Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Looking at the Parts of the Goddess

Typically the Goddess is divided into 3 parts (Maiden, Mother, Crone).

What Monaghan points out is that there is also a form of belief that looks to a fourth figure in the Feminine. As so quaintly put by Cybill Shepherd it is the "Cheerleader".

Typified in archetypal psychology this tri-part becomes a quartet of: Mother, Amazon, Hetaira, and Medial Woman/Medium. The inherent problem with this version is that these labels can be strict and restrictive. The Amazon/Maiden concepts don't always go together, neither do the Medial Woman and the Crone.

Monaghan instead presents the quartet of: Mother, Daughter, Lover, and Crone.

The Mother is the traditional nurturer and giver of life, but also figures into the cycle's ending. For if there is a birth, there must later be a death. She is the mother of plants as well as beasts/animals and represents the bounty of the Earth.

The Daughter is the young woman, one who is not involved with a mate or sexually active, but rather contained within herself. She is also strong in her own right and often is shown as an athlete or warrior, but she is still young and needs protection.

The Lover offers connection to all things, ourselves, others, and the Divine. She implies passion and love, as well as the sexual nature.

The Crone brings lessons of wisdom and connection to/for the greater good. While she is introspective she does so out of service and is self-less and meditative.

One or Many (and what about God)?

Monaghan also poses the question of the Male Divine and the concept of the Goddess as being singular or multiple.

From my framework the God is equally as important as the Goddess, and while they may overlap in their duties, there are things that only the God can teach us, just as there are things only the Goddess can bring us to know.

For the question of multiple or singular I believe in the framework that there is the Spirit - which is neuter and encompasses all of the energy of the Divine both Masculine and Feminine. The God & The Goddess figure in just below that to represent the culmination of all that is male and female respectively. Each goddess is a face or facet of The Goddess, and while each of the individual faces encompass a piece of the goddess in a wholeness, they are individually not the full expression of The Goddess (kind of like that the square is always a rectangle, but the rectangle is never anything but a rectangle).

Immanent Deity VS Transcendent Deity

In her book "The Goddess Path" Patricia Monaghan spends some time talking about the Goddess inside of us as well as the Goddess outside of us.

My personal views are that She is in both places. She is the landscape in all of its varied forms, and some of Her energy can be found in every flower and fish, etc. But She is also embodied in the form of Womankind, in each and every one of us. And while I will not call myself as a goddess the same and divine female energy that inhabits an elder, both are expressions of the divine female.

However, as she points out, it can be difficult to come to such an inner source for help - since it is within and we often perceive help as needing to come from somewhere other than ourselves. (Which is an interesting quandary in and of itself.)

The other concept of Goddess, as a vast external force serves as a consolation. That we may feel like children and followers to Her. However, with that there can be the extreme of Her being too impersonal, too perfect, and beyond human contemplation.

As with anything, a healthy balance and moderation is a worthwhile approach in Goddess work.

How We Can Honor Her?

There are many ways to honor the Goddess within and without. Most of these ways are simple and easy to do, free. There is no set ritual that "must" be done to give honor and reverence to Her.

Music, dance, singing, drumming. These ways use our bodies as conduits by which to honor Her. They express and reflect the beauty of the human form.

Cooking, art, crafting. These are also expressions of the bodily form for they are actions. They also serve to express the gifts that are handed down to us by the Goddess.

What other ways can you think of that honor the Divine Feminine?

Nurturing and taking care of ourselves as vessels of the holy feminine and goddesses in our own right is perhaps the easiest and may be even the "best" way to honor the Goddess. For if we are like Her, should we not treat ourselves as we would treat Her? The old adage is true: treat others as you would wish to be treated, and vice versa.

Saying a prayer, lighting a candle or incense, nurturing your family, friends, and the world around you honor the Goddess' energies in us all.

The Goddesses Who Claim Me Today...

There are several goddesses whose power and draw I feel today, along with the ones listed from Patricia Monaghan's book I will be explore a relationship with them too...

