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Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, Bride of God
Anyone interested in the feminine face of God throughout the ages will find Sophia an illuminating experience. Caitlin Matthews' scholarship connects us to past, present, and future in the very depths of our femininity. ----Marion Woodman, Jungian analyst and author of Dying into Life . Sophia, or "wisdom" in Greek, has been revered in many forms throughout history--from the Dark Goddess of ancient Anatolia; to her Egyptian, Greek, Celtic, and Cabalistic manifestations; to her current forms as Mary and the orthodox St. Sophia. In the Gnostic Gospel of Thomas , Sophia sits with God until the creation. Then she falls into matter and becomes manifest in every atom, permeating all things "like the sparks that run through charcoal," as Matthews says. While God is "out there," the Goddess is "in here"-- the mother-wit of practical inspiration and compassion at the heart's core. This definitive work comprehensively establishes a realistic Goddess theology for Westerners in the twenty-first grounding spirituality in daily life and the natural world; learning to work playfully and play seriously; ending the gender war to enjoy sacred marriage.
571 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 10, 1991
45 people are currently reading
461 people want to read
About the author
Caitlín Matthews
176 books185 followersCaitlín Matthews is a writer, singer and teacher whose ground-breaking work has introduced many to the riches of our western spiritual heritage.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
She is acknowledged as a world authority on Celtic Wisdom, the Western Mysteries and the ancestral traditions of Britain and Europe. She is the author of over 50 books including Sophia: Goddess of Wisdom, a study of Divine Feminine in Gnostic, Jewish and Christian thought and King Arthur’s Raid on the Underworld, a new translation and study of the Welsh poet Taliesin’s extraordinary poem, itself a major cross-roads of British mythology.
Caitlín was trained in the esoteric mystery traditions through the schools founded by Dion Fortune, Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki and Gareth Knight. Her shamanic vocation emerged early in her ability to sing between the worlds and to embody spirits. She has worked in many of the western traditions with companions upon the path including R.J.Stewart. Like him, she teaches the many strands of the ancestral European traditions. She specializes in teaching traditional European spirit-consultation oracles where the diviner draws directly upon the spirits of nature for answers and in the use of the voice to sound the unseen. Caitlín has been instrumental in revealing the ancestral heritage of the Western traditions through practical exploration of the mysteries as well as through scholarly research. Her teachings are couched in a firm historical and linguistic framework, with respect to the original context of the teachings, but never loses sight of the living traditions of these teachings which can be explored through direct application to their spiritual sources.
Trained as an actress, Caitlín is in demand as a storyteller and singer. She appears frequently on international radio and television, and was the song-writer and Pictish language originator for the Jerry Bruckheimer film King Arthur. With John Matthews, her partner, who was historical consultant on the film, she shared in the 2004 BAFTA award given to Film Education for the best educational CD Rom: this project introduced school-children to the life and times of King Arthur. She and John are both concerned with the oral nature of storytelling and its ability to communicate the myth at a much deeper level than of the commercial booktrade. This is apparent in their forthcoming project, The Story Box. For Caitlín, her books are merely the tip of a much bigger oral iceberg which is her teaching.
With her partner, John Matthews, and with Felicity Wombwell , she is co-founder of The Foundation for Inspirational and Oracular Studies, which is dedicated to the sacred arts that are not written down. Their FíOS shamanic training programme teaches students the healing arts as well as hosting masterclasses with exemplars of living sacred traditions. Caitlín has a shamanic practice in Oxford dedicated to addressing soul sickness and ancestral fragmentation, as well as helping clients find vocational and spiritual direction. Her soul-singing and embodiment uniquely bring the ancient healing traditions to everyday life.
Caitlín’s other books include Singing the Soul Back Home, Mabon and the Guardians of Celtic Britain, The Psychic Protection Handbook, and Celtic Devotional. She is co-author, with John Matthews, of the Encyclopedia of Celtic Wisdom and Encyclopaedia of Celtic Myth and Legend. Her books have been translated into more than nineteen languages from Brazil to Japan.
