Aphrodite

Goddesses in various traditions associated with the idea of love and beauty:
Venus (Roman goddess);
Hathor (Egyptian goddess);
Freya (Germanic goddess);
Astarte (Phoenician-Syrian goddess);
Mylitta (Assyrian goddess);
Alilat (Arabian goddess);
Anaitis (Armenian goddess);
Argimpasa / Artimpasa (Scythian goddess);
Inanna (Sumerian goddess);
Ishtar (Babylonian goddess);
Turan (Etruscan goddess);
Ushas and Aurora (Indo-European goddesses).

Is Greek mythology just a series of interesting stories or is it a remnant of some ancient, unknown, more comprehensive knowledge? Were the Greek deities invented beings whose role was only to entertain listeners, or in that diverse mosaic, is there a deeper meaning clear to both ancient sages and the “ordinary” people? What connections linked the Greek deities and the ancient Greeks? In an attempt to find an answer, we will approach one of these deities with the help of writings by ancient, especially Neoplatonic philosophers.

All Greek deities are associated with a specific power and virtue, and Aphrodite is particularly beloved because it embodies the idea of love, beauty, and charm. Aphrodite, as the goddess of love, is a symbolic personification of one of the most powerful forces of existence that lies at the foundation of the world. Love is the force that brings things together, unites them, connects them, and thus creates something new. One of the many aspects of love that the Greeks portrayed with the help of another very important ancient deity, the ancient Eros, Eros Phanes, the oldest of the three Greek Eroses. He represents the unifying force of love that brings order and harmony among the opposing elements that make up chaos, and thus creates cosmos out of chaos. The race of immortals did not exist until Eros merged the elements of the world; from their union, Uranus (Sky), Oceanus (Ocean), Gaia (Earth) were born, and the eternal race of blessed gods was created. These primordial forces that shaped the universe are now called natural laws. Without the force of attraction, two atoms could not join or hold together in a molecule, and the Earth could not sustain a whole sequence. Living beings, and the solar system its existence. Whether we call these forces gravity or some other concept, at the core of each of these forces is the power of attraction or the power of love. The goddess Aphrodite also represents the power of attraction. However, when considering the concept of human love, and thus beauty, it is crucial to note what the ancient Greeks spoke of regarding two Aphrodites. Aphrodite Urania, heavenly Aphrodite, was born from the sea foam (aphros – Gr. foam), and Aphrodite Pandemos, earthly Aphrodite, is the daughter of Zeus and Dione. The older Aphrodite, Urania, was also associated by Neoplatonists with celestial love, the love of the soul and spirit, while the younger, Pandemos, is connected to physical, earthly love. These are two aspects of the same force; the first, due to the divine spark within, is inherent to man and can only be achieved by practicing virtue, and it What is truly humane and what is inherent to the animal world, in which, consciously or unconsciously, man participates by inertia. That is why it is said that the powers of Aphrodite Pandemos affect all beings that live on earth and Olympus – except for three goddesses who are not touched by her charms: Athena, Artemis, and Hestia. Athena is dedicated to wisdom and inner combativeness, Artemis to hunting, nature, and honor, and Hestia to the sacred fire that burns at the center of every being. They are ruled by the heavenly Urania and elevate their love exclusively towards the world of divine archetypes.

The Birth of Venus

Another important concept associated with Urania Aphrodite is the Golden Aphrodite. She represents the eternal youth with which Aphrodite is endowed. This is the state that the human soul reaches in moments of falling in love with what is Eternal and what is Beautiful, and therefore, as Plato states, with what is Good, Just, and True. This is the ecstasy of the soul that allows us to fulfill eternal ideas in the transitory world. It does not depend on either age or youth. The body in which the soul resides because eternal youth is not a characteristic of the body. To experience the Golden Aphrodite means to touch eternity.

Venus, Pompeii, 1st century.

Every human carries two Aphrodites within themselves, one is lustful, the other creative, one makes us everyday people, the other brings us closer to eternity. Aphrodite, often identified with the human soul, combines the aspiration of Love and the fulfillment of that same aspiration, i.e. Beauty and Immortality. Every person can connect with her regardless of the place and time they live in. Only one thing is necessary for it – to consciously direct our efforts towards the timeless within us and the world around us.

How is that possible? How can someone see the “infinite beauty” when it seems to be inside a sacred temple and doesn’t go outside for someone uninitiated to see it? Whoever can, let them follow and go inside, having left behind the superficial sight outside. Because there is no need to chase after beauty. Those who see the shadows in the body, they need to, because they know they are images, traces of shadows, to run towards the one whose shadows they are. (…)
Discard all of that, don’t look, but close your eyes, change them and awaken the eyes that everyone has, but few use them.
Plotinus, Enneads I. 6.8.1.-8.
Knidian Aphrodite, Roman replica of the original by Praxiteles
Orphic hymn to Aphrodite
Urania, exalted queen, who loves laughter, born from the sea, who loves the night, a face that inspires admiration;
Skilled, from whom necessity (Ananke) arose, creator, nightly goddess, lady who connects everything, it is yours to unite the world in harmony because all things, oh divine power, come from you, triple fate (Moira) rules by your command, everything created is subject to you equally: whatever the sky – which encompasses everything – the fertile land and stormy seas contain, recognizes your rule and listens to your command, mighty companion of the god Bacchus.
Goddess of marriage, wonderful in appearance, mother of Eros, who loves the joys of love. Oh Goddess, source of persuasion (Pheitha), source of secrets, queen of affection, you of noble lineage, omnipresent and invisible; Lukaina of marriage, inclined towards humans, abundant, most desired, life-giving, gentle.

Great bearer of the gods’ scepter, it is your task to bind mortals in unbreakable bonds; and to connect every tribe of wild monsters with magical chains through insane longing.

Come, Cyprian, be receptive to my prayer, whether you shine elevated in the sky, or you rule content in fragrant Syria;

whether you are carried, all of gold, across the Egyptian plains near their sacred, fertile and glorious floods, where your blessed abode is placed;

or you rejoice on the azure shores, where the sea roars with foaming waves and you delight in the songs of mortal beings;

whether the exquisite nymphs with clear blue eyes, content to forever wander their known sandy shores, drive your swift golden carriage;

or you are in Cyprus, the land of your famous and marvelous mother, where unmarried nymphs – the most beautiful of all – celebrate you every year. Trembling in the song that sings Adonis purely, and to you, Divine.
Approach, alluring one, be inclined to my prayer, for I call upon you with a devoted mind full of reverence.