MAkosh-MAter-MAtrix

Mother Mokosh, the Morning Star Cow, and copper apples (the imagery courtesy of the spirits, execution mine).

The earth is about to wake! Rejoice!

Zorya Polunochna 🌙

Zorya Porannia ✨

I suppose this is a group of traditions that are still very much developing, particularly having started in rather ideologically charged conditions.

There is, of course, Lada - who I will not call inaccurate to venerate, but it personally feels like an image constructed because it felt like Slavs need an "Aphrodite" more so than due to genuine references. This is of course an entirely separate subject from whether one connects with a genuine divinity in this way; for example, many demonic figures in ceremonial traditions came from a misunderstanding of a name or a figure, this does not mean that demonolatry is not real. Likewise, local goddesses can still appear very clearly as Mary. This is not new.

That said, it often seems like Zoryas are overlooked in that department, and they definitely deserve to be seen as goddesses of love, beauty, and vitality. They also have other governances, depending on one's tradition, of course, like their connection to the cycles of nature or deep wisdom (I myself do not include the doomsday hound myth as incongruent with my theology). I suppose, despite the evidence in a lot of traditional spellwork, it may be a little difficult to conceptualize a Mistress of Love in this expanded function.

Now, this is SPG - I was lucky to learn that it is an opinion actually shared by fellow believers, - but I consider Zorya, particularly in her Morning Star image, to be a continuation or kin to the Scythian Artimpasa, understood by the Greeks as Aphrodite Ourania, and also Zhyva. She is deeply tied to the ocean waters, in particular the image of the sun rising above the sea, and is described in some cases as inhabiting a distant sea island. She is called on for love, beauty (in case anyone thought beauty magic is a vain new invention), and physical and spiritual healing. It would be amiss to not also mention her connection with the sun and therefore fire in the Slavic tradition. As related to the sun, she is innately a being of prosperity and nature in its full opulence. This also links her to fire - and love incantations often opt specifically for fire imagery.

When I started on this project, I took a moment to check in with my gods and ancestors for guidance. Should I let this go? Should I consider if perhaps the followers of this book might have sound ideas?

Zorya Vechirnya 🌹