Thursday, August 21, 2014

AMMA SHANTI YOGA



Autumn is fast approaching and my eldest son is very excited about school.  I am very excited about having a little more free time to devote to new pursuits. My family is fortunate to live next to a wonderful Tae Kwon Do studio, The Amherst Academy, fully equipped with mats and a wall of mirrors.  Master Mary Allen has granted me permission to lead a postpartum yoga class especially designed for mothers and children 6 weeks to 3 years.  Classes will start on Friday, September 12th, from 9:30 to 11am. They will continue weekly on Fridays, however, if another time and weekday, aside from Wednesday, is better for others interested, things can be easily changed.  I will have my eight month old son with me, a box full of great tea, a stack of helpful books, and a very open heart/mind.


This class will focus on the following topics:  
1. Gentle stretching for mother and child  
2. Baby/Toddler massage  
3. Ayurvedic health advice for mothers

Here is a little more specific information we will be exploring.


The Benefits of Baby Yoga 

sourced from birthlight.com

Babies have experienced being rocked by their mothers through pregnancy. After birth gentle movement and touch together are the basis of synesthesia (the integration of sensory experience, the way babies unify their sensory experiences in a general way through an emotional interaction with their parents or trusted carers). The many practices of baby yoga provide recourses to handle babies in ways that they enjoy and that is good for them at every stage of development. An expanding spiral of joy is created between parent and baby as babies express their delight and parents’ warm responses generate even greater delight.


Physical benefits


  • In one short daily session, babies receive as much physical activity as if they were handled for a few hours. Birthight offers daily routines for parents to engage constructively with their babies from birth as a foundation for future regular exercise
  • Baby Yoga promotes more and better sleep
  • Regular movement promotes a more ‘settled’ behavior with less extreme ups and downs.

Physiological / developmental benefits


  • All the babies bodily systems are stimulated, including the digestive and nervous systems
  • Baby Yoga offers recourses to keep babies contented between feeds and helps alleviate wind and colic
  • Baby Yoga reduces the frustration of babies in the transition of one developmental stage to another while assisting their transitions
  • Tactile stimulation has been shown to contribute to the development of the brain and the nervous system.

Psychological benefits


  • Baby yoga helps the parent and baby to get to know each other better through active means of communication that are easy to learn and practice
  • New challenges introduced at a pace that babies can absorb and integrate increase their ability to cope positively with new situations
  • Active interaction with parents is the foundation for future positive social relations over the early years and beyond
  • Joint relaxation is mutually beneficial for parents and babies and enhances non-verbal communication between them. Early birth trauma can be resolved and healed through this loving interaction.
POSTPARTUM SEQUENCES
from http://www.prajnayoga.net/womans-health/postpartum-practice/

Urdhva Prasarita Padasana – Upward Extended Legs


 

Benefits


  • Relieves upper back tension
  • Lifts and tones abdominal organs

Instructions


  • Recline with pelvis flat and back of legs completely supported by wall
  • Join the inner legs
  • Tighten the thighs and knees and press the legs to the wall
  • Extend strongly through the arms to lengthen and narrow waist
  • Draw the abdominal organs toward the spine
  • Relax your arms either overhead or by your side, whichever is more comfortable
  • Soften your face
  • Hold for 1 to 5 minutes
  • Focus on your breath and draw your energy inwardly
  • Let go of outer demands

Adho Mukha Svanasana – Downward Facing Dog



Benefits


  • Lifts and tones uterus, abdominal organs and pelvic floor
  • Extends spine and relieves back tension

Cautions


  • Not appropriate for those with wrist difficulty

Instructions


  • Place hands on floor and walk balls of feet on blocks, can be done without blocks
  • Place center back heel at the wall with feet hip width apart
  • Walk hands forward to stretch the arms and legs completely
  • Press thighs up and back
  • Breathe normally
  • Hold for 30 seconds to 2 minutes, repeat up to three times

Tadasana – Mountain Pose


Benefits


  • Lifts and tones pelvic floor and organs
  • Improves posture

Instructions


  • Stand with block between upper thighs, close to but not touching perineum
  • Bring feet as close as possible without twisting knees
  • Simultaneously turn outer thighs in and tuck buttocks away from back waist
  • Press outer thighs to block to lift pelvic floor
  • Hold for 15 to 30 seconds, repeat up to 3 times

Vrksasana – Tree Pose



Benefits


  • Improves posture
  • Lifts and tones pelvic organs
  • Energizes system

Instructions


  • Stand in Tadasana with left foot about 6 inches from wall
  • Reach up though left arm and place fingers on the wall
  • Lift right ankle with right hand place heel as high as possible in top of left thigh
  • Press raised heel and thigh together to lift pelvic floor
  • Tuck bent leg buttock away from back waist
  • Extend right arm
  • If possible, bring left hand away from wall to balance
  • Hold for 30 seconds to one minute
  • Do the left side
  • Repeat up to 3 times

Vajrasana with Gomukhasana Arms


Benefits


  • Rests legs, releases any gripping in abdomen or pelvic floor
  • Relieves leg swelling and curative for varicose veins
  • Brings healthy circulation to breast area

 Instructions


  • On hands and knees place folded blanket on calf
  • With feet and knees together, sit back on heels
  • Lift waist and chest
  • Lift left arm straight up
  • Bend elbow and reach between shoulder blades
  • Take right hand to left buttock and reach towards left hand
  • Attempt to clasp fingers tips
  • If unable to clasp, use a strap over left shoulder and hold with each hand
  • Hold for up to 1 minute each side
  • To release, extend each arm to straight
  • Repeat on second side

Benefits of infant, baby, and child massage
sourced from  http://www.lovingtouch.com/
• Provides a special time of communication that fosters love, compassion, and respect
• Improves general well-being
• Provides an intimate time for children to confide in parents
• Improves overall functioning of the gastrointestinal tract
• Promotes relaxation and helps babies self-regulate calm, which reduces crying
• Helps to normalize muscle tone
• Improves circulation
• Enhances immune system function
• Improves midline orientation
• Helps to improve sensory and body awareness
• Enhances neurological development
• Helps baby/child to sleep deeper and more soundly
• Helps to increase oxygen and nutrient flow to cells. Improves respiration
• Helps to improve pain managament; can relieve discomfort from teething,

• Helps with congestion, gas, and colic
• Enhances release of hormones in the body. The growth hormone can be stimulated which helps weight gain.
• Reduces levels of cortisol, the stress hormone
• Provides all of the essential indicators of intimate parent-infant bonding and attachment: eye-to-eye, touch, voice, smell, movement, and thermal regulation.
• Stimulates all of the physiological systems. Massage sparks the neurons in their brains to grow and branch out to encompass other neurons.

