http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arjuna-ardagh/goddess-worship_b_660896.html
Now, you might be wondering what my motivation is. When I started out, Cootie sent me a pdf file that went over the elemental correspondences. In it, it states different things that relate to each quarter by its elemental association. Earth, in many different mythologies, is considered feminine, whether as Gaea/Gaia, Mother Earth, and so on. In another post, I made reference to this same fact. I recall a conversation Cootie and I had at one point, where I expressed that when I’d had my last child and had my tubes tied, I felt a tremendous loss, because the one thing I could contribute to this world was gone. She disagreed, I will never forget the visible bristling at my words, but I didn’t exactly choose my words the way I should have. A woman is not merely a walking womb, her soul purpose is not to pop out babies like a soda machine. Her purpose is to love, nurture, and tend to her “garden”, metaphorically speaking. How many of us, regardless of our pasts with our mothers, look to our mother when we have a problem and need advice? Consoling? That gentle pat on the back that says “You might be an epic fuck-up, but you’ll get through it”? And it doesn’t even need to be specifically your biological mother. Many of us have people in our lives that we look to for that exact same strength, and they don’t even need to be female. Men can just as easily fulfill this role, this need, in our lives, without being “whipped”, or whatever quasi-sissy phrase they’re using now. Its not un-manly to care about another person.
I was once asked, “What is the Divine?” And to be perfectly honest, I rather stumbled through my response. Since that time, my opinion has gone through a few changes, minor, but changes nonetheless. I recall saying that I did not want to give It a name, as doing so would seem disrespectful. In the time since, I have Circled, I have witnessed aspecting, and in truth, seeing it and being a part of it is what changed it for me. Gone was the feeling of “hokiness” that I felt having called aspects of Gods and Goddesses on my own in private, and in its place was something true, something real, something almost beyond explanation. The conclusion, thus far, that I have reached is the Divine is what you make of it. It is what It needs to be at any given moment, forming and shaping itself in its eternal malleability until it fits the situation asked of It. The Divine itself is not male or female, but male and female are aspects OF the Divine. We embrace either, or both, at will, even in the smallest things we do. Whether you’re a man or a woman, think about this the next time you hug your child, the next time you water a plant. Doing things of that nature are not just empty actions, they are a visible representation of honoring the feminine within your world, and in so doing, embracing the Earth element in it.
2 Responses to “Earth and the Divine Feminine”
- Cootie
January 15th, 2012 at 12:55 pm | edit Nice post, Padawan. I don’t honestly remember the conversation we had where I showed “visible bristling at my words” LOL, but that sounds about right.
My thoughts/opinions on the Divine are also constantly evolving, but I do agree with you on the point that It is what we make of it, and I would also go further to say that It is what we take from it, as well. I believe that we are our own Divinity, therefore we are going to get what we need through the core of our own Being. When you look inside, what do you see? I seem to have this eternal well spring of Hope that never ceases to amaze me. I don’t know how, or why, but I’m glad for it. Because it gives me strength. It is bolstered, no doubt, by the tremendous Love that I have in my Life. I know that I am one of the lucky ones.
And now… I think I’ve lost my point. Where’s my coffee? ***stumbles upstairs to the kitchen***
Reply - morgana268
January 15th, 2012 at 6:26 pm | edit hah!
Thank you! You know, I had a conversation with someone a few months back, covering some basic fundamental Christian beliefs, etc etc. And among those, was the premise that “God is Love”, and what I took from that, is that if “God is Love”, and we are created in His image, then so too, are we, Love, embodied. If God is divine, then so too, are we. It is up to each and every one of us to treat one another with the reverence we would treat a Divine being, whatever name(s) we might attach to it.
And the eternal well spring of Hope.. I will agree with you on that point also. Its more than just X, its your children, your family, our chosen family.. all of it. Sure there are days when one or two people might be on our last nerve and the overwhelming feeling of “what the hell is the point of it all” might creep up, but I can’t help but feel like at some point everything -will- work out, everything will be worthwhile.