Category: Goddesses

Spinning’s Symbolic Meaning in European Myth

10/1/2017

*This article is an excerpt from "Habitrot and The Wood Maiden: Spinning Goddesses and Imagery in European Tradition ," European Fairy Tales Series Vol VII.

Frigga Spinning the Clouds, by John Charles Dollman, 1909

We have discussed the role of the Fates in European folk tradition and briefly mentioned that they are typically depicted as three female spinners. However, as it has been discussed in previous volumes of this series, definitions can be somewhat blurry, and representations of figures tend to bleed into one another.

There is certainly an association with spinning and weaving with the conception of fate and destiny. In fact, the concept of our fate, called Wyrd in the Anglo-Saxon tradition, is conceptualized as a great web made up of strands that are spun by the three spinners (the Fates, called the Norns in Germanic tradition). Wyrd can be seen as a cosmic tapestry of your life that exists in the spiritual plane.

Indigenous European Spirituality Encoded in the Folk Tradition

6/13/2017

A Fairy Tale by Arthur Wardle

Over several years of studying indigenous European belief (paganism, mythology), and then studying the folk tradition (folklore, folk customs, holiday traditions, witch trial records), I began to realize that the idea that paganism died out after conversion to Christianity was simply preposterous. Native European spirituality remained an incredibly powerful force in the consciousness of the European people well into the modern era.

How Fairy Tales Helped Me Cope with Devastating Loss

4/30/2017

"Once Upon A Time," by Henry Meynell Rheam, 1908

Fairy tales have been written off as simple stories for children. And, while children do become absorbed in the tales of the land of Faerie, these stories have layers of deep meaning that are applicable to people of all ages. We tend to think of "mythology" as somehow a higher status of literat ure than fairy tales. Maybe that's due to the conception of their antiquity, and the complex worlds with pantheons that represent a cast of characters whose exploits we can follow.

But, what we don't realize is that fairy tales exist within the lexicon of myth. Many fairy tales have origins that extend back into the murky haze of pre-history. Others build off of patterns and influences from those very ancient tales, and still others were formed during eras when indigenous spirituality was suppressed by the authorities, and so elements of the old religion were preserved in coded form.

By peeling back the layers, we can find deep spiritual insight and guidance in fairy tales that can give us comfort, direction, hope, and other psychological-emotional support.

The Spring Goddess Archetype and Our Collective Unconscious

4/25/2017

Jung's Collective Unconscious

Carl Jung believed that there was a pool of knowledge or understandings that we as humans access on a subconscious level. He called it the "Collective Unconscious."

The theory holds that certain archetypes are remembered in the deep recesses of our mind. Jung's theory holds that our conscious mind is influenced by our subconscious whether or not we are aware of it.

In fact, sometimes the issues we experience consciously are influenced by our unconscious.

Therefore, developing a deep understanding of the cultural archetypes common to our ancient cultures and unlocking the hazy memories we have inherited can help bridge the unconscious with the conscious and lead to a more holistic view of the self and the wider world.

Spinning’s Symbolic Meaning in European Myth

Indigenous European Spirituality Encoded in the Folk Tradition

How Fairy Tales Helped Me Cope with Devastating Loss

The Spring Goddess Archetype and Our Collective Unconscious

Jung's Collective Unconscious

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