Ancient Goddesses in New York

Vasudara is a lifesized goddess statue who blesses the Asia Art Gallery with her big, beautiful, expansive presence. She emanates joy and a sense of safety. She is considered a goddess of good things and prosperity. The Brooklyn Museum describes her as " A four-armed goddess holds a book (pustaka) in her upper left hand. Her right upper hand is in abhaya mudra (a gesture meaning "do not fear") while her lower right hand is in a variation on the varada mudra (wish-granting gesture). 

Photo: Laurie Sue Brockway/Goddess Communications

Kannon, ca. 1100/Heian Period, Japan

These two figures of the goddess Kannon (also known as Guanyin/Kuan Yin) are small but powerful. That's because they must have been prayed to for many years. Kannon and her different forms are known as Avalokiteshvara. The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara is the embodiment of the virtue of compassion and is a central figure of Buddhism. These two sacred icons are "from a large group of standing images of the Bodhisattva that once belonged to a temple in Nara," according to the Brooklyn Museum. They once lived as part of a large display of "One Thousand Kannons." Each had subtly different gestures, as seen in these two figures, which "celebrate the diverse roles of the Bodhisattva."

Photo: Laurie Sue Brockway/Goddess Communications

This gorgeous gilt figure seems to make the goddess Marichi come alive. She is worshipped in numerous Buddhist cultures as the goddess of dawn. You can sit and gaze at her for a long time because she has such a pleasant energy and so many angles. She has three distinct heads, and while the face she shows the world in front is placid and loving, her side faces are unusual at first sight - one is a boar and the other is fierce. However, the boar is admired in Asia for its tenacity and wrathful-looking face is considered a protector.  She is known for her ability to be a gentle guide and a ferocious protector.
She is beloved, "because she drives away the darkness of night as well as the spiritual darkness caused by ignorance and fear," according to The Brooklyn Museum. "Like many Buddhist deities, she is usually depicted with many hands and faces, each representing a different ability or characteristic."

This powerful goddess is like an old friend, always there for us in the Egyptian wing of The Brooklyn Museum. If you sit on a bench nearby you may feel her protective rays. Sekhmet is the Lion-Headed Goddess of Egypt, one of the most ancient goddesses known to the human race. She is a war and healing goddess who is a force to be reckoned with. She is depicted in countless ancient statues and reliefs with a slim female body and a lion head; she symbolizes the protective energy of the lioness. Fierce, yet focused, she is not known for random slaughter but for specifically protecting her turf, her interests, and anything she loves. As protectress of Divine Order, Sekhmet safeguards the gods against evil, and many believe she protects mortals as well. The Brooklyn Museum calls her Sakhmet, whose name means "The Powerful One." She wears a sun-disk and cobra on her brow, and this identifies her as the daughter of the sun-god Re. "In her role as the Eye of Re, Sakhmet was dispatched abroad to destroy Egypt's enemies," according to the Brooklyn Museum.

Photo: Laurie Sue Brockway/Goddess Communications
 
Snake Goddess Manasa is an ancient goddess who protects people from snake bites and is also a Fertility Goddess.

This beautiful temple goddess represents the Goddess Lakshmi. Standing by her is like standing in a temple. The Brooklyn Museum says that she would have been located at above the main door of a Champa temple.  She hails from "Tra Kieu village, in the present province of Quangnam, a site formerly named Simhapura (the city of the Lion), in the ancient capital of Amaravati in the Champa kingdom," according to her detail page.