Womyn & Religion/UU Pagans Article

Michelle Mueller A Reflection on the Shared Practices of Womyn & Religion and UU Pagans

During my first few months at UUCCH, I experienced both Womyn & Religion and UU Pagans. Upon realizing the closeness of the groups in practice, I have wondered about the reasons for the groups and about the fidelity that seems to keep each group in existence. Although there is great overlap in the worship content and in the traditions (circle casting, four elements, Goddess, etc.), each group seems to have regular supporters from within the UUCCH congregation. I was surprised by how much Pagan imagery and practices Womyn & Religion uses and wondered the need for two separate groups. Goddess worship is a meaningful means for women to meet spiritually and maintain their political values. But, there are other ways. Since there is a UU Pagans group on site, I personally would like to learn more about women in other world traditions, like Islam or Judaism, from Womyn & Reli- gion. Accounting for the Pagan emphasis in women's spirituality, Walter Braman offered that interest in earth-based spirituality emerged during the time of the women’s move- ment, leading to a merge. What most caught my attention and led me to write this article is Womyn & Reli- gion’s rituals for the winter and summer solstices. At UUCCH, I came to wonder what makes the solstices women’s holy days so that Womyn & Religion would want to celebrate them. I am aware that Womyn & Religion events are open to all, regardless of gen- der. Nonetheless, I believe the intent of these ceremonies originates in a desire for women’s rituals or, at least, rituals that honor womanhood or the feminine. Womyn & Religion invites UUCCH members to celebrate the solstices, while UU Pagans include full moon ceremonies on the regular UUCCH calendar. Actually, many consider the full moons to be women’s holy days more so than the solstices and equinoxes. After all, the 28 days of a woman’s menstrual cycle match the 28 days of the lunar cycle. One aspect that does qualify the winter solstice as a women’s holy day is the rebirth of the sun god by the Goddess, included in many traditional myths. The Womyn & Reli- gion Winter Solstice in 2008 emphasized the birth aspect of winter solstice mythology. Furthermore, certain myths surrounding solstices or equinoxes tell the stories of female figures. For example, many turn to the story of Persephone and Demeter for moth- er-daughter relationships and a mythical explanation of the fall and spring equinox. I don’t have to send you far (my undergraduate senior thesis, “Kore in Conflict: Feminist Neo-Pagans Look the Other Way as the God Rapes the Goddess,” http://michelle.thelemistas.org) to reveal that the earliest known literary version involves a male figure, Hades, also, although many feminists have tried to eliminate the male char- acter. (Evidence that the popular modern association of Persephone’s descent and return with the fall and spring equinoxes is faulty is beyond the scope of this article.) To bring some clarity to the situation, I will begin a discussion on form and content. In this case, worship structure (the circle casting, pathworkings or guided medita- tions) represents the form. The content of Womyn & Religion and or UU Pagans includes the worship of Goddess, the lyrics of chants or songs, and the images of religious art- work. Goddess worship and chanting could also be forms. Not all traditions, and not all traditions practiced within Unitarian Universalist churches, recognize the divine in feminine form. The representation of the divine in the construct of the Goddess is a form in modern (and ancient) religious practice. Why do Womyn & Religion AND UU Pagans choose Goddess worship as a form? While at General Assembly, I shared my thoughts with Maureen Duffy-Boose, C.U.U.P.S. President. Maureen talked about the importance of female images of divine for nation-wide Women & Religion. It seems that UU Pagans/C.U.U.P.S. and Women/Womyn & Religion have different content-based needs for the same form. On the surface, it appears that both groups are worshipping the same divinity or practicing the same religion. In a sense, they are...Unitarian Universalism. In another sense, different value systems and spiritual needs have led two separate groups to depict divinity in a shared way. Identifying the contents (rebirth aspect at winter solstice, women’s role in mythology, and the importance of divinity in female form for women leaving oppressive religious systems), I have answered some of my own questions. Similar forms sometimes bear different meanings, each of which is needed by the respective group. The form of Goddess worship presents divergent content for Womyn & Religion and for UU Pagans. If you would like to learn more about these subjects, I recommend Margot Adler's Drawing Down the Moon (in the Horcsh Library) and UU curricula Rise Up & Call Her Name, Cakes for the Queen of Heaven, and Paganism 101. I will be offering a monthly Pagan Book Discussion Group 2010-11.

Blessed be. Michelle Mueller

Resources

Adler, Margot. Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today. Boston: Beacon Press, 1986. Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans: HYPERLINK "http://www.cuups.org/ " http://www.cuup- s.org/ Ehrenreich, Barbara and Deirdre English. Witches, Midwives and Nurses: A History of Women Healers. NY: The Feminist Press, 1993. Hunt, Mary. A Guide for Women in Religion: Making Your Way from A to Z. NY: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. Magliocco, Sabina. “Folklore in Rituals: Adapting Folklore for Ritual Use.” Saturday, July 11, 2009. Chesapeake Pagan Community Summer Gathering, Darlington, MD. Mueller, Michelle. “Kore in Conflict: Feminist Neo-Pagans Look the Other Way as the God Rapes the Goddess.” An Undergraduate Senior Thesis Submitted to the Departments of Religion and Classical Studies at Haverford and Bryn Mawr Colleges. Spring 2005. http://michelle.thelemistas.org Ruether, Rosemary Radford. Goddesses and the Divine Feminine: A Western Religious History. Berke- ley: University of California Press, 2005. Unitarian Universalist Women & Religion: http://www.uuwr.org/index.php