The Order of the White Moon Goddess Gallery
Presents
 |
By Mystic
Sage
A Level 1 Final Project for Dark Moon’s
Heart School
(© 2017. All original material in this site is under
copyright protection and is the intellectual property of the author.)
Lilith
Origins and Story of Lilith
The origin of Lilith is obscure and varied. Her
recorded story begins with Innana, the Queen of
Heaven in early Sumeria. The legend of Innana told of sacred sexual customs that were a gift from Innana to the people of Erech.
The temple priestesses took as lovers members of the community who came to
worship the Goddess and receive healing. Lilith’s name is recorded as a young
maiden, the “handmaid of Innana,” who gathers the men
from the street and brings them to the temple at Erech
for the holy rites.[1] As the
patriarchy moved in, they needed to sever the people from the Goddess’ power
and did so by rejecting and suppressing the sexual rites of the Goddess
religion. Women’s sexual power became demonized as a force of evil and the
handmaid of Innana, Lilith, became the embodiment of
everything evil and dangerous in the sexual realm.
Lilith’s name derives from a Sumerian word for female
demons or spirits - the lilitu. The literal meaning
is “screech.” She was associated with the screech owl of the night, and later
as a demon of screeching. Some sources claim that she lived in open spaces of
the desert, ruling over the storms and wind, and preying on pregnant women and
infants. An early appearance of Lilith is in “Gilgamesh and the Netherworld,”
a Sumerian epic poem found on a tablet at Ur which dates from around 2000
B.C.E. Gilgamesh was a ruler who boldly slayed monsters and searched for the
secret to eternal life. In one episode, Gilgamesh goes to assist
Inanna where she is in her garden near the Euphrates River, tending a huluppu tree, the wood of which she hopes to fashion into a
throne for herself. Her plans, however, are thwarted when Lilith comes to
possess the tree. “Inanna, found herself unable to realize her hopes. A dragon
had set up its nest at the base of the tree, the Anzu
bird had placed his young in its crown and in its midst the demoness Lilith had
built her house.” Gilgamesh kills the dragon, causing the Anzu
bird to fly to the mountains and Lilith to flee to the desert.
Lilith later made her way into Israelite tradition,
and even into the Bible. Isaiah 34:14, describing an inhospitable wilderness
tells us: “The goat-demons shall greet each other, and there the lilit shall find rest.” Some believe the word “lilit” is a reference to a night owl and some biblical
versions even translate the Hebrew as “screech-owl.” Others say it is indeed a
reference to the demon Lilith. There is also reference to Lilith in the Dead
Sea Scrolls. She appears in Song for a Sage, a hymn possibly about
exorcisms: “And I, the Sage, sound the majesty of His beauty to terrify and
confound all the spirits of destroying angels and the bastard spirits, the
demons, Lilith. . .” Centuries after the Dead Sea Scrolls were written, the
Talmud was written. In it, Lilith becomes not only a spirit of darkness, but also
a figure of uncontrolled sexuality. The Talmud says: “It is forbidden for a man
to sleep alone in a house, lest Lilith get hold of him.” This image of Lilith
reinforces older impressions of her as a succubus, a demon in female form who
had sex with men while they were sleeping.
Sometime prior to the year 1000, The Alphabet
of Ben Sira was introduced to the Jewish community. The Alphabet, an
anonymous text, contains 22 episodes, corresponding to the 22 letters of the
Hebrew alphabet. The fifth episode tells the story of Lilith as the
first wife of Adam. This interpretation comes from the two creation stories of
Genesis. In Genesis 1, man and woman are created at the same time
while in Genesis 2, Adam is created first and Eve is created from his rib.
Lilith was not made from, nor taken from Adam’s body.
She was made the same as he was from the dust of the earth. She felt entirely
equal to him and insisted on being treated with full equality. She refused to
lie beneath Adam during intercourse which enraged him. He felt superior and
refused to give up his dominance. They argued and Lilith fled the Garden,
turning into a screech owl as she flew off to the Red Sea.
The legend concerning Lilith as the first wife of Adam
merged with the earlier legend of Lilith as a demon who preyed on pregnant
women and infants and her story became one of feminine evil. She was condemned
to survive as a demon and became the essence of depraved sexuality. She was
believed to steal semen when men were sleeping, which she used to fertilize
herself, producing demons. Lilith was also believed to kill children, and
mothers gave their children amulets to protect them from her.
