Dream Messengers
Part II of this book has been written for those who have established a personal relationship with deity (or with deities). It is this relationship that acts as a conduit of divine wisdom through our dreams.
In sacred sleep, we term as messengers the deities who provide us with dreams. These are the deities that we worship in our waking lives, with a slight difference: though we may experience spiritual union with our goddess and/or god at any time during the day, they appear as messengers only at night in our sleep.
The first section of this book outlined ritual dreaming practices in the ancient world. In contrast to later Western and Middle Eastern religions, earlier peoples had far closer relationships with their conceptions of the divine. Save for the queens and kings of the pantheons, the deities were not distant and cold. They easily and willingly communicated with their worshippers.
Though dreams can be spontaneously received from “foreign” deities (that is, from those with whom we have not attuned), such instances are rare and may be missed by the dreamer due to a lack of familiarity with the deity’s symbols and attributes. The clearest messages arrive directly from the deity (or deities) with which we are most familiar.
Western Paganism Today
The Pagan deities still live. They continue to be concerned with natural phenomena, with earthly delights, with our problems. They did not die; only the major forms of their worship were destroyed.
A large number of intelligent Westerners have thrown off the spiritual shackles of monotheistic religion that have bound our hands for 2,000 years. Old religious ideals and conceptions of the divine are being reexamined. Women and men are contacting goddesses and gods from past ages, gleaning ancient truths that have long been suppressed.
Some modern Pagans worship an entire pantheon of goddesses and gods, though many women limit their worship to goddesses alone. (See Margot Adler’s Drawing Down the Moon.) This is true of both personal worship and of the new forms of ancient religions, including Wicca. Goddess worship in particular, shows strong signs of continuing growth among both men and women. The rebirth of Pagan spirituality is upon us.
It is these Pagan deities that are most likely to appear in sacred sleep, and this book is slanted in their favor. I make no apologies for this bias. For two millennia, goddesses and gods touched the lives of their worshippers with healing, prophetic, and comforting dreams. The gifts received in the ancient sleep temples have never been equaled.
If you have established a relationship with a deity, you are probably familiar with her or his sacred stories (myths), attributes, and symbols. However, the listings that follow of principal attributes, symbols, and appearances (where known) are included here to ensure that you will recognize the symbols of your deity when she or he arrives in your dream.
If You Haven’t Found Your Messenger
If, by some chance, you haven’t yet attuned with a deity, the information contained in part III of this book (recalling, recording, and interpreting dreams) is still of value and can be used by all persons for dream interpretation.
Additionally, in moments of crisis, a dream ritual can certainly be used, even by those who have no connections with divinities (see Chapter 11). If a goddess or god does unexpectedly appear in a dream, see it as a sign that she or he is willing to listen and assist with your problems.
The Lists
The first list in the next section includes Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Assyrian, Greek, and Roman deities. Though Celtic deities lie outside the scope of this work, I’ve appended a second list describing their attributes, due to the continuing resurgence of interest in Celtic goddesses and gods.
These lists are far from all-inclusive. Research into sacred stories (“mythology”) will present the interested reader with a wealth of further information. Additionally, appendix 1 consists of a list of divine dream symbols and their attendant deities, and Appendix 2 is an alphabetical listing of dream and sleep deities.
Deities, Appearances,
and Symbols
Adad: (Babylonian) god of storms, rain, and omens. Symbols: bull, lightning, pickaxe, cypress, mountain, riches, the number six.
Aesculapius: (Greek, Roman) god of healing. May appear as a handsome, bearded man, seated on a throne and holding a staff wrapped with a living snake, or even as a snake or dog. Symbols: snake, caduceus (a staff entwined with a snake), dog.
Amon: (Egyptian) god of the wind. Symbols: Goose, ram.
Amor: (Roman) god of love. May appear as a winged youth. Symbols: torch, bow, arrow.
Anu: (Sumerian) father of the deities. Symbols: horned altar, bull, diadem, scepter, tamarisk (tree), stars, the number sixty.
Anubis: (Egyptian) god of the dead who presides over funerals and guided souls. May appear as a jackal-headed man. Symbols: jackal, scales.
Aphrodite: (Greek) goddess of love, beauty, and war.
