Earliest known depiction of a naked Lilith, shown with the wings of a demon, standing on the backs of two lions, with screech owls on either side of her, and holding a snake in each hand.
Terracotta Sumerian Relief, 1950 B.C.
The Dark Fascination that is Lilith
I have long held a fascination with the dark feminine impulse.
Mysterious. Creative. Powerful. Transformative. Alluring. Seductive.
A force that can cause death, destruction, suffering, chaos - and yet, if fully understood and embodied, can also unlock the hidden and deeper aspects of our essential feminine nature.
Our task as humans is not to hold the dark forces at bay, but to bring them into balance with the light forces. For there cannot be creation without destruction. We cannot experience success without failure. There cannot be birth without death. The light and dark aspects of the feminine work together to create the immaculate circle of life and death - of wholeness - and this is how we as women can access our true power – not by denying the dark mother, but by embracing her.
I personally feel this dark feminine energy to be very present in my life: even more so since I recently transitioned through a key archetypical rite of passage: motherhood; as well as the opposite: death, when I lost a child through miscarriage. The birth, death, and rebirth cycle lies at the very core of our story as women, and is the very essence of Mother Nature.
Through my own embodiment and curiosity of the dark feminine, Lilith naturally arose and introduced herself - through my astrology studies - as the Black Moon Lilith. More about her influence on the stars later.
Lilith & the Creation Myth
In myth and religion, the demon feminine is often personified by Lilith, yet her legacy is a lot more nuanced and complex in its multiplicity. Her truth is clouded by both ancient and modern patriarchal interpretations of her story.
Although Lilith is commonly found in Jewish folklore and midrash, the origin of Lilith is as a Sumerian succubus. The first Jewish story of Lilith was told in the Alphabet of ben sirah. Before that, Lilith was mostly seen as a demoness, instead of the first Eve. Due to the ambiguity of Lilith, she has been represented in multiple forms in both literature and art. Some theological scholars acknowledge Lilith as the first Eve, while others still view her as a demoness.
In the Judaic tradition, she was sometimes spoken of as the first wife of Adam – created from the earth as his equal at the same time as him (and not from his rib) - but she was later transformed into the primordial she-demon / succubus of the underworld, banished from the Garden of Eden for not obeying Adam and complying with his demands. What was her greatest sin? Refusing to lie under Adam during sex, and submit to him. When he attempted to use force, she uttered God's name and flew away to the Red Sea, and lived in the barren desert. Refusing any attempt to bring her back, she chose self-exile over submission.
The Gemerah section of the Babylon Talmud, a rabbinic commentary on Judaism, mentions Lilith various times, depicting her as the worst example of a rebellious woman, and embodying the shadow female traits. This image is maintained in other sources, with Lilith described as having children with demons, and is further associated with disease and sexual promiscuity.
God punishes Lilith by having her lose her children: she’s depicted as a wilful wife who wants to be in charge, refuses to submit, and becomes the whore of Babylon (which at the time was actually the centre of the goddess-worshipping cultures). In the most extreme retellings Lilith murders children and drinks their blood, and takes advantage of men whilst they sleep.
Jewish halakhic law forbids the spilling of a man's seed, and Lilith takes advantage of this, during masturbation and erotic dreams, using it to replenish her own monstrous offspring.
On one level, Lilith is controversial because she’s a folklore character from a folklore take on the creation story from Genesis (Lilith is only mentioned once in the Bible, in Isiah, and not in connection with Adam and Eve). Her story takes us directly into debates about mythology versus history, sacred texts, and non-sacred additions.
As cited, ancient Jewish Midrash, or retellings of biblical stories, portray Lilith as a demon. But contemporary, feminist theologians like Judith Plascow have incorporated women’s experience and women’s voices into traditional texts with their own Midrash.
