Mother Earth

Strangely much of the things that once spoke to me in deep ways have somehow left me feeling rather frustrated and angry. Yes I am angry, and frustrated and that energy stays in my body like a black illness. I have begun to realize that anger is not something I have to hold on to or allow to control me. I can dispel it, I have the power to channel it and turn it into something very positive. So where has my anger been taking me lately? Deep into the channels of eastern philosophy and religions so far. One thing I find perpetually fascinating is how men have dominated our world and now how our world is suffering because of it. At one point in history individuals along with societies embraced several different gods and above all one thing they embraced was that of the Goddess mother earth. These particular religions were based on the rhythms of nature not on dogma or a sacred book. These particular religions were a way of life, a way of seeing and knowing that everything in the universe is connected to and is part of a supreme creating power, frequently referred to as Mother Earth of the great Goddess.
Pagan is derived from the modern word of paganus which means “country dweller” and the word heathen means “one living on the heath” or a remote spot. These were also known as “Matriarchies”. Within these matriarchal systems was the idea that men and women were equal. Creative endeavors held a high priority while war was practically unknown. Staying in touch with the earth mother meant a supreme respect for other humans as well as for the earth. Often times these matriarchs saw a great importance in embracing the male and female aspects of all humans. Men had a feminine side which was greatly encouraged as well as females having a masculine side. This was to fulfill the idea of balance; both are needed in this world and in each human. It is the very philosophy behind the yin and the yang. Black cannot exist without white, neither can white exist with out the black. Within these primitive times women were considered the healers of the village, they were physical embodiments of the goddess herself and therefore men revered and respected women greatly. These women were skilled in the art of healing to the ability to proscribe herbs that were contraceptives for couples that were not yet ready to raise a family. So what happened? It began with patriarchal societies through men taking over government, religion and culture. The importance of deities changed from the great earth Mother and goddesses to the War god or all powerful God and gods in general. Many of the ancient goddess became connected with black magic under the patriarchs. Male rulers condemned Goddess worship by women as Witchcraft and evil, against the declared natural order of spirituality. Patriarchy began to rewrite spiritual history, connecting a great many goddess with dark magic. But of course when you smite and destroy a very integral part of what it means to be on this planet naturally what ensues is imbalance.
What have we lost because of this? The embracing of the feminine. Modernity made it so that nature was simply something else to be conquered and there was nothing that could stop men from ruling and owning everything (in many ways mother earth was rapped and still is to this day). Males are also socialized to smother any form of femininity that exists within themselves. It also is apparent that women loose their value and become objects to be conquered and controlled as well. As much as the times are changing many of the great religions that still rule the world are still patriarchal. The Christian God is very rarely spoken of in terms of the feminine. There is maybe two references that allow God to be seen in this light. What ever happened to the thankfulness of the femininity of God or the worship of the natural cycle of things? We have lost touch with it, and it is about time that we start re-claiming much of this lost femininity in humans and in the earth. A desperate healing needs to happen not only for humans but for the earth as well.