‘Hail and welcome Artha, Great She Bear of the Heavens, Goddess of Springtime, and bringer of strength, courage, enthusiasm, energy and protection. Fill our lives with passion and joy.’

This A4 print is also available as a Gift Card and A3 Print.

Artha of Fire A4 Print by Caroline Lir

Artha is the Goddess of the Spring Equinox (or Eostre, the Goddess from whom we have named the festival of Easter, the words oestrus, and oestrogen, deride from this spring Goddess).

On the wheel of Britannia, we place Artha, in the east as the fire Goddess. She is the maiden of Spring time and the Mother of Fire. She is the fire in the stars and the fire in the belly of the earth.

Artha is so ancient that only distant memory of Her remains. In the names of the ancient tribe of ParARTHalon, and in the name of our most legendary king, Arthur, or Arth Vawr, meaning heavenly bear. She is the ancient totemic bear mother, connected to European mythology to Artio and Artemis Calliste. She can be seen in the night sky as Ursa Major the Great She Bear of the Heavens. She is passion, anger, courage and creative energy, call on Artha for power, protection and energy.

In this painting Artha is seen in Her maiden aspect, that of Ostara, star maiden, holding dark and light in equal measure. She is dancing with her shadow, the Great Mother Bear, teaching Her to dance in rhythm with the earth. Behind them Glastonbury Tor is silhouetted against a sky of equal day and night, depicting the point of balance brought about the equinox. The Plough, part of Ursa Major is placed in the sky.

Artha dances springtime into our lives, all is well as the days lengthen and trees and plants burst into green. The fires of creation are everywhere, manifest through the spring flowers and blossom. We are filled with their wonderful perfumes and glorious colour. Around Her feet moves one of Her sacred cats, lithe and joyous, untamed, but our friend. A lover of the sun, who is first to indulge in the warm rays of spring sunshine.

If you look carefully you can see a Green woodpecker, in the trees. In the foreground you find Her mad March Hares, like us revelling in the sheer joy of the spring greening.

Artha’s animals are the she bear, cat,hare,red hen and green woodpecker. Her tree is the hazel and Her symbols are the wand and rod. Her colours are green and gold.

This Artha of Fire A4 Print by Caroline Lir depicts all of Her qualities and associations.  This painting can be seen in the Goddess Hall at Glastonbury, where the Priestess training takes place.  Caroline painted her way around the wheel of the year when she was training to become a Priestess of Avalon, as a way of processing all that she was learning, which now in turn benefits all students who take the Priestess training.