The Goddess Religions

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Jan 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Pollux	19 Jan 2002
Are there many goddess religions? I thought they were one! HELP ME! And... Someone made a difference between Pagan and Wicca. ??? I'm mystified ??? Please help!

tarotbear	19 Jan 2002
OH NO !!! PLEASE do not start the old "Are you a Pagan or a Witch?" debate all over again. This type of thing is always raging on the other AOL boards and people stand there and SCREAM at each other that "YOU"RE NOT A WITCH -I'M ONE AND YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE A PAGAN!" constantly for hours and hours and hours. It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in it.

Pollux	19 Jan 2002
Quote: tarotbear (20 Jan, 2002 04:16): OH NO !!! PLEASE do not start the old "Are you a Pagan or a Witch?" debate all over again. This type of thing is always raging on the other AOL boards and people stand there and SCREAM at each other that "YOU"RE NOT A WITCH -I'M ONE AND YOU'RE NOT! YOU'RE A PAGAN!" constantly for hours and hours and hours. It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in it. I've no intention of starting one, man! *LOL* I thought it was clear: I know the s**t about all those different religions; I only found out by chance that there were several, to my surprise. So I only wanted to learn more, and maybe understand how to get deeper in it and make up my very own mind. As for the second point, you're screaming at someone (i.e. ME!) that is just asking you for explanations... I thought it wasn't that upsetting! >( I don't mean to imply anything, nor to shout at someone I'm a witch while he/she's not... I only wanted some help to make this clear, if ever possible. :( I beg you to accept my apologies if these concepts were not clear enough... In addition, I might agree on the point that "It doesn't matter what you believe as long as you believe in it": the point was I wanted to realize if I ever believed in something, and how to call that something. Though this may sound stupid, I don't think a decent answer is so expensive... :(

jade	19 Jan 2002
my perception of this is: pagans love the earth and the goddess. wiccans love the earth and the goddess and perform spellwork. there are many different veins of these...just as with christianity. in light, hope that helps, jade and in defense of tarotbear.......i realize that your question was innocent, but there have been many many flame wars between people over this very topic. people can get very "my way is the only way" regarding the differences of these two belief systems. in my opinion, they are both the same and depending on the day, i'm an ecclectic pagan wiccan or somedays i'm just an ecclectic wiccan and then other days i'm just simply pagan. :) confusing eh?

Jeanette	19 Jan 2002
Now to add more fuel to the fire :) (I hope not really). My question is, could the Blessed Virgin Mother in Catholicism qualify as a type of goddess worship? I don't know anything about any goddesses in particular, I'm guessing every culture has many, but I do feel comfortable praying the rosary and having a BVM statue in my yard. But I'm really not a practicing Catholic, I'm quite far from it. But praying the rosary is so calming, so I'm just wondering how this fits in, if at all?

MeeWah	19 Jan 2002
Mary, or the Blessed Mother can be seen as a goddess aspect; part of the whole concept of god/dess. I was a member of a Marian prayer group. Our purpose as a group was to foster world peace via prayer as well as forging a relationship with Mary. Prayer for the well-being of our planet was routinely included. Praying the rosary was part of each prayer-meditation within the group, as was praying to her for her intercession regarding the goal of world peace. Those meditations were amongst some of the most powerful spiritual experiences I've ever had probably because within a group, the raising of power is magnified. Given the common cause, it strengthened the effect. Some of us also experienced Mary's presence, as well as the presence of Light entities.

