|
Thoughts on Our BeliefsThe Seeker presents some of his thoughts on our beliefs. Core Beliefs
All Life springs from the GoddessThis is a very sensible belief. If we are to believe in a Divine creator, then the Goddess, especially the Feminine aspect, is the logical choice. We as Women and Men know the Feminine as the source of our human lives, with the Masculine in a supporting role. The Goddess gives us Life so that we may know Her Love and Her PowerLife has a purpose. The Goddess has given us Life, and She has given us Her wonderful gifts of Love and Power. We must learn more about Her gifts, and experience their every facet to fully live our lives. As the Goddess creates Life, so does She destroy itFor Life to exist, Death must exist as well. The process of Life, Death, and Rebirth is a cycle. The Goddess creates Life, and She destroys it. The destructive aspect of the Goddess has been often represented by other aspects, and in some beliefs by other Gods or Goddesses. At their base, though, that destructive energy springs from the Goddess Herself. For all that is creative, the Goddess chooses the Feminine aspectCreative energy is always Feminine. Throughout history, our artists have always spoken of their Muse. Muse was an aspect of the Goddess. Women create Life within their bodies. The Feminine aspect is very sensible as a creative aspect. For all that is destructive, the Goddess chooses the Masculine aspectDestruction is an important part of Life. Without it, nothing can be renewed. As the Feminine is the creative, the Masculine is the destructive. Both powers spring from the Goddess, but She chooses different aspects for them. Masculine energy is highly driven and directed. Construction, building something, is a partner of destruction. They are two sides of the same coin. This energy is distinct from the Feminine creative, which is less driven and directed. Simply put, Women, because of their closeness with the Feminine aspect of the Goddess, seek to understand their world, and imagine a better future. Man, because of their closeness with the Masculine aspect of the Goddess, seek to build, destroy, and rebuild their world. All Life is balance between the Feminine and the MasculineThis is a self-evident statement, in that both Women and Men must participate in order to create Life. But in addition, the Life of a single Women or Man is also a balance of the Feminine and the Masculine. Just as Women and Men each have both feminine and masculine hormones, for example, they each have aspects of themselves that are more closely associated with the Feminine or the Masculine. Life, in fact, is a constant balancing act between the Feminine and the Masculine, whether in ourselves, in a couple or family, or in our world. The Goddess gives us Woman as a sacred Vessel of Her Love and Her PowerWoman is the embodiment of the Goddess' Love and Power. She is a sacred Vessel of the Goddess, meaning that we can see the Goddess through her. Woman has both the Feminine and Masculine aspects, as does Man. But as the Goddess is the creator of Life, we can find Her more easily in Woman, who also creates Life. The Goddess has been represented by many images throughout history. Those images are usually of Women. An open eye around us today, looking at the remnants of historic architecture, or even modern advertising, sees a near-reverence for the Woman. (Advertising tends to focus on the Maiden aspect of Woman, and neglect the Mother and Crone aspects.) For Men, this is a very critical tenent. It helps us in our spiritual practice to know that we can find the Goddess in the Women around us. We see and appreciate the Goddess' Love in the form of a Maiden's Beauty, for example. We see the Divine Feminine in a Mother. We respect the experience of the Crone. This is not the same as feminism. Some groups have taken worship of the Goddess to an extreme, which may be appropriate for their members. Here we may worship Woman in the same way, but as an incarnation of the Goddess, when we see Her Love and Her Power in a Woman. But we do not deny the existence and importance of the Goddess' Masculine aspect, embodied by Man. The Goddess gives us Man as Woman's consort and faithful steward of Her PowerMan is Woman's consort. He is her protector and provider. The Goddess created Woman as the embodiment of Her Love and Her Power, but emphasized Her Feminine aspect in Woman. In Man, she emphasizes the Masculine aspect, which is driven, focused, and destructive. The Goddess intends Woman to subtly direct Man in Her good works. In order for Man to be an effective consort for Woman, the Goddess grants Her Power to Man, but not permanently. Man has no divine right to retain the Goddess' Power. He must relinquish it when the Goddess wishes. This is important, as it prevents the negative consequences of combining the destructive aspects of the Masculine with the Goddess' Power. If there is a risk of that happening within a Man, it is the duty of Woman to reclaim the Goddess' Power to restore the natural balance within that Man. As steward of Her Power, Man must use Her