Goddess Culture

by Lupe Doone

This is a description from wikipedia that I thought is an interesting read. Enjoy.

Goddess worship is a general description for the veneration of a female deity or deities. Many New Age Goddess devotees prefer the term goddess spirituality, avoiding the term “worship” for a faith that does not distance the Divine into a remote, hierarchical separation. Goddess veneration may be also used instead of “worship”, as it can imply respect and intimacy without undue deference. In such contexts, “spirituality” is often preferred to “religion” because major organised religions have not recognized the concept of a goddess, or goddesses, with the notable exception of Hinduism.

Goddess worship can be conservative, supporting male dominance, state control, and empire building; or it can be feminist, challenging those all patriarchal traditions. It can and usually does support women’s ancient, natural spiritual authority. In Western society goddess worship has developed into a distinct culture since the mid-19th century. Goddess worship is not necessarily feminist, though in Western societies the feminist version is probably the most articulate.

Modern day Goddess temples and churches in many forms are currently in operation all over the world. Some are small circles in (usually) women’s homes, and some are larger, federally registered non-profit churches that offer Sunday services like many other “traditional” churches. The first such modern church generally recognized is The Goddess Temple of Orange County, in Irvine, California. Usually, the services in such circles and churches is eclectic, and emphasizes a spirit of sharing of wisdom, rather than a leader lecturing a passive congregation.

Some goddess circles/churches/temples are “woman only” and others serve mixed groups. Women-only groups generally prefer to celebrate the Goddess in woman-only space for many reasons: 1) women hold a different frequency from men; 2) women cannot heal together from the ills of patriarchy while under the “male gaze.” 3) goddess celebration is usually and naturally woman-centered, and the “blood mysteries” of females is an essential part of this form of spirituality; men, with different bodies, cannot truly share in this form of spirituality, so dependent upon “body knowing”.

Pagan and Neopagan religions or denominations generally recognise goddess worship as one of their few areas of consensus. However, not all goddess worship is Pagan. More Christians are recognizing the Mary’s as goddesses, both Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene. The Jewish faith recognizes “Shekhinah.”

The female deity may be referred to in all inclusive terms, such as “The Great Goddess” or “Queen of Heaven”, or she may be referred to in more specific terms: Kali, Isis, or Kwan Yin. Frequently, because of her many names, she is known as “She of Ten Thousand Names.”

Some authors, the most notable of whom is Marija Gimbutas, believe goddess worship started in prehistoric times. They believe that artifacts from that period, such as the “Venus of Willendorf”, may be representations of power goddesses]]. However, it is difficult to prove the role of these artifacts conclusively as evidence surrounding their place in their society is scanty. Male scholars including Peter Ucko have asserted that the figurines in question were territorial markers, toys, sex aids, sex education models, and images of priestesses rather than goddesses. Those who hold, as Gimbutas did, that these ancient images are of the Female Divine believe that archaeology is a patriarchal and male-dominated field, which tends to belittle and trivialize what was an ancient, worldwide general religion honoring the Female Principle.

Those who are of Goddess Spirituality generally believe that Goddess religion is the root of all other religions, since cave paintings and etchings from the Paleolithic Era seem to support the notion that Goddess worship/veneration began at that time in human history. At 30,000 years old, these markings, such as those found at Lascaux, France, are clearly evidence of a form of female oriented worship/celebration much older than all modern day religions, and philosophies such as Buddhism, most of which are less than two to three thousand years old.

th_circleinvidios.jpg


One Response to “Goddess Culture”

  1. Mary MacIntyre Says:

    Keep doing this terrific reporting. It might open a mind or two, and it provide a breath of fresh air to many.

    Speaking of fresh air, come visit: http://www.about-albuquerquenm.com

    Mary

Leave a Reply


About Find Religion

Finding religion is a full circle approach to exploring, creating and celebrating the best of all faiths, cultures and religions. Explore with me the wonderful diversity, passion, love & vision we hold as humanity intertwined in faith.

