the goddess

[Guest guest]

------------

"lbartist" <lbartist

Fri, 24 Sep 2004 04:44:18 -0000

the goddess

> is everything ultimately God or Goddess or a perfect blend of both,

> I personaly think God is Goddess and we are full goddess with god

> as the protector of the goddess. invite all inquires on this

 

 

My humble opinion;

 

When we consider the vastness of space in the Earthly realm and universe of

our existence, we perceive open/emptiness due to our relative position in

our Earthly realm and universe. The Void is actually densely packed with

virtual energy awaiting transduction or “birth” into our observable 3-

dimensional reality. This energy appears virtual because it is unobservable

through ordinary means. Connection with this energy is the basis for the

collective unconscious, paranormal phenomena, and the manifestation of our

material world.

 

To “ME” this energy is the beginning and end of “all that is”, the Goddess

in a reality my mind can accept. Like philosophy, physics is not any

absolute description of Truth. It is however an approach for “ME” to put

into words the complexity of trying to understand my connection to the

Goddess and the life force that She is.

 

I see no polarity of Female – Male energy. I see this energy as Her womb as

this is where creation begins. It is Her from the beginning and Her in the

end, manifesting as different aspects of Spirit that one’s mind calls upon

and accepts, be it Goddess or God. As above so below, alive in all that

exist. One needs only to search one’s self for absolution for we are all of

this energy. Seek Her as you will and allow others the same free will.

 

Unfortunately, we as humans spend most our lives unaware of this universal

energy flow. We exist in a physical and psychological stupor that suppresses

our higher self. Without this consciousness , real self knowledge and

internal development is impossible. We are unable to extract ourselves from

conditions of “our” Earthly realm which explains why we try to control,

repeat mistakes, place materialist goals before spirituality and experience

varying degrees of dissatisfaction resulting in confusion, depression, and

disease.

 

The answer? Quit trying so hard, quit swimming against the current. Stop for

one minute and listen. Listen to your higher consciousness. Take the time to

sit quietly and connect with yourself. Seek the Goddess within.

 

 

 

 

Stella,

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of

arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to

skid in sideways, champagne in one hand -- strawberries in the other,

body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming WOO HOO - What

a Ride!"

 

Shop: Herbs, Oils & Incense *Stella's Store*

http://www.covenofthegoddess.com

Aphrodite's Mirror salon & day spa

http://www.aphroditesmirror.com

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

thanks, stella. this helped me.

 

dandifals

[Guest guest]

I so agree about the myth and obsession of balance requiring male and female

deities as if external polarity implies and bequeaths balance. I am also an

ecclectic Priestess of some 30 years all of which have ioncluded the Goddess in

her many forms and cultures.

If you enjoy a global look at the Divine Feminine ,which I can imagine that

you do, check out my website below, and my work, tThe Wise Woman's Tarot. It

is also the home of the Wise Woman's Festival Oct 8-10 near Gainesville Fl.

Open to all Women and only $50 advance tickets for the whole weekend. Check it

out and c'mon out with your sisters,mothers daughters and lovers! Also if

there are any Durga fans, you are infor a real treat as Daunte, the white Tiger

Cub will be coming with his moms Gail and Jaye to represent their Bog Cat

Sanctuary see their site too www.BigCatSanctuary.org Blessed be Flash

 

 

 

 

* The Wise Woman's Tarot - http://www.flashsilvermoon.com *

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Personally, I am a polytheist; I do not think all gods are One, I

consider that a form of monotheism. I do not think the human race is

ready for monothesism, and I do not think it has any particular

appeal by logic or morality over polytheism; monotheism is not more

advanced, in fact it is insistence on simplification, and often

expresses tribal fears and egoisms. I think the unity which can be

perceived exists, and is divine - but infinite are the gods and

spirits in number...

 

I do not see the god as protector of the Goddess; rather, he is Her

child, sometimes her consort, and under her protection and

blessing.