Plascow transforms the fearsome, vilified Lilith into a wise, empowered woman. Lilith embodies the emotional and spiritual aspects of our unconscious or unrealised desires, sensuality, and unbridled sexuality. She owns her body and soul completely. For many women, Lilith is an iconic symbol of freedom. Lilith is the first woman. She is the woman who refused to be dominated or defined by anyone or anything outside of her.
Almost all stories handed down to us about Lilith are distorted, supporting a narrative that suppresses and defiles the sacred feminine.
Lilith is both rebel and saint, divine and depraved. She was born a free women. She is a beacon of female wholeness.
She never refused to "lie beneath" Adam, she was refusing the distortion of the natural order, where the feminine is in charge of directing life.
Lilith is the Primordial Feminine, instilling balance and inherent harmony.
She is the all-powerful Mother/Lover who nurtures the inner essence of her children by cutting the cords that bind us to limited realities and revealing our true nature and essential being.
Lilith is an Ancient Female Figure of the Primordial Mystery
The Beginning
The End
The Great Goddess
Mother Goddess
Mother Earth
Giver and Taker of Life
Her words of truth are like lightning bolts shocking us into awareness. Her true nature is revelation, transformation, and redemption. Lilith is our ally in the search of seeking beyond our limited state of consciousness, that binds and imprisons us. She exposes all our inborn patterns, karma, and conditioning.
Lilith embodies sovereignty and challenges us to embody our true desires, and to do what must be done in order to live them out. She asks of us, ‘What do you really, really want?’
Lilith asks of female bodied women, “What would happen if you leave everything behind?” She asks us to contemplate what prevents us from getting to experience all that we desire. Is it ourselves? Is it an idea of who we have to be to belong? Is it society’s definition of what it means to be a woman?
She awakens us to our unknown inner selves, and urges us through dark passageways of the soul, where she lurks, shapeshifts, and tests us.
Lilith is unclaimed. She is the keeper of her body and soul and she reminds us that we are too. And not only that, we have a sacred obligation to be the body’s fierce gatekeeper and guardian.
Lilith in Astrology
Astrologically, Lilith is a mathematical point and not of material substance. Often referred to as The Black Moon Lilith, or the dark moon, which is the point at which the moon's orbit is farthest from Earth.
Our Lilith sign connects us deeply to our primal instincts and natural impulses. She reveals aspects where you may have felt ashamed, shamed, ridiculed, stifled, deeply misunderstood, or repressed in some manner.
Working with her helps us to embody more of our light, dark, messy, wild, wise, powerful, strong, extreme, obsessive, unconscious parts of ourselves.
She uncovers the parts of ourselves that stay hidden, yet underneath those hidden layers lies our powerful primal raw essence, our true nature.
Not everyone is ready to explore such profoundly unknown dimensions of self and experience.
Is she calling to you?
Lilith as the Black Moon in the Zodiac
Lilith in Aries/1st House
Lilith in Aries/1st House has challenges around asserting themselves and making executive self-centred decisions. They may have felt shame for displaying self-centred traits, for taking the lead without asking, or for making self-centred choices. They may feel wary of people expressing Aries traits, largely because they are stunned at how they can do so without apology! There can be some fear of taking the lead, asserting oneself, and making executive decisions, but a simultaneous desire to do so, which can lead to extremes of behaviour in these areas. Lilith in Aries, can also reveal a poor self-image, or overly obsessive and/or unaware of one’s own appearance in the world. Learning to accept these traits in themselves is the key.
Lilith in Taurus/2nd House
Lilith in Taurus/2nd House has felt shame for self-indulgence, not sharing, holding onto possessions and resources too tightly, and for enjoying themselves without justification. They feel guilty or wrong for doing these things, which can lead to all sorts of behaviours, whether it’s about hoarding, purging, sacrificing or in between these extremes, but feeling ashamed for indulging oneself or getting comfortable. They may have a hard time feeling truly satisfied or sated, but can also fear the state of wanting or having desires. Lilith in Taurus can also pinch themselves off from embodying their own sensual nature or they can be on the opposite spectrum and over indulge in sexuality, where it becomes just about the physical, and lacks true intimacy. Issues around money, self- worth and boundary issues tend to arise with Lilith in Taurus.
