Writings by Amy Peck aka Amalya + What is the Sacred Feminine?

Of Escondido (San Diego) California, USA

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The Sacred Feminine is a paradigm of Universal Motherhood. It is a principle that embraces and weaves concepts of the Holy Mother, the Goddesses of ancient mythologies, the angelic realms, the Divine Self within, Mother Earth doctrines and lore of indigenous peoples. It is a principle that weaves concepts of wisdom, compassion and unconditional love, plus other metaphysical, shamanic, pagan and magical practices.

The Sacred Feminine is a concept that recognizes that "God" ultimately is neither anthropomorphically male or female but a Divine Essence (Goddessence) beyond form and duality—an essence that is a balance and unification of masculine and feminine principles, an essence that possesses within Itself the potential for manifesting both male and female—a dynamic, interdependent immanence that pervades all life.

But seeing the divine as an abstract concept of omnipresent consciousness, or immanence is a challenge for most humans. We all have a basic human need to put the inexplicable into a tangible form in order to explore our relationship to it. Thus we tend to anthropomorphize, or attribute human characteristics to, the unknowable. In other words, we name and assign form to an abstract concept in order to relate to it at our level of ability. So the Divine Essence or Absolute has become a "Father" God figure that we were taught to visualize, pray to and imagine having a personal relationship with. Unfortunately, seeing the vast, infinite, absolute and indescribable Goddessence only in the form of masculine metaphor and symbol has severely limited our human spiritual potential.

For the last several thousand years the religious belief systems of our world have been patriarchal which sanctioned societal ethics that elevated God the Father over Mother Earth and man over woman. It is time to balance the masculine and feminine principles within our belief systems, our religious doctrines, our cultural ethos and within ourselves. “Universal order is maintained through balance and mutual respect of the male and female”. To gain this equilibrium, we must shift our focus for a while to the Holy Mother and the Divine Feminine—we need to explore the metaphor of the Mother, and the symbol of the Goddess. We need to emphasize "Motherly" love, wisdom, compassion and creativity, and we must empower women and celebrate their contribution to spirituality, culture and society.

Ultimately, what we should advocate is not that a concept of the Goddess replace that of God, but that we hold each spiritual principle with equal reverence. Then in the human dynamics, we can strive not so much to make woman equal in strength to man—but to regard her strengths as equal. In so doing, perhaps then our interpersonal and inter-cultural relationships can achieve a healthier balance and unity. It is time to honor the Divine Feminine—to remember and reclaim our Heritage—in order to restore wholeness within our religions, our selves, our communities, and our earth.

Defining the Sacred Feminine, like defining "God", is an daunting task. However, to begin to nurture our awareness of this concept, I offer the following collection of
ideals that describe "Sacred Feminine" which I have summarized from the comments and writings of many people:

The "Sacred Feminine" paradigm…

- Is the nurturing, welcoming, accessible, kind, gentle (yet firm or fierce when necessary), compassionate, accepting, forgiving, patient and wise attitude of the Loving Mother Essence

- affirms and values the "Divine Mother" or Goddess as birthgiver and creatrix—as the aspect that brings life into the world. Regards consciousness and love as the dynamic powers of Life and Creation—regards the active, interactional, and adaptive modes of creation as feminine.

- cherishes nature and all the earth's beings—affirms life and appreciates all its beauty, bounty, diversity and mystery as well as respecting it's ferocity. Sees the human body and soul or spirit as inherently good and worthy of esteem

- sees the Divine as the intelligent consciousness and life force essence within all life and immanently accessible within each being, versus the Divine as only an external "God" or "prophet" or only accessible through "chosen" or "ordained" individuals or unchallengeable scriptures

- fosters peace, moderation, and balance. Promotes respect, acceptance and tolerance of others—"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you" and "do what you will, but harm no one"

- believes in "Magic" as events (currently scientifically inexplicable) of positive synchronicity, serendipity, "coincidences" to which an individual contributes in the creation of by one's intention through visualization, affirmation and action, and recognizes by intuition

- encourages a holistic approach to healing of mind, body and spirit and fosters positive self esteem, inner growth, Self awareness, Self-realization, and Self-actualization. Values the cultivation of one's sacred heart—inner wisdom, intuition, inner truth, inner divinity.

- is especially respecting, empowering, and encouraging to women (to balance the centuries of suppression of the feminine nature), yet without elevating one gender over another. And particularly validates and celebrates woman's passages of menarche, menstruation, birth-giving, and menopause.

- values the reclaiming, rediscovering, remembering and restoring of the lost ancient evidences of matrifocal societies and cultures, Goddess archetypes and lore, and the history of empowered women, leaders, priestesses, healers, mothers, artists and activists

- cherishes devotional, creative or artistic expression (dance, music, etc.), as a valuable, sacred experience

- respects egalitarian, partnership and democratic models of community and societal structure, and promotes non-hierarchical, non-authoritative, non-dogmatic style of leadership

- honors cycles of life, nature, of the body and the individual. Respects the process of death as a natural (and sometimes potentially benevolent) cycle of nature and respects an individual's freedom of choice in death. Respects a woman's freedom of choices in birth-giving

- regards the dark side of nature and human consciousness not as evil but as a manifestation of the "winter" and destructive cycle of nature and thus part of the process of life and learning

- encourages us to be present in the moment; appreciates inner reflection and meditation. Encourages us to hold the intention of compassion, love and patience in all actions and thoughts no matter how significant or mundane

- appreciates the inventing and sharing of ceremony and ritual to assist one and another through life's cycles, individual changes, passages and yearly seasons

- regards sexuality as a natural and intrinsically good and sacred experience between loving, consenting partners whether for pleasure or procreation

- promotes personal integrity. Encourages us to live life honorably for the experience of the blessing it is now—not for some reward in "heaven" or out of fear of punishment in "hell". And since all life is seen as interconnected, we are also encouraged to be accountable and responsible for our intentions and actions, knowing "What you sow, you reap".

