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"An" is Middle English, meaning "If"
--Chief Seattle, 1854
Women's Spirituality takes many forms, mostly those of Earth religions, such as Paganism, Witchcraft (Wicca, a specific type of Paganism), Shamanism, Native American spirituality, among others. Earth religions are not exclusive to women, by any means. However, the reason that these religions are often termed "women's spirituality" is because women are beginning to reclaim their divinity in the universe. In other words, women are no longer content to imagine the divine as male only, as an authoritative, fear-invoking god. Earth religions see the Divine as female and male, or even non-gendered. Some emphasize the female as Divine, such as Dianic Wicca, or feminist spirituality, as a way of correcting the balance skewed by 5000 years of male-supremacist religions, and as a path toward healing and wholeness.
Earth religions have become increasingly popular over the past twenty years. They are also becoming more accepted, but this depends upon which part of the United States you're talking about (i.e., NOT the Bible Belt). Unfortunately, in many parts of the country, being a practitioner of an Earth religion often means you are discriminated against, harassed, threatened with harm and death, and may have your children taken away from you by the State. This, despite the concept of "freedom of religion" in our country. However, these peaceful religions are the fastest-growing in the United States.
Contrary to fundamentalist Christian belief, Paganism and other Earth religions have NOTHING to do with Satan. Pagans DO NOT believe in Satan. Worshipping Satan is a twisted form of Christianity, NOT Paganism.
The term "Pagan" is from the Italian "pagani," meaning "country-dweller." This term was used to describe those people who were the last to be Christianized, or refused to be Christianized. During the Christian terrorism, a.k.a. Burning Times (the Witch Burnings, which took place during the Renaissance, the "age of enlightenment," and not the Dark Ages, as many people believe), it was usually the very rural folk, the country-dwellers, who were the last to give up their "pagan" religions (dating back to prehistoric times), usually under torture or threat of torture.
Then, of course, there were those who REFUSED to kowtow to Christian terrorism, and they went underground with the ancient Pagan religions, and these people (mostly women) were known as Witches. The term "witch" comes from the Middle English "wicce," meaning "to bend" (as in consciousness). Witches, or anyone in touch with the Earth and Her mysteries, were able to "bend" consciousness to become attuned to the Earth as a living creature (as opposed to today's attitude: The Earth as an ashtray and our servant). We are meant to live in harmony with the Earth and all that dwell on it, which is exactly what the ancient religions were all about. Yet, during the Burning Times, an estimated 9 million* people, around 90% of whom were women and girls, were executed for Witchcraft. Many of these victims were Pagans, and many were not. Mostly, they were women who were deemed "unnatural," such as unmarried women, widows, women who didn't want to bear children, "ugly" women, strong women, women who owned property, disabled women, and, of course, lesbians and bisexual women.
These executions were not, as most people believe, isolated incidents in a few scattered villages across Europe. They were orchestrated mass murders, perpetrated by the Christian church. Now, don't get me wrong: I do not blame Christians for this massacre. The Christian citizenry of Europe during the Burning Times mostly had no idea what these massacres really signified. They were scared that evil and harm would befall them or their children if they did not follow the rules of the Church, and help stamp out Witchcraft. Those who are to blame are the clergy, and the lawmakers. Two men in particular are to blame for the deaths of those 9 million people: James Sprenger and Heinrich Kramer, two priests who published the Malleus Malificarum, or the "Hammer of Witches." This atrocious document detailed the methods of accusation, arrest, imprisonment, torture ("confession"), rape, property confiscation, burning and/or hanging of people (especially women) that they wanted dead for this "crime" called Witchcraft. It was created basically as a "How To" book on killing Witches, with a specific emphasis on the "evils" of women. The Church benefited in mundane ways from these executions, as it became the owner of all that property that belonged to those who were killed, just like Nazi Germany became the owner of the property of those killed in the concentration camps. Misogyny was the motivation for the Burning Times, not enlightenment. Hatred was the force, not love.
In terms of symbolism for the Earth religions, the pentagram (the upwards star surrounded by a circle) is common. It is an ancient symbol denoting earth, fire, water, air, and spirit (for each of the five points of the star). This symbol DOES NOT denote Satanism. Unfortunately, those Christians who do worship Satan use the pentagram as their symbol, but with the star pointing DOWNWARDS. However, one must note that a downwards-pointing pentagram originally meant "ridding" something or someone of negative or unwanted energies, with the upwards-pointing pentagram meaning "drawing" positive or wanted energy to something or someone. Yet, Pagans everywhere are reclaiming this symbol as having the positive and healing symbolism originally intended. Do you know what the swastika originally meant? It meant interconnectedness. Yet, thanks to Adolf Hitler et al., this symbol is linked with such horror and misery since WWII that it can probably NEVER be reclaimed as a positive symbol. Hitler, by the way, was NOT a Pagan; he was a Christian. He took whatever he could to use for his own sadistic benefit.
Some day, maybe not soon, but someday we will no longer have this seething hatred and fear which seems to envelop so many people in this world. My discovery of these ancient spiritual practices has helped me on my road to healing. I'd been seeking some spiritual connection since I was a little girl, and I was frustrated and sad when the Christian church didn't make this connection for me. Then, several years ago, I realized that the Christian church couldn't do this for me, as it was not meant to. In my view, and I know not everyone agrees with me, the Christian religion as we know it today, like most of the "major" religions, is meant to control the populace. That's it. I had been seeking spiritual connection, not authority.
May all who seek spiritual connection find it, with love and harmony.
*This estimate of 9 million is considered by most historians to be high. The low estimate is 200,000; which, in my opinion, is ridiculously low. Therefore, the number of people killed during the Burning Times (including those hanged in North America) lies anywhere between 200,000 and 9 million. However, I feel that, over the course of 400 years, at least 6 million people were sure to have been killed, similar to WWII. The Burning Times is also known by those who care as the Female Holocaust, although it is obviously not thought of in this way by most people.
Mo's Spirituality Links.
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This page last updated on April 21, 1999.
©Maureen A. Barlow, 1998-99.
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