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Laura Perry - Author and Artist

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Starry Night: Minoan Astronomy

Laura Perry

Aug 23, 2017
1 min

Starry Night: Minoan Astronomy

Like many ancient cultures, the Minoans spent a lot of time looking at the night sky and calculating the movements of the stars and planets. Today's Minoan Path blog post looks at some of the items they used to help make those calculations, which were important to their sacred calendar as well as blending with their mythology: Starry Night: Minoan Astronomy If you'd like to join the discussion about Modern Minoan Paganism and ancient Minoan civilization, head on over to our w

Adventures in sort-of-reconstruction: Modern Minoan Paganism

Laura Perry

Aug 9, 2017
1 min

Adventures in sort-of-reconstruction: Modern Minoan Paganism

When I first saw a photo of the famous Minoan Bull Leaper fresco in my high school art history textbook, I never imagined that, years later, I'd be facilitating a group of Pagans who are creating a new modern spiritual tradition based on the religion of ancient Crete. This project, this 'real life devotional' has turned out to have more challenges than I expected. Today's post over on The Minoan Path Blog details just a few of them: Adventures in Sort-of-Reconstruction: Moder

All the Minoan things!

Laura Perry

Aug 2, 2017
1 min

All the Minoan things!

I do a lot of stuff relating to the Minoans of ancient Crete. It's not all in one place, on one website, so I thought I'd list it all here for your convenience. I've been in love with Minoan civilization since a fateful day in high school when my art history teacher showed us a picture of the Bull Leaper fresco from Knossos and something "clicked" in the back of my mind. In the decades since then, I've written books and created a Minoan-themed Tarot deck. But what's most impo

Book Review: The Dawn of Genius

Laura Perry

Jul 26, 2017
1 min

Book Review: The Dawn of Genius

I freely admit to reading anything I can get my hands on about the ancient Minoans, but when I picked up this one, I wasn't sure what to expect. The title and subtitle are full of hype, but thankfully, the actual book contents were more pleasing. My review is here: Book Review: The Dawn of Genius - Minoan super-civilization? In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #bookreview #history #culture #crete #minoan

Taking Myth Literally: How it trips us up

Laura Perry

Jul 12, 2017
1 min

Taking Myth Literally: How it trips us up

It's not just Christian who get tripped up by the temptation to take myths literally. Pagans have been doing it for millennia! Don't worry, though - we can always back off enough to look at the symbols and the stories and see how they have meaning beyond a literal interpretation. Case in point: the Labyrinth. Click through to my latest Minoan Path blog post for the whole story: Taking Myth Literally: How it trips us up In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the

Minoan Fate: Ariadne, Arachne, Ananke

Laura Perry

Jun 21, 2017
1 min

Minoan Fate: Ariadne, Arachne, Ananke

Ariadne has a thread, and that's a clue to her nature as a goddess of Fate. Today on the Minoan Path blog I'm exploring that aspect of her characteristics, including her impact on me personally: Minoan Fate: Ariadne, Arachne, Ananke If you'd like to join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #symbolism #paganism #crete #minoan

Minoan Shields: Shamanic Tool?

Laura Perry

May 24, 2017
1 min

Minoan Shields: Shamanic Tool?

Today on the Minoan Path blog, I'm considering some possibilities for the intriguing figure-eight shields found in Minoan art. What if they're not just part of a warrior's accoutrements? What if they're also a tool for the shamanic priesthood of Dionysus? Minoan Shields: Shamanic Tool of the Kouretes? To join the discussion about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of

Dividing the Minoan World

Laura Perry

May 10, 2017
1 min

Dividing the Minoan World

The world is so big, we like to divide it up into manageable segments, sections we can get our heads around and maybe understand. The Minoans were no different from anyone else in this regard. Today on the Minoan Path blog, I explore a few of the ways the Minoans appear to have divided up their world: Dividing the Minoan World To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee,

Sacred Saffron: A bit of autumn magic

Laura Perry

May 3, 2017
1 min

Sacred Saffron: A bit of autumn magic

Saffron was sacred to the ancient Minoans. It's a very special flower: The fact that it blooms in the autumn sets it apart from the other flowering plants. Today on the Minoan Path Blog, I share how it figures in Minoan mythology and which goddess it's sacred to: Sacred Saffron: A bit of autumn magic If you'd like to join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to Ariadne's Tribe, our welcoming community on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butt

Offering to the Minoan Gods

Laura Perry

Apr 19, 2017
1 min

Offering to the Minoan Gods

Offerings are a major part of Modern Minoan Paganism, but it's important to understand that each deity has offerings they like and offerings you shouldn't give them. The gods have their own individual tastes just like we do. Today on the Minoan Path blog I've shared a few "safe bet" offerings for many of the Minoan gods and goddesses: Offering to the Minoan Gods Do you make offerings to the deities you have relationships with? In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And

Musings on the Minoan Threefold Goddess

Laura Perry

Apr 5, 2017
1 min

Musings on the Minoan Threefold Goddess

There is no Maiden-Mother-Crone triplicity among the Minoan goddesses, but that doesn't mean we can't find some meaningful threefold divisions within the pantheon. Here's my exploration of the triplicity of Land/Sea/Sky, the Great Mothers of the ancient Minoans: The Minoan Threefold Goddess: The Great Mothers To join the conversation about the ancient Minoans and Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the

Minoan Epiphany: Come on Down!

