To believe and to practice + the Divine Mother

[Zee.]

I'm going to present two ideas, thoughts below. They're a little bit of nothing and I am not quite sure where i'm going with this, but i am interested to hear views.

1. Where, if at all, does the feminine exist within God? ( the title God is open to interpretation ) are women the source of all creation, considering life comes from the mother? Is the movement of energy and life's existance a result of mother "nature" I personally believe that the worshipping of women as the source of creation, and the respect towards a higher feminine spirit has long since died out.

2. Everybody has certain beliefs. Does the term religion only apply to the act of "practicing" religious beliefs? Religion - a source of organized thinking, looks to reaching out to what many believe to be a higher power, opposed to finding a sense of balance within ourselves and existing energy.
Could you be pefectly content to finding a sense of spirituality within your own being? are you open to such a possibility?

Also, please note that i do not follow the christian faith. I come from a buddhist family.

[NikolaiI]

Well there is the White Tara, and green Tara http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTMYiCbcl7w

http://tigeryogiji.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/white-tara.jpg

in buddhism...

other than Buddhism the first thing which comes to mind is Shakti. Have you heard of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother (Mira Alfassa)? Sri Aurobindo actually wrote a book called "The Mother" about the Divine Mother, Shakti, Lacksmi, it's been a bit since I read it but it was venereated so much it was even called the Maitri Upanishad.

Among the possible philosophies or ideas which are believed by at lesat a million or more, I would also add Radha. There are many devotees of Krishna, for most if not all of these, Krishna is not complete without Radha. The deities which are worshipped are Radha-Krishna. Krishna is considered to be the supreme personality of godhead, and Radha is his eternal lover. Specifically, Radha is the internal potency of God, she is love of God herself. Krsna is actually bound by Radha.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/Krishnakanta/Radha2.jpg

[The Atheist]

1. Where, if at all, does the feminine exist within God? ( the title God is open to interpretation ) are women the source of all creation, considering life comes from the mother? Is the movement of energy and life's existance a result of mother "nature" I personally believe that the worshipping of women as the source of creation, and the respect towards a higher feminine spirit has long since died out.

Well, the cynic in me is forced to point out that Abrahamic religions - islam, judaism and christianity - were all constructed partly to put those pesky women in their place, so that's why the feminine side is largely missing from theology.

Roman Catholicism tries to overcome this with having almost raised Mary to godly status, but they still won't allow women priests...


2. Everybody has certain beliefs. Does the term religion only apply to the act of "practicing" religious beliefs? Religion - a source of organized thinking, looks to reaching out to what many believe to be a higher power, opposed to finding a sense of balance within ourselves and existing energy.

This is just a semantic argument at best, but it's one which raises its head all the time.

Some people demand that to be a religion, there must be a god, while others are happy for Buddhism to be included. I don't get too hung up on the term and think it can be used however suits. A doctrine of metaphysical belief?


Could you be pefectly content to finding a sense of spirituality within your own being? are you open to such a possibility?

I'd love it.

Unfortunately, I'm a fairly cynical lifelong materialist who sees no reason to change his views. That said, there is a place for spirituality in materialism, because the mind is what it is; it's different from computers, it's different from animalian intelligence and it's certainly different from any other form of life. In that vein, I can see the advantages of people being more "spiritual" - in touch with their psyche - if you like. We have record mental illness in a world full of luxury; something's going wrong, but that's politics, so I'll shut up.

:D


Also, please note that i do not follow the christian faith. I come from a buddhist family.

Hell, I just love Buddhists - there's a huge Buddhist temple down the road from me. I took my kids there today; they love looking around the place, smelling the incense, looking at the utterly amazing artworks, walking through the ornamental gardens... I'm a pacifist and Buddhism has obvious appeal from that angle - the tranquility inside the temple is just beautiful.

Lovely religion, which I'd never attack in a month of Sundays.

[Zee.]

Well there is the White Tara, and green Tara http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTMYiCbcl7w

http://tigeryogiji.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/white-tara.jpg

in buddhism...

other than Buddhism the first thing which comes to mind is Shakti. Have you heard of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother (Mira Alfassa)? Sri Aurobindo actually wrote a book called "The Mother" about the Divine Mother, Shakti, Lacksmi, it's been a bit since I read it but it was venereated so much it was even called the Maitri Upanishad.

Among the possible philosophies or ideas which are believed by at lesat a million or more, I would also add Radha. There are many devotees of Krishna, for most if not all of these, Krishna is not complete without Radha. The deities which are worshipped are Radha-Krishna. Krishna is considered to be the supreme personality of godhead, and Radha is his eternal lover. Specifically, Radha is the internal potency of God, she is love of God herself. Krsna is actually bound by Radha.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q196/Krishnakanta/Radha2.jpg

Oh yes, i know of Krishna and Radha - it's quite funny, because when i think of them, i think of the books i've read which involve them.
It sounds strange but i have read many books , good ones at that, which intertwine both Krishna and Radha with immortal beings. Sounds strange but these books explored interesting concepts that i had never paid much attention to..
pity i dont remember the books or their authors :(

[Zee.]

