Ancient moon priestesses were called virgins. ‘Virgin’ meant not married, not belonging to a man — a woman who was ‘one-in-herself’. The very word derives from a Latin root meaning strength, force, skill; and was later applied to men: virle. Ishtar, Diana, Astarte, Isis were all called virgins, which did not refer to sexual chasity, but sexual independence. When Joan of Arc, with her witch coven associations, was called La Pucelle — ‘the Maiden’, ‘the Virgin’ — the word retained some of its original pagan sense of a strong and independent woman. The Moon Goddess was worshipped in orgiastic rites, being the divinity of matriarchal women free to take as many lovers as they choose. Women could ‘surrender’ themselves to the Goddess by making love to a stranger in her temple. Monica Sjoo and Barbara Mor in the book, The Great Cosmic Mother — Rediscovering the Religion of the Earth (via chromefoam)

(Source: sacredwoman)

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