Divine Feminine
Have you ever wondered why: “Divine Feminine”? We never say Divine Masculine. When you hear “Divine” or perhaps the “Holy One,” there is an assumption of masculinity but not a naming of such. Why is that? What mysterious part of the Divine must we name as we seek to understand her?
The Divine Feminine, whether you are male or female, can support who you are becoming, the light that you shine forth, and the way you move through the world.
I have been exploring and discovering the Divine Feminine in greater degrees for about a decade. It wasn’t until I went to seminary that I was introduced to her. I was given permission to consider her existence and shown points of entry through which to discover and explore her within the Scriptures.
I experience the Divine Feminine as a guide to the malleable and pliable edges of the Divine. Her wisdom and energy take me to the borders of the Divine and gently expand on the available spaciousness, inviting me to explore my own mysterious edges.
She is a sage, a wise and needed escort to accompany me to the raw and transparent edges of myself and what I consider divine. I am given a mirror of how the Divine is within and that view allows me to move more deeply into who I already am.
She often uses the art of indirection and is the undefended wide-open doorway into the outer borders of the Divine. As she guides us into the dark, mysterious edges of the Divine, it is also into deeper self-awareness and consciousness. She is a companion in my ongoing search for “Who is the Divine?” and “Who am I?”.
She is a pursuer, seeking a deeper and truer truth. She bravely and fearlessly engages mystery, but her approach is gentle and never forceful or burdensome. She is an agent for beauty and light, rest and darkness, kindness and comfort, purity and freedom.
Beauty and light arose from within her when she danced at the dawn of creation, so she knows the power accessible in the morning sunrise. Beauty is everywhere—in the splendor of the created order and within the brilliance and radiance of your own being. From beauty, we gain an understanding of the Divine and of ourselves. The Divine incarnates in beauty evoking and pulling your soul into Itself and a deep inner coherence of your own self. The Greek for “the beautiful” is to kalon, a root related to the verb kalein, “to call”. Beauty calls and our heart reverberates with an inner knowing and delight. When we experience beauty, there is a sense of homecoming; we find ourselves in the place we have longed to be, home. As humans, we have an aching need for beauty, for in beauty, we discover not only the face of the Divine but also our own face exploring the supple and spacious edges of what we have known and experienced. Dallas Willard reminds us that “Beauty” is goodness made present to the senses. This is what the Divine Feminine does–makes goodness present to our senses.
Beauty is power. Beauty wraps our suffering in itself and becomes a healing balm for our pain and agony, gently breathing defiant and wild hope into our raw and tender wounds. Beauty is powerful as we are wholly consumed but not burned up. Beauty trumpets its power all along the path as we find our way home.
Two small practices to engage with the Divine Feminine:
Choose to notice the beauty all around you. Beauty is found in nature’s vistas and landscapes, sunrises and sunsets, other human beings, and in artwork of all sorts. Yes, to all of that. These are all touchpoints of beauty that can ground and center you in what is true and real and help you fall back into rest and Presence. Beauty is also found in the tiny—a small vase of flowers on the table, the cardinals at the birdfeeder, a pause in the afternoon with a mug of tea, a small act of welcoming home children or partner.
Cultivate beauty with a simple morning ritual that kindles kindness and blessing towards others as you begin the day.
Reflection questions:
What has been your exposure and experience with the Divine Feminine? Who is she to you?
How might the beauty all around you become a path to the beauty within you?
Inspiration
if you believe
superheroes didn’t exist,
then you never knew
Georgia Mae Jones.
My grandmother.
she could have
saved the world
with her poundcake –
it had just the right amount of sugar
to defeat any evil
inside of you,
it could
turn a sour weakness
into sweetness,
take your tastebuds
to hyperspace,
and awaken the superpowers
of your senses.
her heroic hands
held secrets.
magic spells
mixed into recipes,
an infusion of soul,
the miracle
of a black woman’s
kitchen.
food was one
of her many
strengths,
and it was the one thing
that always brought
my family together.
my life’s story
was a gift
through experience,
a moveable feast of memory
that followed me from childhood to adulthood, influencing the way
i now interact with flavor,
defining my
standard
of perfection.
i invite you
to rediscover your
story.
to re-read
the ingredients
of your life written
by the supernatural wisdom
of women.
Maybe it’s
a divine feminine
that flows through you,
a spellbinding strength
embedded in your breath,
maybe it’s a matriarch’s
recipe passing through generations
as you pass through
life.
Or maybe
it’s the awareness
that your story
is our story,
and we are permanently
connected
by this
consciousness.
by Marcus Amaker
What is to Become of Us
What is to become of us
now
perhaps it is
our turn
to suffer anew
to breathe in
oppressive air
the smoke
burning our lungs
stinging our eyes
crying tears
of grief
shock
dismay
but never shame
because we know
what you don't
this is the last stand
the tower
is already crumbling
he sound you hear
is not what you think
go ahead
have your last hurrah
do what you will
because She is rising
and will burn it down
in golden flames
brighter
than you have ever seen
louder
than the sun
screaming over the horizon
what is to become of us
we know
and we are not afraid
by Katy Allen