The Sacred Feminine in Western Religion

'God', or 'Divinity', however you use these terms, is endless, infinite, and timeless, and as such is inherently indefinable and unknowable.

But the Sacred Feminine aspect of the creation is the vehicle, the 'Vessel', through which the infinite Divine can be expressed in our finite world. And only the Sacred Feminine can lead the soul back to the Divine.

A defining characteristic of the Masculine is the need to think things through in a linear, step-by-step manner, to experience a reality that is limited and finite and therefore straightforward, controllable, and 'knowable'. A defining characteristic of the Feminine, on the other hand, is the ability to experience reality in a holistic, open-ended, all-at-once manner, to take in and accept limitlessness and infinity. Needless to say, we each have a share in both of these characteristic abilities, but the Sacred Feminine in the world (women) and within the individual (the heart) must introduce the Sacred Masculine to the unknowable reality of the Divine. In the sacred stories, for instance, it is the Celestial Aphrodite who must unbind perfected souls and release them into bliss. And this is why Miriam had to die first, before Aaron and Moses: the Shechinah must lead the way.

Another defining characteristic of the Masculine is that it expresses the Active force within the creation, and as such it is always involved in doing, fixing, making, and acting. The Feminine, on the other hand, is the Passive/Receptive force of creation. This quality of passivity has been given a very bad name in our frantically productive society, where it has been saddled with negative and destructive connotations of weakness and submission. But if the truth be told, passivity is the higher quality. Action is the emblem of the realm of Matter and Time: the Masculine 'does'. Passivity is the emblem of the realm of Spirit and Eternity: the Feminine 'is'. It is this ability to be passive, to 'be' without having to 'do', that allows the Sacred Feminine Vessel to receive pure, endless, unknowable Being, without having to limit it or define it through any agenda of her own, and then to bring it to birth as infinite abundance and love in the physical world.

In the Old Testament, the Sacred Feminine is represented by various characters, including Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, and Miriam, who nurture and protect the patriarchs and Moses. In the New Testament, She is represented by the Marys, who nurture and protect Jesus (who represents the Sacred Masculine). But the Feminine power in the scriptures is not some sweet gentle 'goddess', representing all the 'nice' qualities that are missing in men. She is the Shechinah, the 'Presence' of God in the Creation, the force that hovers over the Ark of the Covenant, the 'Mother of All Living' who pours forth all the forms and qualities in the infinite universe. She is Life, from the primordial Chaos, to Eve, to 'Rahab, the harlot of Jericho'. She is the Beauty of Rachel and the Wisdom of Leah. She is Miriam's prophetic power. She embodies the secret of the Red Cow, for she is the mystery of blood, sex, birth, and death. She is the Sea, the boundless power of the Unconscious. She is the Mother and the Whore and the Wife and the Destroyer.

In the Christian story, She first appears to Jesus in the guise of an abundance of women led by a triad of Power, Grace, and Joy, reuniting with the Sacred Masculine so that together they will be capable of completing the journey back to Divinity.

"Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene [which means 'High Tower'], from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna [which means 'Grace'], the wife of Herod's steward Chuza, and Susanna [which means 'Joy'], and many others, who provided for them out of their resources." (Luke.8.1-3)

To say that Mary Magdalene had been 'cured of seven demons' does not mean, as has often been said, that she was a particularly egregious sinner. She was no more a sinner than you or I. But Mary Magdalene had been fully initiated. In scriptural symbolism, 'Seven' signifies complete achievement, and this means that every single level of Mary Magdalene had been purified and perfected. She is the archetype of the soul that drinks in the total experience of life on earth, who has the good sense and humility to ask for God's help (like the Samaritan woman), who pours forth love and attains complete forgiveness (like the woman with the alabaster jar), who completes all of the Great Work and has been healed at every level of her soul, and who will now remain the powerful ally and protectress of the Spirit right to the very end - Mary, unlike the other apostles, will still be present at the Cross. And apart from Jesus himself, there is no indication that anyone else in the New Testament achieves her level of initiation, with the single exception of her male-counterpart, Lazarus.

Was Mary Magdalene the secret wife of Jesus? Was she the 'vessel' of his semen and his children, the mother of a lost line of kings, and thus the authentic 'Holy Grail'? All of this is beside the point. Not because it is unimportant to return the Sacred Feminine to her rightful place in western civilization. On the contrary. It is urgent. But chasing after gossip, scandal, and conspiracy theories, is not the way to do it.

