"The Tree of Wishes"
Painting By Montserrat
Used with Permission

INTRODUCTION

When I first began learning about Paganism and the Goddess, I found it necessary to delve deep within my inner self, in the hope of learning more about who I truly am, both as an individual and as a woman. That knowledge had been banished, long ago, together with whatever memories I might have had, by the patriarchal mores that society instilled within me, as it repeated over and over, until I actually began to believe, that women are second-class citizens in a world that is dominated by men.

When I first discovered the Goddess, I felt as though I was finally coming home again, to a place that I have always known and held dear in my heart, even though it had been hidden from me for such a very long time.

That particular place can be re-discovered by every woman who wishes to find it again. It was there that I joined with the Goddess, tens of thousands of years ago in another incarnation on the Wheel of Life. It was a wonderful place, filled with peace, with unity and with an overwhelming feeling of joy. As I became a part of the Goddess, and she of me, I found that I was re-discovering that part of myself which has always been filled with strength and honor, an ability to nurture and comfort, and a mission to go forward and help other women discover the Divine Feminine within themselves.

In the early stages of mankind’s evolutionary develpment, the people of Earth were matriarchal. Then, slowely, violent patriarchal cultures developed and invaded the matriarchal societies, bringing with them their male gods, violence and the inescapable concept of war. They were later replaced by the patriarchal Christian Church, which did everything that it could, in its ever-expanding quest for power, to destroy the matriarchal societies and their worship of the Goddess.

Women need to reclaim that which has been lost or taken from them, and one of the ways that they can do this, and discover what has been missing in their lives, is by learning about the Goddess. The Goddess has 10,000 names and 10,000 faces. She has appeared as different Goddesses in different cultures, having silently been called forth by the hearts and ancient memories of the people to meet that particular society’s specific needs. Through learning about the Goddess, women can discover and re-discover, in the sacred pursuit of their ancient inner selves, that great strength inherent within each of them known as the Divine Feminine.

Paganism embraces worship of the Goddess through nature, and in doing that, people will soon begin to view nature as divine, to be both honored and protected. Once that occurs, then they will begin to see the infinite, and become a part of it, as they recognize that everything is connected, and that they, as well as nature, are an integral part of the whole, which is the Goddess.

This book offers you the opportunity to explore a variety of Goddess myths. Hopefully you will learn something about the Goddess, about the Divine Feminine and about yourself. Look upon this book as the beginning of an adventure, which will take you on a journey of discovery and allow you the opportunity to explore your own form of spiritual growth, just as I did when I discovered mine.