May appear naked, partially clothed, or fully clothed, perhaps in a tunic. May also be seen rising from the sea or driving a chariot. Symbols: shield, arrow, helmet, sword, rose, myrtle, apple, poppy, sparrow, dove, swallow, competitions, fish, garden, swan, the planet Venus, the month of April.
Apis: (Egyptian) greek name for Hapi, the sacred bull of Memphis. Originally a fertility deity. Symbol: bull.
Apollo: (Greek) god of music, arts, theater, healing, prophecy, and archery. May appear as a nude young man. Symbols: lyre, raven, swan, bay (laurel).
Artemis: (Greek) virgin goddess of the hunt. Rules and protects wild animals and childbirth. May appear as a huntress wandering the forests, or driving a chariot drawn by two white stags, and holding her bow and quiver. Symbols: birth, deer, lion, dog, arrow, bow, quiver, hair, rooster, moon, bay (laurel).
Ashnan: (Babylonian) goddess of wheat. Symbols: grain, plow.
Asklepios: See Aesculapius.
Athena: (Greek) tutelary deity of Athens, originally Cretan. Unmarried (i.e., “virgin”) goddess of wisdom, war, and peace. Symbols: armor, helmet, shield, rake, bridle, snake, owl, olive.
Bacchus: (Roman) god of fertility and wine. Symbols: wine, vine, grapes, pine cone.
Bast: (Egyptian) goddess of music, dance, joy, happiness, perfume, and spiritual love. Often seen as a woman with a cat’s head, holding a sistrum, with kittens at her feet. May also appear as a cat. Symbols: cat, lion, sistrum. An alternate name is Bastet.
Bes: (Egyptian) god of protection (especially of children), childbirth, prosperity, and dance. He also encouraged human carnal activity. Bes was invoked in ancient Egypt before sleep for protection and to send favorable dreams. Usually appears as a squat, dwarfish figure with bent legs, either nude or wearing a lion skin. Symbols: musical instruments such as the tambourine (the sound of which warded off evil), knife.
Ceres: (Roman) goddess of agriculture, fertility, and marriage. Symbols: grain, fruit, flowers, bread.
Demeter: (Greek) goddess of the Earth and fertility. May reveal herself as either walking or seated, always fully
attired; at times, she appears in a chariot. Symbols: grain, pine cone, pig, food (in general), cave, barley, beer, bee, bread, snake.
Diana: (Roman) goddess of virginity, the moon, the woods, hunting. May appear as a huntress. Symbols: crescent moon, the moon itself, bow, dog, trees.
Dionysius: (Greek) god of fertility, wine, and drunkenness. May be seen as a goat, a bull, or a drunken man. Symbols: vine, grape, pine cone, ivy, fig, ship.
Dumuzi: (Sumerian) god of vegetation and the male force in nature.
Ea: (Babylonian) god of wisdom, sweet waters, magic, arts, and storms. Symbols: water, goat-fish, copper, ram, the star Dilgan, the constellation Aquarius, the number forty.
Enlil: (Sumerian) god of the wind; supreme god of Sumer. Symbols: pick axe, headdress decorated with horns, the mountain, the stars (generally), the constellation Pleiades.
Eos: (Greek) goddess of the dawn. Symbols: dew, chariot.
Eris: (Greek) goddess of discord and of competitions.
Symbols: apple, competitions.
Eros: (Greek) god of love. May appear as a naked, winged young man armed with a bow and gold-tipped arrows. Symbols: bow, arrows.
Fauna: (Roman) goddess of oracular dreams, the earth, health, and domesticated animals.
Faunus: (Roman) god of nature and protector of shepherds. Sender of dreams. May be seen horned. Symbols: cow, trees.
Flora: (Roman) goddess of flowers, grain, and human sexuality. Symbols: flowers, spring.
Fortuna: (Roman) goddess of women and good fortune. Symbols: rudder, cornucopia, globe, wheel of fortune, riches.
Gaea: (Greek) goddess of the Earth, marriage, and prophecy. Symbols: cornucopia, vapors, key, fruits, and vegetables. (A popular modern symbol of Gaea is a photograph of the Earth taken from outer space.)
Gatumdug: (Babylonian/Assyrian) goddess of milk. Symbol: milk.
