Exploring the Goddess in History
A Snapshot of Goddess History from The Goddess and Public History Exhibit
Goddess history dates back to the earliest civilizations. It's well documented that ancient societies worshipped feminine forms of God— typically as mother, Earth, nature, Holy Spirit, or as deities who personified feminine attributes. The earliest signs of such worship date back as far as forty thousand years. One of the most famous artifacts of the Divine Feminine is the stone statue known as the Venus of Willendorf, believed to have been carved twenty to thirty thousand years ago. And while she looks like a rotund female, pregnant and voluptuous, when a replica of the statue is placed flat on her back, she takes on the form of the earth—the hills and valleys, mountains and ravines, are all in her body. And that is how some of the ancients worshipped the Great Mother—Mother Earth and Mom Nature. The Great Goddess Mother was the planet: alive, growing, pulsing with life, but always incorporating death and regeneration, as witnessed in nature's cycles.
Read: When God Was a Woman
Our early ancestors saw the Divine Feminine as the source of All That Is, and they depended on her to sustain their very lives. Her power was expressed in the images and stories of literally thousands of goddesses. Many of the world's cultures continue to worship, honor, and pray to female deities. The Hindu, Buddhist, and Tibetan civilizations, and the indigenous cultures of the Americas and Africa, are among those that have always communed with the Divine Feminine.
Read: Her Place in History and Religion
The Goddess is all over the world. And to some, she is the world. Her presence can be found almost anywhere.
One of the ways we can truly see her influence is to see how she is included in public spaces. Walk any city and you can find her in museums, parks, public statues, carvings on buildings and statues. Some of them are high atop buildings.
I took several months to take a goddess-focused approach to life and look for her in public places. This website shares my findings, my photos, and my ongoing research of new goddess discoveries and goddesses in the news that bring new insights to her existence in our world daily.
Sometimes a goddess is just viewed as a work of art, and sometimes she is seen as a personification of feminine divine energy. One thing is for sure, you can find representations of her all over the world!
Read: Finding Her in Public History
Public History is a diverse and all-encompassing field. It is a discipline unto itself that intersects with many other disciplines. Rather than just focusing on general history or one specific point in history, it can span all periods in history.
In my time as a graduate student, I have assessed that certain aspects of this field are overarching themes. In large part, we focus on preserving history. From saving old buildings to rescuing sacred sites from antiquity to honoring sites of current events that changed humanity, we seek to preserve as much history as possible in a myriad of ways. And, it is about the interpretation of history and it has room for many different interpretations of history. Some of these are at odds, but vigorous discussion and controversy are part of the territory. But in general, we don't just look at history as it has been stated we look at the deeper meaning, as well as the culture, beliefs, politics, practices, and events of any particular era, from the most ancient times to modern life.
I am using the term "Ancient Public History" in this exhibit not because it is an official category but because it is my interpretation of how public history and ancient history can intersect.
Read: What is Ancient Public History?
Many historical sites around the world can be identified as Goddess Sacred Sites. While these sites may not all reflect the ancient worship they were originally constructed for, they still hold the energies and mysteries of the past. Many can still be visited today because they have been excavated, restored, and tended to by local governments, preservation organizations, and public history professionals at museums, historical societies, heritage groups, and other organizations devoted to keeping this history alive and accessible. Here are some that continue to welcome pilgrims and tourists.
Read: Discover Ancient Goddess Sites
In ancient times museums were viewed as the temple of the nine Muses, who represented the arts and learning, and as environments for connecting with wisdom and beauty. For some museum lovers, they still carry the vibe of ancient practices.
There is no formal category for the study of The Goddess and Public History, or on goddess-specific experiences in museums. However, research has shown that these environments do stimulate the senses to help visitors feel they are in an ancient sacred place. And that they put people in a ritual state of mind.
From the fountains outside to the grand temple-like design to all the statues and works of art that greet each visitor, a museum wants you to enter into a different world. It invites you to enter a ritual experience. It is designed to be secular, but anyone can choose to turn it into a spiritual experience with the Goddess.
Read: Museums Can Be a Sacred Space to Make a Goddess Connection
Obviously, conventional monotheistic religious belief is dominated by references and images of a male Divine, but the feminine has whispered ever so softly between the lines. Catholicism, especially, has given us our most tangible mainstream connection. Mary, mother of Jesus, along with a handful of popular female saints, has been the most visible aspect of the feminine in traditional Christianity for about two thousand years. Because of that, she cuts across religious boundaries. She is, in many ways, the adopted spiritual mother of all women; people of many faiths embrace her.