Well, the cynic in me is forced to point out that Abrahamic religions - islam, judaism and christianity - were all constructed partly to put those pesky women in their place, so that's why the feminine side is largely missing from theology.

Roman Catholicism tries to overcome this with having almost raised Mary to godly status, but they still won't allow women priests...



This is just a semantic argument at best, but it's one which raises its head all the time.

Some people demand that to be a religion, there must be a god, while others are happy for Buddhism to be included. I don't get too hung up on the term and think it can be used however suits. A doctrine of metaphysical belief?



I'd love it.

Unfortunately, I'm a fairly cynical lifelong materialist who sees no reason to change his views. That said, there is a place for spirituality in materialism, because the mind is what it is; it's different from computers, it's different from animalian intelligence and it's certainly different from any other form of life. In that vein, I can see the advantages of people being more "spiritual" - in touch with their psyche - if you like. We have record mental illness in a world full of luxury; something's going wrong, but that's politics, so I'll shut up.

:D



Hell, I just love Buddhists - there's a huge Buddhist temple down the road from me. I took my kids there today; they love looking around the place, smelling the incense, looking at the utterly amazing artworks, walking through the ornamental gardens... I'm a pacifist and Buddhism has obvious appeal from that angle - the tranquility inside the temple is just beautiful.

Lovely religion, which I'd never attack in a month of Sundays.


Yes i never quite understood how Mary could be worshipped as the "mother" yet women are not allowed within the church system.
I dont know much of the background at all, i do know that people argue that Jesus left the church in the hands of Mary Magdelene, (sp?) others disagree, but dont take my word for it.


Buddhists temples are amazing.
When i was younger i went to a buddhist temple just outside of auckland - i was friends with one of the lama's daughters, Tara.
I remember sitting up in the buddhist temples all night long with friends of my mother, my mother and others trying to keep awake - but so amazed by the peacefulness of it all, especially the praying. Generally it's not allowed but if my memory is right, considering it was a long time ago, i would drink apple juice from the moment i walked in, to the following morning.

Sadly it was overtaken by oppositions of the 17th Karmapa and they were all forced to leave.

My mother went to India to meet with the Karmapa along with many other people, she said the moment he raised his eyes she felt an energy, like some kind of wave, hit her.

Pretty intense - id like to do what she did one day.

[The Atheist]

I dont know much of the background at all, i do know that people argue that Jesus left the church in the hands of Mary Magdelene, (sp?) others disagree, but dont take my word for it.

That sounds like something out of a Dan Brown book, can;t say I've ever heard anything like that advanced as theology.


Sadly it was overtaken by oppositions of the 17th Karmapa and they were all forced to leave.

Yes, very sad indeed that even Buddhist sects fall victin to the same petty jealousies as the rest of the planet.

The sect that built the huge temple near home is a good exmple - other sects are very jealous of their success and try to undermine them.

The only part of Buddhism I dislike, but at least it's usually confined to the adminstrative types.


My mother went to India to meet with the Karmapa along with many other people, she said the moment he raised his eyes she felt an energy, like some kind of wave, hit her.

Pretty intense - id like to do what she did one day.

Drink bottled water!

;)

I hope you achieve it.

[Pendragon]

I've heard it stated that Mary suffered more than Christ when he was crucified. I don't think anyone not being crucified could ever feel the pain of the one going through it, with no disrespect to Mary intended. Crucifixion was a very cruel death for the many who went through it, Christ included. It is kind of like saying the husband suffers more than his wife when she gives birth. I don't think so!

[JBI]

The Atheist, you show your lack of knowledge in Church history.

The Mary cult was established beyond the Church's control, and only become official dogma recently.

[Dark Muse]

I'm going to present two ideas, thoughts below. They're a little bit of nothing and I am not quite sure where i'm going with this, but i am interested to hear views.

1. Where, if at all, does the feminine exist within God? ( the title God is open to interpretation ) are women the source of all creation, considering life comes from the mother? Is the movement of energy and life's existance a result of mother "nature" I personally believe that the worshipping of women as the source of creation, and the respect towards a higher feminine spirit has long since died out.

I myself worship the Goddess, a personification of Mother Nature, and though there are many names for the goddess, I have chosen the Gaia mother figure, though I am a polytheist, so I do worship other goddess figures as well, along with god's.

I believe in the duality and the balance between the Masculine and the feminine. The belief in a Sky God, and a Earth Goddess, with various other deities in between.

[Zee.]

I really, really like and respect that belief.

I count it as one of my beliefs too

[NikolaiI]

I think it's a good thing to worship nature. After all if nature is not worthy of our worship, how can anything within nature?