AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HEART OF THE GODDESS (original) (raw)
The ‘Goddess’ and Contemporary Spiritual Values
Psychology and the Arts: Perceptions and Perspectives (pp.85-93)
In this paper I will be discussing why some artists, musicians and writers use the 'Goddess' as a spiritual ideal in their work and life. We are going to see why during these last few decades images of goddesses became very popular with some female artists. In the early 1970's a good number of female artists were significantly influenced by the Goddess Movement. Women especially in the Women's Spirituality Movement in the 1960's felt that they had no authoritative role in conventional religions. Female artists started to include images of Goddesses in their work and the prehistoric goddess became for them the symbol of female spirituality. Primarily goddesses appeal to all those who are dissatisfied with mainstream religions, political institutions and all male-centred cultures. Many feminists find that institutionalised religions are dissatisfying because of the missing female element.
Divine Objectification: The Representation of Goddesses and Women in Feminist Spirituality
Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, 2000
One of the outstanding features of the feminist spirituality movement is its pronounced visual orientation. Drawing heavily on feminist art of the 1970s and beyond, feminist spirituality is especially interested in representations of goddesses and women, which are used for ritual and meditation, among other purposes. After describing the visual materials of feminist spirituality and discussing how they work to symbolize the movement’s thealogy, I argue that this use of female images is problematic in feminist terms for two reasons: first, because it tends to perpetuate the objectification and specularization of women familiar in sexist western culture, as well as women’s often self-defeating preoccupation with bodily appearance; and second, because religiously it limits goddesses (and through them, women) in a way that the male deities of Western religion—who are almost always considered to be beyond representation—are not limited.
MAKING THE DEITY: WOMAN SACRIFICE, GODDESS AND PATRIARCHY
Indian Historical Review, 2004
The village goddess, and by extension the sanskritic goddess, was known as mata, the mother. The goddess was always seen in terms of fertility, as a multiplier. In contrast, the sanskritic goddess also had its ugra roopa or angry manifestation, like Kali, Chandi, etc. They were the slayers of the demons, the masculine evil force. None of the local or village goddess manifested such an attribute; there was no or little challenge to the patriarchal set up. These village goddesses were the deities of productivity-as the guardian deity of water spring and tutelary deity of forest or fields; they were invoked for rain against famine and disease. They sustained and nurtured. How were these village deities created? Is the conception of ‘classical’ deities different from the local? Is there a structural difference in their constitution? How is social reflected in the mythology of the goddess? What is the response of the patriarchal institutions? These are the questions that are addressed in the present study, using the example of the goddess largely from Chamba and Kangra.
GODDESS WORSHIP AND NEW SPIRITUALITY IN THE POSTMODERN WORLD: A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Anthropological Measurements of Philosophical Research, 2021
The paper aims at examining the phenomenon of the rebirth of the Goddess in the contemporary world. The study is based on the ideas of Carol Christ, Margot Adler, Miriam Simos, and Jean Shinoda Bolen. The rebirth of the Goddess is not a deconstruction of the God. The face of the Goddess is one side of the binary opposition "Goddess-God". Life on the earthly plane presupposes masculine and feminine dualism. However, these polarities are not mutually exclusive and mutually suppressive, but complementary to each other. The return of the Goddess to the throne and a profound appreciation of Femininity is a necessary step forward in establishing true equality and restoring lost harmony. As humanity returns to the Absolute that transcends duality, as divinity is revealed in feminine and masculine forms, and, finally, as humans get in touch with their true self, the two faces, feminine and masculine, will inevitably merge. Identifying herself with the images of the Goddesses, a woman develops self-awareness and self-acceptance that contribute greatly to her reintegration with a wider spiritual reality. The cult of the Goddess finds practical application in women's lives. These are magical rituals, work with the archetypes, life-changing tours. Recognizing her right to the fullness of being, a woman overcomes rigid gender roles and stereotypes, ceases to be an object of manipulation and becomes the supreme arbiter of her own life.
