Approaching the Goddess

[[cosmo]]

Hello, this is Dragonhawk. I changed my nick because I'm going through some pretty big changes in my life right now and I feel like I'm approaching a new level of understanding that I have not yet experinced and its taken hold of me in a really big way, not gonna bore anyone with the details but here goes.

I've been doing alot of thinking for the past couple of days and reconnecting with some of the questions that I have about what path I should take from here on out as I wind on down the road and I'm considering becoming a pagan but I really don't know where to start in terms of developing a true relationship with the goddess. I've always known what it was like to have a relationship with the God as I, like many of you, was raised in a very conservative christian home. I couldn't even watch the smurfs when I was kid for christsakes because my mom thought gargamel was the epitome of all evil, lol. So in getting from there to where I am now in my spiritual journey I've had to sift through alot of christian baggage, and the intense feeling that there's got to be something more satisfying than just that and all the fear and guilt that comes with it. So my question is, for all you pagans out there, how do I approach the goddess? Even though this might be a passing phase (I may find that paganism just isn't right for me) I think an appropriate understanding of just who and what she is may be essential to my personal development on a higher spiritual level. I understand the basic idea as I've done alot of research into paganism but I'm talking about a personal relationship with her that is real and spiritually satisfying. Even in the bible the personification of wisdom in proverbs is described as female which I thought was an interesting parallel. I've already felt a tremendous amount of positive energy since I've been here and have come a long way spiritually in just a few days and I feel its time to take the next step. What that is I cannot say just yet but any thoughts or feedback is most welcome.

[Sobek]

I couldn't even watch the smurfs when I was kid for christsakes because my mom thought gargamel was the epitome of all evil

wow, your mother doesnt give evil much credit.

but if you want to get a feeling for the Godess, she is the earth. To experience the earth one must lay themself at its feet, so go outside and experience nature a little, listen to the sounds, take note of how it makes you feel and if theres anything special about it...try different conditions to see which make you most comfortable and why...just for starters.

[WolfWitch]

Hello, this is Dragonhawk. I changed my nick because I'm going through some pretty big changes in my life right now and I feel like I'm approaching a new level of understanding that I have not yet experinced and its taken hold of me in a really big way, not gonna bore anyone with the details but here goes.

It's cool. We all go through changes as we grow. It's just apart lifes web.

I've been doing alot of thinking for the past couple of days and
reconnecting with some of the questions that I have about what path I should take from here on out as I wind on down the road and I'm considering becoming a pagan but I really don't know where to start in terms of developing a true relationship with the goddess.

I will give you my technique. It may or may not work for you but it never hurts to try. In a quiet place, stare up to the moon (doesn't matter the phase.) Take slow deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Feel your stress leave your body with each exhalation. Relax yourself both inside and out. Now, look upon the moon and feel the coolness of the light. Feel it radiate down onto your skin. When the coolness can be felt on your skin, allow it to sink into you. The deeper you allow it to sink in, the more relaxed you will become.

I've always known what it was like to have a relationship with the God as I, like many of you, was raised in a very conservative christian home.

That's not always the case. I was from the same conservative Christian background and even now, I have the hardest time connecting with the masculine aspect of divinity. The Goddess(s) came fairly easy. It's God that hides his face and name from me.

I couldn't even watch the smurfs when I was kid for christsakes because my mom thought gargamel was the epitome of all evil, lol.

No, Gargamell was the epitome of dedication to the culinary arts. He was gonna have that smurf cassarole and dammed the price!

So in getting from there to where I am now in my spiritual journey I've had to sift through alot of christian baggage, and the intense feeling that there's got to be something more satisfying than just that and all the fear and guilt that comes with it. So my question is, for all you pagans out there, how do I approach the goddess? Even though this might be a passing phase (I may find that paganism just isn't right for me) I think an appropriate understanding of just who and what she is may be essential to my personal development on a higher spiritual level. I understand the basic idea as I've done alot of research into paganism but I'm talking about a personal relationship with her that is real and spiritually satisfying. Even in the bible the personification of wisdom in proverbs is described as female which I thought was an interesting parallel. I've already felt a tremendous amount of positive energy since I've been here and have come a long way spiritually in just a few days and I feel its time to take the next step. What that is I cannot say just yet but any thoughts or feedback is most welcome.

First off. This is a very mature attitude that you are approaching from so I can say with a lot of ceartinty that you will find what you seek. Weither or not it is Wicca or one of the other Neo-Paganist or Heathen religeons remains to be seen. The Divine will reveal itself to you in its own ways and in its own time.
As for approaching the Femenine aspects, beyond what I stated earlier in this reply I will give you the advice I was given. Approach honestly. Just be yourself and let what will happen, happen.
Who knows, you may discover that your Islamic or even Budist like my wife. The key is keep yourself open to what the Divine will wishes to tell you.

In the end. We're here only once. It matters not what others tell you to be, you only have to be happy. The first step to being happy is to be happy with yourself.

Blessed be and good hunting friend. I hope you discover what you need to.

