Ancient deities in the modern world

In some way or another, I believe that we all need someone or something to look up to, to set our own standards for what an ideal/ perfect/ whatever human being should be, what qualities are wished for. It might be anything - independence, a good sense of humour, the ability to recognize your own errors and to do something about it, for instance. Perhaps this is why there are so many people believing in a traditional religion today - most of them will tell you exactly what to do and how to think, dress, etc. Myself, I am an atheist and will remain one until the day I bite the grass (or, in more common terms, die). But still, gods and goddesses play a role in my life. Sounds hypocritical? I don't think so.

Every Satanist should make up their minds on what morals they feel are right for themselves, and what qualities they feel are important personality traits, a kind of standard on what their ideal human is, in a way. But it doesn't stop after the thinking; you have to employ these concepts in your everyday life. This is when some (including myself) find it a great support to have someone to look up to. This person (or persons) might be anyone, real or fictionary, man or deity. Many choose to look back, to the ancient mythologies with their pantheons. For myself, I have chosen four deities that I set my standards after. This does not mean I worship them in any way. It is rather like the relationship between a youngster who looks up to his elder brother, and learns from his good traits as well as from his mistakes. As for myself, I like to look up to the egyptian cat goddesses Bast and Sekhmet, the greek moon goddess Selene (didn't surprise you, did it? ;)) and, honoring my norwegian heritage, Loki. To me, these sum up pretty much all of my values and what I consider virtues - strength, independence, creativity, being your own master, being capable of love and emotions, loyality and honesty, and being true to your own nature.

Bast is known as the goddess with the cat head for many. She was the goddess of Lower Egypt, protector of women, children and cats, the Goddess of Sunrise, pleasure, love, fertility, birth, music and dance. In later times depicted as the peaceful, loving mother to the pharao, she was originally also a goddess of vengeance and war, and often confused with her twin, Sekhmet.

Sekhmet is, in a way, just as linked to her sister as the concept of the female force yin in asian philosophy is linked with the male force, yang. She is depicted with a lion head, and is mainly the goddess of divine retribution, vengeance, conquest and war, yet she was also a healer and mother, which is often overlooked. A wrathful deity, she is also the goddess of joy, music, sexual love, dance, birth and pregnancy. Nowadays, many regard her as the very image of the modern woman - she is looked upon as a source of strength, independence and assertiveness, and an icon of immanent female power.

Selene is the greek moon goddess, famous for her seductions. The legend tells that she fell in love with a shepherd, whom she seduced while asleep. Because she was so in love with him, she asked Zeus to let Endomynion (the shepherd) decide his own fate. Endomynion asked to never grow old and sleep eternally, a wish Zeus granted. Selene visited him every night after that, kissing her love.
Selene, to me, is the personification of both the moon and our own affectionate emotions; being a romantic, I have always believed in love. As Aleister Crowley said: "Love, love under Will". It takes strength and courage to love someone. Of course, I am not talking about loving everybody around you for no reason whatsoever, as the Christians (for instance) advocate, but love spent on those who really deserve it. She is gentle and caring, seemingly pure, but still a master in the art of seducing men. I have always been drawn to the moon and night time, which is the only time you can marvel at the beauty of the starry skies, and have always felt empowered by the moonlight, a calm serenity entering my mind and body which help me get a perspective on things.

Loki is commonly known as the Trickster. I have always loved this figure, from my early childhood when I was told the ancient tales of our old gods and goddesses. He is an independent figure with a great sense of humour. He is his own master - some might consider him evil, others merely a fool, but I admire him for the fact that whatever he does, he does what seems the best for his own good at the time. Alright, things do go wrong, but then he takes responsibility of his actions and helps clean up the mess. He even manages to laugh at himself! This is what I also strive to live up to in my everyday actions. In addition to "Do as you wilt shall be the whole of the law" and "Do unto others as you would have them to unto you", this is perhaps one of the greatest parts of my personal moral code. Live, laugh, mess up, fix it, laugh at it and get over it, having learned something from the experience.

Sincerely,
~Selene