Geb: (Egyptian) god of the Earth. May appear as a human male wearing the crown of Lower Egypt (or a goose) on his head. Symbols: the crown of Lower Egypt, goose.
Geshtinanna: (Babylonian/Assyrian) goddess of brewing, “divine interpretress of dreams.” Symbols: vine, wine, beer.
Gula: (Sumerian) goddess of healing. Symbol: dog.
Hamarkis: (Egyptian) an aspect of Horus identified with the sphinx long after its creation. Symbol: sphinx.
Hapi: (Egyptian) god of the Nile. May appear as a well-fed man or a monkey.
Harakty: See Ra-Harakty.
Hathor: (Egyptian) goddess of the sky, dancing, music, and love; mother goddess; “Lady of the House of Jubilation.” May appear as a cow, as a cow-headed woman, or as a woman with cow horns on her head. Symbols: milk, sistrum, cow, date palm, sycamore, trees (generally).
Hecate: (Greek) originally a goddess of the moon, the earth, and the sea; her blessings were wealth, victory, wisdom, and successful hunting. Later in Greek history, a goddess of darker magics and sorcery. May appear as an ordinary woman, or as a three-faced woman followed by howling dogs. Symbols: crossroads, snakes, torch, dog, the moon.
Heket: (Egyptian) goddess of love, fertility, and childbirth. May be seen as a frog. Symbols: frog, birth.
Helios: (Greek) god of the sun; he who “sees and hears all.” Was invoked to witness solemn oaths. May be seen in a chariot drawn by horses; sometimes as winged.
Hephaestus: (Greek) god of fire, smithing, and crafts. Symbols: hammer, anvil.
Hera: (Greek) goddess of marriage and childbirth, queen of all deities. Guardian of the vows of wedlock. Symbols: cow, peacock, diadem, scepter, apple, pomegranate, birth, chariot, veil.
Hermes: (Greek) messenger of the gods; protector of homes; giver of luck; the divine dream guide. May be seen carrying a ram or holding a lyre, or as a winged young man wearing winged shoes and a hat, holding a staff. Symbols: lyre, piles of stones, treaties, sandals, roads, riches, gymnastics instructors, flute, pillars, ram, hat, competitions.
Hestia: (Greek) goddess of the hearth and of fire. Symbols: hearth, fireplace, fire, home.
Horus: (Egyptian) god of the sky and of protection. May be seen as hawkheaded. Symbols: hawk, eye.
Hygeia: (Greek) goddess of good health. May be seen giving water to snakes from a bowl. Symbols: snake, bowl.
Hypnos: (Greek) god of sleep. May be seen as two of his symbols: a winged young man holding a poppy and a small horn.
Inanna: (Sumerian) goddess of love, war, the planet Venus. May appear naked, with rays of light surrounding her, or as a huntress. Symbols: a reed bundle, bow, dog, lion, the moon, the planet Venus.
Iris: (Greek) the herald of the deities. She may be seen as a winged being, holding a herald’s staff, and traveling on a rainbow. Symbols: herald’s staff, rainbow.
Ishtar: (Babylonian/Assyrian) goddess of sex, love, war, and hunting. Queen of heaven. Symbols: bow, snake, quiver, dog, dove, lion, moon, star, eight-pointed star, sixteenpointed star, rosette, the number fifteen, the planet Venus.
Isis: (Egyptian) goddess of love, magic, healing, childbirth, the earth, the moon, protector of the dead, restorer of the dead, sailing, cultivated land, fields, agriculture, food, water, lighthouses, justice, beer, riches, weaving, education, nursing, mourning, the underworld—to name a few of her attributes. May be seen as a woman wearing a headdress in the shape of a vulture, holding a papyrus, scepter, and an ankh, standing or enthroned; wearing a headdress consisting of a disc surrounded by horns (sun and moon); as a mother suckling her son (Horus). Symbols: thet (buckle), throne, sistrum, ankh, kite (bird), shuttle, uraeus, bread, rudder, linen garments, riches, lotus (water lily), milk, moon, torch, the stars Sirius
(Sothis) and Antares.
Janus: (Roman) god of doors, gateways, and law. May appear as a male possessing two faces. Symbol: door.
Juno: (Roman) goddess of marriage and birth; protectress of married women. Symbols: peacock, door, goat, birth.
