Welcome and Introduction
Introduction
Join me on a journey into the beauty, power,
strength of the Sacred Feminine- God's Inclusive All-Embracing Love-
in our world.
Contemplate the depths of divine mystery and holy wisdom in ancient
biblical, mystical writings and in your spiritual journey.
Today there is a new awareness that sexual equality and mutuality are
the relational order presented by Jesus and the writers of the New Testament.
This vision reintroduces the feminine face of God presented in Scripture,
tradition and in mystical writings throughout the ages.
There is a growing contemporary phenomenon evident in the widespread
interest of the feminist movement in spirituality and in the actuality of women
affirming their worth and dignity as divine images created in the divine image.
The process of naming and re-imaging God, using feminine images in addition
to the traditional masculine ones, gives us endless possibilities for growth
in wholeness and holiness. It challenges us to discover our self-image and
our identity in the cosmos as human persons called to equality and mutuality,
sharing a sacred connectedness with creation. All genders
symbolize the divine and thus, are spiritual equals. This means that the full equality
of women in an inclusive church for everyone must include ordained ministries.
One can assert that if the symbol system that patriarchy has given us of a
male God is changed, our worldview could be radically altered.
As we reimagine our divine beginning, we can incorporate a symbol system
that reflects the liberating energy of the feminine at
work in our lives guiding us toward a more balanced, integrated approach
to spirituality and ministry.
Beyond our wildest imagination is divine mystery beyond the Beyond.
Every metaphor strikes our intuitive awareness-level as, amazingly,
both true and false of God. Yes, it is true that
God's love for me is like a mother's warm, unconditional embrace.
But, God is so much more, and this image is limited in the
face of divinity's presence within, around and beyond us.
Yet, the Judaeo-Christian tradition of the West has always expressed its
experience of God in human images and concepts. It has used language,
images and concepts to describe the Divine Presence that include
both masculine and feminine qualities.
However, the masculine metaphors have been in preponderance, due to the
world's overtly male orientation.
Praying with feminine images of God introduces us into a wonderful variety of
new possibilities for prayer that will not only expand our consciousness of
divine presence, but also will help to transform political, social and economic
systems that oppress us.
The Bible uses a variety of masculine and feminine images to describe
the experiences of God's people with the Holy One in their midst:
God is like a loving father, a courageous warrior, a good shepherd, a mighty king,
a passionate lover.
But, God is also described as a mother eagle, a woman in labor, a midwife
delivering a baby, a nurturing mother feeding her suckling infant at the breast.
The Wisdom of God in the Hebrew Scriptures is the feminine personification,
Sophia.
Unfortunately these feminine metaphors have been relatively unexplored,
until recently.
The women's movement and the publications of feminist
theologians have only begun to catch the public's ear, and the richness
contained in prayerfully exploring these feminine metaphors
is only in its initial stage of sparking the imagination and raising consciousness.
The impact of a fuller imaging of God and the naming of this experience
empowers, transforms and heals all genders.
"As women reimagine that which is feminine as being inclusive of strength,
purpose, and personhood," Bernice Marie-Daly observes,
"men conversely are reimagining that which is masculine as being inclusive of
intimacy, vulnerability, and interdependence. No longer must women create only
with their bodies; no longer must men create only with their minds.
As this evolving convergence comes to term, human consciousness revisions
and reimagines itself as whole and healthy indeed, as blessing."
Sandra Schneider goes further than this in her perception of the "healing of
wounds"inherent in meditation on God from the perspective of feminine images.
In her 1986 Madeleva lecture she warned that "religious imaginations must be
healed of wounds inflicted by the distorted males-only image of a
patriarchal God."
In Women at Prayer, Mary Collins suggests a cure for our one sided focus on a
God-in-masculine-metaphor which has for centuries deprived human beings
of an immense richness.
She speaks of a needed "therapy of the imagination" and advises a tapping of
the charisma of the "imaginatively gifted, who may have the resources
for healing the psychic damage which is blocking living faith."
This is one basis for the growth in our time of the apaphatic mode of prayer,
which abandons any attempt of the intellect to grapple with the divine through images
and adopts an imageless stance, centering and resting in the Divine Presence.
Theologian Georgia Masters Keightley writes: "Steadfast, uncompromising love
and fidelity, patience, gentleness, the task of healer, welcoming hostess,
birth giver, devoted parent and tireless nurturer- all of these are things that have
long been considered by patriarchal society as being inferior and betraying
weakness. Yet in being identified with God's own nature, these attributes
are affirmed not only for their exquisite humanness. They are also being
expressive of, as pertaining to the divine's own essence.
Thus, they become something to celebrate, something to value and treasure.
As a new generation become accustomed to imaging and speaking about God in
feminine terms, the church and its theology will have profited much."
(Preface- Delighting in the Feminine Divine, Bridget Mary Meehan)
This course opens a new encounter with Sacred Mystery into what will be for some
uncharted waters, to plumb the depths of divine presence revealed in feminine images of God.
Suggested Approaches:
This course provides an imaginative hands-on approach of "praying with" and
"reflecting on" different images of the Sacred Feminine in Scriptures,
the mystics , contemporary writings and in your life.
I invite you to trust your own experience as a contemporary mystic and
become a participator in a process in any way that feels comfortable for you.
I invite you to articulate the wisdom of your spiritual experiences through
a variety of creative approaches- story, poetry, song, dance and journaling
or in anyway that is meaningful for you.
Each session begins with a quote from scripture, the mystics or a contemporary
author which presents God from a feminine perspective.
After each reflection a series of meditative steps is provided to help you
enter into a mode of prayerful engagement with the image.
You may choose to use material in order, or to skip around as your preference
dictates, reflecting on one that interests or challenges you.
Be open and receptive to any opportunity for the spiritual growth your
reflections may bring.
You may find wonderful surprises in store for you as you explore
the Sacred Feminine in your life.
This course also provides food for thought for spiritual development groups
and inclusive communities interested in developing liturgies and worship aids
that integrate the rich legacy of the Divine Feminine in their rituals and
prayerful sharing as a basis for mutual sharing and enrichment.
Before coming together to discuss the material as a group,
I suggest that each participant
reflect on an image(s) of God selected for the discussion.
You can then choose to share your reflection on Teachable
or participate in a group exercise in person or on Zoom.
It is in the sharing phase that each member has the opportunity to be enriched
by the insights of other participants. By exploring together the Sacred Feminine,
the group creates a fuller corporate imaging of God.
As communities reimagine the Sacred Feminine I believe our church and world will
discover new ways to internalize a feminine consciousness in
powerful images that reveal our cosmic connectedness and cosmic
responsibilities.
For in the beginning, heaven and earth were one and we were one.
And so it is now and ever shall be- we are one- in the All-Embracing Love around,
within and beyond us!
Blessings to you, companions on the journey,
Bridget Mary Meehan
