Stone Masons, the GreenMan & Sheela Na Gig by Abby Willowroot             Great Cathedrals of Europe are adorned with hundreds of GreenMan faces, gargoyles and carvings. The Dark-Ages, Middle-Ages and the Renaissance saw the European indigenous religions, Nature worship, local healers and witches, wise wimmin, and male elders under a barrage of constant attacks by the Christian Church. Their goal, was to completely wipe out Paganism.        During the Church's virulent wars on the people's beliefs in the sanctity of Nature,  Masons carved stone images of the GreenMan and Sheela-Na-Gig into Christian Cathedrals, as a part of the exterior and interior ornamentation. The ever presence of the GreenMan and Sheela-Na-Gig remained a strong and constant source of strength to the people and offered them the protection of the Old Ways, even as they entered the great Cathedrals.         The GreenMan's image silently echoed the spirit of the Sacred Cycles of Nature, and Pagan Gods and Goddesses, reverred by the people. It was the Stonemasons who preserved the Icons,  images, sanctity and spirit of both the Greenman and Sheela Na Gig for the people, and for all the future generations,  who in their turn, will discover the ancient sanctity of Nature.   This GreenMan Statue is cast in resin and is available from www.SacredSource.com Many fine GreenMan images are being created today by artists including; Thomas Perkins, Oberon Zell, Abby Willowroot and Paul Borda.           GreenMan & Sheela Na Gig  by Abby Willowroot The legacy of the Stone Masons, Icons of stone and energy, watch us.   Guardian Icons that have watched from the Churches of Europe for centuries. They watched as the Old Ways passed into obscurity, and we forgot, who we are. They watched as generation upon generation upon generation, was born, lived and died. They watched as the Inquisition came, with charges of Heresy and consorting with the devil. They watched as women, men & children faithful to the Old Ways, were burned as witches. They watched as countless plagues, wars & famines, devastated the people and the land. They watched as the modern world emerged out of the middle ages and the renaissance. They watched as reformation and revolution swept across the land, and brought change. They watched as the seasons' cycle turned, moon waxed and waned, and storms came. They watched as enslaved humans were brutally taken from Africa to Europe, and sold.  They watched as Europe's own children left for America and Australia, never to return. They watched as the ships set sail, farmers plowed, children played, and dogs barked. They watched as women cooked, spun, worked, tended babes, and midwifes birthed. They watched as miners descend deep into the Earth, their lives spent in darkness. They watched as Wollstonecraft, Austen, Byron & Sand put pen to paper and wrote. They watched as Shakespear, Dickens, Joyce, and Rowling spun wonderous tales. They watched as Darwin wrote about the world of Nature and the origin of species. They watched as Newton worked his mathematical formulas and created physics. They watched as Emperors, Kings and Queens lived, reigned, and passed away. They watched as the Industrial revolution and the technology revolution came. They watched as the machines came and filled the land and sky with noise.  They watch us,  the hundreds of Cathedral GreenMan and Sheela Na Gigs. They watch us today, to see if there will be, an environmental revolution.   They protected us today, as they did in the past, and help us remember. They are waiting for us to remember the ancient reverence for Nature. They are watching to see if we know what is important, what lasts. They are watching, to see, if we learn to remember who we are. They watch and whisper to us, "You are Children of Nature".  