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Respecting the Goddess in others
by Sister Usha
Mohandas K. Gandhi was once asked by a reporter whether he was a Hindu or a Moslem. He replied "I am a Hindu and I am a Moslem and I am a Christian and I am a Jew." These are some of the wisest words ever spoken.
The core of our philosophy here at Divinely Female is that the energy that created all the life on Earth resides within the soul of every woman. We also believe that every man is in his soul half female; hence every person contains a piece of that divine energy. We like to personify that energy and call it a Goddess, but the Goddess is not a physical being. She lives within us and gives us life.
Every person should cultivate this energy and honor its power. It gives you strength in times of peril, joy in times of peace, wisdom in times of decision. Much of what we do at DF is designed to help the individual develop her ability to draw on this power and use it wisely.
At the same time as one recognizes one's own power, it is equally important to remember that every other person you meet also has that same energy within. Who is to say that your little piece of the Goddess is any better than anyone else's? That person has strength and power within, just as you do. We all need to respect that power in everyone we meet.
This is just as true of cultures as it is of individuals. Each country in the history of humanity has had its own scholars, its own prophets, its own philosophers. We all know of the most famous of these: Buddha, Confusius, Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, etc., but there have been untold thousands of others. All have been blessed with the Divine Sage with an above-average dose of her Divine Wisdom. But never does she reveal all her Wisdom to any one individual. Just as she herself is dispersed, a piece in you, a piece in me, a piece in the next person, so too is her Wisdom.
I wish to share a story I heard once. Many years ago, Christian missionaries visited a small village in India. They taught the Bible and the life of Jesus to the villagers, who were more than eager to listen. The people asked questions and learned everything they could about this wise man from a place far away and a time long ago. The missionaries were very proud of themselves, convinced that they were succeeding in converting the people to Christianity. They were, however, aghast to learn that the local people had simply decided that Jesus was a tenth incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu (Krishna being the most famous of the other 9). Thus Christianity was not replacing Hinduism but rather being merged with it.
I was myself born in India and raised as a Hindu. I have long tried to emulate those villagers. The students were in my opinion wiser than the teachers. Noone has a monopoly on wisdom. Every person has a piece of the Wisdom of the Divine Sage, but noone has it all. Every person has something to teach, and everyone needs to learn.
At Divinely Female, we have attempted to endow our organization with a democratic structure to the greatest extent that we can. We encourage people with knowledge of Hinduism, Wicca, Buddhism, Native American faiths, or any other of the world's religions, to share their learning with us. We invite each member to add her own piece of wisdom to the pot, for each member has some fresh and original thought to contribute to the world. This is a place to listen, a place to grow, a place to help others grow.
We invite you to come and plant your seed in our soil.