Both Jewish and Christian theology postulated Divine Feminine Who were the consorts, Brides and Companions of God -- and with whom He thoroughly enjoyed sex.

For Example: 1. The CHERUBIM: Those winged human-like figures which were an integral part of all Hebrew and Jewish sanctuaries and Temples. They were by any criteria "graven images" yet they figured prominently in Temple ritual down to the very end of the Second Jewish Commonwealth (70 CE). Moreover, in their last version the Cherubim depicted a male and female in sexual embrace -- an erotic representation which was considered obscene by the Pagans when they at last glimpsed it. Their presence in the Holy of Holies (the innermost sanctuary of the Temple) and the ritual significance attributed to them, are invariably referred to as a "most SACRED MYSTERY." (Raphael Patai, _The Hebrew Goddess_ 67-68)

2. The SHEKHINA: the frequently used Talmudic term denoting the visible and audible manifestation of God's Presence on earth (which led Moses thru the desert). In its ultimate deveopment the Shekhina stood for an independent, FEMININE DIVINE ENTITY prompted by Her compassionate nature to argue with God in defense of man.

The Shekhina was known as God's Consort and Bride: "the Shekhina, God's divine Matronit, became in a mystical way the Mother of Israel as well as the personification On High of the Community of Israel. As long as the Temple of Jerusalem stood, it served as the sacred bedchamber in which, every midnight, God the King and His Spouse, the Matronit-Shekhina, celebrated their joyous, sacred marital union. ...The loving embrace of the King and His Queen the Shekhina secured the wellbeing not only of Israel but also of the whole world. The divine coupling was, and is, profoundly influenced by human behavior, or to be more exact, by the comportment of Israel. When Israel sins, these sins force the divine couple to turn away from each other; when the people repent, God and the Shekhina turn back to each other and unite in love. When a pious earthly, human husband and wife perform the great "mitzva" of marital union, the mystical power contained in and issueing from this act enables, and more than that, induces, the King and Queen on high to do the same, and thus to become restored to their pristine unity.

When Israel departs from God, the Matronit-Shekhina is said to depart from Her beloved, God, and go "into exile" -- when this happens, the Name (ie the Godhead) is not complete, but consists only of 'YHW'...and the whole world, but expecially Israel, suffers. Only when reunited with the Shekhina will God again be YHWH (Yahweh).

Lest anyone erroneously imagine that this myth is irrelevant to modern Jewish practices -- The "Yihud" (unification) are special rituals -- one of which is a simple declarative sentence, prior to reciting a prayer or performing any mitzva (commandment), to the effect that the intention of the person doing so is to bring about the unification of God and the Shekhina. Thus, a pious Jew might say, "I do this in the service of uniting God and His Shekhina". (See Patai, 117-165)

3. HOKHMA - WISDOM: Described as a personage whose way is understood and place known only by God himself, while the Book of Proverbs asserts that Wisdom was the earliest creation of God, and that ever since those primeval days She (Wisdom) has been God's PLAYMATE." (Patai, 97-98)

4. WISDOM may have developed into HAGIA SOPHIA ("Holy Wisdom") -- imaged in early Christian theology (especially the Gnostic literature) as a Divine Feminine and God's Consort.

5. YHWH - the Tetragrammaton, from which we get "YAHWEH" and eventually "Jehovah" - is composed of the first letters of FOUR of the Sacred Names of God - Two of which (the "H's") are FEMININE. In Jewish tradition, the Y is the Supernal Father, the H is the Supernal Mother, Who crowned the Son (W) and the Daughter (second H). (see Patai, 112-120)

PART 2 -- The Relationshp between God and His Shekhina

The Central Creation myth of the Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical-magical system) said that "no sooner did Adam become a sentient being than he began to contemplate the physical and spiritual worlds into which he was placed, and committed a grave sin that ever since has dogged the steps of man: God's spirutal being as comprised of ten "Sefirot" (emanations or aspects) but in congtemplating God, Adam MISTOOK the tenth and lowest Sefira which was the Shekhina, the female manifestation of God, for teh totality of Godhead. Since the Creator endowed Adam with the power of influencing the condition of the Godhead On High, by doing so, Adam caused a fissure to occur between God and the Shekhina. Ever since this first orignial spirutal sin, man has er and again repeated it -- a mythical event that is bound to be repeated, re-enacted, continually, and thus reintroduced, and made even more painful, the separation between God and His Spouse, the Shekhina.

when, in the course of history, the People of Israel came into being, the Shekhina, God's divine Matronit, became in a mystical way the Mother of Israel as well as the personification On High of the Community of Israel. As long as the Temple of Jerusalem stood, it served as the sacred bedchamber in which, every midnight, God the King and His Spouse, the Matronit-Shekhina, celebrated their joyous, sacred marital union. ...The loving embrace of the King and His Queen the Shekhina secured the wellbeing not only of Israel but also of the whole world.

The divine coupling was, and is, prfoundly influenced by human behavior, or to be more exact, by the comportment of Israel. When Israel sins, these sins force the divine couple to turn away from each other; when the people repent, God and the Shekhina turn back to each other and unite in love. When a pious earthly, human husband and wife perform the great "mitzva" of marital union, the mystical power contained in and issueing from this act enables, and more than that, induces, the King and Queen on high to do the same, and thus to become restored to their pristine unity.

When Israel departs from God, the Matronit-Shekhina is said to depart from Her beloved, God, and go "into exile" -- when this happens, the Name (ie the Godhead) is not complete, but consists only of 'YHW'...and the whole world, but expecially Israel, suffers. Only when reunited with the Shekhina will God again be YHWH (Yahweh).

Lest anyone erroneously imagine that this myth is irrelevant to modern Jewish practices -- The "Yihud" (unification) are special rituals -- one of which is a simple declarative sentence, prior to reciting a prayer or performing any mitzva (commandment), to the effect that the intention of the person doing so is to bring about the unification of God and the Shekhina. Thus, a pious Jew might say, "I do this in the service of uniting God and His Shekhina". (See Patai, 117-165)

Blessings -- Gaia

-- Gaia (Gaia_d@yahoo.com), August 10, 2002

Answers

don't worry

The archives are buried quite deeply, so that only the most earnest seekers will find everything ;-}. Please feel free to cross-post here. Nice to hear from you again! Regards,
proclus

-- (proclus@gnu-darwin.org), August 12, 2002.

ooops

Well duh, i gues i shoulda checked to see what the "archives" were like, huh -- i didn't know you already had this stuff from me -- SORRY everyone!

-- Gaia Dianne Jansak (Gaia_d@yahoo.com), August 10, 2002.