Chapter 1 Between the Thighs of Nut

ur beautiful cosmos is a reflection of supreme design. Order, simplicity, synthesis, rhythm, and beauty characterize our cosmos. This is Mother Nut. She is the black and blue arch of the sky, which covers the earth. She is the horizon, the sunrise and the sunset. As the pitch sensual darkness of heaven or as the radiant, baby- blue sky, the black Goddess is the height of our senses and aspirations. She is the apex, the furthest star that inspires all to reach with wonder at Her greatness, beauty and intelligence. She is the magnetism of the black hole, a huge iridescent swastika in the sky with its arms of cosmic dust radiating in all directions. She is the new star, the wandering comets and the dancing twirling triple stars spinning on their axis. The form, purpose and depth of the cosmos has been studied for years especially by curious descendants of Africa. The cosmos has been viewed and named by many nations and civilizations. The early Kemites viewed the upper cosmos as a mother. Her beautiful nude body depicted in the likeness of Nut. In pictures during the time, her body was illustrated arched across the heavens, protecting earth and humanity. Her likeness also appears carved on a Thirtieth Dynasty sarcophagus, her hands touching the ground to the east, her feet to the west. Within the doorway there is painted a world map showing the different countries, the Underworld and its gods. This goddess bending in a half circle along which the sun moves, encloses the cosmos and its three levels. [Chevalier, 1994] Ancient Kemites inscribed this goddess as the wife of the earth god Geb and the mother

of the sun god Ra. She is higher than the stars and planets, our mother of the universal sky goddess Nut. [Chevalier, 1994] "It may be significant that women, who are traditionally among those who have to be 'protected' against the Evil Eye, are the ones who generally wear cosmetics. It may also be that there was originally an affiliation between the two meanings of the Greek word 'cosmos'...which means both 'Universe' and 'ornament. [168] One of the many meanings of the Greek word -cosmos is ornament. Sometimes the word, embroidery is also suggested as a definition. It is the suffix for such terms as cosmology and cosmetics. The word cosmetics join both the words cosmos, arrangement, order and harmony and metrics which means, meter or to measure. Thus, cosmetics means a measure of the cosmos or cosmos measurer. [Grahn, 1993] The word refers to the ritualized adornment of the body, which is practiced by many ancient women. Measuring the cosmos was an important chore of the old priesthood for within this lies the basis of their religion. Women all over the world adorned their body which is seen as a mirror of the universe, the great dark heavens. Like Nut, her body is voluptuous blue, adorned with moons, suns and the sparkling stars of heaven. The celestial skies have always carried Her name because She is the source of all things. The ancient Kemites call her Nut, the grand night sky, who gave birth to the planets and to everything on earth. She is the celestial cow whose udder pour forth the sacred milk which would form the Milky Way stars. She is the great cover, the direction and expanse of the watery sky. [Walker, 1983] The religion of Nut teaches women to see the supreme design and workings in their bodies. Everything is sacred, nothing is profane. The body's cycles which are lunar, solar and stellar are humanity's first form of abstract thought. Women adorn themselves in ways not unlike the markings seen on the inside of trees or the ritual scars of priests who undertake an initiation. In Eastern cosmology, measuring the cosmos reflected a desire to discover the great order, rhythm and beauty which we all dream and see in women. In the ancient religion of the mother, beauty and order are the same. Art, religion and science are one. Peace is order, compassion is order, justice is order. Within this great order there is harmony, balance, simplicity and right intent.

Beauty is an expression of the wholeness and timeless continuity (cycles) of life. Thus the black goddess is beauty for she represents the form and essence of order which is found in nature, our humanity and the universe. Womans beauty is the cosmos, which emanates from her connection, her internal dance with creation. The aum mantra begins with the mother Tara who was born among the aboriginal, matrilineal Dasyas of Southern India. The Dasyas or Dravidians are descendants from East Africa. She also can be traced to the ancient province of Khemet. Tara is the mother of Buddha. In one of her aspects, she is pictured as a dark woman. She appears in many colors, each one representing some particular characteristic of her divine and complete nature. The word aum is the sound made by the eternal universe. This mantra, one of the worlds most renowned, is 2,500 years later incorporated into the emerging spiritual system of Dhyani-Buddha Vairocana. This mantra along with the sacred laws of MAAT are the origins of the Christian Logos. This original BOOM is traced to many black goddesses including KaliMa, Kore, Maat, Tara and Mu (the vultures). Being the first word of creation and destruction - aum is the eternal sound from which all other sound is born. [Shaw, 1994] The word aum or om, as it is sometime spelled, is the celestial cycle, for it births, sustains and consumes. Om means omega or Great Om. This is the sound and symbol of the sacred yoni of the universe, which is the source of material and spiritual life. [Walker, 1983] The aum mantra as a sound is like an ovum or egg that is found in every woman. It is the magnetic center, dark point, black dot, period or omphalos. This egg is the source of life, fountain of youth, center of regeneration and transformation and lost ark of the ages. The egg is one of the great symbols of the black mother for it represents maternity, origins and the essential substance or the prima materia from which all things are formed and shaped. The belief that the earth itself was once hatched from a universal egg is common among many people. [Chevalier, 1994] The Likuba and Likuala of the Congo see the egg as cosmic perfection. The yolk inside is seen as female moisture and the white is the complementary male sperm. The shell itself, removed from the membrane is the sun. This celestial egg emerged from a larger cosmic egg, which would have scorched the sun if God had not turned the membrane into moisture. The Likuba and Likuala believe all men should try to be like eggs. [Chevalier, 1994] The cosmic egg of the Dogon and Bambara represents universal life and primal spirit. [Chevalier, 1994]

