Bringing the Goddess Back into a Man’s World Long before Christianity, Judaism and Islam, there was <strong>The</strong> Great Goddess, <strong>The</strong> Divine Ancestress. Memory of this history is not part of the mainstream, yet the echoes of Her presence persist in cultures throughout the world, even today. She was known by many names: Isis, Juno, Hecate, Ishtar, Ashtoreth, Inanna, Cybele and Astarte, among them. <strong>The</strong> Great Goddess was Nature Herself and worshipped as the single manifestation of all the gods and goddesses. Over a period of 25,000 years and a geography that spanned much of the globe, She was regarded as immortal and omnipotent. Pa g e 36 Goddess culture was conquered, destroyed, diminished and, finally, claimed by patriarchal societies long ago – largely for political power and control of geographical territory. Evidence and symbols of the Goddess still survive, but we have forgotten their significance. Goddess culture was conquered, destroyed, diminished and, finally, claimed by patriarchal societies long ago – largely for political power and control of geographical territory. History was then rewritten, often vilifying the Goddess and women while deifying male patriarchy. We see it today. What woman doesn’t “understand” somehow that she represents Eve - second to be created, yet first to sin, bringing the downfall of man? How has this philosophy translated into female suppression, including religious disenfranchisement as well as glass ceilings and wage inequities in the workplace? History books were written by patriarchs, whose agenda was to promote male dominance (e.g., Levite priests, the Council of Nicea, the papal bull Malleus Malleficarum that justified the Inquisition and the burning of “witches.”) In many religions, philosophies and practices were originally established to ensure the paternity of offspring so that property would pass through male lines rather than female, as had been the case. Vast amounts of evidence regarding this part of By C.C. Carey Ma r c h • Ap r i l 2011 our human history survives. Physical artifacts include archeological finds such as thousands of goddess figurines, and statuary – often with noses and ears intentionally broken off, believed to diminish the powers of the Goddess. Further evidence is found in customs that we continue to observe today. For instance, Christian communion celebrating the body and blood of Christ is actually an assimilation of an ancient Goddess custom honoring Her life-giving gifts; lighting candles in church is an adaptation of burnt offerings or fire sacrifices to the Goddess; holidays such as Easter, Passover, Christmas and Hanukah take place at times that had been celebratory rites during pagan (Goddess) times – such as solstices and equinoxes. It was typical of conquerors to incorporate the religious and cultural practices of the conquered in order to ease the transition into citizenship of the new society. Patriarchy has dominated many cultures around the globe since approximately 2,500 BCE. Yet, the human archeological record dates from 100,000 BCE, <strong>The</strong> human archeological record dates from 100,000 BCE, and Goddess artifacts date from about 25,000 to 2,500 BCE – when Indo-European culture began to take over Goddess-worshipping communities. and Goddess artifacts date from about 25,000 to 2,500 BCE, when Indo-European culture began to take over Goddess-worshipping communities. <strong>The</strong> amount of material that has been written and recorded on this subject is quite surprising. Yet, much of this history is subtly hidden, as it was rewritten to accommodate patriarchy – including the Bible. I was hoping to find that Goddess communities were far kinder, balanced and gentler. While this is partially true, it is not entirely the case. It’s possible that the patriarchy experienced over the last 4,500 years may be an over-compensatory backlash to the worship of all things feminine. Men were secondary in those early cultures: they stayed home, weaving Th e Jo u r n e y
t h e Jo u r n e y Ma r c h • Ap r i l 2011 Pa g e 37
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