Why is the image of the Divine Mother so important?

Hi friends, sisters, seekers of the divine, the summer is on its way... I hope you all are enjoying some fun and relaxation and maybe a little reading? : ) 


In case you were wondering... Adele, Pam, Jan, Katie, Leslie, Heather, Elizabeth & me (& a couple maybes) are reading the book. I saw Adele yesterday and she already finished it! It really isn't too long of a book and is written I think in a very inviting way. 


 Given we have all been immersed in a patriarchal religious tradition, it may feel strange to venture into this topic... This book I think does a great job in showing us that it is ok for Christians to conceive of god in non-masculine imagery.  Wherever you are at in the book or on your journey, wondering what your heart is saying to you about this idea of God bring beyond gender yet beautifully imaged in both genders. How does it feel to you to imagine God in feminine terms and qualities? Not just intellectually but more in the deeper recesses of your heart/subconsciousness (the olace where you reach when you are at the end of your rope, in need of comfort and consolation) ie your lived and felt image of God? ...that knowing beyond knowing that makes you feel connected with Something beyond yourself? ... A knowingness that hovers within and over your very embodied life experience... the "scripture" revealed within your life as a female, woman, daughter, sister, mother, human... I hope some of you feel inspired to chime in. I am really looking forward to gathering at the end of the summer in person to debrief... 


 While I'm posting, I can't resist sending along a quote from another book which touched me... 


 "Why is the image of the Divine Mother so important? 


To answer this question, we need to look no further than our experience of birth into the world. First of all, there is the traumatic experience of the embryo in the womb; the experience of union or fusion and containment within a watery, nurturing matrix. Afte the traumatic experience of birth and the sudden violent expulsion from this matrix, the prolongation of the early feelings of close relationship, trust, and safety is absolutely vital. Without the consistent and loving care of the mother in early childhood [NO MOMMY GUILT ALLOWED!] the child has no trust in itself, no power to survive negative life experiences, no model from. Which to learn how to nurture and support itself... It is like a tree with no roots, easily torn up by a storm. It's instincts have been traumatized or damaged . with the love of the mother and trust in her presence, the child grows in strength and confidence and delights in itself and in life. Its primary response is trust. Without this experience, life becomes threatening, terrifying. Without it, the effort of living exhausts and dispirits. Intense and constant anxiety means that there is no resting place, no solace for loneliness, no feeling that life is something to be trusted and enjoyed. 


 Without this positive image of the feminine, fear, like a deadly parasite, invades the soul and weakens the body. Those cultures that have no image of the Mother in the godhead are vulnerable to immensely powerful unconscious feelings of fear and anxiety, particularly when the emphasis of their religious teaching is on sin and guilt. The compensation for this fear is an in saturable need for power and control over life. How hungry the human heart is for an image of a Divine Mother that would, like an umbilical cord, reconnect it to the Womb of Being, restoring the lost sense of trust and containment in a dimension that may be beyond the reach of our intellect, yet is accessible to us through our deeper instincts..." 
The Divine Feminine:  Exploring the Feminine Face of God Throughout the World by A Harvey & A Baring


meditate for a moment on the image of the umbilical cord... 


 Oops, that got a little long... How might allowing yourself to imagine/pray/know God in feminine terms deepen your intimacy/oneness/kinship with your Creator "beyond the reach of your intellect"? If you are so inclined, share some insights/musings/wonderings... 


 Why is the image of the Divine Mother so important? or not? or maybe...


grace & peace, 
Emily