The great cosmic egg is not only seen above but seen as the fertile eggs carried by every woman. This fertile egg carried in the first woman gave birth to all humankind. She is the black goddess of humanity who from the forests of Africa created the first people. The great egg is also found in nature. These colorful eggs of mammals are symbols of fertility, youth, re-birthing, and creation. Like the first egg (big bang), all of creation is viewed as an egg or contain in a large egg birthed by the black goddess Nut (universe). In ancient Khemet, initiation rituals began with the solemn ceremony known as the consecration of the eternal egg. This was a form of soul passage into the higher levels of spiritual awareness. In funerary practices, at the time of the Neolithic, red eggs where placed on the grave sites of the deceased to reinforce beliefs in the afterlife and its connection to rebirth. Thus the egg represents the coming and goings of the soul from one spiritual sphere to the next. The childrens tale of the Mother Goose can be traced back to these spiritual, maternal practices. [Sjoo, Mor, 1987] The Mother Goose story originated with mother Het Heru who as the Nile goose laid the golden egg or solar disc named Ra. Het Heru is the celestial mother who birthed the great solar egg called Ra. [Walker, 1983] The adoration of the great golden egg also took the form of the black stone. Eastern people represented high spiritual principles and cosmologies in the form of a black stone. The stones darkness was not in opposition to its ability to give off light. Light and darkness are the same in the mysteries of the black goddess, not warring opposites. This is most definitely an old indigenous practice. Deities like MA, Buddha, Al-lat, Kore and Mercury were represented as a black stone. [Anacalypus, 1972] This black stone could be in any number of shapes. This is the center or origins of all power, truth and organization. This is the black Amen, black teken (obelisk) black Madonna or black cosmic egg of creation. The black stone of divinity was sometimes characterized in geometric shapes with sacred script or symbols etched into them. Sometimes these black stones could be in the shapes of a divine yoni and phallus symbolizing the power of procreation and fertility as represented in the black goddess and black god. Its pitch color represents a horde of ideas including its antiquity, ancestral origins, level of learning and divine aspect. Its firmness representing that which is everlasting, stable, eternal, and unchanging. The black stone, which could be a host of different stones and crystals included volcanic obsidian, onyx and

sometimes bits and pieces of fallen meteorite. [Walker, 1983] The black crystal egg is believed to have given birth to the sacred serpent in some ancient mythologies. The serpent is a very old totemic and esoteric symbol that is found in many ancient aboriginal cultures. She is a very old deity of humankind. Her name is variously named Uraeus, Uazit, and Nagas.

The Main Street of Heaven

The universe is full of many galaxies, some very near to us and some very distant. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. The prefix, gala comes from the Greek language, and it means mothers milk. The Milky Way since very ancient times was seen as the creation of the divine the black goddess. This celestial body of stars was believed to come from the Mothers breasts. In myth, She is the white lunar cow Io, who created the world from the curdling milk of her sacred udder. Mother Europa was another celestial cow who, thanks to the Mother Goose stories was said to have jumped over the moon. From these stories we learn that it is Her who birthed our universe. The Khemites called the Milky Way, the Nile in the Sky, which poured from the udder of the moon-cow Het Heru. Each star deliciously like a drop of warm, sweet milk. The idea that the moon was made of cheese dates back to these early African beliefs. The Milky Way means also stream, river, and Main Street of heaven. [Walker, 1983] Mother Nut's husband is the earth god, Geb who laid beneath her suckling from her breasts. And with his erect phallus, joined with her in acts of divine lovemaking. This is the symbolic joining of the earth and sky. One Pharaoh, Pepi II once said he was joyously living between the thighs of Nut, referring to Her as his connection to the sensuous heavens above. [Walker, 1983] The Kemites were not the only ones to imagine a heaven filled with the milk of the black goddess. The Dagba of Central Africa perceived the Milky Way as a remnant of a mystical rope that once connected humanity and the heavens. This was the secret pathway from which humans could travel and socialize with the gods. However, the gods became angry with humankind for constantly disturbing them with requests and complaints about earthly life. Spent, the gods destroyed the radiant cord and scattered its pieces across the sky,

creating the Milky Way. Now humans can only ascend to heaven upon death and cannot return. [Van Scott, 1998] The word Andromeda originates from the language of the Greeks and it means the ruler of men. She is the great sea queen who was sought by her lover and companion Perseus. One representation of Andromeda shows her as a dark maiden. She and Perseus are believed to originate from ancient Palestine. Astarte appears to be her original name. Perseus is Greek for the name Baal. Both Andromeda and Perseus are names of star systems in our universe. The word Andromeda is also the name of our nearest galaxy. [Walker, 1983] In Greek mythology, the legend of the great Ethiopian King, Cephus was so great in ancient times his whole family was immortalized in the stars. The wife of King Cephus was Queen Cassiopeia, and his daughter Princess Andromeda. The star groups of the celestial sphere, which are named after them are called the Royal Family constellations: Cepheus, Cassiopeia and Andromeda. [Jackson, 1939]. The Andromeda galaxy is slightly larger and resembles our own galaxy, the Milky Way. Beyond the Andromeda exists other remote galaxies. Twenty-three galaxies form the local group. They represent only a small fraction of all existing systems in the universe. The total number of universes is unknown. Eastern mystics believe that the number of universes is infinite.

