Guardians of the Natural World: The Worship of Earthly Goddesses in Pagan Religions

In pagan religions, the concept of an earthly goddess is a common belief. These goddesses are revered for their connection to the earth and their association with nature and fertility. They are often seen as powerful entities who have the ability to bring forth life and abundance. The idea of an earthly goddess can be traced back to ancient civilizations such as the Greeks, Romans, and Celts. In these cultures, goddesses such as Gaia, Demeter, and Cerridwen were worshiped for their role in the cycles of life and their ability to nurture and provide for humanity. Gaia, also known as Mother Earth, was revered as the primordial goddess of the earth.

She claims that the ancient "pagan" religions understood the benefit and importance of sensuality and eroticism in religious practice, but that the "myth" of "the bible of Judaeo-Christian male-dominated religion" created an unhealthy division between the sexes. 10 The "myth" of the creation story of Adam and Eve is blamed for centuries of "misogynistic attitudes" and the devaluation of female sexuality. Yet there is a "solution," -- "She is the Goddess. She is awakening within many of us. She stirs deep inside, sending shivers and thrills of delight up the core of our being." 11

It is just as reasonable to assume that as a goddess Mother can take care of herself; as Gideon s father Josh said of Baal Will you contend for Baal, or will you deliver him. This vain notion cannot support the weight of its own hopes and expectations that is that humans therefore will be motivated to be better caretakers.

Gaia, also known as Mother Earth, was revered as the primordial goddess of the earth. She represented the divine feminine and was seen as the embodiment of the earth itself. Gaia was believed to be the mother of all existence and was responsible for the creation and sustenance of life.

sun worship

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sun worship, veneration of the sun or a representation of the sun as a deity, as in Atonism in Egypt in the 14th century bce .

Although sun worship has been used frequently as a term for “pagan” religion, it is, in fact, relatively rare. Though almost every culture uses solar motifs, only a relatively few cultures (Egyptian, Indo-European, and Meso-American) developed solar religions. All of these groups had in common a well-developed urban civilization with a strong ideology of sacred kingship. In all of them the imagery of the sun as the ruler of both the upper and the lower worlds that he majestically visits on his daily round is prominent.

The sun is the bestower of light and life to the totality of the cosmos; with his unblinking, all-seeing eye, he is the stern guarantor of justice; with the almost universal connection of light with enlightenment or illumination, the sun is the source of wisdom.

These qualities—sovereignty, power of beneficence, justice, and wisdom—are central to any elite religious group, and it is within these contexts that a highly developed solar ideology is found. Kings ruled by the power of the sun and claimed descent from the sun. Solar deities, gods personifying the sun, are sovereign and all-seeing. The sun is often a prime attribute of or is identified with the Supreme Deity.

In ancient Egypt the sun god Re was the dominant figure among the high gods and retained this position from early in that civilization’s history. In the myth relating the voyage of the sun god over the heavenly ocean, the sun sets out as the young god Kheper; appears at noon in the zenith as the full-grown sun, Re; and arrives in the evening at the western region in the shape of the old sun god, Atum. When the pharaoh Ikhnaton reformed Egyptian religion, he took up the cult of the ancient deity Re-Horakhte under the name of Aton, an older designation of the Sun’s disk. Under Akhenaton, the sun’s qualities as creator and nourisher of the Earth and its inhabitants are glorified.

The sun god occupied a central position in both Sumerian and Akkadian religion, but neither the Sumerian Utu nor the Semitic Shamash was included among the three highest gods of the pantheon. The sun was one of the most popular deities, however, among the Indo-European peoples and was a symbol of divine power to them. Surya is glorified in the Vedas of ancient India as an all-seeing god who observes both good and evil actions. He expels not only darkness but also evil dreams and diseases. Sun heroes and sun kings also occupy a central position in Indian mythology, where Vivasvant, the father of Yama, corresponds to the Iranian Vivahvant, the father of Yima. There is a dynasty of sun kings, characteristically peaceful, that is quite distinct from the warlike moon kings. In medieval Iran, sun festivals were celebrated as a heritage from pre-Islamic times. The Indo-European character of sun worship is also seen in the conception of the solar deity, drawn in his carriage, generally by four white horses, common to many Indo-European peoples, and recurring in Indo-Iranian, Greco-Roman, and Scandinavian mythology.

During the later periods of Roman history, sun worship gained in importance and ultimately led to what has been called a “solar monotheism.” Nearly all the gods of the period were possessed of solar qualities, and both Christ and Mithra acquired the traits of solar deities. The feast of Sol Invictus (Unconquered Sun) on December 25 was celebrated with great joy, and eventually this date was taken over by the Christians as Christmas, the birthday of Christ.

The most famous type of solar cult is the Sun Dance of the Plains Indians of North America. In the pre-Columbian civilizations of Mexico and Peru, sun worship was a prominent feature. In Aztec religion extensive human sacrifice was demanded by the sun gods Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca. In both Mexican and Peruvian ancient religion, the Sun occupied an important place in myth and ritual. The ruler in Peru was an incarnation of the sun god, Inti. In Japan the sun goddess, Amaterasu, who played an important role in ancient mythology and was considered to be the supreme ruler of the world, was the tutelary deity of the imperial clan, and to this day the sun symbols represent the Japanese state.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Augustyn.

Likewise, Demeter was a Greek goddess associated with agriculture and fertility. She was believed to be the one who caused the crops to grow and provided abundance to the land. Demeter was worshiped in rituals and festivals that celebrated the harvest and thanked her for her blessings. In Celtic mythology, Cerridwen was seen as the goddess of transformation and rebirth. She was associated with the earth and the cycles of life and death. Cerridwen was revered for her ability to bring about change and renewal, and she was often depicted as a wise and powerful figure who could guide individuals through the transitions of life. Throughout history, these earthly goddesses have been honored and revered in various pagan religions. Their significance lies in their connection to the earth and their role in sustaining life and providing abundance. They are seen as powerful and nurturing figures, embodying the feminine qualities of creation and fertility. The worship of these goddesses continues to this day, as many people still find solace and inspiration in their connection to the earth and the divine feminine energy they represent..

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Awakening the Divine Feminine: Understanding Earthly Goddess Worship in Pagan Traditions