Memories of Malia by Anique Radiant Heart

The Grandmothers Whispered in my Heart     

When I was in Crete in 2004, I was 56 at the time and newly a Grandmother, and as I was walking the ancient sacred ruins of Malia, I heard the Grandmothers whisper in my heart. They said: 

We are here

We are whole 

We are you 

We are Goddess    

That night in my hotel room, I wrote a chant to the Grandmothers, and sang to them as I visited many sacred places in Crete. It’s now a full song on my latest CD "LIVING THE GODDESS". I sang to them of Her mysteries in the deep caves, they sang back to me on the wind in the quietude the yoni-like gorges, they quenched my thirst for connectedness at sacred wells, and manifested as living shadows in the amazing tombs. The temple sites and the land itself, resonant with feminine power, healed and transformed me, and for ever changed how I feel about myself and women.    

They often manifested as real Grandmothers, who happened to come across my path at the most unexpected moments. One afternoon as I wandered around a tiny village with the most fabulous bougainvillea I have ever seen - the colors were unbelievable; I passed an ancient Grandmother sitting quietly in her garden. Something made me stop, and as I smiled at her I bowed slightly. Something about her peaceful face and elegant simple way of sitting quietly stopped me in my tracks. She waved me over and I entered the tiny yard filled to the brim with flowers and vegetable, all interspersed in a wild expression of joy. She offered me a glass of water, and I sat down with a broad smile. For 3 hours, in the ancient way of women, with no common language except a few words I had accumulated and my dictionary, a lot of gestures and facial expressions, and some deeply satisfying silences in between, we shared as women have since time out of mind. I found out she had a daughter and 2 grandsons - she showed me their pictures. I found out she was a herbalist and a witch - she was very proud of that She also told me of her grandmother who was a Priestess of the Bee, and held the secrets of using honey for medicinal and contraceptive purposes. And much, much, more.   

Archeological and historical testimony confirms a human presence on Crete for at least 8000 years. For at least 6 thousand of those years, the people of Crete worshipped the Great Mother, a Goddess they made many figurines of, which have been found not only in Crete but throughout the Eastern Mediterranean. One of the first places I visited when I arrived in Herakleion, which is the largest town in Crete and is the main point of entry by sea or by air, was the museum. I ended up spending 3 days there. The building which is quite large is full to the brim with artifacts from the Goddess period in Crete - the Minoan period. I cannot begin to tell you how it felt to stand before the glass case containing the Snake Goddess - the small sculpture of a woman in Priestess garb holding up her arms with a snake writhing in each hand. This sculpture had been one of the first icons of the Goddess that I had been exposed to 30 years ago. Her proud stance and bared breasts thrilled me when I first saw her. Here was a woman of power, beauty and authority - and she was 7000 years old!! Surely that meant that women were exactly like that in those days and were revered for it. Back then in my thirties, at the beginning of my journey with feminism and the Goddess, it was heady stuff!    

In another chamber I found an exquisite libation vessel made of crystal - lots of beautiful quartz crystal pieces had been fused together to create a vessel with a pointed bottom and a large handle. These vessels were created especially for carrying by Priestesses of the Goddess as they processed to Her altar to pour libations of milk, honey and sacred olive oil. As I looked at this gorgeous work of art that has survived thousands of years, I was transported back to the Temple at Zakros, where it had been found, and I was one of the Priestesses walking in deep trance and reverence to the Shrine of the Mother to pour my gratitude at her feet. My heart expanded and the Grandmothers whispered in my heart again "We are whole, we are here, we are you, we are Goddess". I closed my eyes and held my hands in front of me as if I were holding the vessel and sang quietly back. When I opened my eyes a few curious tourists had formed a small circle around me and smiled at me in appreciation. The Grandmothers knew what they were doing…………   

Visiting the sites was thrilling. At the Palace of Knossos - in my opinion wrongly named as a palace as it is so obviously a temple site with all the accompanying buildings that serves a temple - I was astounded at the sheer size and magnitude of the architecture. Complex plumbing and many layered floors of rooms and chambers told of a grand complex built to honor a female "queen" or Goddess. Try as the male historians/archeologists may, they cannot change the fact that the first palace/ temple was originally built 2000 years ago, over even older Neolithic ruins. The original artwork found in the "throne room" of the Queen (now in the museum) clearly shows lines of young worshippers in procession towards a queen or Priestess. The "throne" is flanked by a griffin on either side. This symbolism can be found in many Goddess loving cultures as a sign that the deity being honored is a Goddess.    

