 On
Being Feminine - Embracing the Goddess in Each of Us
By Rose Hanssen of Heart of the Rose PresentationsOver the
last 30 years, I kept hearing the statement: “Getting in touch with your
feminine side!” What exactly does that mean? When I first heard it, my
thought was, “What are you trying to tell me? Of course, I am in touch with
my feminine, I am a woman after all!” Well, what I soon grew to realize is
that women and men are made up of both the masculine and feminine; the ying
and the yang. One cannot truly exist in balance without the other. To be
balanced, and to be a healthy and loving human being, we need to embrace
both.
For me, the feminine meant being loving, nurturing and compassionate towards
all human beings, other life forms (be it plant or animal) and the earth in
general. The masculine meant being the protector for those that are not able
to care for themselves. “Protection” for me does not mean protecting my
ideology by threats of death, committing acts of crime or declaring war on
others. Rather, it means protecting people from cold and hunger by helping
to provide food, shelter and clothing when needed; from ignorance by
providing a setting where people can learn and share their experiences and
wisdom; from poverty by providing people with the ability to provide for
themselves.
Both the feminine and masculine have either been greatly misunderstood or
perhaps totally erased from some people’s consciousness, especially by some
church and government leaders world wide. Too many are motivated by greed,
power and control. Thankfully, there are many men and women who refuse to be
caught up in this ignorance.
However, there is also another side to the story of the feminine and
masculine which we also need to consider. There was a time in history when
both the feminine and masculine were held in high esteem. They appeared in
the many variations of Gods and Goddesses (idols as some prefer to call
them). For me, these Gods and Goddesses represented the various facets that
make up the essences of our existence and that of nature (we do not exist
outside of nature - we are one with it.) The powers that slowly arose from
the early beginnings of the “Church” decided that people must worship only
one “God” - a God that is patriarchal and represents the male gender. What
they really wanted to impose was total power and control over the masses.
The first step in controlling the masses was to impose total control over
women. It was fear not love, ignorance not wisdom that eventually led the
people to believe in the doctrines the early church set forth. Not that much
has changed since that time, except that we now also believe that it is the
role of the various levels of “government” to take care of us as well. Yet,
we have never needed governments, churches, laws or police type states to
tell us what we need. Surely we all know that if only we would take the time
to reach inside ourselves for the answers, we can develop a closer
relationship with our inner knowing, our inner wisdom.
For thousands of years we have been led to believe, through various
justifications, in man’s superiority over women and over anything that might
have represented the feminine. So much so that even men were not willing to
acknowledge or were willing to forgot and suppress the feminine within
themselves. The claim of superiority over women has never been proven but
constantly contradicted either by archaeological finds or research conducted
of ancient human traditions. What this had led to, I believe, is not only a
lack of self-esteem in women but also a feeling of powerlessness. Gloria
Steinem once remarked that “self-esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that
there’s nothing without it”. One possible way to change this attitude is to
understand where the idea of the “Goddess” came from; what she represented
in ancient times, and how the ancient Gnostics viewed the Goddess.
I want to share the following excerpt from the book by Timothy Freke and
Peter Gandy titled Jesus and the Lost Goddess - The Secret Teachings of the
Original Christians:
“Sophia, whose name means ‘wisdom’, had been the Goddess of the Pagan
philosophers for centuries. Indeed, the word ‘philosopher’, first used by
Pythagoras, means ‘lover of Sophia’. Although often pictured today as dry
academics, these brilliant intellectuals were actually mystics and devotees
of the Goddess. Parmenides, for example, is usually remembered as the
founder of Western logic, yet his masterwork is a visionary poem in which he
descends to the underworld to be instructed by the Goddess.”
The ancient Gnostics believed that “Christ represents Consciousness and the
Goddess represents the Psyche”.
The time has come around again in history to once again call upon the inner
“Goddess” to awaken the wisdom that is inherent in all of us. Let us (men
and women) once again embrace the “Goddess” - share the wisdom that will
help to bring about the peace that we so desperately need. Embracing the
“Goddess” may also bring us to that level of awareness that will help us to
understand who we truly are in this mystery we call “life”. Our human
existence is such an incredible mystery, a mystery so profound that it is
absolutely mind boggling - yet utterly thrilling and exciting! Considering
the state of the world at this moment in time, there could not possibly be a
better time than right now for all humans to choose love, compassion,
forgiveness and peace over fear, hate and war.
There are numerous modern-day “Gnostics” (knowers) that roam the earth
sharing their knowledge and wisdom, embracing the “Goddess” within. You may
even know some in your own circle of families and friends - you may even be
one of them!
Rose Hanssen, owner of Heart of the Rose Presentations, brings various
authors & workshop leaders to Calgary. She also assists local workshop
presenters in bringing their gifts to the public. 403.289.5443, email:
rose.hanssen@shaw.ca |
