Shortly after posting this, I ran across this link, which expresses my thoughts in a different (and very entertaining) way. It's not that I have anything against the image of nurturing mother-goddesses; it's just that I reserve the right to revere more kick-ass goddesses (and princesses) as well. Or a combination of the two, because the two traits are, after all, not mutually exclusive.
Rejected Princesses Rejected Princesses Women too awesome, awful, or offbeat for the movies. Updated Wednesdays. View on www.rejectedprinc... Preview by Yahoo Re the Cathars, they *are* one of the only religions in Western history who treated women well. There were equal numbers of men and women Cathar priests (and they used the same word for both, even in the old Provençal language, where it was gender-free). The 13th century in the south of what is now France was a rare island of gender equality in Europe. Women could own property in their own names in that area at that time, a basic right that didn't happen in the rest of France until De Gaulle. As you suggest, there definitely *was* a Cathar influence on the Troubadours, but it might not have been as romantic as you might think, because the Cathars were a dour lot who didn't believe much in earthly love and pleasure. The Troubadours probably picked up more of their notions of earthly romantic love from North Africa and the Muslim culture than they did the Cathars. The latter, however, might account for the unrequited-love-at-a-distance meme in Troubadour poetry. As for Isis, I still prefer this vision of her: Bob Dylan - Isis (1976) Bob Dylan - Isis (1976) View on vimeo.com Preview by Yahoo ________________________________ From: "TurquoiseBee turquoi...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> To: "FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2014 10:48 AM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: The divine feminine in a Christian society From: "s3raph...@yahoo.com [FairfieldLife]" <FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com> What you say about the Langudedoc is suggestive. I'm aware of the attempts to link the Cathars with the rise of the troubadours and involvement of Eleanor and her daughter with the development of the courtly love tradition. But the fact that the graft didn't *take* suggests that Christianity is at heart a patriarchal set-up. Trying to feminise it ends up emasculating it and it loses its power. It's as silly as trying to "masculinise" a cult of Isis - you'd just end up with a butch and unappealing goddess. (Yes, I'm aware of Durga and Kali and of Minerva and other female goddesses that kick butt but it's the nurturing-mother goddess archetype we need.) Ahem. Don't you mean "that *I* need"? How is pigeonholing the image of women as "nurturing mother-goddess archetypes" instead of "kick-asses" any less chauvinistic than what Christianity does? The most kick-ass woman I know has multiple high-degree black belts in the martial arts, and is the loving, nurturing mother of two. No conflict whatsoever. I would suggest that considering her (or any woman's -- live or mythical) kick-ass side as "butch and unappealing" sounds more like your problem than hers. Just sayin'... ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <punditster@...> wrote : On 6/27/2014 9:01 PM, s3raphita@... [FairfieldLife] wrote: >>Why try to make Christianity more "feminine"? It is surely a lost cause - even women priests don't have the nerve to call themselves "priestesses" which is an honourable name and calling. Isn't it more promising to *supplement* the Christian faith with a goddess cult with its own rituals? Astarte on Fridays and Christ on Sundays makes one a whole human being. > >There is the Languedocian legend of the 'Queen of the South', (Reine du Midi), the title of the countess of Toulosue, the protectrix, identified with the Syrian goddess Anath who in turn is closely linked with Isis and the bird-footed Lilith. Yet another legend is the Meridiana to whom was conveyed the secrets of alchemy to Gerbert d'Auriliac. The name Meridiana is derieved from 'Mary-Diana' thus linking the Magdalene legends in the South of France. > >Lagudedoc was also home to the Knights Templers in Europe. It's interesting that Bernard of Clairvaux, the founder of the Templers Rule, was devoted to the Magdalene and to the Black Madonna. Bernard commended the knights to the 'obedience of Bethany', the castle of Mary and Martha. Bernard is also noted as the founder of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Notre Dame (Our Lady), i.e., Magdalene. > >The Templers oath was to 'God and Our Lady', not to the Virgin, but to the Magdalene. The Templers were preoccupied with the idea of the feminine mystery! > >> > > >> >>Olivia Robertson (who died last November) was high priestess of the Fellowship of Isis, a spiritual organisation devoted to promoting awareness of the feminine aspect of the divine. This trailer is for a documentary (which I've seen and recommend) on her life. >> >>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1PFYQOn4DI >> >> >> >> >> >
