The Divine Feminine: A Woman’s Quest
Kelli Hanrahan
The Myth of Beginnings
For I am the first and the last,
I am the honoured one and the
Scorned one …
I am the one whom they call Life
And you have called Death.--Gnostic hymn
The face of the Divine Feminine has appeared a lot to me lately, in my spiritual/religious studies, as well as in popular culture. The Divine Feminine was recently popularized in the mainstream by The DaVinci Code, a novel by Dan Brown and soon-to-be feature film. The DaVinci Code is a bit of a modern-day Grail quest, with its central character, Sophie, named after the Gnostic Goddess of Wisdom. The Utne Reader magazine, a collection of alternative press, dedicated its November/December 2005 issue to the Feminine and suggested that a rise of female empowerment was occurring globally. Prince Edward Island singer, Teresa Doyle, devoted her latest album, Orra Chan, to the Divine Feminine. So, I began a quest of my own, in the form of research for my first Edwards Magazine article, by delving into the nature and meaning of the Divine Feminine.
What is “The Divine Feminine?” I was first introduced to the term by Swami Sivananda Radha, a spiritual teacher who came to Canada in the 1960s to bring the principles and practices of yoga to North America. She founded Yasodhara Ashram in British Columbia, started Timeless Books and Ascent magazine, and wrote and taught extensively about spirituality and yoga. Swami Radha explains the Divine Feminine as the human face of the Divine, using the example of Jesus and Mother Mary. As Jesus embodied the word of God, he was distanced from the people, so the Mother was someone who could intercede, someone who could talk to him.
Radha suggests that the Divine Feminine represents both wisdom and creative power. She also correlates the subjugation of women in society with the destruction of the Earth’s environment. This relationship is reiterated in the Utne Reader‘s edition on the Feminine, which also includes an article on Mary Magdalene as an image of female empowerment and spiritual devotion.
I spoke with Dr. Catherine Innes-Parker, a professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Prince Edward Island, and scholar in female religious figures. Dr. Innes-Parker does not support the belief that Mary Magdalene is the Divine Feminine. Why not? Because Mary is a saint and she is human. She is a reformed sinner, defined by her love of Jesus. However, as a women’s role model, Innes-Parker suggests that she is much more accessible than the Virgin Mary, reflecting the philosophy of Swami Radha, that Mary is a figure that embodies the human side of divinity. Dr. Innes-Parker questions the historical accuracy of The DaVinci Code, noting that it contains elements of conspiracy theory, even if it is in some ways based in legitimate scholarly information. However, there is no denying that there is something in our culture that is intrigued by this “revival” of the Divine Feminine, as evidenced by the number of people making pilgrimages to sites mentioned in book.
Local Island singer, Teresa Doyle, embarked upon a musical pilgrimage of her own in the production of her recent album, Orra Chan: The Divine Feminine in Gaelic Song. Like many ancient cultures, the Celts embraced the feminine in their relationship with the spirit world. One of the songs on the album, “Gabham Molta Bhride,” is an ode to Brigit, the Irish goddess, who later became Christianized as Saint Brigit. She is honoured around February 2nd, the date that is traditionally the beginning of Spring in the Pagan calendar, and the origin of our modern Groundhog Day. Brigit was the goddess of healing, art and poetry. I felt it only fitting to mention her here, since my own goddess pilgrimage has led me to connect with a host of beautiful, talented, and wise women, reminding me that as females we are truly blessed and divine.
The topic of the Divine Feminine is huge and I can barely scratch the surface in a magazine article. It is also a subject that evokes much controversy, skepticism, and opposition. In Goddess Unmasked, UPEI Religious Studies professor Philip Davis sets out to debunk the myth of goddess revival; in response to an anti-Christian Pagan movement, he speaks from a Christian perspective. The work is accused of being biased, but does give an historical background to the current rise of Neopagan Feminist Spirituality
One thing I can and will attest to is that no matter what religious or cultural background, the Divine Feminine does appear to be making a resurgence, and I would like to believe that this will contribute to a return to balance between feminine and masculine on all levels: in religion, culture, and society.
Women still have a long way to go before we can fully reclaim our power in all walks of life. It is both a privilege and an honour for me to be able to write these words; words that could very well be the death of me were I living in one of many societies of the world where women’s freedom and rights are still very much oppressed. There is indeed much work to be done, and in honour of the Divine Feminine in all women, may we be inspired to do so with the creativity, power, and wisdom that is our nature and birthright.
For more information:
Getty, Adele. Goddess: Mother of Living Nature. Thames & Hudson, 1990.
Radha, Swami Sivananda, and Swami Lalitananda, in conversation. Sliver of the Moon: Ascent. Summer 1999.
