Wednesday, 5 August 2009

Tara

Last night the restless sleep continued, as did the bizarre dreams.

I was at a market and there was one sall not getting much attention. It was full of beautiful, healthy looking organic veg but nobody was much interested because it had come all the way from India. A white family had emigrated and spent half the year growing and would then come back and sell their bounty.

After talking to them a while they said they had other things under their main stall including a tray of jewellery. The tray was intricate and sparkly jewellery, mostly made of metal. I could see a tiny bit of unshiny metal and I grabbed that one knowing it was the one I wanted. It turned out to be part of an old shield that they had based all the other jewellery on. It turned out to be far bigger piece than I had first thought and was intricate and beautiful with aged metal. It was part of a T and apparently the shield had belonged to some lady called Tara.

So I look her up this morning and she turns out to be pretty big in that part of the world and she comes in several different colours. I don't have much time before work to research her but there is something interesting here. Any ideas which Tara would have a shield?

5 comments:

  1. it is full moon remember.. usually a time of bizarre dreams for me too.

    I had a dream about a Goddess statue once.. I dreamed that I was in a shop and there was a tag that kept appearing and on it was the word Lakshmi.. I took it as a sign and went out and bought one..

    your dream is of Tara.. I know she is the Green Goddess in one instance and yes she is one of the big guns...not sure about the shield though.. I will think on it.. what does a shield mean for you??

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  2. I found this on PsychicSophia.com:

    Invocation of Tara

    Praise to Tara
    The Great Mother and provider of all
    Energy supreme
    In the boundless universe
    Star flashing in the heavens
    Eyes of lightening
    Lotus-born
    Tear of the compassionate cosmos
    Help me to heal others
    Help me to heal myself

    Face like a million moons
    Full and bright
    Filled with peace and love
    Goddess of mercy
    We call upon you
    In this our hour of need

    Goddess of all that is right and true
    Scattering blue lotus petals
    Laughing with joy and love
    Most giving one
    Oh perfect crystal mother
    Help us to heal others
    Help us to heal ourselves

    All the gods worship you
    Great Mother of the universe
    Songs fill your sky
    Demons and evil spirits
    Are driven away by your joy
    Purify the land
    Help me to heal others
    Help me to heal myself

    You are the great destroyer
    Of fear, of failure
    Of oppression & disease
    Lift the burden of helplessness
    Empower us to see potential

    Radiant and joyful Goddess
    Dancing across the face
    Of this troubled planet
    Healing as your lotus feet
    Tread the lands about us

    Oh great protector
    You who call upon all the powers
    All the gods
    All the people of the many worlds
    Help me to heal others
    Help me to heal myself
    You burn as holy fire
    Goddess Tara
    Purify us in thy flaming embrace
    Joy replaces fear
    As our doubts disappear

    Blissful Goddess
    Virtuous, honest and peaceful
    As I become you
    The ills of the worlds
    Run off me as water drops

    Greatest Goddess
    Upon whom all the gods and peoples rely
    Earthspirit mother
    Cover and protest me
    Your form my armor
    Fill me and soothe me
    Fill me with calm and a will to act
    Help me to heal others
    Help me to heal myself
    Come Great Mother of all life!

    Here is Tara the red, to the South!
    Here is Tara the yellow , to the North!
    Here is Tara the black, to the West!
    Here is Tara the green, to the East!
    And here within me
    Is Maha Tara, primal Tara, ultimate Tara
    Shining as a star in my heart!
    Om tare tuttare ture soha! Tara!
    Help me to heal others
    Help me to heal myself
    Om tare tuttare ture soha!

    She is often pictured with a sword, but mostly a lotus...could not find her with a shield, but perhaps she, herself, is the shield for one who invokes her name?

    Blessings on you this day. Your dream made me journey.

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  3. I know that she was a far eastern Tara rather than the Celtic green Tara because her shield was most definitely from India....

    I think that the shield means protection - by finding part of her shield, I was finding protection given by her. The fact that it was jewellery makes me wonder if she was claiming my charm bag and smokey quartz but I don't think so. I think they are just one way I have been finding protection and really once I had the piece of the shield, it was too large to wear as a pendant!

    That is a lovely piece you found Holly and it explains much of her spirit. If she has a sword then chances are she would be no stranger to a shield. Maybe she is my shield.

    It is odd because i don't remember hearing of her before and here she is a Buddhist / Hindu Goddess of immense proportion, in my dream... Truly a gift!

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  4. For a different angle...Tara was also a place - the ancient seat of the High Kings of Ireland...who would, of course, have shields....

    I remember this verse from The Wrinkle In Time books...

    At Tara in this fateful hour,
    I place all Heaven with it's power,
    The sun with its brightness
    The snow with its whiteness
    The fire with all the strength it hath
    The lightning with its rapid wrath
    The winds with their swiftness
    The sea with its deepness
    The rocks with their steepness
    The earth with its starkness
    All these I place
    Between myself and the powers of Darkness..

    So again, it fits with the theme of protection and shielding...it intrigues me the connection between Celtic Tara and Indian Tara......

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  5. Oh mel, what a beautiful piece and so appropriate. In my brief readings I did read there was a connection...

    Things wern't as separate as sometimes we think in days gone by. People did travel and ideas and things did migrate. The Book of Kells for instance shows artistic styles drawn from around the world, including the Muslim world.

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