The Earth Mother in Modern Goddess Worship
Pagans Respect Balance by Honoring the Sacred Feminine
Sep 3, 2009
Some may question why so many Pagans are concerned about the earth especially when most of them live far removed from nature. The answer to that will differ among Pagans.
However, the earth mother goddess has come to embody the very heart of much of Neo-Pagan thought and practice. She is seen as a living, breathing entity that supports life in all its forms. The term “sacred feminine” sprang from this idea of seeing the feminine aspect in all of life alongside the male aspect that has so long prevailed in modern culture.
The Earth Mother's Influence on the Wheel of the Year
The wheel of the year for many Pagans revolves around earth festivals, which were in celebration of the fertility of the land. It can be easy to forget how interconnected the lives of human ancestors were with the earth's cycles.
Today, many do not even know where their food comes from since being so removed from the process which brings food to the table. It may even take a catastrophic environmental event for people to be brought back to the sober realization that mother earth is in charge.
The Gaia Hypothesis Effect on Attitudes About the Earth Mother
The earth itself has come to be known by Pagans and non-Pagans alike as Gaia, the Greek earth mother goddess who was born from the formless void known as Chaos. Her name became well known through the Gaia Hypothesis brought forth in the 1960s by Dr. James Lovelock.
In his initial theory, the earth is an entity that sustains life through the complex synchronization of several systems such as temperature, soil and atmosphere which suggests interconnectedness between all living beings.
Scientists still argue whether the earth is technically an individual entity, but the idea of the interrelationship between living things that sustain and support each other has persisted. Because of the reverence shown to earth mother goddesses in ancient cultures, it's believed that they knew of this connection between all life before modern science even attempted to theorize on the topic.
Venus of Willendorf as the Earth Mother
As a result of her association with fertility and agriculture, one of the most recognizable symbols of her in goddess worship is in the form of Venus of Willendorf. This statuette was found near Austria and dates between 22,000 to 30,000 BCE. With her large round belly and breasts, she embodies the rich bounty of the earth at her most fruitful.
Other figures with such features have been found around the world. Archeologists don't concur as to whether they represent particular goddesses or are in homage to pregnant women. In modern goddess worship, they have come to represent the all-sustaining mother earth goddess.
Honoring the Sacred Feminine Through the Earth Mother
Many Pagans see the earth mother as separate from the mother goddesses of any given pantheon or the Maiden, Mother, Crone trinity most honored in Wiccan traditions. However, it's not uncommon for her to be worshipped as "The Goddess" from which all others come from. There is a common thread for those that revere mother earth; that is the need to recognize the sacred feminine in all of creation in order to bring balance back to life and the planet that sustains it.
References:
- Streep, Peg. Sanctuaries of the Goddess: The Sacred Landscapes and Objects. Bulfinch Press, 1994.
- Farrar, Janet and Stewart Farrar. The Witches' Goddess. Phoenix Publishing Inc., 1987.
- Monaghan, Patricia.. The Book of Goddesses & Heroines. Llewellyn Publications, 1993.
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