In her groundbreaking book The Spiral Dance, Starhawk tells the story of the Star Goddess, who, alone, awesome, and complete within herself, saw her reflection in the vast abyss and fell in love with herself. It was from this love that she created all of existence. From love humanity was birthed, and from her love, it all began.
The story ends with this maxim: it all began in love, seeks to return in love, and love is the law.
The goddess Nyx (“Night”; Greek: Νύξ, ”Núx”; Latin: ”Nox”) in a 10th-century Greek manuscript, the ”Paris Psalter”, in the National Library of France [Wikimedia Commons, public domain]
There are many lessons within this creation story, rooted in the Feri Tradition. One removes an omnipresent “g*d” and a praxis of sin, redemption, and forgiveness, and replaces it with permission to find meaning in a generative, genderless, and all encompassing love. The other lesson is an invitation to turn within, to see our reflection and fall back in love with ourselves, and by extension humanity.
Like many, I have been siting with a lot of emotions recently. Everywhere I look, be it social media or my inbox, are images of violence. The world is bursting at the seams with suffering, from war and genocide, crippling economy, to things close to heart, like loss. Suffering exists in all forms, and in this moment seems and feels all encompassing.
Universal suffering is a collective experience, but how we move through it is intimate and personal. Enkyo O’Hara, a Zen teacher, once said, “Without suffering, there would be no compassion.”
The Star Goddess story, the tale of her falling in love with herself and manifesting creation from that love, reminds me that love from within is the nexus for compassion. I think of how every wound we experience is interwoven with wisdom. “Your joy is your sorrow unmasked,” says Kahlil Gibran in The Prophet. “And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears.”
Even in trying times, we can find growth and transformation. Just as a seed must first break open before it can grow into a mighty tree, so too must we turn inward and see suffering as our friend to emerge stronger and wiser. Though pain and sorrow, there is also an offer the opportunity for growth, resilience, and transformation. “The wound,” says Rumi, “is the place where the Light enters you.”
As we move into Spring, and the promise of renewal, I empower each of us embrace our wounds, the suffering, and remember that at its core, everything began in love.
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