How Wiccan ‘Mother Goddess’ Worship Disempowers Women

Is emphasizing motherhood really reclaiming the agency we’ve fought so hard for?

When I started exploring feminist spirituality, I never expected my desire to remain childless would leave me feeling so ostracized. I turned to crystals, horoscopes, and tarot cards for empowerment, but what I found was a mother divinity who made me question the validity of my life choices.

I’d grown up in the Bible Belt, sneaking glimpses at books and message boards on astrology, auras, or indigo children when I had the rare opportunity. I’d heard of female deities, but the closest I’d ever been to veneration of a divine feminine was my rosary beads, a remnant from my late Catholic grandmother. Still, I was drawn to the idea. Even as a child, I remember asking my mom to borrow a book from the library about goddesses. She wasn’t happy.

My university was about an hour away from my hometown — far enough away from my religious past to explore new spiritual possibilities, but close enough to still be affected by the area’s conservative roots. In my South Carolina college town, my options for feminine spiritual discovery were limited to whatever books Barnes & Noble chose to stock. The array of titles in the New Age section ranged from the usual divinatory suspects to…