Does anyone worship Selene?

[[SnowRaven]]

We've kind of gotten away from Selene here, heh. Her worship has fed something in my soul. For those looking to follow her and wanting to know what I do, well, I worship each Esbat in a circle with music, dance, Drawing Down the Moon and Cakes & Ale.

I will say that the MMC does work for me and I don't feel as if I've stuffed these three into those roles. My main focus is Selene and I worship her each Esbat. As I've never attempted a ritual for the other two yet they are far more amorphous for me but still very much there. I understand the yearning to approach these deities as they once were - that if we can some how discover how they were worshiped exactly, we would be closer to them. I've felt that way before. There is a reward in letting that go and meeting them in today's world - I feel that they are not static but have changed as we in society have changed. It is difficult to balance the need to do it 'right'/'always been done' with freedom in worship. It's that age old tension between those on traditional paths and solitaires/eclectics.

[[SnowRaven]]

While that may be a personal soapbox I just wanted you to know that your words were hurtful. No one like to be mocked.

[LaFiamma]

("Okay, if Athena is my maiden goddess who did the Greeks match her with for mother and crone?" Well that's easy...they didn't, but try telling Suzy Silver Butterfly Sparklebutt who just read some DJ Conway that one and her head starts spinning...eh, sorry personal soapbox thing there.)

While that may be a personal soapbox I just wanted you to know that your words were hurtful. No one like to be mocked.

That wasn't in reference to anyone, it was a completely hypothetical person, with a slight humorous jab at some of the crazy names that some people make up for themselves.

[[SnowRaven]]

Just came across this and thought I'd share it here as we talked about this earlier in this thread.

"Hecate originally derived from the Egyptian midwife Goddess Hekat. In Greece, Hecate was one of the many names for the original feminine trinity ruling Heaven, Earth and the Underworld. Greeks tended to emphasize her crone or underworld aspect. Hecate was called "Most lovely one", a title of the moon. She was associated with the moon in all three of her aspects. Some said she was Hecate Selene, the Moon in Heaven; Artemis the Huntress on Earth and Persephone the Destroyer in the Underworld. Sometimes she was part of the Queen of Heaven Trinity: Hebe the Virgin, Hera the Mother and Hecate the Crone."

UPDATE 02/27/09: http://www.witchvox.com/va/dt_va.html?a ... s&id=13119
Good article on the Vox

[Rabbit145]

Sort of...I am a wiccan, so I consider all gods and goddess to be pretty much the same thing. My explanation is that each deity is a different facet of the same jewel. Does that make sense? I'm also ecclectic, so I don't stick to any one pantheon, I worship many different gods and goddesses from many different religions, so I don't worship Selene exclusivly as the moon goddess, but I have called her by name once or twice.

[shadowx]

You are wiccan eh?

When did you complete your initiation and dedication ceremonies?

[Rabbit145]

@ Shadowx:

I am a solitary, so I didn't have formal initiation or dedication ceremonies - they just felt unnessicary. Not every wiccan is gardnerian (sp?), hahaha.

[shadowx]

Ahhh but you do. Wicca is a structured religion, until you initiate and dedicate you are not wiccan

Wicca is not witchcraft, i am not wiccan nor are many other people here.

[Rabbit145]

@ Shadowx

Noooooooo, I really didn't do anything formal or "structered" for initiation and dedication. And I really am wiccan. I live in the "Bible Belt," so I have no coven into which I could be initiated into. (If you don't know, the Bible Belt is the South-East potion of the US where roughly 90 per cent of the population are beligerent Bible-thumpers. If I admitted to being a pagan [or really anything other than a strict Christian] I will be ostracized, turned down from job/career opportunities, and more than likely phsyically attacked. There's a lot of intolerence here. *eyeroll* ) As for dedication...I have learned that the most important and most basic component of working any spell is the intent - just because I didn't make a charm bag with sage ashes and wax drippings doesn't mean the intent wasn't there. I did not complete a standardized dedication, but the intent is still alive and kicking within me to this day, ergo, I am dedicated.

Trying to tell me what I am and am not based on a minor technicality which you do not have all the details of is something I find to be very insulting and intrusive, and quite frankly, no better than the intimidation techniques used by the browbeating radicals down here. It feels like, to me, you are trying to ridicule my beliefs to the extreme, and force your own upon me. If I read you wrong, please say so. I'm not trying to pick a fight, I swear. If you want to debate, fine, I'm always up for one, but do yourself a favor and don't try to pretend that you have all the facts. I have read several of your posts, and I think you are a very intelligent person and I have a good deal of respect for you, but you might want to try taking more things with a little more tolerence and a little less salt.

