The Pagan Path
By Janet and Stewart Farrar and Gavin Bone
Chapters 2 and 3 Topics and Summaries
"Men and women must be seen and treated as equal." Male and female are not the same thing, nor are they mutually exclusive. Instead, they each contain elements of the other. Every male has some female aspects, and vice versa. The philosopher / psychologist Carl Jung gives names to these buried elements - the animus (the male aspects within a woman) and the anima (the female aspects within a man). The level of strength and how deep it is buried varies from person the person.
Generally, the male aspect deals with left brain - the logical, intellectual, and linear. It tends toward analyzing and dissecting things. On the other hand, the female is associated with the right brain - "the formative, intuitive, cyclical.." It tends to create, associate, and put things together.
In Pagan thinking, the acknowledgement that these two seemingly opposite aspects are "equal and complementary." is crucial. This recognition of Divine Polarization is one of the marked differences between Pagan religions and monotheistic religions. We see the God and Goddess as two, equal and complementary, sides of the same Ultimate.
Lately there has been a strong focus on the Goddess, for two reasons. 1) She has been ignored and subdued for so long and 2) she, as Mother Earth, is physically in danger. It must be remembered that the ultimate goal is to attain the balance between the God and Goddess. There are extremists within Paganism who suppress the God or Goddess, but the general Pagan populace does not support this idea.
We are a species of two genders, which we can use to help us attune to both aspects. The immortal part of all of us is male and female - just like deity. "It may be said that the God speaks to the man's consciousness, and the Goddess whispers to his anima." And the other way around - so no one is separated from either aspect. In ritual and symbol, it is important to listen to each aspect.
"As above so below." This means that the Ultimate and its manifestations are of the same nature. This can be shown by the interwoven triangles of a hexagram (a six-pointed star). Another metaphor is a battery - it only works with two equal, complementary terminals. Living things could not exist without polarization. A good example is the Chinese Yin-Yang. The masculine, white side (the Yang) has a black spot within it - the Yin (anima), and vice versa. Among homosexuals it is the same, although more subtle, and varies individually. The concept of polarization is characteristic of Paganism - the complementary equality of men and women.
Not only does the insistence of equality improve relations between fellow Pagans, but also between Pagans and non-Pagans. It may be that a patriarchal period in history was necessary to create civilization as we know it (mathematics, technology - being left-brained functions). However, there is no longer any justification for a solely patriarchal view. To progress a balance is necessary. "The strength of Paganism is its recognition that male-female equality is not just a matter of democratic justice; it is in accord with the basic motive-power of the Universe."
In short: "Male and female must be seen and treated as equal and complementary."
Summarized by Inanna Rainriver
[NOTE: Much of this Chapter is philosophical, requiring us to think about the topics in abstract terms.]
While men and women must be seen and treated as equal, they should not be viewed as identical or as having traits that are mutually exclusive. "Each sex has buried elements of the other--animus (the hidden male aspects within a women's psyche) and the anima (the hidden female aspects within a man's psyche)." The proportion varies from individual to individual.
MALE === fertilizing, energizing, intellectual, linear-logical, left-brained
FEMALE === formative, nourishing, intuitive, cyclical, right-brained
Would you agree that men and women are different, though the differing traits are not mutually exclusive? What are your opinions on labelling factors as male or female? Is there the danger that they will then be thought to be mutually exclusive (even if you say they aren't)? Does the concept of animus/anima seem relevent? What factors would you say are male? What factors would you say are female? Do you believe that the two factors are equal and complementary, necessary to creative living?
The Farrars state that pagans believe that the male/female polarity is the "active principle of the Cosmos, and the cause of all manifestation...until the Ultimate polarized itself into the two aspects, it remained as pure existence without manifestation."
Is male/female polarity the active principle of the Cosmos? Is it required for manifestation?
Often the emphasis in Paganism today is on the Goddess, because She has been forced underground for so long (and balance needs to be restored) and She as Mother Earth is under threat. "But Pagans do not forget that He and She are equal and complementary, but that our continuing aim must be to restore and consolidate that balance."
Are you drawn more to either the Goddess or the God? If you are a practicing Pagan, does your practice now or did it ever focus more on one aspect? Why? Do you think emphasizing one form of Deity over the other is necessarily wrong? What is gained spiritually and emotionally from emphasizing one over other? What is lost?
"'As above, so below' was the condensed form of the Hermetic statement: 'That which is above is as that which is below, and that which is below is as that which is above, to achieve the wonders of the One Thing.' In other words, the Ultimate and its countless forms of manifestation are of the same essential nature."
What do you think of this expanded version of *As above, so below*? What does the phrase mean to you in terms of concept of Deity/Divine? What does it say about us, and the other inhabitants of our planet?
"The strength of Paganism is its recognition that male-female equality is not just a matter of democratic justice; it is in accord with the basic motive-power of the Universe."
What do you think of that statement?
