Anahita

Anahita
अनाहिता
The Divine Feminine Series
24 x 24
Acrylic & Rose Gold Leaf on Canvas
(December, 2020)
 
Anahita, which means unhurt, unstruck, unbeaten, is the Avestan name of an ancient  Indo-Iranian goddess venerated for healing and wisdom.  Anahita is closely associated with the Hindu Goddess Sarasvatī.  Like the Hindu Sarasvatī, Anāhitā nurtures crops and fertility; and is both divinity and personification of a mythical river.  Devotion to Anahita survived Persian conversion to Zoroastrianism; she was absorbed into the Zoroastrian pantheon.  In the ancient Zoroastrian tradition, all the waters of the world originate from the source Anahita.  Reverence for Anahita continued into the Parthian period, receding in the Sassanid period, which coincides with the rise of Zoroastrian iconoclasm.  Anahita shares characteristics with Mat Zemlya, the Earth Mother,, the oldest deity in pagan Slavic mythology.
 
The goddess lends her name to the fourth chakra, the heart chakra.  The name of this chakra embodies a fresh perspective, the ability to observe the contradictory experiences of life with a state of openness.  This wisdom and the ability to sit with our contradictions is key to integration and cooperation, bringing peace and fresh perspective.  The greens of the heart chakra are associated with balance, calm, and serenity.  Anahita, and her meditative compassion, embody the Divine Feminine Series.