Simply Divine Tapestries

Simply Blessed

Spread some love... with arrows.

Nuestra Señora de la Santa Muerte (Spanish for Our Lady of the Holy Death) or, colloquially, Santa Muerte (Holy Death), is a female deity (or folk saint depending on school of thought) in Mexican folk religion, particularly Folk Catholicism, venerated primarily in Mexico and the Southwestern United States. A personification of death, she is associated with healing, protection, and safe delivery to the afterlife by her devotees.

Chango is a god of thunder, and the ancestor of the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Chango was envied for his vast magical powers, but was feared because whenever he spoke, fire would shoot forth from out of his mouth. Chango is a son of Yemaya, queen of all the oceans and the mother goddess of the Orishas. He was known to have had three wives: Oya, who fearlessly stole the secrets of Chango's magic in an attempt to save him from his enemies; Oshun, the beautiful river goddess of love, who is his favorite because of her culinary abilities; and Oba, who desperately tried to win his affections by offering her own ear for him to eat.

In Greek mythology, Athena is the shrewd companion of heroes and the goddess of heroic endeavor. She is the virgin patron of Athens, and the goddess of wisdom, war, the arts, industry, justice and skill.

Archangel Uriel is known as the angel of wisdom. He shines the light of God’s truth into the darkness of confusion. People often ask for Uriel’s help in learning new information, resolving conflicts, and letting go of destructive emotions such as anxiety or anger.

The Morrigan (also known as the Morrigu) was the shape-shifting Celtic Goddess of War, Fate and Death. She presided over rivers, lakes and fresh water, in addition to being the patroness of revenge, night, magic, prophecy, priestesses and witches. Her name is interpreted in various forms..."Great Queen," "Phantom Queen" or "Queen of Demons." She was said to hover over battlefields in the form of a raven or hooded crow and frequently foretold or influenced the outcome of the fray.

According to official Catholic accounts of the Guadalupan apparitions, during a walk from his home village to Mexico City early on the morning of December 9, 1531, Juan Diego saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen to sixteen, surrounded by light. This event occurred on the slopes of the Hill of Tepeyac. Speaking in the local language of Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor.

St. Gabriel is the archangel who is sometimes regarded as the angel of death, the prince of fire and thunder as well as, more frequently, one of God's chief messengers. He is also called the chief of the four favored angels, and the spirit of truth.

Hera is the goddess of women and marriage in Greek mythology and religion. She is the daughter of the Titans Cronus and Rhea. Hera is married to her brother Zeus and is titled as the Queen of Heaven. One of her characteristics is her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus's other lovers and offspring and against the mortals who cross her.

According to legend, Lilith was Adam's first wife, created at the same time and from the same earth as he was. She would, however, eventually abandon both her marriage and husband after refusing to become subservient to him. Eve was then created from Adam's rib to be both his new wife and companion, but unfortunately, she succumbs to the Serpent's temptation and eats the forbidden fruit from off the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve shares the fruit with her husband, and as a result, the first humans are cursed and expelled from the Garden of Eden by God forever for their disobedience.

Oshun is an Orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American and Latin religions. Africans brought Oshun and a host of other deities, and energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. Oshun is the force of harmony. Harmony we see as beauty, feel as love, and experience as ecstasy. She reigns over love, intimacy, beauty, wealth and diplomacy. In Cuban Santeria, Oshun is an Orisha of love, maternity and marriage. She has been syncretized with La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, (Our Lady of Charity), Cuba's patron saint. She is associated with the color yellow, metals gold and copper, peacock feathers, mirrors, and anything of beauty.

Although Bast originated in ancient Egypt, this goddess was worshipped in many other cultures, including the Greek, Roman, and Germanic. Bast is an extremely ancient deity, long predating writing, and has had many sometimes contradictory roles through the centuries. She is the goddess of cats, of the rising sun, of enlightenment and of truth, of the household, of civilization and the arts, of creation, of sex and physical pleasures, of lesbians, of fertility and birth, of bountiful positive energy, of the moon and often associated with the enlightened Maiden of the Triple Goddess.

La Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, also known as Our Lady of Charity, is the patroness of Cuba. Her story began around 1608, when two brothers, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos, along with their slave, Juan Moreno, set out to the Bay of Nipe for salt. While out in the bay, a terrible storm arose, rocking their tiny boat violently with its waves. The three men prayed desperately to the Virgin Mary for her protection and deliverance. The skies suddenly cleared as if in response, and the great storm was gone.

Cernunnos is the “Horned One”, a Celtic god associated with sexuality, fertility, the hunt, and the underworld. He was worshiped as the “lord of wild things” by the iron age Celts all across Europe as late as the first century, but his worship began centuries before that. Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. He alternates with the goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation.

St. Michael is an archangel whose gentle influence is present throughout several religions and spiritual practices. He is often seen as both a great military force and a healer. For many, he has become a symbol not just of strength and protection, but of humility as well.

Creative way to share your fabulousness with everyone you meet.

Archangel Orion is the Archangel of aspirations, true inner-wishes, and manifestation. When you're wishing and hoping that your dreams will manifest, Archangel Orion might just appear. It's because he wants us to strive for what we truly want, instead of going after what we think that we want.

Grandmother Spider is the creator of the world in Southwestern Native American religions and myths, such as that of the Pueblo and Navajo peoples. According to mythology, she was responsible for all the stars in the sky. When she took a web she had spun, laced it with dew, and threw it into the sky, the sparkling dew drops became a sea of endless stars. She also brought the gift of fire, light and warmth to all humanity, and taught them how to make pottery, and appropriately enough, how to weave.