Jupiter: (Roman) god of the sky, light, rain, lightning, and war. Symbols: pebble, oak, mountain, white cap, chariot, flint, scepter.
Ki: (Sumerian) ancient creation goddess. Later identified with Ninhursag.
Lathar: (Sumerian) god of the cattle. Symbol: cow.
Liber: (Roman) god of wine and of fertility. His feast took place on March 17. Symbols: wine, vine, grape.
Luna: (Greek) goddess of the moon; Luna is an epithet of Artemis. Symbol: moon.
Marduk: (Sumerian) god of exorcism, healing, wisdom, and judgment; bringer of light; the head of the Sumerian pantheon. Symbols: musussu (dragon-like creature), shovel, pick axe, sickle, clay writing tablet, lead (metal), and the planet Jupiter.
Mars: (Roman) god of war and protector of the fields. Symbols: lance, shield, woodpecker, wolf, and bull.
Mercury: (Roman) god of business, industry, riches, and profit.
Min: (Egyptian) god of fertility. Usually appears as a man with an erection. Symbols: lettuce, phallus.
Minerva: (Roman) goddess of wisdom, protector of crafts workers, artisans, and teachers. Symbols: owl, olive, helmet, the number five.
Nabu: (Babylonian/Assyrian) scribe of the deities. God of writing. Symbols: stylus, shovel, clay tablet.
Nanna: (Sumerian) God of the moon and of justice; “lord of destiny.” Symbol: the moon, crescent.
Nanshe: (Sumerian) goddess of dreams, ethics, and morals. The “divine interpretress of dreams.”
Nekhbet: (Egyptian) tutelary goddess of the pharaoh and goddess of childbirth. Symbols: vulture, rod of authority.
Ningirsu: (Sumerian) god of fertility, fields, and war. Symbols: lion-headed eagle (named Imdugud), the number fifty.
Ninhursag: (Sumerian) primeval goddess of mountains. Mother of all living things. Also known as Ninmah (“exalted lady”), Nintu (“the lady who gives birth”), Mami, and Ninmu. Symbols: plants (generally).
Ninkasi: (Sumerian) goddess of beer and bread; divine brewer of the deities. Symbols: beer, bread.
Ninsun: (Sumerian) goddess of wisdom and interpreter of dreams. Mother of Gilgamesh.
Ninurta: (Sumerian) god of war, the fields, fertility, and the stormy North wind. Symbols: dog, gypsum, reeds.
Nisaba: (Sumerian) goddess of writing, knowledge, understanding, and grain. “She who opens the ears.” Symbols: grain, stylus, barley.
Nut: (Egyptian) sky goddess; goddess of resurrection. May be seen as a naked female figure stretched across the sky, as a “sky cow,” or as a bee. Symbols: a starry blue cloak, the color blue, pig.
Osiris: (Egyptian) god of fertility, agriculture, dance, death, and resurrection. May be seen as a mummy (wrapped only up to the neck), with a beard and wearing a white crown. Symbols: crook, flail, hare.
Pan: (Greek) god of fields and woods. May be seen as a very hairy human male with goat’s hooves, horns, and a beard. Symbols: pan pipes, flute, forest, goat, hunting, trees.
Persephone: (Greek) goddess of vegetation, fertility, and the underworld (for four months each year). Symbols: grain, pomegranate, plants (generally), scepter.
Pomona: (Roman) Goddess of ripening fruit. Symbols: fruit, apple.
Poseidon: (Greek) god of the sea. May be seen as a horse dashing on the beach, or in the waves. Symbols: horse, trident, lightning, earthquakes, dolphin, horse races, sailing, chariot.
Ptah: (Egyptian) creator god; god of crafts. May appear as a man wrapped (like a mummy) to the neck.
Ra: (Egyptian) god of the sun. Symbols: obelisks, falcon, ship.
Ra-Harakty: (Egyptian) god of the morning sun. Symbols: falcon.
Salus: (Roman) goddess of health; protectress against illness. Symbols: snake, bowl.
Sekhmet: (Egyptian) goddess of war, healing, magic, lust, and passion. May appear as lioness or a lion-headed woman. Symbols: hot winds, desert, cat, lion, scorpion.
