I am *certain* that this has been discussed by people better qualified than myself; I've barely started this research. If anyone knows of articles or essays that talk about this better, please share them with me! But I wanted to talk a bit about the Proto Indo European Dawn Goddess [1]:
PIE H₂éwsōs, Goddess of the Dawn
Vedic Ushas, Goddess of the Dawn
Greek Eos, Goddess and Personification of the Dawn
Roman Aurōra, Goddess of the Dawn
Slavic Zorya, Personification of the Dawn
Lithuanian Aušrinė, Goddess of the Dawn or the Morning Star (Venus): "goddess of beauty, love and youth, linked with health, re-birth and new beginnings" [2]
Albanian Prende/Premte, "goddess of dawn, love, beauty, fertility, health and protector of women" [3]
But then also...
West Germanic Ēostre, Goddess of Spring and namesake of Easter [4]
And maybe even the Greek Persephone, Goddess of Spring and the Underworld, whose name might relate to the Albanian Prende [3]
The key to tying together the Goddesses of Dawn and the Goddesses of Spring lies, I think, in that Lithuanian definition: "linked with health, re-birth and new beginnings." We can think of Dawn, Day, Twilight, Night as equivalent to Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter... and even the Waxing, Full, Waning, and New Moon. These are all cycles of beginnings and endings--arguably all a way for us to cope with our understanding of life and death.
In a journal entry several months ago, I noted that I'm not that fond of the dawn; I'm not a morning person (sorry, H₂éwsōs). But I *am* a fond of fresh starts, rebirth, and new beginnings. I know all the best albums for breaking up and moving on. I have endless Playlists for it. I know how to restart far better than I know how to stay. I know the Waxing Spring Dawn, Waning Fall Twilight, and New Winter Night far better than I know the Full Summer Day.
I've joked recently that Persephone is mad at me because the weather hasn't been good to me since I've moved. But perhaps I simply haven't been honoring her enough--recognizing that as I have been experiencing a rebirth these past two years, she's been the one in charge of that. Maybe she's been my intuition giving me warnings that I've ignored.
In any case... though it's a full moon tonight (and a supermoon at that!), I would like to take a moment to toast to the power and energy of a fresh start--a new day, a new month, a new season, a new love. I am becoming brand new, and if there is a higher power behind that, I thank them.