 

I do not feel obliged to worship all divine beings, at least in any

one lifetime I do not pay much attention to the Goddess' consort

this lifetime. I am a Witch, a priestess of the Goddess. The

obsession some Wiccans have with balanced worship of the masculine

and feminine appears to me to be self-deception; I rarely see it

actually practiced by those most vocally espousing it.

 

I strongly believe everyone has the right and responsibility to

figure out their own spiritual path.

 

, "lbartist" <lbartist>

wrote:

> is everything ultimately God or Goddess or a perfect blend of

both, I

> personaly think God is Goddess and we are full goddess with god as

> the protector of the goddess. invite all inquires on this

[Guest guest]

I am interested in learning more about your approach because it closely

mirrors my own.

carpe diem

 

>"seed_crystal" <seed_crystal

>

>

> Re: the goddess

>Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:53:03 -0000

>

>Personally, I am a polytheist; I do not think all gods are One, I

>consider that a form of monotheism. I do not think the human race is

>ready for monothesism, and I do not think it has any particular

>appeal by logic or morality over polytheism; monotheism is not more

>advanced, in fact it is insistence on simplification, and often

>expresses tribal fears and egoisms. I think the unity which can be

>perceived exists, and is divine - but infinite are the gods and

>spirits in number...

>

>I do not see the god as protector of the Goddess; rather, he is Her

>child, sometimes her consort, and under her protection and

>blessing.

>

>I do not feel obliged to worship all divine beings, at least in any

>one lifetime I do not pay much attention to the Goddess' consort

>this lifetime. I am a Witch, a priestess of the Goddess. The

>obsession some Wiccans have with balanced worship of the masculine

>and feminine appears to me to be self-deception; I rarely see it

>actually practiced by those most vocally espousing it.

>

>I strongly believe everyone has the right and responsibility to

>figure out their own spiritual path.

>

>, "lbartist" <lbartist>

>wrote:

> > is everything ultimately God or Goddess or a perfect blend of

>both, I

> > personaly think God is Goddess and we are full goddess with god as

> > the protector of the goddess. invite all inquires on this

>

>

 

_______________

Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!

http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/

[Guest guest]

That's a very Western point of view. In Hinduism the God is more

passive. The Goddess is Shakti (Power), and frequently the guardian and

protector of the God.

 

All Jivas (living things) contain both the Goddess and the God in their

hearts. Think of Hanuman tearing open his chest to reveal Rama and Sita

dwelling in his heart.

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

On Fri, 24 Sep 2004 04:44:18 -0000 "lbartist" <lbartist

writes:

> is everything ultimately God or Goddess or a perfect blend of both, I

>

> personaly think God is Goddess and we are full goddess with god as

> the protector of the goddess. invite all inquires on this

>

 

 

______________

Get your name as your email address.

Includes spam protection, 1GB storage, no ads and more

Only $1.99/ month - visit http://www.mysite.com/name today!

[Guest guest]

What would you like to know?

 

Want to share your own approach?

 

, "Manual Albino"

<carpediemnyc@h...> wrote:

> I am interested in learning more about your approach because it

closely

> mirrors my own.

> carpe diem

>

>

> >"seed_crystal" <seed_crystal>

> >

> >

> > Re: the goddess

> >Fri, 24 Sep 2004 16:53:03 -0000

> >

> >Personally, ...

[Guest guest]

I know your Tarot deck, though I do not yet have the pleasure of

owning a copy. (It's probably the next I buy, but I am deep in study

of another deck right now.) Beautiful deck, looks very well thought

out.

 

What a pleasure to meet you here.

 

, Flashsilvermoon@a... wrote:

> I so agree about the myth and obsession of balance requiring male

and female

> deities as if external polarity implies and bequeaths balance. I

am also an

> ecclectic Priestess of some 30 years all of which have ioncluded

the Goddess in

> her many forms and cultures.

