| Cybele was the Magna Mater, the Great Mother of Phrygia and Asia Minor whose worship spread throughout the Roman Empire. She was worshipped for millennia, and many suggestions of her worship lead scholars back to Mesopotamia as Inanna, to Crete, as Rhea wife of Zeus, and in variations of her name throughout Asia minor: Kubaba, Agdistis, Kybele. |
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She represented caverns, primitive earth, wild animals (especially lions), mountaintop worship, sacred bees. She was a goddess of fortresses and protection, with a crown that depicted a city wall. The pine tree and ivy were sacred to her consort Attis, thus sacred to her. She is a goddess of drumming and is often depicted carrying a frame drum, which represents the full moon, the primordial egg of creation, the heartbeat of earth. Often, frame drums are covered with the hide of the bull, also sacred to Cybele. She represents the creative intuitive dance of creation as the Magna Mater, the great mother creatrix. |
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| Her priests castrated themselves to be closer to her, and performed orgiastic rites with trance dancing to the music of flutes, drums, and cymbals. In fact, there is a modern-day cult of Cybele specifically serving transgendered individuals. (http://gallae.com/) Her festival was first on the Roman Calendar, around the Vernal Equinox, and told the tale of her consort, Attis, who was sacrificed and reborn. A few Christian cults equated Attis with Christ. To further this thought, her great Roman temple was built in the land that is now St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. How the Great Mother must have the last laugh that underneath this strong Christian fortress lies the land that belongs to Her!!! It is said that oracular Sibyl priestesses were her devotees and responsible for bringing Cybele to Rome, thus her connection with prophecy and divination. |
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SONG TO CYBELE, GREAT CREATRIX
(Sung to the hymn tune, |
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| Light candles and incense of your choosing--scents to move you into a journeying mood. Spicy, vanilla, patchouli, etc. Gather a percussion instrument of your choice: frame drum or larger drum, ocean drum, rattle, etc. Ground and center. Imagine yourself as a gentle but strong pine tree digging her roots into the ground. Notice Sister Pine's flexibility and gently move or sway as is comfortable and natural for you. Imagine the Earth's heartbeat, and begin to play it on the drum. Breathe deeply and normally, and keep playing until you feel entranced and ready to divine. |
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| Call Mother Cybele to be with you, and dialogue with her. Ask her to speak through your hands if you wish to write down a message she has to share, or merely ask her to offer some guidance to your mind's ear. You may ask specific questions, or you may simply approach Her with a receptive mind. |
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| When the dialogue is finished, begin to move gently and follow your inner guidance to a trance dance. Don't analyze your movements, or even think ahead about where you might be moving next. Simply move as you gently follow your intuition and become divination through motion. Release when you are ready and offer gratitude to Cybele for her guidance. |
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Sources Cited :
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cybele.html |
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