From The Goddess Companion April 12
Into her secret chamber the goddess Hera went
to dress her sacred beauty. To her hand only
opened the golden lock her son had made,
the doors unfolding like a flower at her touch.
She bathed herself in luxury and fragrant oil,
and the scent of her perfume filled the air
of heaven so that gods swooned in delight
just from the fragrance of her bath.
Then Hera dressed her hair, some high
atop her head, some flowing golden down
her milky shoulders. And now a robe:
she selects one that Athena made,
woven with great skill and artistry,
And now some jewels: tiny triple stars
in each her ears, and a golden breastplate
that reveals her rich endowments.|
But it is not her jewels and clothing
that make this goddess lovely.
Plain sandals, on her feet, are beautiful,
a plain white veil, upon her head, is beautiful.
—Greek poet Homer, The Iliad
At this time, each year, a special ceremony to Hera was celebrated. Her image was taken from the temple and left overnight in a wooded area. Then, with great celebration, she was brought back to life. First her image was washed in a stream or in the ocean; then she was clothed with new garments; finally, she was triumphantly returned to her temple. This ritual enacted the change of seasons, with Hera as earth goddess breaking from her winter retreat and restored, a new and lovely goddess, to her throne.
Each spring, the earth is like a new place. The same patch of daffodils breaks into bloom, with beauty so surprising it is as though no flower had ever before blossomed. Our senses are alive and awake after our winter retreat. We rejoice that, like the goddess, the earth is reborn.
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