The author lives in Oxford with her husband and son in a kind of book-cave or library, whichever you will. They share their home with a white cat and a black cat.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 18, 2011
Wow, I don't think I can finish this book. I was all prepared to love it because I think Caitlin Matthews is wonderful, and a friend recommended this book, and I bought it at a great little metaphysical store in Oakland. But (1) I was looking for a book that is actually about Sophia, which this book is mostly not, and (2) I just cannot stand the ridiculous universalizing of all deities into one or two archetypes. I quote (from a section about the Qabala): "Binah, like Demeter, equates to the creative Sophia, while Malkuth, like Kore, equates to the hidden erotic aspect of Sophia." What? What are you even talking about? Or: "In an episode which parallels the action of Sekhmet . . . Anath strikes fear into the heart, just as do Kali or the Irish Morrigan." (p. 49) Yes, Egyptian, Syrian, Hindu, and Celtic deities are all exactly the same! What really frustrates me about this is that I can't learn anything from her book about specific deities, cultures, etc. because everything is presented as being All One.
March 8, 2013
This book would have been a lot better if the author had included non western examples of Sophia, like Changing Woman, or the Brazilian Santa Barbara. The author said that doing this would make the book a lot longer. I hope some day some woman will write a more complete book on Sophia.
July 24, 2023
A MYSTICAL/HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE ‘DIVINE WISDOM’
Author Caitlin Matthews wrote in the ‘Author’s Note’ to this 1992 book, “In this book I have attempted to give an overview of the Goddess in her many manifestations as mediator of wisdom. Concentrating on the Western tradition, it explores the development of the Goddess of Wisdom, Sophia, from earliest times up to the present day. It deals primarily with Sophia on her own terms and, where possible, in her own words. It is the metahistory of an idea and its metaphors. In this study, I have chosen to draw upon a far wider framework of reference than is normally usual. The Biblical and philosophical guises of Wisdom are, I believe, not the only ones.
“Most books on the Goddess deal with her pre-Christian appearances or with her twentieth century reappearances. I have purposely chosen to go into what many consider blind alleys or areas irrelevant to Goddess studies, chiefly because they remain unexplored and because Sophia has left her calling card en route. Sophia is a guerilla combat Goddess, attired in camouflage veils so complete that many orthodox spiritualities never realized that the Goddess weas still accompanying them.
“I do not believe, as is often fashionably assumed, that the orthodox spiritualities totally took over the Divine Feminine and nullified all her subsequent appearances. The influence of salvific stories and myths of the Goddess is more subtle and pervasive, more likely to be stubbornly retained in unlikely places…. I have worked from the premise that all ways to Wisdom are valid paths. In speaking of spiritual experience, we have to use the language of the heart, not the mind. If this ‘spoils’ and academic study of Sophia, then so be it, it is the language I prefer. I have treated Christianity with respect for its mystical traditions---a view which few non-Christians, and fewer feminists, share. In doing so, I have been sensitive to the fact that mystical Christianity has always kept open the gates for Sophia to go in and out: where Sophia has been, there have I followed…
“I am also painfully aware that the restatement of the Divine Feminine as Goddess has often entailed the rejection of many aspects of worship still sustain many people and keep them connected to the Divine Wisdom. This need not be so, for I believe that wherever Sophia has walked, the spirit of the Goddess has penetrated, even to the hearts of what many might consider as ‘the ultimate patriarchal religions.’ … Wisdom---whether as black Goddess of Sophia---is a wise mediator who can be approached, without fear, by BOTH sexes. This is particularly true as we emerge from the twentieth century into the New Age of a Sophianic millennium… As well as being the most evasive goddess, Sophia is also one of the most pervasive ones. I have not hesitated to call upon folk tradition, legends and mythology, which pertain to Sophia… What follows is a journey in the steps of Sophia, giving the background and itinerary of her journey…
“For those who like to know at the outset where the author is coming from, I shall say that I am a traveller in the mystical realms of the Western spiritual tradition. I enter where I am welcome and make myself at home, but I am as likely to rush out into the street again because I think I have heard Sophia’s voice calling.” (Pg. 1-3)
