Do you feel a connection with Mother Earth? Are you curious to know more about deities since you are looking for one to establish a deep connection? You definitely have to read this article.

Today we are going to learn everything about Gaia, its history, its myth and how to honor it.

Who is Gaia?

Gea (γῆ in ancient Greek, also called Gaea in Ionic Greek) is a goddess of Greek mythology. Specifically, it was the primary goddess, the goddess of the earth. Gea was the mother of Cronos y Rea, who in turn generated all the first gods of Olympus (Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Estí, Hadesdemeter) of the Titans and then other Olympic gods using the aquatic elements. Gea also generated the cyclops with Uranus.

The mother of the earth, the origin of the world, is present to some extent in all the ancestral mythologies of the human being. The earth, Gaia, joined Uranus, heaven, and generated all the other gods of the face of the earth.

Hesiod, author of the famous theogony, argues that before Gea there was only chaos, which symbolized confusion, the primordial union at all. As a former Greek anthem says, Gea was «the mother of all living beings.»

«Gaia I will sing, the universal, very old mother, who nourishes all beings, those who live on earth; those who walk, to those who are in the sea and those who fly, everyone feeds on the abundance you grant.

Thanks to you, men are fertile in children and rich in crops, «says the old anthem. Gaia’s cult was deeply rooted in ancient times. As civilization progressed, it became increasingly generic and less defined.

Origins and myth of Gaia

If we analyze world mythology, we can find surprising similarities between the cultures farther and the closest. The myths of creation are very similar to each other and see a primary deity that emerges from chaos to start the creation process.

For the ancient Greeks, Gea was one of the first deities.

Who is the goddess Gaia: a different version of the myth

There are different versions about the birth of Gaia. A version states that Gea simply arose from chaos, while other versions report that Gea was born from Hydros (Hidro), the primary god of the waters. Other versions believe that it descended from Aiteria (Luz) and Sistema (day), and the Protogene (primordial gods). Gea is the personification of the earth.

According to Hesiod, a former Greek poet, the goddess gave birth to Ouranos (Uranus), the god of heaven. Next, he also gave birth to the mountains, which were divine personifications, and Ponto, the mythological personification of the sea. Thus, it resulted in the existence of the basic structure of the world. Hesiod writes about Gea, describing it like this: «[…] Width chest, sure foundation of everything forever. «According to other poets, it was the supreme mother and the source of all the fertility of nature.

Therefore, it was not only the physical incarnation of the earth, but its true essence. The archaeological documentation indicates that the cult of Gea preceded that of the gods of Olympus. Before the gods of Olympus were widely venerated, a female deity of the earth, known as Tellus, was widely venerated in some parts of the Mediterranean. It continued to venerate even after the creation of a pantheon of new gods. Probably, Gea descends from this goddess.

In ancient Greek mythology, Gea gave birth to Uranus, who was not only her son, but also her husband. They had numerous children, many of them monstrous appearance and character. His firstborn were the featchiri (hundred-hamos)-monsters with 100 arms and 50 heads each-and the cílopes (according to some versions), Arges, Bronte (thunder) and Esterope (Rayo). However, not all your children are monstrous beings.

It is said that she was the mother of the beautiful Nymph Dafne, who caught Apollo’s attention. His most famous children, however, are the twelve Titans, who became the first gods of ancient Greece: ocean, tetis, hyperion, teia, songs, rea, mnemosine, iapeto, ceo, crio, febe and crons.

Gea and Zeus according to mythology

Gaia played a fundamental role in her husband’s dethroning. Uranus had buried his children (in one of the versions) in the depths of Gea’s belly, causing considerable pain to the latter. Gaia then encouraged his youngest son, Cronos … to challenge his father, while the others refused.

She herself created a scythe from her own body and told her son to hold her. When Uranus got off (at night) to make love with his wife, Cronos threw himself with the scythe on him and castrated him, becoming the new lord of heaven.

Gea’s cult never happened to the background like her husband’s. It is present in many myths, such as the overthrow of Cronos by his son Zeus, among others. Throughout Greece and the Middle East, there was still venerating and there are archaeological evidence of the cult of Gea and Zeus in Crete, Dodona and Sparta.

When studying the myths and legends related to this mythological figure, we can see that Gea was the «great mother» of the gods; Without it, the ancient Greeks would have not had any God to worship. She was the basis of the cosmos and the very foundation of the religious system and Greek beliefs.

Gaia as archetype of femininity

The cult of Mother Earth as she looks is very old.

In all ancient cultures that were originally matriarchal, there are the same symbolic connections based on female fertility, the union of opposites, the life / death / life cycle, the magical circle.

Often the myths, rites and religions of primitive humanity based its principles on the symbolic formula: woman = body = vessel = world, where the respect in the matriarchal era by the female figure, at the base of the religious practices destined to the worship of the great mother.

To better understand the strength of this archetype, we can think of the figure of Pachamama, revered by the South American peoples of the Andes, whose cult includes respect, love and care of the earth, how to sing in his honor while working the earth. Seeds are sown and food is collected, sometimes to bury them next to a piece of earth or wood as an offering.

This archetype, therefore, represents universal love, not egocentric love, because it is rooted and is aware of the life / death / life cycle. It is present in us when we are attracted to a universal bond, much more powerful than any human bond, when we feel the impulse of rooting ourselves in the body and, through it, root ourselves on earth.

It is the archetype thanks to which we return to nature and feed our link with the universal principle.

For me, it is a very important archetype, thanks to which I never felt alone, but I started to «feel» part of the whole.

What is goddess Gaia?

She is a goddess of the earth, mother of all creation.

How do you know what Gaia is calling you?

• If you feel that your femininity takes over you
• When you feel the need to fight for women’s rights
• When you feel attracted by all the things of nature
• When you feel connected to the earth

Related:
List of the 5 deities associated with the Earth [Con relatos].
3 deities to connect with nature [Cómo acercarse a ellas].

The best ways to connect with Gaia

• Take time in nature
• Green magic practice
• Meditate
• Do something to honor your femininity

How do you honor Gaia?

To experience this beautiful archetype and let yourself be flooded by the force of nature, to rediscover the connection with your body and cyclicity, I recommend that you dedicate yourself to any activity related to the nature and work of the earth.

What are Gaia’s favorite offers?

Gaia’s favorite offers are apples and apple trees.

Why the apple?

The Golden Apple orchard of Era is the garden of the Hesperides in mythology. The consumption of a golden apple of this special garden translates into immortality. Hera received the original apple branches of Gea, the primal deity and mother of a lifetime, as a wedding gift when she married Zeus.

You can also offer barley and honey, leaving them on earth to show your gratitude and gratitude for their fertility towards Earth.

Prayer for Gaia

«Gaia, mother earth
I honor your ancestral energy
I honor your roots
Anchor me
I connect with you
I feel that the connection seizes me
Your gifts surround me
They harvest them on behalf of gratitude and loving consciousness
Bless my life with your magic, your energy and your beautiful gifts.
So it is «

What are Gaia’s symbols?

The new symbol, widely used by various environmental/esoteric movements, tends to highlight the generating force of the earth with the spiral, a symbol of change, placed in correspondence with the female belly.

Also read:
10 adorable friendship symbols and how to use them
The most powerful Wiccana love symbols [Y Cómo Usarlos]

My favorite books about Gaia

Gaia: A new look at life on Earth (Oxford Landmark Science) – James Lovelock