Lilith in Gemini/3rd House
Lilith in Gemini/3rd House has felt shame for speaking too much or too little, or for their intelligence or social skills. They may be wary of people who seem to be indulgent in these ways — who are social butterflies or who talk too much, or who seem to flaunt their intelligence. Their curiosity may have been stifled in some manner, and they can fear not being considered smart. Shame in these areas can lead to extremes of behaviour and a feeling of being out of control. They can also use their words spoken/unspoken as a weapon. Working on self-acceptance is the key to empowerment.
Lilith in Cancer/4th House
Lilith in Cancer/4th House has felt ashamed for being needy, emotional or dependent for whatever reason, and feels awkward or even angry with people who display these traits without justification. Their nurturing nature was stifled in some way and they can feel very uncomfortable asking for help and/or expressing their own nurturing nature as a result. This discomfort can lead to extremes of behaviour in this area, and then misgivings afterward, and the cycle then continues. Lilith in Cancer may have issues growing up and taking responsibility, preferring to remain child-like. Mother and pregnancy issues are prominent with this placement. Lastly, family myths and ancestry secrets are also prominent with this placement. Working on self-acceptance is the key to empowerment.
Lilith in Leo/5th House
Lilith in Leo/5th House has felt ashamed or fears calling for special attention to themselves, for seeking the spotlight, or for seeking to be better than others in competitions. They may also express the opposite extreme and glorify themselves to the point of being egoistical. They may feel uncomfortable with people expressing these Leonine traits. This placement may restrain themselves from having fun, playing and being creative. Lilith in Leo may also have fertility and father issues. This shame or discomfort can lead to extremes of behaviour in these areas, which can exacerbate the problem. They need to find ways to accept the very natural need for applause and self-expression, finding their own uniqueness. Self-acceptance is the key to moderation and empowerment.
Lilith in Virgo/6th House
Lilith in Virgo/6th House struggles with paying attention to the practical side of life, attention to details, organization, and routines. They can be over critical of themselves, self-sabotaging themselves on get anything done. Perfectionism, people pleasing and overworking are all shadow aspects of this placement. The Virgin vs. Whore principle can be at play with a Lilith in Virgo. Extremes of behaviour and binging/purging in these areas can be a sign of imbalance. Working on self-acceptance is the key to empowerment.
Lilith in Libra/7th House
Lilith in Libra/7th House has felt ashamed or wrong for needing partnership or seeking approval from others; the opposite can look like unhealthy co-dependency. Or, they may otherwise feel that dependency and compromise are weak and not “right”, and can feel uncomfortable with people who seem to need these things. Relationship games, narcissistic self-love and commitment issues can arise with this placement. In the absence of self-acceptance regarding these very real needs, extremes of behaviour in these areas can be the result, and this perpetuates the cycle and the problem. Working on self-acceptance is the key to empowerment.
Lilith in Scorpio/8th House
Lilith in Scorpio/8th House has felt ashamed for the natural need for intimacy, sacred sexuality, healthy attachment, and depth contact. They may feel wrong if they express jealousy or possessiveness, attachment, etc., and can feel uncomfortable around those who are especially passionate and attached. Shadow aspects of this placement involves control, intense emotions, sexual addictions and/or depression. Lack of self-acceptance in these areas can lead to extremes of behaviour that exacerbate the problem. Empowering themselves involves working on accepting these qualities.
Lilith in Sagittarius/9th House
Lilith in Sagittarius/9th House has felt ashamed for their curiosity, questions, restlessness, the need to challenge and question life/facts/beliefs, or the need to get away, expand, and seek meaning. Shadow aspects and issues that may arise are never finding home, always travelling from one place to another, and emigration issues. They could form dogmatic views about the world, believing only their “Truth.” They may feel uncomfortable around people who express these Sagittarian traits, not quite trusting them. However, when feeling stressed, they can go to extremes in these areas. Working on self-acceptance is the key to empowerment.
