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Came flushed from the full-flushed wave, and imperial, her foot on the sea.

Hail golden Aphrodite, who rises radiant and singing from the sea. Flushed, richly curved, a ripe peach, Aphrodite Anadyomene is salt and sweetness, skin slick with seaspray, rosy lips.

When Kronos wielded the flinty sickle to dis-member Ouranos, he flung the life-giving seed of starry Heaven into the ocean depths, where a white foam spread across the waves. Gilded by the dawn, the lovely goddess rose.

The Kharites came singing to bedeck her in sumptuous robes; mild Zephyros cooled her with his breath. Aphrodite who surpasses all in beauty and sensuality, goddess of wicked delights and pleasures,

we praise you, violet-crowned Pandemos, attended by Eros and Peitho. Queen of desire whose touch seduces, tender as the doves’ trembling breasts and mighty, inexorable, beloved by all,

receive our thanks for your many blessings, and continue to smile on our hearts.

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lost in your current like a priceless wine

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Flower Therapy | by domsli22

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Georges-Antoine Rochegrosse (French, 1859-1938) 

Aphrodite née de l’ écume (Aphrodite born from the foam) 

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Something that baffles me is when people compare Aphrodite to “bloody” goddesses (Anat, Inanna, Sekhmet, etc.) as a way to say Aphrodite is just a demure love goddess teehee, look how badass my warrior goddess is instead.

Aphrodite Ourania rose out of blood and the ocean and walked to land fully-formed. This Aphrodite is a Titaness, older even than the generation of Zeus. She has no mother. She is never an infant. She is the ultimate generative power, the fish, born from a male (upending societal norms) and wielding the power of creation and invention.

Aphrodite Areia is a war goddess - this is the title made famous by Athena and Ares, but Aphrodite does not get this title from her lover. She is a goddess of soldiers and fights on the battlefield of Troy. She is also Aphrodite Hoplismena, the armed, depicted in full armor with a shield and sword. This is the Aphrodite of Sparta.

Aphrodite Nikephoros is not only Aphrodite armored and armed, but Aphrodite commanding the power of Nike - Nike, the goddess usually found at Zeus’s side, ensuring victory. This Aphrodite is not one to be crossed on the battlefield, because you will not win.

Or maybe we just aren’t on the same page as the ancients when it comes to a “love goddess.” Aphrodite Pandemos is a goddess of frenzy, a goddess who incites war and madness, a goddess to whom it was said even the Fates would bend their will. To some Hellenes, Aphrodite was the goddess of creation because she is the spark of all love and desire - and to others, she was the creator of all.

There’s nothing wrong in calling Aphrodite a goddess of love - she is, truly. But this doesn’t make her timid. She is not clawless. She is a complex goddess, inextricably linked to the awesome war goddesses of the Ancient Near East. Do not dilute her just because you’re not familiar with her or with the domain of love goddesses. I know this may seem trivial to some people, but don’t reduce one goddess to make another look more powerful - they don’t need it.

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Clouds by Frederic Edwin Church

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by Jezael Melgoza

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Here’s my devotional playlist for Aphrodite, Areia & Ura’nia.  The playlist is forever a work in progress!! I like to add songs that remind me of Aphrodite, the many different facets of love and lust, and her influence on them. ___________________________ Favorite Tracks:

Strange Brew - Cream Alrighty Aphrodite - Peach Pit Valentina - Serena Isioma  Pretty Girls Make Graves - The Smiths In Lust We Trust - Steve Lacy

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Rose Quartz Collection | by therosequartzgoddess

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