The Sacred Feminine or Goddess Feminism?

I have just received the following article from Carol Christ, author of many books of the Goddess and feminism as well as leader of a Goddess Pilgrimage to the island of Crete which I thought I would share as she touches on a number of rather interesting points, in particular the use of language and how it can be widely interpreted.

 

As Priestess in Residence of The Goddess House, I use the term "Divine Feminine" not in a similar context as Ms Christ's use of the term "sacred feminine" in her article (or at least not as we believe).  To me, the "Divine Feminine" represents the Great Goddess in all her guises - from the care-free maid through to the wise (yet terrifying) Crone who is also the initiator and keeper of the ancient mysteries.  Additionally, the use of the term "Divine Feminine" also represents the "energy" that is perceived with the concept of "feminine" - be it nurturing, love or even "warm and fuzzy" as well as "protective", "war-like", "frighting" etc.  And I draw me use of the term from Goddesses depicted in mythology, very few of which are depicted as "delicate" as is often the common association to the word "feminine".

 

Shedding Light on Ourselves

When we choose that which is not best for us,

there can be a deep seated part of us that does not want to heal.

In almost every case, we know what is best for us in our lives, from the relationships we create to the food we eat. Still, somewhat mysteriously, it is often difficult to make the right choices for ourselves. We find ourselves hanging out with someone who leaves us feeling drained or choosing to eat fast food over a salad. We go through phases where we stop doing yoga or taking vitamins, even though we feel so much better when we do. Often we have no idea why we continue to make the less enlightened choice, but it is important that we inquire into ourselves to find out.

The Green Tara

The September devotional service held at The Goddess House will be in honour of the Bodhisattva of compassion and action, the Green Tara, one of some 21 aspects of Tara herself.

Tara is the much-loved Tibetan Buddhist Mother Goddess.  she represents all that is and her energy can permeate all things. Tara is worshiped in both mild and wild forms, and exists in a rainbow of colours based on various attributes.  The Green and White Tara of the Tibetan Tantric tradition are the most popular forms, with Green Tara seen as her fiercer, most dynamic form.

Devotional Services about to commence

After a number of months of preparation, the recommencement of devotional services to the Great Goddess held at The Goddess House is fast approaching ... next Tuesday evening as a matter of fact.

Rarely do we, especially women, allow time for ourselves, and even less time for our own spirituality.  More often than not we are caught up doing spiritual work for someone else, in ways which may not necessary hold any real connection to us.  Or when we find that we do have time on our hands, the problem arises as to where to start ... These devotional services that are be held at The Goddess House are aimed to provide a solution to that.

Many Concepts of "Goddess"

The Goddess? I hear you say … who or what is that?  What and who do we mean by the “Divine Feminine”?  Even today, these are terms that are not always familiar to everyone.  They are also terms that be misinterpreted.  When people are talking about the Goddess, they may be talking about:

·   An being Deity that has been worshipped since Palaeolithic times and who is still worshipped and honoured today in various parts of the world.  Hindu, for example, is one religion that contains numerous Goddesses.

·    An archetype based on various worldly mythologies from which we can identify our own strengths and weaknesses with, whereby in learning lessons portrayed in the myths, we can improve our life and understanding.

·    A term to describe the loving, nurturing aspect, ie “Goddess” energy.

·    A term to empower women where to the focus is more on improving the self-esteem and body image of women ie “We are all Goddesses”.