The Feminine Divine: Seeking Balance in Religion

Photos and Text by Meredith Price

The scent of sage fills the air as a light breeze blows through the leaves of nearby palm trees. Somewhere in the distance, a tractor is plowing a field. The chirp of an occasional bird breaks the calm hush for a moment. A bag of instruments is passed around, and a shrine with Neolithic goddess figurines, babushkas, photographs of goddess statues, and a ceramic plate painted with a spiral design is quietly constructed. Thirteen Israeli men and women are seated in a circle around the artifacts. The earth below is the archeological site of a civilization over 8,000 years old. A few hundred meters away, one of the oldest known wells, now-covered, marks the spot where the people of the Yarmukian society once came to fill buckets of fresh water for pottery, drinking and bathing. We are in Kibbutz Sha'ar Hagolan, south of Lake Kinneret, but the modern blessing ceremony some Israeli women have invented might have origins much older than was previously imagined. They have chosen this place to conduct their ritual because of the goddess figurines recently found in this area. Iris Yotvat, one of the leaders of the goddess spirituality movement in Israel and a former movie star, leads the group in songs and prayers. As a chalice filled with water passes from hand to hand, each person places a few drops on their skin and thanks Mother Earth for her blessings. Some of the women remind everyone that we were not here first, and we will not be here last. A thin bundle of smoking sage, tightly bound with white string, is passed around for meditation and cleansing. After each person says his or her blessings and thoughts, Yotvat begins to sing to the beat of a slow drum. Tambourines, flutes, shakers and darbukas join in the songs of praise to the Great Mother, the creator of life.

For many of the men and women seated here, the power of the circle represents a sacred space. It provides a medium for group meditation and unity. It relates to the moon and the ancient symbol of eternity, where time has no end and no beginning. The goddess worshipers believe that a divine goddess was praised thousands of years ago, when agricultural societies lived in relative peace, and that the loss of that feminine spirit is part of what ails our modern culture. Despite their marginality, their convictions are supported by a growing body of archeological evidence and by many biblical scholars. Many of those who believe in a divine feminine recently united in the Negev desert for a Shakti festival to learn more about ancient goddess figurines and how they connect to their lives today. Some of the seminars and lectures at the festival included contemporary findings, especially those goddess figurines discovered within Israel, such as the ones Dr. Yosef Garfinkel of the Hebrew University recently uncovered at Kibbutz Sha'ar Hagolan.

ELEVEN YEARS ago, Garfinkel and his archeological team began excavations on a small plot of land on the kibbutz. They discovered evidence of an advanced civilization in the Neolithic period, when humanity transitioned from nomadic hunters and gatherers to agricultural farmers and domesticators. Their dig produced evidence of a street network, houses, courtyards and a well. They found large amounts of pottery and goddess figurines, indicating a technologically innovative society. The artistic, herring-bone design found on much of the pottery is also carved on the goddess figurines. Garfinkel believes it was a symbol the Yarmukians, so named for their proximity to the Yarmuk River, probably also tattooed on their bodies. Goddess figurines have been found throughout the Middle East, but the Yarmukian site yielded 350, while the dig excavated only 1 percent of the actual size of the ancient city. The high number of figurines and their identical features – the long head, the diagonal, grooved eyes, the prominent nose, earrings, the seated position with the left hand supporting the breasts and the right hand on the hip – led Garfinkel to conclude that it is unlikely that these objects functioned as toys. "When it comes to interpretation, your imagination is as good as mine," says Garfinkel. "But these figurines were not Barbie dolls or art. The fact that they are all the same indicates some sort of ritual or religious function," he explains.

It is difficult to say with any certainty whether or not the Yarmukians were worshiping goddesses because we have no written evidence about their system of beliefs, but many archeologists speculate that the goddess figurines represented fertility. As the Yarmukians were exchanging their nomadic lifestyle for a more permanent, agricultural existence, their dependence on livestock and crops greatly increased. According to Professor Moshe Stekelis of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and the first researcher at Sha'ar Hagolan in the 1940s, "almost all scholars agree that Neolithic female figurines are the prototype of the Mother-goddess, representing fertility in all its aspects – human, animal and vegetal. Neolithic figurines like the Yarmukian were also, it may be surmised, used as amulets for fertility, protection against evil, relief in child-bearing and in the cult of the dead." BUT NO matter what the purpose or function of the goddess figurines once was, some contemporary women have found in them a justification and inspiration for their modern beliefs.

As Sandra Scham, the editor of Near Eastern Archeology, recently pointed out, Asherah, the wife or consort of Yahweh, is referenced over 40 times in the Old Testament, but she was relentlessly attacked by the authors of biblical texts. In the biblical text, Asa, the king of Judah (911-870 BCE) is commended for revoking the privileges of performing official duties from his mother Ma'acah after "she had an abominable image made for Asherah (I Kings, 15.13, II Chronicles 15.6). The long-reigning Manasseh of Judah (698-642 BCE) is denounced for doing "what was evil in the sight of the Lord" by "making an Asherah" (II Kings 21.7), and Josiah (639-609 BCE) is praised for destroying offerings made to Asherah at the temple in Jerusalem and for the demolition of a shrine where women "did the weaving for Asherah" (II Kings 23). But "ultimately, the campaign to eliminate the goddess has failed," writes Scham, due to the increasing archeological evidence, not only of the goddess presence, but also of her importance. Most biblical scholars agree that Asherah was the Caananite goddess and consort of El, as evidenced through ancient inscriptions found in Sinai. She disappeared after the fall of Judah and the exile in Babylon, purportedly condemned by a patriarchal, established religion that feared the power and equality of women.