> If you enjoy a global look at the Divine Feminine ,which I can

imagine that

> you do, check out ... http://www.flashsilvermoon.com *

>

[Guest guest]

========================================================================

Note from moderator:

 

Yes tarot is interesting. But are we not dealing with Shakti sadhana here?

 

Love

========================================================================Thanks

so much for enjoying my WWTarot. I had a lot of time to think it all

out for sure. I wanted to not simply create a Multicultural Deck with a

feminist wash over it but to reach into the foundations of the Tarot itself and

rework the Descent of Spirit into matter to allow the Tarot to show itself to be

the veryALIVE organically growing tool for Empowerment, as well as in the Wise

Woman's Tarot, a treasure trove of Global Goddess wisdom.

Great to meet you too. BB Flash

 

 

* The Wise Woman's Tarot - http://www.flashsilvermoon.com *

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/24/2004 1:01:35 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

seed_crystal writes:

"Personally, I am a polytheist; I do not think all gods are One, I

consider that a form of monotheism."

 

THEN

"I do not see the god as protector of the Goddess; rather, he is Her

child, sometimes her consort, and under her protection and

blessing. "

 

" I am a Witch, a priestess of the Goddess. The

obsession some Wiccans have with balanced worship of the masculine

and feminine appears to me to be self-deception; I rarely see it

actually practiced by those most vocally espousing it. "

 

Isn't that a monotheist point of view if you only aknowledge your Goddess???

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

> Note from moderator:

>

> Yes tarot is interesting. But are we not dealing with Shakti

sadhana here?

>

> Love

 

I am still learning from your posts what Shakti sadhana might be. I am not

looking to change my Path (if such a thing were even possible) but it is often

pleasant to walk with others. Would you care to speak directly to what Shakti

sadhana is, and the purpose of this group?

 

With respect and loving-kindness,

Seed Crystal

[Guest guest]

Well no, as I actually am priestess or devotee of several goddesses, and also of

the Divine Feminine as I understand it; but unless I am talking with people

aware of the particular deities, may refer to The Goddess... I do not

prostelytize; my deities pick whom they will.

 

Especially I can use "The Goddess" terminology with Wiccans, many of whom are

duotheists, believing in the Goddess-and-God; or among other neo-pagans; or

among western women's spirituality groups (some of whom might be christian or

jewish or something not at all pagan). Whether they are polytheist in a manner

similar to my own, duotheists, or even their own flavor of monotheist, we will

be able

to communicate easily with these terms.

 

These are many other deities I would agree exist, to whom I am neither priestess

or devotee. I don't think we all have to worship the same ones, or that there

are universal "right" ones... And generally, my references to "The Goddess"

among the groups mentioned above will be understood as polite shorthand, that I

would

prefer not to be asked to worship any male God they may be devoted to.

 

, swastik108@a... wrote:

 

Isn't that a monotheist point of view if you only acknowledge your Goddess???

> seed_crystal writes:

> "Personally, I am a polytheist; I do not think all gods are One, I

> consider that a form of monotheism."

>

> THEN

> "I do not see the god as protector of the Goddess; rather, he is

Her

> child, sometimes her consort, and under her protection and

> blessing. "

>

> " I am a Witch, a priestess of the Goddess. The

> obsession some Wiccans have with balanced worship of the masculine

> and feminine appears to me to be self-deception; I rarely see it

> actually practiced by those most vocally espousing it. "

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear Seed Crystal:

 

Thanks for your inquiry: "I am still learning from your posts what

Shakti sadhana might be. ... Would you care to speak directly to what

Shakti sadhana is, and the purpose of this group?the purpose of this

group?"

 

That's a fairly huge question, but it gets back to the basics of why

we started this group, and may be of use to many new members.

 

WHAT IS SHAKTI SADHANA?

 

In Sanskrit, SHAKTI means Energy or Power. As Einstein set forth, all

matter is a form of energy. Time is a way to describe the movement of

Energy. SHAKTI is the Divine Feminine, the Devi, or the Goddess. Her

body encompasses everything in the three worlds (thus She is called

Tripurasundari) -- manifest (seen), unmanifest (unseen), and

transcendent. As is written in the central scripture known as Tripura

Rahasya ("The Secret of the Supreme Goddess"), She is also the essence

of Consciousness, the field upon which Energy plays.

