The Goddess and the Church

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Since the Goddess has always been an icon in spiritual tradition, examining the effects of Her demise and her subsequent "return" from the religious aspect gives clarity to her journey. The Goddess was the central Deity in religions as far back as 25,000 BCE. Prehistoric peoples who had no concept of science and medicine could not relate sex with the event of birth. It was natural for them to assume that since life came forth from the female body, Deity, which gives life, was also feminine. Therefore, that which gave life was honored in their everyday lives as well as in their myths and religious observances.

By the time the Hebrews invaded Canaan, a dominator mind-set had deeply taken root. Hebrew laws regarding the treatment of women were excessive and brutal by today's standards. Women were considered the personal property of men-first of their fathers and then of their husbands. They were treated as commodities over which men had complete domination and control. A woman who was accused of not being a virgin could be stoned to death if the accusation was proven true because she was no longer of any economic value to her father or to a prospective bridegroom. Regulation of the sexual morality of women was an economic necessity. Adoration and worship of the Goddess had to be reversed to sustain the ideology of the dominator societies.

As the God replaced the Goddess as the Deity, a dualistic consciousness developed. The Goddess had taught the interconnectedness of all things and a natural unfolding of things. This unity consciousness was suppressed by the more compartmentalized God who is Light. The Goddess was now equated with Darkness, evil, and those things which must be hidden.

Even though the Masculine dominated much religious practice at the time of the crucifixion, it is apparent that during the early years of the Christian church women held important roles as teachers and ministers. However, their positions of responsibility and authority in the new church were gradually usurped by early church fathers so that eventually women had no voice in church affairs. The myth that evolved along with the church told the story of a heroic journey by a Jewish man who never had a wife or a sexual relationship. Although there is no mention in the gospels that Jesus was celibate and Jewish tradition dictated that men should marry, the myth surrounding his life omits a marital partner. In their efforts to establish that Jesus was divine by omitting his physical being, the Christian church fathers built their institution on a foundation that was missing a vital piece-the Feminine.

The 2,000 year journey of Mary Magdalene is a perfect example of the systematic banishment and suppression of the Feminine from human consciousness and Her gradual return to mankind's awareness. There is evidence that, contrary to what the Christian church has so long taught, Jesus was married at the time of his crucifixion, that reference in the Bible to the Bride and Bridegroom is literal as well as metaphorical. Following the crucifixion, Jesus' family, including his wife, Mary Magdalene, was forced to flee and go into hiding. In her absence, the church pronounced she was a prostitute and sinner upon whom the faithful should not gaze.

For centuries following the crucifixion the world's great religions systematically banished the Feminine from ritual and worship creating an imbalance that affected not only those religions but also all other societal institutions. Women, who in prehistoric times held the highest positions in religious organizations and government, until recently were denied places of power and honor in the most central institution to our societies. By denying Jesus his physical, human nature, the church has denied its followers the feminine attributes of intuition, gentleness, and nurturing as well as the sacredness of the physical experience.

In 1969 the Magisterium of the Roman Catholic Church finally rescinded its position that Mary Magdalene was a sinner and prostitute, noting that nowhere in the Bible is she given such status. Interest in Mary Magdalene as a very important part of Jesus' ministry and as a powerful teacher and healer in her own right has increased ever since. Gradually, the Bride is reuniting with her Bridegroom, and as this occurs individuals are reuniting with themselves.

Acceptance of Mary Magdalene as the Biblical Bride to her Bridegroom, Jesus, as well as acceptance of the Sacred Feminine into our lives, is a stormy process. The Church, in its admission that it stigmatized as a prostitute one who was quite possibly "the beloved disciple," opened itself to worldwide scrutiny. The myths that have been the foundation of the Christian Church and much of Western society for 2,000 years must now be changed. The Sacred Masculine must now embrace and welcome the Sacred Feminine as His equal partner. Celebration of the Sacred Marriage must be restored. When this occurs, humanity is made whole once more.

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Making Herself Known

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During the Age of Pisces, the Goddess and anything connected with the Feminine were repressed, ignored, suppressed. Yet as the visions and prophecies indicate, She was always present. From time to time She made an appearance, as an apparition, in an individual, or in the desire of a group of people. Each time She appeared, She grew stronger and more insistent that Her presence be acknowledged and that She be embraced as part of the self. Her return has been a slow process. The pattern over the last 150 years indicates that She will no longer stay in the background of human consciousness.