Emme Yah
(The Sun of Women) Stars veil their beauty soon, Beside the glorious moon, When her full silver fight, Doth make the whole earth bright. Sappho- 6th century B.C. Stars have an extensive and revered history with African people. As observers of the skies, they have documented many stars and their clusters. The study of the stars is the basis of astrology, which was very important in native belief systems. Many of the zodiac qualities are derived from star formations. The qualities of the planets and moons are also used as a means of divination as proven by the ancient Babylonians and Sumerians.

In ancient myth, stars were seen as souls in heaven that awaited their birth here on earth. Thats why many people wished upon a shooting star. It was lucky and represented birth and new beginnings. The North Star, which appeared in the heavens at the time of the birth of Jeshua-Christ is one well-known example. Here, the star was like a messenger or the actual divine soul Himself or Herself descending into a new incarnation. People likewise returned to the original consciousness and form of stars when they died. Souls as stars could always observe what was happening with their love ones on earth as they await their rebirth. Any ominous celestial happening during the time of an impregnation or birth pointed to some soul awaiting her or his reincarnation. These beliefs included stars, of course, but weather patterns (storms, drought), eclipses and a change of seasons could also signal the birth of an old soul or powerful ancestor. These same circumstances pointed to the potential name and character type of the newborn as well. [Walker, 1983] The theology of stars also documents the origins of peoples. Africa having some of the oldest and richest human history has extensive documentation charting the life and death of stars. This is shown in ancient architecture like the pyramids, obelisks and other like stone formations. Many ancient communities like the Magi, the Kemites, Sumerians, Babylonians and others depended heavily on star observations. These records did not only pinpoint the time and season of the earth but it also pinpointed important moments of human transition, times of ritual observation and to figure the exact arrival of special visitors. Ancient oral histories speak of people who came from heaven. Sometimes these celestial people had collective names or they where called simply star people by some clans. The divine Mother of antiquity was considered a star person, for she taught earths people how to live harmoniously, grow food, and how to develop their divinity. These star people brought calendars, languages, divine sciences and healing practices. Many of the discoveries and inventions of African women in antiquity (agriculture, pottery, and weaving) may have come about this way, through meetings, visions and dreams that connected to star people. Many great ancestors (Queen-Mothers, Pharaohs) of antiquity and holy people (Gurus, Mas) may have been star people. Many celestial people informed their communities of their origins, some did not. Many use the generic term, from heaven but in actuality all life is from heaven. Life comes from above, not below in many African belief systems. It was expected and anticipated by many native people because they believe their religion, science and culture comes from the

stars and from star people. Measuring and defining the stars is the foundation of spiritual culture for many ancients, particularly among African people. The important discovery of the Syrius A and B stars point to the long-held belief that the stars are not just important to documenting time and space but the inspiration of important theology. The Dogon nation of Mali, West Africa has known of these stars for a long time. These stars are some of the most dense in the heavens. This discovery, first revealed by French anthropologists Marcel Griaule and Germaine Dieterlen in 1931 astounded Western scientists who believed native people inferior when it comes to more technically advanced knowledge. The dog stars of Syrius are said to represent Auset. In most native beliefs, the spiritual aspect is never quite removed form that of matter. Thus star lore is also religion and culture, not just science. The Dogon named Sirius B, po tolo, which means (tolo) star and (po) the smallest seed known. The ancient Kemites call these stars, Sepdet. Many old temples and observatories marked the cycles of these stars and many others like Orion and the Pleiades. Ancient artifacts were found by the French scientists that confirmed the Dogon's long-standing relationship with these stars in their culture. The Sirius stars are not the only astrological information held by the Dogon. They also have mythological-scientific documentation of Saturn's rings, and Jupiter's four major moons. They have four calendars, for the Sun, Moon, Sirius, and Venus, and have long known that planets orbit the sun. The phrase Emme Ya (sorghum female) comes from the Dogon and refers to the Syrius stars as light or suns of women. [Van Sertima, 1983] The Dogon say that their knowledge of the Syrius comes from an amphibian race called Nommo. This celestial race was sent from Sirius to Mankind on a mission of goodwill. The Dogon word Nommo, means to make one drink. They are also called Masters of the Water, the Monitors, and the Teachers. The Dogon trace their ancestral and cultural roots back to Kemet. [Van Sertima, 1983] The black goddess is pervasive in celestial mythology. She is not only connected to the moon but to the stars, the celestial skies and the sun also. The Pleiades are a very archaic idea. Many aboriginal peoples have extensive traditions regarding these seven sisters. A Sudanese tribe, called Manjia, hold that the constellation is the destination of pretty women after death. In addition, they believe the stars themselves are pretty women who are desired by their hero Seto