 
Benefits for parents:
• Provides all of the essential indicators of intimate parent-infant bonding and attachment: eye-to-eye, touch, voice, smell, movement, and thermal regulation.
• Encourages pre-verbal communication between caregiver and infant
• Helps parents feel more confident and competent in caring for their children
• Helps parents to ease their stress if they are a working parent and must be separated from their children for extended periods during the day
• Provides parents with one-on-one quiet time or interactive play with their children
• Creates a regular time of intimacy between parent and child.
• Increases parents' self-esteem by reinforcing and enhancing their skills as parents, and validates their role
• Gives parents the tools for understanding their child's unique rhythms and patterns
• Teaches parents how to read their infants' cues and recognize their states of awareness
• Gives parents a special way to interact with their children who may be hospitalized. Helps parents feel a greater part of the healing process
• Daily massage helps parents to unwind and relax


AYURVEDIC ADVICE
I have been a practicing yogini (Hatha, Kundalini, Sivananda, Svaroopa, and Mantrayana) and have studied Ayurvedic medicine and astrology for over ten years. I do not hold any formal certifications at this time.  The following books will be used in this class as primary resources. I will also have weekly handouts from my own vast collections of yogic resources.


Ayurveda for Women: A Guide to Vitality and Health by Dr. Robert E. Svoboda


Women's Power to Heal: Through Inner Medicine by Maya Tiwari

 

 

 

 

 

 

Perfect Health for Kids: Ten Ayurvedic Health Secrets Every Parent Must Know by John Douillard

 


If you live in the Amherst area please spread the word.  I am looking forward to meeting, sharing information, and creating beautiful things with like minded mothers!


Wednesday, August 20, 2014

THE GODDESS WITHIN

Tall piles of books concerning ancient histories, mythologies, and goddesses have adorned my dwellings since adolescence.  I have always sought personal empowerment through the ancient goddesses I encounter in my research.  The adventures of Artemis, Persephone, Isis, Tara, and Durga fill my heart, providing excellent examples of the diverse manifestations of the sacred feminine.  

One book I always come back to is:

The Goddess Within: A Guide to the Eternal Myths that Shape Women's Lives 


Gestalt and Jungian psychologists Jennifer and Roger Woolger have created a practical guide to the classical goddess archetypes that live within us all. The Woolgers explore the different aspects western men (and women) have culturally imposed upon the fairer gender, while providing explanations and solutions for the conflicts that arisen in the feminist/"new age" goddess revival movements.  Learn how to approach the turning points in your life by understanding which goddess type is coming out to play. This book is wonderfully affirming for all types of women and profound in its implications. Furthermore, it helps restore the feminine to its rightful place in the modern consciousness and offers every woman the opportunity to empower herself through ancient wisdom.

This book has helped me start unraveling some of the following mysteries.  Why is there not a prevalent "Great Mother Goddess" OR concept of "Shakti" (creative female force/energy) in traditional western mythology, as there is in Hinduism and Buddhism?  Why is the Goddess so divided in the western collective consciousness(i.e. goddess of love, goddess of wisdom, goddess of children)?  Why was Athena, the goddess of Wisdom, only parented by Zeus - masculine energy? Whatever happened to Demeter and Isis (the goddess of agriculture and family) in our post industrial consumer nightmare of modern American culture?  What exactly are the Elysian mysteries and have they been preserved?  Why are western women so competitive amongst each other. . . why all the drama?  Can't one woman have it all?  Including the respect and friendship of the other women around her?  Why don't women honor each other all as unique aspects of the same Goddess? Why have women and children been so abused and enslaved worldwide for the past 2000 years?  What can I do to stop getting so angry and sad when I feel enslaved by the culture I live in?

THIS BOOKS HELPS!!!

Here is some more information from The Goddess Within found at: http://www.goddess-power.com/


How can ancient mythological goddess concepts be useful to women, today, in understanding their contemporary reality and concerns?  Discovering goddess influences within a woman can guide her Being in creating her own true-life story--not a story directed by others. Such understanding and inner access can guide a woman in making conscious choices that have personal meaning and fulfillment for her, as an individual.



Understanding goddess types offers a woman very specific means of increased self-awareness of herself, her relationship to her lover, partner, her way of parenting her children, her inner urges in her self-expression and creativity. New ways of understanding feminine psychology have been emerging in the past twenty years--from a feminine perspective. In a society that has trivialized the Goddess concept, learning of the significance of Goddess qualities/energy can be instructive for women and men. We are aware that women's and men's behaviors, attitudes, likes and dislikes do appear to conform to particular typologies. 



Understanding Goddess energy/types can help women discover their true natures--their innate gifts and abilities, recognize where they are best suited in life, appreciate their strengths as well as understand their areas of challenge. Furthermore, Goddess energy types are drawn to other particular Goddess types as friends and cohorts and find other types less appealing. They are better suited to one type of career or life direction than another. Most interesting, we women have a combination of a number of Goddess energy/types within ourselves of varying ascendancy. By increasing our consciousness of these various energies we have an opportunity to affirm and express our more primary goddess qualities as well as discovering ways to draw out the more recessive Goddess qualities within us. In this way, we bring into balance our hidden goddess qualities and better actualize our gifts.



Goddess, from a feminine perspective, represents a particular feminine archetype. Archetype, as a concept, is at the foundation of Carl Jung's psychological works. Archetypes are deep enduring patterns of thought and behavior laid down in the human psyche that remain powerful over long periods of time and transcend cultures. Archetypes form the basis for all unlearned, instinctive patterns of behavior that humankind--regardless of culture--shares in common. Archetypes are found in dreams, literature, art and myth and communicate to us through many symbols. Archetypes compose the ultimate source of psychic symbols which, in turn, attract energy, structure it and influence the creation of civilization and culture. Consider: male and female organs are, in fact, symbols for the archetypal energies known by the Chinese as yin and yang. Archetypes also go beyond the psyche bridging inner and outer worlds.


A goddess is the form that a feminine archetype may take. Goddess types represent models of ways of being and behaving that we women all share and recognize from the collective unconscious. In fairy tales this archetype may be revealed to us as a queen, a princess or a witch. In our nighttime dreams we tap into the collective unconscious whereby we access the common pool of archetypal images. Goddesses, as a feminine archetype, remain alive to this day in the psychology of women; and, depending upon which energies are more pronounced, influence her personality with a distinct character, a way of being, a way of relating in the world--a way of offering her special gifts. In other words, women are a blend of these types with particular types predominating while other qualities may be more recessive--out of her conscious awareness
WHICH GODDESS ARE YOU RULED BY? questionnaire from The Goddess Within 

