Symbol Dictionary Mary-May
Mary: As with Jesus, Mary the Mother of God is a composite of many early Goddesses such as Aphrodite-Mari; the Blessed Virgin Juno; Stella Maris (Star of the Sea), another face of Isis; The Oriental Virgin Mother of the Redeemer, Maya; The Semic Queen of Heaven, Mariamne; and more. Over the first four centuries of the Christian era, the idea of Mary formed and was transformed with different aspects of the Goddess. It is for this reason that “Fathers of the Christian Church strongly opposed the worship of Mary because they were well aware that she was only a composite” of Goddesses, as Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) points out, “The Speculum beatae Mariae said Mary was like the Juno-Artemis-Hecate trinity: ‘queen of heaven where she is enthroned in the midst of the angels, queen of earth where she constantly manifests her power, and queen of hell where she has authority over the demons.’” The Church went to great lengths to prevent Mary from being worshipped, although she was the logical suppository of adoration of the Goddess for recently converted pagans. Apparently, Anastasius declared, “Let no one call Mary the Mother of God, for Mary was but a woman, and it is impossible that God should be born of a woman” (Walker, 1983). However, Mary’s position in the church has varied over time. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Germanus in 717 C.E. claimed that “as his true mother” God obeyed her “through and in all things,” making her the path to grace. The belief that Mary was a literal virgin is a mis-translation of the original Latin text (Gardner, 1997). See Virgin.
Mary Magdalene: The Biblical figure of Mary Magdalene has recently been a subject of much scholarly and theological debate. Popular belief is that Mary Magdalene is a repented sinner and follower of Jesus, whom Jesus saved from stoning and exorcised seven demons from her. This is actually not supported by the Bible and comes from a deliberate confusion of Mary and an unnamed prostitute also in the Bible by Pope St. Gregory I in 591 C.E. However, the exorcism of the seven demons is Biblically accurate, according to Sir Laurenc Gardner, in this lecture The Hidden History of Jesus and the Holy Grail (1997). In actuality Mary Magdalene is the sole person Jesus appeared to after his resurrection, a defining event in Christianity, as well as being a financial backer and valued companion of Jesus. Barbara Walker, in her book, The Woman’s Encyclopedia Of Myths And Secrets (1983) states, “Books later eliminated from the canon by Christian censors gave further curious details about the relationship: Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than all other apostles, called her Apostle to the Apostles and ‘the Woman Who Knew the All,’ and often kissed her. He said she would excel every other disciple in the coming kingdom of Light, where she would rule.”
Other biblical writings eliminated from the canon of the bible, the Gnostic Gospels, reveal a loving, if not intimate relationship between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, whom he called “Dearly Beloved.” Exactly who Mary was is unknown, although historians have some idea. She could be Mary of Magdala, signifying that she was important enough to be associated with where she came from, like Jesus of Nazarene (Gardner, 1997). Magdalene may also have meant “She of the temple-tower,” as Walker (1983) suggests, meaning that she was a priestess and sacred temple harlot. It may also be that Mary is the title or an order of priestesses, as Gardner (1997) suggests, and if this is the case, it may also be true of Mary the mother of Jesus as well. Mary is a corruption of the Goddess’s name Mari or Mara. The Babylonian Triple Goddess Mari-Anna-Ishtar may be the origins of this archetypal sacred Whore, who bore a savior-son. Walker asserts, “The Gospel of Mary said all three Marys of the canonical books were one and the same.” See Mara, Jesus, Bible, and Prostitute. See UMS Mystical Beginings of Christianity course.
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Maize: In Mayan mythology, humans were made by mixing the god’s own blood with maize flour. The Mayan Earth God is depicted sprouting from a stock or maize (left). Rowena and Rupert Shepherd in their book 1000 Symbols: What Shapes Mean In Art And Myth (2002), explains, “For most of the great cultures of ancient Central America, to eat maize was to eat the flesh of the gods, and this belief may account for the practice of human sacrifice as a gift to the gods in return.” The Indigenous Americans recognized maize as one of the “three sisters,” along with beans and squash, which form their staple diet. The Hopi use maize in healing ceremonies, blessing, and to make masks and dolls. The Hopi Maize God is pictured at left. |
Maypole: As part of the pagan May Day festival, Maypoles of colored ribbons were woven by young women and men dancing in opposite directions. May Day is a fertility festival, the maypole a phallic symbol. See Pillar.