Tien-Hou is the Chinese Goddess of fishermen. She was once a mortal woman named Lin Moniang with four brothers who were all sailors, each with his own ship. One day while they were at sea, Tien-Hou fell into a coma. Her mother tried to revive her and eventually succeeded. Tien-Hou protested that she had been awakened too soon. Later that day, three of her brothers returned home, saying that their ships had nearly been destroyed in storms at sea, but that a vision of Tien-Hou had appeared to them and led them to safety. The fourth brother never returned, for Tien-Hou had been awakened before she could save him. Tien-Hou was still young when she died, and the people named her Princess of Supernatural Favor. She watches over all fishermen, and there are many temples in her honor along the coastline of China. Tien-Hou means "Empress of the Sky", but she is known by many names throughout China, including: Tian Hou Tin Hau Thiên Hâu Tianhou Shengmu (Heavenly Holy Mother) Tianshang Shengmu Thiên Hâu Thánh Mâu Tian Fei (Heavenly Princess Consort) Huguo Mingzhu Tianfei (Protector of the Empire and the Brilliantly Outstanding Heavenly Princess) Mazu (Mother-Ancestor) Mazu-po (Elder Lady Mazu) Matsu A-Ma (Grandmother) Holy Mother of Heaven Above Holy Mother in Heaven

Tou Mu is the Chinese Goddess of the North Star, and keeper of the book of life and death. Having attained all of the celestial mysteries, Tou Mu alone is able to cross between the moon and the sun. She is the mother of the Nine Celestial Kings. She is portrayed sitting on a lotus blossom, and she has four heads and eight arms. In her hands she holds such things as the sun and the moon, a flag, and a flower. Tou Mu's name means "Mother of the Great Wagon", and is also seen as Tou Mou, Dou Mu, and Dou Mou.

Prajnaparamita is the Buddhist Goddess of transcendental wisdom. She is the feminine "perfection of wisdom", the Mother of All Buddhas. Her face is serene, having attained the freedom of enlightenment. She is usually depicted with many arms, and the items they hold are symbolic of her role as teacher: meditation beads (the eternal cycle of time), a rope (to retrieve those who have strayed from the path), fruit (prosperity), a lotus (purity), a vase (abundance), and, most importantly, a book (wisdom). Hands that are not holding objects are in the mudra, or hand gesture, for teaching. The Prajnaparamita Sutras are a collection of sacred writings that reveal the path to wisdom, and they are taken to be the teachings of the Goddess. There is some question as to whether the book or the Goddess came first.

Sengen-Sama is the Japanese Goddess of Mount Fuji and cherry blossoms. She is married to Ninigi, God of rice and grandson of Amaterasu. Sengen-Sama became pregnant so soon after their wedding that Ninigi doubted that she had been faithful to him. Sengen-Sama built a hut with no doors, and said that when she delivered her child, she would set fire to the house. If the baby was not Ninigi's, then she and the child would die in the flames. As it turned out, the babies (she had twins) were Ninigi's children, and they and Sengen-Sama survived the fire. One of the children went on to be the grandfather to the first Emperor of Japan. As Goddess of Mount Fuji, Sengen-Sama has a shrine at the top of the mountain, where her worshippers greet the rising sun, and she sometimes called Asama (dawn of good luck). As Goddess of cherry blossoms, she is also knows as Konohana (child flower) or Konohana-Sakuya-Hime (the princess who makes the tree-blossom bloom).

Tatsuta-Hime (pronounced tat-SUE-tah HEE-may) is the Japanese Goddess of autumn, dyeing, and weaving. Every year, she dyes silk yarns into the fabulous colors of the season and weaves them into a beautiful tapestry. She then turns herself into the wind and blows the autumn colors away.

I have learned so much about other world religions in the last two months!  I had never really understood that Buddhism arose from Hinduism in much the same way that Christianity arose from Judaism.  And I didn't realize that it was as old as it is, beginning in the 6th century B.C.E. Kurukulla is the Tibetan Goddess of magic and enchantment. Tibetan Buddhism recognizes four types of magic: white magic or Shantika-karma (to calm and heal); black magic or Raudra-karma (to destroy evil and obstructions); yellow magic or Paushtika-karma (to increase wealth, merit, and knowledge); and red magic or Vashya-karma (to bring others under one's power). It is this last that Kurukulla rules. She can be called upon to subdue and bewitch humans and demons, for purposes both spiritual and mundane. She is invoked by rejected lovers, those embarking on business ventures, and politicians. Kurukulla is usually depicted as a beautiful sixteen year old girl, because sixteen is a number that signifies perfection. She has red skin, three eyes, and four arms. She holds a bow and arrow covered with flowers, symbolizing her ability to ensnare lovers. She dances upon the body of a dead man, showing the power she wields. Her name means "she who is the cause of knowledge" and is also seen as Kurukulle. Her usual form is also known as Uddiyana Kurukulla, "the Kurukulla who comes from Uddiyana"; her association with the red form of the Goddess Tara gives her the name Tarodbhava Kurukulla, "the Kurukulla who arises from Tara"; Ashtabhuja Kurukulla is a form with eight arms; and there is also a two-armed form known as Shukla Kurukulla.

