Green Tara

Green Tara is a  Diety sort of like Mother Mary is to Christians only to Tibetan Buddhists.

To better understand who Green Tara is she is actually a combination of 21 Taras each of which has her own quality or form of protection.

For example, there is Ekajati, the Wrathful Grandmother who protects you like a powerful Grandmother would
There is White Tara which lengthens your life
There is Gold Tara which increases your wealth as well as all the others.

But, when you give the Tara Mantra and are also empowered to do it by an Empowered Tibetan Lama you are asking to be protected from the eight Great Terrors. Some of the terrors you are asking protection from are from: dying from burning to death, dying from drowning, dying from being poisoned to death and dying from being murdered.

There are four more that you are asking Tara to help you not die from which will lengthen your healthy life so you can do more good for yourselves, your families and for the whole human race and all life in the universe.

In a different cultural context it reminds me of the Hail Mary in the Catholic Religion. In fact, likely the most similar to Tibetan Buddhism is Catholicism which is why many Catholic Priests also practice Tibetan Buddhism because to Christians Buddhism is not a religion but a philosophy so there is no conflict for them because of this. And also 25% of all Buddhists on earth also believe in God and some of them are also Christians at the same time. Practicing Buddhism in it's own way is sort of like a Christian doing Hatha Yoga or using accupuncture or Accupressure as in Shiatsu or Jin Shin Jyitsu at least for Christians in the Western World. It greatly enhances and increases the quality of life of all who practice it both for themselves and everyone they know.

Compassion towards oneself and all others after all is the basis of all civilization on earth and always has been.