But it was at Malia that the Goddess and the Grandmothers connected with me most powerfully. Malia is a huge temple complex and town. Seen from the air, it looks like a small country town in Australia where perhaps 15,000 people live. The complex, which is a well preserved ruin, with clearly delineated streets, buildings, rooms within buildings etc……was one of the most culturally advance cities that flourished in the second millennium BC along with Knossos, Phaestos, Zakros and Gournia as well as others. At Malia, more than anywhere else, the city planning organization of a Minoan city-temple complex can be studied. Malia was so large that it was actually divided into several centers, what we may call suburbs today. At the area defined as Chrysolakkos,which is in the north, were the tombs or cemeteries. The main building, built with hewn ironstones, is divided into many small tombs, which could be reached only from above and were covered with slabs of stone. As I walked these ancient ruins I was reminded of the Neolithic long barrows in SW England and once again marveled at the similar customs observed by Goddess loving peoples all over this planet. It was here that libation vessels in the shape of the Goddess were found, also a round altar and much gold jewelry which would have been worn by Priestesses. The most important was the discovery of the gold necklace and amulet in the form of two bees storing a drop of honey in a comb. In many Goddess loving cultures, the bee was a symbol for the Goddess. Her priestesses knew the ancient healing properties of honey and also how to brew the honey into a birth control potion. The real life Grandmother I met in a little village not far from Malia told me of her grandmother who had been a Priestess of the Bee Goddess.    

Everywhere, the double axe, long a symbol of feminine power and adopted by lesbians the world over as a symbol of identity, is found in artwork, as sculpture and also in jewelry shops. Gold axes in all shapes and sizes can be bought all over Crete. The Snake Goddess as well as the Bee Goddess also comes as pendants, earrings and rings - always in gold. I found a beautiful Bee Goddess and bought her with the birthday money I had been saving until I found something I really wanted. Now, I only have to put her on and I am transported back to Crete in my heart. 

Crete is a place where the Goddess is alive and well! Abundance is manifest everywhere. I ate carob pods straight from the trees and savored the sweet chocolaty taste. I picked olives from the trees, black and bitter and washed them down with good Cretan beer. At the tavernas and eateries, food is cheap and abundant. And a friendly smile and light conversation will bring unheard of generosity in the form of home made wine ("Just for you!!") freshly caught fish that day (You lika to eat, so I cooka for you!!) and an impromptu song or two will buy you a whole meal. I had a wonderful experience one day when I began a conversation with a small family eating in a taverna. They saw I was on my own and invited me to share their table. I agreed, and when they asked me what I did for a living, I told them I was a sacred singer. Of course they did not believe me and wanted me to prove it. So I sang a verse of "SHE CHANGES EVERYTHING SHE TOUCHES" - my version of course. They listened seriously and clapped somberly. I was confused; usually my singing is met with wild appreciation. Then I understood, they wanted something they knew. So I launched into a rousing English version of "NEVER ON SUNDAY". The faces creased into broad smiles, hands clapped and men danced as I sang on and on encouraged by their pleasure. Then I launched into "LA VIE EN ROSE" and then "JE NE REGRETTE RIEN". But they wanted more of "NEVER ON SUNDAY" so off we went again!! The whole taverna was rocking by the time I finished. When it was almost dark, I rose to leave and pay my bill, but the taverna owner, a Grandmother herself, refused payment - not only for me but for the whole family!!! And we had had quite a feast of food and drink I can assure you. She gave me a huge hug and told me in Cretan "You have brightened my whole year!!"    

Anique Radiant Heart 

Herwill Creations 

5 Unicomb Close 

Rutherford 2

www.invokingthegoddess.com320

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