March 1, 2005
Who is the Goddess?
So Hum: I Am She
by Laura Newberry
You and I rest nestled in the womb of the Goddess, as She holds us in her loving embrace. She is Mother Earth. Gaia. She also rises up through the sky first warming our backs with her rosy fingers at dawn. She is the dirt on which we tread and the waves on which we ride. She is the snow that melts off our roofs in winter and the trees whose leaves blow gently in the wind. She is the thunder clouds that roll in from the south and the rivers that erode into precious canyons. She holds us as we walk, dance, swim, sleep, and dream. She is the divine scholar, who reveals herself as wise Sophia and unveils all Her knowledge. She is the Goddess of learning&emdash;Saraswati. She is loving Aphrodite and angry Hera. She is the wild doe who runs through the forest like Artemis. She is Dianna. She is Demeter who changes the Earth from full, lush green into the bland coolness of winter. She is Persephone, raped and taken to Hell by Hades himself. She is Mary, that pregnant virgin. Embodied Motherhood. She is Eve, that deceptive scapegoat, who only after all wanted to drink the ambrosia of wisdom from her rightful Source&emdash;the tree, the snake, the apple&emdash;they are all symbols of the Goddess. And Eve, O Courageous Eve, ate only from what was rightfully hers. She is Pandora who defied the male God to do what women have always done. She used her curiosity and power to act alone.
The Goddess? You and I are the Goddess, who lives, breaths, and moves through our every thoughtful action. Each being, whether predominately engulfed in male or female energy, knows the Goddess' power and essential Shakti. Through our daily ritual of waking up and falling back into slumber, we embrace Her cyclical nature. She is vast as the mountains and as small as a single sand grain. She whispers into the hearts of Her children but stands strong and fierce like Durga when standing up for herself. She is the Minoan Snake Goddess of Crete and honored Inanna of Sumer. She is the Spider who weaves creativity into creation. She is the Dolphin who plays endlessly in the waves. She is the small Temple in which women light their candles and chant Her name. She is Gayatri, the Solar Consciousness. She is the strong Priestess who helps us to celebrate Her power and recognize that She already exists within us. She is the seeds which we plant in the soft, fertile earth and watch grow into plants, fruits, flowers, and ideas. She is Everywoman. She is Shakti. She is Sun, Moon, and Earth. She is Everything!
She is Breath, the inhale and exhale, which merge darkness and light into fullness and radiance. The touch of her breath tickles our cheeks, as the wind moves lovingly through our hair. She is Sight. Her eyes reveal vision and courageous action. Her smell reminds us of ripe mango nectar. She hears the lonely cries of desperation and the heaves of devastation. She, O Powerful Kali, retaliates against injustice and venerates peace triumphant. She holds us as we tear our hair out with grief. She consoles us as we mourn the passing of the old&emdash;but helps us to welcome the new. She tastes the bitterness of love, whose joy and sorrow plague our hearts. And She touches us, nourishes us, and gives us hope in her warm embrace. She is the peach we eat, the small brick path upon which we tread, and the smoke from our sandalwood incense. She is. The Goddess is sacred for her spiritual union with sexuality and Her body. Our bodies, united through love and friendship, are reflections of Her smooth skin and round curves. She blends our minds, souls, hearts, and bodies together to create a web of Life. The Goddess is gratitude, enduring hardship, patience, guidance, growth, fullness, Love, and unfolding joy. She gives us the ability to understand both sides of the great continuum of Life and Death. So Hum. I am She. I am Her divine energy.
Laura Newberry is currently working on her PhD at Claremont Graduate University in the Women's Studies in Religion program. She holds a BA in Classical Studies and Spanish from the College of Wooster, where she wrote her undergraduate thesis entitled: The Journey of the Goddess. Before entering CGU, Laura attended the Ariadne Institute, directed by Carol Christ, in Crete. She has recently been awarded a grant to study Jainism in Banaras, India during the summer of 2005.