Socrates taught his pupils that only those things which help to perfect one's soul can be called 'moral' or 'good'. If we found a Marriage Certificate with both of their signatures buried in a desert cave, how would this discovery contribute anything to the perfection of one's soul? The search for this kind of 'proof' is fascinating and fun, but it is of no spiritual significance. It is merely a diversion. We should put aside the scientific demand for 'proof' and the academic fascination with textual criticism, and ask ourselves more important, human, and relevant questions: What are these stories trying to tell me? How can these words help me with my life? How can my struggle to unveil their inner meaning help my soul evolve? What are they telling me to do, and how can I do it?

The reason we must restore the Sacred Feminine to her full divine stature in our lives and culture is because without her all spiritual evolution is impossible! Without her all the ancient myths and holy scriptures are useless! We cannot follow Demeter and Persephone back up to Olympus, we cannot obey the Law of Moses, we cannot walk in Christ's footsteps, if we continue to misconstrue everything that is said about the perfect equality, the required harmony, and the absolute inter-dependence of 'Male' and 'Female' at every level of Creation. All of this is in the stories. Nothing is hidden. But the meaning of the words has to be penetrated and understood. As we have seen, only the Sacred Feminine, within the soul of a human being or the soul of a civilization, can receive the pure, endless, unknowable Being of God, without trying to limit or define it, and then bring it to birth as infinite abundance and love in this world. And only the Sacred Feminine, through pure noetic intuition, can reconnect us to that infinite, timeless, Divine Being, and lead us home.

The consequences of her degradation, a crime for which men and women are equally responsible, are constantly and painfully visible in the disintegration of compassion, decency, kindness, and human meaning, that we witness all around us.

Dr. Andrew Cort, D.C., J.D., is a Teacher, Attorney, and Doctor of Chiropractic. His books, including "Return to Meaning: The American Psyche in Search of its Soul", "From Joshua to Jesus", and "The Song of Songs: A Lover's Poetic Dialogue", can be browsed and ordered at http://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A2XMNRI4GIYFES. Dr. Cort lives in the Berkshire Mountains in western Massachusetts.

Bathroom Water Damage

Laws of Attraction Break the United States Documentary Record!

Laws of Attraction may still be new to some, but the phrase is definitely not new to those who have been practicing the laws or the secret laws.

In the US, the Secret film that popularizes the "Laws of Attraction" was apparently the "third highest grossing documentary of all time". Does it surprise you at all? Can you remember the buzz that the film has created? It is expected that the movie will help changing even more lives!

The Secret movie though does not tell you anything new. It just reveals an ancient concept of the laws. Laws of Attraction say that thoughts become things and your thoughts will come to you when you visualize them. The laws obviously exist and they work both positive and negative ways. When you visualize negative, you receive negative; when you visualize positive, you receive positive.

In order to make sure that attraction principle work for you, you must remember that positive thinking precedes the laws. It is true that positive thinking does work, but when you mix that "positive thinking" with "emotion", your "visualization" becomes even more real than ever. That is why it is important to be able to attract positivity!

Take desire for wealth as an example. You may want to visualize the exact amount of money you want in a specific amount of time and what do you want to do specifically with that amount of money. When you focus on your desire, you are half way through your journey. Remember to actually apply the principle of attraction in your life. You cannot have a result without action. That is a fact. Period.

When you want to attract beautiful things into your life, you must feel how wonderful it feels to live the life you want and live it within your mind throughout the day. If you haven't practiced the attraction principle yet, I suggest you go do them soon.

I also have news for people who do not believe in the power of attraction - is silly for one not to accept the laws since there is no harm in believing and applying them.

Look, before the whole laws of attraction craze came along in the last three or four years, most people had no idea what they are. People just heard of "positive thinking". As we have established that "positive thinking" works, but it is even more effective when we apply the attraction principle. Remember that positive affirmations are simply statements that represent a goal or intention you would like to realize while the Laws of Attraction represent your whole being as you live and breath the Laws!

John Lee is an entrepreneur, who has found successes using the Laws of Attraction Not only he built his business from 5-figure debts to 5-figure passive income, he helps others to do the same. He is also a student of Bob Proctor and learn The Secret directly from Bob. Visit http://www.mylawofattraction.com/11-forgotten-laws/laws-of-attraction/ to claim his FREE 52 email series revealing the secrets of his making 5-figure profit-pulling business on auto-pilot every month for the last one and a half year.

Change Our Thoughts to Change Our Lives

We learned in science that objects and our bodies are comprised of atoms which are in constant motion. Matter vibrates. If the motion increases, the state of the object changes. Ice is heated to water. Water is heated to steam. Light, heat, and electricity vibrate. Colors form a spectrum from red to violet. As the pulsation increases, the colors shift from red to orange to yellow to green to blue to violet. All energies move and shift. We energy; we are vibrations.