WolfWitch.

[[ravenwing]]

This might sound rather simplistic, and I apologise in advance if it does, but here's something a lot of folks dont remember.

One does not "worship" the Goddess in the same way the Bible teaches one to worship God. The Bible teaches that one must "look up" to the God as the higher being, and do the work of God; but in most Pagan Paths you will find that you are taught to work not FOR the Goddess but instead WITH the Goddess. This is a very fine line, but extremely important if its your goal to work alongside her. You cant be alongside, if youre working from below.......

[[cosmo]]

Thanks for the replies and adivice. Its been a pretty weird trip. I feel like the divine speaks to me in many different ways but lately a I've felt the Goddess energy coming through more clearly than the rest and I have an awesome respect for Her and for the earth and nature in general. I guess my next question is, what Goddesses do you work with and why? I feel drawn more towards Kali, Ceriddwyn and Isis myself. As far as the energies that I work with that is probably the best combination. Let me know what you think and thanks again for the replies.

[Sobek]

im not into the whole "God and Goddess" thing, i work with lots of Gods, but as far as the strong women figure goes i'd probably either say Isis or Maat, possibly Gaia or Selene, depends on how i feel at the time

[WolfWitch]

Urdu, Vervandi and Skuld. And I work withthem because , when I was searching for what to call the feminine divine aspect, they are who called to me.

If you have a chance, go for a walk in the woods during a good snow fall. Just listen to the quiet, tinkling solitude around you. A lot of answer came to me this way.

WW.

[[cosmo]]

Yes the Norse path is good. I feel not only drawn to my three but also feel that they have in some way chosen me. Kali, for her ferocious and fiery energy, Ceridwynn for the cauldron of knowledge and metamorphosis and Isis for the mysteries of ancient man and for knowledge and healing. These aspects identify with me in many ways. I am wishing I lived back in the woods at my old house. I saw many things, heard voices and the animals talked with me. Walking with nature is always a fine experience.

[LaFiamma]

This might sound rather simplistic, and I apologise in advance if it does, but here's something a lot of folks dont remember.

One does not "worship" the Goddess in the same way the Bible teaches one to worship God. The Bible teaches that one must "look up" to the God as the higher being, and do the work of God; but in most Pagan Paths you will find that you are taught to work not FOR the Goddess but instead WITH the Goddess. This is a very fine line, but extremely important if its your goal to work alongside her. You cant be alongside, if youre working from below.......

I do a lot of work FOR my gods- and *worship* them...as do most of the pagan folks that I know. This may be your personal belief, but do not paint everyone into the same corner. Believe it or not, worship is not a bad word. Look it up in a thesaurus and see what sort of synonyms you find... "respect", "honor", "revere" are just a few.

[[ravenwing]]

This might sound rather simplistic, and I apologise in advance if it does, but here's something a lot of folks dont remember.

One does not "worship" the Goddess in the same way the Bible teaches one to worship God. The Bible teaches that one must "look up" to the God as the higher being, and do the work of God; but in most Pagan Paths you will find that you are taught to work not FOR the Goddess but instead WITH the Goddess. This is a very fine line, but extremely important if its your goal to work alongside her. You cant be alongside, if youre working from below.......

I do a lot of work FOR my gods- and *worship* them...as do most of the pagan folks that I know. This may be your personal belief, but do not paint everyone into the same corner. Believe it or not, worship is not a bad word. Look it up in a thesaurus and see what sort of synonyms you find... "respect", "honor", "revere" are just a few.

I wholeheartedly agree with you that "respect, honor, and revere" are feelings we should have for our particular Deities, whomever they are. And if you believe that I meant Pagans do not do work "For" the Goddess, then you misinterpreted what I was saying - and I'm sorry for that. I didnt mean for this to "swing the pendulum" all the way to the other side of things.
The point I was trying to get across was that in Christianity, one does "the work of God" exclusively -- and never works WITH the God. In the majority of the Pagan Beliefs that I am aware of a person has the opportunity to work "alongside" their Deity, while also having the opportunity to work "for". In other words, Christianity puts their Deity on a pedestal of sorts, excluding the follower from ever sitting along side. Paganism on the other hand, affords us the opportunity to work along side, as well as to worship, respect, honor, and revere.

Another way to put it--- in Christianity one is led to believe that he/she will never actually "Meet God" until one passes from this life. In contrast Paganism has no such ideal, and as a matter of fact teaches us that our Gods/Goddesses are accessible and have no problems working alongside us.

[Sercee]

The point I was trying to get across was that in Christianity, one does "the work of God" exclusively -- and never works WITH the God. In the majority of the Pagan Beliefs that I am aware of a person has the opportunity to work "alongside" their Deity, while also having the opportunity to work "for". In other words, Christianity puts their Deity on a pedestal of sorts, excluding the follower from ever sitting along side. Paganism on the other hand, affords us the opportunity to work along side, as well as to worship, respect, honor, and revere.

