 |
|
Although impressed by Solomon's wealth, Sheba was more interested in his wisdom. Caravanserai enters Sheba
The country Sheba or Saba, whose name means Host of Heaven and peace, was Abyssinia. Located in southwest Arabia on the eastern tip of the Red Sea, Sheba occupied 483,000 square miles of mountains, valley and deserts in the area of present day Yemen. Some historians claim that Ethiopia, on the western end of the Red Sea, was also part of Sheba's territory. Sheba was a wealthy country, advanced in irrigation techniques and hydraulic power. Its people, the Sabaeans, built dams as high as 60 feet and large earthen wells which contributed to their thriving agriculture and beautiful gardens. Rich in gold and other precious stones, as well as incense and exotic spices sought by neighboring kingdoms, Sheba engaged in a lucrative caravan trade. By 1000 B.C., camels frequently traveled the 1400 miles up the "Incense Road" and along the Red Sea to Israel. The spices of Sheba were highly prized. Frankincense, an offering to the gods, was heaped on funeral pyres, and given as an antidote for poison, and as a cure for chest pains, hemmorrhoids and paralysis. Myrrh, an ingredient in fragrant oils and cosmetics, was used in preparing bodies for burial, for healing ear, eye and nose ailments, and inducing menstruation. Other Sabaean spices were saffron, cummin, aloes and galbanum. Numerous legends refer to the female-centered clans, matriarchal practices, and matrilineal inheritance of ancient Arabia and surrounding countries. In Assyria, the head of a family was called the "shebu," and was originally a female, or matriarch. In other mideastern lands, polyandry was sanctioned - a woman could marry several husbands, who left their own families to live with hers; she could also initiate divorce by turning her tent to face east for three nights in a row. Before the onset of patriarchy, women may have experienced superior - or at least equal - rights with men. The earliest known Arabian temple was at Marib, capital of Sheba, and was called Mahram Bilqus, "precincts of the Queen of Sheba." In Arab lore, this queen was named Bilqus or Balkis; in Ethiopia, Makeda (also Magda, Maqda and Makera), meaning "Greatness." Years later, the historian Josephus, referred to her as Nikaulis, Queen of Ethiopia and Egypt. Extract taken from work of Tracey Marks Sheba's Box of Wisdom
Although impressed by Solomon's wealth, Sheba was more interested in his wisdom. Some scholars suggest that her visit (to King Solomon) was also economically and politically motivated, "the conclusion of a trade agreement governing both land and sea routes, rather than a meeting of mutual admiration."But she came, according to the Kebra Negast, to learn from him, and according to the Bible, "to prove him with hard questions." What were these "hard questions?" Theologians throughout the ages have speculated on their nature, believing them to pertain to: peace and war, the meaning of life, evil, secrets of death and immortality, the relationship between spirit and body, sexuality, male/female differences, the role of women, the reliability of paternity as a basis for an economic system, the cycles of the moon and tides, and the name and nature of God. Whatever the questions, most sources refer to lengthy discussions occurring between Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Sheba's Box of Treasures Black
Madonna by Monika Roleff |
December 21 2005 Pregnant With Possibility
Pregnant with Possibility by Heather Blakey The Black Madonna is the alter ego of the Virgin Mary, they are Queen of the Earth as Mary is Queen in Heaven and fertile and sensual as Mary is icon of the Immaculate Conception and Incorruptibility. The Black Madonna is the Virgin who belongs to no man or deity, since all life emanated from her as Mother Nature. In contrast Mary received the seed of God in the form of the Holy Spirit Black Madonnas are found all over Europe, especially in France, the most famous ones being at Chartres in France, Czestochowa in Poland and Montserrat in Spain. Some Black Madonna figures are pregnant rather than holding a baby, representing the fertile mother of the Earth. The symbol of the Goddess with the swollen belly dates back to Palaeolithic times. At Lozere in France in the cathedral Notre-Dame de Mende, the fecund Madonna made of walnut or apple wood, both fertility trees, was brought back from the Holy Land by Crusaders in 1253. Sometimes shrines of Black Madonnas are inscribed with the words from the Song of Songs referring to the Queen of Sheba whose wisdom was greater than that of Solomon I am black but beautiful, Sheba, like the Black Madonna, was linked with wise Sophia The Amazon Queen, seated here, is pregnant with possibility. The Queen provides a potent symbol of fertility for pilgrims to honour during their long journey to find their creative makka. Baba Yaga The story of Baba Yaga is prime among many images of the Black Goddess. The Black Goddess is at the heart of all creative processes and cannot be so easily viewed. Men and women rarely approach her, except in fear. Women are learning of her through the strength and boldness of elder women who are not afraid to unveil her many faces. Sofia as wisdom lies waiting to be discovered within the Black Goddess who is her mirror image. Knowing that, until we make that important recognition, we are going to have to face the hidden and rejected images of ourselves again and again. Travellers approached the House of Baba Yaga with trepidation, for, to be sent to Baba Yaga is tantamount to being sent to one's death. Baba Yaga's Hut: standing on its magical Chicken-Leg, yet revolving like the solar symbol it is, always rising & setting in a new place, bringing birth -- and death -- daily. In our death denying society it is not easy to face death. But those who went to Baba's and availed themselves of her soul hands were rejuvenated and found fresh creativity. Tasks
Soul Hand, using favourite, inspirational
quotes, by 1. Set out to the House of Baba Yaga. 2. Design some Soul Hands for yourself and set them to work to complete all your unfinished projects. 3. Make yourself a box or altered book to store Sheba's wisdom in. Go on a treasure hunt to find the answers to some of the hard questions. 4. Sit and interview Sheba. To do this imagine that the Queen is sitting with you. Introduce yourself and ask some questions. As you do, make a note of her answers. Be assured that you will be surprised by how revealing this interview is. 5. Instead of going 'to confession' to confess your sins, sit in a confessional box and tell your maker about your 'successes'. 6. Meditate and contemplate what is possible. 8. Where would we be without archetypes - beings who have a thousand optional faces and no definable identity at all? The Queen of Sheba is everyone's idea of a fatally voluptuous woman; it helps if she is veiled, so you have to imagine what she looks like. Learn more about Sheba and consider how to access parts of her. Let the voice of Sheba be heard in your work. I
am not a woman but a world by Peter Conrad |
 |