By Rowan Sterling
(c)1997
It's one o'clock in the morning and I am sitting at my word processor trying to figure out how to tell you about the Goddess. I find I work better when I am tired because the creative juices seem to flow more freely. Hmmm. The Goddess. I could start by giving you a textbook definition. The Goddess is "A female Being perfect in
power, wisdom, and goodness whom men [and women] worship as creator and ruler of the universe." (according to Webster's Dictionary). Well, that's a pretty good definition but far from complete. The Goddess is not just a "female Being", but a unification of all females that have ever walked the Earth. She is beautiful, She is homely. She is kind, She is nasty. She gives life, She takes it away. She is Maiden, Mother and Crone. She is spirit and She is flesh. She is death and She is rebirth. She embodies every aspect of every female that has ever existed. If you are female, She is
YOU.
But how can she be me, as I am always changing? Good question. Easy answer. The Goddess is changing with you. She begins as you begin; at birth. She is the infant that cries with her first breath of life straight from her mother's womb. She is the infant that suckles at her mother's breast (just like you!). She is the innocent child that sees the world through wondering eyes and is eager to learn all the things She can. As you walk to school each day, the Goddess walks with you, sharing Her strength, Her knowledge, and Her view of the world which may be a bit different from your own.
As you grow, the Goddess grows. She becomes the young woman about to experience her first phase of the moon. She gives you strength through your first menstruation and secretly whispers the secrets of "womanhood" in your ear. She gives you confidence
when you view your changing body in the mirror and screams to the world "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!". She teaches you about love, loyalty, and compassion for the world and all it's inhabitants.
She is there when you find your mate, as she has found Hers in the God. She rejoices with you and feels your love. She is right beside you the first time you make love, encouraging you to feel all the pleasure and joy that comes with it. When you feel the stirs of a new life within you, She too, is teeming with the life of her new child. She stands beside the midwife when your baby is delivered, gently caressing the soft skin of the next generation. She is there for the heartache when a child dies during pregnancy. She sheds her lovely tears as much for you as for the spirit of the child that has entered Summerland. She feels your pain because She is you.
She walks beside you as the Mother. She teaches you to be kind, gentle, and encouraging to your child. She teaches you how to love. As She raises her own child, She gives you the strength you need to make decisions about the life of your little one. From what clothes to buy to talking about issues such as A.I.D.S. and drugs. Although you are an adult, She holds your hand when you need to be a child again. She gives you direction in your life.
When your children have grown and you are again alone with your mate, She re-teaches you how to be an individual. She is there when the "empty next" tears flow and is the warm embrace that can only be given by a woman. She is the understanding that only a woman can give during trying times. She is the gentle breeze the flows through your house on a warm summer day that reminds you that life is good and beautiful. She stands beside you when the moon phases stop and the possibility for more children ends. Although menstruation does not visit you ever again, She is there to remind you that you are still a daughter of the Moon.
And, when it is time to leave this world, She waits for you with open arms. She calls to you to join her in Summerland and to be Sisters in love. Standing near her are all the loved ones you bid farewell to in your life waiting to see you again. She is comfort in that last hour. She eases the tears of those who survive you by telling them that you will always live so long as they remember you.
And, to complete the cycle, she is being reborn with you as you pass out of your new mother's womb into a new life. She is ready to walk to journey with you again, always loving, always comforting, always teaching.
That is who the Goddess is.
