If you are just coming to understand there was and is a feminine face of God, or you’re only now deciding to look closer, perhaps beyond the mythology of grade school or praying to the Goddess for money or a better job, that’s okay.  We are living in the time of what the Hindus call the Kali Yuga, the time of descending consciousness, decay, loss of spiritual understanding, a decline of righteousness and a time of forgetting. Forgetting what you may ask?  Forgetting humanity once lived in the time of the Mother. A time when we realized our inter-connection, trusted our intuition, honored the importance of the phases of the moon and more of the values of the Feminine. Nature was her sacred landscape, her body and blood, not a commodity, but an aspect of the Mother who provided all we needed to sustain ourselves.  It was a time of the common good – the “we and us” instead of the selfish and individualistic I and me. 

Old Europe and the Minoan culture of Crete were examples of these Mother civilizations where genders lived an egalitarian lifestyle. Contemporary matrilineal and matrifocal structures of societies of many indigenous people are lasting vestiges still around today. Museums offer multitudes of proof. Some of the artifacts pointing to that time date back to perhaps 200,000 years ago. The Venus figurines, carbon-dated to be 45,000 years old, are without controversy, long before humanity revered a male god. Fortunately, the Feminine essence remained alive in the alternative teachings of Islamic and Jewish mysticism, Gnosticism, indigenous cultures and the Essenes – all of which were considered heretical by official organized religion and excluded from approved canonical liturgy.

Then, as the cosmic cycle turned, we moved from the time of the Mother into the time of the Father God or patriarchy and the rule of men, absent the influence of the Sacred Feminine or Goddess.  Patriarchy went to great lengths to erase Her from the history books and religious liturgy, but She could never be fully extricated from the vast panorama of sacred sites and multitudes of artifacts, textiles, ancient writings and the hearts and minds of humanity.  The “big three” religions of Islam, Judaism and Christianity took hold for 4,000 years in this age of churches doing their best to obliterate our memory of the time of the Goddess. It happened over a period of time and in varying ways around the world as taught by scholars like Marija Gimbutas, whose work was at first considered controversial by a patriarchal academia, but finally vindicated by recent DNA findings.

During this time of patriarchal control, we shifted into low vibration thinking and have since been suffering from the traumas of power over, oppression, war, hate, misogyny and domination of everything, including Nature. It is the time we are living in now where greed, separation, consumerism and materialism prevail.  For many, the thirst for external things is unquenchable, while wisdom teaches us our real wealth is filling one’s own karma bank with good karma – the true thing of value that keeps us in alignment with The Good. It’s about being of service.  Collaborating in partnership with our neighbors and caring about the common good.

The good news is that the traumatic cycle is coming to an end, and we’re right now in the process of a shift to a return to an awareness of the Divine Feminine, once again in balance and in sacred marriage with the Sacred Masculine. What was old is new again, providing the guideposts for humanity to save itself and ascend and evolve. More and more people every day recognize that patriarchy and malignant capitalism are not working, are not sustainable and do not feed our soul.  Humanity is shifting into a time of living from the heart, valuing and enhancing our intuition and realizing we are all One and divine beings! Many are working to restore the planet and once again be in a close relationship with Mother Nature.  Others are connecting the dots and realize one vehicle toward that ascension is the Feminine, whether we call her the Sacred Feminine, Divine Feminine, Goddess, the Great She, Mother, Our Lady or by her ancient or cultural names such as Mary, Isis, Ishtar, Guadalupe, St. Brigid, Sophia, Barbelo, Parvati, etc.

If this is new to you, be patient with yourself.  Pat yourself on the back for arriving here.  Don’t expect to absorb or understand everything quickly. It can take years to really understand and embody what this author calls the sacred trident:  God/dess as deity, archetype and ideal. It seems quite clear that many never embark on that spiritual journey. They don’t know how to look or where to look.  It takes knowledge and intellectual curiosity to see the path and follow the divine breadcrumbs. You might have to call on courage and fearlessness to question and keep going down the road. Ultimately, you might need a willingness to potentially deconstruct so much of what might be the pillars of your life and beliefs.

