Athena

Book of the Goddess, by Anna Livia Plurabelle, [© 2002 Anna Livia Plurabelle, All rights reserved], at sacred-texts.com

6. In the circle of the Goddess create consensus while respecting diversity of opinion. On the path of the Goddess there are many paths.

The Goddess in her form Athena is the spirit of the sixth principle.

Athena symbolizes power and the exercise of wisdom and justice. She is a warrior Goddess, but her warcraft is not exercised in the name of oppression; she comes to liberate. She dispenses mercy and enforces peace where the patriarchy has created ruin. Instead of war for war's sake, Her violence is only unleashed as a final resort. And then she uses stealth, knowledge, and skill to overcome her enemies.

In the civilization of the Goddess, female did not dominate male, but led by consensus; it was not just a topsy-turvy version of patriarchy. In the patriarchy, males govern all by force, mystification and oppression. A new civilization of the Goddess will be based on complete sexual equality, and restore leadership by consensus, not hierarchy.

By living by these principles within the circle of the Goddess, we build the foundation for a new society. As a stone cast into the water sends out concentric waves, one act of reconciliation can be a powerful source of inspiration.

One being, or any group of finite beings, can not claim to have final answers to all questions, and the path of the Goddess is multifold, just as the multiverse is. This is one of the key distinctions between the religion of the Goddess and those of the patriarchy.

The Invocation of Athena (when you must resolve a conflict): "Blessed Athena. Give us the wisdom to listen to and hear other's opinions. Help us find the common ground so that all may be free of this dispute. Blessed be."