Selket: (Egyptian) goddess of magic and protection. Sometimes seen as a female with a scorpion on her head; at other times, as possessing a scorpion body with a human head. Symbol: scorpion.
Serapis: (Ptolemaic form of Osiris-Apis) god of healing in ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt. May appear as a bull. Symbol: bull.
Set: (Egyptian) god of adversity and the personification of evil. Symbols: antelope, crocodile.
Shala: (Assyrian) goddess of grain. Symbol: grain.
Shamash: (Babylonian) god of justice and the sun. Symbols: lion, saw, the number twenty.
Sin: (Babylonian/Assyrian) god of the moon, lord of destiny. Symbols: crescent, bull, dragon, boat, the sickle moon, calendar, the number thirty.
Spes: (Roman) goddess of hope. May appear as a young woman bearing flowers or grain. Symbols: grain,
gardens.
Thoth: (Egyptian) god of the moon, writing, and the calendar. May be seen as having an ibis’ head. Symbols: ibis, palm, calendar.
Tyche: (Greek) goddess of fortune and fate. Symbols:
cornucopia, wheel, globe, ball, rudder.
Utu: (Babylonian/Assyrian) god of the sun and of justice.
Uttu: (Sumerian) goddess of plants, weaving, and clothing.
Vesta: (Roman) goddess of the hearth and of fire. No
images were made of her. Symbols: hearth, fireplace,
fire, home, donkey.
Vulcan: (Roman) god of smithing and of fire; also guarded against fires. Symbols: anvil, fire, hammer.
Zeus: (Greek) supreme god; god of weather, rain, lightning, snow, judgment, and freedom. Symbols: oak, dew, cuckoo bird, bee, bull, swan, eagle, justice, white poplar, snake.
Celtic Deities
Angus Mac Og: (Irish) a god of love. Usually seen as a youth.
Anu: (Irish) mother goddess; provider of plenty.
Badb: (Irish) goddess of war. Symbol: the crow.
Bress: (Irish) god of fertility and agriculture.
Brigit: (Irish) goddess of healing, smithcraft, poetry, and inspiration; associated with purificatory fires. Actually a three-fold goddess. She seems to have been worshipped solely by women.
Cerridwen: (Welsh) goddess of the moon and of grain; provider of wisdom. She possesses a cauldron of regeneration and inspiration. Widely worshipped by contemporary Wiccans and Pagans. Symbol: cauldron.
Cernunnos: (Celtic) horned god; possibly a deity of fertility and wealth, or of the underworld. Usually seen sitting cross-legged, bearing antlers on his head. Worshipped by many contemporary Pagans and Wiccans.
Dagda, the: (Irish) “the good god”; giver of fertility and abundance; overseer of contracts. Symbols: a massive club; a cauldron of food that is never exhausted; a magic harp on which songs of sleep, woe, and laughter can be played.
Danu: (Irish) mother goddess.
Diancecht: (Irish) god of medicine with the power to miraculously heal all wounds.
Dylan: (Welsh) god of the sea.
Epona: (British and Gaulish) goddess of the horse; mother goddess. During the Roman period, cavalry units worshipped her. Usually seen riding a white horse. Symbols: horse, cornucopia, dog.
Goibniu: (Irish) god of divine weapon-forging. Divine brewer.
Govannon: (Welsh) god of smithcraft.
Herne: (British) horned god of the wild hunt.
Lugh: (Irish) god of magic, war, poetry, art, and handicrafts. Symbols: raven, spear.
Mabon: (Welsh) god of hunting.
Manannan Mac Lir: (Irish, Manx) god of the sea, ruler of the “Land of the Blessed” (the joyous realm of the deceased). Forecasted the weather for sailors. Often seen riding the waves in a chariot. Symbol: cauldron.
Morrigan: (Irish) goddess of war. Appeared as a raven before and during battles. Symbol: crow or raven.
Ogma: (Irish) god of wisdom and writing. He developed the earliest Irish Dream Messengers’ alphabet, the Ogham script, in about 400 CE.
Rhiannon: (Welsh) goddess of fertility, the underworld, and possibly the moon. Symbol: white horse.
Sirona: (Welsh) goddess of springs and wells, and possibly of the stars.
Tailtiu: (Irish) goddess of the earth and of natural forces.