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One of the most vexing questions spiritual seekers encounter concerns the “proper” terminology they should use when referring to The Divine, that supreme being and all around swell guy most commonly referred to as “God”. Many new Wiccans immediately reverse their Christian indoctrination by flipping it. “God” becomes “Goddess”. Or, more specifically where Wiccans are concerned, “God” becomes “Goddess and God” or “Lord and Lady” or “Barbie and Ken”. But let’s not torture the point…
The reality is, there is no correct terminology. You cannot define God. Your labels don’t matter in the general sense, so just use whatever word feels most comfortable to you. Around here we call it “The Universe”. Personally, I use to phrase “Great Lady”. But if “God” feels right to you because you used it most of your life during your childhood in a Christian household, who are you harming if you continue to say “God”? Your beliefs have evolved, and you know what you mean when you say “God”. It’s not up to anyone else to approve or disapprove. And if someone admonishes you for not saying “Goddess” or “Lord and Lady” or any other flavor, that person is a fool who’s playing dress-up. Just take my word for it.
Having said that, if you’re more comfortable using the word “Goddess”, that works, too. No worries. You see, you cannot define God with a word. So pick whatever placeholder you prefer and stop worrying about it. You know what you mean. If you want to refer to God as “Bob”, have at it (but be forewarned, there is a Church of Bob).
The one over-riding thought that we try to reinforce here is that you should think for yourself. No one can tell you what terminology you should use when you refer to or reach out to God, because they’re all making it up, anyway. Every religion uses its own terminology to describe the exact same thing. It’s like the PC versus Macintosh debate. Who cares? They’re both computers. Pick the one that you like best and stop arguing about it already.
I can assure you that whatever word you use to refer to God, the Great Lady will answer. What’s important is that you reach out and connect. How you do it and what you call it is a matter of personal preference. Just as you would not let someone else dictate what food you ate or what clothes you wear, neither should you allow anyone to dictate your conception of the God, much less the accompanying terminology.
Whatever you want to call God, you’re right. And they’re wrong. It’s really as simple as that.
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