It is claimed that the goddess Mazu, a Chinese sea goddess, is the goddess most celebrated in modern times, with the number of her devotees currently estimated at over 100 million and more than 1,500 temples devoted to her worship.
Known by many names and titles, her name Mazu (Ma Tsu), means mother. Like Kuan Yin she is a goddess of compassion, one who is willing to intercede on the behalf of those in distress. But she is also revered for her courage, her willingness to fight for her principles.
It is likely that she was the goddess who is recognized today as Mizu-Gami, or Me-Gami, the "goddess of karate".
A few legends tell that she was sprang from the urine of the great creator goddess Nu Kua, but many experts believe that Mazu may have originally been a real woman, born around 960 A.D. to a devout Buddhist family that lived on a small island.
This girl, Lin Mo, showed an amazing spirit and mind and was accepted to study with an elderly Taoist priest who, aware of her precocity, took her as a pupil when she was only thirteen. She blossomed under his tutelage and soon amazed everyone by developing "second sight", an awareness of distant events that one usually has no way of knowing.
Mazu was also blessed with extraordinary powers and was known to calm storms and rescue sailors who were in danger. She was proclaimed a bodhisattava (in Buddhism, a person who has attained perfection but elects to remain on earth to help others).
Lin Mo agreed to marry only if the man could defeat her in a match of Chinese boxing, a skill she had obviously mastered. She remained undefeated, and unmarried, throughout her brief life.
At the age of 28, Lin Mo told her parents that she must leave them, walked to a nearby mountaintop where witnesses reported she was encircled by a dense fog of clouds that lifted her up into the heavens and transforming her into a magnificent rainbow.
The goddess Mazu (Matsu), more than any other of the Chinese goddesses, moves us toward reconciliation....with family, with nature, and with both the masculine and feminine elements present in our personalities. Most importantly, she propels us toward an integration of mind, body, and spirit.
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Goddess Myths
Spiritual~~~ Goddesses Stories. Some ask why Long and Short Versions answer is: Because it gives you the option to choose which you want to read. For quick info, read the Short. for the Full info, read the Long version. .*.Disclamer: I don't own anything...
