In the Beginning The Goddess

If Pagans wrote a "bible" I belive it would read

"In the beginning there was the All, the Source, The Great cause.

She Who is the Great Mother, The Great womb, the abyss of Creation. In the beginning was the Goddess, and the Goddess by nature, is creative, from Her The Universe and all  you see and do not see manifested, as an expression of Herself, the worlds, the solar systems, even  have Her symbol of the spiral, She has signed the universe this is my creation for all things come from Me and to Me they shall return"It is known we all have male and female within us, I even believe the God  is an expression of the GoddessHe is apart of Her, but not above Her. It believed by some it was women who birthed human culture and brought humankind out of the hunter-gather era and into that of an agricultural society. The image of the Great Mother Goddess was the outward symbol of the concerns and needs of the human community. She also personified, and was idnetified with the the fears of the ancients and thus became known as  "Mother Terrible," the destroyer of life, wherein She represented death. Like her symbol of the moon, the Goddess transformed herself into different guises and different reflections of light and dark.She hasmany names and faces. Our ancestors of ages past depended upon animal life for survial, therefore, on their tribal bunters. Legends from different cultures speak tell of the bold hunters who dressed in animal disguise (skins and horn) in order to get close to the herds. In time, the image of this horned hero became the image of the God who provided animals for the tribes. However, eventually the horned heroes (usually through injury) no longer went on the hunts and due to their special status within the clan, were given magickal and religious training by the female shamans. Out of this arose the role of what we know as the Priestess and her Priest. Originally, the women directed the religious/spiritual ways of the tribe and men were excluded from any major roles. Women were reverenced and highly  respected at one time due to the belief they were magickal  because of their ability to produce offspring, and therefore men easily accepted female sovereignty. It wasn't until men realized their role in procreation that they pushed for a greater role in religious matters. This resulted in a partnership relationship between the genders. Later, as men became warriors as well as hunters, they grew in importance and gained more control over all tribal concerns. The irony of it is as the men gained more control, (the Great Goddess cult, the Old Religion) was brought to a gradual decline. However in southern and western Europe,  this change took longer. The Aegean and Mediterranean areas and part of Europe escaped what was happening the longest, especially in the islands of Thera, Crete, Malta and Sardinia, Old European culture flourished in a enviable, peaceful and creative civilization til round  1500bc., a thousand to 1500 years after much of Europe had been transformed. Despite all of this the Goddess religion and its symbols survived in many places.As times changed and went by, humans began to develop and became more civvilized if you want to say, in that they began to construct cities and and major  empires
The religious take of the Solar and Lunar philosophies began to chaneg and divide,grow apart. The controlling, rule-making dominating aspects of the Solar philosophies appeared better able to quickly conquer and subdue enemies than could the influencing intuitive, and cooperative aspects of the Lunar. This, in tie, led to the forming of two separate Pagan religions. However, since it was the men who held political and military power, and the men who presided over Solar Rites, and Lunar Cults were eventually outlawed for fear of undermining of the strength of the Solar Cult.The Lunar Cults began to practice their rites in secret, away from the cities. Forests and mountains became the temples of Lunar cultist. Despite the dominance of the Solar-oriented men in power, the hearts of the people were with the Lunar Way (with the Goddess). Secret cults sprang up such as the Italian Benandanti who fought against evil spirits, carrying staffs or fennel stalks into the fray as they defended the crops of the harvest. Other societies came forward to protect and preserve the Old Ways as well (such as the Society of Diana).The Witch Cult and other Mystery Traditions flourished up until the fourth century A.D. When early Christians looted and destroyed Pagan temples and prevented the rites from being performed. And, then we all know the rest.

Resource  from: " The Wiccan Mysteries" by Raven Grimassi


I love what Lady Isadora wrote



In The Beginning Was the GoddessIn the Beginning was the Mother, Mistress of Infinity

The Great Cosmic Womb from which all came to be

And the Sun and the Moon and Stars She bore and the Earth in her Beauty, and She in turn gave birth to us from Her own Womb, the Sea.

And Her Daughters gave birth in likeness to that Universal Queen and Peace and Sweet Contentment

At the Mother's breast were seen

Why did so many sons turn from the one who makes them whole

How angry for her betrayal with all the power in my soul.