The Goddess
This article was originally to be written last August as an introduction to the Goddess for the congregation and also to re-introduce Her to our Women's Spirituality Group that was to start up again at the beginning of the church year. Unfortunately, the Goddess had other plans for me at that time.
A diagnosis of a brain tumor was not really anything that I had in my life's plan, but sometimes life takes you on small (and not so small) side journeys that you really hadn't requested or planned on. This was one for me and my family. I can't say that I enjoyed it, but , overall, I learned a lot from it. I learned who my friends really are and how people really do come forward in a crisis. I learned, and am still learning, patience and perseverance. I learned that courage is sometimes just the small step of getting out of bed each day and trying to do your best. I learned that, in some ways, I am not the whole of who I thought I was, and I learned that adversity works it's way with you and can make you a better person.
I have been Wiccan/Pagan since my mid-teens. When this happened, I was so taken aback that , for a while, I abandoned my Goddess, but I also learned that She had not abandoned me and was actually teaching me something. I believe we should always try to learn something from each experience; near-death experiences included. Among other things, I learned that I will not abandon my Goddess again. So my little personal rant aside, I have put together an article to introduce you to my Goddess.
"Goddess" Introduction and History
In Wicca/Paganism, the Goddess is the very essence or central figure of the Craft and worship. She is the Great Mother, representing the fertility which brings forth all life. As Mother Nature, she is the living embodiment of Mother Earth and of the elements; she has roles of both creator and destroyer; she is the Queen of Heaven; and she is the moon. She possesses magical powers and is emotion, intuition, and psychic faculty.
The Goddess has many facets, names, and aspects although in witchcraft and Neo-paganism she is mainly worshipped in her aspects of the triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Several of the more well-known Goddesses are listed later in this article.
"Goddess" worship dates back to Paleolithic times. Many anthropologists speculate the first "God " or gods of the peoples were feminine. This coincides with ancient creation myths and beliefs that creation was achieved through self-fertilization. Within the concept of creation the participation of the male principle was not known or recognized yet. The Goddess was believed to have created the universe by herself alone. From this belief came the agricultural religions. It was thought that the gods only prospered by the beneficence and wisdom which the Goddess showered on them. Evidence appears to indicate most ancient tribes and cultures were matriarchal.
Archeological digs have found Goddess figures that date back to the Cro-Magnons of the Upper Paleolithic period between 35,000 and 10,000 B.C. In southern France is the Venus of Laussel which is carved in bas-relief in a rock shelter. This appears once to have been a hunting shrine which dates to around 19,000 BC. In this carving the woman is painted red, perhaps to suggest blood, and holds a bison horn in one hand. These are just a couple of the many, many examples of Goddess findings around the world.
Throughout the eons of history the Goddess assumed many aspects. She was seen as the creatress, virgin, mother, destroyer, warrior, huntress, homemaker, wife, artist, jurist, healer , and sorcerer. Her roles or abilities increased with the advancement of the cultures which worshipped her. She could represent a queen with a consort or lover. She might bear a son who died young or was sacrificed only to rise again, representing the annual birth-death-rebirth cycle of the seasons.
Throughout the centuries the Goddess has acquired a thousand names and a thousand faces but most always she has represented nature. She is associated with both the sun & moon and the earth & the sky. The Goddess religion, usually in all forms, is a nature religion.
The following is a portion of the "Charge of the Goddess " (a part of which is in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal, “Singing The Living Tradition”).
Hear the words of the Star Goddess, the dust of Whose feet the the hosts of heaven, Whose body encircles the universe:
"I, Who am the beauty of the green earth and the white moon among the stars and the mysteries of the waters, I call upon your soul to arise and come unto Me. For I am the soul of nature that gives life to the universe. From Me all things proceed and unto Me all things must return. Let My worship be in the heart that rejoices, for behold - all acts of love and pleasure are My rituals. Let there be beauty and strength, power and compassion, honour and humility, mirth and reverence within you. And you who seek to know Me, know that your seeking and yearning shall avail you not unless you know the Mystery: for if that which you seek, you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire."
A few of the more well-known Goddesses and their meanings are:
- Aphrodite: (Greek)Her name means "Laughter loving", Goddess of passionate, sexual love. Goddess of beauty. She was the daughter of Zeus and Dione.
- Artemis: (Greek) Daughter of Zeus and Leto. Goddess of the Moon. The huntress. The deity of wild places, groves , and ponds.
- Bast: (Egyptian) Goddess of protection and cats. Symbolizes the Moon as a swelling womb. Goddess of pleasure, music, dancing and joy.
- Diana: (Roman) Moon Goddess. Goddess of the Hunt. Mother figure for witches.
- Hecate: (Greek) Crone aspect of the Moon. Moon Goddess.
- Hestia: (Greek) Her name means "Hearth". Goddess of home and hearth. Goddess of household harmony.
- Isis: (Egyptian) Triple Goddess. Protectress of the home. Goddess of magick, Earth, the Moon, love, wisdom, fertility, and mothers.
- Kali: (Hindu) Protectress of abused women. Goddess of creation and destruction.
- Lilith: (Hebrew) Adam's first wife. Said to have been turned into a demoness.
- Persephone: (Greek) Daughter of Demeter. Goddess of the underworld and harvest.
For further study, there are many wonderful books out there, as well as a wealth of information on the Internet (tread carefully on the Web please, there is alot of misinformation as well). The two books I would recommend first would be: "The Spiral Dance" by Starhawk and "The Women's Spirituality Book" by Diane Stein. If anyone is interested further, please contact me personally. I am always more than happy to answer questions.
Susan Morgaine
© SusanMorgaine & Foxborough Universalist Church. Article from the April 2004 edition of Bird's Eye View, and used here with permission.
