DIVINE MOTHER

A Heart Large Enough for Many Religions

by Jonathan Ansley Ward

Lake Shrine Dawn

Lake Shrine, the fair

Where street lights glare

Shimmering across the lake

Soft sounds dare, break silence rare

As peeping birds awake

Lake Shrine, so fair

A blue jewel rare 

In a mountain diadem

Stars fade with night, as dawning light

Shines from deep within

Ah! Floral wonderland of love, of calm

Glimpse of Divine Mother’s face

Gathered rains of Her compassion

Teardrop of her grace

Who is the Divine Mother, our common parent revered by many world religions? She has millions of followers — Her angelic qualities appealing to many.

In the book A Woman Clothed With the Sun, a chapter is devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe Mexico. In 1531 an Aztec named Juan Diego was passing by a low hill when he heard his name being called from the summit. There he finds a young woman who asks Juan to go to the local bishop and request that a chapel be built on that spot. Interestingly, in centuries past a temple dedicated to the Aztecs’ Mother-Goddess existed at that site. She tells Juan, “Dear little son, I love you. I want you to know I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains it in existence.” The bishop in turn asks Juan for some heavenly sign of the woman’s identify. So when Juan conveys this request, the Mother gathers rose petals and places them in the folds of Juan’s tunic. He gathers the tunic sides to his chest so the petals would remain until he got back to the bishop. When he finally let the tunic folds down the bishop fell to his knees in veneration because the Divine Mother’s image was miraculously imprinted on the cloth. To this day the golden-framed image remains on a nearby basilica altar. Scientists who’ve studied the image cannot explain its origin, nor even how the centuries-old tunic remains together.

Whether Aztec or Catholic, Moslem or Jew, Hindu or Buddhist, for centuries our Divine Mother has been revered by Her children the world over.  

In his Autobiography of a Yogi, guru Paramahansa Yogananda tells of meditating an entire morning on the Divine Mother at the Dakshineswar Temple north of Kolcata. Yogananda’s goal was to gain a blessing that his agnostic brother-in-law be spiritually changed. He states, “Sometimes it is a test by God to delay the fulfillment of prayers. But He [or She] eventually appears to the persistent devotee in whatever form he holds dear. A Christian sees Jesus; a Hindu beholds Krishna or the Goddess Kali, or an expanding Light if his worship takes an impersonal turn.” Eventually, the Mother does appear and grants Yogananda’s plea.

In 1976 I came to California to spend the summer. I passed through Los Angeles, and because I had a week to spare I volunteered at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades. The Lake Shrine was founded by Paramahansa Yogananda in 1951. We worked very hard. After three days, I was hired as a resident gardener. Interestingly, before his passing in 1952, Yogananda stated that the Divine Mother had blessed the Lake Shrine, and visitors in turn would be blessed by Her and feel peace. My evenings living there were spent in meditation outside by the lake, and many times I was blessed by that peace. Those four years at the Lake Shrine were a magical time for me — meditating, serving, and making lifelong friends. But what most appealed to me and perhaps wrought a change were the blessings of the Divine Mother. And Her presence as an avatar of adoration is honored in many world religions:

Islam

In early Islam, Allah, the Eternal One, was often referred to in feminine terms. Over the centuries “She” became “He” generally. However, many Moslems see Spirit as the Mother, and especially in the Sufi tradition this is so. There’s a wonderful story told of their prophet Mohamed; after the battle for Mecca, a frantic mother looked for her lost child. At last the child was found, and the mother took him to her breast. Mohamed asked his soldiers, “Do you think that mother could ever throw her child into fire?” They replied, “Of course not.” Mohammed then said, “Allah is even more loving, more merciful.”  So Mohammed compared Allah with a mother and having the most loving qualities. The great poet Rumi put it this way: 

Woman is the radiance of God, She is not your beloved.

She is the Creator—you could say that She is not created.

Christianity

Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus, has been identified with the Universal Mother for centuries. She has appeared many times asking for prayers, peace, revival, and giving warnings to church leaders. She often appears only to the sight of children, while remaining invisible to others. She has appeared in Croatia, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Mexico, among other places. I am also certain there have been thousands of Her appearances that have gone unreported, locked in a devotee’s heart as one of their fondest experiences. Ample proof of Her presence has been the many healings which have occurred at these sacred sites.

Buddhism 

In Buddhism an oft-quoted definition of nirvana or enlightenment is “nothingness.”  Yet even in this pursuit of “nothingness” the Mother is honored and worshiped. She is called Quan Yin or the Mother of Compassion and Mercy. In Buddhist lore She is “the embodiment of the compassion of all Buddhas” or enlightened beings. Quan Yin is often referred to as the most beloved Buddhist deity, having miraculous powers to help those who appeal to Her. Buddhism itself seems to be a path of wisdom, yet here too is the devotional concept of Divine Mother. So nothingness includes something beautiful, compassionate, and loving.

Hinduism

Most Hindus worship one Spirit, but see various deities as aspects of the One. Their statues and images are thus venerated as reflections of Spirit. Hindus have many names for the Divine Mother, including Mahapakriti, Durga, Kali, Saraswati, and Parvati, among others. Each name is attached to certain lore and expressing different qualities. For instance, Saraswati is the Goddess of Music and Dance, where Durga is a Goddess of War, assigned to protect the righteous and defeat evil. The Goddess Kali is depicted with dark skin, a necklace of skulls, and dances on the chest of a reclining Lord Shiva (Lord of Destruction or Change). She represents God’s shakti energy and the violent and benevolent aspects of nature.

Judaism

In the Jewish tradition the term Shekhinah refers to the the feminine aspect of God as Mother, Nurturer, Protector, and Compassionate One. The 20th Century brought a resurgence of Kabalalism or mystical Judaism, and with it came a feminine aspect of God. She is a wonderful counterbalance to God as a King, Father, and Judge. Shekhinah translates as “She that dwells within,” and She is the same Divine Mother worshiped throughout the world.

Mother Nature or Mahapakriti and the Aum Vibration

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was God — the Word having the sound of “many waters.” To Hindus this primal sound or vibration is called Aum. Some consider the Heavenly Father to be the invisible and vibrationless Spirit, while they consider the Divine Mother as the visible and ever-changing aspect of the Divine. So the Word or Cosmic Vibration arising from Spirit would be the Mother in Her most primal form. Maya is the delusory force that makes it appear that creation is separate from its Creator, but in reality the Father and the Mother are one.

Through Meditation and Affirming Her Presence, the Mother can Remain with Us

Through an inner search, the Mother’s secret omnipresence can be realized. Her presence is felt as peace and joy in prayer and meditation, She can also be seen in every flower, every smile, every kind word, and every noble action. Through a constant affirming this truth, She can always remain with us. And are not the Mother’s compassion, forgiveness, and unconditional love a bounty worthy of a crusade of remembrance?