Have you ever asked why we in the West often picture the Divine as a male God? Why do we call God He? Is there a feminine face of the Source Creator? Have you ever considered the divine as Feminine?
The Goddess has been venerated and worshiped throughout the entire world. Today her religions and traditions have been eclipsed somewhat by the patriarchal ideas of our present religions. Canadian author Tim Ward takes us on a journey, through a real life Da Vinci Code, to the heart of the Goddess.
 About Tim
Tim Ward is the author of the newly released Savage Breast: One Man's Search for the Goddess. (O-Books, March 2006). This is the first book that explores the Goddess from an explicitly male perspective, and how the loss of the feminine divine has affected men and women’s relationships. Tim believes it is in men's enlightened self interest to work together with women to move beyond patriarchy, and this is the conversation he will engage his audiences in as he shares his experience of exploring Goddess sites and ruins of the ancient Europe throughout 2006-07.
Q&A’s WITH TIM
Q: You talk about your own book, Savage Breast as a "real-life Da Vinci Code quest." How so?
A: There are three parallels: The Da Vinci Code is a man's 24-hour frenetic search for the lost sacred feminine though modern Europe. Savage Breast is my own three year journey to temples and shines of ancient Europe, where the feminine divine really was worshipped. In Code, evil forces conspire to keep the secret suppressed. In Savage Breast, I explore the actual suppression of the goddess 2,000 years ago. At the end of Code, the hero discovers that what he is searching for has been by his side all along. At the end of Savage Breast, I discover that the real feminine divine is not only with us, but that reconnecting with this spiritual force can radically change men's relationships with women.
Q: You write quite candidly about your problems with women--fear of commitment, messy breakups, including a divorce. Why do you think you -- and so many men -- have a tough time relating to women?
A: I believe most men have a hidden anger against women. Just look at rape, wife abuse, sexual harassment in the workplace. I was horrified to discover, in the course of writing this book, just how much rage I carried towards women. I had always considered myself a sensitive, pro feminist kind of guy. But I had an unconscious belief that women were never going to give me all the love, sex, and care that I needed. And I resented the women I loved. I thought they were manipulating me. Holding something back from me, and using it to control me. I think a lot of men feel similarly thwarted in their relationships. We completely misunderstand what women really want from us. For women it's not about control, but intimate connection.
Q: So, in encountering these goddesses, what did you learn about yourself and how men relate to women?
A: I realized I often saw women in the image of one or another goddess -- Aphrodite the sex goddess, Demeter the divine mother, or Kore the pure maiden. When a man falls in love, it is often because a woman fits the particular archetype of the goddess he believes will fill his deep spiritual need for the feminine. We project that image onto her, and it puts us into a kind of hypnotic trance. Just think of what happens when a pretty girl walks past a construction site: the male workers all project onto her a sex-goddess fantasy, and their attention is absolutely riveted to her. In relationships, men sometimes go on for years relating to their inner goddess archetype, while the real woman wonders why she's not feeling connected to him at all.
Q: What's the one thing you would say to men to help them improve their relationships with women?
A: Give up the idea that a woman is a fantasy-goddess whose purpose in life is to meet your needs. Instead, connect with the real individual who she is.
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