In the 1830s a group of women in New York began an equal rights movement originally aimed at the abolition of slavery. Women, whose opinions were customarily ignored, found that without the right to vote their voice would not be heard. This movement stalled in 1861 with the beginning of the Civil War when the feminists were asked to instead focus their energies on the war effort. After the Civil War was over, the Thirteenth Amendment abolishing slavery and the Fourteenth Amendment which secured the rights, privileges, and immunities of citizens were passed. These Amendments represented huge forward movement for the Negro cause. However, the rights secured by the Fourteenth Amendment were secured only for men-not women.

Until the passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments women's suffrage was merely an idea that was discussed. Women themselves were afraid that they would not be taken seriously. When these Amendments were passed referring only to men, the women's suffrage movement became a reality. A new generation of suffragists took over after the turn of the century. These women were far more visible in their efforts to secure their right to vote, organizing demonstrations and parades and even hunger strikes. The results of their efforts was jail time for many. Although the Masculine authority considered these efforts to be nothing more than feminine hysteria, these women persevered and gained the right to vote on August 26, 1920.

The women's rights movement made a resurgence in the 1960s. Just as the Sacred Feminine who revealed Herself, went back into hiding, then reasserted Herself again ever more forcefully, women again told men they wanted equal pay, equal treatment in the home and in the workforce, an equal voice in the eyes of society and the law. Women were no longer satisfied with being only housewives and mothers, defining themselves by their relationships. The assumption that they should work only as secretaries, teachers or librarians was no longer acceptable. Women were capable of managerial positions or becoming doctors, lawyers, government officials or whatever they desired. The Goddess having revealed Herself as the fresh and innocent Maiden/Virgin and as the nurturing Mother, now asserted Herself in Her most extreme aspect-the destructive Crone.

The women's movement during the late 1960s and early 1970s can only be described as extremist. Women who had been abused and ignored in the home, in the work place, even in religious institutions, took this opportunity to vent their anger. As these radical women's libbers burned their bras, refused to shave their underarms and legs or to allow a man to open the door for them, the movement came across as anti-family. Women were told that they were prostitutes if they married and married women should refuse to have sexual relations with their husbands and that if they did, they should never lie beneath him. In their efforts to be equal with men, women tried to be more like men. They denied the feminine aspects within themselves-the nurturing, mothering aspects, their sexual selves, their intuitive, creative selves-in order to be heard and taken seriously. In the process they created in reverse the things they were reacting against. The needs that all men and women have for nurturance and love that are fulfilled by the family were ignored and even violated by feminists who used the women's rights movement as a forum to vent their rage at injustice and abuse from their own personal pasts.

At the same time so many feminists were espousing a man-hating, anti-family philosophy, many women became disillusioned by religion's manipulation of their sexuality and left the church. Yet the women's movement was possibly the greatest single effort at moving the planet from patriarchal authoritarianism to creating a new equal partnership paradigm unlike anything humanity has experienced before. The goals of the women's movement-the humanization of women and self-actualization of the creative human spirit-would liberate not only women but the human species.

The gay rights movement, having also begun in the 1950s alongside the civil rights and women's rights movements, gained momentum in the 1960s, the 1970s, and into the 1980s. All three movements struggled with internal conflicts that threatened to defeat their purposes from within during those decades. Some gays and lesbians used the movement to vent rage both at outsiders who had persecuted them as well as at each other. Yet leaders of all of these movements as well as leaders around the world would come to see the necessity of working together for the good of the planet.

Every time one of these movements stalled due to the individual issues of their members, a greter challenge presented itself on a global scale. As the year 2000 approached, humanity faced the Y2K challenge. The threat of computers crashing around the globe brought people together who before would have ignored each other or refused to work together. On September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the United States, there was a global outcry at this brutal act. People everywhere knew that no one is immune to this kind of destruction. The Crone, through chaos and destruction, is determined to reunify the planet.

