This episode has been a long time coming. More than any other topic, our community has asked questions about the Divine Feminine and Heavenly Mother. There is so much to explore, especially in relation to the temple, and I hope this is the first of many conversations on the subject.
Many of us feel the absence of the feminine in our stories, symbols, and ordinances. Years ago, I began my own search for the Divine Feminine, and I’ve found that She is far more present than I once realized.
Katherine has spent the last decade studying and seeking Heavenly Mother. Her book, The Mother Tree, is one of the best works I’ve read on this topic, and I couldn’t recommend it more.
In this episode, Katherine explains that the feminine is often veiled—not missing, but hidden. Discovering her takes faith, patience, and consistent seeking. But she is there for anyone who wants to know her, and as her children, it is our birthright to seek and know our Mother.
We discuss temple symbols that may point to the Divine Feminine, Wisdom as a feminine archetype, the Tree of Life, and the connection between Heavenly Mother and nature. We also touch on how the female deity was removed from the ancient Israelite temple tradition, and how Christ—born of both Father and Mother—can help us come to know her more fully.
I hope this conversation offers insight, comfort, and an invitation to keep seeking.
Kathryn Knight Sonntag is the author of The Mother Tree (Faith Matters Foundation, 2022), winner of The 2022 BIBA Literary Award in Non-Fiction: Religion, The Tree at the Center (BCC Press, 2019), and No Sudden Bright Way (Orison Books, forthcoming). Her poems have appeared in Sugar House Review, Image, Colorado Review, and the anthology Blossom as the Cliffrose (Torrey House Press, 2021), among other places. She works as a landscape architect and serves as the poetry editor for Wayfare.
Get The Mother Tree from Amazon.
Read more of Kathryn’s work at wayfaremagazine.org.
