I have never been one to walk the beaten path magickally, well, almost never.  When I was a sweet Nubie, I was very careful to stay firmly within the tightly formed parameters of Buckland, Cunningham and Farrar, who were about the only books out there at the time.  I did everything just so, right down to the recommended altar arrangement.

It didn't take me long to begin finding my own way and typically, I found that the variations that called to me worked much better, at least for me.  The whole idea of "you must never..." and "you must always..." reeked heavily of dogmatic frou frou to me became suspect and opened a whole new world of magickal experimentation and freedom.  It was like realizing the emperor really was naked and the "rules" began and ended with how you, yourself interacted with Deity and the other energies inherent to magick. 

By the time my husband and I created CUSP (Climbing Up the Spiral Pathway, the magickal path we and our groups use), I was well prepared to take my own tenets of magick and put them together into a working system.  One of the things we did was to employ the three known faces of the Goddess, Maiden, Mother & Crone and utilized the God aspects discussed by J.R. Picken,  Creator, Protector and Destroyer.  We used them as partners, respectively, over the course of the working year, sabbat to sabbat. 

This year, we decided to adjust a bit.  For one thing, trying to move three aspects over eight holidays was a bit clumsy.  Additionally, we didn't feel that in this time of women living longer, the three aspects were reflective of the natural life of a woman.  Sure, when women lived for a solid 40-45 years, they leapt straight from their childbearing years to their crone time and then died.  Now, a woman has a much fuller and longer life and we felt that in the interest of "as below, so above," this expanded life should be reflected in the aspect changes of Deity.   Men no longer procreate, protect the family, then go off to die in battle as the Destroyer, so their roles also needed to be redefined. 

After a lot of thinking and a good bit of drinking (there's a perfectly good reason why, according to Janet Farrar (one of our magnificent modern day Divas), the best alcohol is called "spirits," because all of the good rituals are hidden in the bottom of their bottles), we decided the progression of the God would be through Creator, Protector, Destroyer and Sage.  That way, we ended up with Wise Old God to compliment the glorious Crone from Samhain through Candlemas.  They could whisper into our ears the secrets of ourselves and the ways of the worlds in the dark of the year and keep the flame of wisdom burning through the cold, winter months.

But what of the Destroyer's counterpart?  The Goddess who would be at home being spiritual, independent and wise while the Destroyer was out destroying was a tough one to call.  We considered "The Lady," but that just didn't work.  Too... generic.  We thought about "Dark Mother," but felt it was more about being out of the direct mothering phase and had to be separate and apart from that whole deal.  "Shamaness" was another thought because Diva is a very spiritual time in a Pagan woman's life.  Shamaness, however, is hard to say after imbibing alcohol, so we had to just... let it go.  Finally, we decided to table the idea and a few days later, in the middle of something unrelated, we came up with Diva and it was perfect. 

So what is The Diva?

Divas are women who are past their mothering time and have some serious life experience behind them.  Divas don't take crap off of people and are never hesitant to blaze a trail into the wilderness when necessary.  Divas are enormously secure in who they are, what they have to offer in this life and where ever they are going and will march there confidently.  Divas are in strong connection to Goddess and see life through the eyes of a High Priestess, unable to see the world mundanely even if they try.  Divas see magick in every thought, every move, every process, every moment.  They could not look at life differently if they tried.  They are able to access hidden truths like treasures under rocks, pushing and turning until the right connection is made and the smartness flows.  For the love of God, don't ever contradict her when she's working in that mode.

Divas love their adult children enormously and also are well capable of maintaining glorious romances and loving relationships with spouses or partners.  Their friendships are deep and abiding, usually with one or two particularly tight bonds and several additional pals in their realm of influence.  They seldom require validation of themselves from others in order to have a good sense of self and quality self esteem, but occasionally, they enjoy a good rant and are always comfortable with and grateful for compliments.  While their bonds are very close, they are old enough and experienced enough to have dealt with Death in a few ways, not just the physical death of others, but the death of friendships, marriages and dreams.  They do understand that the people and situations in our life, both precious and challenging, are transient.

Where younger women are "becoming" this or that and formulating their personalities and life paths, Divas "are."  They are comfortable in their own skins and often, they perceive their lives as blessed, regardless of the external challenges they may face in mundane life (these are transient, remember).  Divas do not suffer fools lightly and are impatient with manipulators, users,  slackers and phonies.    You won't see a Diva with a partner who doesn't pull his/her own weight or who is less than respectful on an ongoing basis.

Divas are strong, independent, pro-active women who are listened to when they speak, loved for their fiery spirits and magickally respected.  When a Diva calls in the Powers of Air, a breeze will always blow.  When a Diva casts a spell, she will get results or soon understand why not. 

A Diva has walked back through her past, made friends with the skeletons in her closet and shined a bright light on the darkest corners.  Nothing from the past comes for her in the night.  She looks forward to the future with the quiet pleasure of one who is assured that whatever befalls, it is propelling her inevitably and unerringly toward her greatest good.  Her faith is immense and often is the rock on which the others around her stand during difficult times.  It is hard to shake her into tears of fear or frustration or hurt, but when it happens, it's with a gale force and she'll work it and work it and work it until she finds the answer within herself and masters the situation.  When the Diva cries, it is more likely from something that has touched her heart in a purely profound way. 

While a Diva may have resolved her past and made peace with whatever is to be in the future, her focus is primarily on the present, moment by moment, as it unfolds in front of her.  If she could freeze frame every moment and study it, preserving it in her heart, she would because that is how precious her "now" is to her.  She seeks out the miracles, from the tiniest to the grandest and is grateful to Deity for each and every one.  Her capacity for Joy is seemingly endless and she finds it everywhere:  in a book she's reading, a gift she receives, a hug from a loved one, a joke that gives her a good belly laugh, a delightful meal... there is no end to the places from which she can harvest Joy into her life.  She laughs loudly and appreciatively and the lines on her face reflect her many smiles.   

The Diva speaks her mind confidently, unapologetically and without pretense.  Never ask for her opinion or her advice unless you really want to hear it without frosting on top and straight from the hip. She is invariably honest and unwaveringly direct. 

The Diva is, overall, a private person and there are some parts of her life and her heart that are off limits to others in her life.  Even though she is so direct and truthful, she is always a bit of a mystery to those who love her.  Neither she nor they would have it any other way.

Now that we have a clear impression of the Diva in her human form, it becomes easier to identify the Diva Goddesses.  Freya, The Valkyries, Lilith, Anat, Aphrodite, Aradia, Sekhmet, Athena, Diana, Kali Ma, Cyblee, Hathor, Isis and Ma'at are all examples of Diva Goddesses who do not hesitate into action, who have powerful and respected positions in mythology.  The Diva Goddess is the embodiment of magick and is able to well care for herself while the Destroyer rides off to hunt, war and harvest.  The Diva is the Experienced Seductress, the Mrs. Robinson of Deity.  She is the alluring and exciting Witch who lives alone at the corner of the village with her Owl and her black cats and walks proudly through town with her head held high and her hips swaying suggestively.  She is the strong assertive goddess who takes command or sits in comfortable silence, whichever is needed.  She is wise, capable and self-assured.  She's, well, a Diva!