(bird-eating spider), in the form of Orion. In many native beliefs, the Pleiades are envisioned to mean a group of seven wise ones, handsome or beautiful people. [Chevalier, 1994] Among the Greeks, the Pleiades emerges from the early religion of Aphrodite, who was supposed to have given birth to them under her name of Pleione. They were popular with Aphrodite who called them, a flock of doves. As daughters, the Pleiades have retained their rightful place in the heavens where they stay nightly from May to November in the constellation of Taurus the Bull. The names of her daughters are Alcyone, Celaeno, Electra, Maia, Merope, Sterope and Taygete. [Walker, 1983] The once ancient practice of reciting prayers for the dead before the Pleiades on November 1 became all saints day on the Christian liturgical calendar, while the day preceding it became all hallows eve or Halloween. [Walker, 1983] IsiLimela or the Pleiades were the digging stars, whose appearance in southern Africa warned of the coming need to begin hoeing the ground. All over Africa, these stars were used as a marker of the growing season. And we say isiLimela is renewed, and the year is renewed, and so we begin to dig. [Callaway 1970]. Xhosa men counted their years of manhood from the time in June when isiLimela first became visible. According to the Namaquas, the Pleiades were the daughters of the sky god. When their husband (Aldeberan) shot his arrow (Orion's sword) at three zebras (Orion's belt), it fell short. He dared not return home because he had killed no game, and he dared not retrieve his arrow because of the fierce lion (Betelgeuse) which sat watching the zebras. There he sits still, shivering in the cold night and suffering thirst and hunger. A girl child of the old people had magical powers so strong that when she looked at a group of fierce lions, they were immediately turned to stars. The largest are now in Orion's belt. For the Tswana, the stars of Orion's sword were dintsa le Dikolobe, three dogs chasing the three pigs of Orion's belt. Warthogs have their litters while Orion is prominent in the sky --- frequently litters of three. In pre-Vedic India, they are called the Seven Mothers of the World or krittikas, which means cutters. They were viewed as the judges of men. The black goddess who birthed these seven daughters among the Greeks is called Atlas. She is the great one who supported the pillars of heaven. [Khepra, 1993]

Sky Watchers
The oldest astronomical texts date back to 9th dynasty of Kemet in the era of c.2150BC. The Kemites were some of humanities most ardent sky watchers. Their religion and administration of their culture and society depended on it. They created the first functioning calendar of 365 days which was received by the native Africans, Greeks among others. Their precise observations laid the foundation for our present calendar, which was known as early as 4200BC. For instance, the Kemites named thirty six stars and even notice the apparition of Halleys comet. Their extensive documentation and achievement in this area is without a doubt incredible. The word astronomy comes from the word astronoe, which is a Phoenician maternal deity. Astronoe is also another name for Cybele. Mother Cybele comes from Asia Minor, and is also identified with the deity Rhea, who is the daughter of Gaia and Uranus, wife of Cronus and the mother of Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Hera and Hestia. [Walker, 1983] All these great souls were Ethiopian people and the cosmological roots are based in Cush. The ancients call the study of the stars, the basis of all intellectual culture. [Walker, 1983] The Chaldeans refined this science and were both astronomers and astrologers. Most, if not all-ancient peoples were both astrologers (diviners-healers) and astronomers, for the spiritual and magical aspect of the universe was never denied. Ancient astrology and astronomy, thus, were one science. Astronomy is the physical or outer science, while astrology is the soul or inner science. All science, which directs the mind within are seen as the Great Science for they lead to Hera (Heru). Women contributed to the development and possibly the initiation of this archaic science. This was a reflection of their communal duties, which included seasonal planting, harvesting, drawing up calendars, healing, divination, rites of passage, personal health (menstruation) and midwifery, which depend heavily on light and dark cycles. One documented instance is found with notches on old bones and wooden flanks. Many believe that this may be the first human instance of celestial markings made by human beings and possibly the seeds of the first calendar. There is not a lot of information available on the individual profiles of women who were remarkable sky watchers in ancient times. One rare woman emerges among the Olmec. The Olmec or Xi (pronounced Shi) is one of the many people who came to the Americas. This particular group came from Africa.

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They are called Manding (Malinke-Bambara) who lived originally in the Saharan region of Africa some 3500 years ago. Stone stelas of one priestess among the Olmec are found in Chalcatzingo. The woman depicted is shown wearing a hair covering made of cloth, adorned in a skirt, necklace and ankle bracelets. There is no name or biography shown. It is possibly a general priestess of the time honoring a deity of fertility and rain. Another priestess is holding a ceremonial jar with a double sacred motif which conveys the meaning of holy sacrifice offering or abode of holiness. The glyphs alongside this relief No. 1 Chalcatzingo, reveal that these women of the Olmec were possibly sky diviners. Additional information suggests that these priestesses were praying or invoking rain or maize. In Olmec mythology, given the ecological conditions of the region rain and maize was important to the people of this culture. The place were this relief was found could have been a spiritual center where women gathered and were trained to do magical work for the benefit of providing food for the community. It is stated that these priestesses were rainmakers, offering sacrifices for the benefit of their crops and Olmec farmers. [Olmec, 189] Ancient astronomy was such a discipline among ancient African people very little has been elaborated on and still many more disciplines remain shrouded in mystery. For example, the Great Pyramids, Stonehenge, the Sphinx and the means by which knowledge was acquired and projects executed are still unknown by modern people. As a vivid reminder of the origins of these ancient insights and inventions, astronomy and celestial mythology are full of references to the black goddess. It is truly one of the great testimonies to the origins and development of this once, great science and of human culture itself. The skies have been named and studied by the ancient and they still carry Her many names: Hercules, Dubh, Jupiter, Indus, Orion, Syrius, Pegasus, Trojan, Carme, Phoenix, Tethys, Atalanta, Tiamet, Andromeda, Mercury and so on. The following assertion that these Great Mothers are originally from African soil, culture and conception is based on three facts of prehistory and history. First, the original Greeks invaded and occupied a land native to the Hellenic peoples and have in the process absorbed many of her ideas and concepts, which were native to African worldview. Second, many of the leading Greek philosophers, scientists and theologians of the day were educated in Khemet [Bernal, 1991]. The great schools and universities during this time were in the East. Ancient peoples then had an extensive understanding of astronomy and astrology, which appeared as jumbled myth and religion to outsiders. The Greeks at this time were still very poor in this endeavor. Much of

