Phenomenal Females -Gaia
Mythology is a unique type of history. In that, it combines nature, reality, and spirituality. Mythology holds many female pillars across cultures. From Roman to Egyptian, from Norse to Native American, from Hindu to Ancient China; there is a reference to this female figure. She is known by many different pseudonyms but is always depicted as a busty matriarch draped in the exotic flora of the world. This Phenomenal Females segment is going to feature one of the most prized pillars in ancient folklore, Gaia.
Gaia is one of the most significant figures in Greek mythology. She is the mother of all. She is the firstborn, sprung from Chaos, and brought the Earth and the Ocean into existence. She created all life. She birthed the good, the bad, and the ugly but loved them all the same. She is the almighty mother with the inability to watch her children suffer and an inherent maternal demeanor that embodies nurturing. She promotes health, prosperity, and growth. She is associated with fertility, childbirth, fauna, and flora. This goddess is the supreme embodiment of femininity and humility.
She is depicted across cultures with a very robust figure. This is meant to signify her fertility and life-giving ability. She is usually draped in an array of plants and flowers, but simpler renditions show her dressed in a simple green tunic that emphasizes her figure. Some models show her half emerging from a mountain on earth gracing the world with her comforting breasts. Still yet, other artifacts display her as a cosmic female entity entangled in vines and ferns with the Earth as her womb. Every historical image tried to capture a sense of fertility, nature, and creation in the representation.
Mother Earth, Mother Nature, the Great Mother, Gaia. She is the spiritual personification of Earth and life. She is known by many names, but her character and her abilities are the same across the board. Sometimes her lover was the Sky. Sometimes her man was the Ocean. Sometimes she lay with the Sun. More miraculous than the children spawned (titans, sea beasts, cyclops, mountains, oceans) was that she could bring life independently. She is the source and guiding force of creation. If that’s not phenomenal, I don’t know what is.
I chose Gaia for our first segment because she symbolizes the energy of life, creation, and nature. Flora, Femme, & Fauna was conceptualized to encompass all that makes us uniquely female. The flora, the pretty, the self-sustaining, the patience, the Spring. The fauna, the volatile, the ambition, the drive, the Autumn. The femme, the balance, the holistic being, the soul, both the scorch of Summer and the frost of Winter. All the aspects of life that characterize what it means to be a woman. Gaia is the mythological representation of what I believe a phenomenal mother/woman should be. The source of guiding light in otherwise chaos. The source of unconditional love. The bearer of empathy and sympathy. The host of nature and nurture. The wisdom holder for the naivety of innocence.
So let this be a reminder. As individuals, it is paramount to the survival of Earth’s beauty and bosom for us to experience and safeguard the bounty of nature. As mothers, it is only natural for us to pursue this manifestation of creation and nurture. As humans, it is our duty to give thanks to the Mother for the abundant and alluring elegance of life surrounding us.
Stay tuned for our next Phenomenal Females segment featuring:
Grand Midwife Margaret Charles Smith
