to any of the above. Together each small request drained my battery. 

We don't run on AAA batteries. We can't just change them when they run down. So much like our laptops and cell phones, we have to learn to maintain our battery health.  

Our challenge this month, identify unnecessary "battery" draining situations. Can it wait until you have more energy to deal with it?  If not, can you mitigate the drain?  

For me, I'm going to start taking a day of "radio silence" when I need one.   These are the days I will let text messages go unviewed and phone calls go to voice mail. If you're not on my "starred contacts" list you're out of luck for that day.  

If you have an action plan of how to maintain your battery please share.  We'd love to hear from you. 

October 2021 Goddess of the Month: Themis

 

The Titaness Themis presides of justice and divine law.  She was prophetic. Most oracles, including Delphi, were under her care before they came to be Apollo's domain. She is the mother of the Horea (seasons) and the Fates. She is often considered the first wife of Zeus. 

Themis often worked hand in hand with the goddess Nemesis to ensure that justice was carried out. Themis, like many of the female Titans, was neutral during the war between the Olympians and the Titan gods, and thus retained her position as the goddess of law and order when the Olympians rose to power. 

Eventually, Themis rose to the heavens and became the constellation Libra, her scales of justice a symbol in the night sky. 

To honor this goddess, carry stones like jasper, agate, or ruby with you to encourage balanced decisions and fair play. You can carry a nutmeg, or cook with it, for luck and to sway things your way. 

Sources:

Theoi.com https://www.theoi.com/Titan/TitanisThemis.html

Greek Legends and Myths: https://www.greeklegendsandmyths.com/themis.html

Photo credit Sergi Takmakov

October Challenge: Eat Better Together

 October is National Eat Better, Eat Together Month. While we GG's are a family in our own way, sitting at the table isn't possible, but we can each resolve to eat better. That's going to mean something different for each one of us. For some it may be cutting out a heavy evening snack, others it may be watching sugar, salt, or calorie intakes more closely. For others, it may be cutting back on caffeine or ultra-processed foods. Let us know in the challenge thread what you will be paying closer attention to. If you like taking pictures of your food, leave us a picture of your delicious healthy meal. If you have an awesome healthy recipe you'd like to share head down to the recipe swap thread and leave us a link or the recipe itself.  

We might not be able to gather but we can certainly Eat Better Together. 

photo credit: Pali Graficas

Mabon/Autumn Equinox

As originally written by Paula (MYRINA_SAVANT) 

MABON 20st-24th September

Also known as: Autumnal Equinox, Fall Equinox, September Equinox, Harvest Tide, Harvest Home, Harvest Festival.

Mabon is the second harvest and a busy time for all farmers as they gather in the crops.

A season of plenty with fruits, grains and vegetables in abundance.

A Harvest Festival or Thanksgiving is a wonderful way to honour the Season.

Creating a menu for this Sabbat is extra special for me as it is my Birthday on the 21st September.

Each year I make a new menu and enjoy trying new recipes.

Mabon Foods include:

Fruits:Apples, Blackberries, Raspberries, Peaches, Pears, Plums

Vegetables: Eggplant, Beetroot, Potatoes and Sweet potatoes, Butternut Squash, Sweetcorn and various root crops.

Nuts and Seeds

Bread

Meat and Fish: Roasted meats, Fish of various types

Share your Mabon Menu and add pictures if you want to.

Spiritual Focus

Abundance

Accomplishment

Balance

Gratitude

Symbols and Tools

Cornucopias

Baskets

Scarecrows

Garlands

Colours

Brown

Gold

Green

Orange

Red

Yellow

IDEAS TO PLAY WITH

Many of us live in urban settings making it harder to celebrate the seasons as many do who live in rural areas. However we can still enjoy the celebration of this season.

Walking in a park we appreciate the wonders of Autumn and we can pick up leaves to add to our altars.

Being creative with our altar decorations we can make jars with leaves stuck to them using Mod podge.

sparkandchemistry.com/blog/leaf-maso

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Have some fun with food make your own edible Cornucopia with an ice-cream cone and fill it with fruits

Make an apple pie or crumble

Individual pies are nice and you can add cinnamon to them as well, add some soft caramel chopped up small and you will have an extra treat to your apple pie. If your sure about the caramel melting use Fudge it is softer and works just as well.

octoberfarm.blogspot.com/2014/09/lit

tl

e-mabon-caramelapple-pies.html

Bake some bread.

Okay breadmaking is time consuming some may have a bread maker many do not have one. You can get bread mixes that can be made by hand, all you need is water, a little kneading, resting and proving before baking and you have fresh homemade bread.

You can get all sorts of bread types on the supermarket shelves. Try some out and find your favourite.

Still not your thing, how about part baked bread, you can get rolls and baguettes that are part baked and in 8 minutes you have fresh baked bread.

Don't forget depending on what you decide to have for your Mabon meal you can get part baked Garlic bread as well.

What ever you do have fun and please share how you celebrate Mabo

September 2021 Goddess of the Month, Sekhmet

The lion-headed Egyptian goddess Sekhmet is a fierce, fiery goddess of war and chaos. Her name means "Mighty One." She serves as an Eye of Ra as she escorts his ship across the midday sky.  She reigned arrows of fire and in her rage she was known to spread pestilence and disease, eradicating her enemies.  She was also known for her healing. As Lady of the Flame, she held great alchemical power. The magical fire burned away impurities, leaving a body well and rejuvenated. In this aspect, she was known as the matron goddess of the doctors and healers of ancient Egypt. 

To honor this goddess, light a red candle or dress in your favorite red clothing. Get your health checks. Make sure you are taking your vitamins, supplements and/or prescription medications.   

Photo credit: Milena Matrakchieva

Sources: Goddesses for Every Day by Julie Loar

 Ancient Egypt Online: https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/sekhmet/

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