Goddesses and Gods.wps - Welcome to Our Temple

The Threefold Goddess
To understand the concept of Goddess requires more than the ability to visualize God
as a woman. The Goddess concept is built around the myth and mystery of the
relationship between God and Goddess, and beneath that, and part of it, Her
Threefold Aspect, Maiden, Mother and Crone.
One of the oldest recognized Goddess forms is the first Greek Goddess - Gaia, the
Earth Mother; the Universal Womb; Mother of All. The most ancient Goddesses were
most often Earth and Mother Goddesses. The were worshiped and revered as bearers
of life, fat, healthy, pregnant and fruitful. As the Goddess concept developed, then
came the Harvest Goddesses, who were also Earth Goddesses. Understand that this
was a time when people did not even understand the basic mechanics of procreation.
Life was very sacred and mystical indeed!
Gradually, myth and mystery developed and revealed themselves, creating the legend
which we honor in the modern Wiccan Craft.
We recognize the Goddess as the mother of all, including her Mighty Consort, the
God. To Her he is Lover and Son, and together they form the Ultimate, the
Omniverse, the Dragon, the Mystery.
Now that is a pretty tough concept all things considered. Especially in our society as
it sounds rather incestuous. From a mundane perspective, it gets worse as the Wheel
of the Year Turns, and the Oak and Holly Kings battle, eternal rivals and sacrificial
mates.
In the pages that follow, we will explore the Goddess foundation concepts and try to
reach an understanding of the basis of the Mystery.
I don't want to get off into all the names of all the Goddesses in all the mythology in
all of history. While that is certainly a noble endeavor, it is not the objective here.
What I do want to do is look at the Goddess, in whole and in part, and see just who
and what she is.
First and foremost, the Goddess is the symbol of the Cycle of Everlasting. She is
constant, ever present, ever changing, and yet always the same. She could be
compared in that respect to the oceans.
As a part of that, she is that from which we have come, and to which we will return.