|
The Roman Goddess
Caffeina
|
(Also known as Our Lady of
the Latte)
|
Caffeina, Goddess of Energy and Clear Thinking
The patroness of coffee, tea, and other
caffeinated drinks or foods,
Caffeina is the Roman goddess of energy, stamina, and determination.
Usually
portrayed as a beautiful woman rising from a coffee cup, the goddess Caffeina gives clear thought, energy and creativity.
Here is a legend about the origins of the goddess Caffeina:
During the third century there lived a Roman nobleman named Julianus.
A good and pious man, Julianus was a follower of the Great Goddess and
spent a great deal of time in meditation and prayer.
Goddess worship had fallen out of favor with the government and
worshippers were often persecuted. Consequently, Julianus prayed only
at night. Often he would get so weary that he fell asleep without
finishing his prayers. He prayed that the Great Goddess would send him
a way to stay awake at night to pray.
One day while he was out for a walk Julianus met a shepherd who was
surrounded by a frolicking herd of leaping and dancing sheep. Julianus had
never seen sheep behave like this.
Julianus asked the shepherd why the sheep were so lively. The
shepherd pointed to a bush and explained that the sheep had started
cavorting just after eating some of the beans growing on the bush.
Julianus plucked one of the beans and popped it in his mouth. He
suddenly felt so energized that he wanted to dance too! The Goddess
had answered his prayers!
|
|
So Julianus boiled the beans and made a beverage from them. The drink,
of course, was coffee. It was quite tasty, and he decided
that he would drink it every night. Now he found it easy to stay
awake to pray and meditate.
He
thought "This must be a miracle sent by the goddess."
And so began the Romans' devotion to the goddess Caffeina.
Soon
Julianus became the emperor of Rome (Julianus II). Even though he
had been educated as a Christian, he worked to restore the paganism.
For this reason he is often called Julianus the Apostate. Following
his death in Persia in 363 A.D., no other champion of religious
freedom emerged to assume leadership and the empire returned to
Christianity, as the only government sanctioned religion.
|
|
|
A Modern
Ritual to Honor the Goddess Caffeina*
Stand, facing east, holding
a small cauldron (cup), filled with the
mystical brew,
in your power hand, and assume a posture of wakeful alertness.
Bring your coffee cup to your forehead and intone: "LATTE"
Lower your coffee cup to the vicinity of your navel: "MOCHA"
Bring your coffee cup to your left shoulder: "CAPPUCCINO"
Bring it across to your right shoulder: "ESPRESSO"
Put the cup to your lips. Take a big swig, and chant:
"OH, GODDESS, I NEEDED that!"
*Adaptation of the
Caffeina Cross, found at numerous sites on the world
wide web. Author unknown. |
Is Caffeina for real? Or is she a
'found goddess', a goddess invented just for fun for this modern
times?
Frankly, I don't know. Coffee was
'invented' in the Middle East, though it easily would have made
its way to Rome. And I haven't been able to find a truly
authoritative source that really mentions a goddess Caffeina
specifically, so I have my doubts about her presence in
antiquity.
But I depend on her helpful influence
in my life nonetheless!
Don't you??
|
| |
|
|
|
Discover
the
Goddess
Within |
|
|
Click below to sign up for
Read the
abbreviated version of her
myths:
Caffeina, Goddess of Coffee
|
|
