As Wiccan in the Philippines, gathering in the name of our religion are very rare compared to Christians and Muslims that have regular weekly meet up to worship together. This pandemic also of Covid 19 make it worse by limiting public gathering due to the need for social distancing. From 2019 up to the present time, Darkness have covered up my life. On April 2019 was the death of my mother have put me into the dark ages, then in 2020 Taal Volcano have erupted and Covid 19 have entered our world up to this date. Handling our Sorrow due to our loss is very challenging it is like that everyday you have to face threats that may peril your life or face the reality that you are being abandoned.
Last July 13,2022- me and lakay have observed the Esbat of the Full Moon which we opened up to the Public in an Online Setting. We use Google Meet to make this celebration possible. Though Google Workspace has been always been our companion here in the Shrine by providing us the technology and platform where we can meet people virtually thus even there is a Social Distancing Policy in the Real World, but in the Metaverse of the World Wide Web allow us to travel far and wide and connect with people whom we long to meet.
Through our Esbat of the Full Moon in Capricorn, we were honored to be graced by the Goddess Amalthea which is a Greek Goddess. As Wiccan even that we have our own personal patron Gods and Goddesses which we work with, it is usual that during a cast circle in a Ritual, we will be visited by these Divine being to aid us in our needs, and this time the Goddess Amalthea have come to us.
Though the moon herself which we call as Mayari or Bulan already is radiating her light unto us as she is in her Supermoon state, but her light becomes a Vehicle of the Goddess Amalthea to join in our Ritual. So we welcome the Goddess to be with our presence that night and introduce her self to us. Amalthea is a she-goat nymph that becomes the foster mother of the Baby Zeus, when the Goddess Rhea (a Titanes daughter of Gaia), saved the baby Zeus from the Wrath of his Father Chronos (the Titan God of Time) and being devoured.
Chronos has great fear of being overthrown in power just like what had happened to his father Ouranous the husband of Gaia, that is why Chronos upon birth of his Children swallowed them except for Zeus his youngest child because Rhea hid him to the cave with the Goddess Amalthea.
Here, the Goddess shows herself as the Surrogate Mother of Zeus. Zeus being the King of the Olympian Gods, presents the Goddess Amalthea to be our Surrogate Mother.
We at this point of our life, we might be suffering as well the same situation that happened to the Olympian King of the Gods. Here we see the weakness of Zeus and in his weakness, he have been supported and nurtured by Amalthea which have transformed Zeus to be the Great God of Olympus.
Hail to the Goddess Amalthea, the Foster Mother of Zeus! A She- Goat Nymph in the forest which your dwelling place is the cave whom you nurture the baby Zeus and transform him to be great! We come to you Amalthea and ask you to foster us, like Zeus whom you nurtured and protected, Nurture us and protect us in this perilous time of our Life.
Like your horn which is a symbol of prosperity and abundance, we ask for your Blessings
Dambana ng Luntiang Aghama 