Deities and Faith
Why is the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool called Mother of All Spirits, and what origin of life does Master Shengyuan describe?
English translation draft · Based on the Chinese article. This is not a word-for-word translation approved by Master Shengyuan.
Within the Mother Goddess faith I introduce, the Golden Mother of the Jade Pool is called Mother of All Spirits because its creation story regards her and the Eastern King Father as the mother and father nurturing all spirits. Calling her Mother Goddess expresses the soul's closeness to its source. This is a religious account of life's origins, distinct from scientific explanations of biological evolution.
The story begins with primordial qi, proceeds through the Three Pure Ones, and then describes the Five Elders working with the five elements. They are the Central Yellow Elder, Eastern King Father, Western Golden Mother, Southern Red Essence Master, and Northern Water Essence Master. Within this account, each has different powers and participates in nurturing life. Remembering only one deity must not erase the other relationships.
For the final nurturing of life, I have recounted the Eastern King Father and Golden Mother working together as yang and yin, hence the titles Father and Mother of All Spirits. Alchemical elixirs, the infant, and the maiden in this story explain this relationship of faith. They are not instructions to set up a furnace and combine ingredients to recreate life's origin.
Drawing close to the Mother Goddess is more than knowing her identity. The sacred proclamation describes divine virtues and aspirations, which recitation can help us understand and connect with. Knowing the deity we worship and the reminders she offers, then returning to our practice, brings more learning than only asking which great deity we are connected with.