May is the month of the Mother Goddess. Her name is related to ancient archetypes around the world. Maia is the eldest of the so-called Seven Sisters, the brightest stars of the Pleiades. This same constellation was sacred for the Maya peoples, the mother-culture of Central America. Maya is the name attributed to the mothers of Shakyamuni Buddha and also of Hermes, the mythological Egyptian god-king.
As Nigel Pennick puts it in, The Pagan Book of Days, May commemorates, “the appearance on earth of the Mother-Goddess, whether as The Lady of Wiccas, Mother Mary, or the various corresponding goddess of the indigenous traditions.” As Lawrence Dourdin-Robinson says in his book, The Year of the Goddess, the sacred mother was also acknowledged in May as Maia Maiaestas, Danna, and Bona Dea (Earth Mother-Goddess).
Another popular goddess at this time of year was Flora, mother of flowers. Robin Hood is mentioned in the song still sung on her feast day, and Robertson notes that Maid Marian “is another version of the goddess of the Woodlands and the Wildthings.”
Isis is another Mother-Goddess celebrated in May and related to Venus, the ruler of Taurus. As Emily Trinkhaus points out in her fascinating article on the sacred feminine in the April edition of The Mountain Astrologer, “flowering trees and fertile land are the domain of Venus”, goddess of fertility and “regenerator of the life force… long before she was” demoted to a goddess primarily “of love and beauty”.
It is this aspect of the goddess, creative power and abundance, that are connected to the Venus-ruled sign of Taurus, which predominates for most of May.
It is a month of prosperity, of wild green grass, of joy. At yet the energy is not all out there on the bushes. Mercury, the messenger planet that’s vital to our daily communications and comings and goings, went into its pre-retrograde shadow… [The remainder of this article available to Premium subscribers. Subscribe now!]
Crystal Pallas Pomeroy, Maya’s daughter and astrological protégé, offers in-depth astrological consultations from her home in Mexico, in person or via Skype. She is a noted author as well as a regular radio and television commentator on esoteric topics, and leads a spiritual and healing ministry in Mexico City. Crystal offers workshops on astrology, the sacred feminine, indigenous spirituality, and the goddess in beautiful locations throughout Mexico. Her book Angels & Goddesses (Llewellyn, Spring 2022) is available now. Reach Crystal by email here.
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