Sep 23, 2022 8 min read Olympian Goddesses and Gods Community

Goddess Metis and the Promise of Wisdom

Goddess Metis offers a better world for humanity. What will make that happen? Wisdom.

Festival Day - 23 September

Metis in Mythology

A rival creation-of-the-world story to Hesiod's Theogony, credited to the mythical poet Orpheus, stars goddess Metis and Eros as the first parents of the universe.

Metis 'knew more things than all the gods and men put together.' So legend told, Zeus asked her advice on how to restore his brothers and sisters after Cronus ate them.

Metis supplied a potion that caused his father to regurgitate all the lost children.

Other legends told of how Zeus married Metis but fearful of a prophecy that their own children would in turn overthrow him, Zeus ate his wife.

Hesiod didn’t include the Orphist origin story in his collection. He listed Metis as the daughter of Titan sea Gods Oceanus and Tethys.

Metis in Mythology

Goddesses, Gods and You

What kind of Heaven do you expect. Soft fluffy paradise of eternity, or oblivion of nothingness? Out-of-body survival expert Margo Williams discovered a surprisingly simple system of management and afterlife recycling.

There are many goddesses and gods in the community. Speaking their name aloud evidently sends a signal; creates a link to wherever they are at any given moment. If it works for you as it worked for Margo, and they respond, be respectful but be yourself. Honesty and thoughtfulness are appreciated.

Sacrifice nothing but your time. Most of them seemed approachable and appreciated being remembered.

The ancient temples that still can be found in some places, although mostly broken, are huge monumental structures; impressive sacred spaces, their scale designed to impress, to be worthy of divine visitation.

However, it is not the size and splendour of any sacred space but the sincerity of the person seeking contact.

Anywhere can be a temple.

Photo image of Margo Williams in Africa — Margo Williams in Africa

"No shrines or temples to Metis are to be found, so far?" Nick Hammond asked out-of-body survivalist Margo Williams.

Wisdom and the Modern World

"The goddess of wisdom is forgotten in today’s community. Day-to-day opinion on what is, was and what is not ‘wise’ is purveyed by social media and daytime TV pundits.

Science channels insist wisdom is a self-serving survival strategy of humankind's genetic need to reproduce. How can any sense of right and wrong be created from the raw materials in stars?

Conscience - like consciousness - is a chemical-electrical interaction in the brain, not the divine spark as described in Orpheus’ story.

Some people in the community seek confirmation of conscience from a seat in the church pews, every Sunday though fewer these days. In the UK many churches close, their sites given over to business development.

Wisdom and profit are now considered much the same thing.

Metis Arrival and Appearance

Metis didn’t share with me her opinion on that.

But she did share some important information, and I learned that Zeus is not the only God to wield fireballs as a weapon.

Her arrival was unlike anything I had ever seen. A weird darkness seeped through the air, more an earth-brown glow than light. Smell of damp earth wafted.

"At last someone pays me homage. Yes, I have been neglected," her harsh voice cut through the glow and set me trembling.

I felt a sharp grip on my shoulder but didn’t see face or figure.

"I shall be most gentle towards you today, but a test has to be made." No gentleness in her tone, her grip on my arm was sudden and forceful as she pulled me away.

I arrived at the foot of a high grey mountain.

Metis stood waiting, a fierce-looking female, broad in stature; olive-tone skin. She wore a cream-yellow long sleeved gown. Dark hair worn coiled on top of her head, age late thirties. Knowing eyes, prominent nose.

She waved a big capable hand, the gesture caused a fireball to appear; it tore through the sky and flashed close past my head.

Wisest of the Great Ones

I barely dodged in time.

Another football-sized fireball came at me from the side, then another. Fireballs fizzed from all angles, some exploded.

I attempted to run but Metis had hold of me. Tried to dodge the incoming bombs but she pushed and yanked me into their path. Some passed so close, I felt their heat scorch my skin.

"I am the wisest of the great ones, therefore notice should be taken of me." Metis didn’t even blink at the violent explosive storm around us.

I found it difficult to dodge even without her pulling and pushing me. A last fireball roared past my head and away into the distance.

"You have courage," she said at last and let go of my hand.

I rubbed my bruised wrist from the ironclad hold. Not one wisp of hair on Metis’ head loosened by the storm.

"I am not as well known as some of the gods and goddesses, but I’m just as powerful." She inspected my wrist and seemed satisfied. "It is as well you pay me homage and respect me. All mortals should humble themselves before me, yet do not," she added flatly.

Dark eyes fixed on me. "I am a very old, wise goddess. Wisest of the great ones," she added.

To demonstrate, her rich black hair instantly turned silvered white. Lines appeared on her face and deepened into a wrinkle-cracked mass, fully transforming herself into a terrifying hook-nosed age-wizened crone.

