Lilith the Demonised Goddess of Birth and Agriculture

Integrating the Masculine and Feminine

Shiva and Shakti/Yin and Yang

The Primordial Goddess Lilith is the archetype to show you how to integrate equally the masculine and feminine energies with love, rather than resentment or retaliation.

Lilith’s themes are freedom, courage, playfulness, passion, pleasure and sexuality. Her symbol is the apple, crossroads, owl, serpent, tree and dark moon (New Moon). In Hebrew legends, Lilith is a dangerously beautiful Goddess who refused to subordinate herself to Adam, feeling she was created as an equal. She resolves to make modern life similarly equal for all people. She also boldly instructs us to stand up for what we believe in, unbridled and courageous, no matter the cost.

History, Lore and Legend

The ejection from Eden because of her ‘crimes against Adam’ shows her in legend that she is rebellious and so seen as evil or a demon. Does this not in fact prove that women from the beginning of the human race are created equal and should not be subservient, standing up for rights as human beings alongside men? To be balanced in our masculine and feminine natures, which are equal in both men and women? In my opinion, there has been an imbalance in societies, some more than others, in the ideas that women have certain roles to play and can be demonised, rejected or judged for their choices.

Lilith dates back to the bird-serpent Goddess of antiquity. In the early civilizations of Sumeria, she was portrayed as having both wings and claws of a bird. Some depictions of her with her lower half as being the body of a serpent or she is shown as a serpent with the head and breasts of a woman. In Sumerian history, she is depicted as wild, free spirit who cannot be chained or contained.

There are other mentions of her known as “the hand of Inanna”. Lilith had many other names given to her: Belil-ili, Belili, Lillake, Lamashtu, Ishtar, Astarte or Ninlil in Babylonian, Canaanite, Akkadians, Persian, Arabic, Mexican, Hebrew, Sabaean, and Native American Legends and most prominently in Mesopotamia.

When Jewish patriarchy overtook the land, they made Lilith evil in order to stop the people from worshipping her. In Kabbalistic tradition, Lilith was made the first wife of Adam, and she was fashioned from the earth at the same time as Adam as twins joined at the back. This made Lilith Adam’s equal. In this tradition, she left the garden of her accord, refusing to be subservient to Adam and God supposedly gave Adam another wife, Eve, a docile woman of flesh. When Lilith fled from Adam, she went to dwell in a cave in the desert on the shores of the Red Sea.

Men fear Lilith because she knows the power of her sexuality and she knows that her sexuality has power over men. Women, who are like the submissive Eve, also fear Lilith because of the power she holds. Lilith is not the enemy of womankind, she holds the ancient fruit of knowledge, the secrets of our deepest sexual nature, and she is willing to offer this fruit to us.

In a Rabbinical frenzy to drive Lilith’s worshipers away from this Goddess, they made up lies such as being the mother of all demons, and giving birth to the first vampires, drinking the blood of children. In ancient times, her functions as a protectress and helper of birthing mothers and infants, has been eroded and transformed to view her as evil and to fear her.

Sumerian depiction of Lilith

Artists impression of Lilith

Other mentions of Lilith say that she sired offspring from the Archangel Samael, a fallen angel, who were later identified as incubi and succubus.

The Sumerians believe her to be a Mother Goddess who gives life, but also takes it. She is the Goddess who cures, but also kills with disease. This is the way of death and rebirth. Neither ‘good’ nor ‘evil’, but powerful primordial powers with the ability to give life and take it away to bring her children back into her fold.

Lilith is not the only Goddess who has been demonised, marginalised and shoved aside such as Mary Magdalene and Kali just to name a few. For this precise reason, we must remember Lilith and take on her qualities and attributes of liberal thinking, acceptance of our sexuality as part of being human, and not to forget that by integrating both the masculine and feminine energies as equal and one, we can become whole, full and have balanced lives. By accepting of all and recognising that in others, equally, we can step into seeing each other as their soul on a journey rather than the appearance of gender, race, religion or beliefs. We are one human race and need to start seeing each others from a higher perspective.

By adopting an equal balance of both energies, we do not accept one is better than another. Both male and females should have equal attributes of each. It is our conditioning, culture, traditions, society and media that try to separate us. A lot of men have been raised to believe that they should not be in touch with their feminine energies, like creativity, love, nurturing and intuition therefore have more difficulty leading balanced lives.

We mostly associate masculinity as toxic arrogance, manipulating, war thirsty, and domineering. History has proven these traits to be mostly true but it does not have to be that way. There have equally been extremely dangerous, manipulating, power hungry women which only reinforces the fact that equal balance is the only way forward for humanity.

When a man is integrated, he has the ability to create space for others to feel safe to be themselves. A mature masculine expresses compassion, empathy and deep feeling of love and care with ease. The conditioning and modelling of our sexes can rob us of this incredible gift, as well as create internal and external conflict which then creates anger, suppression, frustration and marginalising one another.

The feminine energy is about growth and life. Mother nature represents the force that gives us a continuation of reproduction, nurture, emotions, and fluidity.

Light and dark. Night and day. Sun and moon. Earth and sky. None can exist without the other. As with male and female, neither would continue as a species. Duality and polarity is part of our 3D world and must be accepted. Polarity means division, duality means integration. Duality is integration as both are different and complementary to be a whole, complete.

Imagine we were to grow up androgynous (as many star beings are, as well as the angels), we would not see such division and separation. Separation is an illusion. We are all connected through out etheric cords through Mother Earth, Source, different dimensions and each other whether we know it or not.

Lilith demands acknowledgement. Her name appears only once in the Jewish bible and even that reference is ambiguous since it may also be literally interpreted as ‘screech owl’. Lilith is the suppressed Goddess who refuses to disappear. She enjoys ensnaring hypocrites but is a protective guardian spirit towards those who she perceives as her children. She is immensely powerful; fearlessly eliminating any evil threatening those whom she guards.

For any relationship to succeed, and for personal growth and fulfilment, both parties need to be in touch with their less dominant energies. A balance between the two energies is what makes us whole, successful and sustains healthy relationships between us.

To internalize Lilith’s fairness, justice, bravery and believe in equality in all parts of our lives, gives us freedoms that may not be accepted in the eyes of those around us. Take a bite out of life from the apple of knowledge and enjoy daring activity to its fullest without fear of judgement, guilt or shame.

You are the master of your own destiny.