However, the earth mother goddess has come to embody the very heart of much of Neo-Pagan thought and practice. She is seen as a living, breathing entity that supports life in all its forms. The term sacred feminine sprang from this idea of seeing the feminine aspect in all of life alongside the male aspect, which has so long prevailed in our culture.
The wheel of the Pagan year for most revolves around earth festivals, which were in celebration of the fertility of the land. We sometimes forget how interconnected the lives of our ancestors were with the earth's cycles. Today, many do not even know where their food comes from since we are so removed from the process which brings food to our tables. With catastrophic environmental events however we are brought back soberly to the realization that we are very much at the Lady's mercy no matter how much we mistreat her.
The earth herself has come to be known by Pagans and non-Pagans alike as Gaia, the Greek earth mother goddess who was born from the formless void known as Chaos. Her name became mainstream through the Gaia Hypothesis brought forth in the 1960's by Dr. James Lovelock. In his initial theory, the earth is an entity that sustains life through the complex synchronization of several systems such as temperature, soil, and atmosphere and suggested interconnectedness between all living beings.
Scientists still argue whether the earth is technically an individual entity, but the idea of the interrelationship between living things that sustain and support each other has persisted. Because of the reverence shown to earth mother goddesses in ancient cultures, it is believed that they knew of this connection between all life before modern science even attempted to theorize it. Even though we may seem to have moved beyond our agricultural past, her image still persists to remind us of our dependence.
Because of her association with fertility and agriculture, one of the most recognizable symbols of her in Paganism is in the form of Venus of Willendorf. This statuette was found near Austria and dates between 22,000 to 30,000 BCE. With her large round belly and breasts, she embodies the rich bounty of the earth at her most fruitful.
Other figures with such features have been found around the world. Their original use is still debated. Archaeologists are unsure if they represent particular goddesses or are in homage to pregnant women among other theories. In our time, they have come to represent the all-sustaining mother earth goddess who provides for us and our families.
Many Pagans see her as separate from the mother goddesses of any given pantheon or the Maiden, Mother, Crone trinity most honored in Wiccan traditions. However, it is not uncommon for her to be worshipped as The Goddess from which all the others come from. There is a common thread for those that revere Mother Earth - that is the need to recognize the sacred feminine in all of creation in order to bring balance back to our lives and the planet that sustains us.
Bibliography:
Janet and Stewart Farrar. The Witches' Goddess, Phoenix Publishing Inc., 1987
Patricia Monaghan. The Book of Goddesses & Heroines, Llewellyn Publications, 1993
Peg Streep. Sanctuaries of the Goddess: The Sacred Landscapes and Objects, Bulfinch Press, 1994
