Rising Goddess in the Night (new poem)

 

Rising Goddess in the Night

by Tim Kavi

across the majestic sands of time

arises a crescendo of light

from the sounds of crashing waves

the dark moon shines

the horsemen ride

leaving tracks in the sand

to be washed away

like forgotten memories

I thought I saw Her face

there before, She is met

By Herself, there was eternity

in her breath

there is only the longtime

sculpted, across all the faces

of every goddess

there is a reckoning

a sure awakening 

of her might

for she rides in

on the tide

the rising goddess 

in the night.  

Tim Kavi's Essay Collection: More About Goddesses has NOW Been Published in Paperback!

 

Some of my most popular and highly visited columns on this blog have been my entries about various goddesses and goddess mythology from a variety of traditions. These have finally been collected in one read, along with some columns never before published for your reading pleasure.  Available as an eBook for quite some time, it has just NOW also been published in paperback! You can get a paperback edition of my essays: MORE ABOUT GODDESSES by clicking here. Happy reading and just in time for any Holiday reading and learning!  Thanks for supporting my work!~~TK

When Mars Fell Asleep (New Poem)

When Mars Fell Asleep

by Tim Kavi

boys want to play army in fields

lined with mines

they walk among their friends' blood

ghosts in the shadows

at your lap o Goddess, sleeping

lies the gods of war

the weapons of war lie at their feet

abandoned as once you were

love has won out in the future of bliss

where shadows walk openly in the sun

and gardens are again planted

in romantic passions of youth revisited

even to the very old

the streets are cleaned of spoils

reminders of the follies of gain

while warlike tribes and leaders think

that nothing lasts of temperate mold

what is without entropy; only the power of love

love has vanquished the dark night of souls

but Mars is only sleeping

may he wake up and find you again and again

your love is everlasting and patient

cities are in your fold

but the bombed out ruins need to be rebuilt

into new shining squares

and the weapons turned into ploughshares

must be cleaned while children

are allowed to be children again.

Mars and Venus by Botticelli

For the hope of peace and knowledge of a sure love,
some might see a vague reference to the influence of Lucretius here--TK

Goddess of the Sea (Image)

More About Goddesses: Aphrodite and the Story of Eros and Psyche (new column) (Tim Kavi's VALENTINES BE MINE FOR NINE: Posting 9)

Aphrodite observes Eros & Psyche (classical view)

More about Goddesses: Aphrodite and the Story of Eros and Psyche 
by Tim Kavi

Aphrodite is often hailed as the goddess of beauty, love, procreation and pleasure. She is also hailed as the protector of sailors as she was born from the sea foam. Aphrodite is the daughter of Zeus and Dione, making her one of the most vital goddesses in Greek mythology.

Given her nature, Aphrodite is a very personal and intimate goddess, invading the secret places of her followers and remaining close to those that are loyal to her. She can easily bring about a feeling of wonder and magic, particularly encouraging a natural feminine power, but Aphrodite is also capable of deceiving the heart when exalting the sensuality of a couple’s union as she sees fit.

The nature of Aphrodite and her ability to manipulate the magical or deceptive side of sensuality is noted in her son Eros’s union with Psyche. Eros is the god of passionate sexual love while Psyche was a princess that was so beautiful that many treated her like a goddess. Some would even make sacrifices or perform symbolic gestures in her name, which caused much jealousy among the other goddesses, particularly Aphrodite.

In her jealousy, Aphrodite sent her son Eros to put a spell on Psyche, making her fall in love with the ugliest man on the Earth. When Eros arrived, he was so stunned by Psyche’s beauty that he accidentally pricked himself with one of his magical arrows, falling in love with her instantly. Feeling guilty for his deeds, Eros worked to undo the spell and then left. Enraged that her son could not manage this deed, Aphrodite cast a similar spell to seal Psyche’s fate.

Concerned that their daughter would marry a monster, they summoned the Fates. They told her parents to take her to a mountain to leave her for her beastly betrothed. Her parents eventually obliged, and Psyche was left on the mountain in her sorrow. Seeing her tears, Zephyr the West Wind took her away to a lush forest in the valley below. Here she wandered until she found a palace with invisible servants and an invisible lover that would care for her.

Psyche was welcome to enjoy these benefits so long as she only united with her lover in darkness. After much time together, Psyche could no longer manage her curiosity and lit a candle to see her lover, Eros. Hurt by her suspicions, Eros flew away. Psyche’s suspicions show the conscience’s unwillingness to live with a relationship surrounded in darkness. Given this impossible task, Psyche appealed to Aphrodite asking to be reunited with Eros with no conditions.

Aphrodite conceded, provided Psyche enter the underworld and place a drop of Persephone’s beauty in a box. Persephone is known as the beauty of the depths because she was taken down to the Underworld to be the bride of Hades. Determined to be reunited with her lover, Psyche completed this final task, achieving a state where the dark anonymity of her previous love and the divine, personal aspects of love could merge.

