Goddess Religions?

WEll, perhaps not strictly.

I was doing a little bit of lookup about the Druze, an esoteric neo-platonic quasi-islamic (don't you love it when religions rhyme?) sect that exists thruought the Levant (look it up if you are confused).

And I came across this set of pages,
cremesti.com...

Apparently "Krasiva" isrusk for "Beatiful Woman" , the root word meaning beauty and the ending being the feminine.

Pictures of this woman were what scored the hit, since she is a Druze woman. Apparently they allow their women to acheive high office. No wonder eh!?


Anyway, here is the site author's 'mission statement' and some comments

"... Lets be straight, I don't mean the trendy beauty to which they might aspire and might be flattered to possess, but the unknown beauty that transforms them into instruments of an orchestra of global music, makes them the juncture of contradictory charms, tranfigures them into the locus of human occasion to express its tenderness, its compassion for the smallest thing, as well as its terrible harshness, its implacable advancing, always young and strong, assimilating death in its blood."

Odysseas Elytis - Eros, Eros, Eros

I had been struggling with developing a mission statement, until I read this piece of writing from the Nobel laureate Elytis' Eros, Eros, Eros and it summed it all up for me...

To all the goddesses that walk the face of the earth and fill it with beauty, all the out-of-the-"ordinary" women that create Life, to the face of Venus I see behind the visage of every woman... this site is a tribute to the beauty of Womankind.

This is what Krasiva, my site, is about...

I mean, what with the supposed 'Divine Feminine" being so topical these days, this is a relevant site.

The author also states

"Taking photos of women is a most amazing, exciting, aesthetic, heart-thrilling, experience there is for me... Looking at a woman through my lense, I feel like I am beholding the beauty of the Creator's most beautiful creation and given the opportunity to capture it, not just admire it... I am always looking for some special smile, mysterious look, facial expression, or spontanesous moment and the excitement of the possibility of being able to freeze time, to stop it, and capture a moment of it is sheer aesthetic joy and enrichment. Photography for me is a form of worship. My photos are my Art. Do not desecrate my shrine."

[emphasis added]

I especially think that those last few sentences are interesting. Its a site with photos of gorgeous women, but its not pornographic, by any means, and infact there are only a few 'nude' photos, and they are expresssly edited so as to not be objectionable/revealing. The author is saying 'its got nothing to do with carnal sex, don't even think it does, thats near sacrilige, this is something higher'.

I think that, perhaps, if there ever was anything like Goddess Worship (ala Grave's and his "The White Goddess" , a vein picked up by the Davinci Code, and popularized in Feminism and certain strains of wicca, etc) in the ancient world, that that site contains an authentic element of it, even if entirely unitentional.


Here is an additional comment, in the links section, about a page, that is also illustrative of the author's intent

Phenomenal Women of The Web (POTW): A pathetic attempt to I don't even know what- may be glorify women who are breaking into the Internet Industry ? The CREED is pathetic..." Here is a line I stole from the 'creed' that made my stomach turn:

"... Sure, she can be a Nurse, but why not be the Doctor, or be the Lawyer instead of the Secretary?..."

When Ihear that Doctor-Lawyer thing I get sick... Wake up people... Is becoming a doctor or a lawyer the Path to Enlightenment or something ? (I grew up in Lebanon where every parents "dream" for their son or daughter is to be a Lawyer, Doctor or Engineer.)

So, anyone worshipping these women yet?

What might be interesting would be to look at connections between the Druze religion and the location of the holy grail, since the grail is alleged to be a bloodline, which would require women of course and they give good prominence to women. The Druze are also neo-platonic, or have elements of it, that means that they have connections to classical philosophy and the ancient wisdom prior to the dark ages, that they have, literally, been preserving it within their secret society.

The Druze also allege that their sect was founded by a Sheik from Egypt, al-Hakim I beleive, which is probably a cover story to protect them from the conquering muslims in the old days. But it is interesting that its an Egpytian connection that they specify, as Egypt is a repository of even more ancient philosphical and mystical knowledge, especially gnostic christian knowledge, which is yet another connection to alternative grail theories.

Their location in the precise region where the Knights Templar had their run is also potentially illuminating.

I don't think this web site presents any evidence regarding ancient Goddess-worship, but it does have a bearing on the modern version.

When the human form, and human sensuality are seen as holy and worthy of reverence, rather than sinful and worthy of condemnation . . .

And when the chosen image of a woman is one of strength, passion, and intelligence . . .

Then the Goddess tends to be remembered.

I love the Goddess on a very personal level. She is my lover, my mother, and the song in my heart. When I invoke Her, I feel Her embrace in a very sensual way (not overtly sexual -- although I wouldn't see anything wrong with that -- but still a thing of the flesh, the breath, and the racing of the blood, and there are definite sexual overtones, even if seldom images of sexual acts themselves). However much I may revere the God in His many forms, my relationship with Him cannot ever be quite the same. It tends to be more intellectual, more one of mentor to disciple, or leader to follower.

The author is saying 'its got nothing to do with carnal sex, don't even think it does, thats near sacrilige, this is something higher'.

Oh, I disagree. It most certainly does have something to do with carnal sex, although that isn't ALL it's about by any means. Among Goddess-worshipers, of the Neopagan variety at least, sex sheds the base-and-wicked stigma it too often carries, and becomes holy. Something higher? Propertly understood as the merging and joining of selves, an image of the Union that is the goal of all worship, there IS nothing higher than sex.

interesting. by his own admission he took at least one of the pictures after the subject refused permission. I Think that might (at least in TDPR of Ca.) border on stalking.