According to Marija Gimbutas, a well-known archeologist who specialized in goddess art, figurines and mythology in European prehistory, a peaceful, sedentary culture with highly developed agricultural systems and great architectural, ceramic and sculptural traditions was invaded by warring tribes. These repeated incursions slowly shifted the equilibrium between men and women into a predominantly patriarchal society.

BUT THESE archeologically-based ideas threaten the basis of traditional religious beliefs, especially in Israel, where a predominantly Jewish population worships one God. "Discussing the goddess and blessing the goddess here is not like anywhere else because Judaism is so strong, and Judaism sees it as worshiping another god," says actress Yotvat, who returned to Israel 15 years ago from Berkeley, California, where goddess worship has a strong following. "The history of the goddess is never discussed here because it's taboo, and very few people even know about it," says Yotvat. She believes that society is against getting in touch with the feminine because giving power to women is scary for men, who resist relinquishing their own power and fear domination. "It's not about the power of one over another," says Yotvat. "It's about partnership and bringing peace, and being close to nature and respecting Mother Earth."

Yotvat has seen a tremendous explosion in the interest of the goddess and the feminine side of divinity over the last few years in Israel. Women from all walks of life are starting to attend women's circles to learn more about themselves and how they can achieve harmony in their own lives by listening to their inner cycles. Elana Elan began studying the healing powers of the goddess after she found out she had cancer. "I started feeling feminine healing after I made changes in my life and began listening to my own body and living by the principles of my own cycles," she says. For the last few years, Elan has dedicated herself to teaching other women how to awaken the goddess within, and she is seeing great results. "There is a goddess in every woman and a god in every man," she says. "Society needs to make a change in the direction of peace and love to bring back the balance between the feminine and the masculine that has been lost." For Elan, the effects of the historical persecution of the goddess can still be felt in the war and violence so prevalent in today's world. "Our bodies remember the past. We need to heal our old wounds and remember that we have access to softness and wisdom if we seek it." The ceremonies and rituals thanking Mother Earth "the great goddess" are Elan's way of exploring and inventing her own spirituality, but her beliefs are firmly rooted in the past. "This is bigger than my personal story. This is the most ancient religion, where balance and peace existed. My vision is to bring it back to this world," she says.

AT LEAST one rabbi in Israel agrees. Ohad Ezrahi, the founder of HaMakom, a place of Jewish worship in the Judean Desert and the author of Who is Afraid of Lillith?, recently started a Jewish Renewal Movement, in which holidays are more deeply connected to nature and Mother Earth. His congregation of around 600 members celebrates Judaism in a sensual way, through dance and song. But his new vision, far from being accepted by his former community, ostracized him. At 18, he joined a haredi yeshiva in Jerusalem and shortly after became a Belzer hassid; the Belzer Rebbe took him under his wing and became his personal mentor. A few years later, after delving into Kabbala, he decided that teaching in the haredi yeshivot was too oppressive for him. "Seven or eight years ago, I was an Orthodox rabbi. I realized something was wrong with the traditional beliefs, but I committed social suicide by saying so," he explains. Ezrahi was ordained as a rabbi and spiritual leader by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi. "We are trying to bring back the balance by learning to respect the differences between the masculine and the feminine and celebrating them," says Ezrahi. "The ancient Israelites worshiped Asherah [the goddess] and our God. It was obvious to the people that there was a feminine aspect to divinity." The metaphor he gives for understanding his interpretation of Judaism is that of a creative, living religion that cannot be treated like a museum. "We have inherited the house of our ancestors and we love it and we want to live there, but to make it comfortable, we break down some walls and we open some windows. We bring in new furniture and we suit it to our own needs," he explains. In order to understand where we are today, we must first understand our roots.

Although the goddess movement is still small in Israel, Ezrahi has seen a dramatic change in the spiritual scene here over the last few years. "More and more people are realizing that there is something wrong with the traditional vision. If women were more involved in the peace process, it would be different," he says.

A WEEK before Pessah at this year's fourth annual Shakti festival, over 400 women gathered in the Negev to celebrate the spirit of the goddess within and learn more about the origins of the divine feminine. One ceremony at Shakti honored women over 50 and thanked them for their contribution to society. "For us, age is a gift. We asked these women to tell us what wisdom they have gained, and how they can initiate us in their understanding," says Elan. "After they spoke, each one received a flower from a nine-year-old girl to honor them." At the fire ceremony, a huge bonfire in the desert provided the perfect place to dance, sing, connect to nature and release any past pain and anger. "People danced and sang, and some people lay down on the ground to feel the earth below them," says Elan. For the Pessah Seder, many of the Israeli women involved in the goddess movement celebrated in alternative ways. "We went out to the woods to be close to nature," says Elan. "On Friday night, we went to the beach and brought food and some inspirational qualities of Pessah. We read the Haggada from a point of view that respects women and celebrated in a goddess way." Being outside and close to nature, far away from the lights and noise of big cities, is an important part of reconnecting to the feminine spirit for all of the goddess worshipers. It provides silence for meditation and tangible communication with the earth. And back at Sha'ar Hagolan, as the space of the small, sacred circle created by a contemporary group of Israeli men and women begins to break apart and the slow rhythm of the musical instruments lulls to a stop, they hope that regardless of who or what society worshiped in the past, blessing the great goddess of the present will return the world to a state of balance and peace.