Greek Goddesses
Amphitrite: - Greek Goddess of the sea and consort of the God Poseidon.
Aphrodite: - Olympian Goddess of love and beauty. She is certainly the most popular Deity of this Greek Goddess list.
Artemis: - The Greek Goddess of the hunt, nature and birth.
Asteria: - Goddess of the stars and the last immortal to live with man
Atalanta: - A competitive warrior Goddess, adventure and amazing runner. She was turned into a lion by Aphrodite.
Athena: - Goddess of war, wisdom and domestic crafts. She was one of the Olympian Goddesses
Baubo: - The bawdy crone Goddess who lifted her skirt in front of Demeter. She is one of the lesser known deities in the Greek Goddess list.
Demeter: - Goddess of the harvest and is most notably linked to the growing, preserving and harvesting of grain. Mother of Persephone.
Dike: - She was the Greek Goddess of moral justice.
Eos: - The beautiful Goddess of the dawn who brings the hope of a brand new day.
Eris: - Goddess of strife, discord, contention and rivalry.
Eirenne: - The Greek Goddess who symbolized peace.
Hebe: - Goddess of youth. She served nectar to the Gods.
Hecate: - Goddess of the wild places, childbirth and the crossroads. She is associated with magic and witchcraft.
Hemera: - Primordial Goddess of daylight.
Hera: - Queen of the Olympian Goddesses and Goddess of marriage
Hestia: - One of the original Olympians, she gave up her throne to become Goddess of the hearth and home.
Hygieia: - Goddess of health, cleanliness and sanitation.
Gaia: - Ancient Earth Mother Goddess.
Iris: - The Greek Goddess of the rainbow and servant to the Gods
Leto: - Titan Goddess and mother of Apollo and Artemis
Maia: - Spring Goddess and the eldest and most beautiful of Atlas's seven daughters who made up the Pleiades.
Mnemosyne: - The personification of memory in Greek mythology. She was also the mother of the Muses.
Metis: - Titan Goddess of wisdom and prudence. According to Myth Zeus swallowed the pregnant Metis whole and later gave birth to his daughter Athena from his head.
Nike: - The Greek Goddess of victory.
Nyx: - Ancient Goddess of darkness and night time
Persephone: - The Maiden Goddess and Queen of the Underworld.
Phoebe: - Described as bright and golden crowned, she was said to be a moon Goddess.
Rhea: - An Earth Goddess, responsible for the fertility of the soil, women and motherhood. She took over many of these roles from her mother Gaia.
Selene: - This Goddess was the Titan personification of the moon itself, unlike the later moon Goddesses
Theia: - Ancient Goddess of sight and the bright sky. She was mother Helios, Selene and Eos. Her name itself means Goddess.
Themis: - Greek Goddess of divine justice, order and customs. She also had the gift of prophecy as she was responsible for the Oracle of Delphi before it was passed onto Apollo.

Egyptian Goddesses
FROM http://www.angelfire.com/me3/egyptgoddess/Goddess.html

Amaunet: Means "Hidden One." She was an Egyptian mother and/or fertility goddess. At the beginning of time aspects of Amaunet merged with those of the goddess Neith. Among the Ogdoad, Amun was her consort. She was regarded as a tutelary deity of the Egyptian Pharaohs, and had a prominent part in the Pharaoh's accession ceremonies.

Ammut (Ammit) :"Devouress of the Dead." Demonic goddess who attends the Judging of the Dead. She was depicted as having the head of a crocodile, the torso of a lioness and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus. She waited in the Judgement Hall of the Two Truths during the Weighing of the Heart ceremony, and devoured those who were sinners in life.

Anat :A goddess of Syrian origin. Anat had a warlike character. She usually was represented as a woman holding a shield and an axe.

Anentet ( Amenthes ) :Egyptian goddess of the West. The west was considered to be the Underworld.

Anuket ( Anqet, Anquet, Greek Anukis ) :Egyptian goddess who personified the Nile as Nourisher of the Fields. She was mainly associated with the lower cataracts near Aswan. Also was a protective deity of childbirth. She was considered to be the daughter of Ra, Satis or Khnum. Depicted in human form, bearing a crown topped with ostrich feathers. Her principal sanctuary was at Elephantine. Her sacred animal was the gazelle.

Astarte (As-start-a) :A goddess of Syrian origin. Introduced in Egypt during the 18th Dynasty. Was also known as The Queen of Heaven and as such, her cult often overlapped with Isis' worshipers.

Ausaas : Egyptian wife of Herakhty (Horus).  

Bastet ( Bast, Ubasti ) :Egyptian sun, cat and of the home goddess. As a sun goddess she represents the warm, life giving power of the sun. A goddess of the home, pregnant women and of the domestic cat, although she sometimes took on the war-like aspect of a lioness. Normally said to be the daughter of the sun god Ra, but sometimes her father was said to be Amun. Bastet was wife of Ptah and mother of the lion-god Mihos. She was also associated with 'Eye of Ra', as such she was a instrument of the sun god's vengeance. She was depicted as a cat or in human form with the head of a cat, often holding the sistrum. Her cult was centered on her sanctuary at Bubastis in the Delta region. A necropolis has been found there, containing mummified cats.


Bat (Bata) Cow goddess of fertility and primarily a deity of Upper Egypt. She was depicted as a cow or in human form with cow's ears and horns.

Beset :Egyptian goddess, a female version of Bes.

Buto ( Edjo, Udjo, Wadjet, Wadjit ) :A tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt.
Chensit : Egyptian goddess of the twentieth nome of Lower Egypt.
 

Hathor (Hethert, Athyr) :Cow goddess. A goddess of love and motherhood, Hathor was the daughter of Nut and Ra. In early Egyptian mythology she was said to be the mother Horus, but was later replaced with Isis. After being displaced, Hathor became a protectress of Horus. The Greeks identified 
Hathor with Aphrodite.
Her name means "House (or Mansion) of Horus," referring to her role as a sky goddess. The heavens were often depicted as being a cow with stars on it, thus the "house." She was often regarded as the mother of the Pharaoh, who called himself the "son of Hathor." Since the Pharaoh was also considered to be the Living Horus, as the son of Isis, it is plausible that the phrase "son of Hathor" came from when Hathor was the mother of Hours.
The snake, the Egyptian rattle known as the sistrum, and the papyrus reed often symbolized Hathor. Her image could also be used to form the capitals of columns in Egyptian architecture. Her principal sanctuary was at Dandarah, which may also be where Hathor got her origins. At Dandarah, she was mainly worshipped in her role as a goddess of fertility, women and childbirth. At Thebes she was regarded as a goddess of the dead with the title of "Lady of the West." This associated her with Ra on his descent below the western horizon and various deaths related gods, such as Osiris and Anubis. She was depicted either as a cow or in human form wearing a crown consisting of a sun disk held between the horns of a cow.

Hat-mehyt (Hatmehit) :Fish goddess of Mendes in the Delta and the consort of Banebdjedet. She was occasionally represented as a woman with a fish on her head.

Hauhet :Goddess of infinity and a member of the Ogdoad. Her consort was Heh

Hedetet :A scorpion goddess.

Heket (Heqet) :A goddess of childbirth and protector of the dead. She is the daughter of Ra and is sometimes called the 'Eye of Ra' and 'Mother of the gods'. She is shown as a frog, a symbol of life and fertility (millions of them are born after the annual inundation of the Nile), or as a woman with a frog's head. Women often wore amulets of her during childbirth. She is regarded as the consort of Khnum.

Hemsut (Hemuset) :The Egyptian goddess of fate.

