What form does the Goddess have?

[Darkwolf]

That sounds very poetic, DarkWolf.

May I ask if you also see these forms are parts of a greater whole, or individual and separate from Creation itself?

I see the Gods as individual beings with their own personalities, but they are also part of a greater whole: One and Many at the same time.

 

[iBrian]

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Kalimiel]

Phi I'd just like to say that I loved what you wrote! I wholeheartedly agree!

The feminine aspect of God/Goddess is not just for neopagans. Even some Christian protestant denominations have begun to explore this idea here in the states. For Catholics she is personified in Mary, (which is limited by the virgin-is-the-only-pure-woman myth of man.)
For me, I think that the Originator of all things is not truly describable by any human. But in our efforts to comprehend we should not place the limitation of having only male characteristics, and leave out the beauty of the female creature's characteristics. To do this makes the Creator less than his creation.
Even the male-dominated culture's Bible contains descriptions of God's love as a protective female-mother in some verses. Yet today men seem to want a God that asks "what do women want?" or worse "Egad, I have created that which I do not understand!" or even worse "Well everybody makes mistakes sometimes; at least my man was okay." (What are men thinking?)
For many women it is easier to envision the "goddess" in her many forms than to envision that a bearded patriarch, who seems to think his woman-creature is inferior to his man-creature, is all there is.
Dr.Clarissa Estes' many descriptions of the ancient-female archetype may help you understand better how women (and some men) might see the "goddess." Jung posited both male and female archetypes within the psyche of both men and women. Dr. Estes uses the mythologies and stories of various cultures to explain them.
It is little wonder that men find it hard to understand woman's need to see a feminine aspect to G-d. Our culture, even our language is saturated with male dominance. Men are indoctrinated from early childhood with the superiority of men. Unfortunately so are women.

Perhaps someday a computer program will be created that changes every "he" to a "she" in every text where it is used to mean either, and substitutes "woman" everywhere the word "man" is used to mean humankind, so that men who will understand such things might get, at least, a tiny glimpse of the suboordination of women in our culture and our language. Maybe it should be mandatory in schools to achieve the balance that has been missing so long that it takes extraordinary means to comprehend how utterly saturated we all are in the "superior-man" doctrines.

I hope you do understand me as not a "male-bashing feminazi," but rather a woman who has struggled for a long time to reach a bit of enlightenment in these matters, and who only hopes that future ages of humankind can achieve a balance between men and women. Our little girls should not have to grow up asking, as I did, as many women have, "Why doesn't God love me as much as he loves the boys?"

 

[thorn]

Easier for me to just provide a link...as to how I see Her:

http://www.sacred-texts.com/pag/aradia/


One could certainly throw up the argument that, no, She is not likened to
the Darkness...but to the Light. But, then....I'm talking face value, here.

Physical organs.......Adam & Eve etc.

So, why argue? It's just my opinion anyway, eh?

 

[iBrian]

Hi thorn, and welcome to CR.

Ah - Leland...

 

[thorn]

Hi thorn, and welcome to CR.

Ah - Leland...

Thank you. Pleasure to be here.

Yes, Leland. Heh.

(I take full responsibility for the propagation of this work on the net as it exists in its present form. My personal edition of the sacred-texts version was pulled about 3 years ago & now remains undisclosed to the public.)







p.s. I believe every word of it.

 

[Erynn]

Well, for a start I'm not implying that Divinity - "the Goddess" - has an objective human form, that prances around the stars and through the galaxies with nothnig much to do.

But I am curious as to what form the Goddess takes for people here. I'm thinking particularly on Hecate, the well-rounded Earth Mother aspect of neolithic finds, and curious as to how personal romanticism takes form with it.

Basically, what does the Goddess look like to any of the neo-pagans present?

Hi Brian,

I don't personally believe in "The Goddess" -- my perception is that most deities are separate entities. If they are part of a Oneness, it is the same way that all humas are a part of a Oneness without being the same human being. I tend to refer to that Oneness as the Ground of Being, and don't really personify it, though sometimes I think of it as Danu. More often, the Ground of Being is, to me, more one of those concepts beyond human comprehension.