Lilith in Capricorn/10th House
Lilith in Capricorn/10th House has felt ashamed or otherwise wrong for their desire to excel, succeed, or reach for worldly goals and ambitions, and they may feel uncomfortable around people who seem materialistic, status-conscious, or particularly business-minded and practical or ambitious. It can be hard to connect with their own ambitions and need for others’ esteem, but going there and allowing ourselves to feel these needs can be life-changing. Shadow aspects are materialism, overworking, over disciplined, rigid. On the other hand, if they feel uncomfortable with these things, they can go to extremes in these areas and then feel badly afterward. The path to empowerment is self-acceptance and moderation.
Lilith in Aquarius/ 11th House
Lilith in Aquarius/ 11th House has felt ashamed or off for wanting to be part of a group, team, or community, and can feel quite wary of people who seem to need these things. The answer is not to reject these basic needs, since this can result in binging and purging on a social level–going all-out, feeling bad about it, hiding away, and then repeating the cycle again. Lilith in Aquarius can often be detached and is often referred to as the “Ice Queen,” not able to connect on an emotional level. Shadow aspects that can play out are freedom, rebellion issues, and being seen as the collective outcast. Self-acceptance can help empower them and put an end to extremes of behaviour in these areas.
Lilith in Pisces/12th House
Lilith in Pisces/12th House has felt ashamed or off for being deeply sensitive, intuitive, compassionate, wishy-washy, or for their spiritual side, and can feel uncomfortable or annoyed with people who resist labels, who are not very assertive, or ready to take the lead. Rejecting or feeling ashamed of their basic needs in these areas can lead to extremes of behaviour and repeated cycles of binging and purging with these traits. The key to moderation and empowerment is self-acceptance.
If you are feeling called to work more deeply with Lilith and understand her in your own chart, I offer Asteroid Astrology readings - one of my signature offerings and very dear to heart. I have personally found that working with Lilith has connected me more wholesomely with all the shades of my ever-expanding feminine self. I have more acceptance and welcome all the parts of myself with open arms.
Follow the link here to book a session and to find out more information.
In the mysterious darkness
Love, Vanessa
Lilith is the Feminine Before the Split & an Iconic Symbol of Feminine Power
I am Lilith
I am your Mother
Patron Saint of the Orphaned
Queen of the Outcasts
Guardian of the Wound
I am the fire tender
Keeper of the sacred flame
The spark of holy origin
Protector of the soul
I did not come from rib of man
I am his mother
He descended from my body
As All bodies do
I was moulded by earth and clay
Birthed from the bottom of the ocean
I am the daughter of dirt
Beloved of the wind
I am the blood painted on caves
Immortal helix of
One womb
They say I fell from Grace
Because I did not lie beneath
The Man
They will say I was banished forever
For committing an unthinkable crime
What they do not know is I was given
The choice
To sacrifice the Flame
And live inside a crafted lie
Or walk myself into exile
And roam the wilderness
Alone
The choice was clearly given
Something had to be abandoned
For something to remain
In my refusal to turn my back on the
Truth
I aborted myself from
Eden
Crawled out of the gilded prison
I chose freedom
They hired an immediate replacement
Pretended the whole thing never happened
It was a case of mistaken identity
The great She was erased and
His-story began
The rib-woman took my place
They gave her lines
And a gilded golden crown
Made her an offer she couldn’t refuse
It was an under the table deal
I was the radical sacrifice
She became the martyr
They barely spoke of me again
I became the black sheep
Scapegoat of the world
Now I prowl the edges of the
Garden
