We have been meditating on finding a balance again twixt the sacred masculine and the divine feminine with guidance from the wisdom scriptures and Julian of Norwich and Hildegard of Bingen.
Finding a working balance is essential if the Earth as we know it—Mother Earth—and all her creatures are to survive. And, incidentally, whether our species will survive. As we uncover more and more of our hominid ancestors, a movement that is in full swing today especially in southeast Asia, we realize that we Homo Sapiens are one among many versions of hominids.
There are Neanderthals, Denisovan, Homo Heidelbergensis, Homo Rudolfensis, Homo Habilis, Homo Floresiensis, Homo Erectus, and surely more to be discovered. So many other species of bipeds in our family tree have gone extinct. We are the last ones standing.
Do we have a future? Not if we continue to rape the earth and ignore (or go into denial about) the havoc we are capable of wrecking on our forests and oceans, rivers and soil, air and climate, with severe consequences for the millions of species going extinct and the droughts and hurricanes and wild fires and floods that are being unleashed.
One way to deepen our appreciation of the Divine Feminine is to gather her many names and stories from around the world, stories found (but often hidden or neglected or covered up) in our various religious traditions. Consider the title of “Wisdom” which is feminine and which is invoked often by Hildegard and Julian, the Books of Proverbs, Sirach and more in the Bible.
We will consider more of these names for the goddess in upcoming DM’s alongside healthy names of the Sacred Masculine as well.
Meanwhile, on Thursday morning this week there is a (free) Zoom gathering with a creation spirituality group in Italy on the occasion of the translation of my book, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable God in which I include a number of feminine names for God. I will be interviewed in English by Gianluigi Gugliermetto who translated the new Italian version of the book, Gli 89 Splendidi Nomi di Dio. You are welcome to join us HERE (Registration is required to receive the Zoom link).
See Matthew Fox, Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God…Including the Unnameable God, pp. 59-70.
to read the transcript of Matthew Fox’s video teaching, click HERE.
Banner Image: Detail of the oldest of the “Holy Wisdom” icons of the “Novgorod type”, from the Annunciation Cathedral in Moscow, dated to the first quarter of the 15th century. Wikimedia Commons.
Queries for Contemplation
What does it mean to you to realize that all other hominids are extinct and that we are the last hominids standing after hundreds of thousands of years? Does that inspire you to contribute to a deeper and maybe more peaceful humanity?
Recommended Reading
Naming the Unnameable: 89 Wonderful and Useful Names for God …Including the Unnameable God
Too often, notions of God have been used as a means to control and to promote a narrow worldview. In Naming the Unnameable, renowned theologian and author Matthew Fox ignites our imaginations by offering a colorful range of Divine Names gathered from scientists and poets and mystics past and present, inviting us to always begin where true spirituality begins: from experience.
“This book is timely, important and admirably brief; it is also open ended—there are always more names to come, and none can exhaust God’s nature.” -Rupert Sheldrake, PhD, author of Science Set Free and The Presence of the Past
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5 thoughts on “Welcoming the Many Names of the Divine Feminine”
Patriarchy finally gets something right—an indigenous mother to protect Mother Earth.
Hoofnote: She frightens the wealthy and corrupt patriarchy that clings desperately to its waning power and riches. “Good!” }:- a.m.
https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2021-4-fall/feature/deb-haaland-living-testament
The Great Cosmic Mama that holds the universe in her lap—what a marvelous and creative image! Regarding the question for contemplation–to realize that we are the last hominids is startling. We are surely on the road to extinction in our current incarnation, and maybe there is still time for enough of us to wake up and contribute to a deeper and more peaceful humanity. On the other hand, from a cosmic point of view we are a miniscule part of a grand and glorious whole, and there may be other life forms out there who are rising in consciousness more successfully that we are. Is it not a bit arrogant to think that we are so special, any more than any other of God’s creations?
That’s very interesting that Eckhart distinguishes between the Godhead, the Feminine Being or Motherhood, and God the more active side of the Masculine Sacredness — Divine Form and Divine Formlessness. In our Trinitarian understanding of the Divine, Father and Mother as ‘Persons’ of the Trinity seem to be in a very Loving, Wisdom, and Creative Spirit (third Person) Relationship of Cosmic Oneness…. Of course God-Dess is a mystery and Unnameable as Matthew helps us to at least have an intuition of Her-His Mystery….
Every day I go to class and have Matthew Fox as my professor and guide! It’s simply Amazing!
Lynn, I felt that way too when I went to Matthew’s school–the University of Creation Spirituality. I lived just a few miles from the Claremont School of Theology but I chose rather to commute all the way up to Oakland from Southern California, just to study withy Matthew !!!