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Europes celestial understanding comes from the brave work of Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543), Galileo (1564-1642), Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), and Isaac Newton (17th century). Before their great work including the infamous voyage to the new world by Christopher Columbus, the earth was seen as flat. A flat earth-centered paradigm could not at the same time produce a cultural heritage rich in accurate celestial information. This information is old when we use stone moments found all over the earth as evolutionary markers. Its not to stress so much that someone is first, but more to stress the importance of continuation which European astrological information is a part. With Newton, Copernicus, Galileo and Kepler begins the foundation of Western astronomy, birthed in the hysteria of the Inquisition. And third, many of the names of the leading divine mothers of Greece are merely surnames or new cultural references to archaic deities who were originally the divine images of far easterners. For example, the later Greeks call Mother Het Heru, who descends from a very old matrilineal tradition in Africa, Hathor. However, Hathors other names are Aphrodite, Istarte, Astarte, Tanetu, Mari, and Ay-Mari. She like other Great Mothers is the one with a thousand names, faces and references. And the first name is usually found in the Far East among aboriginal clans in Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia who at the time were remarkably homogeneous in many cosmetic and cultural respects. These old traditions predominately travel from East to West, South to North. Since astronomy and religion was one discipline united in the Old World, the study and naming of the stars went hand and hand with religious observance. Many of the ancient goddesses and gods were originally of black (African-Nubian) origins. The proofs are abundant. The ancient gods of India are shown with Ethiopian crowns on their heads. According to the Old Testament, Moses first met Jehovah during his sojourn among the Midianites, who were an Ethiopian tribe. We learn from Hellenic tradition that Zeus, King of the Grecian gods, so cherished the friendship of the Ethiopians that he traveled to their country twice a year to attend banquets. All the gods and goddesses of Greece were black, asserts Sir Godfrey Higgins, at least this was the case with Jupiter, Bacchus, Hercules, Apollo, Ammon, Venus, Isis (Auset), Hecate, Diana, Juno, Metis, Ceres, Cybele were black. Even the Romans, who received their religion mainly from the Greeks, admitted their debt to Old Egypt and Ethiopia. [Jackson, 1939] Below is a small sampling of the many references to ancient maternal powers. This process is done by simply revealing the original

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African name and all future references to that goddess or god is thus perceived as relating to the original cosmology and legacy of the first reference. Also all the goddesses and gods that surround the original mother are perceived as also coming from Her house and traditions. More info on key black goddesses are documented in the following pages of this book. Here is a list of astronomical terms and their roots in the cosmology and culture of the black goddess: Ananke or Necessity is the mother of moirae or fate. One form of moirai is Mother Aphrodite who is Het Heru in Khemetic cosmology. Here in Grecian myth, the three fates included Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (measurer) and Atropos (cutter). This very old Oriental myth depicted all life as an eternal thread spun, measured and cut by the Great Mother. Moirai is possibly connected to the words Moor, Meru, Mari, which all have a black or black ancestral definition in remote times. Ananke is the thirteenth moon of Jupiter. Amalthea is the name of the second moon of Jupiter. Rhea is the Cretan nurse or mother of Zeus, who fed the infant god on the milk of the magical nanny goat, named Amalthea. When Zeus grew up, he broke off one of Amaltheas horns and gave it to his nurse. It turned into the magical cornucopia. After providing for Zeus and humanity, the one horned nanny disappeared into heaven, becoming the constellation of Capricorn. Astraea or starry one is the Ethiopian-Roman title of a Libyan Mother of holy law. Libera or libra is the Mother of the golden scales of judgement. She is the deity of fate and the measurer of the pure hearted. She is also Mother Maat, Minerva and Athene (Neith). She is connected to the celestial Virgin and the constellation of Virgo. Atlas is the personification of a hero or elder who supported the ancient world on their shoulders by moral and magical strength. The root word tlas, means black and the feminine prefix A, makes black woman, the nearest translation in English. One of Atlass daughters is named Celaeno. She is described in Greek mythology as the Mother of the Ethiopians. Sometimes her name is also given as Melanis, which is akin to Melanin and means black. Atlas is one of the many moons of Saturn. The word is also used to designate

