In paganism, the worship of and belief in female divine beings is central to their religious practices and beliefs. These female divine beings are often associated with various aspects of life and nature, and are seen as powerful and influential entities. They are revered for their strength, wisdom, and nurturing qualities. One of the most well-known female divine beings in paganism is the goddess. The goddess is seen as the embodiment of feminine energy and is often worshipped as a mother figure. She is believed to have control over fertility, sexuality, and the natural world.
Though ancient cultures elevated some women, they vilified others. ”Feminine Power: the divine to the demonic,” at the British Museum in London through September 25, endeavors to show both sides of female power in ancient and modern cultures around the world, examining female deities who were exalted in some way—even when they were represented as evil.
Visitors will meet Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, Kali, the Hindu goddess whose very name translates to She Who Is Death, Guanyin, the Buddhist s gender-shifting ideal of compassion, and Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess of war who could both bring disease and heal. I am honoured to have this lifetime as a woman, this is an exciting era where the feminine is rising up and claiming her validity on this earth, eventually these dual expressions will merge, until then I carry my role and my mission as an expression of the Divine Feminine with the utmost honour and reverence and my hope is that each and every woman finds her authentic self as a true expression of the Divine Feminine and continues our journey towards enlightenment.
She is believed to have control over fertility, sexuality, and the natural world. The goddess is often seen as a representation of creation and is revered for her nurturing and life-giving qualities. Many pagans believe in the existence of multiple goddesses, each with different attributes and powers.
Global Cultures Have Always Worshipped—and Feared—Women
In ancient Rome, a group of young women known as the Vestal Virgins maintained the everlasting flame that burned in the Forum’s Temple of Vesta—a potent symbol of their civilization’s legitimacy and political power. If they finished their 30-year term with virginity intact, they went on to live a relatively independent life. But if they broke their vow, they were buried alive in a chamber with a small amount of food and water. After all, the blood of these divine women could not fall.
Though ancient cultures elevated some women, they vilified others. ”Feminine Power: the divine to the demonic,” at the British Museum in London through September 25, endeavors to show both sides of female power in ancient and modern cultures around the world, examining female deities who were exalted in some way—even when they were represented as evil.
An 18th-century Chinese porcelain piece of Buddhist Guanyin, who represents compassion The Trustees of the British Museum
Visitors will meet Pele, the Hawaiian goddess of fire and volcanoes, Kali, the Hindu goddess whose very name translates to “She Who Is Death,” Guanyin, the Buddhist’s gender-shifting ideal of compassion, and Sekhmet, an Egyptian goddess of war who could both bring disease and heal.
The exhibition spans six continents and 5,000 years, according to its website, which calls it a “cross-cultural look at the profound influence of female spiritual beings within global religion and faith.”
The ancient and modern artworks and devotional objects in the exhibition “shine a light on the diversity of ways in which female authority and femininity have been celebrated, feared and understood, throughout history,” write curators Belinda Crerar and Lucy Dahlsen in a museum blog.
When women were rendered as divine, they often existed to illustrate certain concepts central to the societies that worshiped them. The Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, for example, both represented “war and sexual love,” according to Encyclopedia Britannica—perhaps two sides of the same coin. In a clay relief from the 19th to 18th centuries B.C.E. in south Iraq, the goddess is shown on the back of a lion with arms in the air.
A 1750 B.C.E. clay relief of Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, goddess of both sex and war The Trustees of the British Museum
“A volatile force, Ishtar was often honoured through erotic hymns and votive models and could bring chaos or stability to the home and the state alike,” Crerar and Dahlsen write.
Other works re-envision the creation myth and center divine femininity. Prominent modern artist Judy Chicago‘s aptly-named The Creation depicts a female goddess birthing the world from her vulva as her breast becomes a spewing volcano.
Women were not merely creators, symbols of romantic or sexual love and purveyors of justice. They could also bring evil, and could be just as feared and beloved.