Eros and Psyche were given one of few wedding ceremonies given in the presence of all the gods on Olympus. The gods celebrated this new union with a great feast that celebrated the union of the soul, and Eros, the representation of sexual love. At this blessed union, Aphrodite danced in celebration.

Poet's Afterword:  Appropriate for Valentine's Day, today's blog celebrates the balanced love of Psyche and Eros (aka Cupid) --the love that came to light in complete openness and blissful reunion.  A love that Aphrodite and the enitre Greek pantheon celebrated. This concludes the First Annual VALENTINES BE MINE FOR NINE daily blogging celebration leading up to Valentine's Day.  However, there will be a special Valentine's Day poem posted tomorrow. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY to all of my readers--may your lives be filled with love and loving others.My writings and love poems are always an encouragement to love--for life is just too short for anything else.~~TK

If you liked this column you will like my eBook Collection, More About Goddesses, even more! You can order it here! Also, don't forget it's simple to view a Kindle ebook on any device with an App (or even in a web browser), the FREE apps for doing so are here.  My kids and I appreciate the support, you see, they need me home, and I'm trying to get there!  Thanks!~~TK

goddess in stone body (new poem)

goddess in stone body
by Tim Kavi

I see you walking
gracefully
and lanky; standing there

when I looked again
a Gestalt occurred

For I thought
I only saw
a statue bare
but heard a whispered word

starlets had it on film
but you have it all over
the world
the universe
the room

and in the Natural setting
the World is your stage
where your gowns are all the rage

and when I see you
walking down the path
I see only the living goddess
a statue walking

for Her stone images
are in your body
and your body is in her stone
as you move
I feel my heart go with You
following Her
in following You

but in the stone
is not the divinity found
but in your body
enshrined in muscle and bone

the goddess
moves and breathes
and lives
and has Her being

in you,
the Goddess of stone

has found Her body
and found her home.

More About Goddesses: Aphrodite (Venus) the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty (Essay)

Aphrodite (Venus) the Greek Goddess of Love and Beauty

by Tim Kavi 

There are many stories surrounding the Goddess Aphrodite. The Olympian goddess was usually seen with the winged Eros, and was always a very beautiful woman. She was attributed with a dove, a scallop shell, an apple and a mirror. There were many sculptures and paintings of her that showed her nude.

Some legends tell of how Aphrodite came from the sea foam, which was created by the dismembered parts of Uranus that had been tossed into the sea by Kronos. Homer tells us that Aphrodite is actually born of Zeus and Dione, and later stories tell how she was Kronos’ and Euonyme’s daughter. (While Socrates reminds us in the Symposium along with many other scholars and ancients--that the reason for this--may very well be that there are really two Goddesses; dual Aphrodites--perhaps dual manifestations of Aphrodite;  the one who exemplifies the Earthy sensual down to Earth manifestations of love, and the other who celebrates the heavenly qualities of love where love is celebrated as  a cosmic union).

No matter what way she came into the world, everyone was always very struck with her beauty once they saw her, and every man desired her for his wife. She was believed to be the mother of every living being. Something of this can be seen in the contest between Typhon and the gods. Here, Aphrodite changed her form into a fish, which was thought to contain the most generative powers.

Because of her ability to excite passion in all the hearts of men and gods from the Greeks’ description of her, she used this power to rule over all of living creation. There were several stories where it says that Aphrodite punished the ones who neglected worship of her or hated the power she had, and other stories where she would protect or favor the ones who paid homage to her and got caught up in her beauty. 

This essay (along with others) is included in my latest essay collection: More About Goddesses! (which you can purchase in the left margin of this blog!)`--TK

Transit of Venus (New Poem)

Transit of Venus

by Tim Kavi

And when the moulds

the gods did pour

upon your birthing shore

they all said:

Venus Aphrodite!

Your beauty

has never been seen before.

But through all legends and time

your loving light has lit

the hearts of every woman

and desires of every man

whom your love has bit

yet, all mortals want to adore You!

and when you rode that steed

escaping to your lover's arms

you outwitted the god of light

you were faster than the Sun

coming back, escaping Apollo

to love again and again

Cupid did get a mighty shove!

(but became the eventual messenger of love)

sweet silence

in the valleys below

when all mortal men

beheld you

they were

hushed in the act of war

dumbfounded helpless planners

forgot their warlike manners

when your gown

drifted down

from the halls

of Olympus!

the warring nations stopped

to have a look.

sweet Venus Aphrodite

in you, are all that love made complete

but only beneath your loving feet! 

For vanquished love

breeds a new poem

a visit after a long journey

a piper

a song

of your mighty love!

were all reminded

in your journey

recently witnessed

the rarest sight;

the transit of Venus.