THE SHEKINA
The female presence of God. The Indwelling One, the Shekina is regarded as the
feminine aspect of God, who dwells inside every individual, the Goddess Within,
the female soul of God. In Hebrew, Sh'kina means "dwelling place" and like Her
Tantric counterpart, the Shakti, the Sh'kina was the source of all "soul" in
the universe.
The hexagram, which came to be known as the star of David, was introduced into
Judaism in the Middle Ages via the Tantric influence on Medieval Jewish
cabalists. Shekina is the Jewish Cabalist version of the Hindu Shakti, who when
joined to Her male counterpart forms the perpetual sexual union believed to
maintain life in the Universe. This reunion was symbolized by the Tantric
mandala - Shakti (the downward pointing triangle) and Shiva (the upward
pointing triangle).
The name Shekina does not appear in the Bible or in the Apocrypha, but is
regarded as part of Hebrew lore, as described in the Talmud and the Cabala. The
Shekina was often defined as God's "Glory" which, like "Holy Spirit" was
another way of concealing the original Goddess relationship that gave Yahweh
his powers. Sometimes Her name was simply omitted from scripture, and another
word substituted in its place. The Targum of Onkilos, an Aramaic version dating
from about A.D. 130, uses the word "Shekina" where later authors substituted
the word "name," in Deuteronomy 12:5 "God shall choose that his Shekina may
dwell there, unto the house of his Shekina shall you seek.
In the tradition of the Cabala, She is identified with the tenth Sephiroth, the
Earth. Sometimes, She is described as the Mother of the whole Sephiroth (Ten
qualities of the Mystical Tree). Kether, the Crown stood for a form of God that
was never separated from his female aspect, the Shekina, representing
androgynous wisdom.
Israel's sins caused the Shekina to leave the tabernacle, but some rabbis
insisted that She returned when the second temple was built. It was God's loss
of his Shekina that brought about all evils. As a man required his Shekina for
enlightenment, so God required his Shekina for wisdom and creativity. He could
not be perfect until he could be reunited with Her.
She is the radiance of God, The Bride of the Sabbath, the divine woman image
who arrives like a bride every week on the Hebrew Sabbath, to restore the
feeling of spiritual wholeness. Every Friday for centuries, Jewish women have
celebrated the Goddess Shekina during the celebration called Shabat. The women
light white candles and invite the Goddess, the Sacred Bride to enter their
homes.
She is also celebrated during the new moon. Her presence is indicated by the
sound of bells.
Rabbinic literature says the splendor of the Shakina feeds the angels. Gnostic
Christians of the 4th century spoke of the Sh'kina as a "spirit of glory" in
whom Beings of Light lived, as children in their mother's body or house.
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