Heqet :A frog-goddess of Antinoopolis. She was a helper of women during childbirth. At Antinoopolis she was associated with Khnum.Hermouthis :

Hesat An Egyptian cow goddess. The ancient Egyptians referred to milk as 'the beer of Hesat.'
 

Isdes :She was a goddess of Heliopolis whose name means, "she comes who is great." She was a counterpart to the creator god Atum. Normally depicted wearing a scarab beetle on her head.

Isis (Aset, Eset, Aat, Menkhet, Hert, Ament, Menhet)
"Throne." Egyptian mother goddess. Isis has many names: "Mistress of Magic,The Queen of Heaven (similar to Astarte), The Great Lady, the God-Mother, lady of Re-a-nefer; Isis-Nebuut, Lady of Sekhet; Lady of Besitet; Isis in Per Pakht, the Queen of Mesen; Isis of Ta-at-nehepet; Isis, dweller in Netru; Isis, Lady of Hebet; Isis in P-she-Hert; Isis, Lady of Khebt; Usert-Isis, Giver of Life, Lady of Abaton, Lady of Philae and Lady of the Countries of the South."

Isis ruled over all matters concerning mothering, life, and sorcery. She was the daughter of Geb and Nut, according to the Heliopolitan genealogy, sister-wife of Osiris and, according to most myths, the mother of Horus. As the personification of the throne, Isis was an important source of the Pharaoh's power. Isis' Latin epithet was Stella Maris, which means, "star of the sea." Isis was depicted in human form, crowned either by a throne or by cow horns enclosing a sun disk, occasionally a vulture was incorporated in her crown. She is also depicted as a kite above the mummified body of Osiris. She was divinely represented by the Ankh. Isis' cult was popular throughout Egypt, however, the most important sanctuaries were at Giza and at Behbeit El-Hagar. During the Late Period, Philae was her main cult-center. Later on, she had an important cult in the Greco-Roman world, with sanctuaries at Delos and Pompeii.
Isis is one of the four great protector goddesses, which included Bast, Nephyths, and Hathor. She guarded coffins and the Canopic jars. In the origin myth of Ra and the world, Isis found out Ra's name by enchanting a poisonous snake to bite him. When Ra was close to dying, Isis told him that she could only heal him if she knew Ra's true name. By knowing Ra's name, she then had power equal to him and was then given all of her magical power and was forever known as the Divine Sorceress.
Isis and Nephyths were the divine mourners for the dead (Osiris). Isis was the one who retrieved and reassembled the body of Osiris after his murder and dismemberment by Set. In this way she took on the role of a goddess of the dead and funeral rites. Isis impregnated herself from the corpse and gave birth to Horus. She gave birth in secrecy at Khemmis in the Nile delta and hid the child from Set in the papyrus swamps. Horus later defeated Set and became the first ruler of a united Egypt. Isis, as mother of Horus, was by extension regarded as the mother and protectress of the Pharaohs. This relationship between Isis and Horus may also have influenced the Christian conception of the relationship between Mary and the infant Jesus Christ. There is a resemblance to the depiction of the seated Isis holding or suckling the child Horus and the seated Mary and the baby Jesus.

Kauket :Goddess of darkness and a member of the Ogdoad. Her consort was Kek.

Kebechet :Goddess who personified the purification through water. Daughter of Anubis, Kebechet plays an important role in the funeral cult. Her appearance is that of a snake.

Ma'at (Maat, Mayet) :"Straight": law and order. Egyptian goddess of cosmic harmony, truth and justice. Ma'at was depicted as a woman with an ostrich feather on her head, she was sometimes represented only by the feather. Ma'at was closely associated with Ra from the beginning and eventually became known as the 'daughter of Ra.' Thoth was sometimes given as her consort. The Pharaohs were said to derive their authority from Ma'at and claimed to uphold the cosmic order embodied in her. In the funerary papyri of the New Kingdom it was Ma'at who sat in judgement at the weighting of the heart ceremony in the Hall of the Two Truths. The heart of the deceased was weighed against the image of Ma'at, often represented simply by the ostrich feather. Her only know sanctuary was in Karnak.


Mafdet :The first deity to be mentioned who is half-cat (domesticate). She appears to be associated with the protection of the king's chambers. OR Panther Goddess Her ferocity prevails over snakes and scorpions.

Mekhit (Mechit) A lion goddess and consort of Anhur

Meret (Mert) :The Egyptian goddess of song and rejoicing.

Meretseger (Mertseger,Meresger) :"She who loves silence." Egyptian cobra goddess and protective deity of the Theban necropolis. She was believed to live on a mountain overlooking the Valley of the Kings. Worshiped by the workers at the necropolis, she was believed to poison or blind anyone who committed a crime. Supposedly, this belief was intended to reinforce the taboo against desecrating or robbing the tombs. She was depicted as a coiled cobra or as a cobra with the head of a woman and a single human arm. Her cult died out when the Theban necropolis was abandoned during the XXI Dynasty.

Mut :Egyptian vulture goddess and chief goddess of Thebes. Also a mother goddess occasionally referenced to as the queen of all gods. She was depicted in the form of a vulture or in a human form with a vulture headdress and the combined crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. She was usually dressed in a bright red or blue gown. In Thebes she replaced Amaunet as the consort of the sun god Amun. With their adoptive son Khonsu, the two formed the Theban triad. Her principal sanctuary was in Thebes.  
 

Naunet :Goddess of the primordial abyss and member of the Ogdoad. Her consort was Nun.

Nebethetepet :A goddess whose name means "mistress of the offering." She is a feminine counterpart of the male creative principle of Atum. She supposedly was "namely his Hand with which he brought about the ejaculation that brought the cosmos into being." A goddess of Heliopolis.

Neith (Neit) :Egyptian creator goddess and of war, the hunt and domestic arts. Her symbol was a shield bearing crossed arrows. Said to be a self-begotten virgin. She later came to be identified as the consort of Set and the mother of the crocodile god Sobek. Her principal sanctuary was at Sais in the Nile Delta, where she originally developed as a local goddess. After rising to national prominence, a sanctuary was dedicated to her in Memphis. In the Esna cosmology, Neith was said to have emerged from the primeval waters to create the world, subsequently following the Nile north to the delta where she founded Sais. Depicted in the form of a woman wearing the red crown of Lower Egypt and bearing a shield with crossed arrows.
 
Nekhbet (Nekhebet, Nechbet) :"She of Nekhbet." Egyptian vulture and tutelary goddess of Upper Egypt. She was also a protective goddess of childbirth who was depicted as the nurse of the future monarch during his infancy. In her capacity as protectress of the infant monarch she was known as the "Great White Cow of Nekheb." She was usually depicted as a vulture wearing the white crown of Upper Egypt and holding the eternity symbols in her talons. Her principal sanctuary was in Nekheb (El Kab) in Upper Egypt.