She states, “The Divine Feminine may indeed be discerned as a White Goddess of love and inspiration by men who… are drawn to her attractive and fascinating qualities. But the Goddess of Wisdom, the Black Goddess who is at the heart of the creative process, cannot be do easily viewed… The Black Goddess is the veiled Sophia who, in many forms, is the primary manifestation of the Divine Feminine. She may be more readily discerned by women, because her hidden processes and powers accord to their own unspoken but instinctive qualities. Men rarely approach her, except in fear, for she is manifest not as a sensuous and desirable muse… but as a Dark Mother, immanent and brooding with unknown and unguessable power… it is only by homage to her that we may find the Goddess of Wisdom.” (Pg. 15-16)
She observes, “The Song of Songs’ [in the Bible] is a dialogue between the Shulamite who is ‘black but beautiful’ and her lover. This blackness is the classical antithesis of beauty throughout the West. Blackness is not usually desired, whether appearing in brunette omen, skin-pigment of other aesthetic considerations. This blackness is the sign of the Black Goddess herself who, like the Ethiopian Aphrodite, speaks plainly of her erotic desire throughout this text.” (Pg. 47)
She says, “The millennium between 500 BC and 500 AD saw the steady assimilation of the attributes and images of the Goddess into philosophical modes of thought which were later to influence the development of Christian theology. As she retreated from public consciousness slowly but inexorably, images of the empowering Saviour Goddess were drawn directly into the mythos of Mary, while Western philosophy reprocessed other Goddess images into abstract ideological forms. It was not until the Middle Ages that these abstractions re-emerged clothed in new personifications: Natura, Fortune, Dame Kind, Fate…. Effectively, only Sophia retained the full empowerment of the Goddess, while her regalia was borrowed to adorn Mary whose power, at least on paper, was minimal.” (Pg. 77)
She notes, “Black Virgin statues are found throughout Europe, with a notable concentration in Southern France and Northern Spain, though Italy, Germany and Britain also have theirs. The question of their blackness is always mentioned rationalized as the blackening which occurs through the many votive candles burned before them, or extreme aging of the wood. Other theories have suggested negroid origin, thus bringing the black Virgin into an immediate racial context which is not without relevance here, for these statues have their greatest patronage from native and indigenous peoples. We may wonder how much the Black Virgins of Northern Europe owed to the iconography of Sheba or the Shulamite of ‘The Song of Songs’… or to pre-existent Goddess forms.” (Pg. 194)
She concludes, “The cumulative identity of created life is Sophia. She descends in order to have the initiation of human existence… The recognition of the divinity of created matter, the marriage of humanity to the divine, are the Sophianic initiations on offer for the coming millennium. The voice of the Black Goddess as the Apocalyptic virgin and as Gaia awakens us to unity with the earth while the return of the Goddess to our ideological metaphor restores us to a new octave of spiritual wisdom. The transcendent Sophia of the Stars returns once more to hear what her earthly counterpart is saying. The Black Goddess speaks to us urgently, warning us to take responsibility for our neglected environment. The Sophia in us answers with true, just and compassionate response: where our treasure is bestowed, there also is our heart. Open your heart, walk within and find Sophia.” (Pg. 342-344)
This book will be of great interest to those studying Sophia, the Divine Feminine, the Black Madonna, and related topics.
Author Caitlin Matthews wrote in the ‘Author’s Note’ to this 1992 book, “In this book I have attempted to give an overview of the Goddess in her many manifestations as mediator of wisdom. Concentrating on the Western tradition, it explores the development of the Goddess of Wisdom, Sophia, from earliest times up to the present day. It deals primarily with Sophia on her own terms and, where possible, in her own words. It is the metahistory of an idea and its metaphors. In this study, I have chosen to draw upon a far wider framework of reference than is normally usual. The Biblical and philosophical guises of Wisdom are, I believe, not the only ones.
“Most books on the Goddess deal with her pre-Christian appearances or with her twentieth century reappearances. I have purposely chosen to go into what many consider blind alleys or areas irrelevant to Goddess studies, chiefly because they remain unexplored and because Sophia has left her calling card en route. Sophia is a guerilla combat Goddess, attired in camouflage veils so complete that many orthodox spiritualities never realized that the Goddess weas still accompanying them.
