Pallas Athena

Pallas Athena, the Great Mother Goddess

Pallas Athena is the representative of the world’s highest all-triumphant force, one of the most esteemed Goddesses of ancient Greece and one who is among the twelve great Olympian Gods. She was worshiped as the Goddess of knowledge, art, and the crafts, a warrior maiden, and a patroness of cities and states, sciences, and skill, intelligence, and a knack for ingenuity.

The image of Pallas Athena attracts the genuine interest of many researchers who argue about the sacred meaning of the myths of her deeds, her name, and her attributes.

Athena stands out from the rest of the Greek pantheon. Unlike other female deities, she is dressed in armor, holds a spear in her hand, and is accompanied by sacred animals.

The traditional attributes of her image are:

· a helmet (usually Corinthian – with a high crest)

· an aegis (a shield) covered with a goatskin and decorated with the head of Medusa the Gorgon

· the Goddess Nike as an escort

· an olive, a sacred tree of the ancient Greeks

· an owl

· a snake

What are the meanings of these attributes?

A helmet and a shield — Since Athena is a warrior maiden, these traditional military symbols were interpreted by many people as a symbols of equality between men and women as well as a symbol of craftsmanship in the art of war, as Athena is the goddess of just war.

Nike — The winged Goddess of Victory in ancient Greek mythology often accompanies Pallas Athena as a symbol of successful results and a fortunate outcome of something.

An olive — This sacred tree is a symbol of wisdom. Neo-Platonist Porphyry provides an interpretation of the symbolism of the tree: “... an olive, a symbol of wisdom … The olive is the plant of Athena, and Athena is wisdom. ... Being ever-flourishing, an olive possesses a certain peculiarity in the highest degree adapted to the evolutions of souls in the world ... For in summer the white leaves of the olive tend upwards, but in winter the whiter leaves are bent downward. On this account also in prayers and supplications, men extend the branches of an olive, hoping that they shall exchange the sorrowful darkness of danger for the fair light of security and peace… Thus, too, the world is governed by an intellectual nature, and is conducted by a wisdom eternal and ever-flourishing; by which the rewards of victory are conferred on the conquerors in the athletic race of life, as the reward of severe toil and patient perseverance.” ^[1]

An owl — In ancient Greek mythology an owl is a symbol of wisdom and knowledge since the natural behavior of the bird reminded the Hellenes of the lifestyle of philosophers seeking solitude, and also the ability of an owl to see in the darkness symbolized discernment.

A snake — is a traditional symbol of wisdom.

Pallas Athena appears to heroes in ancient Greek myths and helps them to perform great feats. Who are the heroes? She helped Perseus to defeat Medusa the Gorgon, and also helped Cadmus to defeat the dragon and become the king of Thebes. It was the warrior maiden who became the patroness of Hercules and helped him in his exploits many times. Athena also patronizes the heroes of the Iliad and the Odyssey. There are many such examples in the Greek mythology.

Who are heroes? The word “hero” literally means “a valiant man, a leader” in ancient Greek. The decisive word here is “a leader,” the one who leads others, and you will agree that no matter how lucky and brave a ruler may be, if he is deprived of wisdom then many of his initiatives will be doomed to failure. A wise man is guided by thought, not the chaotic thoughts as often happens in our daily lives but rather by those thoughts based on love, that is, deified thought. “Man must know how to control his thoughts.”^[2]

Let us turn to the legend of the birth of the warrior Goddess.

Her birth was unusual. The most common version is told in “Theogony” by Hesiod, which states that the father of Athena was Zeus — the king of the Olympian Gods, who rules the world, and her mother — Metis (Mêtieta), who embodied wisdom and was the first wife of Zeus in ancient Greek mythology.

Uranus (God of Heaven) and Gaia (Goddess of the Earth) predicted for Zeus that his wife would bear a child who would overthrow Zeus. To prevent this, when Metis got pregnant, Zeus lulled her with honeyed words and then swallowed her. For this reason, Athena was born on the third day from Zeus`s head, combining the wisdom of her father and mother. Hephaestus, the God of Fire, and Prometheus, one of the Titans and the defender of people, helped her to be born. Hephaestus hit the head of Zeus with a hammer and Prometheus (his name literally means “forethought” or “foresight”) helped to deliver Athena.