Nephthys (Greek form; Egyptian Neb-hut, Nebthet): "Mistress/Lady of the House." Egyptian goddess of the dead and daughter of Geb and Nut. Nephthys was the sister of Isis, Osiris and Set. She was the consort of Set until Set killed Osiris. According to one tradition, she was also the mother of Anubis by Osiris. Nephthys' principal sanctuary was in Heliopolis. Along with Isis, she was one of the guardians of the corpse of Osiris. She is shown in human form wearing a crown in the form of the hieroglyph for house. Sometimes depicted as a kite guarding the funeral bier of Osiris.

Nepit :An Egyptian corn goddess. She is the female counterpart of the god Neper.

Nut (Neuth, Nuit) :Egyptian goddess of the sky and the heavens. Daughter of Shu and Tefnut, in the Heliopolitan genealogy. Originally just a mother goddess who had numerous children. The hieroglyph of her name is thought to be a womb although a water pot represented the womb. She was typically depicted as a woman with her elongated and naked body arching above Shu and the earth god Geb to form the heavens. Sometimes she appeared in the form of a cow whose body forms the sky and heavens. Nut was the barrier separating the forces of Chaos form the ordered cosmos in this world. Her fingers and toes were believed to touch the four cardinal points or directions. The sun god Ra was to be reborn from her vagina each morning. Nut was also a goddess of the dead, and the Pharaoh was said to enter her body after death, from which he would later be resurrected. Her principal sanctuary was in Heliopolis.  
 

Pachet (Pakhet):Lioness Goddess of the Eastern Desert and a night huntress.  
 

Qadesh (Qetesh) :A goddess of Syrian origin. Often represented as a woman standing on a lion's back.  
Renenutet (Ernutet, Renenet) Egyptian cobra goddess. Depicted either as a hooded cobra or in human form with the head of a cobra. Her name seems to have the meaning of nurturing or raisin a child, and she was both a goddess associated with motherhood and the tutelary deity of the Pharaoh. Her gaze was said to have the power to vanquish all enemies and also to ensure the fertility of the crops and the bounty of the harvest. She was associated with the magical properties believed to inhere in the linen bandages that wrapped the dead and was known at Edfu as the 'mistress of the robes.' She had an important cult center in the fertile Faiyum region, where she was closely associated with the local crocodile god Sobek. In the Greco-Roman period she was worshipped as the goddess Hermouthis, in which form she came to be combined with Isis.


Renpet :The Egyptian goddess of youth and springtime.

Reret :An Egyptian hippopotamus goddess.  
 

Satet:Goddess of the inundation of the Nile and fertility

Satis (Greek form, also Sati; Egyptian Satjit or Satet) :An Egyptian goddess whose primary role was that of a guardian of Egypt's southern (Nubian) frontier and killing the enemies of the Pharaoh with her arrows. As 'Queen of Elephantine' she figures as the consort of Khnum and the mother of Anuket, the three sometimes being referred to as the 'Elephantine's triad.' Depicted in human form wearing the tall conical white crown of Upper Egypt bounded on either side by plumes or antelope horns, holding a scepter and the Ankh (life) symbol. She had a major sanctuary on the island of Sahel near Elephantine (Aswan). She was also associated with the annual inundation of the Nile.

Sekhmet (Sachmet, Sakhmet) :"The Powerful One." Egyptian lioness goddess, daughter of Ra. In Memphis she formed part of the Memphite triad together with Ptah as her consort and Nefertum (otherwise the son of Bastet) as her son. Depicted as a lioness or in a human form with the head of a lioness. She was generally shown crowned by the solar disk, holding the Ankh (life) symbol or a scepter in the shape of a papyrus reed. In Thebes Sekhmet came to be combined with Mut, the consort of the Theban sun god Amun. She had a warlike aspect and was said to breathe fire at the enemies of the Pharaoh. Like the goddess Hathor, Sekhmet could become the 'eye of Ra,' an agent of the sun god's punishment. She was believed to be the bearer of plague and pestilence, but in a more benign aspect she was called upon in spells and amulets to ward of disease.

Selkis (Selkit, Selket, Selkhet, Serqet) :A scorpion-goddess who was identified with the scorching heat of the sun. A protector goddesses, she guarded coffins and Canopic jars. Sometimes shown as a woman with a scorpion on her head.

Sentait :A cow goddess.

Serket (Selket, Selkis, Selchis, Selquet; Egyptian Serket-hetyt) :"She who causes the throat to breathe." Egyptian scorpion goddess. Depicted in human form with a scorpion-shaped headdress or with a scorpion body and a human head. She was an early tutelary deity of the Egyptian monarchs. Serket was associated with mortuary rites and helped guard the Canopic jars in which the viscera of the dead were placed. From this association she came to be a tutelary goddess of the dead. She was called upon in Egyptian magic to advert venomous bites and stings.

Seshat (Sesat, Sesheta):The goddess of writing; the divine keeper of royal annals. Was represented as a woman.

Shait: An Egyptian goddess of destiny.

Sothis (Greek form; Egyptian Sopdet) :Egyptian goddess who personified the Dog Star, Sirius. The appearance of Sirius at dawn in July (called the helical rising) heralds the annual inundation of the Nile. She naturally became associated with fertility and prosperity resulting from the annual floods. Depicted in human form, wearing the tall conical white crown of Upper Egypt, surmounted by a star. In a forth century BC papyrus, Isis identifies herself with Sothis as she laments the death of Osiris and vows to follow him in his manifestation as the constellation Orion.
 


Tasenetnofret :An ancient Egyptian goddess. She was the consort of Horus when he was Har-wer ("Horus the Elder").

Tawret (Taueret, Taurt, Apet, Opet; Greek Thoueris, Thoeris, Toeris)
"The Great One." Egyptian hippopotamus goddess and protective deity of childbirth, also protectress of rebirth into the afterlife. She was depicted with the head of a hippopotamus, the legs and arms of a lion, the tail of a crocodile, human breasts, and a swollen belly. This appearance was meant to frighten off any spirits that might be harmful to the child. She was often depicted holding the Sa, amulet symbolizing protection. As a protective deity of childbirth, she was often depicted in the company of the dwarf god Bes, who ad a similar function. Taweret was the most popular among ordinary Egyptians as a protectress. Pregnant women commonly wore amulets bearing the goddess' image.


Tefnut (Tefnet, Tefenet; Greek Tphenis) :Primeval Egyptian goddess personifying moisture, particularly in the forms of dew, rains and mist. According to the Heolopolitan cosmology, she was the daughter of Atum (sun), sister-wife of Shu (air) and the mother of Geb (earth) and Nut (sky). Tefnut could take on the role of the 'eye of Ra' (Ra being another form of her sun god father), in which case she was depicted as a lioness or in human form with the head of a lioness. She could also be depicted as a snake coiled about a scepter. In the Pyramid Texts she was said to create pure water from her vagina. Her principal sanctuary was at Heliopolis. Tefnut and Shu were also worshipped as a pair of lions at Leontopolis in the Nile delta.

Tenenit :The Egyptian goddess of beer.  
 

Unut : An Egyptian rabbit-goddess.
 

