15/10/2025
We are more familiar with depictions of Aphrodite represented as a beautiful woman in sculptures and paintings. However, in earlier times, in ancient Paphos 1200 BCE (a major cult center for Aphrodite on Cyprus), she was known as a primordial, cosmic force.
She was embodied in a black basalt stone/ or meteorite called a Baetyl, meaning sacred stone, (see the first picture below). The mysterious and vast nature of divinity was considered too sacred to be represented by the form of humans. The stone was and still is an aniconic representation of the goddess. Which means the sacred stone embodies the living breathing presence of Aphrodite, without needing to distil her to a fixed human image.
The stone is thought to be a meteorite—a heavenly, cosmic object, charged with divine feminine power, connecting Aphrodite to the heavens and Venus.
Aphrodite's cult at Paphos centered on embodying devotion, offering oneself to beauty, love, sensuality, and the flourishing of life without shame. She was revered for the fertility of women, the land and society. Her sanctuary served as a vibrant, living portal to ancient, primal feminine power and a reminder that the body, love, and the Earth are sacred. This gives me a feeling of flourishing aliveness.
When I went camping recently, I woke up dreaming about a Baetyl stone, the words were resounding in my mind over and over as I woke up. Later, when I was down by the river this beautiful stone caught my attention. She had a unique energy about her, and I remembered the dream. She has come home with me to be adorned and adored on my outdoor altar, reminding me of Aphrodite’s essence as an accessible force of creation.
