Most people reading this blog have done their own kind of research into some or all of the life of Christ, religion, pre-Christianity religions, goddesses, empowerment, Sacred Feminine.... The list goes on.

I assume everyone reading is here for a basic purpose. Understanding. Be it knowing where our spirituality springs from individually, trying to filter through history for a glimpse of what actually occurred or outright curiosity is for you and you alone. I myself have researched for years concepts Dan Brown (Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code) and numerous others have stirred up. Good for them! As a mother of four, a wife and "slave to the grind" I can say I am not the foremost speaker on the subject of Sacred Feminine. I have a busy life. I hold no doctorate on the subject. But I believe research; thirst for knowledge and good intuition speaks volumes. I intend to bring thoughts out in my blog here that pique my own curiosity. I hope it does the same for you.

The idea of Jesus not knowing the love of a woman is by far the most ridiculous conception (no pun intended) Christianity has spoon-fed us throughout HIStory. In every religion using the bible, we are told of the life of Christ here on Earth. His conception. His birth. His followers. His struggles. His grief. His pain. His suffering. His death. I am not going into the "whys" of Christianity's reasoning for lifting a good man to the levels of immortality. (If this is something you are not familiar with, research it… it is very interesting.)

Let's play devil's advocate: Let's say everything written in the Bible regarding Jesus' life were true. Immaculate conception to reincarnation. We are to believe he experienced a range of human emotions. Difficult emotions: pain, struggle, suffering, betrayal, deceit, failure. Wonderful emotions: kindness, faith, humility, familial love, brotherly love. But not intimate love? This is one of Christianity's biggest failures. To expect us to believe a deity put on Earth could not possibly partake in the most basic human quality to love intimately. Is it possible to feel every emotion and not experience the personal connection between man and woman? Or the longing for it? History itself depicts all young Jewish men were to be married in that era. Even The Da Vinci Code covered that.

Everyone knows Mary Magdalene. Painted as a whore. The level of equality squashed. Which unfortunately for man is a tragedy. It is most likely the most fulfilling love story in history erased. For every good man, there is a good woman behind him. (Or for some, in front of him.) It pains me to think of all the good the retelling of their lives together (Jesus and Mary) could have done if allowed to be told over the centuries, documented and revered. Healthy partnerships between man and woman are what we are designed for. The capacity to love is our best human trait. It seems the church for whatever reason they claim stole the best we have to offer by refusing to acknowledge Jesus' personal/intimate relationship with Mary Magdalene. Jesus' life was taken and used to promote another's ideals. This we cannot erase. It happened.

What we can do is question. And keep questioning. Faith is a wonderful tool. I am NOT saying people should not believe in what they choose to believe. It is not my place to say. But the next time you decide to open a Bible, read between the lines. What are your thoughts on why intimate love was left out of the emotions Jesus felt?

— Danielle Marie Powell

Mary Magdalene | Goddess | Jesus and Mary | Sacred Fems | SacredFems.com

Labels: Dan Brown, Davinci Code, Jesus Christ, Marriage, Mary Magdalene

The article on Lisa Nowak brings to mind a question about why we as a culture would become fascinated with the obsessive behavior of a jealous woman in a fight over a man with another woman. Do we know all the facts? Should we even care? Is this just another stupid pop-ed story about two women fighting over a desirable mate or something more?

As humans, we have always been fascinated with the interaction between male and female, especially when the situation entails jealousy and rivalry. This situation arises not only from the personal issues involved but from the need for economic stability in society supported by marriage and inheritance laws. As with modern society, relationships are driven not only by emotions but by the need for power and economic security. The goddesses like Hera, Juno and Frigg were jealous not only because of their partnerships with the Father gods but because their rivals threatened their positions of power and that of their children.

In societies like early Greece, where marriages were for positioning and heirs while love was restricted to the same sex, they highlighted this aspect. However, history is filled with examples of women married to kings and other men of power whose children lost their inheritance or even their lives when the father lost interest in their mother. This has been the case ever since the inheritance laws changed from matrilineal inheritance to patrilineal inheritance. The stories of the goddesses of marriage reflect this dichotomy.

According to modern American culture a relationship is supposed to be based only in emotion and physical attraction instead of economic necessity for the support and future inheritance of the family. We no longer have guidance for our belief systems other than the popular media. Of course you could argue that the stories of the gods and goddesses were the popular media of their time. I don't agree because I have yet to see it determined that our current popular media serves any interests other than those of the advertising, political and corporate industries.

If you look at the stories of those goddesses of the home and hearth from an emotional standpoint, their behavior may seem bizarre and even threatening. Personally, I would wonder why any man would stand for this kind of behavior in their life partner but there were more reasons for their partnership than physical attraction. We justify it these days with protestations of romantic love. That if a man or women truly loved each other then they would remain partners for the remainder of their life with total fidelity no matter what each of them do.

These were not the lessons that were demonstrated in the stories of Zeus and Hera or Jupiter and Juno. Yes, they were from cultures that drew from each and other and as such had similar experiences. But the human experience at that time in those cultures reflected that marriages and partnerships were founded more on economic realities rather than emotional desires. In spite of their jealous and spiteful attempts to rid themselves of their rivals and their rivals children, both of these goddesses were greatly honored in the cultures that acknowledged them. There were consequences for their behavior but they were still the ones that protected the stability of the hearth and home.

Maybe if we had the stories of the gods and goddesses to help and guide us, we might not focus on what is really a sad story of an efficient and competent women who let her need for a man to complete her drive her to actions that she normally would never contemplate.

Why call Ms. Nowak an efficient and competent woman, in view of the reason why she made headlines? Mainly because institutions like NASA do not normally allow incompetents to operate components of the space shuttle. When she and the other two parties violated a tenet that has served employees of the same company well for years, namely don't date people in the same organization, they did themselves a true disservice. They made themselves laughingstocks. I include the other two parties because I consider the death of dignity a loss for all. Was it necessary for the situation to develop as it did? Probably not.

There were consequences that affected all three of them as well as the rest of society. All women in our society lose when one woman who has succeeded allows her emotions to overcome her leading to the loss of her occupation and possibly the loss of her freedom. Our society is lessened by the ridicule that people who wish to control the image of the sacred feminine will cast on women because of Lisa's actions. However, the person who lost the most was Lisa Nowak. I feel sorrow for her and relief that she still has some friends who will support her through this ordeal she has instigated.

— Arnulfa

Image: Hera, from about.com

Lisa Nowak | Goddess | Marriage | Sacred Fems | SacredFems.com

Labels: Arnulfa, Gods and goddesses, Lisa Nowak, Marriage