What is true of our physical bodies is also true of our mental states. Just as physical objects modify their state, such as water to steam and lights from red to orange, our thoughts adjust. Thoughts are vibrations. We can stimulate our ideas and move them to a higher state, or we can lower them and become caught in negative emotions. We change. How we do that is our choice.

A practical spirituality teaches us that we can't cling to old ideas or patterns that are no longer useful or positive. We can think better thoughts. We can think higher thoughts. Our emotions are influenced by people around us. While we may not sense, observe or describe the differences as vibrations, we are aware that some people are more uplifting. Others bring us down.

We choose those who surround us. We choose which thoughts and emotions dominate our lives. Each mental or emotional state has its own rate of vibration. We can transform that rate at will and maintain a mental calm, unaffected by the opinions around us. Negative beliefs do not have to alter our positive state. We manage our thoughts. We do not have to get caught in the up and down drama of family, friends and associates.

Our challenge is to rise above the normal, material thoughts and be more positive, more evolved, and more spiritual.

Cheryl A. Chatfield, Ph.D. is a writer, teacher and inspirational speaker. This article is an excerpt from her recent Do It Yourself Guide To Spirituality: Seven Simple Steps . Visit http://NottInstitute.org to download and read this 40-page booklet, or to receive a free monthly Practical Spirituality Newsletter. The Nottingham Institute is a nonprofit organization that promotes material for an everyday, practical spirituality for people who don't find answers in traditional religions.

Lynne Mctaggart

Putting God on Trial

I was listening to something interesting the other day when someone mentioned putting God on trial for some of the atrocities in the world. If God is the creator of the universe and all that is, or all that ever will be, how can we put him on trial, he's our creator. We can't put our spiritual master on trial can we, he'll just escape anyway if we convict him, won't he. He's got to be smart enough to break out a prison.

As a child I often thought about God and why he would allow such suffering throughout the world. It never made sense to me when I was child and it still doesn't make sense to me today. Why would the creator, want us to suffer, with even the littlest of problems. Other religions have explained it as if God was teaching us a lesson and that's why we have hardships in our lives.

Do you think God ever went through these hardships? Did God have problems finding a job or gathering some food? Does God even eat? Okay now I'm getting off the topic here,(I wonder what God does eat)... if children do something wrong, most of the time their parents will discipline or correct them. If adults to things wrong, the government will discipline and reprimand them. Sometimes these punishments can be severe. It depends on the crimes committed.

If man has to be put on trial for committing crimes like murder, genocide, and general atrocities towards mankind, should God also be put on trial or is he above man because he's God. I can't imagine the creator of the universe ever being put on trial for man's crimes against humanity or other men, but it seems like someone who is all powerful and all knowing could help his children out of this little mess that we're in today.

Couldn't God help us like we help our children. We as parents might not have all the answers, but we do not claim to have them. We are not all powerful and all knowing, like we would assume God to be. When is God going to help us solve some of our major world problems, like genocide and starvation.

Putting God on trial might not solve all of our problems today but it would be nice to have some help with our problems. If he created us to please him, do we have to go on trial one day, for all the things we did or ignored while we were alive. Something to think about isn't it.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing and personal development. Check This Out What Happened to the Wise Men's Gifts

Greg is currently working on a video library filled with great movies on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world.

Religion Poisons Everything

During the "Does God Exist?" debate between Frank Turek and Christopher Hitchens, Hitchens made much ado about how "religion poisons everything." That's the subtitle of one of his books, in fact. Turek countered in his closing statement by remarking, "religion doesn't poison everything...everything poisons religion."

At the time, I thought "woaaaa, good one!" It had a rhetorical punch to it.

On second thought, though, I can see that the statement's value is limited.

Of course Hitchens' statement goes too far, and Turek's notion of religion being poisoned from the outside brings some balance. However, some religions really are poisonous in and of themselves. Some religions really do teach hate and violence. I'm primarily thinking of Islam here. There is no doubt that some followers of Islam are peaceful people, but the Koran really does incite violence and backwardness. A study of the Koran or a cursory glance at a culture where Islam reigns will tell you that.

I know certain verses in the Koran prescribe peace, yet those verses tend to come from the time when Muhammad lacked military and political power. The surahs "revealed" when Muhammad had power tell a much different tale, however.

There are other examples. One doesn't need to stretch to see the poison of a religion that prescribes sacrificing children to Molech, for instance.

Some religions *are* poisoned from the outside. Take Christianity, for example. Jesus is sublime. His followers-not so much (not that I'm biased.. :) I do think that I've got good reasons to be biased, however!)

But others are poison themselves, and any followers who are peaceful and moral are such not because of their religion, but in spite of it.

Plus, similar to "curing" cancer with a medication that dulls the pain, all religions but one only cure the symptoms of the human problem, not the disease. Only Christianity, with Jesus the true doctor, cures our disease of sin. Therefore, all others are impostors and hence are not intrinsically good.

