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October 21, 2012

Divine Feminine

Goddess Within (intaligo, aquatint, watercolor, collage) Andrea Hathaway ©2012


I believe in a God, I pray to a God, but I feel a profound hope and love for a Mother God. A Goddess who protects the divine feminine within myself. The great bearer of life which carries me and defines me rather than merely creating me and setting me free.

I am very interested in the divine feminine and how it relates to my place in this world. Religiosity aside, I believe that women have a divine spark in them that is separate and different from men. Primarily, it manifests in a woman's ability to bear children. I cannot bear children. It is a source of sorrow for me. Adoption and fostering are of course options, but I am not entirely committed to taking the risk of fostering a child and adoption is incredibly expensive.

Does that mean that I as a barren woman forgo the divine feminine within? I don't think so. I believe that my art and my creativity are just as relevant a form of creation as bearing children. I choose to believe that the pull to create and make art is that divine feminine made realized within me. I expect as I continue down this creative path, there will be more art depicting the Goddess I believe represents my creative soul. The sacred that calls out to my heart.

12 comments:

  1. Loved this post! I love your view on this subject and I love that we are all godesses in our own right, truly of a divine nature!

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    1. Thank you, Suzanne, it means a lot to me that you made a comment. I am so glad to have you in my Flying circle.

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  2. We definitely have a feminine goddess power! And I give you extra props for your post! It is hard to post something like that...so many people are openly religious but when your beliefs differ from theirs, some people go into attack mode (not all). You have written it so well and with grace.

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    1. I really love this post. When you were asking the question, "does that mean that I as a barren woman forgo the divine feminine within?" I was screaming out in my mind, "NO!" And then, you wrote that. :)

      I agree completely that your creative energy is just as important - and the same - as creating would-be person.

      Our lives are about creating. We create a new day for ourselves each morning. We create with our hands: art, poetry, whatever.

      I am not one iota religious; I do have some spiritual (or 'self-reflection') leanings. I love the idea of a divine feminine. I love the piece you created and love that you used part of a book to create it, blending your obvious love of words (you're a librarian!) with your art.

      Women ARE powerful and strong. Being a mother doesn't make you more power or stronger. It's just different. Embrace all that beautiful energy within you!

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    2. Kristen, I struggled so much with this post because I don't (didn't) want to distance anyone from my words by being pushy or judgey. Religion is such a sacred and personal thing. I appreciate that you felt that in my post. It is so hard sometimes to really know how one is coming across when the words are written.

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  3. Thank you so much for your sweet comments. I was so scared about posting this. I should have known my Flying Sister's would have my back. You all inspire me so much. Thank you, Suzanne and Kristen, thank you.

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  4. I know with all my heart that my creative power comes from the Divine feminine within my soul. We are all part of the Goddess. Embrace that creative raw feminine energy!

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  5. You are indeed a woman of incredible strength, and character, which makes you divinely feminine. I have walked in your shoes, after having my first child and being told it will never happen again. It is different, but similar. I found that my artwork became my therapy, my stored up feelings and emotions brought out some of my best work. You are a valuable presence in the art community. You can be sure of that! xoxo

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  6. Hi Andrea,
    Second time trying to leave a message today. Hopeful it will work this time!

    I love how you know that motherhood is *not* the only way to feel feminine creative energy. It's just *one* way, a different way. That's all. You are clearly very creative. I love the piece you showed with this post and how it combined your obvious love of books with art, and with this feminine energy.

    I'm not an iota religious, but am drawn to spirituality/self-reflection/whateveryouwanttocallit.

    I think it was an act of courage to post this. I can understand why it was hard to, not wanting to separate yourself from others. At the same time, trust in yourself and your truth. You will attract like-minded souls to your page and they will celebrate with you, get you, and understand what you're saying. :)

    <3

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    1. YAY, I figured it out... you're comments are showing up now. Thanks so much for the kind comment. I am grateful that my post comes across the way I intended. You are great to comment.

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  7. Andrea -- I would love to see more of your art. Your spark comes from deep within and it shows. The simple fact that you chose to put "Orange" and "Whimsy" together is proof of that. Who normally thinks of orange as whimsical? And, yet, you did and it SO is! Every woman is a mother. One does not have to physically birth a child to be a mother. It is said that it takes a village to raise a child. Women are the Village. You nurture the world more than you give yourself credit for. ~ Blessings

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  8. I love robinkeahnheim's comment. It's so true. Sometimes I think I was a better "mother" before I became a 24/7 mom. We have it in us to nurture whether it's our families, our friends, our home, pets, a garden or complete strangers. That is what defines a woman as strong, the willingness to put other's before themselves, and to find joy in serving with a quiet sort of wisdom. God did not just make humans but created a whole world of beauty. Art for me has always been the closest imitation of God. And I do want to see more of your work too ;)

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