Lilith’s Message for Today
Renée Starr in You are Woman, You are Divine tells
us that “our journey back to The Divine Feminine must begin with Lilith’s
mystical story because unlike other early goddesses of ancient cultures who
were re-named and then re-integrated into religious myths, Lilith was entirely
removed from our Feminine history. . .Her story has been buried under so much
secrecy and intrigue that it causes one to wonder why it was covered up in the
first place.”[2] Why did
the patriarchy banish Lilith and suppress her story? There are many
possible reasons. Lilith is a keeper of The Blood Mysteries. She holds the keys
of understanding our first blood, standing at the threshold of our sexuality
and she holds the keys of understanding for our last blood when we are the
elder, wiser woman standing at the edge of this world looking towards the one
beyond. Eve is the one who helps us understand our mother blood - the blood of
cycles, creation, and childbirth. But Lilith, is one of the dark goddesses who
helps us understand our menstrual blood as potent, filled with the power of our
sexuality, and femaleness. She is one of the first powerful, sexual
personifications of The Divine Feminine.[3]
Lilith represents the hidden, powerful, and
instinctive feminine sexuality within us as well as the shadow parts of
ourselves. Lilith is the voice within us that “demands absolute equality in
whatever situation we find ourselves and she will not settle for anything less.
She is unwilling to compromise if that means denying our essential values,
beliefs, or ideals. Lilith radiates strength, courage, and passion, and she
takes a stand for independence and freedom from tyranny.”[4] Lilith
is an unapologetically powerful and sexual Goddess and within many women, her
energy lays dormant. Her myth teaches us to accept ourselves as divine, sacred,
and sexual.
Lilith meets us in the dark underworld of our
subconscious - in our shadow self. When an aspect of the wholeness of the self
is denied, it develops into the shadow which is the repressed part of
ourselves. It is the rejected, traumatized, and wounded parts of ourselves as
well as the darker behaviors, patterns, and tendencies we exhibit. As we meet
Lilith in the dark underworld of our souls, we uncover and face the wounds we
have received during our lifetimes and the shame and hurt they have instilled
in us. We face the darker tendencies and patterns that motivate our behavior.
Lilith gives us the strength and courage to face the wounds and bring them into
the light of our conscious knowing. She helps us face the grief, pain, and
shame held in our stories so we can be healed, released, and set free. Lilith
helps us acknowledge the behaviors that hurt others and find the source so that
they too can be healed and we can move to greater levels of emotional and
spiritual maturity.
Many old amulets for protection against Lilith are in
the form of knives, which represent Lilith’s quality to instinctively cut to
the essential nature of things. In this, she represents the destroyer aspect of
the Triple Goddess, brandishing her curved knife in one hand and in the other
holding a severed head. She ruthlessly destroys all that is not our true self
or appropriate life path. Her compassionate wrath allows us to see
who we really are and forces us to be true to ourselves and to express our true
essence.
The Associations of Lilith
When we honor Lilith and seek
to reconnect with her and allow her wisdom to bring healing in our lives and
integration of our shadow aspects, it is helpful to do so during the time of
the dark moon. The energy of the dark moon is one of transformation and the
power of releasing and gathering. It is a perfect opportunity to travel into
our own darkness for healing and insight.
A flower associated with Lilith is the lotus and the
symbolism of the flower tells us much about her. The lotus is a
flower that grows out of dark, decaying earth and represents spiritual
unfolding and the blossoming of our wisdom. Like the lotus, Lilith
challenges us to integrate the woundedness and hurt
of our shadow selves into our wholeness so that our great beauty can blossom
forth.[5]
Lilith is also associated with the owl, a figure of
darkness and deep wisdom. In many North American traditions, the owl
is known for its healing abilities, fertility, and sexuality. The owl is also
associated with the essence of darkness that is within us all.
