Virtues and vices have long been associated with their Christian ties, but like so much of the work of the Goddess, part of the path is untangling these outdated associations. Virtues in this case, are qualities, attributes, and expressions we can use to know the Goddess. Merriam-Webster describes virtues as a “a beneficial quality or power of a thing”, or “a particular moral excellence”. These are the modes of being, the vibration, the qualities, the things, that Goddess energy, Goddess Consciousness, and the Goddess celebrate; these are paths to connecting with Her outside of ourselves and within ourselves as well.
Aleister Crowley famously described magick as “the science and art of causing change to occur in conformity with the will.” He used this to explain the power, potencies, and technology of magick to transform one’s life, and in it also revealed one of the secrets and virtues of the Goddess, that of art.
I started thinking of the Virtues of the Goddess years ago, as a language I could use to honor the Divine Feminine. I’m a very Aquarius babe, which is a sign co-ruled by Saturn. Saturn loves containers for things, boundaries for thing, language for things. And having my own set of virtues for the Goddess, my own version of the “commandments”, has helped me find the through line of Goddess Energy through my life. Whether I’m opening my heart to a stranger as I say hello walking down the street, or putting fresh roses on my altar to make it more beautiful, or leading a kinky ritual for my community, I found there were certain routes I could always take to the Divine Feminine without being led astray. Reframing magick as a creative act- as art in which I get to immerse myself in without confines- has also helped me find new means of communing with the Feminine. The Goddess asks us to dwell in the subtle, in the felt, in the expansive, overwhelm of love; from this, we can create. Offerings of art- like a collage, poem, painting, dancing, or song- should not be overlooked. With the creative act, magick falls flat, and ceases to be an embodied experience.
Below, find my version of the Virtues of the Goddess. I invite you to create your own list of virtues the Goddess speaks to you in, thinking of times in your own life where you’ve felt the presence of the Feminine Divine, and asking yourself what it was that brought you there. In my own virtues, I include a list of things; energies like love and pleasure and joy, acts like sex and dance, expressions like embodiment and beauty and rebirth, and states of being like gratitude and creativity. These are the ways that Goddess has expressed Herself to me over and over again, and this is the language I know Her through. I hope that this inspires you to create your own list of virtues you can connect to as you begin along your journey with the Goddess.
Some other examples of Virtues of the Goddess include: community, receiving, transformation, compassion, empathy, death, surrender, desire, rage, and truth.
1. Love
2. Beauty
3. Sex
4. Pleasure
5. Creativity
6. Joy
7. Embodiment
8. Rebirth
9. Dance
10. Gratitude
These virtues act as a path and framework for your devotion, and in it, they can help you open to the art of the Goddess, and Her magick. You can’t think your way to Goddess, but you can dance and fuck your way there. You can’t think your way to the Goddess, but you can create in gratitude for the life She’s given you. You can’t think your way to the Goddess, but you can die and rebirth yourself in Her image, sacrificing that which you no longer need to Her. If you allow this to be a creative, heart-led act, there’s no way for your magick to be led astray.