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Prophecies of the Return of the Sacred Feminine

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In addition to the return of the Sacred Feminine as described through the precession of the equinoxes, the Goddess's return has been foretold by many people, both indigenous and non-indigenous, for hundreds of years. Through prophecy and visions, lore and legend, She has appeared, reminding humanity that a time would come when She would merge with the Masculine who kept Her repressed for so long. The Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers tell us that now is the time when every man and woman will find their female part emerging to be integrated into the whole.

According to the Grandmothers, prophecy is messages received from Spirit and it is available to each man and woman. It is given to each individual depending on where they are in a manner they can understand if they will open to it. Prophecy is not a story that is told and then remains stagnant. It evolves as the people who receive it evolve. Expectations of those receiving the prophecy has much to do with whether or not the story has a happy or an unhappy ending.

Indigenous peoples of the Americas look forward to the fulfillment of the promise that "when the Eagle of North America and the Condor of South America unite, the spirit of peace will awaken on Earth." (Quote from Jonette Crowley's book, The Eagle and the Condor.) In accord with this prophecy, the Condor was driven to near extinction by the Eagle in the 1400s. Then for 500 years the power of the Eagle, representing the mental and materialistic, predominated over the spiritual, heart-centered, intuitive power of the Condor. Now the Eagle and the Condor have the opportunity to reunite and soar together once more. It is believed by the indigenous people who received this prophecy that the Eagle would have to help the Condor to soar once again.

This prophecy of polar opposites reuniting is being carried out figuratively and literally today. Ceremonies and rituals designed to bring together the masculine and the feminine, the light and the dark, within each individual are being done on behalf of humanity. In her book, The Eagle and the Condor, Jonette Crowley describes her experiences on her trips to Lake Titicaca in South America as she and her guide, Mallku, dance for the reunification of the masculine and the feminine within them.

According to Hopi legend, about five hundred years ago as the white people were discovering the Americas humanity broke the circle of life. The Creator at that time told the people of the Earth:

"I am going to send you in the four directions, and over
time I am going to change you into four colors. But I am
going to give each of you certain teachings, and when you
come back together, you will share these teachings with
each other. Then you can live together and have peace
upon the Earth, and a great civilization will come
about." (from Grandmothers Counsel the World)

The legend predicted that it would be the Fire people, or the white people, who would begin the reunification of humanity.

In North America the bald eagle was almost extinct before the Endangered Specie Act was enacted to ensure it survival. No one had seen a condor in the State of Oregon for 200 years. Recently, there were two condors born in captivity in that state. Literally, the Eagle is now helping the Condor to soar once more.

The Goddess in her aspects of Crone and Maiden appear in the Hopi legend of the butterfly. According to this story, the caterpillar goes into the darkness of the cocoon. While there, the caterpillar experiences a total destruction of what it was, ultimately transforming into a butterfly. This creature is a butterfly even before it emerges into the light. When it does, it is completely transformed from a creature of ignorance with a narrow-minded view to one that knows the interconnectedness of all things and sees the world from a broader viewpoint of compassion, hope and wonder. This legend beautifully illustrates how the Crone through destruction and chaos makes way for the Maiden with her fresh ideas and unity consciousness.

The Goddess, although suppressed, has not remained totally invisible. Appearances of a woman referred to as "the lady" or "our lady" have occurred in such places as Fatima, Lourdes and Medjugorje. When she does appear, this apparition, who many believe to be Mary the mother of Christ, is always silent. People travel from all parts of the world to witness these appearances, many to receive healing, blessings, and forgiveness. Regardless of who she is, believers and non-believers alike come away changed.

In 1991, author Judith T. Lambert, made the last of four pilgrimages to Medjugorje to observe the appearance of an alleged female apparition making herself known to the people of that area. She was a skeptic when these trips began in 1986. Lambert, who had studied ancient goddess traditions, saw a correlation between the apparition at Medjugorje and ancient pagan goddesses. Most of those making the pilgrimage to witness this appearance were of the Catholic or other Christian faiths, so to them, she appeared to be Mother Mary. However, regardless of the specific identity of the woman making her appearance in these places, she represents a Mother Goddess for all people. Seeing the imbalance between the masculine and the feminine principles and the perpetration of dominator patriarchal societies, She comes now to balance the archetypal forces and to remind us that we are all connected. (for more information about Lambert's experiences in Medjugorje see her book, A Mother Goddess for Our Times.)