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geographical maps of the world. [Khepra, 1993] Callisto is the second largest moon of Jupiter. Artemis or fairest one, as the word Callisto implies, is the totemic She-Bear Mother of Arcas or the little bear. Calliste was an old name for Artemiss sacred island Thera (She-Bear). Cassiopiea is the Mother of Andromeda and the name of a stellar cluster. Of the 13 stars that bear her name, five of them support the queens seated figure and are familiar under the name of Cassiopeas Chair. [Jackson, pp12-13, 1939] Dion is the daughter of the ocean. She is also called an Oceanid. She is the Mother of Aphrodite who is an Ethiopian. Dion is the eleventh moon of Jupiter. Europa is the fourth largest moon of Jupiter and is the name of an Ethiopian princess. As the Great Mother, she is the white lunar cow riding the sun-bull. Her name is also given to the region of the world now called Europe. Galatea is another name for Aphrodite who is Hathor or Het Heru. Galatea is one of the moons of Neptune. Io is a moon of Jupiter. She is also the white cow Mother creator who nurtured the Ionians. Cow-eyed Mother Hera is the triple deity and Io is one of her aspects. Her sacred colors are black, red and white. Leda or Leto is the Great Mother Lat. She laid the world egg and hatched Castor and Pollux who are the morning and evening stars. She is the goose that laid the golden egg that is also the sun deity, Apollo. Leda is also depicted as a swan bird. Leda is the ninth moon of Jupiter. Metis is the name for one of the moons of Jupiter. She is the mother of wisdom and also the mother of Athene. Metis is really Medusa, from Libya, whose gorgon face and snake hair symbolized divine wisdom. Athene was a virgin form of the mother Medusa born from the triple gorgon in the land of the Libyan amazons. Nereids are mermaids, nymphs, and fairies and like female

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nature spirits. The term originated in Greece, the concept originated in Africa. Nereid is one of the moons of Neptune. Pandora or all giver is the title of the Earth Mother Rhea. She is one of the many moons of Saturn. Pasiphae or she who shines for all is the Cretan moon Mother embodied in a queen who coupled with the sacred bull and brought forth the Minotaur or Minos the bull. Her offspring represented the line of Minoan kings who wore the bull mask and mated with the Great Mother every seven years at a ritual called hieros gamos. This was followed by ritual bull killing. The Cretan colonists moved to Spain with their traditions. Pasiphae and Minos instituted the sacred games that have come down to us as the bullfight. Pasiphae is one of the many moons of Jupiter. Pluto is originally the Mother of riches. She is the daughter of the Cretan moon Mother Rhea. She is one of the Titans or Elder deities. She is the second person of the Demeter trinity, called Rhea. The trinity of Rhea is represented by Kore, Pluto and Persephone. Pluto is one of the more recent planets discovered in our solar system by Western scientists. Rhea is the Cretan name of an Aegean Mother. She was a triple Mother and the founder of the Aegean civilization. She is Britomartis, the sweet virgin-Dictynna, and the lawgiver of Mount Dict and Coronis. Rhea is one of the many moons of Saturn. Thalassa is the Great Mother at Rhodes and Miletus. She is the Mother of the Techines or the Enchanters. She is the Mother of sensuality and marriage. She is an archaic form of Aphrodite Marina. At Ethiopian-Roman weddings, she was invoked by the cry Talassio. Thalassa is her name. She is also the second moon of Neptune. Titania was the Great Mother who ruled the pantheon of Aegean Titans or holy ones. Titans were rulers of the Aegean world. She is known as Themis, Gaia or Mother Rhea. Titan is the fourteenth moon of Saturn. Tritone is the Mother of Athene. She is a Libyan and her birthplace is North Africa. Tritone was the third queen and her

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birthplace was Lake Tritonis (the three queens). Athenes dress and the attributes of her religion were descended from these Libyan women of Africa. Triton is the seventh moon of Neptune. More can be written about the various celestial bodies, their names and origins. However, this brief listing will give you some idea of how intimate the ancients were with the skies. The input of the ancients to a deeper understanding of our cosmos is amazing and the black goddess obviously played a big part in forming its legends.

The Woman Clothed in the Sun

Among the many symbols that seem to characterize the age of the black goddess, the sun must be one of the most prolific. The civilizations of the sun was not only in Africa but also in Asia, India, and South America. The power of the sun created a host of myths and associations, sometimes contradictory. The sun sometimes was a living God worthy of praise and human sacrifices. Other times a godhead of a larger spiritual body, the son or daughter of heaven. Semang Pygmies, Fuergians and Bushmen regard the sun as the supreme deities eye. Australian aborigines saw the sun as the Creators son, kindly in service of humankind. [Chevalier, 1994] The sun was a powerful symbol especially in African cultures. Rather as a god of fertility, vegetation and inner illumination or as a wrathful, merciless deity, which scorches the earth and humankind, the suns great power over crops, fertility and life among the ancients was without doubt. The Mahanivanatantra community believed that the sun was the garment of the Great Mother. In devotional praises these sentiments were remarked: The sun, the most glorious symbol in the physical world, is the magic vesture of Her who is clothed in the sun. [Walker, 1983] In Hinduism, the sun is seen as female and the moon as male. He is believed to be born of her, dies into her and is born again of her every month. Shiva is the moon deity and Parvati is the sun power who is also his wife, sister and mother. This is an extension of the belief that men receive their power (light) from their Shakti. Shakti-MA is like the sun that illuminates the form and shape of the moon that is her husband. [Walker, 1983] The Dogon too saw the sun as a black goddess. It is described as a white-hot earthenware pot with a spiral of red copper making eight turns around it. The earthenware pot