- Recognizes that there is a male and female aspect to each personality and encourages both men and women to cultivate the balance of their own inner masculine and feminine aspects.

Amy Peck (aka Amalya) is an artist, dancer, writer, producer of women’s ceremonies and workshops, and founder of The Goddess Studio in San Diego, CA. For more information on her events and her vision for a Center of the Sacred Feminine, visit www.goddess-studio.com or email her at: AmalyaGoddess@aol.com

● To bring a greater spiritual awareness into our lives, especially of the Divine Feminine Essence

● To create sacred space

● To share a supportive community--to laugh, play, cry, nurture and encourage each other

● To express spiritual devotion in artistic and creative ways through movement, music, drumming, humor, poetry, song, dance

● To acknowledge the turning points, cycles, passages, transitions, losses and gains, and deaths and births in our lives

● To acknowledge our relationship to the earth and her seasons

● To validate ourselves as women, sisters, mothers, grandmothers, wise-women, daughters, healers, lovers, priestesses and significant spiritual beings

● To empower one another and ourselves by giving, sharing, and receiving symbolic gifts or soulful offerings/presentations

● To experience a sense of magic, of "following the flow", of synchronicity, empathy, love and joy, play and whimsy, fullness and healing, beauty and awe, catharsis and release, wisdom and compassion

● To foster positive changes within ourselves, our lives and community

What is Sacred Space?

Sacred space is an environment that feels safe, nurturing, healthy and holy. It is any awe-inspiring time and place that encourages us to suspend our
mundane thinking and reflect on the spiritual, divine and magical mysteries of life.

A. What is a Goddess?

~Probably what comes to mind for most people when they hear “Goddess” is an image of the Greek Aphrodite or perhaps Athena or Artemis/Diana. But “GODDESS” encompasses so much more.

~ A Goddess is a universal symbol, metaphor or archetype (original model) of the Sacred Feminine Principle of Divinity. To better understand Sacred Feminine, think of the yin/yang symbol of the Chinese philosophy. Yin is the feminine half of the Divine.

~ A Goddess represents the Divine Universal Mother, as well as the archetype of Woman in all her roles and mysterious forms throughout time and cultures…as maiden, mother, wise crone, lover, healer, bleeder, leader, birth-giver, creatrix, Goddess, The Forces of Nature, artist, warrior, wife, muse, priestess, sister, daughter, devouring hag, harlot as well as angel and saint.

B. What does it mean to Awaken Your Inner Goddess?

~ For women to acknowledge the Goddess within, is to say my female nature is intrinsically divine and sacred.

~ Basically our culture presents two “idyllic” role models for women to emulate: The Holy Virgin Mother of Religion or the Sex Vamp of the Media. With these icons of the “ideal” woman to inspire us, most women are left feeling innately inadequate.

~ By awakening our Inner Goddess, we are reminded to look to other symbols of empowered women, historical (herstorical) as well as contemporary.

C. What would a “Goddess” today be like?

~ Being a Goddess today (is not about being a “SuperMom”) but it is being:

A woman who is on a spiritual path of self awareness to recognize that she is one with the Divine.

A woman owning her power, having self confidence and having a voice to stand up for herself.

A woman with healthy self esteem and clear boundaries, and a firm belief in her own sense of self worth.

A woman who expresses her creative passions for the joy it brings to herself as well as others. A woman who has overcome, or strives to heal any shame around her sexuality.

A woman who can laugh, cry, scream or sing out loud and feel ok with herself no matter what.

A woman of strong convictions, deep wisdom, loving compassion and unshakeable integrity.

A woman who nurtures herself as well as the people and endeavors she loves.

D. What are some tools or techniques that women can use to Awaken Her Inner Goddess?

(AKA: Amalya’s 5 “Commandments” of Awakening Your Inner Goddess!)

1. RECLAIM: Research and rediscover empowering icons, archetypes, & representations of spiritually and culturally empowered females. Remember the lost spiritual heritage of women in myth, legend, story, art, and ancient archeological artifacts. Study the stories of real women leaders, priestesses, artists, saints, activists and teachers.

2. CELEBRATE our unique passages through life especially those that have had a previously negative image such as the onset of menses & menopause, and first lovemaking-- plus other passages such as coming of age, partnering commitments, career changes, achievements, marriage, becoming a mother or grandmother, as well as honoring passages of loss, divorce or death.

3. CREATE AN ALTAR or sacred space to help you focus your intent and to have a visual symbol of beauty and inspiring items that remind you of feeling empowered or loved.

4. MOTHER YOURSELF…give yourself permission to nurture yourself, to take time in Mother Nature, to ask for what you need, to meditate, to dance, move, create, make music, drum, act, write, read, study, enjoy your passions, adorn yourself, enjoy your sensuality or embrace your sexuality. Give yourself permission to forgive yourself, to heal and rest.

5. FIND A COMMUNITY for support. Find a group of women to give you spiritual support through ceremony, sharing, and playing. (IE: Come to the Goddess Studio!)

E. Can a MAN awaken his “Inner Goddess”?

1. Yes, by acknowledging the ways in which he nurtures

2. developing and expressing compassion and empathy

3. Learning to understand and healthily express and share his emotions

4. By Honoring the Divine Feminine and respecting women.

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