In my last article, I discussed the frustration that often occurs with being female in the male-dominated world of religion. Although many of us find ways to find peace within these institutions in spite of their androcentrism, others abandon their religions in search of a more female-embracing spiritual path. Not only does this solution embrace the feminine, it also serves as a protest against the patriarchal traditions in our culture. One way this can be accomplished is through embracing the Goddess.
From the ancient carving of the Venus of Willendorf to Botticelli’s depiction of The Birth of Venus, there is widespread evidence that many ancient civilizations worshipped female deities. It certainly makes sense that humans would use female representations of divine creators since it is the women of the species who nurture the unborn and give birth. Instead of becoming angry and giving up on a spiritual life altogether, inviting the Goddess into our everyday spirituality can bring a sense of peace and a connection to the universe.
In the early 1970s, Zsuzsanna Budapest created a modern tradition of goddess worship called Dianic Wicca or Dianic Witchcraft. It was her intention to worship the Goddess as a single entity and as the web of life itself when she formed The Susan B. Anthony Coven in Los Angeles, and her coven led to many other covens forming throughout the United States in the 1970s and 80s. Dianic Wicca still exists as a Women’s Mystery tradition, as well as a means of providing refuge and healing from the effects of living in a patriarchal culture. And as you can probably guess, no boys allowed.
This type of spiritual community is not only one that worships together, but also one that allows women a safe place for consciousness raising and finding our place in the world. In a society that judges women for our looks, uses our bodies as marketing tools, and pits us against each other in universal beauty contest, finding sisterhood can be a life-changing experience. A woman-centered spirituality is filled with different goals from that of a male-dominated religion. Instead of judgment and repentance, the focus is on finding solutions to violence and conflict, protecting our children, and helping to salvage the environment.
We don’t have to join a coven or a consciousness-raising group to embrace women-centered spirituality, though. Having an altar in our house that draws our focus to the Goddess and feminine power can help us in our daily meditation toward centering and finding peace. Researching the stories of the ancient goddesses and exploring the many dedications to them in poetry and visual art can open up new avenues in our creativity and unite us with the shared, universal feminine energy that is often ignored or warped in our modern world.
Like 60s neo-pagan Z. Budapest,, we can start our own traditions as a reaction to the father-dominated world religions. Budapest’s love of her spiritual path brought her to feminism, not the other way around. Transforming the anger and frustration we experience from feeling like our gender is regarded as secondary can assist us in discovering our true creative power and finding out more about who we are as women and citizens of the universe.
If you are interested in Goddess worship and female spirituality, the following books serve as amazing and inspiring resources:
The Spiral Dance by Starhawk
Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler
The Holy Book of Women's Mysteries by Zsuzsanna Budapest
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Kristie Vullo |
| About the author: |
| Kristie Vullo is a South Florida native and writes poetry, short story, and creative non-fiction that focus on women’s issues and spirituality. Currently, she is co-authoring a novel with her writing partner and long time friend. She has been part of the feminist movement for sixteen years and has studied reiki and various religious paths during her physical existence on earth. Believing that we are here to make a difference, she works at a vocational charter school that recovers young adults who have dropped out of high school and wish to obtain their GEDs and a better future. She lives in Boynton Beach, Florida with her husband, young daughter, and two cats |
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