#kyria nike

[maidenofsophia]

A time of fire, both material and spiritual, shall come upon the earth. But take not fear, for out of the fire shall come the fire-jewel of regeneration.

All that has opposed Our Lady over forty centuries, the cruel idolatry of false male gods and all that is material and gross; all that is coming by its own inner laws to its red and blood-drenched climax.

Fire and iron and blood, and the red sphere named by you Mars, shall have their exaltation and their end.

- Prologue / "The Words of Alethea" 2-5

[maidenofsophia]

The Seven Powers of Zoe

"In the presence of these, Zoe, who dwells with Sabaoth, created seven good androgynous powers. The masculine names are: not-jealous, blessed, joyful, true, not-envious, beloved, trustworthy. And their feminine: peace, gladness, rejoicing, blessedness, truth, love, faith. And many good and guileless spirits come from these."

- Zoe Sophia creating the Seven Holy Powers, from the Gnostic text 'On the Origin Of The World'.

I have said before how I disliked the idea within Gnosticism of Sophia behind behind the creation of the Demiurge and the Seven Archons, which helped sway me over to the Filianism with the reverence of the Janyati. However I do seem to have completely overlooked this verse in one of my favourite Gnostic scriptures, which does indeed show Zoe, Daughter of Sophia, creating seven holy powers in order to balance the malevolent forces created by the Demiurge.

The text goes on to say that one can find further explanations of Zoe’s seven good powers in another scripture which has become lost. I’ve assumed that the order of the masculine names is supposed to match the feminine names to create a syzygy, as known in Gnosticism. 

Below is my attempt to correspond each syzygy to the Janyati (along with their Sophian names).

“Not-Jealous / Peace” - Sai Vikhe (Kyria Nike)

While Sai Vikhe is often depicted as a warrior, she is not armed for conquering or offence. She fights, if necessary, to keep the peace. War is often brought about by jealousy, by fear that something will be taken from you. While Sai Vikhe is a warrior, she is also a negotiator and a delegate. 

“Blessed / Gladness” - Sai Thame (Kyria Themys)

This one is a bit of a stretch and, I’ll admit, came down to mostly what was left after linking the others. But Sai Thame represents Order and Harmony. In an ideal, harmonious society, we would appreciate the blessings bestowed upon us and not seek to create unnecessary conflict. That’s the best I could do, to be honest. *shrug*

“Joyful / Rejoicing” - Sai Raya (Kyria Theia)

This was a rather easy one, as Sai Raya is already known for Joy and Laughter, closely resembling Our Mother when she laughed the Universe into being. 

“True / Blessedness” - Sai Candre (Kyria Pheobe)

Very similar to Blessed Gladness with Sai Thame, but ‘True’ reminds me more of Sai Candre’s association with reason and purity.

“Not-Envious / Truth” - Sai Mati (Kyria Metis)

While jealousy describes the fear of having something taken from you, envy is desiring that which belongs to another. If truth is linked to knowledge and intellect then the connection to Sai Mati, with her divine Wisdom, is obvious. But letting go of attachment and desire is also a path to Wisdom.

“Beloved / Love” - Sai Sushuri (Kyria Tethys)

Again, another easy one, as Sai Sushuri is the Janya of Love and Compassion.

“Trustworthy / Faith” - Sai Rhave (Kyria Rhea)

Faith, when based off good reason and experience, is what grounds us. When we know what to trust, we feel self-assured. Faith is the foundation for every decision we make in life. We only act so when we believe that action is the right one. Sometimes that faith is misplaced, but it is always the mover of that first step. Sai Rhave represents the Dark Mother; who is Dea as the First Cause, who created all things in the truest faith in Herself.

[maidenofsophia]

Rayati. Thank you for responding to my question. It actually now seems to me more fit to call the holy daughter "zoe" on the grounds that she rekindles the light of our true selves and shows us the love of our divine and eternal mother, who truly is our beloved mama in the end. Anyways, i've just been researching the history of Ishtar/Inanna. There is to many connotations to war and lust for my liking... p.s, i'm very sorry for coming off a bit rude.

Rayati. 

Don’t worry, you didn’t come off as rude. Zoe isn’t that well known outside of Gnostic circles, and not even all Gnostics acknowledge Her much, so I probably needed to explain my decision to still identify Her with the Holy Daughter in my own personal practice. 

I don’t know too much about Inanna/Ishtar myself, but She seems to be very much pan-cultural, having been adapted into many different pantheons across the Middle East, linking to Isis, Asherah, Astarte, Aphrodite and more. War and lust seem to be only a couple of Her aspects but She seemed to represent a variety of powers for the many different cultures that worshipped Her. I can understand if some of that may put you off.

However, it is important to remember that the ‘Inanna’ of Orthodox Filianism refers primarily to the Holy Daughter - who, as you said in your first ask, is all loving. She has several different aspects to her personality, represented primarily in the Seven Janati, and these reflect the different forms people throughout history have known Her. Her identity as a warrior, for example, would be linked to Sai Vikhi (Kyria Nike). Maidkind’s relationship and understanding of Dea can be warped by fear and ignorance, turning virtues into vices, and manipulating aspects of Deity to suit a political agenda. 

At the end of the day, all are free to call Our Lady what they wish. She did not exist in one place at one time. Her identity spans multiple worlds. Her story occurs outside of time. What She does for us, Her sacrifice, is an event that has happened at the beginning and continuing throughout eternity, until all souls are reunited back into the Great Mother of Mystery.