Is God, or the Divine, feminine or masculine? Does God have gender? These are eternal questions still worth pondering with no pat answers.
Our Planet Earth is commonly called Mother Earth and nature is known as Mother Nature. The feminine aspect of the Divine is also considered nurturing, caring, and healing.
A male lion is ferocious in the animal kingdom, but a female lion would go to any extent to protect her cubs. A female hawk would tear you apart if you went near her chicks. Little ones – humans, lions, or birds – are vulnerable, so the mother becomes the most powerful – like God.
In Eastern mythology, the goddess is Shakti, or the ultimate power, as Durga, Kali, or Chandi.
When Maa Kali’s image, with her ferocious look, was projected on the Empire State Building in NYC a few years ago, it sent a strong message: “Protect our planet and all beings in it.”
The goddess Shakti is also represented as the creative power of God, while Shiva represents the other half of the ultimate principle
In her other forms, Saraswati, the goddess of knowledge and music, is worshipped by all in India. Ustad Alla Rakha, father of tabla maestro Ustad Zakir Husain, once said that Goddess Saraswati had blessed him with music.
The Indonesian embassy in Washington, D.C., has installed a statue of Goddess Saraswati with three children sitting at her feet, seeking knowledge.
Laxmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity, is worshipped on Diwali, the festival of lights. The Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange do Laxmi Pujan and Mahurat Trading that day.
In ancient times, the “feminine aspect of God” was often represented by the concept of a “Great Mother Goddess,” a figure associated with fertility, creation, childbirth, nurturing, and the earth.
In Egyptian and Greek mythology
The ancients and the natives, who had more direct contact and a greater relationship with nature, viewed the earth as this gigantic female being who gave birth and continuously created life. In ancient Greek mythology, Gaia embodiedthe divine feminine, Earth itself.
Isis was a central figure in Egyptian mythology. She represented motherhood, fertility, wisdom, and protection. She was also a powerful magician and a guide to the afterlife. She was sometimes depicted as a cow with stars above her head. The popularity of female deities reflects the high status of women in ancient Egypt.
In Greek mythology, the feminine aspect of God was deeply revered. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and power, and Aphrodite is the goddess of love. Her Roman counterpart is Venus.
Since so many religious texts refer to the Divinity as ‘He’, many have started to believe Godhood is masculine. That often contributes to a world in which women and girls are marginalized and seen as lesser beings, and the mothering and feminine qualities in all genders are undervalued.
In Judaism and Christianity
In Jewish mysticism, the “Shekhinah” represents the divine presence on Earth, often interpreted as having feminine characteristics. Sophia in Greek philosophy, personified divine wisdom as a female figure. In early Christianity, Sophia was seen as a feminine aspect of God. She is also celebrated in Kabbalah as the female expression of God.
In the modern Western culture, often due to the more active and dominant role of men, God is portrayed as male, as in the Bible. Many texts and traditions refer to the divinity as ‘He’. Many have started to believe God is actually masculine and male. That often contributes to a world in which women and girls are marginalized and seen as lesser beings, and the mothering and feminine qualities in all genders are undervalued.
Holy Spirit as feminine
Yet, some Catholic denominations acknowledge the Holy Spirit as feminine. The Holy Spirit was often called “our Mother” in early Christianity.
Rev. Wil Gafney, professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Texas, teaches that translations often suppress the feminine aspects of the divine. However, in the grammar of the original languages, God is also our “Mother” and “She.” Dr. Gafney believes that it’s high time we recovered God in feminine form in our texts and metaphors for the sake of all genders.
The New Testament refers to the Holy Spirit as masculine in several places, where the masculine Greek word “Paraclete” occurs for “Comforter.”
Yet, female images and language for God are found in the Jewish and Christian scriptures, where God is a compassionate mother, a midwife, a woman in labor, and so on. She bakes bread to feed the hungry, shelters her baby chicks, and nurses her babies.
A 14th-century female theologian and saint, Julian of Norwich, said. “As truly as God is our Father, so truly God is our Mother.” In the 20th century, Pope John Paul I echoed the idea, “God is our Father; even more, God is our Mother.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) also believe that God the Father is married to a divine woman, referred to as “Heavenly Mother.” Humans are considered to be the spirit children of these heavenly parents.
In Islam
Islam teaches that Allah is beyond any comparison and thus is beyond any gender attributes. Arabic language only has gendered pronouns (he and she) and no gender-neutral pronouns (it). “He” is typically used when the subject’s gender is indeterminate. Allah has revealed himself in the names of Majesty (Jalāl) and Beauty (Jamāl) – the former evokes masculinity while the latter is feminine. The role of motherhood is highly valued in Islam, with women praised for nurturing and caregiving abilities.
In the mystical Sufi tradition, the “Divine Feminine” is often explored, representing God’s receptive, compassionate, and nurturing aspects.
In the Baháʼí Faith, Baha’u’llah uses the Mother as an attribute of God: “He who is well-grounded in all knowledge, who is the mother, the soul, the secret, and the essence”. He adds, “Every single letter proceeding out of the mouth of God is indeed a Mother Letter, and every word uttered by him who is the wellspring of divine revelation is a mother word, and his tablet a mother tablet.”
In Hinduism
In ancient and medieval Indian mythology, each deva of the Hindu pantheon is partnered with a devi. Many Hindu traditions, such as Shakta, conceive God as female and the source of the male form of God. Samkhya philosophy views the creation of the cosmos as the result of the play of two radically distinct principles: the feminine matter, or Prakriti, and the masculine spirit, or Purusha.
Prakriti, the primordial matter, was present before the cosmos manifested and was seen as the power of nature, both animate and inanimate, or as dynamic energy. Prakriti was passive, immobile and pure potentiality of nature. Only through her contact with the kinetic Purusha does she unfold her diverse forms.
In Rigveda, the earliest scripture of humanity, there are goddesses of water (Āpaḥ), dawn (Uṣas), evening (Sandhya) and the coupling of Father Heaven and Mother Earth.
In Buddhism
In Tibetan Tantric systems, a female Buddha is often the principal deity, and practitioners meditate on this form to see themselves as male and female. Buddhist teachings also explore the relationship between the masculine and feminine, and the idea that the awakened state emerges from the generative power of the feminine.
Various deities, including Tara and Prajna-Paramita, represent the feminine aspect in Buddhism. Tara, a deity of love, compassion, nurturance, and longevity, is considered the mother of all Buddhas. Prajna-Paramita represents the deepest wisdom that emerges from intuitive knowing.
In Sikhism
Sikhism professes one Universal God that has no gender. Their Mool Mantra describes God as “Ajuni” (not in any incarnation), implying that God is not bound to any physical forms. The All-pervading Lord is genderless. Yet, in the Guru Granth Sahib, God is “He” and “Father” with some exceptions, where God is the father, mother, and friend. Sometimes , God is referred to as the husband to the Soul-brides to make a patriarchal society understand the relationship with God.
In our time, attitudes are changing. Clair at a meditation group I attend in Virginia states that “the feminine aspect of God is liberating.”
According to Unification theology, God is considered to possess both masculine and feminine characteristics, often represented by the concepts of “Yang” (masculine) and “Yin” (feminine). In other words, God embodies a duality of both genders.
HerChurch in San Francisco follows the format of traditional church service, but the liturgy is devoted to honoring the divine feminine. Stacy Boorn, the minister, uses feminist theology in the church’s expression of faith, worship, learning, mutual care, and acts of justice.