Wadjet (Buto, Uajyt, Uto) :Cobra and tutelary goddess of Lower Egypt.

Wosyet: The Egyptian protector goddess of the young.

Zenenet: The Egyptian goddess of Hermonthis

HINDU GODDESSES
Devi or the divine feminine is an equal counterpart to the divine masculine, and hence manifests herself as the Trinity herself - the Creator (Durga or the Divine Mother), Preserver (Lakshmi, Parvati and Saraswati) and Destroyer (Mahishasura-Mardini, Kali and Smashanakali).
FROM WIKI.COM

Mahadevi 

Many texts, myths and rituals concerning goddesses subsume them all under one great female being, named generally as Mahadevi or Devi. Early Hindu traditions as reflected in the Vedas speak of discrete goddesses like Parvati and Lakshmi. Later, there emerged a tendency to relate all goddesses to one ultimate goddess, the best example of such texts being the Devi Mahatamaya. Another important feature of Mahadevi mythology and theology is the insistence that assumes both benign and terrible aspects of Mahadevi.

Durga


Main article: Durga

Durga killing the demon Mahishasura
Source: Nepal Art Gallery.
In the Hindu pantheon, Durga is one of the most popular goddesses, and her creation takes place in the context of a cosmic crisis. The asuras were on the ascent, and they had become a threat to cosmic stability. The male gods were unable to contain and subdue them. A number of male gods having failed to subdue the demons led by Mahishasura, assembled into a conclave and emitted their energies together which took the form of the warrior goddess, Durga, that is, the invincible.

Vedic literature does not have any particular goddess matching the concept of Durga though it has references to certain goddesses as slayers of demons. Taitriya-aranyaka mentions Durga, but not in a manner comparable to Durga of later Hinduism. Around the 4th century AD, images of Durga slaying Mahishasura begin to become common in many palaces in the Indian subcontinent.
The theology underlying Durga’s emergence and exploits are revealed in Devi Mahatmyam, the most famous text extolling her exploits, and is described: "Though she is eternal, the goddess becomes manifest over and over again to protect the world". This makes her on par with various Avatars of Vishnu.
One of the most famous festivals associated with her is Durga Puja celebrated in the month of Ashvin (September–October), and is also called the Navaratri festival.

 

Saraswati


Main article: Saraswati

An image of goddess Saraswati
Saraswati, the flowing one, is one of the most celebrated goddesses from the Vedic period through current times. She has been repeatedly mentioned in the Rig Veda, and has been identified with the Saraswati River. Over a period of time, in later Hinduism, her connection with a river decreased considerably, and she is no longer a goddess who embodies sacrality of a river, but has acquired her independent history and attributes.
She is the goddess of speech and learning, and is the creator of Sanskrit, the language of the Vedas. She is the consort of Brahma, the creator and member of the Hindu Trinity. She is equally revered by Hindus, Jains and the Buddhists. Her iconography depicts her association with art, science and culture, which is dramatically different from some other major goddesses who are identified with fertility, wealth, and battles. She is shown as having four arms, and the most common items held by her in her hands are a book, a vina (lute), a mala, and a water pot. The book signified art, science and learning; the vina associates her with music and performing arts; and the prayer beads and water pot signify her association with religious rites. She is worshipped on the fifth day of the spring according to Hindu calendar, called the Basant Panchami.

Shri-Lakshmi


Main article: Lakshmi

Lakshmi
Shri, commonly known as Lakshmi and also called Shri Lakshmi, is one of the most popular and widely worshipped Devi in Hindu tradition since pre-Buddhist period. Her name is the basis for "Lady Luck (Lakshmi)" in the Christian West[citation needed]and her form of rising from water is depicted as Venus. She has a considerable body of mythology and history. The earliest legend states that Shri is born as a result of austerities of Prajapati, and she represents ten qualities and objects, namely, food, royal power, universal sovereignty, knowledge, power, holy luster, kingdom, fortune, bounteousness, and beauty.
Shri appears in several Vedic hymns, and Shri is indicative of several positive attributes including beauty, glory, power, capability, and higher rank. In later Vedic literature, Shri signified the ruling power and the majesty of kings. Shri-Sukt, a hymn appended to the Rig Veda, is a famous Vedic chant, extolling Shri, and presents a detailed account of her, both conceptually and visually. The hymn also associates her with lotus and elephant – an association, which has not changed in subsequent history.
By the late epic period (400 AD), Lakshmi became associated with Vishnu, and emerged as his wife or consort, and acquired - in addition to her earlier attributes - characteristics of a model wife.
She is worshiped on Diwali, a new moon night, to symbolize that her presence is enough to dispel all the darkness from the hearts of her devotees.[5]

Parvati


Main article: Parvati

Parvati suckling baby Ganesha. Watercolor on paper (ca. 1820)
Parvati is the daughter of the mountains (the Himalayas), and manifests the aspect of the goddess as the wife of Shiva. She is generally considered a benign goddess. She is one of the principal deities of Shaktism and sometimes considered the essence of Shakti herself, i.e. Adi-shakti. She has been identified as a reincarnation of Dakshayani or Sati, Shiva’s first wife, who destroyed her by self-immolation because her father, Daksha, had insulted Shiva. Parvati, when depicted alongside Shiva, appears with two arms, but when alone, she is shown having four arms, and riding a tiger or lion. She is also known by a number of other names, including Durga (Goddess Beyond reach)Ambika (mother), Gauri (golden), Shyama (dark complexioned), Bhavani (Mother of Universe) Bhairavi (awesome) and Kali (black-colored or Goddess of Time). She is also identified as Mahadevi.
In classical Hindu mythology, the raison d’être of Parvati, and before that of Sati, is to lure Shiva into marriage and thus into a wider circle of worldly affairs. With the plays of Kalidas (5th-6th centuries) and the Puranas (4th through the 13th centuries) the myths of Sati, Parvati and Shiva acquired comprehensive details.

Kali


Goddess Kali

Main article: Kali
Kali is one of the most significant divinities, and many texts and contexts treat Kali as an independent deity, not directly associated with a male god. In case she is associated with a male god, it is invariably Shiva. In this aspect, she represents the omnipotent Shakti of Shiva. She holds both the creative and destructive power of time.
The earliest reference to Kali in Hindu tradition date back to the 6th century, and locate her in the battle fields fighting asuras. Her temples are recommended to be built away from human habitations. Vana Bhatta's 7th century drama Kadambari features a goddess named Chandi, an epithet of both Kali and Durga.
Kali’s most famous appearance in battle contexts are found in the text Devi Mahatmya when during the battle with asuras, Durga becomes angry. Her face turns pitch dark, and suddenly Kali springs forth from Durga’s forehead. She is black, wears a garland of human heads, is clothed in a tiger skin, and wields a staff topped by a human skull. She destroys the asuras. Later, Durga seeks her assistance once more to annihilate Raktabija. Kali’s mythology recounts several such appearances, mostly in terrible aspects.