“I do not believe, as is often fashionably assumed, that the orthodox spiritualities totally took over the Divine Feminine and nullified all her subsequent appearances. The influence of salvific stories and myths of the Goddess is more subtle and pervasive, more likely to be stubbornly retained in unlikely places…. I have worked from the premise that all ways to Wisdom are valid paths. In speaking of spiritual experience, we have to use the language of the heart, not the mind. If this ‘spoils’ and academic study of Sophia, then so be it, it is the language I prefer. I have treated Christianity with respect for its mystical traditions---a view which few non-Christians, and fewer feminists, share. In doing so, I have been sensitive to the fact that mystical Christianity has always kept open the gates for Sophia to go in and out: where Sophia has been, there have I followed…
“I am also painfully aware that the restatement of the Divine Feminine as Goddess has often entailed the rejection of many aspects of worship still sustain many people and keep them connected to the Divine Wisdom. This need not be so, for I believe that wherever Sophia has walked, the spirit of the Goddess has penetrated, even to the hearts of what many might consider as ‘the ultimate patriarchal religions.’ … Wisdom---whether as black Goddess of Sophia---is a wise mediator who can be approached, without fear, by BOTH sexes. This is particularly true as we emerge from the twentieth century into the New Age of a Sophianic millennium… As well as being the most evasive goddess, Sophia is also one of the most pervasive ones. I have not hesitated to call upon folk tradition, legends and mythology, which pertain to Sophia… What follows is a journey in the steps of Sophia, giving the background and itinerary of her journey…
“For those who like to know at the outset where the author is coming from, I shall say that I am a traveller in the mystical realms of the Western spiritual tradition. I enter where I am welcome and make myself at home, but I am as likely to rush out into the street again because I think I have heard Sophia’s voice calling.” (Pg. 1-3)
She states, “The Divine Feminine may indeed be discerned as a White Goddess of love and inspiration by men who… are drawn to her attractive and fascinating qualities. But the Goddess of Wisdom, the Black Goddess who is at the heart of the creative process, cannot be do easily viewed… The Black Goddess is the veiled Sophia who, in many forms, is the primary manifestation of the Divine Feminine. She may be more readily discerned by women, because her hidden processes and powers accord to their own unspoken but instinctive qualities. Men rarely approach her, except in fear, for she is manifest not as a sensuous and desirable muse… but as a Dark Mother, immanent and brooding with unknown and unguessable power… it is only by homage to her that we may find the Goddess of Wisdom.” (Pg. 15-16)
She observes, “The Song of Songs’ [in the Bible] is a dialogue between the Shulamite who is ‘black but beautiful’ and her lover. This blackness is the classical antithesis of beauty throughout the West. Blackness is not usually desired, whether appearing in brunette omen, skin-pigment of other aesthetic considerations. This blackness is the sign of the Black Goddess herself who, like the Ethiopian Aphrodite, speaks plainly of her erotic desire throughout this text.” (Pg. 47)
She says, “The millennium between 500 BC and 500 AD saw the steady assimilation of the attributes and images of the Goddess into philosophical modes of thought which were later to influence the development of Christian theology. As she retreated from public consciousness slowly but inexorably, images of the empowering Saviour Goddess were drawn directly into the mythos of Mary, while Western philosophy reprocessed other Goddess images into abstract ideological forms. It was not until the Middle Ages that these abstractions re-emerged clothed in new personifications: Natura, Fortune, Dame Kind, Fate…. Effectively, only Sophia retained the full empowerment of the Goddess, while her regalia was borrowed to adorn Mary whose power, at least on paper, was minimal.” (Pg. 77)
She notes, “Black Virgin statues are found throughout Europe, with a notable concentration in Southern France and Northern Spain, though Italy, Germany and Britain also have theirs. The question of their blackness is always mentioned rationalized as the blackening which occurs through the many votive candles burned before them, or extreme aging of the wood. Other theories have suggested negroid origin, thus bringing the black Virgin into an immediate racial context which is not without relevance here, for these statues have their greatest patronage from native and indigenous peoples. We may wonder how much the Black Virgins of Northern Europe owed to the iconography of Sheba or the Shulamite of ‘The Song of Songs’… or to pre-existent Goddess forms.” (Pg. 194)
She concludes, “The cumulative identity of created life is Sophia. She descends in order to have the initiation of human existence… The recognition of the divinity of created matter, the marriage of humanity to the divine, are the Sophianic initiations on offer for the coming millennium. The voice of the Black Goddess as the Apocalyptic virgin and as Gaia awakens us to unity with the earth while the return of the Goddess to our ideological metaphor restores us to a new octave of spiritual wisdom. The transcendent Sophia of the Stars returns once more to hear what her earthly counterpart is saying. The Black Goddess speaks to us urgently, warning us to take responsibility for our neglected environment. The Sophia in us answers with true, just and compassionate response: where our treasure is bestowed, there also is our heart. Open your heart, walk within and find Sophia.” (Pg. 342-344)
This book will be of great interest to those studying Sophia, the Divine Feminine, the Black Madonna, and related topics.
