Solomon followed Astarte (the goddess of the Sidonians) and Milcom (the disgusting idol of the Ammonites). The Israelites neglected to heed the Lord's warning not to compromise with idolaters. ii-v.). The name Attart is a feminine form of the name Attar, a god known from Ugarit and South Arabian sources, and associated with the morning star. Astarte waded in the blood of her human victims. You must keep a silver ring close to your face when youre summoning Astaroth to protect yourself from his putrid and corrosive breath. Separating Fact from Myth: Asherah and Idol Worship. Inanna was also a fertility figure, and, as goddess of the storehouse and the bride of the god Dumuzi-Amaushumgalana, who represented the growth and fecundity of the date palm, she was characterized as young, beautiful, and impulsivenever as helpmate or mother. She is linked with war, sexuality and fertility. We would do well to remember the complete powerlessness of the pagan gods, from Baal, Canaan's bloodthirsty fertility god, to Hades, Greek god of the underworld, to prevail against the one true God and his Son, Jesus Christ. The whole area before the statue was filled with a loud noise of flutes and drums so that the cries of wailing [of the children being sacrificed] should not reach the ears of the people.. A trace of this among the Hebrews appears in Deut. Erotic temple rites and sacred prostitution were central to her veneration. Priestesses of this goddess, at least one order of them, performed as sacred prostitutes, lying with males who desired their services in ritual sexuality. By summoning Aphrodite you can improve your love life in many ways. A nude woman holding lilies or sometimes wearing a Philistine helmet. Astaroth is a great and a strong duke, coming forth in the shape of a foul angel, sitting upon an infernal dragon, and carrying on his right hand a viper, who also claimed to rule 40 legions, and had to be approached by the conjurer with a magical ring on account of his stinking breath. 3) may be a reference to a form of the cult similar to that known in Cyprus, where swine were sacred to Astarte ("Jour. Astarte is one of the names that was commonly linked with the female divinity of the people during the early Bronze Age. Molech, fire-god of ancient Canaan mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot." But not by those who do not believe this was the date of Christs birth, and say the exact date is unknown. 7; 3, 5. . Astaroth often appears as either a beautiful or an ugly angel or prince, riding a dragon and holding a snake in his left hand. Seeker of Wisdom and Keeper of Time! Yahweh is God? Possibly, their desert origins led them to question God's sovereignty over fertile land. Her popularity was universal in the ancient Middle East, and in many centres of worship she probably subsumed numerous local goddesses. Romans 1 describes ancient shrine prostitution, not gays and lesbians. Fertility rites were practiced at the numerous shrines which dotted the land, as well as at the major sanctuaries A characteristic feature of the fertility cult was sacral sexual intercourse by priests and priestesses and other specially consecrated persons, sacred prostitutes of both sexes Child-sacrifice was also a feature of the rites. When Ashtoreth is mentioned in scripture, she is linked to Molech, (also called Milcom in the Bible). Practicing occultist and writer with a particular interest in summoning magic. Lit." The Canaanites attributed this fertility to their god Baal,and that is where the Israelites problems began. Ancient Assyrians and Babylonians portrayed her caressing a child. 7:5, 12:2-3; 2 Kings 16:4, 17:10; Jer. God intended to prevent His people from practicing the shrine prostitution of the Canaanites, which He warned against in Leviticus 18:3 and 20:23. 13, xxviii. Learn about upcoming promotions, releases, and other updates from That the World May Know. The God Seth Facts. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Phoenician Goddess of Fertility and Sexual Pleasure. This order of priestess was called Nin-Gig in Sumeria. She was ruler of all spirits of the dead, who lived in heaven in bodies of light and were visible on earth as stars. "You shall not plant any tree as an Asherah beside the altar of the Lord your God.". Several other centers of worship were located in Malta, Eryx and Cythera. Sacred prostitution involved temple priestesses of Inanna/Ishtar having ritual sex with male visitors to the temple, again releasing the divine fertile energy. Participation in these sects was highly secretive, and few details of their ceremonies survive. And desired to, In Egypt, where the Hyksos invaders introduced her, the cow horns of Hathor became part of her iconography, Athirat, the lady of the sea, appears to be the consort of El, the equal of the Hebrew god Yahweh. Idolatry always included sex worship of false gods. The Encyclopedia of Witches, Witchcraft and Wicca written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright 