Prayer to the Great Goddess Cybele

Holy Goddess Earth, Nature's mother, who bringeth all to life, and revives all from day to day. The food of life Though grantest in eternal fidelity. And when the soul hath retired we take refuge in Thee. All that Thou grantest falls back into Thy womb. 

- Prayer to Cybele, Pighi. Quoted from Myth of the Goddess by Cashford and Baring

The Three Keys

Understanding the Goddess, Simplified

By Lisa @ Panthea

By nature, the practice of Theanism (or Goddess Religion) fills a person with a sense of empowerment that teachers him/her to trust their instincts and their personal truths. The Goddess is the guiding force behind the search for these truths and the key to finding them.

We all have different relationships with the Goddess in the way individual children do with their mothers. Healthy, present mothers know which of their children need to know certain lessons and which may need to learn something different. As we grow, mothers teach new lessons or impart more wisdom in regards to old lessons. I believe the same can be said for how we learn from the Goddess.

All Goddesses are one Goddess so learning about her individual aspects may be the best way to understand her as a whole. This could seem like a hefty task considering she has thousands of faces, names, and symbols. One method we can use to simplify our experience is a simple tool I call the Three Keys System.

The Three Keys Step by Step

Keep the following questions in mind during all three of these steps:

1.      Is this Goddess Maiden, Mother, or Crone? Could she be the culmination of all three as the All-Goddess?

2.      Who are the other faces of this Goddess? (If she is a Crone who is the Maiden and the Mother and what name might be ascribed to their All-Goddess aspect?)

3.      What is her relationship to other deities in her stories?

4.      Does she have a mate or children? What are her relationships with them like?

5.      What did this Goddess do? What is the main point of her story? What purpose does her myth serve?

6.      What three key words or phrases can describe this Goddess?

Step One: Research

There’s no need to make sure you’ve found every piece of info under the sun and end up overwhelming yourself. Instead, narrow it down to at least three sources of information on the Goddess in question. Use the internet, books, etc. Research her symbols, the culture of her people, of whatever you need to get an understanding. Take notes and jot down random thoughts as you read. Use a highlighter or make notes in margins if this is helpful for you.

Step Two: Meditate

Spend some time reflecting on the Goddess you picked. Pay attention to those little moments of inspiration and listen to your inner voice. You could make your mediation deep and more traditional or you could go about your day in mindful meditation. It’s not unusual for me to have an epiphany in the shower or while doing dishes. If you’re like me, you might want to keep a notebook handy so you can jot things down on the go.

Step Three: Write

Here is where you put it all together. Download a handy worksheet here that can be printed, punched, and kept in a binder or folder. Now, choose your three keywords and support them with three elaborating statements for each. Try to figure out what you’ve learned from this Goddess and how she has contributed to your vision of the Goddess as a whole. Make notes about her status as Maiden, Mother, Crone, All, her relationship to the male aspect, meaningful bits about her myth, etc. to finish up.

SAMPLE: Merope, Minoan Bee Goddess

Keyword #1 - Connection

- It is not good to always be alone.

- Seek connection with other people and with all life.

- Live in harmony with others.

Keyword #2 - Responsibility

- Live responsibly in co-existence with other people and with nature.

- Work honestly and earn your keep in life.

- Everyone has a purpose.

Keyword #3 - Humility

- Love is stronger than you.

- Love openly and without shame.

- There is no room for pride in love.

♥ ♥ ♥ Download you own Three Keys Worksheet here!

The Very Short Sutra on the Meeting of the Buddha and the Goddess

by Rick Fields

Thus I have made up:

Once the Buddha was walking along the
forest path in the Oak Grove at Ojai, walking without
arriving anywhere
or having any thought of arriving or not arriving
and lotuses shining with morning dew
miraculously appeared under every step
soft as silk beneath the toes of the Buddha

When suddenly, out of the turquoise sky,
dancing in front of his half-shut inward-looking
eyes, shimmering like a rainbow
or a spider's web
transparent as the dew on a lotus flower,

--the Goddess appeared quivering
like a hummingbird in the air before him

She, for she was surely a she
as the Buddha could clearly see
with his eye of discriminating awareness wisdom,

was mostly red in color
though when the light shifted
she flashed like a rainbow.

She was naked except
for the usual flower ornaments
Goddesses wear

Her long hair
was deep blue, her two eyes fathomless pits of space
and her third eye a bloodshot
ring of fire

The Buddha folded his hands together
and greeted the Goddess thus:

"O Goddess, why are you blocking my path.
Before I saw you I was happily going nowhere.
Now I'm not sure where to go."