Chanting prayers for you
Each day
Waiting for you to notice me
Waiting for you to see me as I am
I am Lilith
Homecoming of the Homeless
Mother of All
I am the Gospel of Receiving
The High Priestess of Savouring
I am the Ecstatic Surrender
When all weapons are laid down
I am the Prophetess of
Holy Nakedness
Reality stripped of its distortions
To cover myself would be
An abomination
My body is the doorway to
God
I am the guardian of Wholeness
Before the Great Split
For the great split was my exit
From Eden
I escaped swiftly with the flame
Intact
Before this world was broken
Into two
Spirit and Matter
God and Flesh
Woman and Man
Passion and Innocence
I am Lilith
Bridge between the Split
Guardian of Wholeness
Keeper of the
Original Flame
My knowing is of root and web
Conch shell and wave
My body is the emanation of the
Tree Of Life
I am prior to emotion and mind
I dwell inside the Heart that is deeper
Than both
I am the underground pulse of
The Real
I am not even in your vocabulary
Anymore
They branded me the mother of demons
Humanity’s problem child
There are rumours that Satan is my
Husband
That I steal the semen of sleeping men
And birth kingdoms of evil
They stamped me with the scarlet letter
Spit on my body
Used me as a charnel ground
To burn the Truth dead
Erected false Gods and fake prophets
Committed crimes against my innocence
And the innocence of my children
Then framed me as the culprit
I took the blame
They say I devour babies
In a classic case of projection
For I am the Innocence of humanity
Erased
The magical child of your Soul
Some uphold me as a rebel
A fierce goddess of destruction
Poster child of empowerment
Wild provocateur
They are all mistaken
Every last one of them
I am none of these concepts
I am the mirror
For the Fallen Feminine
They cannot see me as
I am
The truth is
I am the daughter of dirt
The perfection of chaos
The refuge of no refuge
The one who dances
Everywhere
I am the Unbridled Innocent Wild
And the Untainted Wild Innocence
I am the Original Passion
Before passion was divorced from the
Heart
My skin is the flesh of the
Holy book
Before the violence of Alphabet
Was known
I am the knowing that
The fulfilment of your
Deepest yearning is
Closer than your next breath
That the Holy One
Does not wait for you
At the end of a long road
Rather stalks you as your
Shadow would
Is so close you cannot see it
Let me tell you a secret
Why I did not lie beneath Him
It was not an act of rebellion
No
It is simply because
My Language is Circle
I am the golden spiral
I refused to be crushed into the
Linear
It is simply against my
True Nature
I require the
Space
To swirl my
Hips
I require the
Spiral Incarnate
This is how I birth Love
Through the circle of
Devotion
This is how I kept
The world from
Splitting
Into
Two
I am Lilith
Fruit of Wisdom
Friend of Snake
Whisperer of lost scripture
Translator of the serpent
The one who knows the
Supple spine
Is the doorway to
Heaven on Earth
My flesh is a scroll
I am this truth untold:
That your original nature
Is not sin
Rather
An ecstatic celebration
That no one is coming to save you
You are already saved
As you are
That the Chalice of
Remembrance
Is already Here
On the edge of your
Lips
Just waiting for you to
Drink
That every Open Orifice
In the temple of the Flesh
Is a Chalice for the
Holy Sacrament
The space where
God pours In
That the name of the
One
Dwells within the untamed
Tongue
And blesses those
Who are Brave of Heart
Who abandon their
Self-consciousness
And give in to the
Naked innocence
Who are willing to tremble
With shameless tenderness
Who will bear the unbearable
Melting of Love’s Heat
Who never hold back
And always
Let Go
I am Lilith
Mother of All
Patron Saint of the Orphaned
Queen of the Outcasts
Guardian of the Wound
Keeper of the Original Flame
My name is not a word
It is the sound of God
Reverberating in flesh
I am the song released
When you let go from the deep
When Body opens from inside
I am the heat of truth
In the sacred flame
If you want to know me
Say My Name
~ Maya Luna ~