Malta, a small island off Sicily in the Mediterranean, was home to a flourishing Goddess culture 5-8000 years ago in the Neolithic period. Over untold generations, the Maltese people created a huge, elaborate, underground temple called the Hypogeum. One of its large ritual chambers was called the "Oracle Room" and it was here that archeologists found small statues of the Dreaming Goddess of Malta. She has the generous breasts and large hips of the bountiful Mother of All and reclines on a low cot, fast asleep.
The Dreaming Goddess is believed to have been part of the Oracle Room's ritual of "dream incubation." Priestesses or perhaps seekers would sleep there "in the womb of the Goddess," hoping for a vision, a healing dream or a prophetic dream to guide them in their lives.
I bought my Dreaming Goddess statue in a metaphysical shop in Toronto about 30 years ago. She has resided on my bedside nightstand ever since.
Continuing with the theme of divination, insight and prophecy, I have surrounded the Dreaming Goddess on her altar with some other pagan items used for the same purposes -- a few tarot cards (from The Rabbit Tarot created by Nakisha VanderHoeven), a mirror for scrying (similar to using a crystal ball), a scattering of runes, and a goddess pendulum with a black velvet response cloth (gifts from a women's spirituality Circle Sister many years ago).
As nights become longer throughout the deepening month of November, is there a more perfect time for our own dream incubations? Are dreams an important source of insight or guidance to you?
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, October 2022]
39 comments:
i have such an active dream life that when i get a night that i can't remember a dream, i am relieved.
Oh I think I love the goddess of Malta. I'm all about sleeping and taking naps.
Your Dreaming Goddess would be so reassuring at bedside. Beautiful.
Don't know about insight, but my dreams are often entertaining and funny. Incurably frivolous! I love that peaceful sleeping goddess. Perfect nightstand figure.
What a beautiful altar setup! I have the same pendulum mat. And your pendulum is gorgeous! Dreams are extremely important to me. I have very intense ones that provide me with great insight. It's been that way throughout my entire life.
My dreams incubate themselves. All I have to do is sit quietly in a comfy chair for a few minutes.
I don’t remember dreams usually! I feel I have missed out in a way!
It was cloudy here and so we missed the Full Blood Moon Total Eclipse. Besides, I got up too late!
Good morning, Debra. I love your dreaming goddess. Dreams are very important to me. A couple of times in my life, I've viewed events in dreams before they actually occurred. I've also played out events in dreams after they occurred--the scary PTSD dreams. Although they frighten me, I hope they help lead to healing.
Love,
Janie
while I am a big believer in dream analysis my own dreams are a mishmash of things hardly worth analyzing.
Last night, as I looked up at that full moon, I was hoping you would have an altar to it in today's post! And, here it is. Thank you for teaching us all about the various goddesses as they are related to the Full Moons.
I woke about 4 with a terrible dream..awful..couldn't go back to sleep..so I'm getting ready to go vote early..pray for us dems..
"Are dreams an important source of insight or guidance to you?" ... without a doubt as I've often been told of what was to come, which allowed me to mentally and emotionally prepare myself.
My dreams are just stress dreams - it is amazing how high school can still haunt me.
Love this altar.
I can seldom remember my dreams, btw. Only when I wake up in the middle of the night and go back to sleep...
XOXO
I love your goddess and the story behind her!
Beautiful meaning behind this goddess. My dreams are all over the place, some awesome, some horrifying! Of course I usually forget them within 2 minutes after waking. It would be so interesting to take the time and write them down before forgetting.
The Dreaming Goddess - lovely.
Debra I absolutely love this post. Your alter is beautiful and the story behind the Dreaming Goddess is one I didn't know. Thank you.
I don't believe my dreams are prophecies. If I think hard enough I can remember what triggered the dreams
Always learning something new in your search of ancient forklore believes
Yes, I've always paid close attention to my dreams and nightmares, especially any recurring elements in either type. As a university student, there were several times I dreamed about difficult physics or calculus problems, only to wake up and find the solutions scrawled out on paper in my handwriting. Once, I even woke to find a fully assembled complex organic compound model that I couldn't figure out while awake!
Your Rabbit Tarot cards look very interesting... I've never seen a goddess pendulum either -- is that a silver carrot on one end?
@ Tundra BUNNY -- Oh, I KNOW you'd LIKE it to be a CARROT, but it is a gold and cobalt blue elongated glass bead which is the pendulum. You hold the goddess figure in your hand, with the chain over your index finger, with the pendulum hanging down, waiting for it to swing over one of the areas on the response cloth.
My dreams are so interesting while occurring and I cannot remember them when awake.
I don't want to bother or disturb Her dreams in anyway. I am confident in who She is. She looks like a mountain.
Me personally, i would never expect her to answer my questions. I accept her with gratitude and awe. I hope to live in a way that would please her.
She dreamed us, what else is she dreaming?
My dreams are incomprehensible. What's odd is I'm emotionally engaged in all that incomprehensibility as it's taking place. I can be sad or happy at what often resembles an animated version of the Sgt Pepper artwork!
She looks phenomenal!
I am impressed with you older collection of status Debra. Seems fascinating and profound to me
I don't usually remember my dreams. I know when I have one but after I wake up it fades away.
I like the idea of a Dreaming Goddess. I usually sleep well and dream, some of them are "Where the heck did that come from" but thankfully they're not horrible dreams.
How did you flatten out that eight ball?
I love her and I love being reminded to dream, even at my age, dream.
That is our Mountain Goddess. We are a big disappointment to this idea. Nowaday, we are crawling with lice, that would be us.
This goddess made the mountains and she still lives there.
She lives everywhere. I always like to remember this when i go visit my friends and places.
Here i am, just as arrogant and humble as can be. I like to visit Spo Reflections, but i have lost my password. I try to use the tools, but they dont work. I just want to talk with my friends in spo world. I dont want to jump through passwords every time.
My passwords are similar, but they change.
Maybe i am too old,maybe i am sad. But i think i dont need a password every time i want to say something
I dont remember my passwords. They are temporary bullshit.
I just want to argue with my friends.
Generous breasts, large hips and she's fast asleep. She has been reborn in ME!
Your altar set up is beautiful!
xoxo
Lovely
www.mynameislovely.com
This is a beautiful altar, I love it.
-Quinley
Oh I love this altar! Yeah, I've gotten some really interesting information in my dreams. Nothing too earth shattering. More like nudges, of hey, look at this. And that this turns out to be very helpful.
The statue of the goddess is wonderful.
Your November altar is really interesting, Debra. I've never heard of this goddess before. Dreams have given me warnings, and it's dreams that make me think I have lived before. I dream in color and experience smells and touch. I remember dreams within dreams. But most of my dreams are mundane and forgettable.
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