Emergence and Death of the Goddess by Sara Wright

In the beginning, of course, there was no separation; an intimate relationship existed between all humans and the rest of Nature.

The Earth and every living being was considered whole, sacred, animated with soul.

I think of soul as being embodied, that is, living through a body. I think spirit surrounds and interpenetrates each animal/plant being, but soul is born within the individual.

If I am correct, it’s not surprising that the origin of all religions began with humans worshipping birds and mammals because they live through their bodies, and had to be attached to instincts, intellect, intuition, sensing, feeling to survive.  They were also here long before people. In every pre-literate culture, there are stories about animals teaching humans how to forage, deal with health problems, and protect themselves.

In the Northern Hemisphere the bear was worshipped in caves 50, 000 years ago, long before humans created the first animal headed female goddess figures.

“Bear’s Day” is still honored/celebrated by Indigenous Peoples who believe the Bear is sacred especially as protector and root healer.  For the Navajo the Mountain -way Chant is the most sacred winter ceremony of all, and ‘the woman who becomes a bear’ is the ceremony’s central character.

The Irish goddess Brigid wears a crown of light and is associated with the creative fire This goddess is needed to awaken the sleeping earth to spring.

Mary undergoes purification by water during this time of year revealing an ancient relationship between the ‘goddess’ appearing as the rising waters, the other critical element that initiates the cyclic return of spring.  

Currently in western culture goddess religions are dismissed or ridiculed and yet these are the myths and stories that return us to our origins and to collective truths that might help us live more sanely on this planet.

The goddess moved through 5 stages. First, she was worshipped as a bird or an animal. Second, she became part bird or animal; birds, bears, snakes, and cats are good examples of human goddesses with animal heads. In the third stage she became fully human as the Great Mother who was both creatrix and destroyer. In the fourth she developed a male son/lover aspect. In the fifth and final stage she was dismissed/destroyed by the male god(s) of patriarchy.

Then She rose again…

I think it’s significant that goddess religions re surfaced along with feminism and a push for women’s rights just before the earth was  plunged into the darkest phase of patriarchal insanity.

 Today the age of the Anthropocene with its continued insistence on overpopulation, species decline, a perpetual tree/plant holocaust, pollution of all kinds, endless wars, killing, poverty, discrimination, and the global loss of a compassionate caring collective are just a few examples of ever worsening conditions. We have set a monster in motion with climate change, ignoring every warning sign we have had since Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring sixty plus years ago.

 It is significant that goddess religions are practiced primarily by women. They are female centered, with many women seeking embodiment after recognizing how destructive the mind – body split has become for us as females. There are many stories of old women living in the forest who are powerful healers. These stories should help us remember that women and nature belong together and that we are inextricably tied to the Fate of the Earth.

Some like me have gone further attempting to re-attach others to the Earth as a Sacred Being. I think re-attachment is a natural extension of becoming embodied while honoring intuition, sensing, feeling as well as the intellectual ability of all human and non -human beings alike. With that much said I also believe it may be more difficult for city dwellers to reconnect to the earth through concrete.

Our world religions continue to disintegrate but goddess religions experienced a brief renaissance.

Today I think this influence may be waning although there are thousands of women including me who continue to honor the goddess, regardless of how we may experience her.

 It is no coincidence that the probable second breakdown of goddess religions mirrors the impending breakdown of a patriarchal death force that is destroying the earth as we know it. In my mind all women need to unite to become Earth Activists now!

Even in the worst- case scenario the Good News is that the Earth will live on… S/he may have to return to her beginnings to do so but I think the discovery of the mycelial network, the living mantle that stretches across the face of the earth under our feet is teaching us that it may take millions of years, but Life will continue.

The planet has already lived through five extinctions: creation, destruction, and re -creation. Endless creativity belongs to the Earth of which each of us is a part. Some patterns will repeat producing species similar to those that came before. Others will begin anew.  Patterns and Possibilities.

Doesn’t this suggest the goddess will return as Nature rebirths herself? Maybe next time women and men will decide to honor and keep her.

With endings there is always a possibility of a new beginning.