The divinity of the Goddess comes from the capacity of things to STUN us with the vividness of their beauty.

While the sacredness of the Great Mystery - God - arises from a transcendence or beyondness that serves as a sort of sky or canvas allowing each being to arise as though out of nowhere, the divinity of the Goddess - Sophia or Mother Earth - comes from the capacity of things to STUN us with the vividness of their beauty. The Greek word ""aisthesis" from which we get our word "aesthetic" means literally a "breathing in," a "gasp" of wonder and delight. Earthy sacredness derives from the overwhelming SURPLUS of aliveness that each creature contains. As Rilke once wrote of a rose: "You were rich enough to be yourself a HUNDRED TIMES in just one flower; that's the condition of a lover . . . But you never did think otherwise."

Photo: A meadow of Globeflowers, with Sugarloaf Mountain in the background; Snowy Range, Medicine Bow National Forest, WY; July 2, 2014