Listen for their whispers . . . . . and Remember Copyright Abby Willowroot 2010 - All rights reserved   This is perhaps the best known image of a Sheela Na Gig, but there are many variations, two of them appear above, next to the Greenman images.  .    Build Your Own Online Altar here!  My Own Altar at the Grove   All Our Pages ~   Home  *  Search the Grove * Goddess Names  * Goddess Prayers  *  Discovering Yourself * Ritual & Renewal * Goddess Lands  * Goddess 101   * Pagan 101 * Healing Altar  * The Hearth * Human Heritage & the Goddess   *  Spirit Path    *  Sacred Wall Art   *  The Muse  * A Faery Page  * Trees & Glades * Spiral Grove  *  InterFaith Prayers *  Once Long Ago . . . * GreenMan Meadow *  Goddess Temples Online *   Willowroot Online Store   * Goddess Temples Online  *   FREE Pagan Graphics for Your Website or Blog  * More New Coloring Pages  *  Kindness  *  Choosing a Goddess  *  Change Maker ~ Visioning  *   About Magical Tools *  Search the Grove ~ Keyword Search  * About the Artist & Grove Keeper  *  She Who Altar  *  Tomorrow  *  Great Goddess Altar * Asherah Altar * Altar of Astarte * Aphrodite's Altar * Brigid Altar *  Inanna ~ Ishtar Altar * Altar of IsIs * Labyrs Altar * Mary Page * Night Mother Grove * Rainbow Heart Grove * Altar of Serenity * Vinca Altar * Ancient Goddess Grotto   * Samhain - Halloween Page  * Ocean Mother  * Kali Ma Altar * Aphrodite's Altar * A Goddess Garden  * Night Mother * Altar of Serenity * Ancient Goddess Grotto * Temple of Artemis-Diana *  An Altar for 9/11  * Demeter & Kore Altar  *  Remembering Sanity *  Goddess Magic *  Breathe Deeply * A Goddess Garden * Grove of Rememberance * Deep at Your Core * A Creation Story * Crone Moon Grove * Crone Wisdom Page  * Dawn of a New Day *  A Creation Story  * Flowing with Nature * GreenMan Grove * A Moment in Spring *  Tomorrow * Make A Wish!  *  Pagan Prayers  *  Build Your Own Altar at the Grove  * A Moment in Spring * Trees & Glades   * A Faery Page  * Free Pagan Graphics * Grove of Rememberance *  Growing and Becoming  * Sedna of the North * Bali, Living Pagan  *  * Free Graphics for Your Webpages  *  Star Dust * Kindness *  Making Goddess Masks ~ G2000 Project * Goddess Jewels * Samhain Page - A Moment Between Time  *  Memories of Maxine Feldman  * Daily Meditation  *  Favorite Movies   * About The Artist & Grove Keeper  * Awards & WebRings  * Links *  Luna Press  * ~Goddess 2000 Project~   *   Main Temple  * Temple of Aphrodite  *    Artemis Diana Temple  *  Labyrs Altar  *   Hecate Temple  *  Kuan Yin Temple  *  Rose Temple  *  A Local Temple  *  Mother Temple  *  Temple of the Ancients   *  Opening Yourself to the Sacred  *  Island Temple *  InterFaith Prayers  *  Some Thoughts On Life * Secular Paganism * Remembering Sanity *  Once Long Ago . . . *  Goddess Magic *    Willowroot Online Store   * Luna Press Goddess Temples   Main Temple  *   Temple of Aphrodite  *    Artemis Diana Temple  *  Labyrs Altar   *     Hecate Temple  *  Kuan Yin Temple  *  Rose Temple  *  A Local Temple   *   Mother Temple   *  Temple of The Ancients  *  Opening Yourself to the Sacred  *  Island Temple Just For Kids ~ Kid's Grove * The Kid's Beach * Kid's Spirit * Kid's Coloring Page * More Coloring Pages * Pagan Kid's Critters Page  * Kids' Special Place  * Make A Wish! * More New Coloring Pages * Willowroot Online Store         Thank You for visiting the StoneMason's page, and welcome to the Spiral Goddess Grove is an Online Goddess Temple and Sacred  Space to be enjoyed and to be learned from.  We're glad you have chosen to join us here. There are many places to explore and discover new things to add to your life and to experience.        