Power for Her good works. As sacred Vessel of the Goddess, Woman's duty is to express the Goddess' wishes. Oftentimes, Woman is content to stay behind the scenes, and allow her consort to interact with the world, taking the risk and danger associated. As the embodiment of the Masculine, Man's purpose is also to allow Woman to experience the Goddess' Masculine aspect in a physical way. The Goddess expects us to know Her Love and Her Power, and to share that knowledge with othersThe Goddess gives us Life so that we may know Her Love and Her Power. We must devote ourselves to learning more about Her and Her Gifts, so that we may share that knowledge with others. We must appreciate Her Love in all its forms around us. When we see Her Power, we must recognize and respect it. We must come to understand the deeper meanings of Her Gifts, so that we may better worship Her, and better affect our lives and the lives of those around us. Sharing our understanding of Her Gifts does not mean imposing our beliefs on others. She has provided many paths to an deeper understanding of Herself. Her Gifts of Love and Power are so fundamental that we see them in all spiritual paths. For those interested in the fundamental basis for the world around us, we eagerly share our knowledge and experience with them. Aspects of the Goddess' Love include: Love (emotional and sexual), Nature, Beauty, Compassion, Joy, Empathy, Kindness, Happiness, PleasureThe Goddess's Love is many-faceted. We see Love as we understand it typically, but Her Love is also the Nature she gives us. It is Beauty and Pleasure. It is Compassion and Kindness. All of these are aspects of Her Love, and volumes have been written about each. The wonder of Her Love is that it can be manifested in so many different ways. Aspects of the Goddess' Power include: Action, Will, Drive, Direction, Purpose, Attraction, PassionThe Goddess' Power is also many-faceted. Her Power includes the ability to force change in the world around us. It involves a sense of Purpose and Direction. It is the force of Will. Attraction, both emotional and sexual, is an aspect of Her Power. Passion, whether sexual, artistic, or otherwise, is a form of Her Power. Her Power is all around us. The better we know the Goddess' Love and Power, the more we can use Her Love and Her Power to affect our lives and the lives of those around us for the betterAgain the Goddess reminds us that we must come to study and know Her Love and Her Power. Here the emphasis is on using that knowledge to affect our lives and the lives of those around us for the better. The Goddess is telling us that we have a responsibility to help the people around us, and that we must learn about Her Gifts in order to more effectively do so. She doesn't command us to devote our lives to those around us. But She makes it clear that Her Gifts are there for our use to help others. We are told that we must share our knowledge of Her Love and Her Power with others. We are told that we can affect the lives of those around us for the better. Surely that means we should devote ourselves to assisting others? The Goddess did not create Life for us to selfishly pursue it. With practice, we have the ability to help others, and we should use that ability. We raise Energy to affect our lives by drawing forth Her Love and Her Power with those closest to usThe Goddess gives us Energy in the form of Her Love and Her Power combined with the help those we are closest to. While Energy may seem to be an aspect of Her Power, it comes only when combining Her Power with Her Love. We may use Energy to affect our lives and the lives of those around us. The Goddess has given us the ability to affect our lives, to change their directions. We use Energy to do that. Many faiths believe in the power of prayer on the one hand, and mana or magick on the other hand. With prayer, we ask the Divine for intervention. With mana or magick or Energy, we call forth that Energy as a form of Divine intervention, but directed by us. The Goddess created us, so She trusts us to put Her Energy to good use. If our intentions are negative, the Goddess will not allow us to raise Energy. Our Rites are intended to assist us in raising Energy by calling forth Her Love and Her Power. We celebrate the power of sex, passion, arousal and attraction for its ability to raise a large amount of Energy. But the Goddess does not tell us that sex is required to raise Energy. If we find other ways to combine Her Love and Her Power, we will also raise Energy. However, it cannot be denied that sexual expression is the easiest way to raise Energy. It also allows us to grow closer to those around us, so that we may better celebrate the Goddess' Gifts together. Solitary practice is very difficult. Each of us has both the Feminine and the Masculine aspects within us, but one aspect is usually dominant. To truly experience Her Love and Her Power, we must combine Her aspects. It is our duty to help others around us to better know Her Love and Her Power. Helping others assists us in our own spiritual practice, and helps us know Her better. |