Monday, January 21, 2019
Moustafa Gadalla is an Egyptian-American, independent Egyptologist and the author of many acclaimed books about the aspects of ancient Egyptian history and civilization, and its influences worldwide. In his book Isis: The Divine Female, focus is placed on the goddess Isis—a deity associated with maternal devotion, fidelity, and tenderness. Isis represents the divine female principle, which includes the creative power that conceived (both physically and metaphysically) and brought forth all living creatures. Gadalla says:
“Isis is, in fact, the female principle of Nature and is receptive of every form of generation and . . . has been called by countless names. . . . [B]ecause of the force of Reason, she turns herself to this thing or that and is receptive of all manner of shapes and forms.."
According to Wikipedia, Isis was known for her magical power and was said to be “more clever than a million gods.." As with other deities in Egyptian history, Isis has many forms—each emphasizing different aspects of her character. In one of her forms, she changes into a young woman who says she has inherited a good deal of money.
Gadalla describes the heart of Isis: “The Divine Heart, though connected in some mysterious way with each individual’s physical heart, is not a thing of flesh and blood. . . . [I]t is a part of humankind that partakes of the essence of divinity. It corresponds to conscience and as such is identified with the totality of all organs of knowledge.."
Gadalla is talking about the fullness of existence, a quest that many of us embark upon, which leads us to unity with all. In my book Grow Up Your Ego: Ten Scientifically Validated Stages to Spiritual and Emotional Maturity, I state it this way: “Man’s journey toward oneness stretches back a million years. What seems like a vertical ascent turns horizontal, for the journey upward is the journey inward. And here, from within our within, we live in the land we dream of, where ego maturity allows us to be exactly who we are meant to be, where we experience joy and love without bounds, and where hearts on fire with compassion transform the planetary soul.."
This important but elusive concept is so significant to me that I also address it in my book Journeying: Where Shamanism and Psychology Meet: “Countless religions and philosophies address the spiritual interconnectedness of human souls. Teilhard de Chardin, a paleontologist and French Jesuit priest, has coined the term “noogenesis." to describe the “concentration and collective march forward of human thought.."
There are times when I struggle in relating to the divine feminine principle, yet those times I spend in nature, connecting to Mother Earth, serve as a reminder for me of the unity and collectivity of humankind—both female and male. In what ways do you relate to the divine feminine principle? In what ways do you perhaps struggle to connect to it? All comments are welcome.