A comparison of beliefs and practices regarding Asherah Queen of Heaven and Mary Queen of Heaven to show how similar they are.
"Queen of Heaven (antiquity)," Wikipedia:
"Queen of Heaven was a title given to a number of ancient sky goddesses worshipped throughout the ancient Mediterranean and the ancient Near East. Goddesses known to have been referred to by the title include Inanna, Anat, Isis, Nut, Astarte, and possibly Asherah (by the prophet Jeremiah). In Greco-Roman times, Hera and Juno bore this title."
"Queen of Heaven," Wikipedia:
"Queen of Heaven ... is one of many Queen titles used of Mary, mother of Jesus. The title derived in part from the ancient Catholic teaching that Mary, at the end of her earthly life, was bodily and spiritually assumed into heaven, and that she is there honored as Queen."
"The Catholic Church from the earliest times venerated the Queen of Heaven, according to Pius XII:
"'From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven and never has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world, just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.'"
New American Catholic Bible, 1971:
Jeremiah 44:15 From all the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to strange gods, from all the women who were present in the immense crowd, and from all the people who lived in Lower and Upper Egypt, Jeremiah received this answer:
16 "We will not listen to what you say in the name of the LORD.
17 Rather will we continue doing what we had proposed; we will burn incense to the queen of heaven and pour out libations to her, as we and our fathers, our kings and princes have done in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had enough food to eat and we were well off; we suffered no misfortune.
18 But since we stopped burning incense to the queen of heaven and pouring out libations to her, we are in need of everything and are being destroyed by the sword and by hunger."
James Cardinal Gibbons, The Faith of Our Fathers, 1917, pp. 183, 187, 190:
"There is not a grain of incense offered to Mary which does not ascend to the throne of God Himself."
"The Church exhorts her children not only to honor the Blessed Virgin, but also to invoke her intercession. It is evident from Scripture [Editor's note: No, it's not.] that the Angels and Saints in heaven can hear our prayers and that they have the power and the will to help us.... [S]hall we believe that God withholds knowledge of our prayers from Mary, who is rightly styled the Queen of Angels and Saints?"
"Do you ask me, is Mary willing to assist you? Does she really take an interest in your welfare?"
"At the foot of the cross she adopted us in the person of St. John. She is anxious to minister to our souls as she ministered to the corporal wants of her Son. She would be the instrument of God in feeding us with Divine grace, in clothing us with the garments of innocence, in sheltering us from the storms of temptations, in wiping away the stains of sin from our soul."
Patrick Michael, "Asherah, Queen of Heaven," TheSwordandRose.net, April 29, 2021:
"We reblended our Asherah incense. Asherah holds an esteemed position for everyone at The Sword and Rose. She has been a powerful guide and mother to us.... We have been personally graced with her guidance and love."
"As the Queen of Heaven, there is nothing Asherah cannot do. She is the loving mother everyone deserves. She will wrap you in her arms and give you whatever you need. She is a goddess of joy, happiness, courage, strength, love, and transformation. Asherah has been worshipped by many cultures since the times of the ancient Semitics. Worship of Asherah persisted, despite efforts of old cultures to erase the divine feminine from history. In our day, Asherah has risen again with all her omnipotence and magnificence in the lives of those who call upon her."
Palais du Rosaire, "Mary Undoing Knots Incense," PalaisduRosaire.com:
"Find inner peace and the strength of Mary with our box of Mary Undoing of Knots Incense.... Mary Undoing Knots Incense is an ode to the grace and mercy of the Virgin Mary, who accompanies you in the difficult moments of your life. Light a stick of incense to invoke Mary's protection and guidance and experience moments of peace and comfort. Order now and make our incense box your spiritual ally in your personal journey."
The Conjured Saint, "The Virgin Mary Incense Sticks — Invoking Power and Strength," TheConjuredSaint.com:
"The Virgin Mary Incense Sticks — Invoking Power and Strength. Use to connect with Mary the Virgin through prayer and meditation, and to connect with the Divine Feminine on your journey with the Christ Consciousness."
"Asherah," Wikipedia:
"Episodes in the Hebrew Bible show a gender imbalance in Hebrew religion. Asherah was patronized by female royals such as the Queen Mother Maacah (1 Kings 15:13). But more commonly, perhaps, Asherah was worshiped within the household and her offerings were performed by family matriarchs. As the women of Jerusalem attested, 'When we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, did not our husbands know that we were making cakes impressed with her image and pouring out drink offerings to her?' (Jeremiah 44:19). This passage corroborates a number of archaeological excavations showing altar spaces in Hebrew homes."
Monastery Icons, "Home Incense Kit with brass censer," MonasteryIcons.com:
"Now it's easier than ever to offer incense in your devotions at home. Includes our popular brass Hand Censer, a roll of 10 quarter-sized charcoal, 1-oz. packages of each of our four most popular fragrances of Monastery Incense (Damascus Rose, Queen of Heaven, Frankincense, and Sweet Myrrh), and instructions on how to burn incense."
Catholic Gifts and More, "Queen of Heaven Incense," CatholicGiftsandMore.com:
"Queen of Heaven — Monastery Incense.... A hypoallergenic incense for the home, church or chapel."
Patrick Michael, "Asherah, Queen of Heaven," TheSwordandRose.net, April 29, 2021:
"'Asherah, Queen of Heaven, hear our prayers. Shine your radiant grace to us, your children. May we never forget compassion and the love you have shown to us... You have dried the tears from my eyes, and held me in your arms as a mother and child. In your eternal embrace, my soul has been found.' —From the song 'Asherah' by Farasha, written by David Randy."
Father Tim, "Some Thoughts About Mary," HolyTrinityWeb.com, August 25, 2022:
"Sometimes in the spiritual life we feel confronted by the big and imposing figures of God the Father and Jesus, the Son of God (I'm speaking psychologically now). They 'reign in heaven.' 'They will come to judge the living and the dead.' Jesus is 'King of kings and Lord of lords.' It can be intimidating.
"Not with Mary. She's not there to judge. She's there to nourish, to comfort, and to gently point the way to Jesus. She wants nothing more than for her children to find their happiness and, as a mother, she knows this can only occur when we love and follow her first born son."
"So if praying to God the Father and Jesus is a little scary sometimes, if you feel, 'They'll only be disappointed in me,' talk to Mary. She knows you. She's your mother."
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