Columbia as a Goddess?

[blindfaith^_^]

Back in July I read this article from the pagan + politics blog and I've been thinking about i pretty much since then.

The idea that the USA has a patron Goddess and she's been revealed to us through a statue the French people made fascinates me some what.

Assuming she is a deity for a moment and she chose that moment to reveal herself why now? What made immigrants more appropriate than the native people? Beyond that why choose a mode of revelation that was largely unsuccessful to it's intended audience (I mean it's not like there is a large group of worshipers or like this claim was made when her image first started appearing in connection with the new nation). Are these shortcomings part of a complex message or more proof that Colombia is not a Goddess but simply a statue that is associated with the USA?

It's made me think in more generalized terms to like what are the requirements of a God or Goddess to make them real and new? Our Goddesses/Gods born or created by the right series of events in time and place? How does a God or Goddess reveal themselves? What proof is required, how many other people have to experience this event for it to be legit or to create a larger faith following? How does diety claim knowledge dominance or protection over an area (physical or otherwise)? Where is the line between thought form and actual deity and how does that affect one's perceptions, actions, practice or meaning?

It's months after I've read the idea of Colombia being a patron Goddess of the US and my mind is still completely unfocused on how to tackle the idea and the differing angles. I don't know what I want to talk about first in this area or if there really is anything to talk about at all. At this point in time anyone with thoughts, feelings, new angles or even somewhat parallel discussion points might be helpful. The idea of deities connected to the land, or a governing body interests me. Deity new and old within the USA has specific geographic interest to me because it's where I live and also because I find connectors to national identity something interesting to try to find and pick apart. What exactly I want to know or am looking for within that kind of conversation, is still something I'm trying to parse out, but I've spend enough time thinking on my own and thought maybe a larger forum with more differing voices would help.  

[Lance Kibagari]

This interests me as well, however there's a bit of an issue: it seems Columbia was a feminine personification of the United States up until World War II. There were poems, cartoons, paintings galore, but it was always as if Columbia was the United States and not simply a separate entity. I'm not entirely sure this has any connection with her being a potential deity, though given humanity's inability to comprehend the divine, I suppose anything is possible.

If she was first revealed to us by the statue, is she an old European goddess who decided to come to America? And why would she decide to leave her native land for this one, which has had its own deities (looking at Native American folklore) for quite some time?

If she were an old European goddess, did she first take note of the United States during the Revolution? Why would she? Or was she 'birthed' alongside our country, given our nature to revere the idea of liberty?

I suppose that, at the very least, Columbia was a deification of the United States, or the concept of liberty overall. But does this make Columbia a deity? I'm not entirely certain. I would, however, like to see how this pans out, as there are a few concepts I'm not entirely familiar with: the U.S. having a patron goddess, and even how deities come into existence, if that's even possible in modern times.

My apologies for only raising more questions. =P  

[MissDarc]

Columbia is, to my knowledge, a representative image of a nation and not a goddess who revealed herself.
However, it is my opinion that one could take any symbolic being and use it as a figure of worship for a particular aspect of the god and goddess, much as other god-figures.  

[blindfaith^_^]

MissDarc

Columbia is, to my knowledge, a representative image of a nation and not a goddess who revealed herself.

I tend to agree with that interpretation. I don't think the people who wrote or drew her intended her to be an honest to goodness actual goddess. It interests me that people intpret the works now as "revealing" herself. I mean there are so many questions.

The whole idea of a God/Goddess revealing themselves fascinates me. The how, the why are so loaded. It's possibly one of the most interesting aspects of spirituality. I love hearing how different Christian people were "saved" with some personal realization of God and likewise pagans who "realized" there was more out there or something new and different from what they believed before. In this case we'd be talking about an almost modern birth of a not mystery based goddess (Wicca while interesting as it's new is too closed off for non-seekers to really dig into). Depending on whether the painters or writers meant to simply personify a country or to actually create a goddess one might argue it's a very new creation or revelation of a Goddess, if said goddess is more than a thought form or ideal.

Quote:

However, it is my opinion that one could take any symbolic being and use it as a figure of worship for a particular aspect of the god and goddess, much as other god-figures.

What exactly would one worship with Columbia? Freedom, justice, liberty I mean it's all pretty vague about what the working plan is to embody and maintain those values are. Hasn't part of America's political problems been surrounding the fact that while we as a people may value these ideals we have no unified idea how to push them forward and maintain them in a productive way? I do think as a country we could use guidance, divine or not, regarding definition and protections of these words and ideals.

It's probably why a Goddess meant to embody such that originates or chose this land has pulled me in so strongly. I'd like it to exist and I'd like for there to be some kind of revelation or moment a clarity at least for myself that would help pull things together. Beyond that, I suppose my creative mind is captured by all the stories and possibly interesting narratives there could be here.