The Goddess Way: Ancient Stories for Modern Hearts
Judith Shaw both paints and writes about the Goddess, great symbol of life, death and the natural world. For the past few years she has focused on the Celtic Goddesses, whose stories are explored here in The Goddess Way.
Rosmerta, The Great Provider
Rosmerta, a goddess loved by both Celtic and Roman Gauls, was known as the Great Provider. A goddess of fertility and wealth, she was worshiped in southwestern Britain, Gaul, and along the Rhone and the Rhine rivers. Sheis a good goddess to remember and to honor during the harvest season.
Divinatory Meaning
Abundance, fertility, healing. Call on Rosmerta for help with material well-being - finding a job, sales for your business, a raise at your job, and financial investments are all within Rosmerta’s domain. A bountiful harvest is also provided by Rosmerta’s influence with Mother Earth.
Her Story
After the region was conquered by Rome, Rosmerta was incorporated into the Roman pantheon, becoming associated with Mercury. Though she has been called Mercury’s consort there is no evidence that this was the nature of their relationship. She survived into the Roman era as a powerful goddess in her own right, being depicted alone many times. Alone and with Mercury, she carried a cornucopia and a basket of fruit, symbols of abundance. A giving goddess, she was often shown with a paetera - a bowl for offerings - and with a ladle or scepter.
Rosmerta is often pictured with a unique attribute which has been difficult to decipher. Marian Green suggests that this attribute is a butter churn. In lands where cattle is wealth, one would expect milk to be an important part of both the economy and religious ritual. It is not hard to imagine a link between Rosmerta’s butter churn and the magic cauldrons found so often in Celtic mythology, since both are sources of plenty and transformation.
The butter churn/cauldron seen with Rosmerta could also indicate her ancient origins as a goddess of death and rebirth. In addition she is sometimes seen with the Greco-Roman goddess Fortuna. One image shows them both holding a torch. Fortuna’s torch is held upright whereas Rosmerta’s points down, indicating death and the Otherworld.
Rosmerta as a healing goddess was often depicted with the caduceus - Mercury’s wand with two entwined snakes, associated with healing. A bronze statue of her from Haute-Savoie, a region in the Rhône-Alpes area of eastern France, shows her sitting on a rock holding a purse, with the wings of Mercury on her head. It seems that Rosmerta was able, not only to share, but to appropriate Mercury’s powers.
Both Rosmerta and Mercury were associated with rivers, making them the favorites of merchants and traders.
Rosmerta, with her powers of fertility, abundance and healing, is a perfect ally as we seek a world of harmony and abundance for all.
To view Judith's 34 card deck of Celtic Goddess Oracle cards visit her Etsy shop - http://etsy.me/2EG289
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