"The Forgotten Mother: How Erasing the Divine Feminine Corrupted Spiritual Truths and Empowered Patriarchy"
The Suppression of the Divine Feminine:
I remember when they tore down her image. The Asherah pole stood tall beside Yahweh’s altar, a symbol of the divine mother’s nurturing presence. But Josiah’s men came with fire and iron, hacking it to splinters. They said she was an abomination, that Yahweh alone should be worshipped. But we knew better. The mothers whispered her name in secret, praying for fertility and protection. They could burn her symbols, but they couldn’t erase her from our hearts.
— A witness to King Josiah's reforms, 2 Kings 23:6
I was a priestess of Astarte. We danced under the moon, honoring the goddess of love and war. But then the men came, calling her a harlot, twisting her name into a curse. They said her temples were dens of sin, that our rites were wicked. They turned the goddess into a demon, erasing her from the heavens and casting her into hell. Our power was stolen, our voices silenced. But the goddess still lives in the blood of every woman who remembers.
— A priestess reflecting on the demonization of Astarte.
Sophia’s wisdom flowed through us, guiding us toward the light. But when the Church fathers gathered their councils, they cast her aside. They called heretical the Gospels that spoke of her—Pistis Sophia, The Sophia of Jesus Christ. They said wisdom belonged to men alone, that divine truth must come through their hands. They feared the light she offered because it made their authority fragile. So they buried her words beneath the weight of their dogma.
— A Gnostic teacher witnessing the suppression of Sophia in early Christianity
I was given to him like a goat or a piece of land. My father struck the deal, and I was his prize. “Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you,” they said. I had no voice, no choice. The scriptures made it law: Exodus 20 lists me as property in the same breath as oxen and donkeys. They cloaked my chains in holy words.
— A woman reflecting on her role under the laws of Exodus 20:17 and Genesis 3:16
I heard the words from the pulpit: “Let your women keep silent in the churches, for it is not permitted unto them to speak.” My heart burned, but my lips stayed shut. They said I was born from man’s rib, destined to serve and obey. Paul’s letters—Corinthians, Timothy—became my shackles. The men claimed divine order, but I knew it was fear. Fear of the power they couldn’t control.
— A Christian woman silenced by Pauline doctrine, referencing 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12
When he took me as his fourth wife, I knew my fate. The Qur'an allowed it, as long as he treated us “fairly,” but fairness meant nothing. My worth was measured in obedience, my defiance punished by law. “Men are in charge of women,” they said, and Surah An-Nisa sealed my fate. I was his possession, veiled and hidden, my voice lost beneath layers of scripture.
— A woman reflecting on her subjugation under Islamic law, referencing Surah An-Nisa 4:34
While the narratives above are a work of fiction, the events and doctrines mentioned are historically documented.
Here’s a quick breakdown:
Historical Fact: The Bible records King Josiah’s reforms in 2 Kings 23:6, where Asherah poles were destroyed to consolidate monotheistic worship of Yahweh. Archaeological finds, like inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud, mention “Yahweh and his Asherah.”
2. Demonization of Astarte:
Historical Fact: Archaeological evidence includes the discovery of nude female figurines in ancient Israelite sites. These figurines, often associated with goddesses like Astarte.
Additionally, in the biblical narrative, king Solomon introduced the worship of the Phoenician goddess Astarte, referred to as "Ashtoreth" (Ashera) in the Masoretic text.
3. Suppression of Sophia in Gnosticism:
Historical Fact: Sophia is central in Gnostic texts like Pistis Sophia and The Sophia of Jesus Christ, which were removed and banned as heretical after the Council of Nicaea (325 CE) and other early Church councils that defined orthodoxy.
4. Women as Property in the Bible:
Exodus 20:17 lists a neighbor’s wife among possessions like a house, servants, and livestock. Genesis 3:16 establishes the hierarchical relationship post-Eden.
5. Pauline Suppression of Women:
1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-12 explicitly instruct women to remain silent and subordinate in church, influencing Christian gender roles for centuries.
6. Islamic Suppression of Women:
Surah An-Nisa 4:34 outlines male authority over women, permitting men to discipline their wives. The Qur'an allows up to four wives if treated justly, though interpretations and implementations vary widely across cultures and history.
The removal of goddesses like Asherah, Sophia, and Shekinah from spiritual traditions wasn’t accidental—it was systematic. Archaeological evidence, such as inscriptions from Kuntillet Ajrud in ancient Israel, shows early Hebrews worshipped Yahweh and his Asherah. Yet, over time, Asherah was erased from sacred texts, her presence scrubbed from worship as monotheism took root. The Deuteronomistic reforms under King Josiah (2 Kings 23) describe the destruction of Asherah poles and temples, further evidence of the active removal of the goddess from public worship.
Similarly, Sophia, the embodiment of divine wisdom, is central in Gnostic texts like The Sophia of Jesus Christ and Pistis Sophia, but these were labeled heretical by the early Church and excluded from the canonical Bible. In mainstream Christianity, the divine feminine became fragmented or wholly absent, replaced by male-centric doctrines. Even the Shekinah, a feminine presence representing divine immanence in the world, was relegated to the fringes of mystical Kabbalistic thought rather than mainstream theology.
Despite this suppression, echoes of the divine feminine persist, particularly in Kabbalah. The Shekinah is still recognized as the feminine aspect of God’s presence, dwelling within Malkuth, the Sephirah representing the material world. But this divine connection was corrupted by the Church’s focus on material domination, wealth accumulation, and earthly power rather than spiritual enlightenment.
In part two of this chapter we will discuss how the corruption of this Devine connection is apparent within the church and manifest itself on each one of the Qliphoth.
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