John Nash – Reflections on the Divine Feminine

Over the last 30 years feminist theology has become a field of intense interest. The main driving force has been women reacting against the masculine portrayal of God and the patriarchal structure of organ-ized religion. Women are seeking divine images that relate to and support their own spiritual experiences, and they want greater opportunities to express their religious aspirations.

The response to these initiatives has been the incorporation of gender-inclusive language into the liturgy, increasing attention to ancient goddesses and to women in scripture, and the admittance of women–even at senior levels–to some traditionally male-dominated religious institutions.

The process is still in its early stages. Stiff resistance has developed in many quarters–from both men and women–and more education is needed to raise the general consciousness. But it is probably fair to say that a majority of the people in this room support the rights of everyone to express his or her spiritual-ity in meaningful, relevant terms. Whether this is done through organized religion or through new forms of individual and group spirituality is a matter of personal choice.

My purpose today is not to contribute to the political debate over women’s role in religion. Nor do I feel competent to tell women what form of spirituality they should express. Each of us must do that for our-selves. Instead, I want to step back and look at the divine nature, to see what remarks can be made about what has come to be called the feminine face of God. I want to explore what it means to speak of the di-vine feminine and what responses it may evoke within us. We may or may not choose to use the word “goddess” in that context, and there are problems with that term which we shall address later.

However, I do want to emphasize that interest in the divine feminine is not just a women’s issue, an off-shoot of the larger feminist cause. Our gender should not be allowed to dictate the types of spiritual im-ages we find evocative and inspiring. Many women find masculine divine images fulfilling. And many men–throughout history and alive today–are moved by feminine images.

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