Rich Bordner authors "The Pugnacious Irishman," a blog on the intersection of spirituality, ethics, and politics in the public square of ideas. He holds a B.A in English and Philosophy from THE Ohio State University (go Bucks!), and is in the process of earning a M.A in Philosophy from Biola University. Check out the blog at http://pugnaciousirishman.wordpress.com

Find Out Why You Believe in Your Religion

Whenever I ask someone involved in a religious organization, the question, do you really believe in your religion? Most of these people will often answer would be yes and start their religious conversion. Some of these people can become very intrusive if I don't stop them soon, very few of these people listen with an open mind.

I have talked to quite a few men and women about their beliefs over the years and still find it hard to believe that most of them live a life of faith with very little understanding or education about their religion. Now some strong believers might take offense to that statement, while others will listen to what I said and start doing a little more research on their religion.

Most of these religions throughout the world make perfectly good sense to their followers and I understand the reasoning behind some of them, it's all they know, everyone around them believes in the same religion and they get some sort of happiness and joy from it.

It's not hard to imagine a young child, walking around with strong religious beliefs if their parents are strong believers in it also. These children grow up and eventually train their children to follow the same path of their parents. Our children should be able to choose, what they will believe in, by the time they are adults.

This is a natural process of life, your parents learned from their parents and whenever someone asked them a question that they really couldn't answer or were uncomfortable answering, they can always reply with, I'm living a life based on faith or you just have to believe. You have to believe that someone is looking out for you and taking care of you. Most of these people think that something else is responsible for the events that take place in their life.

Is it possible for people that live a life of faith to educate themselves about their religion, to find the origin and maybe the destination of their religions. Could these people actually assume responsibility for their choices, whether they're good or bad. It's often hard to listen to somebody tell me that some evil entity made them do something bad. These people are easily convinced by others who agree with them and support them with their statements and beliefs. This seems to be where the biggest problem lies.

Once the people around us support our beliefs, they soon become realities in our lives. These realities will be transferred to others around us and give them support eventually about their beliefs. It's like a vicious circle that never ends. One believe supports another belief, until it's a fact.

Education is the path to freedom and will soon deliver the students from religious bondage. Someone a long time ago said," Seek and You Shall Find, Knock on My Door and I Will Open It.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, Science Getting Rich.

Greg is currently working on a religious education also visit our article library, filled with great subjects on a wide array of topics, like religion, self help and spiritual changes in the world. His views on religious freedom are slowly changing the way people think about institutional religion.

Sally Jenkins

Hoping to Enter Heaven - Religious Views Based on Hope

I was told by an advertising executive one day that all of your advertisements need to deliver some sort of hope for the people you're trying to persuade into buying your products. Funny, if you think about it, I got some and great advice about life from someone in the advertisement business.

Most people are looking for hope, in everything they do. Most of our daily activities revolve around hope and this gives our lives some sort of direction. If you believe in an almighty being and creator of the universe, often you will try to please him, ....or her, ....or it, in hopes of entering the kingdom of heaven or the promised land after you die.

Often our fears will increase our levels of hoping, the fear of doing something against your religion can often inspire you to become a more spiritual person, a good and moral person. Fear of making the wrong choices will inspire us to make better, moral choices, all for the sake of acquiring a ticket to Heaven or Nirvana. You're hoping, your good deeds on earth will earn you a place in heaven.

Most people are afraid of dying and leaving this world, for good. They don't know where they're going and that seems to scare most people. If we can offer someone a little hope, that they are going to a much better place than here, we can often ease the pain and suffering associated with death. I have to admit, most religions of the world promise another world, after we're done with this one.

If you're living a honest and moral life with the hopes of living a bountiful life in heaven, could you be wrong. What if you're seeking Hope in the wrong religion? If you're a Christian and the Hindus are right and you're wrong, do you get to enter there eternal kingdom.

Think about this question, I'm about to ask you. What if spend your whole life studying your religion and it's wrong? There is no heaven and when you die, that's the end of your existence

Have you ever wondered why you believe in your religion and someone in another country or even a couple of miles away believes in something entirely different.

Don't get mad at me or yourself, simply think about the question for a while, this question has transformed my life and put me on a wonderful spiritual path of learning.

Greg Vanden Berge is a published author, internet marketing expert, motivational inspiration to millions of people all over the world and is sharing some of his wisdom with experts in the fields of writing,marketing, and personal development. Check out one of his recommended books, The Power of Intention

If you want to read something funny and get your daily laugh in, you need to read this, it's funny Using Religion Responsibility. It's based on overindulgence.

Starting With Simple Things