Prophecies from Nostradamus, Edgar Cayce, even the Christian Bible point to the coming of a New Age that will be heralded by the return of the Sacred Feminine. Each of these prophecies predicts cataclysmic events that will change the world as we know it. Worldwide natural disasters are occurring accompanied by destruction of homes, businesses, and loss of life. The global economy is in a downward spiral. Countries, the United States in particular, that were previously considered leaders and super powers appear to be disintegrating. Some believe this is the end of the world. Others know that great forces are at work and that what matters is not so much the specifics of what happens as how humanity moves through these events. Humanity is not victim, but creator.

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Suppression of the Feminine

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It wasn't just those of the feminine gender that were wuppressed by the masculine Sun God. The Feminine represents those aspects of self that are kept hidden. The angry parts, the parts that have thoughts and feelings that cause shame because parents and church leaders tell children that they "aren't nice" if they think or feel "that way." The Feminine does represent the half of humanity that is born female; but the Feminine represents more than that. The Feminine represents all that has been suppressed for the last 2,000 years-women, children, our elders, minorities, the poor. In this process creativity, authentic community, even people's voices have been suppressed also.

During the Age of Pisces while the Masculine dominated, the Feminine from time to time made a resurgence in her aspects as Maiden/Virgin, Mother, or Crone as a reminder that she never left. In early Greek civilization the Virgin Goddess, Pallas Athena, was allowed to be a guide to her people. Even during this period, the more structured Masculine knew that somehow it was the Feminine qualities of intuition and inspiration that kept the truth alive. This is evident in Native American tribes that never make a decision affecting the entire community before consulting with the grandmothers of the tribe.

Historically, there were brief periods, such as the Elizabethan Age, when a resurgence of interest in the arts, the spiritual, and the welfare of the populace occurred. Although each resurgence of the Feminine was accompanied by cultural evolution, the dominators would allow this to go only so far before it struck out once more with hostility and violence toward women, children and those in the minority. Those in power in the fear-based dominator societies knew that the Feminine had to be suppressed and controlled in order for their way of life to continue. Stories of the Holy Grail were written around 1200 CE during a time when the Feminine was expressing Herself. Approximately 100 years later the witch hunts began in Europe.

Individual women in particular who threatened the survival of patriarchal society that was the established norm were in danger. In the 1400s a young girl named Jeanne d'Arc claimed that she received divine guidance directing her to save France from invasion by the British. Jeanne's popularity with the French monarchy lasted until after she led an entire army to victory, thus guaranteeing France's independence. She was subsequently given to the British by France's King Charles, was tried for treason as a heretic and ultimately met her demise by burning at the stake. The dominant male authorities of Jeanne's time knew that the threat of a powerful woman-in particular a young girl-regardless of her contribution to her people could not be allowed to continue. Jeanne's fate was played out over and over again during witch trials over the next 500 years.

In his book, Fractal Time, Gregg Braden states, "Patterns identified for an earlier time in history tend to repeat themselves with greater intensity at later dates." There is a pattern to each resurgence of the Feminine throughout history, and She becomes more insistent on being acknowledged each time She appears. Threats of loss of home, family, social standing, incarceration, and bodily harm no longer discourage Her from moving toward taking her rightful place as an equal co-creator with the Masculine.

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Precession of the Equinoxes

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For centuries astrologers have followed the precession of the equinoxes, our planet's journey through the constellations. Even the ancients-the Greeks, the Egyptians, the Sumerians-and indigenous tribes such as the Hopi have all left evidence showing they understood the changing of the ages. The transition from one age to the next is a process rather than a sudden change. As we come to understand the movement of our planet through the heavens, we also aquire clarification as to why this is the time for which the Goddess has waited to reunite with the Masculine.

With the approach of December 21, 2012, the date which is designated as the end of the Mayan calendar, humanity is nearing the end of two cycles. The longer cycle is the planet's journey through all twelve zodiac signs. Each zodiac sign is assigned to a constellation. It takes approximately 26,000 years for Earth to move through all twelve signs of the zodiac. Earth's movement through the signs of the zodiac is further divided into five world ages, each lasting 5,125 years.

