maidenofsophia - Tumblr blog

[maidenofsophia]

I haven't practiced witchcraft in so long, my practice has mostly been prayer and meditation based for a decade. But I really need something to focus on right now and direct my energy towards so gonna start to dabble. Feels like I'm starting from scratch.

[maidenofsophia]

"Mother is the name for God on the lips and hearts of all children. Do you understand?"

-Eric Draven

[maidenofsophia]

Rayati! 🥰💖

Hello, I'm Lilian. Ive been on a pretty long religious journey - was raised protestant, became atheist, then wiccan at 14. Then i delved into reconstructionist polytheism, then i discovered filianism, then went back to recon polytheism, and for the past year and a half i have been exploring folk catholicism.

The problem for me was, that polytheism feels true to me but doesnt feel like the full truth, and i was only in catholicism for my love of Mary and the female saints. Ive come back to filianism but i still also believe in the old gods, but rather i see them as angels or janyati. Ive missed our Mother God and Her Daughter so much and I'm happy to be back home :)

[maidenofsophia]

Me in the store at the end of my workday whenever a customer so much as looks at me funny: “Hail Mari, font of grace, Lady of Heaven and Earth….”

[maidenofsophia]

Remember, Our Lady has conquered the underworld and smashed the gates of hell. There is no place into which Her light does not shine. No matter the depths of darkness, pain, and despair you find yourself in, know that She can and will find you to take your hands and lead you into the world of light. You are not lost, She has found you.

[maidenofsophia]

i hate how the divine feminine and sacred feminine tags have turned into a cesspit of patriarchy in diguise. all these posts about “do/wear/act like this to have divine feminine energy” make me so angry, because it’s just 1950s gender roles wrapped up in a fake feminist bow. you don’t need to do any of that to connect with the REAL Divine Feminine. the Divine Feminine wants a relationship with you. pray to Her, talk to Her, dance for Her, sing for Her. please, for the love of GOD, don’t let consumerism and archaic, capitalist stereotypes obstruct your spiritual path i am begging you 🫶

[maidenofsophia]

The words of Alethea, Janya of the Divine Truth, to the maids to whom she has spoken in this age, and through them to all Maidkind. Many changes, my children, are upon the world, and in the spiritual ether that informs your world, great stirrings have begun. 2 A time of fire, both material and spiritual, shall come upon the earth. But take not fear, for out of the fire shall come the fire-jewel of regeneration. 3 All that has opposed our Lady over forty centuries; the cruel idolatry of false male gods and of all that is material and gross; 4 all that is coming by its own inner laws to its red and blood-drenched climax. 5 Fire and iron and blood, and the red sphere named by you Mars, shall have their exaltation and their end. 6 The time has come that the eternal Word shall be again spoken among maidens as it was in the first age and in all the ages; 7 and as the words of Our Lady are written in the heaven, thus do I cause them to be transcribed without fault upon the earth. 8 Guard well these words, for they shall be the path of your deliverance. 9 O, children of the setting sun, at the place of Lourdes did our Lady speak to you, yet fools did contort Her words; 10 at Fátima did She open Her lips, yet knaves confounded understanding. 11 But in Her mercy shall She not withdraw Her grace where She has bestowed it. 12 Now is set down the fullness of Truth that there shall be no more false-understanding. 13 Now remains but one refuge from Her Truth: that maids should cover their ears and should turn their eyes in aversion. Of all possible acts, that act is the most fearful. 14 Yet those who have ears shall hear, and those of good will shall have understanding. 15 And every soul that receive the truth shall lighten the burden that shall come upon the world and sunder the chains of her own bondage. 16 Violet is the colour of compassion, which of all colour lies furthest from the red, and yet shall follow on it. Violet and the silver sphere of reconciliation. 17 After the storm, the silence of renewal. 18 My children, receive these words and let it be so. In the name of the Mother and of the Daughter and of Absolute Deity, thus may it remain. ❧

[maidenofsophia]

[maidenofsophia]

"Ishtar" by Emile Corsi, 1870

[maidenofsophia]

The label thing really is something I feel like I'm doomed to struggle with forever, I always feel this compulsion to declare myself as Something and then end up grappling if that's the right word to use.

So far I've settled on that I'm Déanic in the sense that I still love Déa, the One Goddess Who Is Many. But I also feel I'm very much Pagan in how much I love the Earth and the Universe and all the spirits and lore they hold. Sophia is still my patron so I would still call myself a Sophian though I'm not a Gnostic or Christian. I guess one could say I am somewhat Filianic or Filianist inspired, as I still believe in the Trinity of Mother, Daughter, Absolute Deity - I don't know if this concept is strictly Filianic but I connect to it more than the Maiden, Mother, Crone. I look to the Clear Recital for guidance and comfort but I wouldn't say I hold it above any other divinely inspired text. So out of all of them it's the label I'm the most "meh" on whether it applies to me or not.