 

That's my definition. I would add two others. First a religious

definition, from the late (d. 2001) Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's

"Hindu Lexicon" (Subramuniyaswami was a Saiva; not a Shakta):

 

**********

 

SHAKTISM (SHAKTA) [These are alternative names for Shakti Sadhana,

broadly defined]: (Sanskrit) The religion followed by those who

worship the Supreme as the Divine Mother -- Shakti or Devi -- in Her

many forms, both gentle and fierce.

 

Shaktism is one of the four primary sects of Hinduism. Shaktism's

first historical signs are thousands of female statuettes dated c.

5,500 BCE, recovered at the Mehrgarh village in India. In philosophy

and practice, Shaktism greatly resembles Saivism.

 

But Shaktas worship Shakti as the Supreme Being exclusively, as the

dynamic aspect of Divinity, while Siva is considered solely

transcendent and is not worshiped.

 

There are many forms of Shaktism, with endless varieties of practices

which seek to capture divine energy or power for spiritual

transformation. Four major expressions of Shaktism are evident today:

folk-shamanism, yoga, devotionalism and universalism.

 

**********

 

Second, I would offer this academic definition, set out in N. N.

Bhattacharyya's "History of the Shakta Religion":

 

"Those who worship the Supreme Deity exclusively as a Female Principle

are called Shakta. Shakti is worshiped in various forms and numerous

shrines are dedicated to Her images. The Shaktas conceive their Great

Goddess as the personification of primordial energy and the source of

all divine and cosmic evolution. She is identified with the Supreme

Being, conceived as the Source and the Spring as well as the

Controller of all the forces and potentialities of Nature. Nowhere in

the religious history of the world do we come across such a completely

female-oriented system."

 

**********

 

Shaktism stretches in uninterrupted initiatory lines back into the

mists of prehistory. Today, there are many sects and sub-sects -- most

of which can be broadly divided as either the path of Kali or the path

of Sri; some of them with vast published scriptural resources, others

secret to all but their initiates. But I think that the above is

enough to swallow in one post. ;-)

 

As for the final part of your question, "What is the purpose of this

group?"

 

We are here to talk about the Shakta religion, to spread correct

knowledge of it (it is regarded with fear and misunderstanding in many

quarters; and exploited with equal misunderstanding in others); and to

offer some preliminary direction to those who are interested in

studying it further, or practicing it. The moderatorship of the group

is Kaula, and of a less secretive and exclusivist nature than some

other, equally valid approaches.

 

Does that help? Please feel free to ask any questions you may have,

here on the board. Also, our homepage archives at

http://www.shaktisadhana.org contains a lot of introductory,

explanatory and advanced practical materials that you may find helpful

and/or useful.

 

Thanks again for your query ...

 

Aum MAtangyai NamaH

[Guest guest]

I thank you; I need to re-read and think about your post and maybe

do some more reading before I say more about what you have said. And

it may be interesting for many of us to see what else is posted on

the topic, too.

 

I appreciate the welcome this community and you moderators have

offered.

 

, "Devi Bhakta"

<devi_bhakta> wrote:

> Dear Seed Crystal:

>

> Thanks for your inquiry: "I am still learning from your posts what

> Shakti sadhana might be. ... Would you care to speak directly to

what

> Shakti sadhana is, and the purpose of this group?the purpose of

this

> group?"

>

> That's a fairly huge question, but it gets back to the basics of

why

> we started this group, and may be of use to many new members.

>...

[Guest guest]

Dear All:

IMHO DB has given a great reply. But he missed something. there are other

systems too like Saura pertaining to Sun (where Sun is the SUPREME diety);

Ganapatya (Pertaining to Ganapati) Skaanda (pertaining to Subrahmanya) etc. In

ecery system it s main deity is IT . But except for dialectic purposes, there

has been no "conflict". As tiem went by these and other sytems became less

extant. But all these does exist in india even now.