"You can go around me,"
said the Goddess, twirling on her heels like a bird
darting away,
but just a little way away,
"or you can come after me.
This is my forest too,
you can't pretend I'm not here."

With that the Buddha sat
supple as a snake
solid as a rock
beneath a Bo tree
that sprang full-leaved
to shade him.

"Perhaps we should have a chat,"
he said.
"After years of arduous practice
at the time of the morning star
I penetrated reality, and now..."

"Not so fast, Buddha.
I am reality.

The Earth stood still,
the oceans paused,

the wind itself listened
--a thousand arhats, bodhisattvas, and dakinis
magically appeared to hear
what would happen in the conversation.

"I know I take my life in my hands."
said the Buddha.
"But I am known as the Fearless One
--so here goes."

And he and the Goddess
without further words
exchanged glances.

Light rays like sunbeams
shot forth
so bright that even
Sariputra, the All-Seeing One,
had to turn away.

And then they exchanged thoughts
and the illumination was as bright as a diamond candle.

And then they exchanged mind
And there was a great silence as vast as the universe
that contains everything

And then they exchanged bodies

And clothes

And the Buddha arose
as the Goddess
and the Goddess
arose as the Buddha

and so on back and forth
for a thousand hundred thousand kalpas.

If you meet the Buddha
you meet the Goddess.
If you meet the Goddess
you meet the Buddha.

Not only that. This:
The Buddha is the Goddess,
the Goddess is the Buddha.

And not only that. This:
The Buddha is emptiness
the Goddess is bliss,
the Goddess is emptiness
the Buddha is bliss.

And that is what
and what-not you are
It's true.

So here comes the mantra of the Goddess and the Buddha, the unsurpassed dual-mantra. Just to say this mantra, just to hear this mantra once, just to hear one word of this mantra once makes everything the way it truly is: OK.

So here it is:
Earth-walker/sky-walker
Hey, silent one, Hey, great talker
Not two/Not one
Not separate/Not apart
This is the heart
Bliss is emptiness
Emptiness is bliss
Be your breath, Ah
Smile, Hey
And relax, Ho
And remember this: You can't miss.



from: Dharma Gaia: A Harvest of Essays in Buddhism & Ecology

What is Religion?

I've been doing quite a bit of studying tonight and I came across Ninian Smart and his Dimensions of Religion. I am currently pondering how they apply to Goddess Religion and would love to hear what these ideas may provoke for you. So, if you feel like putting your scholar's cap on, have a read and add some of those brilliant thoughts to the comments. Knowing me, I'll most likely have a lot more to say on this in future posts.

♥ Lisa

Dimensions of Religion

Smart is widely known for his seven-part definition of religion, or rather scheme of study; as this approach avoids the problem of defining altogether. Whatever else religion may or may not be – whether theistic or non-theistic, religions possess certain recognizable elements, which can be studied. These dimensions vary in importance but are almost always present. Smart divided these into "historical" and "para-historical," meaning by the latter those dimensions that take the investigation into the experience, or inner lives, or religious people. The "historical" can be studied empirically, the para-historical takes the student into the realm of belief and concepts and requires dialogue and participation; "since the study of man is in an important sense participatory – for one has to enter into men’s intentions, beliefs, myths, desires, in order to understand why they act as they do – it is fatal if cultures including our own are described merely externally, without entering into dialogue with them."^[16]

Smart’s sevenfold scheme of study:

1. Doctrinal
2. Mythological
3. Ethical
4. Ritual
5. Experiential
6. Institutional
7. Material (added in his 1998 text)

Note: Smart categorized 1-3 as para-historical and 4-6 as historical.

Goddess in Pictures #1

{images found at we♥it tagged with "goddess"}

New Feature: Ask Panthea

As I've said before, people need people. Recently, I seem to be getting more and more aware of this fact and I felt there was a need for people to reach out in a safe way. We learn and grow by our connections to others and asking questions and expressing ideas is one way that we connect and create a dialogue with each other.

I firmly believe that there are no stupid questions and that the ability to ask questions is a sign of great courage and intelligence. I've set up this little area so that anyone can ask any question they like.

Your question might be about Goddess mythology, meditation, general spiritual practices, ritual observances, following your bliss, shadow work, or just life in general. Maybe you've recently come out of a rocky relationship and are having trouble letting go. What kind of wisdom might we uncover together to help you overcome that loss?

Click over to the Ask Panthea page for all the details and to leave your questions, comments, ideas, thoughts, musings, etc.

♥ Lisa