This month's altar honours the Great Goddess of Laussel who is also known as the Goddess of the 13 Moons. She was carved 25,000 years ago as a bas-relief over the rocky entrance of a sacred cave near what is now Laussel, France.
Dating from the Old Stone Age/Paleolithic Era, this goddess celebrates the lunar year and the mysteries of the female body. In one hand, she holds a bison horn with 13 notches on it, one for each lunar month in a lunar year. In essence, she is displaying the first calendar known to humans. Her other hand rests on her belly/womb to demonstrate the connection between the Moon Above (lunar phases) and the Moon Within (menstrual periods, childbearing power). The original carving still bore traces of red ochre paint reinforcing the blood imagery.
I obtained my copy of the Laussel image about 30 years ago in Toronto, but I believe the store probably obtained it from Sacred Source. The other altar items also allude to lunar phases and red menstrual blood, particularly the nosegay of red carnations.
The backdrop is a page from the Lunar Calendar Dedicated to the Goddess in Her Many Guises. The calendar shows the moon phase for each day of every lunar month. The Luna Press has been publishing these charming lunar calendars (which also include art and poetry dedicated to the Divine Feminine) for nearly 50 years.
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2025]
P.S. -- If you have half an hour to spare and are interested in learning more about the Stone Age Eurasian culture which produced this Goddess, plus the Goddess of Willendorf and the Lascaux Cave Paintings, here's a very good video on the subject. Be forewarned there are a number of ads sprinkled throughout which can, however, be skipped after a few seconds --