Sharing the understanding of the Divine Feminine in these three aspects, emanations or illuminations, which some might refer to as sacred feminine liberation thealogy is the purpose of this book. This is thealogy with an “a” – it’s no typo.  Thealogy is defined as discourse on the nature, wisdom, practices, values, beliefs and questions related to a feminine face of deity, archetype or values.

Don’t listen to the detractors stuck in the cycle of descending consciousness, trying to retain the crumbling and traumatic patriarchal paradigm. This isn’t a feminist fantasy. This is spirituality for women and men – benefiting all genders.  It is a piece of the spiritual puzzle that’s been missing and removed from the center of patriarchal society for thousands of years, with dire consequences.

Who is the Divine Feminine? Does the spiritual vehicle that is the thealogy of the Divine Feminine take us one step closer to the truth of who we are, where we came from, and how to live? Might seeking to understand the Divine or Sacred Feminine help us uncover our own purpose and what is beyond this life? These are the big questions of life.

Once understood and restored, many believe the Goddess might actually lead society and culture toward human evolution and ascension, the truth of our existence and a more peaceful and sustainable future of Oneness and unity. Come along on the journey with author, Karen Tate. Come with an open mind and heart. We’ll seek to uncover hidden truths together. We can’t promise to have all the answers, because who can?  Divine Feminine: Deity, Archetype and Ideal can promise by the end we’ll have a better understanding of the wisdom of Aristotle, who said, “The more you know, the more you know you don’t know.” But what better quest is there than to have a better understanding of humanity’s history, our soul, our mission and our heart?

So, let us begin the deconstruction with this mindset…

The Divine Feminine, whether an archetype or role model, an ideology or a heavenly deity that rules the fates of humankind, the world has been wounded from her absence, much like a child growing up without a mother. Humans are in chaos and disharmony in part because the feminine face of god has been stripped from too many of our cultures, religions and psyches. We are like children with emptiness in our hearts that will not heal, and we compensate in ways that have had tragic consequences for humankind. The dogma of man-made patriarchal religion professing the only valid truth is revering a monotheistic male God has attempted to dethrone the Goddess from her place as Creatrix of the world for thousands of years.  People resisted. They changed the names of the Goddess to Mary, Mary Magdalene, Kwan Yin, Guadalupe or called her St. Brigid. They built grand cathedrals in her name. But we are starting to remember the roots and true origins of the Divine Feminine. 

Start to search her out where she lives in her new sacred spaces – the museum!  Here you find her art and textiles.  Her statues, herstory, ritual and belief in her from days of old.  Look for her hiding in plain sight on flags of contemporary countries, such as the sun on the Japanese flag, reminiscent of their Goddess Amaterasu.  Look for her in myths and parables.  See her in archaeological sites where she was once worshipped at the center of cultures and societies, where remnants of grand temples and cellas, or holy of holies can still be visited.  She is the missing piece of the puzzle that can lend harmony and guidance to issues of power, war and politics.  She sheds light on the true meaning of love, life and death. She brings us a mother’s unconditional love and inspires us with hope.  She encourages us to once again align with Nature and nurture that connection.  She is all things, and all things are her.  She embodies the laws of duality, polarity, multiplicity, reciprocity and attraction. Right action and justice are her credos. With such potential, why not embark on the journey?

