I have always been curious about what exactly it meant to serve the Goddess as a Temple Priestess of Sacred Sexuality. Certainly what we know and believe has been colored by Western culture from the Victorian Age to the present day and which has always described the Sacred Temple of the Goddess as nothing more than a house of prostitution and the Priestesses as whores (all in a perjorative sense). Any concept of spirituality that would have been present has been left out of the description and modern thought.) As feminists and as women of the Goddess, it is vital that we reflect upon the alternatives to patriarchal thought. My own reflections took on the form of a song. This song is sung by the Temple Priestess, the Worshipper at the Temple and the Goddess Herself. The song describes the entry of a woman into the Temple and her transformation into priestess and then into Goddess. The worshipper enters the Temple and is transformed into Goddess. The body of the Goddess is given to both, partaken of by both. The separation-dissolution brings with it knowing, and finally transformation to both the priestess and worshipper.
Song of the Sacred Mystery of the Body of the Goddess
Enter the Priestess:
I am a woman, before me is the gateway to the Temple
I enter
cool shady grottos, sweet smelling vines, splashing water, song of birds
Her body.
My mundane life falls away, my everyday dress falls to the ground, my hair falls loosely down my back.
I become
I drink the water perfumed with petals of kumquat and honey. I paint my lips with pomegranate. I anoint my skin with jasmine.
The Goddess.
Enter the Worshipper:
I am one who comes to the Temple, I open the door to the Mystery.
I enter
My senses come alive, my heart beats so quickly, I feel Her presence here, O Goddess!
Her body.
My mundane life falls away, like everyday clothes, discarded, unneeded. She stands before me.
I become
Her jasmine perfumed body glistens under my awestruck hands, her pomegranate lips grace mine with their touch, her breath fills me with the sweetest dreams and memories.
The Goddess.
Speaks the Goddess:
I am Goddess. All who enter the Mystery, become part of me.
We partake
I am togetherness, love and ecstasy.
of her body
I am both body and spirit, nature and thought, enfolding all within, spinning out beyond the senses.
We are one
I am the caress, the softness and sharpness, the laughter and cry of delight.
with Goddess Knowing:
Our bodies glowing, softly I draw back from the one who sought the Mystery.
My body pulsing, I pull myself away from Her body.
We are nourished
Our energies, mingled, exploded, sent bursting out into the universe
by her body.
Transformation:
I am a woman, full of life and promise. I have gone to the Temple and partaken in the Mystery.
I am one who has gone to the Temple, seeking to understand the Mystery
We are deepened
What we have found cannot be explained or described with words
The Mystery of Her rests in our hearts and bodies, in our desire.
In Goddess.
Our bodies are her Body
Her Mystery rests within us.
Joyous Summer Solstice 2009,
Mut Danu, HPS
Mut Danu is a High Priestess of the Apple Branch, a Dianic Tradition and founder of La Branche du Pommier in France where she is an active member of the pagan community.
mutdanu@ymail.com