Goddess Nemesis on Living Your Best Life Yet
Summary of Contents: Nemesis in Mythology | Arrival and Appearance | Return | Matrix of the Market Place | Weapon of Choice | Nemesis' Temple
Festival Day - 14 December
Nemesis in Mythology
Listed by poet Hesiod in Theogony as daughter of Zeus. Although few legends featured Nemesis, one venerable story told of events that resulted in the construction of a temple for her on a battlefield outside the ancient Greek city of Thebes.
It is the tale of Oedipus the King and his family, a classic study in the workings of fate and free will. A tragic drama that suggests destiny is everything.
Oedipus had no control over what was intended for him; however much he tried to avoid it, he only stayed true to the path of his doom.
Nemesis Mythological references.
Goddesses, Gods and You
What kind of Heaven do you expect. Soft fluffy paradise of eternity, or oblivion of nothingness? Out-of-body survival expert Margo Williams discovered a surprisingly simple system of management and afterlife recycling.
There are many goddesses and gods in the community. Speaking their name aloud evidently sends a signal; creates a link to wherever they are at any given moment. If it works for you as it worked for Margo, and they respond, be respectful but be yourself. Honesty and thoughtfulness are appreciated.
Sacrifice nothing but your time. Most of them seemed approachable and appreciated being remembered.
The ancient temples that still can be found in some places, although mostly broken, are huge monumental structures; impressive sacred spaces, their scale designed to impress, to be worthy of divine visitation.
However, it is not the size and splendour of any sacred space but the sincerity of the person seeking contact.
Anywhere can be a temple.
"Is Nemesis the most frightening goddess?" Nick Hammond asked out-of-body survivalist Margo Williams.
Goddess of Doom Delivery
"In ancient times tellers of this tale of Oedipus reminded their audiences that if any man or woman committed one, two or all three of the following offences, that person’s name was included on Nemesis’ 'To do...' list.
- Offend the moral law.
- Gather excess wealth.
- Gain excess happiness.
The first of these provoked the wrath of the Gods, second and third earned their jealousy. Soothsayers advised those who seemed to be experiencing more good fortune than seemed natural, to offset displeasure by offering a share of that bounty to the Gods before Nemesis intervened.
The broken remains of her temple at Rhamnous, not far from Athens, is proof, says the local church priest, that Nemesis is a pagan goddess whose power has been eclipsed by their own redeemer of sinfulness, he who forgives all.
Nemesis did not tell me her opinion on that service. Yes she is the most frightening of all the goddesses, for humankind in general. But she also is the kindest.
Nemesis' Arrival and Appearance
Nemesis, a goddess whose name is linked with vengeance and destruction. A respectful welcome was spoken.
Nothing happened.
I waited. Still nothing happened. Waited, and wondered. Waited so long, I wondered whether we found one that did not exist. Always possible, even probable. I didn’t know. Nothing happened.
Until it did. Swirling mass of shadow grey and red burst through the air, sudden and terrifying. A grey-robed hooded figure formed, glowing an angry red aura.
"Over many centuries you who stands before me has done much wrong. In this present life not perfect." Silent for several long moments, she let those words set like concrete in the air.
I was surprised at how short in stature she stood, not much taller than I am but a fierce power radiated from her presence.
"Perfection is something we cannot expect from mere mortals. But I see you have changed. For this I am pleased,’ she added coldly. Head movement caused her hood to pull back slightly from forehead revealing a pronounced beak-like nose.
Her voice softened a little. "I shall be happy to visit you, to have homage paid to me, as I deserve. Go in peace, and all will be well."
That said, she turned and walked out through the wall.
Nemesis' Return
In modern times many of us accumulate wealth in the belief it has the power to shape destiny. Few believe Nemesis is real and instead feel certain that what we do, when, why and to whom we do it is all in our own control.
Nemesis might agree with that, to some degree.
Second encounter was of longer duration. She arrived radiating deep blue light speckled with small circles of glistening silver. Pretty, so much friendlier than the angry red aura of first contact. The lush blue filled the air as she appeared, this time clad in a blue-grey robe.
Still hooded but pushed back so I saw more face beyond the beaked nose. She floated over the ground, voice harsh. "Thank you for welcoming me, and for your well-chosen words."
Again I was surprised at how short in height she stood.
"Wisdom is a great gift, so few mortals possess it," she continued. "It is fortunate that you can hear so clearly." Nemesis' face was wrinkled, skin an unpleasant shade of yellow. Eyes dark black-steel, hair slate grey.
She looked elderly but instead of frail and vulnerable that agedness appeared hard and frightening. She held a tall dark heavy-looking wooden staff, old and worn in places. I noticed a grey girdle around the waist.
She reached forward and easily lifted me into her light.
A shock hit me, filled me with a huge surge of strength. Energy and power coursed into my body. I felt good; exhilarated, and for the first time in my life I felt happy, truly happy. Happier than I could ever have imagined.
That was unexpected.
Nemesis stood waiting. "We shall walk," she gestured.
Air felt hot, sunlight bright. My world but where, I had no idea. Pale buildings, suburbs of a town or city; a street lined with apartments and shops. Dark-haired, dark-eyed people. Mediterranean lands, I guessed.
