Christian God had a wife: Asherah

Dhr. Seven, Crystal Qutinero, Wisdom Quarterly; Jennifer Viegas (news.discovery.com)

God has a wife? Wife, what wife? The Bible says so? Maybe it's wrong. I mean...

.

The divine consort Radha (WQ)

God, also known as Yahweh [YHWH], had a wife named Asherah, according to a British theologian.

Amulets, figurines, inscriptions and ancient texts, including the Bible, reveal Asherah's once prominent standing.

God's wife, whom the Book of Kings [a part of the Christian Bible] suggests was worshiped alongside Yahweh in his temple in Israel, according to Oxford scholar.

Meet God's Judeo-Christian Wife, Asherah

No to Asherah: religious sexism (gophoto.us)

In 1967, Raphael Patai was the first historian to mention that the ancient Israelites worshiped both Yahweh and Asherah. The theory has gained new prominence due to the research of Professor of Hebrew Bible and Ancient Religion Francesca Stavrakopoulou, who began her work at Oxford and is a senior lecturer in [UPDATE: she is now Head of] the Department of Theology and Religion at the University of Exeter.

Ishtar and Mary used to matter

Information presented in Stavrakopoulou's books, lectures, and academic journal papers has become the basis of a three-part documentary series, now airing in Europe, where she discusses the Yahweh-Asherah connection.

 

"You might know him as Yahweh, Allah, or God. But on this fact, Jews, Muslims, and Christians, the people of the great Abrahamic religions, are agreed: There is only one of Him," writes Stavrakopoulou in a statement released to the British media. "He is a solitary figure, a single, universal creator [like Great Brahma in Hinduism and Buddhism], not one God among many [like the devas]...or so we like to believe." More

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Honoring the Virgin of Guadalupe (Kwan Yin)

Pfc. Sandoval, Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; photographer Luis Sinco, Marc Martin, Los Angeles Times (latimes.com), Dec. 12, 2013

NeoPagan and Wiccan women in front of flower-strewn Virgin Mary/Kwan Yin, Buddhist temple facing the ocean and Queen Mary, Long Beach, LA County, formerly a Catholic nunnery (Temple of the Goddess).

 

Juan Diego and the Virgin (SF)

In an annual ritual that draws thousands of people, Catholic faithful of Mexican and Central American descent swarmed La Placita ["the Little Plaza"] Church and nearby Olvera Street Plaza [Los Angeles' oldest market square] to celebrate Dia De La Virgen De Guadalupe ["Day of the Virgin who appeared to a man in Guadalupe, Mexico"].  

 

The crowded and colorful festivities are held in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe -- the universal symbol for Mexican Catholics -- who is said to have appeared in a vision before Mexican peasant Juan Diego about 500 years ago.

Buddhist "Virg Yin," Goddess of Compassion

La Placita celebrations included unbroken strings of worship services as well as offerings of flowers and votive candles that illuminated the darkness outside the church and kept the throngs of people coming throughout the long, chilly night.

According to popular Mexican lore, Juan Diego saw the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill in what is now Mexico City, on Dec. 9, 1531. The Virgin is said to have told him to ask the bishop to build a church on the hill. More

Day of the Divine Shepherdess
Siemprefeliz.com (Los Angeles); Wisdom Quarterly (translation)

Shepherdess Mother Mary, Goddess of Compassion, Virgen de Guadalupe (siemprefeliz.com)

  
January 14th is the [Venezuelan] day of the Divina Pastora, the procession of the "Divine Shepherdess," the spiritual patron of Venezuela. The celebration is one of the largest in Latin America, together with the activities in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico.
 
It is a journey taken by more than 2,500,000 people performed in the church of Santa Rosa village, located between the Cathedral of Barquisimeto and Cabudare, a distance of about eight miles.
 

This route, with the virgin carried on the shoulders of her people, begins at noon and ends early in the evening about 367 kilometers from Caracas.
 
The pilgrimage is accompanied by songs, praise, and prayers from parishioners. Some walk barefoot, while others go down on hands and knees. 
 
A miraculous virgin

Mother Goddess (metafisicamiami.com)

The pastor of the church of Santa Rosa, Paul Fidel Gonzalez, said: "Devotion to the Divine Shepherdess is growing year after year." He added that this is evidenced by the increasing number of pilgrims who visit the town of Santa Rosa, the Shrine of the Virgin, an invocation of the Virgin Mary.
 
Veneration increases proportional to the size of the religious image with its hat, cane, and sheep around a throne and a child on her lap representing the infant Jesus (St. Issa). She fulfills promises of health, peace, love, prosperity, and more which many consider Miriam miracles. More

A Buddhist "Mary"?
Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Kwan Yin, Yungang Grottoes, China (G-W-H)

It may be said that the real "Mary" in Buddhism would be Maya Devi, the great queen, the Buddha's biological mother.
 