 

Mahavidya


Main article: Mahavidya
Mahavidyas, that is, the supreme knowledge, revelations and manifestations, refer to a group of ten goddesses. They constitute an important aspect of Mahadevi theology, which emphasizes that the Devi has a tendency to manifest and display herself in a variety of forms and aspects. Mahavidyas find no mention in the earliest Hindu texts, but appeared relatively late in Hindu tradition. Seven of them represent creative forces embodied in Kali, and the remaining three embody her destructive nature and aspects. In the context of Hindu mythology, the origin of the ten Mahavidyas takes place in the story of Sati and Shiva.
Ten Mahavidyas are: Kali, Tara, Chinnamasta, Bhuvanesvari, Bagla, Dhumavati, Kamla, Matangi, Sodasi, and Bhairavi.

Navadurga


Main article: Navadurga
Navadurga (Devanagari: नवदुर्गा), which literally means nine Durgas, constitute, according to Hindu mythology, the manifestation of Durga in nine different forms. Navadurga are famously worshipped during the Autumn Navaratri or the Nine days, initiating the devotees into a period of festivities according to Hindu calendar.

Other aspects


Soundarya Lahari

The Soundarya Lahari is a hymn of 100 verses composed in Sanskrit. It was written in honor of the goddess Devi. This hymn is frequently referred to as "The Flood of Beauty" or "The Flood of Bliss". The Soundarya Lahari is very well established in the context of the Tantra that is difficult to interpret. It provides an appropriate approach to view of the tantra. The link between material and spiritual being is often affiliated with a center of power known a Chakra which is usually located in the human body. However, in the Soundarya Lahari they are analogous with the divine and human worlds which are a part of Devi. Although the Soundarya Lahari aims at eliminating transgressive practices, it doesn't go into great detail what the actual transgressive actions are. There are no offenses to the dharma that are actual described. The description of Devi is even limited, with no mention of her sexual organs. Her breasts are vividly described, but this is only to hint at her role as a maternal figure. The hymn's main purpose is to provide a respectable approach to the tantra through Devi.[6]

Sita


Main article: Sita
Sita is one of the most popular divinities of Hinduism. Currently, Sita is associated with Rama (an Avatar of Vishnu) as his wife, and she receives worship along with her husband Rama. She is one of the many incarnations of Lakshmi.
A female divinity called Sita was known before the Ramayana of Valmiki. Sita literally means “furrow”, that is, the line made while plowing the land, and in Vedic period, she was one of the goddesses associated with fertility. The Kausik-sutra and the Paraskara-sutra associates her repeatedly as the wife of Parjanya (a god associated with rains) and Indra. She is one of the Panchkanyas that are worshipped(remembered) daily in the morning period to banish sins out of life due to her chastity and devotion towards her husband. It is said she is shakti or prakriti of Rama as told in Ram Raksha Stotram.
She emerged as a significant divinity with Valmiki’s Ramayana, written sometime between 200 BC and 200 AD, and various vernacular renditions of the same, with slightly modified contents, over next several centuries. These texts extol Rama and Sita as the divine couple, and countless mythology, legend, and folklores revolve around them. Sita is always represented in association with Rama, her husband, and Rama is central to her life and existence. She has the dominant role of all Hindu mythological tradition as far as the portrayal of ideal woman and ideal wife is concerned. She represents wifely devotion, forbearance and chastity. She overshadows several other divine Hindu wives including Parvati and Lakshmi, and other similar devoted wives of Hindu mythology like Savitri and Damayanti.
Her current history states that she emerged from the earth when king Janaka was plowing the field during a ritual to invoke rains. She was married to Rama, was abducted by Ravana, reclaimed by Rama, and then banished out of his kingdom. In the forests, in an ashram of Valmiki, she raised her two sons, Kusha and Lava, who engaged the royal forces of Rama and inflicted heavy damage. Rama himself comes to fight with them, when Valmiki told him that they were his own sons. Rama requests Sita to come back, but remembering the injustices meted out to her, she called her mother Earth to receive her back, the ground opens up and she returned to where she had originally emerged.

Radha


Main article: Radha
Radha, which means prosperity and success, is one of the Gopis of Vrindavan, and is a central figure of Vaishnava theology. Early literature speaks of a favourite Gopi of Krishna, but her details emerge clearly centuries later. Jayadeva’s Gitagovinda (12th century) presents a full depiction of Radha and her association with Krishna.
In fact, Radha is the original manifestation of Param(Adi) Shakti, i.e. Parvati (in sagun-i.e. benevolent-form), which is the supreme energy in the Hindu religion. She is same as mother Sita is who worshiped Goddess Gauri, whose partial incarnations are Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati. In order to please Parasiva, one has to first please Adi parashakti. So In order to please Krishna, one has to call Radha first. In Devi Bhagavata, it is mentioned that she is the one who fulfills all the desires of all creatures by simply crying while remembering her and She is the partial expansion of Parvati, actual source all energies.
Traditionally, Radha’s love for Krishna is likened to human soul’s yearning for God, and she is regarded as an ultimate model for devotees. Her role is also to be an intermediary between man and God.

Matrikas


Main article: Matrikas
Matrikas, that is, the mothers, are a band of divinities, which always appear in a group. They are Brahmani, Vaishnavi, Maheshvari, Indrani, Kaumari, Varahi and Chamunda or Narasimhi.

Shakti Peethas


Main article: Shakti Peethas
Another important aspects of the Female divine are the various Shakti Peethas spread all across the nation, where over 51 body parts of Devi Sati, first wife of Lord Shiva fell after being broken apart by the Sudarshana Chakra of Lord Vishnu.
Goddess Sati had earlier performed self-immolation at the ceremonial feast of her father king Daksha and an enraged and inconsolable Lord Shiva was wandering all over the Creation, with her dead body, threatening its very existence. Each point on the earth where her body parts fell is now venerated as a Shakti Peetha - the seat of Shakti or female power.