I do not concider myself to be a "traditional" anything: I agree with and practice many of the most basic practices of wicca, and therefor I find it easier, simpler, and more acurate to call myself an ecclectic wiccan than it would be to go through and try to explain my entire belief system. I do follow the Wiccan Rede, I do believe in the threefold law and I do worship the Lord and Lady, but I don't feel the need to box myself into a set of super-strict rituals so I mostly otherwise make my own path. Did I explain that reasonably well? If not, question away...

Also, I am well aware that wicca is a branch of witchcraft, and not a catchall term for witchcraft itself. I also know that you are not wiccan, among many of the other people here. That's one of the reasons I like this forum so well - the more differing opinions I can look in on, the more perspective I gain, and the more I can muse over different world views. Reading the debates here - yours included - provokes a great deal of thought in me, so thank you for that.

[shadowx]

I do not concider myself to be a "traditional" anything: I agree with and practice many of the most basic practices of wicca, and therefor I find it easier, simpler, and more acurate to call myself an ecclectic wiccan than it would be to go through and try to explain my entire belief system. I do follow the Wiccan Rede, I do believe in the threefold law and I do worship the Lord and Lady, but I don't feel the need to box myself into a set of super-strict rituals so I mostly otherwise make my own path. Did I explain that reasonably well? If not, question away...

Ah indeed! You are pagan, my issue is not with you personally, it is with "wiccans" who arent wiccan at all but are just fools. I dont like wicca, i say it all the time, but to be wiccan you *do* need to initiate and dedicate, a solitary practitioner can do that alone quite easily. But as you said in the quote above you arent wiccan, you are eclectic pagan. I see what you mean by calling yourself eclectic wiccan since the majority of your beliefs are "wiccan" but still, you are pagan.

It is one of my irritations, like people who claim to be christian witches and when questioned say things like "well god is actually both the god and goddess and it doesnt say in the bible that witches are evil and real christianity is actually a lot like paganism because you are free to do what you want etc..." if you follow a structured path, be it wicca, christianity etc.. you MUST adhere to their rules, if you dont then you cant consider yourself a member of that religion, you are just you, which is *always* better than being them. If you follow your own path your life will be so much richer than by being a sheep and following the footsteps of others.

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

...so you would prefer she call herself an "eclectic/solitary strongly influenced by wicca"? make your request shadow, and she'll either comply... or not

back to the topic... lol
I'd like to hear more about Selene. She's an older Greek diety and maybe that's why there's less information on her than a more modern Goddess such as Artemis.

[Victoria Mnemosyne]

Here are two hymns I found dedicated to Selene. The first is Homeric, I've adapted it to address rather than describe the Goddess. The second is Orphic (this one's my favorite) and I haven't altered it.
I'm trying to use them in a Full Moon Ritual...

Hail white armed Goddess, far-winged Selene
Mild, bright-tressed Queen!
From your immortal head, radiance shines forth
in the heavens and embraces the earth.
Great is the beauty that ariseth from your shining light.
The night air glows with the light of your bright crown
Pandia Selene, Goddess of the Full Moon!

Hear, Thea Basileia ("Goddess Queen"), diffusing silver light,
bull-horned, and wandering through the gloom of night
With stars surrounded, and wide night’s torch extending
Through the heavens you ride, with silvery rays you shine
and now full-orbed, now tending to decline
Mother of ages, fruit-producing Moon ,
whose amber orb makes night’s reflected noon
Lover of horses, splendid queen of night
all-seeing power, bedecked with starry light
lover of vigilance, the foe of strife
in peace rejoicing, and a prudent life
fair lamp of night, its ornament and friend
who givest to nature’s works their destined end
Queen of the stars, all-wise Goddess, hail!
Decked with a graceful robe and amble veil
Come, blessed Goddess, prudent, starry, bright,
Come, moony-lamp, with chaste and splendid light
Shine on these sacred rites with prosperous rays,
and pleased accept thy suppliants’ mystic praise.

[AutumnMaidens]

I wrote a chant for her and a few other lesser known moon goddesses. Selene is lovely and one of my favourite names for the moon goddess. The greek pantheon is where I call my home and so even if she is a pre-olympian goddess I still call to her.

Bless

[AnaisStar]

Sorry for pulling up an old post.

Ive recently been connecting to Selene, and trying to learn more about her.

Im doing a big spell/ritual on this month's full moon to honor her.

Here is what Ive known about her so far:

She is a moon goodess, often seen as the Mother in the MMC.
She is seen as a young adult female, often in white/silver with a crescent moon crown.
She is sometimes seen with wings.
She rides across the sky at night in a chairot pulled by bulls/oxens that were gifts from her lover Pan.
Anything silver or white can be used to honor her such as candles
Scents/Flowers to honor her are white rose, willow, etc.

Still learning more.

[charmecia5]

haven't been able to, but I've always been interested in worshiping her and learning so much about her.