But what is the legend in allegorical terms?

Here is what Herodotus writes in his historical anthology: “These are the customs, which the Persians practice… it is their wont to perform sacrifices to Zeus going up to the most lofty of the mountains, and the whole circle of the heavens they call Zeus.”^[3] That is, Herodotus associated the Persian God Ahura Mazda with Zeus, the ancient Greek father of gods.

The book The Masters and Their Retreats by Mark and Elizabeth Clare Prophet ^[4]says: “The ascended masters teach that the supreme God of Zoroastrianism, Ahura Mazda, is Sanat Kumara. Ahura Mazda means ‘Wise Lord’ or ‘Lord who bestows intelligence.’ ”

In other words, Zeus (Ahura Mazda or Sanat Kumara) is the God of Reason who, when combined with Wisdom (Metis), created the daughter Pallas Athena.

Now, such an unusual birth of the Goddess seems strange to us. However, in the book The Secret Doctrine by H. P. Blavatsky,^[5] and in particular the fragments of the Book of Dzyan states: “... the Will-Born Lords, propelled by the Spirit of life-giving...”

This is the interpretation which is given in the book by Tatyana N. Mickushina on this subject: “The authors of The Secret Doctrine provide an understanding of hoe humanity developed... In various ancient teachings... mention is made of the Supreme Spirits ... who are “first-begotten” by Brahma — born by Mind.”^[6]

In other words, the thought was a fundamental principle of all things and the Higher Beings or Spirits were originally born with the help of its life-giving power.

Hence, we can conclude that Pallas Athena is the embodiment of the Divine thought and the Divine Will or spatial thought. We know that thought is energy and Agni Yoga states that “of all creative energies, thought remains supreme,” thus the ancient Greeks venerated the goddess who stands next to Zeus. “Even earthly thought can move solid objects — hence one can imagine the scope of the creative power of thought of the Higher World!”^[7]

Pallas Athena is involved in a variety of activities. She is not only a warrior Goddess, but also a patroness of the crafts, art, and cities; she is a healer, a soothsayer, and a weaver. She is everywhere and in everything that requires the presence of thought.

If we remember that it is not for nothing that the legends were given to people, then we can imagine what enormous cosmic power Goddess Athena was endowed with, as she combines the wisdom of Metis, the strength of fire of Hephaestus, and the foresight power of Prometheus. “The Cosmic Breath is the Fire of Space. All cosmic manifestations are permeated with Fire and human thought …is Fire.”^[8]

Pallas Athena was given a variety of names and epithets that revealed the missions of the goddess and help people to understand her significance. These are some of the names of Goddess Athena which embody the Divine Wisdom in one way or another: Areia (deliveress), Bulaya (adviser), Aglavra (light and aerial), Polias (city protector), and Ergane (craftsman).

For example, Homer used the epithet “Glaukopis” (Greek:), meaning owl-eyed or bright-eyed. Indeed, the descriptions often emphasize the big, shining eyes of the Goddess. Even the little things symbolically encrypted in ancient legends contain great Wisdom: “The fire… can be perceived only through the eyes. Words cannot express it, writings cannot express it, for its flame is within the thought that is not expressed in the physical shell. Only the lens of the eye can transmit the sparks of highest thought. Certain eyes can discern the sparks of the cosmic rays that the crude sight will think is simply the light of the sun.”^[9]

It is not surprising that for the ancient Greeks the importance of Athena was considered equal with Zeus and sometimes even surpassed him.

Let us pay some attention to the most famous second name of the Goddess — Pallas. According to a legend, Athena received her second name when she defeated the goat-like flying giant Pallant, who wanted to commit violence against Athena when the Titans rebelled against the gods. But the Goddess crushed the giant, tore off his skin, and made it into her shield.