Laura Perry

Mar 15, 2017
1 min

Minoan Epiphany: Come on Down!

Epiphany isn't a word you typically hear in relation to modern religions. It means the appearance of the deity - god or goddess - to the worshipers. Epiphanies show up in Minoan art, suggesting that the Minoans experienced their gods "close up and personal" during their rituals. I've shared some details and several examples from Minoan seal rings in this Minoan Path blog post: Minoan Epiphany: Come on Down! If you'd like to join the conversation about the ancient Minoans and

Minoan ecstasy: filling the empty spaces

Laura Perry

Feb 8, 2017
1 min

Minoan ecstasy: filling the empty spaces

One reason the modern world can feel unfulfilling is that it's based entirely in the mundane, the material. But if we allow ourselves to open up to the numinous, that which is beyond ordinary consciousness, we can find a deep satisfaction and contentment that isn't available through the physical world alone. The ancient Minoans knew this and practiced it in their religion. In today's Minoan Path blog post, I offer some suggestions for safely achieving these states in our mode

The Sacral Scarf: Minoan Symbolism

Laura Perry

Jan 25, 2017
1 min

The Sacral Scarf: Minoan Symbolism

Some time ago I offered a few thoughts about the sacral scarf. Since then several of us in Ariadne's Tribe have worked with the sacral scarf and have come up with some ideas about what it represents and how we can use it in ritual to connect with the divine. Check out my recent Minoan Path blog post for all the details: The Sacral Scarf: Minoan Symbolism How do you connect with the divine in your life? In the name of the bee, And of the butterfly, And of the breeze, amen. #sy

What do you call a Minoan midwinter god?

Laura Perry

Dec 21, 2016
1 min

What do you call a Minoan midwinter god?

In Minoan mythology, the infant Dionysus is born at the Winter Solstice to the great mother goddess Rhea. We find his name, plus the other name the Greeks gave him, in the Linear B tablets from Knossos and mainland Greece. Find out more in today's Minoan Path blog post: What do you call a Minoan midwinter god? To join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, head on over to our welcoming community at Ariadne's Tribe on Facebook. In the name of the bee, And of the butter

Call their names: the Minoan gods and goddesses

Laura Perry

Dec 7, 2016
1 min

Call their names: the Minoan gods and goddesses

What did the Minoans call their gods and goddesses? Who were the ones they devoted themselves to, made offerings to, gave sacrifices to? We still can't read Linear A, the script the Minoans used to write their native language, but we can read Linear B, the Greek adaptation of Minoan writing that recorded the early Greek language. Yes, the Mycenaean Greeks borrowed Minoan writing, but they also borrowed bunches of Minoan gods, which is handy for us because they wrote their nam

Who were the gods of ancient Crete?

Laura Perry

Nov 9, 2016
1 min

Who were the gods of ancient Crete?

Modern Minoan Paganism may not be a reconstructionist tradition, but we do need something stable on which to build our practice. One thing we can do is reach back in time to discover the names of the gods and goddesses recorded at the end of Minoan civilization, on clay tablets that were accidentally fired when the great temple complexes of ancient Crete burned down. Today I begin this journey with a single goddess, one whose name you already know. Who were the gods of ancien

Honoring the Dead: Modern Minoan Seasonality

Laura Perry

Oct 26, 2016
1 min

Honoring the Dead: Modern Minoan Seasonality

Here in the northern hemisphere we're heading toward Samhain, a time to honor the ancestors. The Minoans didn't celebrate Samhain - their sacred calendar is pretty different from the modern neopagan Wheel of the Year - but they did do some things that look an awful lot like our modern Samhain celebrations. To find out more, head on over to my Minoan Path blog: Honoring the Dead: Modern Minoan Seasonality If you'd like to join the conversation about Modern Minoan Paganism, hea

Minoan Birds: Goddess on the Wing

Laura Perry

Oct 19, 2016
1 min

Minoan Birds: Goddess on the Wing

The Minoans were great artists. They depicted birds and other animals so accurately that we can identify the specific species in the frescoes and on the pottery from ancient Crete. But they also created images of birds that don't make any sense realistically: bird heads on human women, birds with breasts...but perhaps these weren't meant to be real birds. Perhaps the Minoans worshiped a Bird Goddess, an aspect of the Mother Goddess as she flies through the air or descends fro

A Bit of a Rant: The Minoans weren't Greek!

Laura Perry

Oct 13, 2016
1 min

A Bit of a Rant: The Minoans weren't Greek!

In case you hadn't noticed, the Minoans of ancient Crete are very much my thing. I'm a bit obsessed, having written two books and created a coloring book and a Tarot deck with Minoan themes. In the process of feeding that obsession, I've studied a lot about the Minoans. I'm no expert but I'm pretty well informed. One of the most common misconceptions I come across when I talk with people about the Minoans is that a lot of people think they were Greek. No, in fact, they weren'

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