Editing Goddess movement (section)

== Terminology ==
[[File:Seal of Inanna, 2350-2150 BCE.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Ancient [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian]] [[cylinder seal]] depicting the goddess [[Inanna]] resting her foot on the back of a lion while [[Ninshubur]] stands in front of her paying obeisance, c. 2334–2154 BC]]

Associated terms sometimes used within the movement include the following:

*'''Goddesses''' refers to a local or specific deity linked clearly to a particular culture and often to particular aspects, attributes and powers (for example: the [[Mesopotamia]]n goddess [[Inanna]]/[[Ishtar]]; [[Athena]]; or [[Hindu]] goddesses like [[Sarasvati]], the goddess of learning, poetry, music, inspiration and wisdom; and [[Lakshmi]] goddess of wealth and sovereignty).
*'''The Goddess''' or '''the Great Goddess''' is a female deity that is regarded as primary. Such a religious system existed historically in many cultures, though not under the same names and not necessarily with the same traits. If there is a male god, he is often seen as her equal, or his powers may be seen as deriving from her.<ref>{{cite book|title=Matriarchal Mythology in Former Times and Today (pamphlet)|last=Göttner-Abendroth|first=Heide|date=1987|publisher=Crossing Press|author-link=Heide Göttner-Abendroth}}</ref> These terms are ''not'' usually understood to refer a single deity that is identical across cultures but rather a concept common in many ancient cultures, which those in the Goddess movement want to restore.<ref name="christ1997" /> When Goddess is spoken of as a personal guardian, as in 'my Goddess' it means 'my worldview in Goddess spirituality.'
*'''Goddess Spirituality''' is sometimes used as a synonym for Goddess Movement and sometimes as the spiritual practice that is part of the Goddess movement.<ref name=":6" /> It could also refer to the Goddess Movement's ethos, particularly when used to construct Christianity as the diametrical opposite of the Goddess.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Christian Goddess Spirituality: Enchanting Christianity|last=Beavis|first=Mary Ann|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|isbn=9781138936881|location=New York|pages=29}}</ref> Here, the term becomes a distinguishing concept that sets the movement apart from Christianity with little room for overlap.
*'''Goddessing''' is a recent contribution to Goddess vocabulary, possibly derived from the British journal of the same name, following from [[Mary Daly]]'s suggestion that deity is too dynamic, too much in process and changing continually, to be a noun, and should better be spoken as a verb (Daly 1973). Goddessing may also mean Goddess culture, Goddess way of life, Goddess practice, or 'my goddessing' as in my individual interpretation and experience of Goddess.
*'''Priestess''' refers to women who dedicate themselves to one or more goddesses. It may or may not include leadership of a group, and it may or may not include legal ordination. The analogous term for men is "priest." However, not everyone who dedicates themselves to the Goddess or goddesses calls themselves a priestess (or priest).
*'''[[Thealogy]]''' is a term whose first use in the context of feminist analysis of religion and discussion of Goddess is usually credited to [[Naomi Goldenberg]], who used the term in her book ''[[Changing of the Gods]]''.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/changingofgodsfe00gold|url-access=registration|title=Changing of the Gods: Feminism & the End of Traditional Religions|last=Goldenberg|first=Naomi|date=1979|publisher=Beacon Press|isbn=0-8070-1111-8|location=Boston|pages=[https://archive.org/details/changingofgodsfe00gold/page/96 96]–99|access-date=2015-10-30}}</ref> It substitutes the Greek feminine prefix "thea-" for the supposedly generic use of the Greek masculine prefix "theo-". It refers to the activity of determining the meaning of Goddess as opposed to theology, which reflects on the meaning of God.<ref name=":5" /> Frequently used to mean analysis of Goddess thought and mysticism, it can also be used more liberally to mean any kind of divine, not just deity divine, as in meditation, ethics, ritual pragmatics.

Capitalization of terms such as "Goddess" and "Goddesses" usually vary with author or with the style guides of publications or publishers. Within the Goddess community, members generally consider it proper to capitalize the word "Goddess", but not necessary when generic references are made, as in the word "goddesses".