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represents the womb holding the life-principle, the red copper coiled round is the male semen principle which is also the light, water and the Word. Lastly the number eight denotes completion, perfection and speech. The sun was fashioned by the supreme being Amma with clay before being set in the heavens. [Chevalier, 1994] The correspondences between the Fali and the Dogon are remarkable. The Fali of Cameroon saw the sun and moon as two pieces of earthenware, one a flat plate and the other a hollow pot. This plate and pot was originally stolen from heaven by a woman potter. [Chevalier, 1994] This black goddess married to a blacksmith was the original primordial twins who came down to earth to be with the Fali people. The solar power, disc or ball of fire is usually characterized as male. This does not mirror the many myths among African, Turkic, Mongol and Celtic people. [Chevalier, 1994] For these people and many others, the burning sun was a woman and in many instances a black goddess. There are a number of great mothers who are portrayed as the sun or solar power in ancient societies. Mother Sekhmet of Khemet is one expression. She is the lion-headed sun deity who is also believed to be the death-side of cat Mother Bast. She also represents the opposite of Mother Het Heru. Sekhmet, together with her husband Ptah and their son Nefertem formed the Memphite triad, which was an early depiction of the Mother, Father and Son mythology. Sekhmet is a warrior Mother who struck absolute fear into the hearts of her enemies. It is believed that even Set and the serpent deity Apophis feared her wrath. Sekhmet would accompany the king, who often described Her as his mother and power in war. Sekhmet is also known as a powerful magician and healer. She is one of a number of instances where women were portrayed as a solar power, as a lion form and also as a frightful warrior. Kemet being a culture that honored the sun has many instances of goddess solar representation. These three goddesses were found in my research. Goddess Akhet symbolizes the seasons and the sunset. She is sometimes called goddess of the Nile. Akhet is a good example of moisture and heat together as a goddess. Goddess Akusaa who is the wife of Atum is a symbol of the setting sun. More divine mothers of the sun are Bast of Khem, Djanggawul of the Koori (Australia), Het Heru of Khem, Medusa of Libya and Shams or Shapash of Africa-Near East. The sun mother is likened to the torch of the Gods and in the Ugaritic -Epic of Baal, this mother retrieves the fertility gods phallus from the underworld. One meaning suggests the return of moisture and growth

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to the earths surface. It is also an image of the annual resurrection of the earth after drought. [Walker, 1983] Another illustration of the sun mother can be found in the cosmology of the African-Hebrews. The highest deity with the emblem of the sun is called the Shekina. She is similar to the Industani mother called Shakti. Both are perceived as the maternal partner and lover of God. In this Hebrew belief, the word Shkina means dwelling place, a belief that she is Gods home. The Gnostic Christians spoke of the Shkina as a spirit of glory. Many mothers are characterized as the home, indwelling place or power seat of saviors, prophets and Gods. Auset, Het Heru (House of Horus) and the Virgin Mary are a few examples. She is the source of all soul in the universe and her vesture is the law of the Torah. [Walker, 1993] It is believed that the Shkina incarnates every 600 to 608 years. [Higgins, 1972] The sun was very central to ancient theology. This is partly due to the fact that the celestial skies represented the many manifestations of the divine. Also being near the equator, these dark-skinned people saw the powers of the sun as rejuvenating and an incredible source of energy, warmth, light and life. Interestingly a number, which are solar deities also represent the element of fire, protection, war and the hunt. The list is long but some of the names include Anhur (Kemet), Apollo (Greek), Atum (Kemet), Khepera (Kemet), Mithra (Old Persia), Ra (Kemet), and Zip of Mayan origin. Light is a property of all matter rather active or perceived to be dormant. All matter, also contains the element of darkness, which is present in nature and the universe. Existence on earth is appropriately adapted and fitted to the internal and cosmic cycling of light and darkness. All organisms need and crave light to survive and thrive. So, darkness is a necessity for it is an irreconcilable aspect of the process of bondage, seeking and ascension. Sun worship is not simply the ceremonial reverence of the celestial sun, but the honoring the sun of the mind and heart. The light is defined as a form of electromagnetic radiation to which the human eye is sensitive and on which our visual awareness of the universe and its contents relies. Light is also the ethereal aspects of dark matter. In the religion of the Black Goddess, dark matter and ethereal light are One.

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The ancients were believers in one great moral tenet. That tenet is called the golden rule. The golden rule among the Kemites is dear to mother Maat. She is the mother of law, balance and order. The golden rule is; do the other good, that he may do good to you. This tenet is the one and over-ridding belief that governs truly all great societies and communities. This is the totemic law of the elders. This maternal wisdom is great for its simplicity and its ability to validate the essential needs of every member of society regardless of condition. This primordial law became a part of emerging religions who quickly embraced it because of its simple wisdom.

The Hours and Cyclic Time

In the ancient time of the black goddess, human beings experience time that is continuous and eternal. There is no death in this time. No shortages or borderslike the river it just flows from one end of the universe to another. Kali is the supreme mother of time, in Hindu mythology. All pleasure and joy is impermanent, the only thing that is forever is our connection to Her and Her body. When all creation is destroyed, so is the veil that conceals time. This time is a veil of illusion that covers KaliMa. In the end, the veil is pierced and Kali is left naked with only the emptiness of space to cover her. [206]

E
The original 12 hours come from the cosmology surrounding twelve underworld Goddesses. These twelve Goddesses in the Khemetic religion are the daughters of the sun God Re. They act in concert against the adversaries of Re and they dictate the destiny of human beings in terms of each persons life span, reflecting the importance of order over disorder. The Hours are sometimes represented on the walls of royal tombs in anthropomorphic form with a five-pointed star above their heads. The same concept also appears in Greek cosmology by the name of Horae (Hours). [Walker, 1983] [Higgins, 1836-1972]