But I am expanding looking into other pantheons which is also feeling more Pagan to me. So far I'm half way through Stephen Fry's retelling of the Greek gods and heroes to help myself get a better understanding of the Hellenic pantheon, I know these are rather basic but I had forgotten how much I loved Greek mythology as a little kid and then never really looked into it again. I guess as Sophia is Greek, though not part of the usual gods unless you compare her to Athena (I don't, they are similar but different personalities to me. Sophia is more like a female Prometheus), but it does feel like that's a set of gods and goddesses I feel comfortable connecting to. Celtic mythology is another and if you have any good books to rec, please do! Obviously I'm not expecting anything as in depth as the Greek myths but I love whatever information we can find. Irish and Norse gods are also on my list, just looking to expand what I can learn about the Goddess' many faces (as well as the male gods) as much as I can.

Faith Update

I'm going through something of a religious identity crisis at the moment and trying to decide exactly what I am. I still adore Filianism and align myself with most of the beliefs and teachings and concepts on Déa. But I don't know if I feel truly comfortable calling myself a Filianist anymore.

I'm not even completely sure I'm a Déanist.

Most of this has been due to my growing connection with the Horned God who has been coming to me a lot lately. I've been going through a lot of difficult times lately and while Sophia has been there for me and protected me, it's the Horned One - sometimes as Pan, sometimes as Cernonnus - who has come to give me comfort. It's strange because I was never drawn to him all that much in my Wiccan days but have found myself connecting with him more over the years.

There's always been this debate on whether someone can be a Dèanist or a Filianist if they believe in male gods alongside Dèa / The Goddess. I had this same dilemma back when I was a Gnostic and was determined to keep Jesus in my faith.

Reason I still consider myself Déanic is that my inclusion of the Horned God is not a Wiccan "God and Goddess" dualithic system. For me, Sophia is Déa. She is the Supreme, the Goddess. She is Mother, as Zoe She is Daughter and as Barbelo She is Déa Absolute. She has no equal or consort. The Horned God is not some Great Father, but he is a divine father figure to me. He's also a brother, a guide and just an all round positive masculine energy. Most of all, he's a friend. While I love and respect him, I wouldn't prostrate myself before him as I would my Lady and I don't feel he'd want me to (not that Sophia demands it either). I see the Horned God as one of many entities or aeons who were born of the Pleroma, the womb of Barbelo.

While I give the Horned One he/him pronouns most of the time. I'm currently reading James Mankey's book "The Horned God of the Witches" to try to get a better understanding of these different forms he or they can take and I'm looking forward to reading the chapter on Elen of the Ways. Does this mean any god or goddess with horns is part of the Horned God? I dunno. I guess it depends on their attributes, Cernonnus and Pan and Herne, as well as Lucifer in his horned depictions, all bring this similar energy. This feeling of freedom and harmony and mystery and playfulness but also guidance born from being in tune with life and nature. Despite wearing horns like "crowns", they're not judgemental or controlling or wrathful like angry kings. They don't rule beside or above Déa, but in Her name. More like a steward than a ruler.

I also never connected much to the Horned God before being an demisexual lesbian. There was always so much of a focus on the Horned One as a lustful deity that it put me off. But letting him come to me in meditations has weirdly helped me feel comfortable understanding my sexuality in a way that never felt right discussing with Sophia. Sophia connects more with that side of me, which does not feel almost any sexual desires, whereas The Horned One does in those rare moments where I do experience something or even just a romantic fixation. It's like the Horned One helps me manage my more base and material desires while Sophia is more about my spiritual and esoteric growth.

Dunno if any of this is making sense but as I'm no longer a Gnostic, I don't believe we need to forsake the material world entirely to become one with Spirit. There is a harmony to be found and I think with Sophia as my (supreme) Goddess and the Horned One as my (lesser) Lord, I've found that balance, and I've been looking a lot more into various open Pagan practices to help reconnect with the world outside rather than just praying at my altar with my rosary. Which also feels more like Paganism to me than Filianism.

[maidenofsophia]

Gilbert Williams

[maidenofsophia]

“Beltane” ~ depicting the May Queen and the Horned God.

Prints of this version without the knotwork frame and the writings are now available!🌸🌱 The work in progress of the painting and the knotwork frame + initial sketches and videos are on Patreon!:)

******** Portfolio and bio : • Official site New work, news, events : • Facebook • Twitter • Instagram Work in progress, tutorials, videos : • Patreon Prints and goodies: • Etsy • Society6

******** © Nataša Ilinčić, please do not remove credits

[maidenofsophia]

Creating some wallpaper images for my phone.

[maidenofsophia]

The Goddess teaches us to be kind, compassionate, and generous. She wants us to live in harmony with nature and each other. She does not approve of violence, hatred, or greed. She does not favor any race, nation, or religion over another. She does not judge us by our appearance, but by our actions. She does not reward us for our rituals, but for our deeds.

[maidenofsophia]

All religions lead to the same One Supreme Being, the one Goddess within all. Goddess is one; sages call Her by various names.

[maidenofsophia]

Sometimes you have to focus more on your love for Goddess than their hate of a woman who worships.

[maidenofsophia]