Ceti	20 Jan 2002
Quote: Pollux (20 Jan, 2002 04:02): Are there many goddess religions? There have to be... People like to have their gods/goddesses look like them, for one thing. The beauty of the Goddess of A Thousand Names is that She accommodates these differences. Jeanette's question about the Virgin Mary demonstrates how wonderfully pliant it all is. Some researchers have recognized the Virgin as the persistence of the Goddess (She refuses to just go away!). Ceti

nexyjo	20 Jan 2002
i agree that mary can certainly be seen as an aspect of the goddess. it's my understanding that her importance grew in catholocism as a direct result of people having grown used to a goddess in their worship, and when converting to catholocism, insisted on maintaining that relationship. and i'll add my take on the "pagan/witch" controversy. the term pagan was orginially used by judeo-christian people to define those who do not fall under either of those religions. modern pagans (or neo-pagans) reclaimed the term to define a group of religions that are nature based, and typically have either deities who are not the judeo-christian god, female in gender as well as male, or none at all - satanists would fall under the last group. a witch is a pagan who practices witchcraft - the craft of the witch. that would include (but is not limited to) practices such as spellwork, use of herbs and roots for healing and other purposes, and other "natural" workings. some witches see witchcraft as their religion, others see it as a way of life without a religious association. all witches are pagan, but not all pagans are witches. i'd also make a distinction between witches and wiccans, though many use the terms interchangably. wiccans follow a specific path, wicca, which was developed by gerald gardner in the 40's and 50's. they almost always use a goddess and god in their celebrations, and the use of polarity in the universe (male/female, projective/receptive energy, etc), along with the pursuit of balance of said energies, is almost universal. they follow the "wiccan rede", which in its condensed form reads "harm none". witches and pagans may or may not follow this tenent. an "eclectic wiccan" may employ a variety of other religious practices in her own practice - shammanistic techniques, native american, buddist, and/or a variety of other practices. all wiccans are both witches and pagans by definition. my definition, anyway. all three groups typically celebrate the equanoxes, solstices, and the points halfway between those times as their holidays. i'll add that each pagan often defines what their religion means to them, outside the context of any pre-existing definition. thus all the controversy. we can be as bad as christianity when it comes to the acceptance and/or recognition of other traditions within the whole. luv and light, nexy

Pollux	20 Jan 2002
HEY NEXY, THAT SURELY WAS AN ENLIGHTENING SHOT OF KNOWLEDGE! *LOSL* These times I feel SO HAPPY to belong to this community! ;D ;D ;D You managed to make me understand I'm a ... oops. A wiccan, yes. ;D Ther point is, I stop to theory. :( I'd be so hugely grateful to anyone who could give me hints about books and stuff. Undoubtedly there must be tons. PLEASE! Help my growth along this journey. Even if I'll have to look for little likely Italian editions, I am also trying to order book via Shop. Feltrinelli and Universal are the best around here. Wish me GOOD LUCK! ALL OF YOU! >(

MeeWah	20 Jan 2002
Pollux: There are many books available on the subjects of Paganism, Wicca & Witchcraft. Some are good, some not; however, that may depend on the individual view. The following are the ones I recommend for their educational value & general information. They all discuss the ethics as well as the practice. "Wicca - A Guide For The Solitary Practitioner" by Scott Cunningham. This explains the theory & the practice of Wicca; includes other pertinent information. "True Magick: A Beginner's Guide" by Amber K. The author explains the nature of magick; discusses the practice of magick & Wicca; the wholistic approach. "Teen Witch" by Silver RavenWolf. This book has received some negative responses, but it is still a well-written & interesting book, for teens & older. "The Complete Art of Witchcraft" by Sybil Leek. An interesting book by a woman whose family tradition was the practice of witchcraft. I do not know if it is still in print. Blessings on your research & endeavors!

slinky_jo	20 Jan 2002
I call myself an eclectic neo pagan! LOL! Even I don't know what that is half the time! I just do my own thing... I ALSO think that it's really cool that the Roman Catholic "Mary" is still around! I know that sounds a bit ditzy... But I can't think of any other major world wide organised religion that worships a female deity over a male deity. I just think that's nice! (ditzy again!) Heck, I'm young, I'm allowed to be ditzy! hee hee! The beauty of eclectic neo paganism is that you can basically worship who/what/where ever you like, as long as you adhere to the old maxims, as in "if it harms no one, do what you like" and "what you send forth returns three fold" ETC. There are so many Goddesses from so many cultures and religions - it's simply wonderful. I have a great set of world Goddess cards that I adore - I think my fave at the moment is Kali, who I really need in my life, as I'm trying to get a job, improve my confidence, etc. I sure need her gutsy influence in my life. For me,it's great how I can explore the many virtues and personalities of world Goddesses whithout having to consign myself to one religion. For example, I like to give myself little "projects" to do - the last one was to fill a school exercise book with images, words, and the knowledge of the Hindu, and Diwali Goddesses. ...the possibilities for study and spiritual enlightenment are truly truly endless. (I hope all that wasn't too ditzy!) :)

