Since we are now entering the astrological sun sign of Virgo, this month's full moon altar honours the Greco-Roman Goddess Artemis-Diana. She is the quintessential Maiden/Virgin Goddess. When her doting father Zeus-Jupiter promised she could have whatever she wanted, Artemis-Diana asked to remain forever untamed and unmarried, free to live and hunt in her beloved forests and streams with her band of nymphs.
In classical mythology, the term "virgin" does not denote sexual status (as it does in our times) but instead refers to an independent woman who is "whole unto herself," needing neither husband nor children to define her life. This is what the astrological sign "Virgo the Virgin" represents -- the eternal Maiden energy, freedom and zest of the Divine Feminine.
My Goddess figurine is a reproduction of a statue known as "Diana of Versailles" (currently in the Louvre), which is a partially restored Roman copy (1st or 2nd century CE) of a lost Greek bronze created around 325 BCE. I was thrilled to find my reproduction figurine in an Edmonton second-hand decor shop about 20 years ago. Representing Artemis-Diana's wild forests are a green placemat from Maui depicting tropical vegetation, surrounded by freshly-cut pine boughs and juniper sprays from My Rare One's backyard. The blue hobnail glass candle holders evoking streams and lakes are a yard sale find from about 15 years ago. And finally, the altar is completed by the astrological symbol for Virgo.
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, August 2021]