Goddesses in Myth, History and Culture
Textbook, 2018
This book fills the very real need for an affordable, accessible, academic textbook featuring Goddesses from a wide range of world religious, cultural and mythological traditions. As a textbook, its primary audience is professors and students in university and college courses in Goddess Studies, Religious Studies, and Women’s and Gender Studies. It will also be of interest to students and instructors in the many Goddess-themed courses outside the academy. The contributors to the textbook were selected for their scholarly expertise and qualifications in their respective areas of study, both established and emerging scholars from Canada, the U.S., the U.K., Scandinavia, and Australia. The Goddess traditions surveyed in the 22 chapters include the Female Divine in the major world religions—not only Hinduism and Buddhism, but also in the “Western Religions” of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, popularly regarded as impervious to the Goddess. The coverage ranges from ancient to contemporary, Mago to Mary Magdalene. As such, it is a unique and much-needed resource for students and faculty, as well as a treasury of Goddess scholarship.
2011
While many magazines have emerged in the past several decades that focus on the nature of the Goddess more from a nonacademic orientation, Goddess Thealogy is intended to serve as a home mainly for scholars. However, it is our hope that contemplatives and practitioners alike, who may or may not have a graduate background in religious studies or a related field, will contribute to the discussion and the shaping of the field of thealogy. It is important that the bridges between theory and practice remain in integrity, alliance, and open dialogue. This journal is not intended to serve as a basis for ‘armchair’ thealogy. As such, the wisdom and perspectives of the communities who participate in veneration of the immanent-transcendent Sacred Feminine should always be a focal point from which to engage in the art of thealogy. Moreover, this journal is not traditional in the sense that it is structured to allow for more than simply philosophical thealogy and intellectualizing—it embraces artwork and commentaries related to creative pieces. Thealogy itself and thealogians to come will determine, shape, and reshape how thealogy manifests as a discipline. We hope that this first issue sets the stage for future thealogical works to emerge.
Feminine Characterization of the God
Feminine Characterization of the God , 2024
This study investigates how monotheistic religions depict God with masculine or feminine attributes, considering historical context. The issue arises from questioning the portrayal of a masculine God within these religions, influenced by a patriarchal socio-cultural backdrop. Instances mainly from Christianity and lesser from Judaism and Islam, the study analyzes the characteristics of religious theological language used in the depiction of God. In this context, we explore the linguistic challenge encountered by religious traditions when employing anthropomorphic language. Since the core issue revolves around expressing and labeling the divine, the paper initiates with a conceptual examination of God’s characterization as either masculine or feminine. In this analysis, tracing back historically, archaeological and anthropological evidence indicates that language used to describe God was initially predominantly feminine. Feminist perspectives contend that over time, particularly within monotheistic religions, this language has become masculine and that this historical shift has been a major factor in the social and cultural exclusion of women. Against this claim, the study aims to substantiate the claim that despite the effective historical dominance of the theological masculine language, the feminine divine image persists in both theistic and non-theistic traditions. Both the Holy Scriptures and early theological writings occasionally employ feminine language when discussing God, although less frequently than masculine language. Within this context, anthropomorphic depictions of God in the Holy Books of monotheistic religions—where God is perceived as an immaterial being—are interpreted metaphorically, analogically, or symbolically. In particular, the mystical traditions of these religions have emphasized feminine qualities more intensely in their depiction of the divine. They portray God not only as a father or male figure but also with feminine attributes, such as a mother, lover, or friend. These traditions contend that qualities like divine beauty and mercy find their fullest expression in women and the feminine manifestation of existence. Notably, the Nag Hammadi tradition, rooted in Jewish mysticism, highlights the feminine dimensions of the divine, emphasizing love and compassion. Medieval Christian mystics such as Meister Eckhart and Julian of Norwich also emphasized the feminine dimension of God in their experience of the divine. Similarly, within Islamic Sufism, influenced by the Our’an’s balance and harmony of tanzih(exoneratin God from human attributes) and tashbih (drawing similitude) the Ibn Arabi tradition, emphasizing the feminine portrayal of the divine. They recognized the divine presence within the feminine elements of creation. Additionally, a lesser-known figure, Molla al Jaziri, dealt extensively with the theme of woman as a divine mirror. This study aimed aligns with the feminist theological approach, advocating for the reinterpretation of theological and religious language in order to liberate it from the dominance of a patriarchal language and reveal its feminine aspect. Additionally, study also suggests further research by examining specific time periods, approaches and individual scholars’ perspectives.