Other things you will find in the Spiral Goddess Grove include; ~ altars ~ groves ~ earth goddess ~ healing insights into maintaining good health~ hygeia ~ the hearth ~ kali ~ gaea ~ gaia ~ autumnal equinoz ~ vernal equinox ~ solstice ~ kuan yin ~ laussel ~ labyris ~ labyrs ~ mary ~ moon goddess ~ neolithic goddess ~ special pages just for young kids to enjoy ~ pagan ~ paganism ~ pagan goddesses musings on cretivity ~~ pele ` nammu ~ mother ~ moon ~ instructions on making your own sacred wall art ~ ancestors ~ amazon ~ ancient goddesses ~ aphrodite ~ goddess art ~ celebration ~ astarte ~  images of what ancient Goddess Temples may have looked like in bright colors ~ minoan crete ~ crone ~ earth goddess ~ dolni ~ athena ~ brigid ~ brigit ~ cave art ~ wicca ~ wiccan ~ dianic ~ witch ~ spirituality ~ art from around the world by many fine goddess 2000 project participants  ~ goddess 2000 project ~ ancestress ~ greenman ~ green man ~ spirit path ~ nature ~ kali ma ~ serpent ~ earth mother ~ and much more. Great Goddess IsIs ~ Mother Goddess Demeter ~ Arinna ~ Yemaya ~ Sirona ~ Diana ~ Inanna ~ Goddess Ishtar ~ Hecate ~ Brigid ~ Freyja ~ Nammu ~ Astarte ~ Sophia ~ AuLat ~ Lwvana ~ Maat ~ Turan ~ Minerva ~ Nut ~ Boldogasszony ~ Otohime ~ Hathor ~ Mawu ~ Aphrodite ~ Kanayama-hime ~ Luna ~ Kali Ma ~ Quan Yin ~ Selene ~ Kore ~ Goddess Amaterasu ~ Pandora ~ Medusa ~ Nathor ~ Venus ~ Gaia ~ Funadama ~ Sedna ~ Iris ~ Corn Mother ~ Dana ~ Kannon ~ Cerridwen ~ Goddess Irene ~ Macha ~ Rhiannon ~ Kishimo-jin ~ Hel ~ Mary ~ Nortia ~ Benzai-Ten ~ Frigga ~ Partula ~ Vinca ~ Lady of the Beasts ~ Uba ~ Rowan ~ Artemis ~ Ma ~ Marica ~ Ki ~ Gabjauja ~ Louzera ~ Lhamo ~ Amentet ~ Gabija ~ Laka ~ Goddess Selene ~ Allat ~ Uac Rapito ~ Pavasiya ~ Lahar ~Zemyna ~ Securitas ~ Sechat-Hor ~ Pandara ~ Saps ~ Rheia ~ Ma-Zu ~ Ran ~ Quiritus ~ Bubona ~ Prende ~ Kishi-Bojin ~ Flora ~ Goddess Mayahuel ~ Chup-Kamui ~ Mafdet ~ Diti ~ Fauna ~ Aradia ~ Kaminari ~ Goddess Vaisgamta ~ Atabey ~ Pales ~ Zeme pati ~ Kaupuole ~ Rasyte ~ Marisha-Ten ~ Great Goddess Artemis of Ephesus ~ Kami-Musubi ~ Aparajita ~ Hina ~ Oya ~ Zenenet ~ Bona Dea ~ Uma ~ Daphne ~ Heket ~ Ixtab ~ Saule ~ Caca ~ Baubo ~ Eye Goddess ~ Goddess Ixchel ~ Helene ~ Quilla ~ Izanami ~ Queen of Heaven ~ Unut ~ Ostara ~ Benzai-Ten ~ Zana ~ Bastet ~ Anuket ~ Sothis ~ Ana ~ Oshun ~ Hygeia ~ Sengen ~ Goddess Pele ~ Sauska ~ Aditi ~ Lilith ~ Toyouke-Omikami ~ She Who is Many ~ Athena ~ Zemes Mate ~ Ceres ~ Fulla ~ Ningal ~ Marama ~ Uni ~ Lucina ~ Grandmother Spider ~ Am-No-Tanabata-Hime ~ Nepit ~ Adraste ~ Maiden Goddess Persephone ~ Ba ~ Jord ~ Cybele ~ Goddess Hera ~ Anath ~ Parvati ~ Jian Lao ~ Asthoreth ~ Inar ~ Laka ~ Epona ~ Uzume ~ Circe ~ Damona ~ Camunda ~ Anat ~ Rosmerta ~ Zuimaco ~ Anahita ~ Pomona ~ Eos ~ Tyche ~ Peitho ~ Korrawi ~ Sachmet ~ Isara ~ Nemetona ~ Kubaba ~ Fortuna ~ Aurora ~ Jurate ~ Antum ~ Hine-nui-te-po ~ Ala ~ Karitei-mo ~ Ahurani ~ Kybele ~ Kaltes ~ Nana ~ Ida ~ Pachet ~ Milda ~ Zemyna ~ Fravasi ~ Brigantia ~ Blodeuwedd ~ Gosseaa Yuki-Onna ~ Artio ~ Nakatsu-Hime ~ Selket ~ Tlazolteotl ~ Abundantia ~ Alpan ~ Uli ~ Neith ~ Krumine ~ Venus of Laussel ~ Vinca Bird Goddess ~ Ame-No-Mi-Kumari ~ Medeine ~ Bride ~ Asherah ~ Jurakan ~ Ihuanaboina ~ Acatl ~ Pergubre ~ Moon Goddess ~ Laima ~ Giltine ~ Laksmi ~ Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kidul ~ Minoan Snake Goddess ~ Brigit ~ Goddess Gaea ~ Kali Ma ~ Kuan Yin ~ Mother Earth ~ Neoilithic Goddesses ~ Dolni ~ Haniyasu-hime ~ Kojin ~ Kishijoten ~ Goddess of the Amazons ~ Dewi Sri ~ All Ancient Goddesses whose names we do not know ~  Spiral Goddess Grove Copyright Abby Willowroot 1997 ~ 2009 All right reserved (some flames excepted)  Additional artwork at this site Copyright TN Perkins. Spiral Goddess Grove tm,  The contents, format, and "look and feel" of this site are Copyrighted.  No images, format, or text on this Website may be reproduced, (with or without alteration) electronically transmitted, except as intended, or copied in any form without prior written consent. Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Spiral Goddess Grove ) Spiral Goddess Grove Copyright Abby Willowroot 1997 ~ 2009 Free counters provided by Honesty.com.    www.spiralgoddess.com