The Cult of the Goddess

An Excerpt from a Lecture Presented October 26, 1974

By Rt. Rev. Lawrence Durdin-Robertson, MA

FOI Co-Founder

I should like to start by quoting a passage from a book written by a certain Dr. Alexander. It is from a long treatise entitled "The History of Women." Although living 200 years ago, the author might well be an advanced advocate of the Womens Liberation Movement. He writes as follows:

"The mythology of all antiquity is full of female as well as male deities. The Hebrews and many of their neighbouring nations, worshiped the Queen of Heaven; the Phoenicians adored Astarte; the Scythians, Apia; and the Scandinavians, Frigga, the consort of Odin. Wherever female deities have obtained a place in the religion of a people, it is a sign that women are of some consequence; for we find in those modern nations where the women are held in the most despicable light, that even their deities are all of the masculine gender."

In other words, to achieve a healthy society - something more is needed than "Votes for Women", "Equal Pay" and so on. For achieving a healthy society there is only one adequate answer; and that answer is - a return to the Cult of the Goddess.

This lecture is divided into two sections. First, we shall survey the history of Matriarchal religion. Second, we shall consider the rituals, both the public or outer, and the esoteric or inner Mysteries; the second section will end with a few examples of the effect of the cult of the Goddess on ethics.

Starting, then, on the history of Matriarchal religion, I shall begin, where one would expect to begin, at the Prehistoric Era.

Now it is generally accepted that the dominant religion of all races, at that time, as Matriarchal Polytheism. This might be defined as a multitude of goddesses and gods - in that order - dominated by a Great Mother or Mothers.

We have confirmation of this in archaeology. Erich Neumann, in "The Great Mother" writes:

"Of the Stone Age sculptures known to us, there are fifty five female figures and only five male figures. The male figures, of youths, are typical and poorly executed, hence it is certain that they had no significance for the cult. This fits in with the secondary character of the male godhead, who appeared only later in the history of religions and rived his divine rank from his mother, the Goddess."

The same conclusion is reached from another angle. The prfound esoteric writer, Gerald Massey, states that "The First Mother was the earliest divinity in all lands."

We come now to the early historical period, covering the era as far as 2,600 years ago.

Here, Matriarchal Polytheism is still a potent factor, although it varies with different races and civilization.

According to Mme. Blavatsky, in "The Secret Doctrine," the two great civilizations, in historical times - where the Goddesses held a position of importance at least equal to the male god - were Egypt and China. Crete is not mentioned, since major discoveries had not yet been made.

The strength of Polytheism in Egypt may be seen in the opposition to the changes attempted by Akhanaten. Although it is doubtful if he were a monotheist in the present meaning of the word, he certainly wished to banish - perhaps for political reasons - the deities of Thebes; and most of the Egyptian deities were worshiped there. It is, however, said that he always venerated the goddesses Maat and Bast. Anyhow, his attempt to remove even a part of the Pantheon was resented, and we see the Old Religion restored under Tutankhamen.

In China the dominant position of the Goddes sof Mercy, Kwan-yin, has always been, and still is, maintained.

We come then to the historical period dating from about 2,600 years ago and ending with the Renaissance.

Here we see a definite loss of the cult of the Goddess, more in the West than in the East.

In the West (and I am using this term in the wide sense, to include all countries to the West of India) we notice a reduction in the number of deities, in some cases leaving only one.

Nevertheless, this loss is more apparent than real.

If we start with the time when the Israelites had entered Canaan, (although this was considerably earlier than the beginning of the period we are now describing), we have much information in the Hebrew Bible.

Now it is unfortunate that most people are acquainted only with the translations of these books. For if we study them in the original Hebrew we will see a considerable amount of polytheism and indeed, the cult of the Goddess.

To give some examples - taking the first word of Genesis: B'rashit. This consists of the prefix B, "in", and the feminine noun Rashith. Of course it is not inaccurate to render this as "In the beginning." Nevertheless, Rashith means more than that. It has also the meaning of "source, origin." Thus the following alternative renderings are given in "The Secret Doctrine" - "In the Essence," and "In the womb." These translations are in keeping with the great Chaldean Scriptures (of which the Hebre Bible is, as it were, only a selected edition). In the Babylonian Creation Narrative, Heaven and Earth are made from the body of the goddess Tiamat.

Coming now to another word in the first verse of Genesis: "Elohim" - There appeared an article in "The Times" a few months ago by the Religious Affairs Correspondent. He quotes the words of Professor Nelle Morton: "The early Hebrew name ... Elohim, was the combination of the word 'Eloh', a Goddess, and 'Im', the masculine plural Hebrew suffix ... Yahweh (the pure form of the corruption Jehovah) was ... derived from the name of the earlier Sumerian Goddess." And so an accurate translation of "Elohim" is not "God" but rather "the Deities" or "the Pantheon." One wonders when the official translators will have the honesty, or perhaps the courage, to translate this word properly.

About the Author: FOI Co-Founder Lawrence Durdin-Robertson experienced a religious conviction which led him to receive the priesthood of Isis in 1972 and to later co-found with his wife Pamela and sister Olivia, the Fellowship of Isis in 1976. He left this earth August 4, 1994. His ancestral home Clonegal Castle is situated in a valley, on a triangular piece of land where the rivers Slaney and Derry meet. The Derry is so named because of the dense stands of oaks that grow along the river banks. Lawrence was called "Derry" by friends and family. "Derry" means 'oak' and comes from the same root as the word for "Druid."