Those deities that I've interacted with have all had different personalities, different likes and dislikes, different relationships with other deities both within and outside of their parent cultures. There are various restrictions/geasa/taboos associated with some of them.

To me, deity runs in a continuum from land spirits through ancestors into deity. I see humans as a part of that continuum as well, though we are very junior members of it. When deities present themselves to me, the form depends on the deity and the circumstances. Sometimes they are in human form. Sometimes they appear as animal, bird, fish, insect -- a form appropriate to their nature or the message they bring. Sometimes they are a mix of human/animal form. Other times, a deity will present itself as wind on water, the crackle of flame that speaks to me, a light in the corner of my eye, a quiet voice in a dream. A deity may appear as a tree or a stone or a mountain. It may show itself as a storm, or be present in an earthquake. It really does depend on circumstances more than anything else, and on what I seem prepared to handle.

I work actively with a number of deities and spirits. Who they are is not always something I can talk about. Some deities don't want to be discussed in depth in public. In some cultures, it's believed that spirit power is diminished when spoken of, so I respect those conditions if a deity or spirit sets them before me. If people watched me work or worship, and they were familiar with the cultures I work within, they would likely instantly recognize many of the deities and spirits I work with, but that's a different circumstance than casual discussion with folks on a message board. It's much more intimate, and the audience is far more limited.

Some of what I perceive, I write into poetry. As poetry is a large part of my spiritual practice, this works as devotion as well as the creation of art. The poetry, generally, is something I can share. Certain specific details sometimes are not. Some perceptions are meant only for the person who receives them.

 

[Erynn]

While I wouldn't consider myself neo-Pagan, I do worship Goddesses (and Gods) in my religion. The Goddesses I most relate to are Nut, Hethert (Hathor) and Bast. Nut is a sky Goddess, and I most often see her as the night sky filled with stars. Energy wise she feels very big, like the vastness of space, but she is also comforting. Bast comes as a cat or cat-headed woman, sometimes as a woman with dark hair. Hethert is sometimes a cow, sometimes a beautiful woman of varying nationalities, hair colors ect. Hethert and Bast are more interactive. Sometimes they dance with me.

I wrote a poem some time back that you might like. I'll share it here but please don't post it elsewhere.

Lost Text

From the Book of Coming Forth By Day; the journey of the Boat of Millions of Years

praise and honor to the gods of this place
praise and honor to their eyes which are the sun and the moon
praise and honor to their tongues which speak creation
praise and honor to them who sail the boat of eternity

this is the boat of millions of years:
the night sky
my body

i am filled with stars and every part of me is filled with stars
the night sky
my body

my belly, my breasts
are filled with stars
my hands, my thighs
are filled with stars
my tongue, my lips
are filled with stars
the boat of millions of years is filled with stars

the sun rides in the boat of millions of years
nut is the sea upon which it sails
night is the sea upon which it sails
it is ra at the rudder
it is horus at the oar

praise and honor to the gods of this place
praise and honor to the openers of the ways
open thou the gates of the horizon
shine forth from the eastern pillar of heaven
sail forth upon the sea of day
sail forth in the reed boat of the sun
sail into the sea of night
day and night are the face of eternity
day and night are the eyes of the gods

this is the boat of millions of years:
the night sky
my body

 

[Ostrich]

Any form She chooses.




I personally believe..

that there is nothing but ....The Sun...and The Moon.




The rest....is just a dream.





(trying to cross my eyes but God spaced the dam_ed things too far apart.)

 

[thorn]

Any form She chooses.




I personally believe..

that there is nothing but ....The Sun...and The Moon.




The rest....is just a dream.





(trying to cross my eyes but God spaced the dam_ed things too far apart.)

The Moon..........doesn't really...exist.

It's just a reflection of The Sun.