If we decode this allegory, we get the following interpretation:

Inside of a person, the spiritual world and the physical world come together. When a person manifests the Divine world through himself, he becomes god-like, and when he abandons God, immersing into the matter more and more, he becomes beast-like. That is why, in ancient legends (not only in Greek) the half-humans - half-beasts are most often depicted as wild, malicious creatures, who cannot control themselves and bring destruction. For example, recall the well-known legends of centaurs or werewolves. That is why the victory over the animal or carnal part of ourselves, elevates these creatures (for example, the wise centaur Chiron — the teacher of the heroes). Therefore, allegorically Athena`s victory over the giant with animal features was a victory over the lowest matter and its use was in the Divine order.

As a result, according to Russian philosopher and philologist A. F. Losev, Athena and all of her accomplishments are as if they were a direct continuation of Zeus. She is a performer of his plans and his will; she is his thought, manifested in action. She is a fate and the Great Mother Goddess known in archaic mythology as the mother and the destroyer of all living things.

Professor Shelomentseva Z. S. wrote on the sacred value of Pallas Athena in the essay “Athena-Sofia-Menfra”: “Goddess on Earth, carrying the Divinity into our world as the Divine Grace. She was allowed by God to bear not only the Wisdom of the Father, but also His plan for our earthy world. She acts as the ideologist of the Divine Wisdom, and as a theorist, leader, and organizer. She is the Goddess of wisdom, the crafts, just war, and when necessary she joins battle expressing by her armors a constant readiness to defend the Truth.”^[10]

Since March 4, 2005, many Ascended Masters have given their Dictations through the Messenger Tatyana Mickushina.^[11] Here are a few fragments from the Dictations of Pallas Athena:

“...the entire world is a gift of God for you, for your souls, in order to help them develop and get to know themselves and the surrounding world.”

(Pallas Athena, June 23, 2014)

“The coming age will breathe life into fine arts. The new generation will aspire to the manifestation of the patterns of the Divine world in the physical plane. And no matter how the past will resist, its time is up. The new consciousness, new relationships and the new world are coming!”

(Pallas Athena, December 28, 2011)

“There are no shows and pleasures of your world which can substitute for the co-creation with nature, elementals, and God, for your soul. The human was born for creation, and in this way he is similar to God, but not to constantly receive endless pleasures from life.”

(Pallas Athena, June 14, 2010)

Today, hardly anyone reveres Pallas Athena as the Goddess of Truth and the Divine Wisdom. However, she still stands guard over this world. Therefore, I would like to conclude this article with a poem[12] dedicated to her.

Article by E.G. Zhurkova

References:

[1] Porphyry, “On the Cave of the Nymphs in the Thirteenth Book of the Odyssey.” (English translation from Greek by T. Taylor, 1917). Available at: http://www.tertullian.org/fathers/porphyry_cave_of_nymphs_02_translation.htm (1917), English translation.

[2] Agni Yoga: “Supermundane, The Inner Life”, Book III, §647. Available from the Agni Yoga Society, Inc. at: http://www.agniyoga.org/ay_frame.html?app_id=AY

[3] Herodotus. The History, in nine books. Book 1, §131. (English translation from Greek by G. Macaulay). Available at: http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/ancient-Greece/herodotus/default.asp

[4] Mark L. Prophet and Elizabeth Clare Prophet. The Masters and Their Retreats, Corwin Springs, Montana: Summit University Press, 2003.

[5] Helena P. Blavatsky. The Secret Doctrine: the Synthesis of Science, Religion, and Philosophy. London: The Theosophical Publishing Company, 1888.

[6] Tatyana N. Mickushina. Good and Evil, An individual interpretation of “The Secret Doctrine” by Helena P. Blavatsky. Available from Amazon.com/author/tatyana_mickushina

[10] Shelomentseva Z. S. “Athena-Sofia-Menfra”. Philosophical and cultural essay.

[11] Dictations are available on the websites http://sirius-eng.net (English version) and http://sirius-ru.net (Russian version).