1989, 1999, 2008 by Visionary Living, Inc. Astarte was worshipped by Canaanites, Egyptians, Hebrews, Philistines, and Phoenicians, but exactly who is she? My clients tend to be ambitious people from all walks of life. Believing the sexual union of Baal and Asherah produced fertility, their worshipers engaged in immoral sex to cause the gods to join together, ensuring good harvests. Please confirm you want to block this member. For example, sects that worship Hera and/or Themis may include worship of Aphrodite, but encourage monogamy and stress her role in committed relationships and marriage. Many gods and goddesses of the Mediterranean and Middle East appreciate gifts of honey and wine, incense, bread, and fresh meat. Melech, Mo-lech, Milcom, Melkom, Moloch, Molek, Malec, Malik, Melek, Malkum, Melqart, Melkart, Milk, Melqarth, Kronos, Cronus. She was known in Arabia as "Athtar," and inBabylonia as "Ishtar." The priestess or a female members of the community represented Asherah. Asherah was honored as the fertility goddess in various forms and with varying names (Judg. This is proved by the fact that Baalim and Ashtaroth are used several times (Judges x. The land was fertile beyond anything the Hebrew nomads had ever seen. Occultists still refer to the astral body as the invisible double. But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves." Her traditional Phoenician offerings included clothing stained with menstrual blood. Sacrifices made to her included firstborn children and newborn animals. Many of the gods they worshiped, however, were localized and are now known only under their local names. She was also the goddess of rain and thunderstormsleading to her association with An, the sky godand was often pictured with the lion, whose roar resembled thunder. Systems of Transliteration Citation of Proper Names. Inscriptions from two locations in southern Palestine seem to indicate that she was also worshiped as the consort of Yahweh. The leader of the gods, Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans), took on the role of Baal, the god of weather or storms. Seth was the God of chaos, darkness, the desert and drought. 1 Kings 11:5-6, 33; 2 Kings 23:13 The Egyptians gave Ashtaorth the title "Queen of Heaven" and "Lady of Heaven". Only the child sacrifice of the Baal cult came to an end with the Greeks and Romans. For that reason, God and Moses prohibited Israel from worshiping Moloch in Leviticus 18:21 and 20:2, 3, 4, 5. Wigington, Patti. God prohibited Israel from adopting the cultic sexual fertility goddess worship of Egypt and Canaan, Lev 18:3, 20:23. Phoenician religion was inspired by the powers and processes of nature. Some scholars hold Astarte was a prototype of the Virgin Mary. . Astarte is a spirit of abundance, prosperity, love, sex, and war. - Amos 5:25-26 and Acts 7:42-43. Asherah (Hebrew ), also spelled Ashera, was a major northwest Semitic mother goddess, appearing also in Akkadian sources as Ashratu, in Hittite as Asherdu and in Ugaritic as Athirat. As for the land of Carthage, the goddess Tanit was worshipped along with Astarte. One of the most unusual practices Herodotus details is the that of sacred prostitution, which he observes in the ancient city of Babylon. One that Ive used successfully is: Hail Astaroth! The pantheon in Phoenicia was generally ascribed to the Sanchuniathon. Why is Cybele vital to understanding Romans 1? This is the most opportune time to ask questions about the past, present and future. At times of crisis, Baal's followers sacrificed their children, apparently the firstborn of the community, to gain personal prosperity. In the Lemegeton, he appears as either a beautiful or an ugly angel, riding a dragon and holding a viper. x. Employing both material and textual evidence, it is argued that her worship at sea and at port required a degree of religious competency of seamen that served as crew and combatants on trading vessels and military vessels, respectively. The Greeks had oracles, shrines where gods supposedly communicated the future to priests and priestesses. Inanna, who later transformed into the Akkadian goddess Ishtar, the Phoenician Astarte and later still as the Greek goddess Aphrodite, is the goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility. up to every high hill and under every green tree to give herself like a Click here for our comprehensive article on ancient Mesopotamia. It is best to understand these rituals as a religious act of devotion to the goddess rather than as sex per se. She is sometimes referred to as the Lady of the Date Clusters. Bibl. 12). In the book of Jeremiah, there is a verse referencing this female deity, and Yahwehs anger at the people who honor her: Among some fundamentalist branches of Christianity, there is a theory that Astartes name provides the origin for the Easter holiday which should, therefore, not be celebrated because it is held in honor of a false deity. 