Rhea, together with the Titans, are among the most ancient of deities of whom humankind's awareness dates way back into prehistory. It is believed the worship of Rhea became known to the Greeks through settlers on the Mediterranean island of Crete who had carried with them from the Middle East knowledge of this mighty Goddess. 

Often Rhea is identified with other Goddesses such as the great Asiatic Mother Goddess Cybele; the Latin Goddess Ops, Goddess of abundance; and Gaea, the Earth. Thus Rhea's realm of influence is thought to be the earth and its fertility; though the Goddess Demeter has much to do with this.  
    The poet Hesiod's belief was that Rhea is wife of Cronos and mother of Zeus, Hera, Hestia, Hades, Poseidon and Demeter. Whether this is true or not, we cannot so far say. But we do know that the ultimate 'Mother' Goddess is Isa, the Creator, of whom Hesiod knew nothing.
    
The Goddess Rhea chooses to appear as older than most Goddesses, but not elderly. She is tall and slender with long slightly reddish brown hair which she wears coiled as a crown upon her head. Generally she wears a long robe, off one shoulder.
    Most times Rhea chooses to appear as light, sometimes violet or mauve, sometimes cornflower blue. Other times she materialises from a golden glow filled with tiny stars, though on one beautiful occasion she appeared as a mass of silver rose petals which cascaded through the air to form into her shape. 

Most encounters with Rhea are gentle, though she often sets tests that involve wisdom and compassion rather than sheer courage; though her tests too are also designed to include the necessity for courage. Rhea's voice is soft and sweet:

"I am the mighty Goddess Rhea, I bring gentleness and kindness within the hearts of mortals. 
    Now after so very, very long the time has come when once again we make ourselves known. I now appear in many temples all over the world. I try to console the bereaved and those who do hear me are given fresh strength. 
    No mortal ever walks through life without problems but in the temples I listen to the prayers and the requests that individuals ask of their strange god. Since this god does not exist, sometimes if I see fit I grant them their wishes. But those mortals who always pray for possessions rarely receive them from us. Do not believe it if you are told they have.

Your world is changing. Everywhere there are changes. Some at present may not seem for the best and sometimes things may appear to get worse before they get better. In time all will be well. 
    We now are helping the sea creatures, saving the trees and wildlife, and there are those among us who by their mighty strength do a great service to the whales and seals. Your world will be a happier and better place for all to dwell.

In ancient times mortals loved celebrations of special days for the Gods and Goddesses; feasting and drinking, with laughter and song. All were happy, and it appeared there was always one or another of us to be celebrated and honoured each week.
    Then came those who thought differently and in brutal ways stopped these happy souls worshipping those of us who they'd been honouring for generations. Come, I will show you something:"

The following is the team-member's account:

'...I saw an old dwelling, by old I mean it was ancient times, an ornate villa and guessed we were somewhere in the Mediterranean lands. There was a beautiful garden in front of the villa where a group of eight children were sitting on the grass listening to a man sitting on a stool who seemed to be in his 50s. He held a stick in his hand. The children all were under the age of 10 years and one was asking the man something.
    Rhea was speaking to me: "These childrens' parents were killed for worshipping us. They have been given a home in a wealthy Christian dwelling and are being taught the Christian faith. The boy asks what has happened to the God Zeus, and what has happened to the Goddess Athena."

I watched the man get off his stool and grab the boy by his neck and gave him such a whack with the cane across his back, then threw him to the ground and returned to his stool and continued the lesson, and by then the children were cowering. But I understood what he was saying, somehow. 'There is one god and no others. And there are no Goddesses.'
    He clapped his hands and all the children shuffled into a kneeling position before him and the man seemed pleased at how quickly it happened. He called something and the children closed their eyes and began to pray, but the beaten boy wriggled and dropped his hands and spoke sullenly and next the entire group flinched as the man strode through them, grabbed the boy and gave him a repeated thrashing.

Rhea spoke again: "The boy wanted to pray to the Goddess Athena. Seven of these children grew up to be Christians. Their parents would have been heartbroken. The eldest boy did not reach maturity."

'...I watched the scene fade then found myself facing a crowd of people dressed in what seemed to be the tunics and gowns of ancient times, but unusually the material and colourful patterns seemed modern - there were stripes and spots. The crowd became a mass of people, hundreds, thousands and among them an air of great excitement and laughter. I saw Rhea among them, tall and graceful as the crowd flowed around her.
    "I am making my presence felt, and I am heard. Mortals will one day know it is me, although at present they find it hard to believe what they see with their own eyes when I appear before them. There are more and more mortals who accept us. Some call us in our Greek names and some in our Roman names. This does not matter. In time we the Gods and Goddesses will be accepted and your world will be happier." 

'..Then I realised where I was; because I saw on a massive rock the Acropolis in Athens, but it wasn't a ruin. There were workers putting the final touches to its complete restoration. Rhea watched the crowd pass, some adults jumping up and down with happiness, watched by their laughing children who then mimicked their actions. All around the air is filled with processional music and Rhea just looked radiant with happiness. 
    I saw on top of some steps a woman shouting to the crowd: 'We are free. We are free. Free to worship the old Gods and Goddesses again.'
    "You see the future. Greece. The people are back to where it started: the Olympian Faith."

Temple Diaries Demeter and Rhea

Festival of Rhea:28th June