The Sheela Na-Gig reminds me a lot of the Greek Goddess Baubo. They both keep their face with a full grin and open their legs fully, leaving only their vulva to be seen. They are not the same, of course, but I wonder if this is only because of the geographic localization. After all, Sheela Na-Gig figures have been found all through Europe, and were carved since ancient times: researchers differ if they began in the Neolithic or the Paleolithic era. However, they didn’t stop then: until the nineteen-century, several images were found, dating of no many years back. They were even used as decoration for Christian churches, monasteries and nunneries, which made them get a pretty negative reputation. Some fragment of the population called the figures “gargoyles”, and considered them only a gross decoration; others, thought that they were obscene and that they were reflection …show more content…
In that way, Sheela Na-Gig helps to respond to those experiences in the most assertive way, achieving the balance and reclaiming our own selves, teaching that we are part of Her and, in that way, become a human sanctuary. Thus, Sheela Na-Gig is present in every single sanctuary as well. This is because we learn there to receive and to let go, to see the mysteries of life and to work with them in the best possible way. That’s another reason why Her carvings were placed in nunneries, monasteries and churches: because they understood that She wasn’t just “an obscene figure” or a Pagan deity, but the very reason of their existence. They were there to help themselves to go further in, to delve into the spiritual world and the human world. And that could only be done if the guard of the gate (Sheela Na-Gig) granted the entrance. Let’s remember that She, just like many other divinities, worked to help people through the passing, both in and