My January full moon altar honours the Celtic goddess Danu, who is known to us only because of a mythic phrase collectively describing the ancient deities and fairy folk of Ireland--Tuatha Dé Danann which means "tribe of the goddess Danu." In modern times, the mysterious Celtic Danu has been somewhat conflated with the Hindu goddess Danu, she of the sacred primordial waters, and has become characterized primarily by an ability to prophesy and foretell the future.
And what do we all want to know at the beginning of every January? "What does the upcoming year hold for us?"
Danu is one of my most recently acquired goddess statues. I only found her a couple of years ago in an Edmonton spirituality store. She is engaged in the act of "scrying," a clairvoyant divination technique using a reflective surface in which to see the future. Danu holds a large, flat, round basin of water for that purpose.
On the water's surface appears a Triskelion symbol, the Triple Spiral of the Goddess. Wearing her richly adorned robe and hooded cloak, Danu is also standing in water with lotuses and the Serpent of Knowledge at her feet.
From the side, we can see the scrying water flowing freely downwards, connecting to its sacred source. The Celtic Salmon of Wisdom leaps by Danu's side.
The back of Danu's cloak depicts the Tree of Life and the Triple Goddess Moon symbol.
In keeping with the theme, other divinatory items have been placed on the altar. Scrying is also commonly done with mirrors or crystal balls, for example. A hand-held glass mirror is present, but I don't have a crystal ball so I used a large faceted cut-glass gemstone instead. Three oracle cards are also featured. The altar cloth is my ceremonial tarot reading cloth, navy blue velvet with silver stars, crescent moons and borders.
The divinatory cards are from Denise Linn's Sacred Traveler Oracle Cards and are, from left to right:
- Mystic Healer -- "Healing Energy Flows Through You"
- Navigating by the Stars -- "Follow Your Bliss"
- Joy and Delight -- "Open Your Heart to Joy"
And that is what I wish for all of us in 2025!
[Photos © Debra She Who Seeks, 2025]
9 comments:
The statue is a beauty. I love everything about it!
That is a beautiful statue and she is so mysterious looking.
I love full moons and delight walking in the moonlight at night.
I like this alter. The statue of Danu is very pretty. Where do you keep all the statues when they are not in the current alter? Do you store them or have a curio of some sort?
I also wondered where my gemstone from my ring went.........
@ Mistress Maddie -- I have a special display cabinet where most of my Goddess statues are kept, although they are all crowded in there cheek by jowl because I have so many of them! A few more are found throughout my home in various spots.
...it has been so overcast here, I expect the moon be hiding.
Thanks for explaining where the goddesses go when they're backstage. It must be like the Oscars back there.
And thanks for the ongoing education on goddess myths and beliefs and symbols. I like this one a lot.
I admire your attentiveness to the moon cycles (I'm more like, "Oh, it's so bright out there tonight...must be a full moon!") and your attention to history, themes and decorative detail.
What a beautiful statue!
Someone put a lot of work into the details of that statue. Wonderful. Another beautiful altar, too. I love the cards. If only!
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