This month's altar celebrates the Greek Goddess of the Moon, Selene, whose Roman equivalent is Luna. Selene later became identified with Artemis and Luna with Diana. In western mythology, the moon and its phases have always been a powerful symbol of the Divine Feminine.
On the silver beaded altar cloth representing the full moon, flanked by silver candles, there are three representations of the Moon Goddess. A statue of Selene is crowned with a halo containing the waxing, full, and waning moon phases corresponding to the manifestations of the Triple Goddess -- the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone -- and to the three stages of women's lives as well.
Selena is my most recent goddess statue. I found her three months ago in a spirituality store here in Edmonton.
The second representation on the altar is the Moon Goddess as the waxing crescent Maiden moon. She is a weatherized ceramic piece designed to be placed outdoors, ideally perhaps in a round Moon Garden consisting entirely of white flowers? I acquired this piece at least 25 years ago at a craft sale.
The third represenation of the Moon Goddess is a beautiful brooch handmade by artisans in Bali and given to me by my mother and sister for my 50th birthday nearly 20 years ago. Set in sterling silver, the Goddess's serene face is carved from polished white bone, her headdress and earrings contain amethysts, and her body is made of semi-precious gemstones -- paua shell from New Zealand, a round rainbow moonstone, and purple charoite from Siberia. Isn't she gorgeous?
As well as the Full Moon, today marks the beginning of Passover, which begins this evening and runs until April 9th. I wish Passover Blessings to all my Jewish readers! Enjoy your Passover Seder!
[Photos #1-#4 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2026;
Photo #5 is courtesy of the internet]
Your altar looks lovely and serene. The brooch is stunning!
ReplyDeleteDear Debra,
ReplyDeleteYour three representations of the Moon Goddess are all wonderful and beautiful, each in its own way.
All the best from Austria,
Traude
Hello Debra, I saw the almost-full moon the other night, in a rare cloudless moment, but tonight is overcast as usual. But at least I get your beautiful rendering of the full moon alter. As soon as I saw your Moon Goddess brooch, I though of the word stunning, but of course the very first comment, from Duni, beat me to it. I hope you also enjoy wearing it.
ReplyDelete--Jim
Beautiful as always
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful altar!!!!
ReplyDeleteI do love that brooch. You are right about her serenity. What a beautiful gift your mother and sister gave you.
ReplyDeleteShe speaks "serenity." Serenity...we could all use a bit of that right now.
ReplyDeleteThe artistry of these pieces... Lovely.
ReplyDeleteAs usual ... your altar is beautiful! It is ALL beautiful!
ReplyDeletedee mum loves dee brooch!
ReplyDeleteAll three pieces are beautiful, Debra.
ReplyDeleteOh Debra these pieces are stunning and makes one of your best alters. Thank you for teaching us about Selena.
ReplyDeleteDear Debra, the altar and brooch are lovely.
ReplyDeleteI never thought about the moon phases corresponding to the stages of women's lives. Thank you for giving me something to ponder on.
ReplyDeleteThat Goddess brooch is a STUNNER! It would look great on grey, blue or purple fleece -- do you wear it a lot?
ReplyDelete@ Tundra Bunny -- It's a heavier brooch and needs to be on fabric sturdy enough to support it, like my black coat. I'll try it on a blue fleece that I have and see if it's sturdy enough to support it without sagging, thanks for the idea!
DeleteThat brooch is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteEach of your moon goddesses is lovely, Debra. This altar is serene and striking! With the successful launch of Artemis II, I am anticipating seeing really interesting images of the moon.
ReplyDelete@ Fundy Blue -- Yes, how fortuitous to honour the Moon Goddess on the day Artemis II launched! And, you know, one of the astronauts on this mission is a Canadian, Jeremy Hansen.
DeleteI thought the weatherised ceramic piece was bronze and it is beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely alter. Is Selene and Egyptian name? I need to go look that up. Happy April, even though I'm a day late as I was out all day yesterday.
ReplyDelete@ My name is Erika -- Good question! According to Wikipedia, "The name "Selene" is derived from the [Ancient] Greek noun selas (σέλας), meaning "light, brightness, gleam".
DeleteShe's Greek, which makes much more sense than Egyptian.
ReplyDeleteHi, Debra. First time here, Happy Easter!
ReplyDelete@ A Whole Lotta Magic -- Welcome! Thanks for popping by and leaving a comment so I can go to your blog too.
DeleteAnother gorgeous altar. Your new triple phase Goddess figure is wonderful. I love how the waxing moon has a crisp, sharp edge and the waning moon is soft. Nice dichotomy.
ReplyDeleteThat brooch is fantastic! As my friends and I would say when looking at jewelry, 'I'd wear it!'
@ e -- You're so perceptive! I hadn't noticed that dichotomy between the waxing and waning crescents -- thanks so much for pointing it out!
DeleteSo lovely! I specially found the waxing crescent Maiden moon to be very beautiful.
ReplyDelete-Soma
Une collection très spéciale :)
ReplyDeleteNos destins sont guidés par la lune et les étoiles.
Monsieur Dupuis 🇨🇦
That brooch is gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteShe is stunning. I love that it was a gift for you 50th. Really pretty. I could take picture after picture.
ReplyDeleteI do love your altar pictures. This month's full moon is more poinient as we have humans hurtling towards it.
ReplyDeleteThat broach is so pretty. LOL, my husband's family celebrates Passover so my full moon observations had to be limited. But I did get to have some very nice brisket.
ReplyDelete