Nemesis set off walking but no one seemed to notice the robed staff-wielding elderly figure among them.
She raised her staff, pointed up to an apartment block and then slowly moved it clockwise around the community.
Matrix of the Market Place
"There are thousands of mortals living in this town you see, others living in the countryside. Each has their life planned. Each should follow that plan and not fight it." She swung the staff round to point directly at my chest. "You fought the plan for you, and you have suffered during your lifetime."
Panicked thought-flash. How have I fought my plan?
"When you were born," she answered me. "And at the age of seven when you were seriously ill, we planned to give you another chance. But once again you fought."
A memory came to mind, my father's admission of the choice he made over my complicated birth - who to save, mother or me. I nearly was lost again, aged seven.
Nemesis strode into a marketplace, air busy with smells of fruit and spices and chatter. Customers and traders; human life varied and mixed, none of whom saw the wizened old woman with staff picking out and pointing to people, as she explained to me the workings of destiny.
"Following the pattern and design meant for a mortal, no matter who, is sometimes difficult to keep to," she conceded. A young couple sat hand-in-hand, lovers I guessed; an elderly couple sat in the shade.
"Souls are created, choices have to be made. Things do not always go as planned."
In a doorway two men argued while a baby cried. Three children kicked a tin can for a ball. "Mortals have minds of their own and they stray off the path that is made for them," Nemesis sounded disappointed at such lack of wisdom.
She said I chose the wrong paths but there aren’t signposts. I fought life, all the way. It made me tougher and more determined not to give in.
Nemesis set off walking again and I followed, tried to keep up with her brisk pace. Beyond the market-place, at a busy traffic crossroads a woman stepped out in front of a car and was knocked down.
The vehicle wasn't travelling fast. Driver got out and helped the woman.
Nemesis turned along a quiet side street and stopped to watch a man attempt to enter a house through a window. Shadow shielded, he made the most of that cover and the distraction of the car drama.
Nemesis' Weapon of Choice
Nemesis raised the staff behind the man and pointed at his head. The tip of the staff glowed red. "This mortal has chosen a different path to the one I had planned for him."
She held it raised for only a moment then lowered, its tip no longer glowed. "It is hoped mortals keep to the pleasant side, but so many go over to the poisonous side, which is not meant. They regret this."
As we walked away, I heard only muffled sounds of closing window and Nemesis’ irritable promise. "He will now begin to suffer."
She didn’t look back but I did, and saw no sign of instant karma. The uninvited guest safe inside, probably assumed no one had noticed.
We headed on out of town toward hills, our route climbed steeply, and I soon found it hard going. We reached the hilltop but did not stop to admire the view. Instead we followed a path down the other side into shadowed wooded valley, just as contoured and steep; then the road climbed again.
I breathed hard.
Nemesis’ voice sounded steady even after all that effort. She turned to me. "This is what you might call symbolic of your life."
At the top I had to stop and rest, and it was at that moment in the open, on that hilltop, I felt Nemesis’ immense power and authority. In her presence I felt tiny, infinitely small but she waited patiently until I felt ready to continue.
Below us clustered groves of olive trees, blue ocean in the distance. Air buzzed and hummed with insects. She let me recover, for several long moments we stood together in quiet contemplation of the scene.
"This is beauty," she said, quietly. "I want you to enjoy this."
When at last I felt rested we continued our descent. She picked her way easily down through the rock-strewn terrain until the ground levelled. How far we had walked I did not know but we came to an open space where pieces of stone and carved columns lay, not big but broken up; and a slab with carvings.
An old temple site, I guessed.
What Happened at Nemesis' Temple
I followed her onto the remains of a stone platform. Nemesis, staff in hand, seemed to be observing something. Dark eyes alert and watchful though I could not see what so interested her.
It felt peaceful. Blue sky and blue ocean, gentle sounds of summer breeze. Paving pieces bleached grey white in the sunlight, complemented the shades of olive green and pale grass.
"This was a temple for me," she said at last. "Those who worshipped here were s...n for their beliefs. Men, women and children were b.......d here."
The word she chose applied to the livestock end-of-life profession. It interrupted my contemplation of the peaceful scene.
You probably will think what happens in Hades’ facility is harsh and yes, it is. But there’s a big difference between that and what happens when a community is marched over by armed attackers so that no one survived.
As a young child at Sunday School I was distressed to learn of how Christians were given to lions in the coliseum in Rome.
It hadn’t occurred to me or my teachers, then, that with the changing administration of the new religion there often were occasions when tolerance of the old ways was forgotten, and continuation in the old customs not forgiven.
But people can and do recover from Hades.
"I will never forgive those who did this," said Nemesis. "Those who took part in that have reincarnated into miserable lives."
At the moment I understood Nemesis' deadly power. She has another, which makes her the most dangerous goddess of all, for humankind.
Related Post. Part 2: Nemesis the Beautiful
Thank you for your company on this introduction to goddess Nemesis. If you would like to know more about Margo Williams' experiences and suggestions for how to survive in the hereafter, read this book. Now available from Amazon.