I think I'm going to adopt this one as a patron Goddess.  I love the notion of her ruling over "everything that flows," especially when writer's block hits. Benzai-Ten is the Japanese Goddess of everything that flows---water, music, eloquence, knowledge, the arts, and love. She is one of the Seven Lucky Gods or Shichi Fukujin, and the only female among them. Benzai-Ten is the patroness of geishas, musicians, and dancers. She came to earth to stop a dragon who had been eating the children from a small village. Benzai-Ten descended from the clouds, and the island of Enoshima rose from the sea to meet her. She went to the cave of the dragon, tamed and married him, and convinced him not to eat any more children. She is often pictured riding on her golden dragon, playing a biwa or mandolin. Other representations of her show her with eight arms---two hands are joined in prayer, while the others hold a sword, a bow, an arrow, a wheel, a key, and a jewel. The jewel has the power to grant wishes. Alternative names for Benzai-Ten include Benten, Benzaiten, and Benzai-tennyo.

Today's Goddess is another well-known one, worshipped by millions, and she helps me with my name count! Guan Yin (pronounced Gwan-yin) is the Buddhist Goddess of mercy and compassion. She is worshipped in China as Guan Yin (also seen as Kuan Yin or Kwan Yin), in Japan as Kannon (also Kwannon and Kanzeon), in Korea as Gwan-eum or Gwanse-eum, in Thailand as Kuan Eim or Prah Mae Kuan Eim, and in Vietnamese as Quan Am or Quan The Am Bo Tat. The name Guan Yin itself is short for Guanshi Yin or Kuan-shih Yin, meaning "she who observes the cries of the world". She is worshipped by Buddhists and Taoists alike, from India to Japan, as a bodhisattva (enlightened being) who encourages and helps her followers to attain enlightenment as well. Guan Yin is usually shown holding a willow branch in one hand (symbolizing grief) and a lotus flower containing the nectar of wisdom in the other. She looks down, watching over her followers. In some depictions, she carries a basket of fish, as she is also a patron Goddess of sailors and fishermen. In others, she carries an infant, and is venerated as a Goddess of fertility. The predominant legend associated with Guan Yin involves her refusal to marry as her father had chosen. He decided to have her executed, and in forgiving her executioner, she took on the karmic guilt that would have been his to bear. Because of this, she ended up in the hellish realm of the dead, where she began to play music. Flowers blossomed around her and hell turned into a paradise, much to the dismay of the ruler of the underworld. He sent Guan Yin back to the world of the living, where she attained enlightenment and entrance to Heaven. On her way to heaven, she heard the cries of earth's inhabitants and came back, vowing to stay as long as she was needed to relieve the suffering she saw.

Here's a more lighthearted story.  It reminds us that we can't shut ourselves away when things go wrong, and that we have more of an impact on our world than we know. Amaterasu (pronounced AH-mah-tay-RAH-soo) is the Japanese Shinto sun Goddess, whose name means "she who shines in the heavens". She is the most important Goddess in the Shinto pantheon, having invented the cultivation of rice, the use of silkworms, and the art of weaving. Her most famous myth involves her brother, Susanoo, God of storms. One day, Susanoo, in a drunken rage, destroyed Amaterasu's rice fields, palace, and shrines, and killed several of her handmaidens. In her anger, Amaterasu shut herself away in a cave. Without the sun, all life on earth began to wither and die. The Japanese deities gathered outside of her cave and made plans to get her to come out. After setting up a mirror across from the cave, the Goddess Ame-no-Uzume began to dance. When the other Gods began to laugh and cheer, Amaterasu peeked out of her cave to see what was going on. Seeing herself in the mirror for the first time, she was amazed at her own beauty and stood entranced. The Gods persuaded her to remain out of the cave to share her beauty with the world. She consented, and continues to shine on us all.