The Goddess
For ancient humankind, reproduction was the central mystery of existence. Woman was the giver of life and the gateway of birth. She was able to bleed profusely every month, changing like the Moon changed, and yet somehow could incredibly self heal, survive and return to the same state completely unscathed.
From her body sprang life giving milk that every woman and every man was raised on. She was a walking miracle, mysterious and inexplicable. No wonder, then, that goddesses of fertility have been venerated and revered throughout human existence and frequently allied with the Moon.
The Goddess was often depicted as a triple deity, with the aspects of Maid, Mother and Crone, which not only represented the different stages of female existence but also echoed the waxing, full and waning aspects of the Moon. Today, modern Witches & Wiccans feel that all three of these characteristics need to be portrayed if a representation of psychological wholeness is to be maintained.
The Maid
As the Maid the Goddess is young, fresh, magical and enchanting. She is bursting with the promise of new life and is especially associated with the spring. She caresses and explores the new landscape, and, with her natural curiosity, enquires into the new experiences of the world. Coupled with this inquisitive and carefree nature is a vital streak of eroticism that is fascinating and enticing to the opposite sex. When respected and cherished she is full of joy and elation.
Make no mistake though, this young woman is not to be crossed and can be dangerous when treated poorly. She is portrayed by goddess figures who are maidens themselves, such as the Greek Persephone, daughter of the corn goddess Demeter, without whom spring cannot exist, or Aradia, daughter of Diana, who came to Earth to teach the art of her mother’s Witchcraft.
The Mother
Upon reaching motherhood the Goddess becomes the creator of life. Within her and without her she is responsible for giving it form and ensuring its growth. In the placenta the mother’s blood transfers nourishment to the unborn babe, her milk nourishes it during the early stages of childhood, and her arms form a soft loop of protection that none may breach.
With far reaching vision she is able to see all life before her and molds it to her will and her desires. She is both emotionally and physically tough, with an utterly ruthless, destructive side that can stir with seeming unpredictably, when any threaten or harm the things she loves. Powerful and authoritative, she is a giver of sound advice and counsel, and is the very heart of the family and her community.
She is the mother and lover of the male, providing a balance for his masculine energy, and able to see deeply within his soul. It is she who shows him the initial ways of the world and sets him on the path of Manhood, it is she who arouses the ecstasy of the adult God and uses his seed to create new life.
The Great Mother is the embodiment of fertility, but fertility on all levels, with an overall plan that is both harmonious and balanced. In this sense she is the goddess Karma who keeps equilibrium regardless of our human notions of morality or fairness.
Commonly, in Witchcraft, she can be seen as the Welsh goddess of reincarnation, Arianrhod, or the Canaanite fertility goddess Astarte. Other times she is worshipped as the powerful Roman goddess Juno, or the huntress Diana, but perhaps most especially she is depicted as the goddess Isis, the greatest of all female deities.
The Crone
Finally, she is the Crone.
By those that are cruel, this stage of femininity can be depicted as the suspicious, dried out, ugly old hag of no worth. Even for many women she is a figure of fear and loathing, as everything is done by way of cosmetics and surgery to avoid the perceived descent into a hideous old age. Yet such a way of thinking ignores the true value of this phase in life.
For witches she is the Crone or wise-one, richly clothed and decorated by life’s experiences. She is a wonderful repository of valuable knowledge and experience, as she has lived through all the ages of femininity. A baby sitter for the Mother, a watchful eye on the Maid, a counsellor to the male; she still has valuable roles to play. And yet she is a terrible reminder of decay and death; the inevitable end of life on this world.
Once vibrant and sexy, once matriarchal and powerful, she shows that all things must return to the Earth from whence they came. In our modern 21st century such things are hard to contemplate, too awful almost to be true. But she can show us the way, by being our guide in how to meet our fate with dignity, and our leader through the veil of death.
In this respect she is often depicted as Hecate, dread goddess of the Moon, the Underworld and magic.
Three in One
Another, less popular, way of representing the divine feminine within the Craft, is to show the triple aspect through one particular female deity.
Such a goddess is the Greek Hera, who, at Stymphalus, had three temples dedicated to her as the child, the wife and the widow goddess.
Another would be the Hindu Bhavani, referred to as the Triple Universe. She is shown as a young, crowned woman, who has the forces of creation latent within her. She is a mother, with the Sun and the Moon at her breasts, as well as the dark and terrible figure of death and transition, with a necklace of skulls.
A Role Model for Women
Because Witchcraft’s concept of the Goddess has these three distinct phases, it is able to provide women with a deity that reflects back their own personal experiences of life and gives them something that they can clearly relate to.
Moreover, the various goddesses provide womankind with purposes and roles that are not dictated by modern societal groups. They show what it means to be female in various stages throughout life, regardless of social conditioning.
And, further, allow women to reject oppressive values and beliefs, giving them the freedom to realize their true selves at all levels and phases of life.
For the male, the Goddess provides a way to explore femininity. On one level, this works by allowing him to recognize the female aspect of his psyche. This can be a liberating and a mind expanding experience, as he comes to appreciate that he is, in fact, so much more than typical gender stereotyping allows. On another level, the Goddess lets him explore femininity outside of himself, providing a true model of the female, that diminishes the impact of society’s image, and helps him to appreciate and interact with women as they really are, rather than in how he has been led to believe they should be.
Next review: |
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| — Witchcraft God & Goddess | |
| The Divine Feminine | |
| A list of Pagan Goddesses | |
| The Divine Masculine | |
| A list of Pagan Gods | |
| AZTEC DEITIES | |
| AFRICAN DEITIES | |
| — The Wheel of the Year | |
