Thursday, June 9, 2011

Embodiment in the Minoan culture

On a recent trip to Greece, I had a chance to visit the island of Crete.  I have always wanted to visit this island as it is a place where the ancient Minoans lived for thousands of years.  The Minoans are one of the longest living cultures to worship the Goddess divinity and the cycles of the natural world.  Looking at their artwork and craftsmanship, you can see the worship of seasons, sexuality, life and death.  The female form was considered to be divine as females gave birth, nursed their young with their bodies, and followed the cycles of the moon with their menstrual cycles.  Minoans were keen observers of nature and conducted many rituals and lived their lives attuned to these cycles.  Both women and men held positions of power in the community and religious leaders.  Figures of the priestess in a trance with snakes wrapped around her arms symbolize the power of regeneration.  Other figures include the priestess with a bird on the crown of her head, transporting her with its wings to another realm to bring back visions to share with the community.  Vases, rhytons, and ritual vessels depict spirals to demonstrate the interconnectedness of the cycles of birth, death and rebirth.  How would our world be different if we lived in this way?  My guess is we would be living in attunement with our bodies and the world around us.  Seems we could learn something from these ancient people.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for good article. Found similar in Khao Kha, Thailand. Guess that we still can find the way to experience here. All plants around are same, and looks strange. http://www.nakhons.com/2014/08/khao-kha-historical-site/2014/

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