Kali is the Hindu goddess of time, creation, destruction and power. She is also seen as the divine mother and a fierce protector who can liberate the oppressed.

Yemaya is an Orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American and Latin religions. Africans brought Yemaya and a host of other deities, and energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. Yemaya is the mother of all living things, as well as the owner of all waters. She is the vast ocean, the essence of motherhood, a protector of children, and a goddess of magic and witches. In Cuban Santeria, she has been syncretized with Our Lady of Regla.

Jesus, also referred to as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus Christ, was a Jewish preacher who became the central figure of Christianity. Christians believe him to be the Son of God and the awaited Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament.

Nut was the Egyptian goddess of the nighttime sky and all heavenly bodies, and a symbol of protection for the dead when they enter the afterlife. According to the Egyptians, during the day, the heavenly bodies, such as the sun and moon, would make their way across her body. They would be swallowed at dusk, pass through her digestive system during the night, and be reborn at dawn. She was usually pictured as a woman arched on her toes and fingertips over the earth; her body portrayed as a star-filled sky.

Archangel Raphael is both a sage and a seer who grants healing (physically and emotionally) through the giving and receiving of love. He is said to encourage people to communicate and share their inner wisdom and promote healing with thoughts, words and creative action.

Quan Yin is one of the most universally beloved of deities in the Buddhist tradition. She is the embodiment of compassionate loving kindness. As the Bodhisattva of Compassion, she hears the cries of all beings. As a true Enlightened One, Quan Yin has vowed to remain in the earthly realms, and not enter the heavenly worlds until all other living things have completed their own journey of enlightenment, and thus become liberated from the pain-filled cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Venus was a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths. Venus was commonly associated with the Greek goddess Aphrodite and the Etruscan deity Turan, borrowing aspects from each. Eros was the son of Aphrodite and Ares, the Greek god of war.

Mary, usually referred to by Christians as the Virgin Mary or Saint Mary and occasionally Madonna, was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee, identified in the New Testament as the mother of Jesus Christ.

Obatala is an Orisha. He is the Sky Father and the creator of human bodies, which were brought to life by the smooth breath of Olodumare. Obatala is the father of all Orishas and the owner of all ori.

In Egyptian mythology, Sekhmet was originally the warrior goddess of Upper Egypt, and the protector of the pharaohs. It was said that her breath created the desert. She is depicted as a mighty lioness, the fiercest hunter known to the Egyptians. When Lower Egypt was conquered by Upper Egypt, Sekhmet was seen as the more powerful of the two warrior goddesses, the other, Bast, have been the protector of Lower Egypt. It was Sekhmet who would eventually be seen as the Avenger of Wrongs, and the Scarlet Lady.

In Yoruba Mythology, Oya is the Undergoddess of the Niger River. She is a female warrior and the Orisha of fire, fertility, lightning, wind and magic. She creates hurricanes and tornadoes, and guards the passage to the Underworld. She is the spirit of tornadoes (which are said to be her whirling skirts as she dances), of lightning (the power of which she acquired from her husband, Chango), of earthquakes, and of any form of natural destruction. In essence, Oya is the spirit of change, of transition, and of the chaos that often brings it about. Her association with the marketplace, and more specifically with the gates of cemeteries (as opposed to the entire Underworld), emphasizes her aspect as a facilitator of transition.

Inspired by a friend's love and passion for tea, I've added a very special diva to the "Simply Divine" line-up. As the tea-aficionado's graceful muse and guardian, Our Lady of Tea brings with her an enchanting and irresistible aura of serenity to all friendly gatherings (not to mention a generous supply of tea, as well!). A percentage of the proceeds from Our Lady of Tea will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation by the artist.

Dionysus is the god of the grape harvest, wine making and wine, of ritual madness, fertility, theater and religious ecstasy in ancient Greek religion and myth.

Gaea (Gaia) or Mother Earth, was the great goddess of the early Greeks. She represented the fertile Earth and was worshiped as the omnipotent Universal Mother. In Greek mythology, she created the universe and gave birth to both the first race of gods, known as the Titans, and the first humans.

Yemaya is an Orisha, originally of the Yoruba religion, who has become prominent in many Afro-American and Latin religions. Africans brought Yemaya and a host of other deities, and energy forces in nature with them when they were brought to the shores of the Americas as captives. Yemaya is the mother of all living things, as well as the owner of all waters. She is the vast ocean, the essence of motherhood, a protector of children, and a goddess of magic and witches. In Cuban Santeria, she has been syncretized with Our Lady of Regla.

Eve is an important figure in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as she was the first woman created by God. She was created from Adam's rib to be both his wife and companion. Unfortunately, however, she would eventually unwittingly succumb to the Serpent's temptation and eat the forbidden fruit from off the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Eve shares the fruit with her husband, and as a result, the first humans are cursed and expelled from the Garden of Eden by God forever for their disobedience.

In Celtic religion and Irish mythology, Brigit or Brighid is the daughter of the Dagda (the "All-father") and one of the Tuatha Dé Danann (a race of people thought to derive from the pre-Christian deities of Ireland). Brighid was once the divine patroness of poetry, smithing, medicine, arts and crafts, cattle and other livestock, and was associated with fire and the coming of spring. During the Middle Ages, she was syncretized with a Christian saint, and became St. Brigid of Kildare or Ireland, who is one of Ireland's patron saints along with St. Patrick and St. Columba. She is also often referred to as Mary of the Gael.