'Discovering' the Goddess

[Guest guest]

I thought some of our members might enjoy reading the following

excerpts, written by Georg Feuerstein, one of the world's -- certainly

the Western world's --foremost authorities on the science and practice

of Yoga.

 

In this piece, Feuerstein recounts his "discovery" of Devi, and his

struggles with that discovery. The full article appears

at http://www.yrec.org/divmother.html … a related article on the

worship of God/dess as Mother is posted at

http://www.yrec.org/mother.html ...

 

"For psychologists, the feminine Divine is a powerful archetype

engraved in our collective unconscious ...

 

For the average intellectual, thoroughly steeped in the humanist ethos

of our age, the issue is not one of metaphysics or metapsychology, but

of misguided knowledge, or delusion, passed from one generation of

believers to the next. For 'Death of God' theologians, the Goddess is

as much a projection as has been the patriarchal God of Deism.

 

This summary dismissal is vehemently contested by those for whom the

feminine Divine is not an abstract concept but a living reality --

those many who contact Her in their prayers, find solace in Her, and

even unite with Her in mystical attunement.

 

Until a few years ago, I skirted this whole philosophical issue, and

wrote about the feminine cosmic principle as a metaphysical construct

that is as plausible as most others. As an ex-Lutheran I had never

been exposed to the Marian doctrine, which looms large in Catholicism.

My intellectual encounter with the divine female was by and large

confined to the Shiva-Shakti doctrine of Hinduism.

 

Here Shakti is the feminine pole of the divine reality, whereas Shiva

represents the masculine aspect of the same ultimate being,

manifesting in the form of particular Gods (deva) and Goddesses (devi)

as stepped-down versions of that all-comprehensive Reality.

 

I gave little consideration to the fact that this metaphysical

doctrine of the polar aspects of the Divine has its concrete ritual

and experiential counterpart in the religious life of millions of

pious Hindus. The lofty metaphysics of nondualism, or Advaita Vedanta,

for which Hindu philosophy is famous in the West is largely the

prerogative of learned pundits, whereas religious practice in India is

widely based on Goddess worship.

 

While pursuing a nondualist contemplative practice, the dimension of

the polarized Divine remained an enigma to me. Then, one day, as a

natural outcome of my inner work, I found myself opening up to the

experiential possibility of the Goddess. Suddenly the bare theological

bones of my consideration were wrapped in the flesh of immediacy: I

encountered the sacred presence as a maternal force -- sustaining,

nurturing, protecting, and enlivening me as, on the human plane, only

a loving mother could do. Tears of recognition and gratitude rolled

down my cheeks. I knew something momentous had happened on my

contemplative journey. ..."

 

[Here, I've edited out several paragraphs in which Feuerstein details

his difficulties in overcoming his "God is Male" preconceptions] ...

 

"Thus, I came to understand my experiences of the sacred Presence as a

maternal force as having an objective referent that could be called

Goddess, or Mother, while at the same time being colored by certain

predispositions within my own psyche.

 

But what is that Mother? At the time of my first meditative encounter

with the maternal presence I was preoccupied with the ecological

problems besetting our planet and human family. I was considerably

aggravated by the magnitude of the devastation caused by our

thoughtless applications of modern science and technology, and the

astounding lack of wisdom among the world's political leaders. ...

 

[Here, he describes the inadequacy of masculine concepts of Divinity

in addressing these concerns; then compares his experience in

appealing to Devi.]

 

.... I allowed my feelings to take their course, while somewhere in the

back of it all I gently witnessed this inner turmoil. I felt a deep

connectedness to the Earth and its countless creatures, and my sense

of being in touch with life slowly extended to the living cosmos as a

whole. It was then that the breakthrough occurred.

 

Suddenly the sacred as an unbounded feminine presence impinged on my

consciousness. I felt a current of warm joy coming from infinity and

engulfing my being, and a sure sense that the universe is inherently

right and good, and that I need not be overly concerned about the

sorry state of our planet and species. In that moment, I felt loved,

accepted, embraced, and healed.

 

Subsequently I had a more immediate and direct encounter of the sacred

as a feminine presence, which engraved itself into my soul as an

unshakable certainty of being permanently in the lap of a higher

Reality … "

 

Feuerstein goes on from here to describe his encounter with the modern

saint -- considered by Her devotees (among whom I would count myself)

to be a full avatar of the Divine Mother -- Mother Meera. If you're

interested in the "human goddess" phenomenon, it's well worth reading

-- in my opinion, She is quite an amazing force.

 

By the way, for anyone who may be interested, here is a list of some

of Feuerstein's currently available writings:

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-

keywords=G eorg%20Feuerstein&bq=1/107-4105365-8594157

 

 

Contributed by Devi_bhakta