slinky_jo	20 Jan 2002
OOPS! I forgot to add a short book list for ya!!! Here are some books that I found really useful, helpful and inspiring: * "Notions and Potions" - Susan Bowes * "Pagan Ways" - Gwydion O'Hara * "Moon Magic" - D J Conway * "Embracing the Goddess Within" - Kris Waldherr * "Enchanted" - Titania Hardie * "By Oak, Ash, and Thorn" - D J Conway * "Celtic Tradition" - Caitlin Matthews * "Brewer's Book of Myth and Legend" (reference book) * "Gods and Goddesses" - Elizabeth Hallam (good illustrated reference book) * "The Saints" - by above author Good/fun fiction books to set the imagination aflame: * "The Mists of Avalon", and "The Firebrand"- Marion Zimmer Bradley * "Stardust", "American Gods", and "Neverwhere" - Neil Gaiman * "The Clan of the Cave Bear" - Jean M Auel * "The Bone People" - Keri Hulme * "The Handmaid's Tale" - Margaret Atwood * "Dark Cathedral", and "Pagan Moon" - Freda Warrington * "The Infernal", and "Grimoire" - Kim Wilkins * "Fluke" - James Herbert * "Memoirs of Cleopatra" - Margaret George * "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" - Gregory Maguire ...and for some fun homework, check out any of the "Sandman" collected comics by Neil Gaiman - this guy weaves myth, magic and fantasy together in comic form (very intelligent, no super heroes here!). HAVE FUN!!

Kiama	21 Jan 2002
I think som of the controvesy has come abou because some of us feel that certain terms suit us better: Whilst once person may prefer the term Witch, the other may prefer Wiccan, whilst both believing the same things. Me, I call myself a Celtic Pagan cuz I see the Gods in their Celtic form, and I associate with them in that form more easily than say, the Greek form.... In the end, we all believe basically the same things (With a few exceptions), and the variety of the fors of Goddess worship in the world just adds to the life of it all.... Kiama

arizonagirl	21 Jan 2002
Book recommendations: all of the above mentioned plus Wicca - The Complete Craft by D. J. Conway, and Green Witchcraft by Ann Moura.

purplelady	21 Jan 2002
I recommend a book called "The Wiccan Path: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner" by Rae Beth (Does Scott Cunningham have a book by the same name? different author here though). The book explains the Why ,and practical reasons behind every holiday , ritual , and celebration and makes a lot of sense. I believe you would be able to get the book in Europe, as the author is in England , and I know there is an English edition by same author but the book's name is different. I also recommend Silver Ravenwolf's books.

Pollux	22 Jan 2002
Thanks anyone! While surfing on Italian websites, I found news about the... Scott Cunningham/"WICCA", ITALIAN EDITION ;D !!! So at least I'll surely have some throughly intellegible reading matter... ;p I'm grateful to all of you for the suggestions. I promise I'll do my best to come by these works. I wnat to point out, lastly, that these interest of mine in books is only to gain general information, to be able to make a choice... more or less :D This "Spell of Straying Post" is very powerful, although I ain't even got started yet! :D :D And, as regards the Virgin Mary, I agree with slinky_jo and nexy_jo! *LOL* I really appreciated your suggestions about personal development! Thanx!

The The Goddess Religions thread was originally posted on 19 Jan 2002 in the Spirituality board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Spirituality, or read more archived threads.