Hekate
Kali Ma
Cerridwen
Brigid
Scathacht
Eris
the Eryines
the Cailleach
the Morrigu
Bastet
Grandmother Spider
Skadi
Tiamat
Athena
the Maenads
the Fates
the Norns

The Goddess of "The Goddess Path" by Patricia Monaghan

This is a list of the goddesses that will be touched on while I journey with this book:

  • Gaia (Abundance)
  • Athena (Strength)
  • Hera (Dignity)
  • Amaterasu (Clarity)
  • Hathor (Affection)
  • Aphrodite (Passion)
  • The Muses (Inspiration)
  • Kuan-Yin (Mercy)
  • Artemis (Protection)
  • Demeter & Persephone (Initiation)
  • Inanna (Inner Strength)
  • Isis (Restorative Love)
  • Brigid (Survival)
  • Saule & Saules Meita (Family Healing)
  • Oshun (Healing Love)
  • Kali (Freedom)
  • The Cailleach (Power)
  • Paivatar (Release)
  • The Maenads (Ecstasy)
  • Pomona (Joy)
These are not the only goddesses that will be explored in this journey and the bounds within this book is only a primer for beginning.

Some Other Reflections...

While I will be referencing several books that are dedicated to the Goddess in all of Her forms, I will also be taking from my purely personal experience as a follower of the Goddess.

I have always held a personal trinity that I have called on in need:

Hekate, Kali Ma, Cerridwen

I have worked the most with the former two, being of the stages of life that I am at (being a young woman - Maiden, and becoming a step-mother - Mother). Life has been tumultuous because the very nature of these goddesses is not of "light and roses", but it is by the thorns that we learn and grow as well as the sweet and the honey.

Light pours through Her eyes and She reveals to me,
the Truth of Eternity and the Grace of Ages.
She is the All and encompassing, leading me down my Path, winding in its way.
To great opportunity and destiny. She is the Goddess, She is me.

As I can once recall, I first called out to Hekate in a time of dire need. I felt that I was alone in darkness and needed desperately to find my way out. I literally cried out and She answered me. I was astounded and couldn't believe it. She held out Her lantern to me and extinguished it. She has taught me to see in the darkness and to be able to return to the light. For what are shadows then the contrast? They harbor no evil, merely the unknown.

Kali Ma has been with me, teaching me the hardships of motherhood, for the last 2 years. I had called on Her before to help me in my grieving and when I felt I needed a mother. I did a meditation with Her once and felt my kundalini surge up and I could see Her energy within me, dancing wildly and ecstatically. It was one of the most fantastic experiences of my life. Since I became a step-mother She has sought to teach me some of the harder and sometimes less than pleasant lessons. I can see this especially in the fact that my step-son has "mother" issues (as do I) and so dealing with them and him can be quite a task.

As a Cancer, I also seek to "mother" those around me, but often neglect myself. This can be seen in the archetype of the "martyr" and is one of the unhealthy manifestations of the Mother. But as with all things, there is a lesson to be learned.

Quotes from "The Goddess Path"

These are some quotes that I have found and wanted to share with any following this blog:

"You already know her. It is she/who moves you in your dance./She is the music of your life./Do you need to ask her name?" - The Goddess Path

"The goddess path is within you...that is where she lives, even when you forget to look for her. Look for her there, and you will always find her."

"She is the very power of feminine essence in the universe. She is both an expression of what we know about our human world, and she is a power far beyond our expression."

"Is she virgin or mother or lover? Is she ancient as time itself, or young as spring? Is she human or animal or vegetative? Is she the earth or the sky, the moon or the sun?"

"If the goddess is a verb, she is best honored in action - by moving and dancing and enjoying and yes, even lamenting. And for most people walking the goddess path, this means ritual."

Why I'm here...

The purpose of this blog is to chronicle my journey through the path of the Goddess in all of Her forms and faces. This includes everything from the mortal goddesses who inhabit the Earth to the ever mystical and esoteric goddesses of various pantheons.

While this will be a highly individual journey, I do encourage others both men and women to participate and share their own thoughts, journeys, and suggestions on this path.

I will be working with several texts throughout this path and reference them here and my thoughts. For more on other musings & spiritually related themes you can visit my other blog: Musings of a Xaos Wytch.

May the Goddess bless you on your journeys...

About Me

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I like to look up at the moon in the sky.