January 3, 2020
“Open your heart, walk within, and find Sophia.” If you are looking for spiritual consciousness then this book will bring you deep into the powers of the Divine Feminine and all the beauty that awaits us. Sophia (Wisdom in Greek), this wise love will transform us, says author Matthews, and she is quite convincing in her scholarship. Wisdom gives us the ability to know truth, beauty, and lasting love. The fact we call this power feminine by the name of Sophia is, I think, appropriate in our current era and spiritual evolution. Sophia is said to work through the agency of love. Matthews puts forth a full accounting of the historical, biblical (Proverbs, Chapter 8, which presents Sophia as a messenger and instructor of Wisdom, and from the Wisdom of Solomon 6:20), spiritual texts, religious literature, gospels, ancient writings, philosophers, and artistic icons, including The Black Goddess, White Goddess, Virgin of Light, Gnostic Sophia, Grail Goddess, the Veiled Goddess, Saint Sophia and much more. Sophia is known by other names: Isis, Demeter, Schekinah, and the Virgin Mary to name a few.
Sophia is “potentially within all women who wish to discover their creativity, maintain their integrity, and support justice in the world and in themselves… As Sophia emerges further into consciousness, so will the image of the empowered woman become apparent in the world.” Men too can access her; any contact with the “Divine Feminine occurs at the level of the sacred and the imaginal.” There is a lot of history and religious reality here that holds solid.
Sophia is claimed to be the “world-soul” and that is a theme throughout the book. I think what I liked best about this book is the chapter “Sophianic Millennium.” Matthews emphasizes that Sophia has penetrated popular consciousness during this last half of the 20th century. Matthews is talking “the feminine face of God” and how this is affecting our modern society. Of late, we are certainly witnessing a dramatic increase in feminine power in leadership in government, women’s movements across the globe, gender equality legislation, child care, and how women especially are shifting the awareness of climate change and health care. I think this book is quite timely and important for the good of all. God traditionally is “out there” but Sophia is clearly “within” our souls. Highly recommended. Paula Cappa is an avid book reviewer and an award-winning supernatural mystery author.
Sophia is “potentially within all women who wish to discover their creativity, maintain their integrity, and support justice in the world and in themselves… As Sophia emerges further into consciousness, so will the image of the empowered woman become apparent in the world.” Men too can access her; any contact with the “Divine Feminine occurs at the level of the sacred and the imaginal.” There is a lot of history and religious reality here that holds solid.
Sophia is claimed to be the “world-soul” and that is a theme throughout the book. I think what I liked best about this book is the chapter “Sophianic Millennium.” Matthews emphasizes that Sophia has penetrated popular consciousness during this last half of the 20th century. Matthews is talking “the feminine face of God” and how this is affecting our modern society. Of late, we are certainly witnessing a dramatic increase in feminine power in leadership in government, women’s movements across the globe, gender equality legislation, child care, and how women especially are shifting the awareness of climate change and health care. I think this book is quite timely and important for the good of all. God traditionally is “out there” but Sophia is clearly “within” our souls. Highly recommended. Paula Cappa is an avid book reviewer and an award-winning supernatural mystery author.
August 29, 2016
This is a very informative book. Ms. Matthews has great knowledge of mythology. It is worth reading it!
September 29, 2019
An incredible book that collects the breadcrumbs of Sophia's Wisdom through many religions into a beautiful narrative that is illuminating and compelling.
November 16, 2021
I really enjoyed this but did skim a bit. My interest was in the feminine, mostly Sophia, aspect of Biblical ideas.
February 9, 2017
Excellent overview of Feminine Divine exploration through the ages. Very helpful for a presentation I was giving on this topic at a religious retreat.
November 21, 2014
Struggled through this one many years ago. I wasn't even able to finish it. I tried, I really tried. I thought I just wasn't smart enough, that it was just me. I should get it. I didn't get it. I read sentences that were obscure and I tried to get a handle on it. I still own this. I may re-read this and see if I was just having a rough time or if this is truly a two star book.
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April 9, 2009So far, this book is amazing. I put it down a few months back and have yet to get back to it.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews