Level I Project by Brittini

Lilith (1887) by John Collier in Atkinson Art Gallery, Merseyside, England

Goddess, Feminist, or Demon?

Background Information:

Who is Lilith? Depending on who you ask, the answers vary. Like many Goddesses of old, her origin story is a mystery. In the Hebrew texts, she was Adam’s first wife, made from the same earth as Adam and in all ways his equal. In Sumerian texts she is briefly mentioned in the story of Ianna, and often times confused with her in images. In the occult, she often gets classified with the demonic as the Mother of Demons or in some ways a consort of Lucifer.

When we explore the story of how she was Adam’s first wife and how they separated, Lilith becomes a Feminist icon. In fact, it is this story that fascinates me the most personally. In this story, Adam and Lilith are made by God and they live harmoniously for a time. Eventually, Adam wants Lilith to “lie beneath him” to which Lilith refuses, wanting to be on top as his equal. This is the source of many debates. Many take this to be a sexual reference, in that Adam wanted to be on top of Lilith during sex, but Lilith wanted to be on top and refused to be on the bottom. Some take it to mean that he wanted to be dominant over her in general, and she wanted to be treated the same as he was since they were both made of the same earth and neither of them were greater than the other. This eventually lead to fighting between them, and as a result Lilith left Eden and went out into the world on her own.

Here is where the story tends to split depending on who or where you are getting your introduction to Lilith. In some texts, she is banished from Eden and goes to the Red Sea where she becomes the Mother of Demons. In others, she leaves Eden of her own accord and travels the world. She takes lovers as she pleases and becomes mother to many. Eventually Adam becomes lonely, so God sends some angels to find Lilith and bring her back. When they ask her to come back, she refuses and God curses her and she then becomes the Mother of Demons, forced to bear thousands of children each day and watch them die.

In the more religious vein, the story is still similar, with a slight variation to the story. In this thread she utters God’s ineffable name in the middle of her fight with Adam to demand his aid in it. God strikes her down for pronouncing the name, which causes her to leave, disillusioned of her own accord. When the angels try to convince her to come back, she refuses but says that “she would bring sickness to infants forever.” She then meets Samael (or Lucifer) and eventually becomes his consort and bears his children, which is how she incurs the Mother of Demons title.

The Fall of Man by Cornelis van Haarlem (1592), showing the serpent in the Garden of Eden as a woman.

There are many telling’s and retellings of this story. A few theorize that it was Lilith who was the serpent who tempted Eve with the Apple and not Lucifer. Some claim it was out of jealousy, however my favorite theory was she did it to try and liberate Eve. As most of us know, Eve was created out of Adams rib. If we follow the story of Lilith, some claim God did this so that Eve would be more docile and “of Adam” instead of being his equal, as Lilith was. Lilith, seeing this, offers Eve the apple of knowledge in an attempt to liberate her and help her gain her independence, as she did.

In Sumerian culture, she is briefly mentioned in the Tale of Gilgamesh. She is inhabiting the tree that Ianna wishes to cut down, and as her brother cuts the tree down, she flees.

So who is Lilith? My belief is that she is who you need her to be in your time of need. I agree with those who view her in the Feminist light. One would say that Lilith is the original Feminist. If I were to call on Lilith, it would be to ask for her aid in standing up for myself or to take charge of my life and not be submissive or weak in a situation of importance. I do not associate her with the Devil or Demonic energy, as I believe it was the church who painted her in that light to try and bury her story from history and lump her in with everything that is “evil.” As with all Goddess culture however, my views are subjective, and you can take from this information what you will and honor her in the way you see fit. In my mind, Lilith welcomes all who need her, and does not judge. She is choosey in whom she will interact with, however. In my research, a YouTube video I watched spoke of her as “the popular girl in High School who you are desperately trying to get the attention of.” What do you bring to the table to earn her attention? You do not command this Goddess, so how will you ask for her blessing?

 Sacred to Her:

The following are said to be sacred to the Goddess Lilith and can be used in rituals or offerings to her. As you will see, a lot of these go for the more sensual side of Lilith (as she was a sexually liberated Goddess).

·        Roses

·        Chocolate

·        Incense: Jasmine, Lotus, Red/White Sandalwood, Dragon’s Blood, Cinnamon, camphor, myrrh, frankincense, Golden copal, amber, saffron.

·        Red wine

·        Oils (in the scents listed above)

·        Strawberries

·        Owls

·        Snakes

This information was provided by: Go Virtual Lucifera on YouTube. Source listed in source list.

Photo is: Lady Lilith by Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1866–1868, 1872–1873)

Ritual:

Lilith is most often associated with Dark Moon rituals. In most of my findings, they recommend rituals be done at night. The following Rituals are from the book Welcoming Lilith by Theresa C. Dintino. This was a beautiful read with tons of great rituals on connecting with this Goddess. Below are a few of my favorites. These are different than most traditional rituals, these call for inner work rather than lighting a candle and speaking certain prayers. I do most of my inner work through meditation and pair this with candle work and incense. I invite you to try the same!

Ritual: Welcoming Lilith

If the dark, winged Goddess comes to you, will you send her away? What would you say to her if she came? Perhaps it is time to summon her to you. If she holds your creative potential, that may be a good thing to do. What might she be holding for you? Read this ritual first. Take some time and sit with the idea of it. Hold this ritual in your consciousness. Decided where you want to do this. Then when you are ready, prepare the space to carry it out, both internally and externally.

 
Close your eyes. Call the dark, winged Goddess to you. “Lilith, I am ready to receive you.”

She may fly in. She may walk in. She may simply appear as a woman, owl, or snake.

When she comes to you, she will be holding a gift. She will hand this gift to you. This is yours. She has been holding it for you. Can you see it? What will you do with this gift?

Ritual: Ritual of the Golden Shadow

How about letting yourself be smart? How about letting yourself have a voice? How about believing in yourself? How about owning your misery and your own jealousy and your own small self when it shows up? How about letting yourself be whole. How about letting yourself  be golden?

Who is locked up in your shadow? You can easily find out by looking at what you don’t like in other women who “push your buttons.” Make a list of those buttons. If you want to be creative you can draw them as buttons and color them, cut them out and hang them up. However you want to interact with your own buttons is your choice. These are your buttons and no one else’s. What are those buttons telling you about you?

Slowly, by owning them as your own, you will remove those buttons one by one. Soon there are none left to push. New ones will surely appear. Notice them and look at them. What do they want? What are they trying to tell you about you? This is your shadow material. Your shadow is a rich garden of information for you. Let it shine. Polish it golden. Let it be reflective rather than absorbent. Let it come out to play.

Ritual: Unraveling Core Beliefs

Maybe you don’t care that Adam had a first wife. Maybe you don’t believe in God giving birth, so the lie about Lilith does not have an impact on your life. It is still possible there is some other fundamental lie or mistaken belief that has been running your life or actions in some way that needs uncovering and that you need to free yourself from. It doesn’t matter which truth needs to be exposed. It is just that Lilith exposes truths. We all have our own truths and our own lies.

What is your fundamental lie? Take some time to really think about it. Is there a fundamental lie upholding all or any of your beliefs?

Are you able to ask yourself regularly, “Do I believe that?” “Is that really my truth?” Do you know what your truth is at any given time?

Is there a part of yourself that wants to exist that you have been told does not or cannot because of a fundamental lie? Why are you supporting this lie? Can you stop lying? Or does it feel to devastating?

To trace the path of a lie, it is helpful to follow a thought or feeling that is troublesome. These are often found in places that are repeatedly difficult for us – relationships, money, inner emotional turmoil, and stress. Feel into one of these thoughts and try and trace it backwards. Call in Lilith to help you with this.

I feel ___ because I believe ___.

I believe ___ because I was taught ___.

I believe ___ because everyone else ___.

I believe ___ because this is just the way it is.

Gauge the truth of each of the statements you have written in your body. Notice if you body feels a certain way when something is not the truth. When a statement does not feel true in your body, trace it back further using the previous technique once again. Where did the belief originate? What kinds of actions has it caused you to take? It can be difficult to do this kind of unraveling because sometimes we can find at age 60 we have been operating out of a mistaken belief about something our whole lives. But it is important work to do and leads to ultimate freedom.

Faust and Lilith by Richard Westall (1831)