Athena Meditation:
(adpated from original source, click through for original)
I call on you, Athena, to help me to realize that my goals are attainable and that I can realize my visions.
Goddess, guide me to build the right boundaries so I can relinquish any excessive reliance on others.
Goddess of wisdom, remind me that I can release all indecisiveness and move on with my life.
Help me to be like you, Athena, sure of my own adequacy and unafraid of failure.
Great Goddess, help me fulfil my promise by developing my natural talents.
Lend me your inner strength and ability to fight back, Athena, so that I can become more independent and self-reliant.
Athena, remind me to be more productive and responsible in all that I do today.
Thank you, Athena, for helping me to let go of my fears and become courageous like you.
Athena, help me give full attention to the moment I am in so that I do not miss valuable opportunities that come my way.
Great Goddess, remind me that my value does not depend solely on my accomplishments.
Athena, let me be like you, always expanding my mind and continuing to learn.
Athena, make me aware of the importance of taking responsibility for those who look up to me.
Thank you, goddess Athena, for sharing your happiness in working for the good of others.
Athena, I affirm that, like you, I am fair and honest with all around me.
Athena, as the goddess of wisdom, help me to take charge and meet challenges straight on.
Athena, remind me today that, like you, I am caring and have a good heart.
Athena, share your ability to speak honestly and in a straightforward manner with me.
Grant me your willingness to empower, support and protect those you care about, Athena.
Goddess of Crafts, help me adorn my home and my workplace with beautiful objects lovingly crafted by the artisan’s hands.
Athena, show me how to release the limits I impose on myself and to get all the enjoyment I can out of life.
Help me to be like you, Athena, sure of my own adequacy and unafraid of failure.
Great Goddess, help me fulfil my promise by developing my natural talents.
Thank you, Athena, for helping me to let go of my fears and become courageous like you.
Athena, help me give full attention to the moment I am in so that I do not miss valuable opportunities that come my way.
Goddess, help me to restore some order in my environment and to keep it peaceful and harmonious today.
Athena, lend me your ability to display competence without being arrogant or inconsiderate.
Great Goddess, help me to remember to breathe deeply and to relax my shoulders when I am under too much stress.
Athena, teach me to see new situations as welcome challenges that I can manage with success.
(via here)
William-Adolphe Bouguereau, The Birth of Venus (1879).
I am forever a priestess of Athena, but sometimes I like to flirt with her hot great auntie, Aphrodite.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Statue of Athena. Pentelic marble. Found at Athens, in the vicinity of Varvakio. 200-250 AD.
Copy of the Athena Parthenos by Phidias
(Photo: Michael Tziotis)
Athena by Brenda Burke
I adore this depiction of her, simply beautiful. xo
(Source: terigalleries.com)
The Judgement of Paris
Lucas Cranach the Elder, c. 1512-14.
Pallas of Velletri. (Athena)
Roman work dating from the Imperial era (first century AD?)
Discovered in 1797 in the ruins of a Roman villa near Velletri, Italy
(Source: milkywayastrology.wordpress.com)
Mosaic of Minerva (Athena)
by Elihu Vedder, 1897.
This mosaic is a central arched panel leading to the Visitor’s Gallery at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C.
Beneath the mosaic is an inscription from Horace’s Ars Poetica: Nil invita Minerva, quae monumentum aere perennius exegit, and translated as, Not unwilling, Minerva raises a monument more lasting than bronze.
scar-lip-deactivated20120709 asked: I apologize if this is the wrong person to ask, I'm supremely new to this.
You said that Athena is your patron goddess- how did that happen? I've read some things saying that patron deities choose you, not the other way around, how can you tell if one has or encourage one to?
Thanks for the awesome question!
This is a really complex topic and I don’t pretend to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but here are some of my thoughts on the subject:
I don’t think there is any one right or wrong way to find a patron goddess or god. Some pagans chose a deity that they feel an affinity for, or some would say that they feel the specific goddess or god chose them. Everyone is different, for some it might take a lot of work and searching to find energy they connect with, for others it might be quite easy.
It’s also worth noting that patrons can change over time, you may have a really intense relationship with one deity for awhile and then it peters off. Conversely, it’s also possible to simultaneously have more than one patron.
It also really depends what you believe in. Some pagans see all gods as different manifestations of the same universal energy. Others see each deity as completely separate and its own entity.
In any case it amounts to same thing in the end. By having a patron goddess or god you are making a commitment to pursuing, working at and maintaining a relationship with that deity (or energetic pattern).
In my case, I’ve felt a connection and pull toward Athena since childhood. In one way or another symbolism relating to her kept popping up in my life. So that was the start of this relationship, but it has developed over time as my practice has grown. When I had my formal initiation rite, the name given to me was one of Athena’s epithets. That really solidified the relationship and signalled the beginning of my formal commitment to her.
I get a lot of my spiritual guidance from dreams, so that was also definitely a factor in my decision to dedicate myself to Athena. She appeared in a series of dreams I had and I knew that was her way of inviting me to follow her on this path. I think you always have free will, you can choose to accept the offer being put forth, or to reject it.
If you are at all skilled with lucid dreaming, it’s definitely worth trying to set the intention of meeting with deities you are interested in working with, or who are interested in working with you.
You certainly don’t have to dedicate yourself to any deity the first time you work with them, like any relationship it needs to be cultivated over time. More than anything, you need to commune with the deity you wish to work with in ritual space. Invite them to witness your rite, do an evocation, maybe work up to an invocation if you feel comfortable with that idea. Make offerings to that deity, don’t just ask for petitions or help. Light a candle in the deity’s honour. Meditate on the energy you are trying to reach within circle or in ritual space.
You could also try building an astral temple. (For an invaluable explanation of how to do this read The Art of Psychic Protection by Judy Hall.) This take time, but once it is established, if there are any deities who want your attention they could show up for a chat.
You could also try using forms of divination, e.g. tarot, runes, scrying - whatever you connect with in order to find a patroness.
Whatever you decide to do, keep detailed notes of your experiences. If your dreams, or divination doesn’t make sense at first it might mean doing some more reflection or research into the layers of symbolism you have encountered. If no deity that you currently are aware of is jumping out at you, do more research corresponding to the symbols and signs you are coming across and see who they correspond to.
I hope this helps!
~sparrowqueen ♥
I just wanted to share a quick photo that I took of my altar tonight.
I set this up really quickly because we’re still not entirely unpacked yet. You can see the handle of my besom peaking out on the right-hand side.
I’m still in school hell for at least another week. I’ve been having a rough time health wise, so I had to get some extensions. Hopefully by next Friday all of my essays will be out of the way, then I’ll be back to posting much more frequently.
