Pathways of Goddess and Goddesses
by Selena Fox
Since ancient times, the Sacred Feminine has been part of religions
and cultures the world over. Now, at this dawning of the twenty-first
century, Goddess spirituality is flourishing in many places and
in many ways the world over, both within contemporary Paganism as
well as in other world religions. There is a variety of ways of
connecting with The Goddess and/or Goddesses. I have identified
six pathways of Goddess spirituality here in this article drawn
from Goddess workshops I have presented over the years across the
US and in other countries. My own path of Goddess spirituality is
multifaceted and includes experiences with each of these ways. May
this overview of Goddess pathways guide you in your own Goddess
studies and spiritual practice.
Path of Universality
On this path, Goddess is The Goddess. Also known as All-Goddess and the Great
Goddess, She is the embodiment of all Goddess forms, and every Goddess is a facet
of Her. For many on this path, She also is the Divine Universal, not only embodying
all Goddesses, but also all Gods, Nature Spirits, and other Sacred forms. For
some, The Goddess is the same eternal, all-powerful, all-knowing, creative Divine
force that others call God or Allah or Great Spirit, and still others know as
Mother Nature. However, for many, She is not only transcendent and beyond the
boundaries of human comprehension, She also is immanent, and therefore, indwelling,
omnipresent, and personally accessible. As She-who-is-all-that-is-and-is-not,
The Goddess is the union of creator and creation; form and void; time and timelessness;
life, death, and rebirth… Infinite Mystery.
Path of Particularly
Journeying on this path involves coming to know and work with a particular Goddess
or Goddess aspect. In contrast to the broad scope of the universality approach,
this focused way involves in-depth study, invocation, worship, shrine keeping,
and alignment with a specific Goddess and Her symbols, stories, attributes, and
cultural roots. For some, a single Goddess is the only form of the Divine worshipped;
for others, She is primary. The particularity approach may come from being part
of an area, family, group, and/or community where a particular Goddess predominates,
such as the worship of Athena by Athenians in ancient Greece and the attunement
with Diana by some contemporary Dianics. For many on this path today, developing
an alignment with a particular Goddess occurs as a result of a powerful spiritual
encounter with that Goddess in a dream, vision, or ritual. For others, the relationship
develops more gradually as part of spiritual studies.
Path of Dyadicy
Those who walk this path relate to the Goddess as part of a Divine Pair. For many
Wiccans, this is in the form of a Divine Mother and Divine Father, commonly known
as the Goddess and the God. In some traditions, the Goddess and the God also have
special sacred names known only to initiates. Attributes and symbols associated
with the Goddess and the God vary across Pagan paths. Some honor the Goddess as
the Moon Goddess and the God as Sun God, while others honor the Sun Goddess and
Moon God. Another form of the Divine Pair is Mother Earth and Father Sky. There
are other sacred Dyads among Pagans as well, including that of Divine Mother and
Daughter, such as Demeter and Persephone depicted on the cover of this issue,
and Divine Mother and Son, such as Isis and Horus. Most working with a Sacred
Dyad not only align with each but with their Unity.
Path of Triplicity
On this path, the Goddess takes the form of a Sacred Trinity. Many Pagans today
know Her as the Triple Goddess — She who is Maiden, Mother, and Crone. Some
Pagans work with a Goddess with three domains, such as Brigid, the Celtic Goddess
of Inspiration, Smithcraft, and Healing. Sometimes, the Triplicity is a grouping
of Three Goddesses, such as Hygeia (Health), Iaso (Healing) and Panacea (Cure-All),
the Divine Daughters of Asklepios, the Greek God of Healing. Other Triplicities
in Pagan religions include the Three Fates (Rome), Three Norns (Scandinavia),
Three Graces (Greece), and the Three Mothers (Germany). In addition to developing
relationships with each of the three forms, most Pagans on this path also connect
with their Unity.
Path of Multiplicity
This approach involves work with Goddesses as part of a pantheon, or community
of Deities. For example, among the Olympian pantheon of the Greek religion, the
Goddesses included Hera, the Queen of Heaven; Athena, Goddess of Wisdom; Aphrodite,
Goddess of Love; and Artemis, Goddess of the Moon. However, a pantheon for some
practitioners today may be multicultural and include Goddesses from many times
and places that have touched the practitioner. My own work on the path of multiplicity
includes work with a multicultural pantheon of Goddesses now honored across spiritual
traditions such as Bast (Egyptian), Libertas (Roman), Brigid (Celtic), Yemaya
(African), Kuan Yin (Asian), Mother Earth, and Mother Nature.
Path of Inclusivity
This is the path which combines work with all these paths and ways of knowing
The Goddess and Goddesses. Those who journey on this path of paths focus on experiencing
and understanding both Unity and Diversity.
Selena Fox
High Priestess
Circle Sanctuary
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