6; I Sam. Instead, God intended to forbid Israel, His people, from practicing the same sex religious rites with which the ancient Canaanites worshiped their fertility goddess. Astarte, the queen of heaven, was almost as fierce as Anat but less remote than Athirat. In art and texts, Ishtar is depicted supporting favored rulers in battle. Amazing Bible Timeline with World History, http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/arc/profilecoin/html/religion.html>http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/arc/profilecoin/html/religion.html, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Astarte_(goddess)#mediaviewer/File:Dama_de_Galera_(M.A.N._Madrid)_01.jpg, http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Astarte_(goddess)#mediaviewer/File:The_worship_of_Ashtoreth.jpg. Easter, a pagan festival with its pagan fertility symbols, replaced the God-ordained festivals that Jesus Christ, the apostles and the early Church observed. Bibl. 3). ), the king "tore down the quarters of the male shrine prostitutes, which were in the temple of the Lord and where women . A child sacrifice laid on the hands, would roll into the fire in the belly cavity. We enter it unconsciously, we can control our dream for a short time as we are aware of what is happening in it, but then the unconscious dreaming continues, or we, Read More Two Ways to Astral Project & The Demon That Unlocks the PowerContinue, Fellow occultists, I am happy to announce that my new grimoire, Goetia Rising, is now available on Amazon: This is a small book, as a proper grimoire ought to be. In the many myths and stories involving Inanna in ancient Mesopotamia, Inanna does not appear as either wife or mother. 12:31, 18:9-10). When youre done, end the ritual along these lines: Thank you mighty Astaroth for lending me your powers and knowledge. Abraham lived in the Negev desert, where God made his covenant of blood with him and sealed it with circumcision. Hail Astaroth! The second major background factor that we need to grasp somewhat to read Hosea well is the worship of the Canaanite god Baal(s). A shrine of this goddess was found also in the city of Askelon in Philistia (Herodotus, i. Like her Akkadian counterpart Itar, she is an astral deity and is associated with the evening star. https://www.learnreligions.com/who-is-astarte-2561500 (accessed March 5, 2023). 3:6,13; Ezek. and 20:13, are in the context of harlotry or prostitution and Molech worship. These female figurines are associated with domestic religious rituals. All rights reserved. It landed near Byblos in a lake at Alphaca. . She is linked with war, sexuality and fertility. Shrine Prostitutes used sex to worship pagan gods, From Molech, Return To Gay Christian 101 Home Page. There appears to have been only one Baal, who was manifested in lesser Baals at different places and times. Entire civilizations bowed to his different manifestations in centuries past. Cake molds in the shape of horned Astarte dating from the seventeenth century BCE have been found near Nahariah, Israel. Interestingly, in her earlier forms, she also appears as a warrior goddess, and eventually was celebrated as Artemis. Contains spam, fake content or potential malware. Hence, the goddess Astarte was commonly depicted as having horns or the crescent moon on her head. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ishtar-Mesopotamian-goddess, Ancient Origins - Love is a Battlefield: The Legend of Ishtar, First Goddess of Love and War, Oracc - Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses - Itar. Astarte (also Ashtart, Ashtoreth) In ancient Phoenicia, the great Goddess of fertility, motherhood and war. 28, note). 6:13). Thus Baal, meaning master, is the title for a spirit named Hadd. Ornament your body with henna or honey. Anal sex between male and male worshipers and male and female worshipers was viewed as an offering to the goddess. The high priestess of the city, acting in the capacity of the fertility goddess Inanna, would have sex with the high priest or the king role-playing the fertility god Dumuzi. The so-called Queen of Heaven, whose worship is detested in Jeremiah 7:18; 44:17 - 19, 25, may be Astarte, although cases have also been made for other Canaanite goddesses or the Mesopotamian Ishtar. Gay Christian 101 - Affirming God's glorious good news for all LGBTs. Astarte was very popular in Old Testament times and traveled far and wide, starting up in business all over the place with the help of her consort and . He promised his disciples that his church would overcome all evil, even the gates of Hades itself. It was designed like an old fashioned pot-bellied stove, with the belly as the firebox. Stuckey goes on to point out that because of this migration via trade routes, Astarte became much far important in the first millennium BCE than she had been in previous thousand years. "Who Is Astarte?" . This is always a good rule to follow, regardless of the demon youre trying to summon. Astarte (from Greek (Astrte)) is