This book aids in this reawakening to the other half, the female aspect of the Divine, to help humankind save itself and experience once again the nurturing arms of the Divine Mother they have been consciously or unconsciously yearning for.  It is aimed toward men and women from all faiths, traditions and cultures, giving ideas on how someone today might rethink and embrace what was once such a vital force at the center of the lives of humankind in ancient times and must be restored in today’s world. Yes, what is old is new again, and She provides the route toward sanctuary and survival.  We are contemporary people being called to walk an ancient path of alternative spirituality, creativity and practicality and incorporate a feminine face of god into our lives.  Suggestions for values and behaviors that reflect this reclaimed and reconstructed spirituality and personify the Goddess are discussed, indicating what actions one might embody and emulate to contribute toward her restoration and the perpetuation of her ideals within their families, workplace, community and the world.  Many roads lead to the Divine Feminine; Wicca, Abrahamic religions, art history, family legacy, mythology, feminism, social justice, spiritual psychology, and many more.  To know the Goddess is to know there is no one way to experience, embrace or identify her. But herein are some methods by which women and men may come to know her and begin their journey, their deconstruction from the oppression, trauma and marginalization of patriarchal religions too attached to sexism, predator capitalism, racism, classism, homophobia and other ills of society.  May this book inspire the reader’s own quest.  May this book inspire the reader’s healing.

As a closing thought toward raising awareness of the Divine Feminine, whether she is an ideal, archetype or deity residing in the heavens, let us rebirth her sacred trident within ourselves and our communities, borrowing not just from ancient texts and contemporary wisdom, but utilizing the spark of our intuition, our excellent intentions and the inner guidance within our hearts. Let us rebirth her from a place of love and generosity for ourselves, our neighbors, our planet and our future.

For a closing quote from the author:

“As a recovering Catholic from the Bible Belt, when I first discovered Goddess, I simply exchanged Isis for Jesus on my altar, and it was to her I would pray. Without knowing it yet, I was practicing patriarchy in a skirt, only that’s not what Goddess Spirituality is actually about. I learned in time that she is so much more. She is embodied. She is a way of life. She is about the vastness of the universe and the potential of what we might become. She is about a new system of values, including a fairer redistribution of time and treasure. Embracing her fully is what it means to be whole.” ~  Karen Tate

May the Divine Feminine, She of Ten Thousand Names, embrace us in her golden wings.

As we will it, so shall it be.

For more details: https://www.collectiveinkbooks.com/moon-books/our-books/pagan-portals-divine-feminine

Rev. Dr. Karen Tate is an eight-times published author, speaker, workshop presenter, sacred tour leader and social justice activist. She’s been named one of the 13 Most Influential Women in Goddess Spirituality and a Wisdom Keeper of the Women’s Spirituality Movement. She can be seen in the film Femme: Women Healing the World produced by Wonderland Entertainment. Karen is the host of the long-running podcast, Voices of the Sacred Feminine, since 2009.

Her books include Goddess Calling: Inspirational Messages of Sacred Feminine Liberation Thealogy, the award winning Walking An Ancient Path: Rebirthing Goddess on Planet Earth, Sacred Places of Goddess: 108 Destinations, and Normalizing Abuse: A Commentary on the Culture of Pervasive Abuse. She’s curated the Manifesting A New Normal Trilogy which includes the anthologies Voices of the Sacred Feminine: Conversations to ReShape Our World, Goddess 2.0: Advancing a New Path Forward and Awaken the Feminine: Dismantling Domination to Restore Balance on Mother Earth. She’s contributed to numerous anthologies listed at the front of this book.

Karen is a Certified Caring Economy Conversation Leader and Power of Partnership Practitioner from Riane Eisler’s Center for Partnership Studies. She’s also received a certification in Psychology of Political Activism: Women Changing the World from Smith College and from the Compassionate Integrity Institute. Karen is a legally ordained “non-denominational” minister, and she received an honorary Doctorate of Ministry for her many years of service to the community. She teaches the Unitarian Universalist curriculums Cakes for the Queen of Heaven and Rise Up and Call Her Name and is an associate of the Joseph Campbell Foundation.

Karen is often called upon to lead spiritual services and give talks to media and public and private groups such as the Spiritual Unity Movement, Council for the Parliament of World Religions, American Academy of Religion, Joseph Campbell RoundTables and colleges such as the California Institute for Integral Studies. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with Roy, her husband of more than three decades and their three feline daughters Lilly, Luna and Freya.