 |
| A.M. Kuchling / Flickr |
As a little girl, the Greek Artemis held tremendous appeal. For starters, a goddess! The discovery of a god other than the Christian one was fascinating and reaffirming enough, but a female god just changed everything. And she wasn't like the women of the Gospels, who are all cast as supporting actresses to Jesus's starring role. Here was a woman, sometimes depicted as a girl, who was divine in her own right, who was wild, who wore a short tunic, and ran through the forests armed and with a band of other girls/women. She embodied female independence and sisterhood and that was a liberating image following the oppressive limits that Christianity attempts to impose on women.
My relationship with Artemis remained strong through my adolescence, but became more distant as I grew older, perhaps unsurprisingly, and I wouldn't say she's my single favorite goddess - there isn't one - but she still holds a very special place.
What about you? Are you a devotee or priest/ess of any goddess in particular? How did you arrive at her worship?
Over my life I have been devoted to a number of Goddesses. I'm polytheistic and really don't have just one. But I am ordained as a Priestess of Brighid by Olivia Robertson of the Fellowship of Isis. I came to that decision after saying for years I couldn't take ordination because of being poly. I realized that my work with Brighid had deepened and taken on a new position in my heart and life when I became a Daughter of the Flame. I had been tending Her flame for several years when Olivia asked me again about ordination and I realized I was ready to commit.
ReplyDeleteBut I am also headwashed to Pombagira and dedicated to Dionysos. So I am still poly, but Brighid holds a huge part in my spiritual life.
Thanks for sharing. When I joined Beachfyre, I developed a relationship with Brigid. She is very special to me as well. I don't tend her flame, but it's been something I've thought about for a few years now.
ReplyDelete