PAXDEA: Peace goddess

For some reason, my old license plate from New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment which sits on my altar in front of my desk kept drawing my eye, so let me be the first to invite you (again) to scout Peace license plates, snap photos and send them to me at susan@susancorso.com. We’ve got some swell ones, and I’d really like to have one from every state in the U.S.

That said, what was drawing me was the translation of the Latin words on the license plate: peace goddess. On a whim, I turned to the fulsome Wikipedia and turned up seven such deities.

The first was her Greek incarnation named Eirene, or Irene: Greek for peace. (The Roman equivalent was Pax, as you can see above.)  She is one of the Horae, sometimes known as The Hours, and was a personification of peace. In art she was oft depicted as a beautiful young woman carrying a cornucopia, scepter and a torch, or a rhyton.

A cornucopia, a scepter, a torch or a rhyton? What do they mean?

The cornucopia, also called a horn of plenty, is a symbol of food and abundance.
A scepter is a symbolic ornamental staff held by a ruling monarch.
A torch is, of course, the symbolic fire of transformation.
A rhyton is a ceremonial vessel for pouring out libation as blessing.

Do you see the elemental nature of these accountrements? A cornucopia represents Earth. A scepter is Air. A torch is Fire. A rhyton is Water. Art can be quite telling.

What this says to me is that the Greek understanding of peace included all the elements which create our world. Peace is the great permeator! It links all things together at an elemental level.
No wonder I believe peace is natural—it’s in our very nature!

Truly living in peace is living in abundance, dominion, spiritual change and blessing. That ought to keep us busy!

Now let us turn to the Horai or Horae:

In Greek mythology, the Horai, Latinized Horae, were three goddesses controlling orderly life. Karl Kerenyi observed: “Hora means ‘the correct moment.’”

Eirene was one of the first three of the horae; she shared her natural purpose of keeping order with Eunomia, in charge of good laws, and Dike, in charge of moral justice. Their purpose was the stability of society.

Eirene was a goddess of peace and wealth, and if we want that in our lives … and I do mean IF … then we must choose ‘the correct moment,’ as her ilk demands.

When we remember that peace is elemental, there is no moment that is incorrect, except the moment that is an afterthought. Peace must be invoked first, in any situation, in order for her elements to combine properly.

Eirene! Long live Peace.

Visit Dr. Susan Corso’s website www.susancorso.com