Metis gestured, amusedly. "If I wish, I appear young but rarely do I do so. I am proud to be so old." She pointed upward. "You have a short time to reach the top of that mountain."

Best Way to Climb a Mountain

I looked up at the climb, giant sheer rock crags broken in places. Then saw an alternative, a contour path snaked upward. A long arduous ascent to reach the top, rough though relatively safe.

When I looked down, thinking things through, at my feet lay a small pile of mountaineering equipment. Ropes and carabiners, everything necessary for a hard climb.

I didn’t much fancy that direct route up the cliff face but it probably was the quicker option.

"Two ways to get to the top," said Metis. "It is your choice."

Big overhanging rocks three quarters of the way up. I didn’t know if I could make it but mindful of her mission, felt tempted to try. She didn’t specify the time count. That was good. I looked again at the contour path.

Someone interrupted my thoughts, to offer advice.

Surprisingly a stranger’s voice, and male. "The shortest distance between two points is a straight line," he said but I saw no one else present, only Metis.

Despite the truth in our invisible third party’s statement, I sensed his intention was harm, not help. I feared wickedness.

Intimidating, impatient for me to get going, Metis gestured again to the objective. So I picked up the ropes and gear and headed for the climb.

Berry or Stone?

Ten feet or so up the first cliff face, a shower of stones tumbled down.

Maybe the rock fall was natural. Or maybe monkeys lived up in the cliffs. That scared me, I couldn’t fend off baboons on a frightening overhang.

So I scrambled back down, dropped the climbing gear and headed up the contour path. A steep and hard trek up the mountain, the slower option but not so dangerous.

Three quarters of the way up Metis’ harsh voice carried across the mountainside; insistent, terrifying. "There is not much time left," she scolded. "Hurry!"

I tried to run but mostly scrambled, crawled and dragged upward to the top and collapsed on the summit; breathing hard, gasping for water.

A stray fireball had set fire to a dead shrub, one of a cluster of berry-bearing bushes. Rocks shielded their swollen fruit from the flames, but I felt its heat.

The big scowling crone-goddess glared down at me, unimpressed. "You got here within two seconds of time running out. A wise choice."

I felt so very thirsty, had drunk nothing during the ascent.

Reached for the berries on a bush. They looked ripe, life-saving; thirst-quenchingly juicy. Picked three, sniffed delicious fruity aroma and almost thought nothing of popping them into my mouth, but stopped.

On the ground lay a small, plain round pebble.

The berries’ promise suddenly seemed too-good-to-be-true, the stone a strange choice but probably safe.

I threw down the berries, picked up the pebble and sucked it.

Instantly my raging thirst was gone.

"Had you eaten the berries you would not have returned," she said. "I knew you would be wise enough not to."

Paths of Life

"Come." Metis gestured. The leeward mountain-side sloped down into a wooded valley a mile or so, below. On a rock-strewn ridge we came to a dusty junction of three paths.

Metis waved hand, the left-leading path turned golden; in fact it looked like solid gold shining in the sunlight.

The branch to the right also lit up as if formed entirely of precious stones; sparkling red ruby, emerald green and diamond.

I stared amazed by its prettiness, waited for the third path to change but it didn’t. It remained a rough plain brown earth path direct down the mountain ridge.

"One of these paths leads to great wealth," said Metis. "Yet there is much stress along the way," she emphasised but didn’t indicate which route that was.

"Another path leads to happiness and satisfaction, with less stress." The wizened old goddess seemed amused by the final option.

"The third path leads to trouble. Interference, enemies at every step." She stared hard at me. "Which will you choose?"

"This one," I answered.

"A wise choice," she nodded approval. "There should be happiness."

The lower we descended from the mountain top, the more growth blossomed either side of the path. Wildflowers, trees, grass and bubbling streams; bird song busy in the air.

The elderly goddess strode sure-footed over rough ground and grass meadow.

"Do not stray from the path you are on," she said. "There is much power. Do not look back. Look and go forward, not backward or sideways," was all she offered by way of direction.

But Metis did offer a prophecy as we headed into a clustered community of small wooden dwellings.

"As mortals become wiser, your world will become better than it is now. Nearly a paradise in years to come," she added, and for a brief instantaneous moment I saw a smile in that ancient face.

She still sounded ferocious.

"So now I shall return you." She placed her big hand over mine. "To you I give my loving blessings and the gift of courage. Go back to your world, tell of everything you hear and see." Her voice softened. "Enjoy yourself."

There were no more fireball thunderbolts, so far as I recall.

Ferocious though she was, I felt reassured by Metis' optimism for the future.

Thank you for your company on this introduction to the goddess Metis. If you would like to know more about Margo Williams' experiences and suggestions for how to survive in the hereafter, read this book. Now available from Amazon.