- Attributes: Goddess of gardens, orchards, and fruits
- Symbols: Pruning knife, fruit in general (especially the apple)
- Place: Rome
Honored every year when autumn came, the Goddess Pomona was responsible for the transformation of flowers into fruits in ancient Rome. Typically she is represented as a young woman with fruit and a pruning knife in her hands.
Courted by various fertility gods, including Pan, Priapus, and Silenus, Pomona refused them all. She married God Vertumnus, who got to know her while she was disguised as an old lady and thus gained her confidence.
She and her husband are listed among the Numina, guardian spirits of mankind in Roman Mythology. This Goddess and her husband were responsible for the fruiting of orchards and gardens in general.
Her importance was so great that she had her own priest, called Flamen Pommonalis and a grove sacred to the her which was called Pomonal, located not far from Ostia, the ancient port of Rome. There was a festival on November 1st in her honor.
Lost but found
Pomona is an obscure Goddess whose details and many myths have been lost over time, but not her devotion.
Unlike most of the Gods and Goddesses of the Roman pantheon, she does not have a Greek counterpart, though she has some associations with Demeter.
In pop culture, a teacher of the Harry Potter books is called Pomona Sprout, she teaches Herbology and teaches the cultivation of different species of plants.
Summoning Pomona
The Goddess Pomona is symbolized by fruits, not flowers. Hence we may note that her energy closely resembles the Mother and Crone aspects of the Triple Goddess, despite her youthful appearance. Fruits are foods that give us pleasure, feed us and, once removed from the trees, can be stored and consumed after a while. They are tough, strong and full of life!
Pomona was worshiped during the autumn and this shows once again that her energy is not associated with the Maiden face nor with the blooming of spring. One way to connect with Pomona is during the completion and transition periods of your life. For example, when you close a project and prepare for something new; When a contract is ending and you are preparing for the change of address; When finishing the studies to leave for a new stage and so on.
A simple ritual that will symbolize this transition can be made with an apple to symbolize Pomona. Stay in a quiet place and relax. Ask for the Goddess Pomona to be present through the apple. Slice the apple into pieces visualizing the past and everything that has been completed. Visualize the correct answers, the mistakes, the lessons… Separate the seeds and eat the pieces of the apple. Now return these seeds to the Goddess, planting in some forest. The energy of the Goddess will be with you in this new step and will bear fruit along the way.