The shorter of the the two cycles is also connected to the planet's movement through the zodiac. Each of these shorter cycles lasts approximately 2,160 years and correspond to Earth's movement through one sign of the zodiac. Any time Earth moves from the end of one cycle to the beginning of the next, there is turmoil as humanity experiences the influence of both astrological signs. Some hold on to the way things were, tryig to maintain the status quo, while others welcome forward movement into the next age.

At the end of any age there is polarization which causes fear and conspiracy theories. With the approach of the end of the Mayan calendar, many have predicted an end of this world. However, looking back at events that have taken place as the planet has moved through the precession of the equinoxes what becomes apparent is that similar events have happened in the past that correspond to the ending of one age and movement into another. Many current earth changes are repeating themselves.

During the Age of Leo from 10,000 BCE to 8000 BCE there was global warming and glaciers melting. This was an era of personal power and authority as represented by the Sphinx built during this period. The Age of Cancer, 8000 BCE to 6000 BCE, was the Age of the Great Flood described in the Bible. From 6000 BCE to 4000 BCE during the Age of Gemini the intellect and communication was the hallmark. Alphabets and writing began to appear and develop during this period. Agricultural societies developed and flourished during the Age of Taurus from 4000 BCE to 2000 BCE. This was a period when societies were matrilineal and the Goddess was revered. Much has been learned from ancient Egyptian civilizations that flourished during this period. This was followed by the Age of Aries from 2000 BCE to 0 CE. Known as the Iron Age, the patriarchy or dominator cultures eclipsed the Goddess in favor of the Sun God during this era. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the culmination of the Age of Aries, the Ram. Jesus, who was called the Lamb of God, was slaughtered as the Age of Pisces, the Fishes, was ushered in. With the crucifixion, the Feminine was torn from her Bridegroom, and women were suppressed and even demonized for the next 2,000 years.

The Age of Pisces from 0 CE to 2100 CE corresponded with the birth of Christianity. In matters of religion and spirituality during this period human beings looked outside themseves for answers. Certain church leaders or gurus were only too happy to dictate to others how to live their lives, promising hell-fire and eternal damnation to those who refused to follow the prescribed path. A sense of "we" and "they" developed as a result of separatist attitudes and this led to holy wars.

As long as authority was placed in others-governments and religious leaders-people busied themselves with other things during the Piscean Age. Since humans no longer had to look within for answers, they had to do something to occupy their minds and spend their time. Money and material gain took precedence over spiritual matters. The masculine tendency to compartmentalize and specialize, divide and conquer, led to feelings of separation-from God, from self, and from each other. The symbol for Pisces-two fish swimming in opposite directions-is an apt representation of the fundamental prevailing philosophy during the Piscean Age.

Where the Age of Pisces was an era of separation, the Age of Aquarius into which humanity is now moving is an age of holism. On a soul level humanity has a desire and knows the need for working in cooperation to build a global community, for integration of the body, mind and soul, and the necessity of the Masculine to the Feminine and vice versa. Although the Age of Aquarius has not fully begun, humans can feel the push and pull of the polar opposites as they are now reconciling themselves with each other to create a new whole.

When things become too structured, the Crone steps in with her destructive aspect and chaos seems to reign. To many this may seem like the end of the world, and this has been predicted by some. However, examination of the patterns of the world ages as the planet has moved through the precession of the equinoxes indicates that we are moving through the end of one age and forward into a new era of living together in peace and cooperation.

It is important to keep in mind that one age is not "better than" another. During the last 2,000 years while the male dominated with separatism, dividing and conquering, there have been great discoveries and developments in science, medicine and technology. The linear mind-set of the Masculine was a necessary component for these advances. However, true creation requires both masculine and feminine components. Humanity has reached an apex in its evolution, and in order to continue it must acknowledge, own and integrate that which has long been ignored-the Feminine aspect of itself. The International Council of Thirteen Indigenous Grandmothers who gathered for the first time in October, 2004, has given this message to humanity:

"The Grandmother of all Creation, the One who is the
maker of life, the One whom we have forgotten, is
calling us. She is not angry with us, but She is sad
that we have forgotten who She is."

Humanity's choice at this time is stagnation by refusal to embrace the Feminine or creation by embracing Her and integrating Her, both men and women, and welcoming Her influence into the world.

Mitakuye Oyasin!

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