In an interesting pre-Christian source for Mary's "virginity" (pure, unmarried status), the Bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) looked down from the Tusita world and beheld a suitable woman who could give birth to him. She had refrained from sexual misconduct for seven generations back, so being "pure" in this sense. Abstaining from sexual misconduct is not the same as abstaining from sex. But that, too, entered the mythology by confusing Maya's dream of conception, seeing a pure white double tusk elephant entering her, with the future-Buddha's miraculous (but not technically immaculate) conception, attended by angels (devas).

• See Buddhist Birth Stories (Jataka Tales) and the Story of the Lineage by Rhys Davids (trans.)

Kwan Yin, the One Who Looks Down from Heaven

She gave birth as commemorated in Brahmanism like a Sal tree dryad. But she quickly went from being an earthly devi (queen) to a heavenly female devi ("shining one") in the Space World of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa). She passed away a week after giving birth. The Buddha was raised by her sister, also his father the king's wife, named Maha Pajapati. She went on to become the first Buddhist nun in history and so achieved a greater distinction than Maya by attaining enlightenment in this very life. 
 
However, Buddhists do not regard either sister as the "Goddess of Mercy and Compassion" who looks down from the heavens and hears the cries of the world. That distinction goes to the pre-Buddhist Avalokitatesvara (Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर), a deva (male) who metamorphosed into beloved Kwan Yin, the Chinese version of this ancient Indian deity. She is a manifestation of the divine feminine, a mother goddess, a source of comfort and inspiration to uncounted millions of Mahayana Buddhists, Hindus, and to a lesser extent Theravada Buddhists and Chinese atheists.

• VIDEO: Healing miracles at Lourdes Grotto and spring
• VIDEO: The wonders of Yungang Grottoes (Discover China)
• The Blue Beauty: Buddhist nun Uppalavanna as Lakshmi 

YOGA means...

Maya, Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; David Ibrahim (DivineYogaLA.com); FoxPowerYoga.com

WHAT IS “YOGA”? 

Yoga means stretching our heart, balancing our mind, and breathing into our innermost selves.

 

“What is this precious love and laughter budding in our hearts? It is the glorious sound of the soul awakening up.”

– Sufi mystic poet Hafiz

Lord Shiva embodying the divine feminine

Divine Yoga LA is led by David Ibrahim, a teacher inspired by yoga’s power to deeply heal and transform the hearts and lives of those who practice it. Ibrahim is known for bringing a fresh, modern interpretation which nevertheless holds strong to the ancient teachings. His soothing voice, sincerity, and presence are hard not to notice. His teaches in an old mining town along Route 66 in the foothill community of Monrovia, which sits in one of the San Gabriel Valley, in suburban Los Angeles. Divine Yoga LA focuses on Hatha Yoga (uniting Sun and Moon, masculine and feminine, yang and yin, assertiveness and receptivity), meditation, and focused breathing practiced alongside inspirational words and music. More + video

• NEXT TIME: Yogi David goes to see Thich Nhat Hanh!

Whatever happened to sex and Ami Fox?

Maya, Wisdom Quarterly

Dear Maya: Ask your question, any question, in the comments section (Wisdom Quarterly).

Ami Fox in arm balancing pose (FPY)

Dear Maya, whatever happened to the yogini who wrote so many great pieces on yoga carried by Wisdom Quarterly? And can someone still have sex when she's pregnant, or is that even normal to think about? 

- Madison G.

"What does the Fox say?" Hey, Maddy, have you considered asking Ylvis? Sadly, Ami Fox (FoxPowerYoga.com) moved from metropolitan Los Angeles to rural Oregon, to a little town with a giant multinational corporation, following her Latin husband's new job opportunity.

She now encourages towering redwoods to transform sunlight into energy using chlorophyll while raising lots of energetic kids. She is a great yoga teacher in the Power Yoga (modern ashtanga) tradition. That's much easier to do in a big, bad city than in a small, staid community.

Sex poses or yoga positions? Be careful.

Having been pregnant while teaching us arduous balance poses, Fox was the person to ask about sex. There are yoga poses to avoid while pregnant, like any that put weight on the belly. So I can think of a few sex positions that might put the same sort of pressure there. Sex is fine while pregnant with a few provisos.  

 

Caveat emptor ("buyer beware") of what you're consuming with a "baby onboard." For more details, ask your doula. Don't have a midwife yet? The doctor at your PPO may know something, but I would get a second opinion about anything those kinds of doctors advise, avoiding most if not all of the allopathic "medicines" they prescribe, particularly toxic vaccinations. According to Wisdom Quarterly's favorite sex and addiction specialist, Dr. Drew Pinksy, it should be just fine. Get a checkup.

• NEXT TIME: Maya answers the meaning of life!

Autumn Equinox (Temple of the Goddess)

Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Temple of the Goddess; Voices of the Sacred Feminine

Goddess Saraswati on her delicate veena mounted on her swan offering wisdom

 

Autumn Equinox 2013

Rev. Xia, Temple of the Goddess (Sabbat)

Ritual story telling (T.O.G.)

