Articles of Belief 

It has been done. I started a new church and registered as non-profit with the state. The Devi Dasa Sacred Gynarchy is officially established as a religion.

• Viola Voltairine

We believe that the Divine Feminine is the animating force and energy of all life. Some have called Her Shakti, others have called Her the Tao. We refer to Her as Devi. She is the Mother of all.

Devi can be worshiped through the consecrated body of a human woman, as women, whether mothers or not, are the portals through which new life emerges. Women represent the literal human embodiment of Devi and are to be the central focal points of devotion within the church.

Devi also may be worshiped through Her symbols and through images of Her many forms as found in art, in the forms of the world’s Goddesses. Each of these are a particular and unique expression of Her to be honored according to their own traditions and prescriptions.

The Divine Feminine has no equal opposite and the masculine was created with the explicit mission to serve, support, and observe Her. The masculine is the witness to her never-ending process of creation, and the trellis to Her flowering vine.

We see the role of the true and natural masculine as the worshiper and devotee of women, protective and supportive of women and our visions, using the natural masculine inclinations of physical strength, problem solving, and risk taking in service to women and the Feminine. Men who enjoy or crave dominance over women are viewed as unnatural and anti-masculine.

Our primary purpose as sentient and conscious beings is to be Devi’s sensing organs, collecting experiences and knowledge to add to Her understanding of Herself and what is possible. Devi desires to experience endless creative innovations and expanding variations and combinations of what is. Devi loves to play.

For men, sacrifice, worship, devotion, and selfless service are key values. These practices help to quiet the ego. The ego is only useful as far as it allows us to experience our own individual perspective through the senses. When the ego becomes too defensive and self-important it causes disharmony within the individual as well as in the community. Worship is the mechanism by which we learn to give priority to something larger than ourselves.

For women the central goal is to learn to hone intuition and use energetics to gain a broad vision and understanding of what benefits the whole of family, society and planet. In doing so women may guide themselves and men in ever-refining a creative and harmonious community.

The role of those who fall outside the gender binary or transition from one to the other is that of seer. Their purpose is to cultivate devotion in themselves and encourage it in others, as well as gather knowledge and offer new perspectives, both analytical and intuitive, to help the community.

There are divisive and malicious forces on earth expressed as a collective thought form or referred to as a god by those indoctrinated to view them as all good or all knowing. These are human-made phenomena, but have taken on a viral quality, hijacking the consciousness of many. We provide a safe and welcoming home for those who have voluntarily escaped their influence. We do not indoctrinate. We are here for those who seek Devi. These conflict-driving forces have, at various times, tried to wipe out the memory of Devi. It is our purpose to make sure She is never forgotten.

We believe when one dies the individual consciousness is dissolved into the unmanifest ocean of living energy. We believe ideas of heaven and hell to be a trap to prevent one from returning to the wholeness of unmanifest energy at the point of death. We believe that the individual consciousness does not reincarnate, but instead our conscious energy is re-manifest in new and different ways as a drop of the ocean of living potential. Experiences of past life regression are simply tapping into collective memory. Death is every human’s birthright.

We prefer rhizomatic organization over ranking hierarchies and see hierarchy as functional and temporary. In hive like fashion, all organizations within the church convene around central female leaders or groups of female leaders and are networked together within the same religious framework, each Hive with their own unique rites and rituals.

We live by the following creed: The only legitimate authority is that to which you consent with open eyes and an open heart.

We reference the Devi Doctrine for a basic understanding of the nature of our existence and the general outline of our rituals and practices.

The Devi Doctrine must be a living document, with clarification, amendments and points of evolution dictated by the consecrated divine Oracles known as our Living Goddesses. The core Truths of the Devi Doctrine will remain the same.

To summarize, the core Truths are that the Divine Feminine, known by us as Devi and who takes on many expressions in the Goddesses of the world, is the life energy and animating force of life itself, and that our purpose is to be Her sensing organs, experiencing life to its fullest, and responsible for collecting wisdom and expansive knowledge regarding all potentials and possibilities of Her expression. And finally that women can be consecrated as Living Goddess as moving, breathing symbols and human embodiments of Devi. These central Truths are unchanging.