Take Lilith, often considered the first wife of Adam who would not obey her biblical husband’s desires. Rebranded as a feminist icon in the 20th century, a 1994 piece by Kiki Smith portrays her with stirring blue eyes and on all fours.
Much like the Vestal Virgins, these goddesses were at once utterly important and easily dismissed. Like Ishtar, the god of both sex and war, they represent “seemingly contradictory qualities,” writes the BBC‘s Daisy Dunn.
“Sumerian kings did their best to combine the best of both worlds by envisaging themselves as sleeping with [Ishtar] in order to attain her protection in war,” Dunn writes. “This was, perhaps in part, a way of tempering their fears of her authority.”
By centering women with mythical power, the exhibition subtly points to who actually called the shots: men. Often, goddesses who were able to gender-shift and take on male attributes were considered more powerful than those who could not.
“One can’t help but feel that men have endowed female deities with powers beyond their human counterparts to illustrate why female rule on Earth would be disastrous,” Dunn writes.
And yet, the exhibition leaves viewers with a sense of women’s real power—a sacred, complex force that that men, however hard they try, cannot truly bottle and contain.
On a visit, the Guardian‘s Marina Warner watched as a group stopped to “genuflect and cross themselves” by a stone statue of a Huastec divinity from Mexico. For them, these female goddesses were still awesome, in the Biblical sense of that term, worthy of fear and veneration alike.
“Feminine power: the divine to the demonic“ is on view at the British Museum in London, United Kingdom, through September 25, 2022.
Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.
Elizabeth Djinis is a writer and journalist based in Rome, Italy. Her work has been published in the New York Times, National Geographic, Glamour and Teen Vogue, among others.
Another important female divine being in paganism is the maiden, mother, and crone archetype. This archetype represents the different stages of a woman's life, and each stage is associated with different aspects of femininity. The maiden represents youth, purity, and new beginnings. The mother represents fertility, nurturing, and creation. The crone represents wisdom, transformation, and the cycle of life and death. These three aspects are often seen as interconnected and complementary. Paganism also worships female divine beings associated with specific aspects of nature, such as the moon goddess and the earth goddess. The moon goddess is seen as the ruler of the night and is associated with intuition, emotions, and the tides. The earth goddess is seen as the embodiment of the Earth and is associated with fertility, growth, and abundance. These divine beings are often worshipped during specific rituals and ceremonies that honor and celebrate their respective powers. In paganism, the worship of and belief in female divine beings is not limited to specific traditions or practices. These divine beings are seen as universal figures that have been revered by different cultures throughout history. They are believed to exist in many forms and have many names, but they all represent the power and influence of femininity. The worship of female divine beings in paganism is not only a way to honor these entities, but also a way to connect with the female energy within oneself and the world around them..
Reviews for "Finding Balance through the Goddess: Embracing the Yin and Yang Energies in Pagan Beliefs"
1. John - 2 stars
I found "Female divine beings in paganism" to be a disappointing read. The book lacked depth and failed to provide any substantial insights into the topic. The author's writing style felt repetitive and lacked originality. Moreover, I felt that the information presented was biased and lacked a balanced perspective. Overall, I did not find this book to be a valuable resource on the subject of female divine beings in paganism.
2. Sarah - 1 star
"Female divine beings in paganism" was a real letdown for me. The book seemed more focused on promoting the author's personal beliefs rather than providing an objective and academic approach to the topic. The content was shallow and often lacked proper references or sources to back up the claims made. I was hoping to gain a deeper understanding of the role of female divine beings in paganism, but this book fell short in delivering any substantial insights. I would not recommend it to anyone seeking a well-researched and balanced study on the subject.
3. Thomas - 2 stars
I was really hoping to learn more about the role of female divine beings in paganism, but this book failed to satisfy my curiosity. The content felt oversimplified and lacked the complexity that I was expecting. Additionally, the author's writing style was dry and uninspiring, making it difficult to stay engaged with the material. Overall, "Female divine beings in paganism" was a missed opportunity to explore a fascinating topic in depth. I would recommend looking for other resources that provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject matter.