"Whatever the insistence of patriarchal dogma, grass-roots Christians have all to often been aware of...'a Goddess-shaped vacuum.'"
They go on to state this is why the official Church in 431 AD elevated Jesus' mother to the status of Mother of God. The Goddess was let in through the back door and carefully controlled.
Even today, there is a resurgence of Marianism within the Catholic Church by some factions. It is actually quite a heated debate for some, for those who struggle with the concept of a female divine.
What do you think of the concept of a Goddess-shaped vacuum in mainstream religions? Why is the concept of Female Divine so threatening?
The various forms of deity is often misunderstood. An easy way to look at the variety of deity forms is to understand that they are "tuning signals" to the 2 aspects of the Ultimate-- the God and Goddess. The Ultimate is like a radio that has an infinite number of stations. Each person has a limited power and range of these "radio stations". We use our favorite stations to invoke certain aspects of the God and Goddess.
God and Goddess forms are familiar to the culture, environment, and history of the seeker. Their form maintains their roots and development as well as their present day function. If God and Goddesses didn't change with the times, we would find little use for them today. For example, a computer programmer may speak to Hermes, Mercury and Thoth (gods of communication and knowledge) in order to meet his specific needs. Aspect names are used for particular needs. The more a person understands and studies the meanings of the names, the greater the power. Some deities have names which describe their aspect function.....
Greek Nike - victory
Helios - sun
Gaia - earth
Irish Macha - battle
Nordic Hel - underworld
Buddhist & Tibetan Bhaisajyaguru - Supreme physician
Some Examples of Aspect Deities
Egyptian Thoth - moon god, later a god of wisdom & learning, math and writing (he was said to have invented) Passed the ruling of the moon function to a goddess changing it to a menstrual cycle/illumination of the darkness of unconsciousness from the male time-measuring aspect.
Welsh Arianrhod - very ancient goddess whose name means "Silver Wheel" which represents the stars that never set below the horizon.
Greek Pan - God of nature and the wild. Name means "All" or "pasturer". Portrayed as the goat footed, horned pan pipe playing musician.
Nordic Sif - Fertility and corn goddess. Represented peace, friendship, conjugal fidelity and family happiness.
Anglo-Saxon Weyland the Smith - Smith and goldsmith god which made the sword that killed Beowulf's dragon.
Chinese Kwan-Yin - Goddess of fertility and healing. Also known as magic teacher, oracular goddess and a prostitute.
Phoenician Adoni - Annually dying and resurrecting of vegetation god. Name means "Lord"
Assyro-Babylonian Tiamat - Goddess of salt waters. The storm god cut Tiamat's body in two to form the sky and the earth during a battle to restore order to the world.
The leading deities of the various pantheons have title names.
Near Eastern Baal and Baalat - "Lord and Lady"
Nordic Frey and Freya - "Lord and Lady"
Ireland Dagda - the good god
Osiris and Isis - "throne"
Most modern Pagans use the title names in general rituals - the Horned God and the Great Mother, for example, or as in the national culture forms such as Nordic, Celtic, Italian or Greek. But aspect-named deities have their purpose as well; it is good for the practitioner to understand the difference so they can use the appropriate tuning-signals.
Summarized by Sapphire SunDove
"God and Goddess forms representing various aspects are developed by, and acquire their 'personalities from', the cultures, environments, and histories of those who seek to invoke them. They also evolve along with the humans who relate to them....their form incorporates their roots and development as well as their contemporary function."
The variety of God/dess forms, the tuning-signals to the polarized Ultimate, both come from past cultures and evolve to meet modern needs. Is this true in your philosophy or practice of religion? Have you worked with aspects of Ultimate--God and Goddess forms--in meditation or ritual? Do you see the Old Gods and Goddesses as being relevant today?
The Farrars distinguish between aspect-name deities (which simply describe their aspect-function, i.e., names meaning War, Victory, etc.,) and title-name deities (meaning simply Lord/Lady in their respective languages), saying that Pagans most likely use title-names (including the modern ones of Horned God and Great Mother or the ancestral/cultural ones). But aspect-named Gods and Goddesses are good for particular needs.
For the practitioners....
Do you use title-names in ritual, modern or ancestral? Do you use aspect-names in Esbat/Sabbat ritual, or only for specific reasons? Have you used both? Do you sense a difference in working with the different title- or aspect-named deities?
For the beginners....
Do you understand the difference between aspect- and title-named deities? Have you read rituals in books that invoked either title-named deities or aspect-named deities? Do you see the purposes for both? If you decide to practice, do you think you will use the general names, or will you want to study your cultural/ancestral God/dess forms?
At the end of this chapter, the Farrars give a short list and description of a few aspect-name deities.
Choose a God or Goddess form that interests you, research it, and share your findings with the group. If you are already a practitioner, and feel comfortable sharing, tell us about your patron deities (if you have any). If you are a beginner, choose a cultural pantheon that interests you and research a Goddess or God.