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The reckoning of days and of time itself began with the documentation of the lunar cycles on bone or wood. Some of these bones with lunar documentation are dated over 10,000 years old. This was done by the mothers who were mapping their menstrual cycles. The calendar to evolve was called based on a lunar cycle and it contained 28 days and 13 months (houses). Ancient calendars can be traced to the sacred art of moon and celestial observation. Ancient time-keepers began their month when a young crescent was first seen in the sky. Some of the earlier calendars are first recorded among the Babylonians, the Sumerians and the Kemites. It was by the way of the ancient mothers that cycles of the month, the lunar year and solstice were marked and recorded. The length of the month began and ended by the lunar cycle. Overtime, many noticed that the first day of Sirius, the star of Auset was visible right before sunrise. The Kemites are the first to fashion a solar calendar. With this heliacal knowledge, they devised a 365-day calendar that seems to have begun in 4236 B.C.E., the earliest recorded year in history. They eventually had a system of 36 stars to mark out the year and in the end had three different calendars working concurrently for over 2000 years: a stellar calendar for agriculture, a solar year of 365 days (12 months x 30 + 5 extra) and a lunar calendar for festivals. The original Kemitic calendars soon developed sophisticated Zodiac systems. [Westerheim, 1993] Kemites began their day with sunrise instead of sunset because they began their month, and consequently their day, by the disappearance of the old Moon just before dawn. The first organic 12 hour days were uneven, wholly depended on the movement of light and dark. Both water clocks and sundials were constructed with notations to indicate the hours for the different months and seasons of the year. The standard hour of constant length emerged much later. By observing the movement of Sirius, the Kemites determined the length of the year to be 365 days. Early Kemites depended on the Nile's annual rising and flooding. Each year as that great river flooded it brought down mountain soil to the Kemetic plain. This enriched the fields and enabled creation of an agricultural system that supported a large civilization. Below is a small sampling of holy days celebrating the Black Goddess.

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March the 19th through the 23rd is the holy day of Mother Minerva. March at the beginning of Spring is the ship festival in honor of the goddess ISIS. This festival, which takes place in Khem, is a special ceremony for new boats. When new boats are created they are purified with blazing torches, adorned with baskets of flowers, perfumed and inscribed with holy words before being launched into the sea. The boat being a symbol of the divine mother ensures fair winds and calm seas for the rest of the year. The beautiful ship of ISIS symbolizes sacrifice to the gods, protection and safety for all ships launched this year. ISIS's ship also stood for human society and fate. [Chevalier, 1994] Gelede Festival is a Yoruba celebration to honor the older women in the community and to ensure communal well-being. This is a time of special homage to the mothers who ensure fertility and overall wellbeing in the Yoruba society. This includes the female orishas and female ancestors. It occurs in the spring after the rains have started. April is honored for the mother Aphrodite. April 19th is the ceremonial day of Mother Ceres. Mother Venus and Aphrodite originate from the Khemetic mother Het Heru, known by the Greeks as Hathor. Mother Ceres is the daughter of Cronus and Rhea and one of the more important wives of Jupiter. May 24-25th Pilgrimage to honor Mother Sarah Kali among the Roma in Europe. October 29th - The Isia or the Festival of ISIS is a three-day event to re-enact the story that features the dismemberment of Osiris by his brother Set and the restoration of his body with the help of his wife. November 11-Day of Kali Puja August 15 is the holiday of The Radical Union (The Dark Virgin Mary's Day) December 4th is the feast day of Mother Oya. She is also honored on February 2. Her day is Wednesday. December 12 is the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe and is celebrated as the most important day of the year in Mexico.

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December 31st is the feast day of Yemaya. Saturday is her day. Her special day is on September the 7th. This is a small sampling. Many more dates and festivals characterize the great mothers of the East. Each mother from a given culture or civilization has her own calendar, which honors the solstices, her days of renewal, the days of her divine companion and others of her extended pantheon. [Westerheim, 1993] [McRitchi, 1985] [Walker, 1983]

Conclusion
The black goddess is featured, among the Kemites in the heaven and stars. We find her as the sun, as the stars, the celestial sky, and the moons. She is everything to the ancients. Her very spirit represents time, space, days, hours and celestial cycles. This is important for in Europe the black goddess is the earth, sometimes death. As the black Madonna, she is the black earth and the subconscious mind. Among modern Africans, the black goddess is the waters, the domestic sphere and the moon. It is assumed this is the only way because it states facts of biology, society and psychology. The most ancient images contradict that and detail the opposite. For them when they thought of the black goddess they looked to the heavens, they saw stars and nebulae. She is Andromeda, the Milky Way and invisible stars so dense they can't be seen with the naked eye. She is the brilliant sun shining bright, fierce and magnetic. The black goddess is a solar deity, a fire ball that is the center of life above and below. In this mythology, the earth and the moon is male. This dramatically changes and reverses the qualities of myths and ritual when we see it this way. Ancient images of the black goddess is important because it shows black women defining themselves, depicting themselves freely unmolested by paradigms of master and slave which characterize gender and race in history. The Kemites and the Cushites have at the time the most progressive culture when it comes to women. Modern societies in the East and the West have yet to match their openness, their fearless embracing of the feminine in all its forms. The unique religion that comes from them comes from a society that has no fear of dark women as human beings, as sexual beings and as God. There is no fear of death, nature or origins. It is an impossible world-view given how fragmented core

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beliefs tend to be today. The black goddess is all these things. She is possible and powerful in many forms and all forms. This is important to know when one approaches this archetype.

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Queen Mother Hatshepsut (1)

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