The Wheel of the Year spins, and we come together to honor the turning of the seasons and the Earth's life cycles. We open our arms to welcome new beginnings and a year filled with wondrous possibilities. We gather at Autumn Equinox to give thanks for blessings, claim the spark of creativity and the fire of inner wisdom from the Goddess Sarasvati. We seek wisdom and creativity to discern the direction along our divine path.

• Autumn Equinox Ritual
• Saturday, Sept. 21, 2013, doors open 6:45 pm, begins 7:30 pm
• Temple of the Goddess Center for Awakening Consciousness
• 690 East Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104
• Pagans Keep the World Alive

For Pagans, teachings are found in nature, earthly seasons, natural cycles, and the cosmos -- all of which are in a constant state of flux. 

We have no fixed Christian Bible, Jewish Torah, or Hindu Bhagavad Gita. But in nature we find the reflections and lessons for how to grow, live consciously, and create the life we wish. To that end rather than emphasize need, we express a desire for change. Inevitably there are new beginnings, new directions to follow. For Pagans that is a given. There is a clarion call for continual renewal.

 

Goddess Saraswati

What we are bringing to our ritual-theatrical celebrations in 2013 are mythic lessons about standing at the crossroads of new directions and discerning through wise, contemplative choices which direction, which new path to take.

 

This year we will explore the tools we need to move forward with courage down paths not yet trodden, consciously choosing new directions life is offering. It is a fertile subject, and we are excited to be opening ourselves artistically and spiritually (and perhaps sexually) to this mythic theme and the possibilities within it.

Vasilisa the Brave and her doll (intuition)

This year our mythic guide is Vasilisa the Brave, who ushers us through our seasonal rituals and myths in 2013. She comes from the Slavic mythic tradition, a young heroine who journeys in search of wisdom, knowledge, on a quest for truth and assistance. Before beginning her journey, Vasilisa is given a doll by her mother; it represents intuition. We each carry it as a guide on our own quest throughout the year. 

Vasilisa's special doll offers wisdom and encourages her to trust her as a source of inner wisdom. She is told to seek the Wise Woman, the Shaman in the woods, whose myths and stories will guide her in her search. Will Vasilisa the Brave find what she is searching for? Come and find out on Saturday night.

The Wise Woman's Autumn myth 

Vedic Goddess Saraswati on her mount with her enchanting veena instrument

 

The story of Vasilisa is a modern retelling of the story of Saraswati, goddess of knowledge, music, arts, science, and the free flow of wisdom, creativity, and consciousness.

She is the Goddess of the River and one of the major figures in the Vedic pantheon, the Mother of the Vedas ("Knowledge Books" of the ancient Indus Valley Civilization) preserved by the Brahmins in India.

 

Saraswati is often pictured as luminous, shining as brightly as the Moon, often with eight arms, each hand holding a symbol of her power: trident, conch, pestle, bow, arrow, bell, discus, and plow. 

Mounted on her white swan, a symbol of purity and discernment, Saraswati plays the music of love and life on a stringed instrument called the veena. A goddess of grace, filled with the abiding confidence of deep wisdom, she offers followers true knowledge, symbolized by a beautiful white lotus.

Radio: Sacred Feminine Voices

Wencke Braathen chats with priestess Rev. Karen Tate (Voices of the Sacred Feminine Radio) about her book, Rituals in Stone: Yeshua and Mariam, Priest & Priestess, King and Queen, followed by Isidora Forrest discussing the old mystery schools and Isis as Goddess of Initiation, Roman vs. Egyptian Mysteries, and Isis in the Western Esoteric Tradition today. Tune in.

• Weekly: live Mondays, 6:00 pm (PST), archived, i-Tunes
• NEXT: Enlightenment for the Rest of Us / Shamanism
• Author Polly Campbell (Imperfect Spirituality: Extraordinary Enlightenment for Ordinary People) will discuss how to integrate everyday moments with traditional spiritual techniques to experience personal growth in our regular routines. Then Gwilda Wiyaka (So, We're Still Here - Now What? Spiritual and Personal Empowerment in a New Era) discusses how shamanic principles can aid spiritual evolution.

Call in (718) 766-4662 to speak to guests about sex, power, and spirituality. Recent shows: Sherry Ruth Anderson, "Ripening Time - Aging with Grace," Judy Foster, "Invisible Women of Pre-History," Ava Park, "Mistresses vs. Queen Archetype," Anodea Judith, "The Global Heart Awakens, Marriage of the Divine Masculine and Feminine," Julia Stonehouse, "How women were denied spiritual authority because of the incorrect facts of life."

Check Out Spirituality Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with Karen Tate on BlogTalkRadio

Voices of the Sacred Feminine will run your commercial telling the like-minded about your event, service, or product! The show is looking for a sponsor as it is currently supported by the host, Dr. Tate, as a service to the community, providing obscure guests with a platform to share their insight and wisdom with the world. Feedback and show ideas are welcome. May the Great She embrace all in Her golden wings!

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