Ix Chel, pronounced “ee shell”, may be the greatest of the Mayan goddesses.
Ix Chel is a Mayan goddess of the moon, but she is also the Goddess of childbirth, rainbows, weaving, fertility, and lovemaking. In ancient times, it was believed that a lunar eclipse was very dangerous to pregnant women, causing their children to be born with abnormalities. Women who were going through labor at the time of an eclipse were supposedly in the greatest danger, so they were given amulets of Ix Chel to put under the bed during this time to protect them, and incantations and prayers were said to the Goddess until the eclipse had passed. Ix Chel, “Lady Rainbow” and the wife of the supreme Mayan deity, was know as the Mother Goddess, the Goddess of the Moon, and the Goddess of Medicine. Over the ages, her roles changed and she was transformed by time, and was adopted by the Aztec, who called her Xochiquetzal. Ix Chel, the “Lady Rainbow,” was the old Moon goddess in Mayan mythology.
Ix Chel encourages us to acknowledge the negative forces affecting our lives, and she prompts us to assert ourselves fully in the face of physical or emotional violence that would diminish our sense of self.
The manual includes stories and myths of Ix Chel and four mini rituals for calling upon this Goddess during all phases of the Moon.
Founder: Elizabeth Hibel