Find Religion Author(s)
    » Lupe-Doone

Blogging Flair



page hit counter


Philosophy & Religion Channel Posts

  • Astrology in Action: The "P" Word
    May 13, 2008 Ever wonder why you are painfully shy? Ever wonder why you get confused by what people are telling you? Why it doesn't ring true or make sense? Here is something you may not have [...]
  • Advice Through Astrology: Boys Just Want to Have Fun
    May 12. 2008 Reader's Question: I read your answer to another woman and I felt some similarities in my situation. I have recently broken up with my boyfriend of 10 months. It's a bit deja [...]
  • Evangelical group issues a manifesto
    I don't know about you, but when I see the word "manifesto" I get curious. And then I saw this headline. What in the world was a group of evangelical Christians issuing a manifesto about? It [...]
  • Did Jesus Laugh?
    At my small group the other night, one of our members questioned, "I wonder if Jesus ever laughed." That got me to thinking (not an easy task!). Did Jesus laugh while he was here on [...]
  • Family Dynamics and Ruling Planets
    May 11, 2008 "The hand that rocks the cradle usually is attached to someone who isn't getting enough sleep."- John Fiebig "I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids."- [...]
  • Happy Mother's Day
    Hello all! Today is the day we celebrate our mothers, and for those who are mothers, we get to be celebrated... never a bad thing in my book. We have been led to believe through the years that [...]
  • Astrology to the Rescue: Last Minute Mother's Day Guide
    May 10, 2008 Number Three Son said to me yesterday, ”What would you like for Mother’s Day, because if you don’t tell me, you’ll end up with flowers and candy.” I didn’t know if this [...]
  • Weekly Forecast: Avoid the Post Mother's Day Rush
    May 9, 2008 May 9 through May 15 The moon traverses the bottom half of the zodiac wheel this week, and Mars pushes into a Leo, a much more fun placement for the planet of action. Girls and [...]
  • Jesus Wept
    I was reading the top stories on ChristianHeadlines.com, when one caught my eye: Two Rivers Ouster Falls 4 Votes Shy I clicked on the link and proceeded to read a very sad story of a church [...]
  • Guest Post At Death By One Thousand Papercuts
    May 8, 2008 As some of you know, I occasionally guest blog at Death By One Thousand Papercuts. On May 4, DBKP posted my piece about the death of the D. C. Madam, Deborah Jean [...]

Hot Off The Press

  • 'Juliet is the role of a lifetime' - Elizabeth Mitchell
    "She's my favorite, my favorite I've ever played, she's massively fun for me," said Mitchell. "She captivated me, everything they wrote captivated me. It has nothing to do with my performance, had [...]
  • Sex and the City World Premiere Fashion Face-Offs
    For Sex and the City fans out there, well, this is it! This is really is it. I’m sure you would be glad to know that even if the show’s not already shown on Direct TV, finally, the most [...]
  • Kathleen Edwards and her band Rocks the Pub and Grill!
    If you read yesterday's blog, you might remember my hoping I might get into the Kathleen Edwards concert. My energy somewhat low, I decided to finish the blog, get changed and drive up to the Santa [...]
  • Jeepers Creepers! Michael Emerson's Top 5 Creepy Characters
    Don't you just love this guy? Thanks to DharmaLama [...]
  • Carnival of Homeschooling
    Welcome back to the Carnival of Homeschooling! As always it is so much fun to host and get to read all of the great posts people have submitted. I tried to make sure that I got every post in, but if [...]
  • D.C. Photo of the Day
    Newseum, April 2008 Photographer: Kjersti Wasiak While you may notice most Photo of the Day posts feature photos taken by me, I encourage others to submit their photos to be featured in an [...]
  • Music Video Flashbacks
    TONY! TONI! TONE! - "FEELS GOOD" (1990) SKID ROW - "18 & LIFE" (1989) RICHARD MARX - "HAZARD" (1991) BETTY BOO - "WHERE ARE YOU BABY?" (1990) [...]
  • Recap: 2-16 "Prior Commitments"
    One thing you can say for Brothers & Sisters season finales: They're not all about the cliffhangers. Sure, there is the possibility of a brother from another mother hanging over the Walkers' heads, [...]
  • Confessions of a Chocolate Addict
    When it comes to chocolate… …I feel like a drug addict. Does anyone else feel this way? I’m almost ashamed to admit it, but it’s how I feel. Sometimes I truly feel a little uneasy, a [...]
  • AU Gym Announces Post Season Team Awards
    The Auburn gymnastics team announced its post season awards at the end of the year banquet Saturday. Receiving honors were seniors Kayla Gies and Julie Dwyer, juniors A.J. Mills and Lindsey Puckett, [...]