 GODDESS GUIDE
FROM http://www.goddess-guide.com/goddess-names.html

Arianrhod (Celtic) - Goddess of fertility, rebirth and the weaving of cosmic time and fate. The last aspect of her nature is contained within her name which means “silver wheel” or “round wheel,” suggesting her importance in the cycles of life. Other common spellings of her name are Aranhod and Arianrod.
Artemis (Greek) - An independent spirit, she is Goddess is of the hunt, nature and birth. There are several different theories about the origin of her name, one school of thought says it comes from an ancient word for “safe” and another argues that it means “strong limbed.” Either way the suggestion is that this maiden Goddess has the strength and ability to protect herself from any unwanted attention.
Athena (Greek) - Goddess of war and wisdom and domestic crafts. Plato believed her name meant "mind of God" whilst others suggest it comes an ancient word meaning “sharp.” Both these words point to Athena's great intellectual ability to see the true nature of a situation and to develop successful strategies.
Bast (Egyptian) - The famous cat Goddess, she protected pregnant woman and children. Bast was a very sensual Goddess who enjoyed music, dance and perfume. Her name comes from the bas jars used to store perfumes and ointments. Other versions of this Goddess name's include: Bastet, Baset, Ubasti and Pasht.
Ceres (Roman) - This Goddess of agriculture and grains name comes from the Indo European word root, ker meaning “to grow.” In turn her name has become the origin of our modern word cereal.
Cerridwen (Celtic) - Goddess of moon, magic, agriculture, nature, poetry language, music, art, science and astrology. She was also keeper of the cauldron. Her name means “chiding love.” Ceridwen, Caridwen, Kerritwen, Keridwen, Kyrridwen are other variations of her name.
Demeter (Greek) - Goddess of the harvest who possessed great knowledge of the best way to grow, preserve and harvest grain. She was also the devoted mother of Persephone. Her name reflects her nurturing personality as it means “earth mother” in Greek.
Diana (Roman) - Goddess of the hunt and wild animals. She later took over from Luna as the Roman Goddess of the moon, responsible for fertility and childbirth. Her name means "heavenly divine," reflecting her celestial role.
Eirene (Greek) - This Greek Goddess name means peace in her native language, expressing her diplomatic nature. Her name also often appears as Irene.
Eos (Greek) - A sunny natured Goddess whose name means dawn.
Epona (Celtic) - Protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. She was also an ancient fertility Goddess. Epona's Goddess name comes from the Gaulish word epos meaning "great mare."
Ereshkigal (Sumerian) - Goddess of Attalu, the land of the dead and ancestral memories. Her name translates as "great lady under the earth." Irkalla is an alternative name by which this Goddess is identified.
Freya (Nordic) - Goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, wealth, divination and magic. Her name comes from the ancient Norse word for lady or mistress. There are several variations of the spellings of this Goddess name including: Freyja, Freyr and Freyja.
Frigg (Nordic) - Goddess of marriage, childbirth, motherhood, wisdom, household management and weaving and spinning. Her name means "beloved" in ancient Norse and is derived from fri "to love." She is also known as Frige, Friia, Frija and Frea.
Gaia (Greek) - Goddess of the Earth and prophecy. She is the primordial mother and a personification of Mother Earth. She gave birth to the Titans. Her name is also spelt Gaeo.
Hathor (Egyptian) - This heavenly cow's areas of influence included music, dancing, joy and fertility. Her name translates as "house of Horus". Alternative names for this Goddess are Het-Hert, Hetheru, Mehturt, Mehurt, Mehet-Weret, and Mehet-uret,
Hebe (Greek) – Hebe’s name literally means youth or in the prime of life. She was one of the daughters of Zeus and Hera. Her role was to serve the nectar and ambrosia to the Gods and Goddesses that prevented them from aging.

Hekate (Greek) - Goddess of the wild places, childbirth and the crossroads. She is closely associated with magic and witchcraft. Her name is said to be derived from the Greek word hekas meaning "far off" describing her unworldly, shamanic nature. Also known as Hecate

Hella (Nordic) - The fearsome Goddess of the Nordic realm of the dead. Her name is derived from the word kel, meaning "to conceal." There are numerous spellings of her name including Halje Hell, Hel, Helle,Hela and Holle.

Hera (Greek) - Queen of the Olympians and Goddess of marriage and birth. The meaning of her Goddess name has been lost. One historian claims her name could be connected to the Greek word for seasons hora, suggesting she is ripe for marriage.

Hestia (Greek) - The domestic Goddess of the Greek Pantheon, she rules over the hearth and home. Her name comes from the Greek word estia meaning "she that dwells or tarries." This reflects the importance of the role that the ancient Greeks attributed to this Goddess in sacrificing her position as an Olympian to guard the fire and maintain a happy home.
Inanna (Sumerian) - Goddess of love, war, and fertility. Inanna was the personification of the morning and evening star. Her beautiful name means "lady of the sky." This Goddess is closely linked to Ishtar and Nin-anna.
Indunn (Nordic) - Goddess of youth and springtime. Her name means she who renews and has several alternative spellings including Indun, Iduna and Idhunna.
Iris (Greek) - Goddess of the rainbow and messenger to the Gods. Her name means rainbow in her native language.
Isis (Egyptian) - This famous Goddess has so many different aspects, her most important roles are as Goddess of life and magic. Isis’s name comes from the Egyptian word aset and means "she of throne" in other words the Queen of the Goddesses.

Juno (Roman) - Goddess of marriage, pregnancy and childbirth. She protected the finances of the citizens of Rome. Her name is mystery, it speaks of a contradictory role for this Goddess, before her alignment to the matronly, Greek Goddess, Hera. This is because her name is derived from the root yeu meaning "vital force" indicating a more youthful, maiden Goddess

Maat (Egyptian)- Goddess of truth, justice and balance. She prevented the creation from reverting to chaos and judged the deeds of the dead with her feather. This Goddess name stems from the word Mayet meaning “straight.” This reflects her unbending nature in upholding what is right and just.
Minerva (Roman) - Goddess of wisdom, medicine and crafts. Her name is linked to the Latin word mens which means "intellect," suggesting the intelligence and inventiveness of this ancient Goddess.
Morrigan (Celtic) - The terrifying crow Goddess associated with war and death on the battlefield. She was queen of phantoms, demons, shape-shifters and patroness of priestesses and Witches. Her name means "great queen" in the old Irish language. Morrigan was also known as Morgane, Morrígu, Morríghan, Mor-Ríoghain and Morrígna.
Nephthys (Egyptian) - Goddess of death, decay and the unseen. Her name speaks of her priestess role as it means "lady of the temple enclosure." Other variations of her title include Nebet-het and Nebt-het.
Nike (Greek) - This Greek Goddess name means victory, she represented success especially in the sporting arena which is why her name was chosen for a famous brand of sportswear.
Persephone (Greek) - Daughter of Demeter and Queen of the Underworld. She was also none as Kore reflecting the Maiden aspect of this Goddess. Other variations of her name include Persephoneia, Persephassa, Persephatta and Pherepapha
Pomona (Roman) – Pomona protected fruiting trees and gardens. Her name is derived from the Latin word pomus, meaning “fruit tree.”
Rhea (Greek) - The ancient Titan Earth Goddess, responsible for the fertility of the soil and women. The name is most likely a form of the word era meaning "earth", although it has also been linked to 'rheos' the Greek term for “stream.”
Selene (Greek) – Selene was the Titan personification of the moon, unsurprising then that her name means moon in Greek.
Seshat (Egyptian) - The great scribe and librarian Goddess who was responsible for accounting, architecture, astronomy, historical records and mathematics. Her Goddess name means "she who scibes." It is also appears as Safkhet, Sashet, Seshata, Sesat, Sesheta and Sheshat.
Themis (Greek) - Goddess of divine justice, order and customs. She also had the gift of prophecy. Her name simply means "law of nature" or "divine nature."
Venus (Roman) - Goddess and love and beauty. Her Goddess name has become synonymous with her role as the woman who all men desire.
Vesta (Roman) - Guardian of the sacred Flame. Vesta’s name and function is derived from the Greek Goddess Hestia.