This is one of the concepts I'm having trouble gettings across to my dad right now (we're currently in an ongoing 'argument' about faiths). One of my favorite parts of my belief system is that divinity isn't held above my head, separate from the world. Divinity IS the world and everything in it. Therefore, (in the words of Michael Valentine from Mars) 'Thou Art God' is truth, rather than some strange form of heresy punishable by burning.

[Vigdisdotter]

So my question is, for all you pagans out there, how do I approach the goddess?

Talk to her. Seriously. Just start a dialog. Tell her about your day, your hopes and dreams, your fears, what makes you laugh, then invite her into your life.

Also try to be open to WHICH goddess you are talking to. My feeling on the subject is that the gods pick us, we don't pick them.

Now for the bit of advice that will likely blow your mind: Talk to the god of your childhood as well. Explain your feelings, your searching and see what he has to say about it all. You might be surprised by the answer you get

[Suppose;]

The Goddess figure that most strongly called out to me was Isis.
That's where it started with me, but I like to "experiment" and test out relationships with many other deities.

Since, in essence, I believe they are all the same, I just like seeing the different aspects of each one and what kind of different experiences I have when working with them.

[amunptah777]

Hello, this is Dragonhawk. I changed my nick because I'm going through some pretty big changes in my life right now and I feel like I'm approaching a new level of understanding that I have not yet experinced and its taken hold of me in a really big way, not gonna bore anyone with the details but here goes.

I've been doing alot of thinking for the past couple of days and reconnecting with some of the questions that I have about what path I should take from here on out as I wind on down the road and I'm considering becoming a pagan but I really don't know where to start in terms of developing a true relationship with the goddess. I've always known what it was like to have a relationship with the God as I, like many of you, was raised in a very conservative christian home. I couldn't even watch the smurfs when I was kid for christsakes because my mom thought gargamel was the epitome of all evil, lol. So in getting from there to where I am now in my spiritual journey I've had to sift through alot of christian baggage, and the intense feeling that there's got to be something more satisfying than just that and all the fear and guilt that comes with it. So my question is, for all you pagans out there, how do I approach the goddess? Even though this might be a passing phase (I may find that paganism just isn't right for me) I think an appropriate understanding of just who and what she is may be essential to my personal development on a higher spiritual level. I understand the basic idea as I've done alot of research into paganism but I'm talking about a personal relationship with her that is real and spiritually satisfying. Even in the bible the personification of wisdom in proverbs is described as female which I thought was an interesting parallel. I've already felt a tremendous amount of positive energy since I've been here and have come a long way spiritually in just a few days and I feel its time to take the next step. What that is I cannot say just yet but any thoughts or feedback is most welcome.

Just a coupla thoughts, if you'll forgive the temerity.

If you're still dealing with lingering christianity but want to move in a new direction, I'd suggest something a little more "in between".
Wicca, as well as certain other paths honor both a god and a Goddess.

Personally, I do not worship any male deity, so you can see that, while I want to help, I'm biting my tongue so as not to disturb your spiritual growth.

Approaching the Goddess is easy, there's no one right way, there's no certain ritual which must be performed. The Goddess is the Great Creator and the Mother of All Things, but that doesn't mean you can't just say "hello!"

I'd caution you only on thinking in the direction of "right and wrong" or that anything you've learned in christianity applies to the truth of the Goddess.

I hope all the best for you in your journey.

Thet

[wiccachicken]

Ok so its been a while since someone posted on this but I thought it was quite an interesting topic. I myself, used to be Christian and also found it hard to get rid of the Christian baggage. It took me about 5 years until I felt ready to change to being a Wiccan. It's hard to let go.

It took about 9 months to develop a relationship with my Goddess, Isis. You should not look at her as being someone above you, but as someone who is within every woman.

One of my books makes a fabulous commentary about the Goddess:

The Goddess has many names and faces, and lives in every corner of the earth. She is usually represented in her three phases of life: as maiden, mother and crone. As maiden, she represents innocence and purity, all hopes as yet unfulfilled. The Romans worshipped her as Diana, the Greeks as Artemis. As mother, she appears with the full moon. With a child in her belly, she safeguards the hearth of her people. The Egyptians worshipped her as Isis, the Greeks as Demeter. The crone aspect of the Goddess encompasses all that is wise. She is the wielder of magic, the dark side of the moon; she is not always benign. Of all aspects it is the crone who walks closest to the death and rebirth; it is she, worshipped as Hecate by the Greeks, who knows the other realms. The Goddess also wears other masks, including that of warrior, traveller, and lover. She is in all women and all women are in the Goddess. She understands every joy and pain, every struggle and triumph of womanhood, and provides a light in the darkness to all those who seek to know that they are in no way inferior to anyone else on earth.

That briefly sums up the Goddess. I personally have not found my God yet...though I am tending to the Egyptian side as you can see. It's taking a while. Foe me Isis, is a friend and in no way should she be feared. It takes a different amount of time for different people to establish a connection with her. You can choose whoever you want, whenever you want.

I hope this helps chicken!! Take care x x x