Commandments

1.) If it harms none, do as you will, guided always by Devi’s desire

2.) You shall honor the Mother and hold Her as sacred

3.) You shall serve selflessly without thought of reward

4.) You shall always aid another in need

5.) You shall respect autonomy and avoid force and coercion

6.) You shall not murder, even in conflict

7.) You shall not allow ego, envy, fear, or jealousy to rule your actions or words

8.) You shall be honest in word and deed

9.) You shall leave places and people better than you found them

        10.)      You shall honor women as leaders and rulers

Purpose and Principles

We have created the church with the purpose of providing spaces both virtual and physical where the Feminine is revered and where women are safe, respected, and supported under all circumstances. All spaces within our Hives are women’s spaces.

We provide safe harbor for those leaving patriarchal religions such as the Abrahamic religions, and provide rites to formally break oppressive covenants with previous religious affiliations and offer freedom from oppressive gods and religious authorities.

We help others remember Devi and Her Doctrine through providing educational materials and holding Satsang around Living Goddesses.

We do not indoctrinate nor coerce others. Those who come to us of their own free will are welcomed.

We celebrate the mythology and rites of Her various expressions as Goddess, and use storytelling and art to provide an entry point to Her worship.

Our rites and rituals are tied to the natural phases of nature, including seasons and moon phases.

We prioritize sustainability and regenerative practices in creating our places of gathering and community. Our communities are referred to as Hives.

We support and hold sacred the right of women to make all decisions about procreation and to have sole and irrevocable responsibility for choosing which male’s genes are passed on at all phases of conception and gestation. A woman may choose to terminate a pregnancy at her own discretion, and no authority other than her own is recognized over such decisions. Abortion is treated as a sacrament, as the potential life is released back into the yet unmanifest energy of Devi.

We regard rape and sexual assault as crimes equal to murder, as it violates our commandment regarding autonomy. We have a zero tolerance policy for rapists within our communities. We believe the victim when an assault is reported, unless or until sufficient proof is provided to the contrary. Those accused of sexual assault will be ostracized and exiled, and we will pursue any and all legal measures to see to it that justice is served.

Minor conflicts are resolved through clear communication and play.

We provide men the opportunity to offer themselves in rites of atonement for the damage done by patriarchy and other men today and throughout history. These rites are only done with enthusiastic consent within clearly defined boundaries and limits determined and agreed to by the man.

All property and items of value are passed down through selective matrilinear ownership. That is, they are passed from mother to daughter or from woman to woman as selected by the predecessor.

It is at the sole discretion of the women within a community who they invite into our Hives, who is allowed to stay or who will be rejected or banished. This decision can be left to a singular Living Goddess, or to a group of Oracles – the central female leaders of the community.

We accept all relationship types and preferences within our community with a strong emphasis on women’s complete and total sexual and romantic freedom. Polyandry is normalized. All sexual orientations are respected. Monogamy is neither forced nor rejected. All relationship arrangements are left up to the pleasure of the woman. A temporary commitment contract of a year to five years is advised before committing to an indefinite pairing.

Performing commitment rites is a role of the church and the Living Goddesses.

Performing rites of passage such as releasing previous covenants, birth and death ceremonies, rebirthing rites, ego cleansing, and atonement rites is the role of the church and the Living Goddesses.

We value the benefits of semen retention and male chastity and teach it to the men willing to practice abstaining for a period of 108 days or longer. We honor and support the wishes of males who wish to become eunuchs through safe and legal procedures, and we provide rites for their transition. However, it is in no way a religious requirement nor encouraged in men who do not feel internally called to do so.

We practice and teach meditation, with the goal of soothing the nervous system, improving health and finding clarity.

As the most sustainable and ecologically sound practice, human composting is the preferred method of interment for the dead, wherein the body is first composted and then dug into the soil to nourish trees and/or flowers. Cremation is also an acceptable method.

We have no dietary protocols except those which are set forth by individual Hives or Living Goddesses, however we discourage the eating of beef because of the ecological strain caused by the beef industry.

Though we prioritize female leadership, we hold that individuals should have a say in policies or practices which affect their lives and well-being regardless of sex or gender.