the name of a major goddess as known from Northwestern Semitic regions, cognate in name, origin and functions with the goddess Ishtar in Mesopotamian texts. God specifically appointed the tribe of Levi as his special servants, in place of the firstborn of the Israelites, so they had no excuse for offering their children (Num. However, the work was all Louys own, and included a stunning prayer honoring Astarte: Mother inexhaustible and incorruptible,Creatures, born the first, engendered by thyself and by thyself conceived,Issue of thyself alone and seeking joy within thyself, Astarte! Both of these sacred sexual practices existed for thousands of years in Mesopotamia. Ashtoreth and the queen of heaven. An intense battle began for the minds and hearts of God's people. The center of her cult was in Tyre, but also included Carthage, Malta, Eryx (Sicily), and Kition (Cyprus). But regardless of the appearance of the demon, the behavior, benefits and the dangers associated will the demon will be similar in every case. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Just as they went forth into this . But this didn't happen immediately. She had her own priests and prophets. This article is part of our larger resource on Mesopotamian culture, society, economics, and warfare. Lev 20:2-5; 2 Kgs 23:10, etc.). Astarte is the Phenician name of the primitive Semitic mother-goddess, out of which the most important of the Semitic deities were developed. Inform you of events that happened in the past or will happen in the future. The adjective spiritual was inserted by the translators because in their opinion this is not a reference to literal prostitution but figuratively compares idolatry to prostitution. then. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus referred to the gates of Hades, or the underworld, believed by some to be the grotto at Caesarea Philippi, from which one of the sources of the Jordan River came. It was a city that was situated in Bashan, which was in the eastern part of the Jordan River. Ashtoreth is mentioned three times in scripture, in 1 Kings 11:5 & 33, 2 Kings 23:13. Herodotus, a Greek historian, wrote that every Babylonian woman had to attend the temple of Ishtar/Inanna and agree to sex with any male that asked her. For example, when the Peleset (Philistines) killed Saul and his three sons on Mount Gilboa, they deposited the enemy armor as spoils in the temple of "Ashtoreth.". He showed that he alone held power over the demons, sending them into the Abyss (Luke 8:31). Because the Bible, in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, recognized the reality of the demonic world and condemned all of its practices (Deut. It is best to understand these rituals as a religious act of devotion to the goddess rather than as sex per se. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z-xX9zelUk. God's warning against worshiping Molech the Canaanite fire god, is given in a religious context. Obtain a deeper knowledge of magic with my latest book The Psy-Mage Compendium. The religious Canaanites worshiped a fertility goddess named Ashtoreth. Tammuz is identified as her son/consort, as he is with Ishtar. In modern NeoPaganism, Astarte has been included in a Wiccan chant that is used to raise energy, calling upon Isis, Astarte,Diana,Hecate, Demeter, Kali, Inanna.. Both of these sacred sexual practices existed for thousands of years in Mesopotamia. His mistress, the fertility goddess Asherah, gave birth to many gods, including a powerful god named Baal ("Lord"). She was known in Arabia as "Athtar," and inBabylonia as "Ishtar." Her name appears in the Old Testament (I Kings xi. no doubt seen what wayward Israel has done. Believing Jews and non-Jews living in the land of Israel were also prohibited from pagan sexual worship of the Canaanite fertility goddess because God viewed such pagan worship as abomination. Clearly, though the names of the gods had changed, the people?s worship practices had not. . Hail Astaroth! It took the Assyrian destruction of Israel and the Babylonian Captivity of Judah to convince the Israelites that there is only one omnipotent God. We should remember that the early church was started in a culture soaking in the cults, rituals, and worship of pagan deities. Sacred Marriage Ishtar, (Akkadian), Sumerian Inanna, in Mesopotamian religion, goddess of war and sexual love. Scholars have yet to settle on the question of whether sacred prostitution took place. The Bible's repeated condemnation of child sacrifice shows God's hated of it, especially among his people. Case closed, or at least that's how Hislop presents iteggs appear in different cultural traditions, so they must all be tied to a single earlier tradition, and the goddess Astarte is said to have emerged from an egg, so surely all instances of sacred egg traditions must really be instances of Astarte worship. Not until A.D. 325almost three centuries after Jesus Christ was crucified and resurrectedwas the matter settled.