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| Corn Mother- Invoking the Goddess Oracle and Action |
Corn Mother, Corn Maiden and Corn Woman are Goddesses to the Pueblo, Cheyenne and Cherokee Indians. Different forms of Corn Mother shows up in various cultures around the world. Corn Mother creates corn from her body which sustains and nourishes. She is a Goddess of abundance, fertility, harvest and health. The spirit of corn teaches us that what we sow we shall reap. Generosity in sharing our bounty will bring good providence.
I lived on the Zuni Pueblo for five years. One December I was invited by the women to join a corn grinding ceremony the week before their winter solstice ceremony of Shalako. I was both honored and quite shy. Lines of women would move forward to take turns at the metate, a pumice slab with blue corn kernels, ground with another stone on top. When my turn came I could barely smash the hard dried corn and the women laughed at my feeble attempt. It was a laugh of friendship, Zuni's laugh a lot, so I kept going with instruction and managed to make a decent pile for piki bread which was baked from the ground blue corn, water and ashes from the Juniper trees that dot the landscape. It was one of the most memorable evenings of my five years living among the Zuni.
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| Blue Corn |
The Oracle of Corn Mother:
When you recognize me
You recognize the spirit in all foods
Nurturing, sustaining, and giving energy
I am the seed that grows, the sunlight absorbed
The abundant harvest
The meal you share in communion
Eat and be nourished in body and soul
The Action of Corn Mother:
Nourish
Good health comes from good food
Eat mindfully, as a sacred act
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| Corn Mother - Invoking the Goddess Oracle and Action |
