Restoration of Pagan Britain

http://foster.20megsfree.com/418.htm

     "  And what of the Earth Mother? How did Christianity, with its all-male trinity, accommodate the need of the laity for a female deity? This matter had been virtually resolved in Europe by the time missionaries reached British shores. In A.D. 430, amid opposition, the Greek philosopher Proclus preached a sermon hailing the Virgin Mary as divine and a mediator between God and man. Then in 431, Cyril of Alexandria defended Mary's divinity, insisting that she filled the void in human affections left vacant by the departure of Isis and Diana. Finally the church inaugurated the Feast of the Assumption as one of its holy days. Henceforth Mary was the Blessed Mother of God, absorbing the worship of the goddesses that preceded her.
       
       In England the Earth Mother was an ancient figure and no longer the focus of a cult. Like Mother Nature, she fulfilled her role through ensuring the fertility of the crops and was supplicated (along with the fertility deities that followed her) with greenery and flower garlands. Dressing the Wells, an ancient ceremony still performed in few English villages, dates back to pagan times as a means of worshiping the water nymph. At Bisley in Gloucestershire, for example, the dressing is done by placing flowers and little leaves in a well. Corn Dollies were also derived from olden times, when they were made from the last sheaf taken from the field, along with lanterns and spirals, to depict Mother Earth. It has been suggested that Greek goddesses of the classical era enjoyed a Renaissance in rural England to the extent that the green ribbon that decorates corn dollies stands for Persephone, the young goddess of the fields and the green corn, while gold is for the mature goddess Demeter and the ripe corn. "

Robert W. Nicholls is a media specialist with the Howard University Research and Training Center in Washington, D.C.

Hi Ceridwyn:  Very interesting post.  I love the history of religion.

I have to somewhat disagree about the first paragraph, and I say "somewhat" because what you stated about the "worship" of Mary is somewhat accurate and somewhat not accurate.  Yes, there were and are people who worship Mary, and that is one of the main divisions in the Christian church.  The official church teaching though (at least now) is that Mary is never to be worshipped.  Honored yes, revered as the human being with the biggest role in the Incarnation, yes; but worship is reserved for God alone.  A lot of the over the top Marian devotion that you see among Catholics is more of a statement of Catholic identity, which is most certainly divisive; and a lot is truly a devotion which asks for Mary's intercession.  "Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen."

As for the need of the laity for a female deity, well, yes Christianity is male centered, in that our limited concept of our creator has been passed down thru the centuries as male.  IMHO, the creator I believe in is beyond what we can imagine and is of course, genderless.

I say all this as a Catholic Christian.

Ruth~ thank you for your comments  ~discussion of spiritual history ( in this case) Britain, her tribal culture, intertwined connection with nature and intuitive respect for the cycle of life on earth and protection & preservation of same ( as in ceremonial expression ie Winter Solstice..among many)......is brought to this forum, to excite ancient cellular memory and bring to view ideas of threads ( bardic song, myth & dance )leading to a recreation & restoration of  wondrous tapestry of Pagan belief ..as a way to restore balance ~ the Feminine.

Cerdiwyn;

Please let me know if you got my e-mail.  I sent it off the forum.