Who is the Dark Goddess?
Who is the Dark Goddess
The Dark Goddess is an archetype that is seen across many different cultures, mythologies and even in modern pop culture.
However, we need to take a step back and look at her through the lens of the “ancients.” Most of the cultures of the older days didn’t call these Goddesses “Dark” or inherently “Evil".”
They were a part of the intricate cycles of life, often the guardian or psychopomp for the dead, and rulers of the Underworld. Some played an important role in the creation of the Universe and Earth.
These Goddesses were the embodiment of death, rebirth and transformation. To many cultures, this was a natural part of life and her role was a necessary one.
She reminded us that Life often comes from Chaos and Destruction, or at the very least go hand in hand.
Billions of years ago, the Earth was far different than what we know today. Most of Earth’s history is categorized under what’s called The Precambrian time.
During this time frame, the Earth was formed through volcanic activity. It was violent, chaotic and uninhabitable for most life on Earth today.
However, this destructive period of the Earth was the creation and birth to the world we know now.
Land masses were formed, the lava and ash helped create fertile soil and the gasses produced gave way to the ocean and atmosphere.
This is part of the intricate role of Primordial Chaos we hear in many mythologies of Old. And the perfect metaphor for what the Dark Goddess is.
However, over the past millennia or two, something shifted. Abrahamic religions stepped up, taking over by storm.
The Patriarch pushed the Matriarch, and inherently Goddess worship aside. Indigenous cultures around the world were destroyed, enslaved and forced into conversion. All in the name of The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost.
Our Beloved Goddesses were ravaged, suppressed and villainized.
Through the lens of Western civilization and these Abrahamic lenses, many Goddesses were painted “Evil” and “Dark.” And we saw this ripple into how women and overall femininity were treated. The repression of women took a dangerous hold.
The Dark Goddess is more than The Queen of the Underworld, the Keeper of the Dead, The Protector of Esoteric Knowledge, and The Primordial Chaos of Creation… She has become The Archetype of Feminine Repression.
She is the embodiment of the repressed, rejected, or “unacceptable” aspects of the Feminine.
Her rage and her villainous story-line is often the result of abuse, heartbreak, repression, victim-blaming and being villainized.
She is the traumatized and abused female, institutionalized and labeled “hysterical.”
She is the victim blamed sexual assault survivor.
She is the wife who poisoned her husband, for there was no other way to escape his grasps.
She is the grief-stricken mother, cradling her child’s body in a war torn country.
She is the woman who has been told to tone it down, because she is being “too much.”
The Dark Goddess’s energy is woven within the female rights and the LGTBQ rights movements. She has been a strong pillar within the protests and Black Rights movements. And she is a life force within the fight for Indigenous Rights.
Humanity has entered her Dark Goddess Era.
Another modern interpretation of the Dark Goddess is that she embodies the concept of the Shadow. The Shadow encompasses the rejected, repressed, and neglected aspects of ourselves.
These parts of ourselves become deeply embedded within our subconscious. Playing an intricate and significant role in shaping our behaviors, emotional responses, influencing our thought patterns and our internal belief systems and more.
In the Tarot, the High Priestess isn’t only a keeper of Esoteric Secrets. She also rules over the subconscious, our intuition, our dreams and the feminine. She keeps things hidden and secret, and for a reason. And like a sphinx, she will speak in metaphors, riddles and symbolism within our dreams.
The Dark Goddess is a complex creature. Her Dark Ethereal beauty is found haunting the liminal spaces between awake and asleep, life and death, day and night, and within destruction and creation.
She dwells in the Mariana Trench, where life thrives in the coldest, darkest of places. She is the Ooey Gooey Mess in the Cocoon of the Butterfly. The Volcanic Eruption in the Ocean. The Smell of Decay and Decomposition in the Forest.
She is a Liberator for the Oppressed, the Healer of the Deepest Wounds, The Keeper of the Dead, The Light within the Darkest Night, And the Space in Between.
Correspondences
Common Themes:
Transformation: The Dark Goddess guides individuals through major life transitions, helping them shed old identities and emerge renewed.
Death and Rebirth: She symbolizes the necessary cycles of endings and new beginnings, often connected to the literal or metaphorical descent into the underworld.
Creation through Chaos: From destruction and chaos, the Dark Goddess brings forth new life, highlighting the importance of disorder in the process of creation.
Justified Rage: She embodies righteous anger, often in response to injustice or oppression, reminding us of the power of sacred rage.
Connection to the Underworld: Either a Psychopomp and the Queen of the Underworld she guides souls through transitions, offering profound wisdom, and helps us navigate the mysteries of mortality and the afterlife.
Cycles of Nature: Aligned with the seasons, particularly winter, she reflects the inevitable cycles of decay, dormancy, and regeneration.
Duality: The Dark Goddess represents the balance of light and dark, good and evil, life and death, embracing both aspects as necessary parts of existence.
Facing Fear: She encourages individuals to confront their deepest fears, embracing the darkness within to find personal power.
Sovereignty: The Dark Goddess asserts autonomy and independence, reclaiming personal power in the face of societal or personal limitations.
Sexual Liberation: She represents freedom from sexual repression, embodying raw, unapologetic femininity.
Wisdom Through Suffering: Her teachings often emerge through hardship and suffering, granting deep, transformative insight.
Correspondences
Tarot References:
The High Priestess: Symbolizing hidden knowledge and intuition.
The Death: Representing transformation and rebirth.
The Tower: Signifying upheaval and destruction.
The Star: Reflecting the hope and guidance found in the darkest of times
Crystals:
Black Obsidian
Black Tourmaline
Black Kyanite
Amethyst
Smoky Quartz
Labradorite
Rose Quartz
Colors:
Black
Deep Purple
Blood Red
Animals:
Spider: Weaving fate and creation.
Owls: Messengers of wisdom.
Snakes: Symbols of transformation.
Black Cats: Representing hidden realms.
Bats: Guides through the unseen.
Phoenix: Signifying rebirth.
Crows and Ravens: Messengers and protectors of the mystical.
Moon Phase: Dark Moon
Places:
Ancient Burial Sites: Portals to the afterlife.
Caves: Symbolizing the subconscious.
Crossroads: Ideal for spiritual transformation.
Forests and Wilderness: Embodying the wild and primal.
Deep Waters and Oceans: Reflecting the depths of the psyche.
The Underworld: The quintessential realm of the Dark Goddess.
Volcanoes: Symbols of intense transformation and renewal
Pop Culture References:
Maleficent
The Dark Phoenix
The Scarlet Witch
Mystique
Harley Quinn
Ursula
Carrie
Lisbeth Salander(Girl with the Dragon Tattoo)
Cat Woman
