From: amadeus@mickey.cc.utexas.edu (Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik)
Subject: Re: Why "the Goddess" and not "Goddess"?
Date: 20 May 1993 16:40:01 -0500

louise@cc.gatech.edu (Louise Penberthy) writes:
> Why do people here speak of "the Goddess" rather than "Goddess?"
> (Or for that matter "the God" rather than "God.")

That is a good question to put in the FAQ, and when I revise it this
week I'll put it in...

The way I understand it (and I want other people's input on this one)
is that the term "the Goddess" is a term encapsulating the entire
divine feminine -- in other words, "the" Goddess is all the feminine
aspects of deity included in one statement.  Same for "the" God.  So
when you say "the Goddess," you're calling on Athena and Brighid and
Freya and Yemaya and Asherah and Mari and Kwan Yin and Hera and
Cerridwen and all of the many Goddesses whose names I couldn't
possibly list here.

It always seemed a little pompous to me to call one's particular god
"God" because then the implication is that he's it, the one, the
entire encompassing of deity so complete that you don't even have to
say "the" in front of his name.  Of course I think that was the
desired effect...  :)

Not all pagans feel this way, though.  Many do not see each Goddess
and God as pieces of the whole but as separate entities connected only
so far as every existing thing is connected.

As far as Jehovah and its various cognates, I think it is a version of
the unspeakable name of God, but someone else who knows more of that
kind of thing will have to answer that part.

>Also, what's the origin of the phrase "bright blessings?"  

Hm.  Good question.  I could have told you all about the fivefold
blessing if you had asked about the phrase "Blessed Be."  Lots and
lots of people use it, but I couldn't put an origin to it.  Anyone
else have any information or ideas?

> (I have Adler's book, and am making my way slowly through it, so
> maybe I'll get to these answers eventually.)

Hmmm... I don't remember seeing the answers to those particular
questions in there, but keep reading it anyway.  :)

And welcome to here, Louise!

>-- Louise Penberthy

-- 
-----Susan Harwood Kaczmarczik-------------------------------*<:-)-------------
"Queens never make bargains."  -- The Red Queen, _Through the Looking Glass_
-----amadeus@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu--------------The University of Texas @Austin---