Crystals associated with Lilith are dark. Black
Moonstone has deep feminine energies and helps us to connect with feelings and emotions. It
is good for opening blockages and facilitates healing from past emotional
traumas. Nuumite helps us explore the deep layers of
our psyche to help us find and release hidden hurt, guilt, fear, or shame from
our past. Obsidian works to clear negative energies and is helpful in releasing
anger and the lingering effects of mistreatment, abuse, oppression, and grief.
Golden Sheen Obsidian is especially useful in shadow work and integration as
the golden sheen seen only when the crystal is held in the light emulates the
beauty that comes when we bring our darkness into the light of consciousness.
Lilith Oil Blend created by
Mystic Sage, for empowerment and shadow integration:
2 drops Basil - for courage and inner strength
2 drops Jasmine - a night flower associated with the
moon which increases inner strength (Lotus oil could be substituted)
2 drops Patchouli - enhances sexuality
4 drops Bergamot - for overcoming disempowerment and
releasing grief
1 drop Roman Chamomile - facilitates the releasing of
fear and gaining confidence based on inner attunement
3 drops Vanilla - grounding, stimulates root chakra,
associated with wholeness
Combine essential oils in 10-15 ml carrier oil.
Ritual for meeting Lilith and integrating our shadow
aspects
Need:
Sage, matches, jasmine or lotus incense, Lilith Oil
Blend, crystals (golden sheen obsidian, nuumite,
black moonstone), four black candles to represent the directions/elements and
one white Goddess candle, piece of paper and pen
Decorate your altar with black candles for the
directions and a white Goddess candle on top of a black altar cloth. Include
your crystals and anything else you would like (flowers, picture or
representation of Lilith, etc.)
Light the candles and open the circle. Invoke the
elements and request their support during your ritual. Light the sage and
visualize the smoke purifying yourself and your space. Light the incense and
breathe in the scent for a few minutes as you center yourself.
Invocation:
Lilith, I call upon you and ask you to guide me
through the dark underworld of my subconscious. Show me the fear, shame, or
guilt hidden there that you wish to heal.
Bring them to the light and help me know the truth
about myself.
Meditation:
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Hold
your obsidian crystal and tune in to its energy. Imagine that you are in a
beautiful, serene garden on a dark night. There is darkness all around but it
is a peaceful, nurturing darkness. As you walk around the garden, you come to a
cave. It is inviting and you enter in. The scent of jasmine invites you deeper
in and you go, unafraid. You enter a room in the cave and Lilith is there
waiting for you. She greets you gently and with love. You feel safe. She asks
you why you have come and what you would like and you tell her you would like
her to show you what she would like to heal in you. She smiles and leads you
deeper into the cave. Notice what images come up as you walk. Notice what
feelings surface. Are you reminded of anything from the past as you wander? As
you tell Lilith what comes up for you in the darkness, allow her to explain
what it means and then soothe your hurt, or fear, or shame. Listen as she tells
you the truth of who you are. When you feel ready, give your appreciation to
Lilith and say goodbye. Turn back to the entrance of the cave. Walk back out
into the garden and breathe deeply. When you are ready, open your eyes.
What lies about yourself have you believed because of
the incident or feeling that came up for you? What truth about yourself and who
you are did Lilith share with you? Take the piece of paper and write an
affirmation that will remind you of the truth about yourself shown to you by
Lilith.
Using the essential oil blend, anoint yourself as you
repeat this chant:
From the darkness of fear, I call in my light,
From the darkness of grief, I call in my strength,
From the darkness of my true essence, I call in my
power.[6]
Anoint the paper with the affirmation you have written
and repeat the affirmation several times. Allow the scent of the oil to
strengthen your knowing of the truth.
Ground yourself.
Thank Lilith and the elements for guiding you and
being with you during your ritual.
Open the circle.
by Susan Seddon Boulet
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[1] Demeter George, Mysteries of the Dark Moon: The Healing
Power of the Dark Goddess (New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1992), pg.
175.
[2] Renée Starr, You Are Woman, You Are Divine: The Modern
Woman’s Journey Back to the Goddess (Los Angeles, CA: Over and Above Press,
2015), pg. 71.
[3] Starr, pg. 71.
[4] George, pg. 188.
[5] Susan Seddon Boulet, The Goddess Paintings (Rohnert
Park, CA: Pomegranate Artbooks, 1994), pg. 74.
[6] Starr, pg. 81.