Nyx in the House of Night

after her children. One can turn to her for a shoulder to cry on, a companion with whom to celebrate. She is joyous and mirthful, and filled with hope and optimism. The Dark Mother is the shadow—she is the force of justice. She may have compassion but she will not show mercy; she is the defender and protector of wronged women and children in peril. We turn to the Dark Mother when we need to reveal hidden secrets, to strengthen our will and call upon our inner warrior woman.
    We can see these dual aspects of the Goddess within the striking case of Stevie Rae Johnson, whose journey reminds me of that of Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, who lives half the year in the Underworld and half the year in the world above.
    Stevie, like Persephone, starts out a young innocent maiden. She is marked for the Change, but instead of following the Triple Goddess journey, she is carried into the Underworld, where she essentially becomes queen of the red fledglings. (Neferet plays the part of Hades, who steals her away.)
    Stevie Rae’s power grows as she transforms, and she can no longer be considered a Maiden, but even though she watches over the red fledglings, she’s not necessarily the “bright mother.” She has been cast into her power early, and so instead becomes the “dark mother” and the new red vampyres’ elder matriarch.
    Where Persephone journeys into the light for six months of the year, so Stevie “returns” to herself enough to spend part of her time with her old friends—but she will never be the same. She now belongs in the Underworld, and must learn to balance her light and dark sides—the Bright Mother warring with the Dark Mother—and accept both.
    THE GODDESS AND THE MOON
    Another aspect of Goddess worship that we cannot ignore within the series is that of the Moon Goddess. The Goddess has long been connected with the moon, as well as the Earth. Correlations were noticed between the menstrual cycle and the moon’s cycle as far back as ancient Assyria, and woman’s monthly bleeding was first seen as holy. The power to bleed without a visible wound, without being harmed by that bleeding, could only be a powerful magical force. Eventually, as patriarchal religions rose in power and sought to sublimate the feminine sex and strength, this magical power became frightening. Women were often sequestered during their cycles and required to undergo ritual cleansing before returning to daily lives.
The Sabbatu
I n ancient Assyria, rituals were performed on the new moon and on the seventh, fourteenth, and twenty-first days of the moon’s cycle. This directly paralleled not only the moon’s orbit around the Earth, but also the twenty-eight-day menstruation cycle. The word Sabbat—used in Pagan rites to denote holidays, and the word Sabbath—used in Judeo-Christian faiths—both have their origins in the word “sabbatu,” which is associated with these Assyrian cyclic rituals.
    Since the night is associated with the moon, so were dreams, intuition, visions, passion, and the wild, feral side of the forest. A number of the goddesses are connected with the moon in one phase or another. Most goddesses of the Hunt are connected with the moon (Diana, Artemis, Mielikki), as are powerful goddesses of magic (Hecate, Cerridwen, Arianrhod, Aradia).
    Magic performed in connection with the moon is timed to correlate with the aspects of both the phase of the moon and the goddesses associated with that particular phase.
    The Waning Phase (as the moon moves toward the new moon) and the new moon are the best times in which to perform binding magic and scrying magic (magically divining for information using tarot cards, a scrying mirror, the surface of water, or even meditation). This is also a good time in which to magically release things no longer needed.
    During the Waxing Phase (as the moon grows toward full and the full moon), we practice magic to strengthen new beginnings and new projects, encourage personal growth, bring culmination to projects already started, empower creativity, and encourage health, prosperity, and materialization. As the moon grows, so does our magic.
    While Nyx isn’t necessarily a goddess of the moon—either in the House of Night series or in actual mythology—she is a goddess of the night, and she reflects many aspects of the moon goddesses. We can see this connection in the visions she gives Aphrodite—and in Zoey’s dreams. Her rituals are performed at night, under the moon, and