The Great and Mysterious Portal
Some years ago, I read Tell My Horse by Zora Neal Hurston. Hurston (1891-1960) is best known for her works, both fictional and factual, that delve into the folkloric and anthropological realms of black heritage. She is one of the most acclaimed novelists and authors of her time and genre. Tell My Horse tells her first hand account of her experiences in Haiti and Jamaica during her visits in the 1930’s, where she engaged in the mysteries of Voodoo. More than a mere observer, Hurston becomes a participant and initiate in this ritualistic subculture. Her work sheds light on a commonly stereotyped and frequently misunderstood world of Voodoo, which she depicts as more than ritualistic, but truly a spiritual practice in every rite.
On the topic of creation story and the nature of the Voodoo faith, Hurston writes:
Dr. Holly says that in the beginning God and His woman went into the bedroom together to commence creation. That was the beginning of everything and Voodoo is just as old as that. It is the old, old mysticism of the world in African terms. Voodoo is a religion of creation and life. (pg. 113)
She goes on to describe a ceremonial invocation of the question “What is truth?”, which is asked of the priestess, known as the Mambo. In response, she replies by throwing back her veil and exposing her vulva, symbolizing that this is the infinite and ultimate truth, and that there is no mystery beyond or greater than the mysterious source of life. The ceremony continues in a dance that is comparable to the “nuptial flight of the queen bee”, as the Mambo discards six veils until she falls naked to the earth, spiritually intoxicated and exposed.
It is considered the highest honor for all males participating to kiss her organ of creation, for Damballa, the god of gods, has permitted them to come face to face with the truth. (Hurston, pg. 114)
This potent and visceral expression of the mystery of life has resonated in my mind for many years, and become a guiding principle in my own view of spirituality, sexuality, and creation. There is no greater mystery than the mystery of birth, life, and death. There is no greater unknown than how we all just came to be here. I frequently say that we, every person, every being on this planet, have all simply woken up on this plane of existence. We have entered this earthly realm through the only known portal. We come to this world from the spark of sexual co-creation, through gestation and development in the womb, then the great birth rite of passage through the cervix and vagina.
Each and every being who walks this earth has a perspective on this incredible phenomenon, as we all stand in witness and awe of the incredible power of life, birth, and death. More importantly, every doctrine and school of thought, from organized religion to Instagram guru has something to say about this mystery. Yet it remains mysterious, an experience that cannot be truly described, it must be felt. I feel that this is the larger personal truth to grapple with in this. There are both collective and individual mysteries to be witnessed in the divine, yet earthly, body.
Science fiction has long presented intriguing tales about how babies might one day be conceived and grown in a “test tube”, or come to fruition in artificial wombs. I truly wonder how many attempts there have been by scientists to create and grow mammalian life in labs. Embryos can now be created outside the human body by introducing egg and sperm. However, to my knowledge, no advancement in reproductive technology has ever been able to create a viable substitute for the womb. There is some deep biological magic taking place within the bodies of mothers that observation and experimentation has not come anywhere near replicating. The womb carries such incredible knowledge, awareness, and support for a growing life and perhaps we will never be able to fully understand the complexity of this amazing organ, the body's center of creation.
I find it exceptionally patriarchal to alienate the divinity of sexuality in creation. For example, a Messiah born of a virgin. This expression, that the most holy of beings, the person who is put forth as the savior of the world, is to have been born without sexual creation. This is not only infeasible in my mind, but I believe has a deeper purpose, to be preached in order to detach each of us from our own inherent divinity, and the divine expression of sexuality.
You, -yes You! In that body there, reading these words- You are a divine being. Furthermore, if you have chosen the path of motherhood, you have chosen to become The Portal. You have chosen to become the gate for souls entering this plane of existence. In doing so, you have claimed the most extraordinary power, you are the Goddess incarnated. You are among the only beings powerful enough to bring forth a new soul onto this plane of existence.
