In simple terms, the mystical path of Mithraism can be defined as becoming one with the absolute by directly connecting to the supreme power and intelligence of the Sun. Think of Mithra or the Sun God as the power that infuses life into our solar system. Mithra is the primal energy source that breathes life into our system much like electricity that gives life to an electrical component. Mithra generates the energy, but it is the Mother Goddess Anahita that controls and distributes that energy. Think of her as the intricate and complex grid system that transports and distributes that energy which we refer to as Consciousness. It is consciousness that breathes life into the experience of the waking dream. The entire universe operates through the field of consciousness. All of creation and everything that we call matter is simply a play of consciousness.
The Archetypal energy of Anahita decides the amount of life force we are to receive in this incarnation and thus she is the mind principle and rules the power of breath and cognition. The Goddess Anahita is our home and the channel that grants passage to our thoughts, feelings and emotions. She is the gateway to the astral plane and the realms of intuition and the subconscious mind. She is the custodian of the sense organs and the subtle forces of nature. She sustains our psyche, intelligence and fuels our imagination, sensitivity, passions and emotions. All of our creative talents are derived from her. The best time to worship/understand the Goddess is under the Moon light and in nature or open temples/Gardens. Multiple open sanctuaries dedicated to the Goddess have been excavated in the old Persian and Roman territories.
Anahita or Anahid in old Persian means the “Immaculate one” or the one who “nurtures the crops and herds.” Historically she has been depicted as a young woman dressed in a golden mantle and adorned with golden square earrings and necklace. Eight rays and 108 stars surmount her radiant Khvarenah “high crown.” Silver fillets stream down her crown and she holds a pomegranate blossom at her breast and a water pot in her left hand. Anahita’s metal is silver and her gem is Pearl and Moonstone. In the Celtic tradition she was envisaged in a garment of animal skin that had given birth to a minimum of four pups. Lion pups which are the symbol of Mithra are often found next to the Goddess or carried on her shoulders or worn as garments. This adoration depicts her power over the female generative principle and fertility. In other occasions, she is depicted as a warrior maiden, tall and powerful, riding on the chariot given to her by the celestial architect Ahura Mazda, drawn by four horses called Wind, Rain, Cloud and Sleet. Anahita’s charm and beauty are indescribable. She is the sole reason that our Lord Mithra shines so fiercely. Without her there is no reason for existence. She is the end medium and the central power of her dominion determines our spiritual progress and the brilliancy of our mind.
Mithra is the light of the world and takes care of the entire planetary system. The powerful and the mysterious Goddess Anahita modifies and directs that light to planet Earth. She is the force that sustains life here on Earth. While Mithra operates through the Sun, Anahita operates through the Moon, Earth and its water system. She is our queen Mother. Myth logically speaking, she is born of water and is the force that operates through the axis of the Earth/Moon. Her favorite dwelling places are oceans, waterways, forests and the plant kingdom. The Goddess Anahita takes care of our home and takes special delight in our growth, our progeny and our family life. She is temperamental, enigmatic and complicated. She has many facets and like the phases of the Moon is never the same. She is our cosmic mother and is the channel through which our thoughts, feelings and emotions flow through our being. It is through her grace that creativity and intuition blossom in our hearts.
The history of the Earth/Moon Goddess Anahita is much older than we can even imagine. In ancient Persia as most other indigenous cultures, women lived collectively which brings about menstrual synchronization. This is when women’s menstrual cycles synchronize with each other and the rhythms of the Moon. Women quickly learned that their body counts and marks the cycles of time. Some of the early Paleolithic objects suggest that women may have created the first lunar calendars in order to know when they could become pregnant as well as keeping track of the duration of their pregnancy. This knowledge was and will always be essential to human survival. The lore’s of our ancestors suggest that the Moon was once a part of the earth and it became separated through a collision with a heavenly object. This may explain their rich and complex relationship. In comparison to other planetary systems our Earth has a rather large Moon which is why some astronomers refer to it as a binary system. The gravity of the Moon holds and stabilizes the tilt and the orbit of our planet controlling seasons, weather patterns as well as the cycles of water. The Moon bestows upon us stability and protection from a world that is ever hostile to life.
Lord Mithra and the Goddess Anahita are the balancing and the interconnected polar forces in physical form. Together they create the necessary background and set the stage so that we may experience life for a brief moment. They are known as the luminaries and are the essential pillars that uphold the construct of the universe. Lord Mithra and Goddess Anahita are each other’s eternal companion and through their cosmic fiery dance of love enchant and illuminate the world. The world manifest is dual in nature and the essential power operates through this seemingly opposite forces. The feminine is creativity and the masculine is what induces that creativity. The balance of the powerful masculine with the divine feminine is an integral aspect of the cosmic order and the mathematical relationship between the Sun and the Moon that causes total balance of gravity and magnetism in our solar system as well as the total eclipse phenomenon is a demonstration of this vital natural law and heavenly order. A spiritual philosophy that does not embrace the dual forces of nature is bound to create societal imbalances and a power vacuum that degrade the harmony of family life like we see in many modern cultures. Sound spiritual philosophy should create understanding, respect and kinship between the masculine and the feminine that is much needed to live a balanced and full life.
Most of the challenges that our society faces today can be pinpointed to one single collective mistake: We the people have forgotten the Goddess! As a result, we have embraced a perverted and a deranged form of Patriarchy that has been the driving force behind the insatiable desire to plunder and deplete mother earth’s natural resources beyond its means. Overfishing, deforestation, soil degradation, pollution, loss of biodiversity and many other environmental issues are the result of our mistreatment of the sacred feminine. Humanity is at the peril of destruction. We are in a state of planetary emergency which is heavily under reported. Unless we address these issues here and now, we are doomed for a catasrophe. We cannot say we love mother earth and take steps to destroy her. It is time to honor her as our cosmic mother. The Goddess provides us with everything we need to live a healthy and balanced life. From air and water to food and shelter and her magnificent blue sky. We can come out of this world from any family, but we cannot live without our cosmic mother. She is the scared ground that has nurtured humanity for millennia. When we act and teach others the importance of the sacred feminine, we are indeed making a small contribution to save ourselves. Small actions of change by ordinary people can lead to big changes on a grand scale! I hope you will be inspired to do your part and remember the Goddess!
Andre Atabaki
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