| Versions here from: |
From Brian Dragon:The ultimate origin of all existence was a "pregnant" void, represented by the matho-mystic concept of zero. This void is the ultimate creatrix, the supreme deity of monotheists. We call this thing The Star Goddess and thereby refer to the vast vaults of space, the dark belly of limitless night. In order to experience the thrill of creation,this Star Goddess, like a grandmother of the Gods, polarized Herself ino the ultimate Dulaism from which all other dualities derive their nature. Through the act of distinguishing light or motion as a new event, the Goddess now became an object of comparison, a dark to temper the light, a peace to crown the motion. In this wise, She is like Her own daughter, she has now become "female" through comparison to the "male", who mythically can be her brother, lover, and/or son. When the Star Goddess would experience creation, she looked to her right in the black mirror of space and saw herself reflected veriously. Near to Her the reflections were much like Her, but far away in the mirror she assumbed a new and radical form, that of the king Krom, the father and god of all colored-light, the far pole of energy. Looking left, She saw the new concept of "fe-maleness" played out likewise in reflections of Her own face viewed in many ways or aspects that comprise all the aspects of the Goddess. Farthest away She beholds Herself as the ultimate female: Mari. The gods can manifest through infinite aspects and any aspect can be named. The "Reflections of the Star Goddess" teaches us to interpret these "many" faces as "coloring" of the Star Goddess. Such colorings are categorized according to the function of the god in question. Three functions are commonly used, called Wacing, Full, and Waning (after the astronomical terms). As the Waxing gods develop from out of the Star Goddess, they are first very similar, sharing especially the vigor of youth. This vigor is their most important attribute, overshadowing any incidental gender functions; hence such gods are conceived of as androgynous to lesser and greater degrees. Farthest away from the eternal belly of the Star Goddess (in either direction) we see Her manifest in radical female and radical male form. These are the greatest artifice of Her creative genius, the gods Mari and Krom.
NOTE: In this version, the Mirror of Space is curved, and Mari and Krom, the most female and male aspects of the Star Goddess are the farthest from Her. Closest to Her, moving outward are Dian-y-Glas and Nimue, the youthful deities who are androgynous, and returning back toward Her are Arddu and Ana, the aged deities who are androgynous. |
From Starhawk:Alone, awesome, complete within Herself, the Goddess, She whose name cannot be spoken, floated in the abyss of the outer darkness, before the beginning of all things. As She looked into the curved mirror of black space, She saw by her own light her radiant reflection, and fell in love with it. She drew it forth by the power that was in Her and made love to Herself, and called Her "Miria, the Wonderful". Their ecstacy burst forth in the single song of all that is, was, or ever shall be, and with the song came motion, waves that poured outward and became all the spheres and circles of the worlds. The Goddess became filled with love, swollen with love, and She gave birth to a rain of bright spirits that filled the worlds and became all beings. But in that great movement, Miria was swept away, and as She moved out from the Goddess She became more masculine. First She became the Blue God, the gentle, laughing god of love. Then She became the Green One, vine-covered, rooted in the earth, the spirit of all growing things. At last She became the Horned God, the Hunter whose face is the ruddy sun and yet dark as Death. But always desire draws Him back toward the Goddess, so that He circles Her eternally, seekintg to return in love. All began in love; all seeks to return to love. Love is the law, the teacher or wisdom, and the great revealer of mysteries.
NOTE: Starhawk's version of the myth ends here. Since the creation has no beginning or end, we can imagine the energy that is Miria returning toward the Star Goddess, first becoming somewhat more feminine, as the infertile but wise Crone, then the sexual and fertile Mother, and finally the wild, untamed virgin girl-child, belonging to no one but herself, until once again the energy returns to the Star Goddess, from whom all things emerge and unto whom all things return. |
From Francesca De Grandis:The Mother Before Creation is walking in the outer darkness. Her steps touch nothing. Her steps touch Herself, who is all things. She uses space as a mirror. This mirror is known as the Mirror of Darkness. In it, the Mother Before Creation is as vast as a starless universe, like sleep without dreams, like sleep in which all dreams reside. She draws the image from the mirror into space and calls her "Miriel", which means "Beautiful One from God". Each is virgin: unspoiled sexuality in all its freshness. Yet old beyond time, each kissing the other with all the ripeness and experience of a dying courtesan. They make love, each desiring the other as much as they desire the Self. Then Miriel moves away from the Mother Before Creation so dark emptiness lightens to cobalt blue as she becomes Dian-Y-Glas, The Blue God. The Great Mother says to Him, "They shall never take you from me. Whatever from you take, because you are my word, my hammer, and my seal, you shall return to me in your present form. And this our love shall be forever. And through our sexual union all things shall be created and are created, all things which were and are not, and are yet to be.
Here are some of Francesca's comments on the myth in her book Be a Goddess!: One mystery revealed in this myth is the true nature of darkness, embodied in the universe as the Mother's mirror. In the Christian creation myth, God looked into the darkness, into the void, and decided to make something to fill it. And henceforth He remained separate from that which He created, outside of nature and humanity. The theological implication is that God is too good to be a part of nature, and thinks the material world evil. How much more sense it makes that the Goddess saw Herself as that void, that darkness, and from that loving, vital, dark womb all things were created. Instead of condemning the material world, She not only saw it as Herself, but loved and embraced it, just as She embraces us whenever we call on Her. The belief that the Goddess is within us and all of nature is called immanence, andimplies that nature is good and sacred ...Darkness... is not evil; it is the darkness of spring nights when lovers court, of the rich soil from which our food is grown. It is the darkness that a child finds when snuggled under the covers at night while a mother whispers tender words of loving reassurance. The Goddess's dark immanence also makes sense in terms of physics: past the lighted atmosphere of earth is mostly darkness. The cosmos is not, as some would have it, a balance of light and dark, but mostly darkness. Furthermore, most of an atom is empty space; there is very little matter to the material world. Existence consists mostly of the emptiness between the particles of the atom... So most of reality is dark and empty. But just as the dark is not evil, so this is not an evil emptiness. This emptiness is the Mother Herself, replete with Her love and fecundity. Sweet mirror of darkness! O luminous darkness. Darkness is not only our shadow, but also the mirror through which we find our essential and beautiful selves... When in darkness, it is crucial that we not hide in it, but face its gift and its challenge. Especialy there, we need to be true and authentic! O luminous darkness. |