Accessing the Divine Feminine

In order to heal our planet, I feel we must reclaim the Divine Feminine variously called The Great Goddess, The Great Mother, Earth Mother, Mother of All.

During the Bronze Age, the High Priestess was the Earthly representative of the Great Mother. In the cultures that honored the divine feminine as well as the divine masculine, all paths were open to women as well as men and were honored equally: women were valued in all three stages of their lives: Maiden, Mother, and Crone and the roles of masculine and feminine was more balanced in the agrarian communities of Old Europe.

I believe that in acknowledging the divine feminine in our selves; men as well as women, we become far more life affirming. The Goddess represents the feminine polarity of the Life Force. She is not outside our experience, but an eternal awareness inside us all. Ultimately there is no gender to Spirit. However, by tapping into the divine feminine, we can add her voice to the primarily masculine images that have dominated for the last five thousand years.

Many people feel drawn to visual images of the sacred feminine such as the graceful Kuan Yin, the mysterious Black Madonna, the powerful Kali, or the lovely Native American Changing Woman. These images remind us that spirit is present everywhere. It embraces both masculine and feminine. The many goddess images are reminders that women also carry the divine spark within and have the potential to become embodiments of the divine. In earlier times, nature was a primary source of experiencing spirit and in this column I will offer ancient knowledge such as the Wheel of the Season’s and other Earth Honoring traditions from indigenous wisdom.

I believe that in the old wisdom lie truths that will lead us to more diverse, inclusive and loving societies. As communities finally become truly egalitarian between the genders, the ensuing partnership can expand into enriching life on this planet. It is time.