Who Is the Divine Mother?
God is pure spirit or consciousness, and as such "He" really has no gender. Most of us are very used to thinking of God in masculine terms, since Jesus did refer to God as his Father, and of course The Lord's Prayer (commonly called "The Our Father") is one of the most well-known prayers in the world. I refer to God here as "He", simply in the interest of readability, since using "He/She" begins to feel awkward and impersonal very quickly. Although He is neither male nor female, yet He is All That Is...and in that sense, can be thought to encompass both masculine and feminine aspects. In truth, God is inscrutable, unfathomable...how could we ever hope to wrap our minds around the concept of God...of All That Is? But He so wants us to know Him, that He gives glimpses of Himself in all that He has created. Each and every one of us has a spark of the Divine in us, and we manifest some aspect of God, if we only had eyes to see it in ourselves and others. Many believe that Jesus Christ was the supreme manifestation and embodiment of God's nature--the Way, the Truth, and the Life-- and he was of course masculine. I see the Divine Mother as the feminine embodiment and manifestation of God's loving nature. She represents God's mercy, compassion, and unconditional love for His children. We here on this earth cannot imagine a love that is more tender, more pure, or more ardent than a mother's love for her child. And yet, this earthly love is just a dim reflection of the love that God feels for us.
Kwan Yin
Throughout the ages, and in many different cultures, He has chosen to manifest Himself as Divine Mother, so that we could know Him as both Mother God and Father God. Taoists and Buddhists worship the bodhisattva Kuan Yin, the bodhisattva of mercy and compassion and forgiveness. It is believed that Kwan Yin was about to cross over into heaven when she heard cries of suffering from the people of the world. She chose to forego her place in heaven and return to the world, vowing to remain here and help those in need until all suffering was ended. It is interesting that Kwan Yin originally started out in Buddhist tradition as a male named Avalokitesvara ...known in Mahayana Buddism as the Archangel of Compassion. Avalokitesvara/Kwan Yin can help us see how the Divine Feminine and Divine Masculine combine in perfect harmony and balance in our all-encompassing Father-Mother God.
Tara was first worshipped in Hinduism, and later in Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, Tara was born out of the tears of compassion that the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara wept as he looked upon the world of suffering beings. White Tara was born from the tears of his left eye and Green Tara was born of those of his right eye. Green Tara has the ability to help overcome danger, fear, and anxity. She can help in even the most desperate of situations. White Tara teaches how to have long life, good health, and good fortune. Together they symbolize the unending compassion of the goddess who labors unceasingly to relieve suffering.
White Tara
In Native American cultures, children are taught that Sky is Father and Earth is Mother, and that the Great Mystery is neither male nor female, but aspects of both.
In Kabbalah, Shekinah represents the feminine aspect of the presence of God.
God's feminine aspect has had many faces and many names throughout the ages and in various cultures. Perhaps the most well known of these...at least here in the west... is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This is the manifestation of Divine Mother that I, myself, feel so strongly connected to. Mother Mary has been with me since I was a child. She
Mother Mary
is with me always. When my beloved teacher gave me my first Reiki attunement, she told me that the Blessed Mother had done my attunement herself. At the time that I received my attunement, I physically felt something placed around my shoulders--a cloak or a mantle of some kind. I believe it represented the path of service that she desires of me. She is with me each time I practice Reiki. I see her with a golden beam of light that comes straight from her heart into mine, and it comes out of my hands. I have come to see the light as God's healing energy that she brings to me and through me. Perhaps she is always present when one of her children calls out to God for healing. This is the reason that I describe my Reiki practice as being "in partnership with the Divine Mother". I feel that it is her great pleasure and her fervent desire that her children...all of us...be healed. Whatever
form that healing takes is left to Divine wisdom. It will be exactly what we need in order to fulfill the purposes that we set for ourselves before we even came into this life, to learn the lessons that we wanted to learn, and to teach the lessons that we wanted to teach...for our highest good and the highest good of every living being.
Reiki healing complements traditional medicine. Everyone is able to benefit from it. However, I am not a doctor, nor a health care professional of any kind. Reiki healing should not be construed as the practice of medicine. Although it is my sincere hope and prayer that you will receive the healing that you desire, no specific outcomes can be predicted or guaranteed. If you are experiencing physical or psychological problems, you should seek medical attention. If you are already under the care of a physician, you should continue to follow your treatment plan as prescribed.
Grateful Acknowledgments:
Kwan Yin picture courtesy of Sucheta at mykwanyin.com
White Tara picture courtesy of Otgonbayar Ershuu at mongolian-art.de
