The positive elementary pole culminates in the figure of the Good Mother, who presides over the Vegetation Mysteries of fertility and rebirth. Here we find the cycles of nature as symbolized by the seed-plant-fruit-seed transformation metaphorically representing the human cycles of death and rebirth. The archetypal Good Mother is surrouded by agricultural and fertility symbols of all kinds, especially grain, fruit (notably the pomegranate), the cornucopia, the pig/sow, and shellfish.
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| mosaic with Mithras, Tellus, the Seasons; Munish Praehistoriches Museum |
In this mosaic, the male figure, the Persian god Mithras, is standing, surrounded by the signs of the zodiak, representing the sky, spirit, and the immortality principle. The goddess Tellus (Earth), lies on the ground surrounded by her children, the four seasons, representing nature and the rebirth principle.
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Barbara F. McManus