The dark goddesses have great gifts to bestow on those women courageous enough to seek their wisdom. Every culture has dark goddesses. They personify the feminine power of transformation. Their stories are fascinating and fitting for these uncertain times.
Hekate, The Morrigan, Kali, Sekhmet, Oya, their names, even whispered, may spark fear. The thought of entering into a relationship with one of them may bring trepidation, even repulsion, and cause you to shrink as you pull back your energy. You may quickly turn the page to get away from this article because the words “Dark Goddesses” are in the title.
You may be thinking, “Why do I need to know the dark goddesses?”. I thought the same myself as a young woman on the goddess path. To answer this question, I will take on the mantle of the Dark Goddesses and reveal a well-known, uncomfortable truth that we often sweep under the rug.
We, “light workers”, spend a great deal of time maintaining a high vibrational state and living in our upper chakras. This can lead us to become ungrounded and energetically unbalanced.
Think about it, we know and define things by their opposite. We know the direction of up because we understand the concept of down. We know love because we have witnessed hate. So it follows that we can live in the light because we have dwelled in darkness.
We have now entered the astrological sign of Libra. Libra teaches that life is all about balance, harmony and relationships. A good question to consider and journal about during this time is, “How can I be balanced when I only stay in the light?”
The dark goddesses have great gifts to bestow on those courageous enough to seek their wisdom. Their stories are fascinating and fitting for these uncertain times. Every culture has a dark goddess. Many have more than one. They are the goddesses of war and death; destruction and resurrection. They personify the feminine power of transformation.
What better guides could we have as we reach into the well of our spiritual gifts to navigate the season of lengthening night?
As we delve into the aspects and symbols of these dark goddesses, you may discover traits that mirror your own, or recognize facets of someone you know.
Hekate, is the Greek Goddess of Magic. Her sacred places are the crossroads and the labyrinth. Hekate is most often depicted in her triple goddess form of Maiden, Mother and Crone. She calls you to commit fully to your choices by leaving a gift at the crossroad moments of your life without looking back. She guides you to follow your truth through the maze of your new life and to use your voice to manifest your dreams.
The Morrigan, is the Celtic Goddess of War. The Morrigan is not her name but a title, meaning “Great Queen” or “Phantom Queen”. She is known for her ability to shape shift into any form at will; most frequently a crow. Through the crow totem, she offers you the gift of foresight. She calls you to be reshaped into a weapon of greatness, conferring incomparable inner strength and the indomitable will to conquer any obstacle.
Kali, the Hindu Goddess of Death and Destruction, is also known as Kali Ma. Kali Ma is considered one of the kindest and most loving mother goddesses. She is an unmatched destroyer of evil and protector of the innocent. Her sword signifies divine knowledge and the severed head she carries represents the ego. She calls you to cut the ties that bind and embrace the freedom gained by living your truth.
Sekhmet, the Egyptian Goddess of Wrath, has the head of a lioness and the body of a woman. Her name means, “She Who Is Powerful” or “She Who Loves Justice”. A ferocious fire goddess, Sekhmet discerns transgressions and meters out punishment. She offers the gift of righteous anger. As a goddess of healing, her ancient priestesses were also doctors. She calls you to heal your community by boldly countering injustice.
Oya, the Yoruba Orisha of Storms, brings sudden change through gale force winds and lightning. She teaches how to ride the winds of change through all adversity and stand tall in your beliefs. Queen of the Cemetery, she guards, and links us to, our ancestors and watches over the liminal space between the worlds. She calls you to withstand the swirling chaos and exemplify resilience when you believe all is lost.
How does one call on a dark goddess? You don’t. One does not command a dark goddess. She will call you. Your task is to listen, be open to the call and ready to respond by making room in your life to do the challenging work she demands of you.
It will not be easy. You will be called to leave precious things behind, trust your inner vision, change and grow in unanticipated ways, look into the future and step outside the comfort zone of your light worker, high vibe self.
I’m inspired to introduce you to one more dark goddess, Hel. Yes, you read that correctly. Her name is Hel, the same as the realm she governs. She is the Norse Goddess of The Underworld. Here’s an interesting fact about Hel. She was born half alive and half dead. While most depictions have her divided in half down the center, other tales talk of her being alive from the waist up and dead from the waist down.
Remember what I said earlier about living in those upper chakras? Hel’s gift is detachment and reconnection with the cycle of life. She calls you to integrate your physical and emotional self with your logical mind and infinite spirit.
As we near the end of October, we will enter the astrological sign of Scorpio, this water sign is the deep diver of the zodiac. Scorpio is not afraid of the dark, not afraid to descend as far as is needed into the mystery to gain necessary insights.
The transition from October to November coincides with Halloween, Samhain and Día de los Muertos, marking the season of reviewing your personal harvest and calling on and honoring your ancestors. This is the best time of year to energetically rebalance and explore any feelings you may have been avoiding, as the dark goddesses are especially suited for helping you connect with your spiritual elders.
You may be thinking, “Spiritual elders? I don’t know who my ancestors are! My ancestors were all crazy! I have no relationship with my family of origin!”. I ask you to rethink who you consider your ancestors. Ancestors, transcend blood relatives.
For me, in addition to my blood family, I have a musical lineage from the great singing teacher, Manuel García. I have a Reiki lineage from Dr. Usui through Mrs. Takata. I consider the founding members of my sisterhood my ancestors. I also honor those who are known as “ancestors of place”, meaning those who have historically lived in my region.
Contemplate the possibility that you have other ancestors. Call on your ancestors as you navigate the growing darkness. Ask for their help, then await their answer.
In preparing to write this article I was frustrated. I couldn’t figure out how to start. Needing a break, I went for a walk and asked my ancestors to help me find the right words to inspire you to learn about the dark goddesses. Upon returning home, I found the most perfect black crow feather lying on my front doorstep.
You cannot know how or when you will be called by the Dark Goddesses. By now, you may have realized they’ve been beside you all along helping you step into your light.