 

Devi Bhakta <devi_bhakta wrote:

Dear Seed Crystal:

 

Thanks for your inquiry: "I am still learning from your posts what Shakti

sadhana might be. ... Would you care to speak directly to what Shakti sadhana

is, and the purpose of this group?the purpose of this group?"

 

That's a fairly huge question, but it gets back to the basics of why we started

this group, and may be of use to many new members.

 

WHAT IS SHAKTI SADHANA?

 

In Sanskrit, SHAKTI means Energy or Power. As Einstein set forth, all matter is

a form of energy. Time is a way to describe the movement of Energy. SHAKTI is

the Divine Feminine, the Devi, or the Goddess. Her body encompasses everything

in the three worlds (thus She is called

Tripurasundari) -- manifest (seen), unmanifest (unseen), and transcendent. As is

written in the central scripture known as Tripura Rahasya ("The Secret of the

Supreme Goddess"), She is also the essence of Consciousness, the field upon

which Energy plays.

 

That's my definition. I would add two others. First a religious definition, from

the late (d. 2001) Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami's "Hindu Lexicon"

(Subramuniyaswami was a Saiva; not a Shakta):

 

**********

 

SHAKTISM (SHAKTA) [These are alternative names for Shakti Sadhana, broadly

defined]: (Sanskrit) The religion followed by those who worship the Supreme as

the Divine Mother -- Shakti or Devi -- in Her many forms, both gentle and

fierce.

 

Shaktism is one of the four primary sects of Hinduism. Shaktism's first

historical signs are thousands of female statuettes dated c. 5,500 BCE,

recovered at the Mehrgarh village in India. In philosophy and practice, Shaktism

greatly resembles Saivism.

 

But Shaktas worship Shakti as the Supreme Being exclusively, as the dynamic

aspect of Divinity, while Siva is considered solely transcendent and is not

worshiped.

 

There are many forms of Shaktism, with endless varieties of practices which seek

to capture divine energy or power for spiritual transformation. Four major

expressions of Shaktism are evident today: folk-shamanism, yoga, devotionalism

and universalism.

 

**********

 

Second, I would offer this academic definition, set out in N. N. Bhattacharyya's

"History of the Shakta Religion":

 

"Those who worship the Supreme Deity exclusively as a Female Principle are

called Shakta. Shakti is worshiped in various forms and numerousshrines are

dedicated to Her images. The Shaktas conceive their GreatGoddess as the

personification of primordial energy and the source of

all divine and cosmic evolution. She is identified with the SupremeBeing,

conceived as the Source and the Spring as well as theController of all the

forces and potentialities of Nature. Nowhere inthe religious history of the

world do we come across such a completely

female-oriented system."

 

**********

 

Shaktism stretches in uninterrupted initiatory lines back into themists of

prehistory. Today, there are many sects and sub-sects -- mostof which can be

broadly divided as either the path of Kali or the pathof Sri; some of them with

vast published scriptural resources, others

secret to all but their initiates. But I think that the above isenough to

swallow in one post. ;-)

 

As for the final part of your question, "What is the purpose of thisgroup?"

 

We are here to talk about the Shakta religion, to spread correctknowledge of it

(it is regarded with fear and misunderstanding in manyquarters; and exploited

with equal misunderstanding in others); and to

offer some preliminary direction to those who are interested instudying it

further, or practicing it. The moderatorship of the groupis Kaula, and of a less

secretive and exclusivist nature than someother, equally valid approaches.

 

Does that help? Please feel free to ask any questions you may have,here on the

board. Also, our homepage archives athttp://www.shaktisadhana.org contains a lot

of introductory,explanatory and advanced practical materials that you may find

helpfuland/or useful.

 

Thanks again for your query ...

 

Aum MAtangyai NamaH

 

 

 

 

/