Lilith in Hebrew Mythology by Nuit Moore

Art by Arna Baartz

In Hebrew myth, Lilith is said to be the first wife of Adam. Adam became arrogant and began to claim dominion over land and animals, and then attempted to claim dominion over Lilith, demanding She lie beneath him, both literally and figuratively, sexually and symbolically. Lilith would not have this, and She refuses. To lie “beneath him.”

It is interesting to note that the missionary position is the position in which the overwhelming majority of women find it most difficult to achieve orgasm without aid- also it has long been thought to be the position for easier conception, and in most heavily patriarchal cultures, it is the encouraged and often only acceptable sexual position between married partners. Consider that both under-positions are related to control over female sexuality and fertility, and we start to see plenty of correlation.

Lilith, as I’ve said, would not put up with this demand from Adam. She uttered the Secret Words of Power in Her possession (which of course they claim She stole from God), which enabled Her to grow wings and remove Herself from Adam’s sphere. Her journey reveals Her connections as a Menstrual Goddess; She flew across the Red Sea (menstrual blood) and took refuge in a cave (womb, yoni) where it is said (in the patriarchal mythos) that She begat many children while copulating with demons for Her own pleasure.

In service to Lilith, I received the seed that these “many children” actually symbolized the gift bestowed on women of the multiple orgasm. Later, Biblical myth brings in Eve, a docile partner made from Adam, instead of equally the same red earth of the Mother. Later in medieval religious art depicting the Garden, we find snakes with heads of women tempting Eve with the fruit of the Goddess—our Serpentine LILITH—residing again in Her tree of life.

Eve claims her birthright within the fruit, yet it is said to result in the downfall of humankind—although it is clear that women are to literally bear the brunt of this. And the shame and repression destroy the Heaven on Earth that is Her Holy Garden.

An excerpt from "Lilith—Sacred Sovereignty of the Womanspirit" in the upcoming Original Resistance anthology.


Nuit Moore is a witch and priestess whose work and temple serve the Goddess and Her return to the collective consciousness, focusing especially on the empowerment of women, the return of the Goddess temple, and the potent medicine of her path and teachings. Although she comes from mystic traditions from both sides of her bloodline, she began her personal path as priestess in the Dianic and Wise Woman traditions, and is also an ordained priestess with the Fellowship of Isis. Nuit has offered classes and ceremony on female wicce, women’s rites/rights, the harvest mysteries, trance arts, wise woman ways, serpent/shakti power, ceremonial movement and sound, liminal magick and ritual theater, etc for over 25 years, and travels frequently bringing temple and ceremony to festivals and communities. She has been a visionary/channel of the menstrual mysteries and eco-menstruation movement since 1991, and is a long standing weaver of the web of women's blood mysteries. Much of her work as an eco-feminist activist is in connection with her teachings on eco-menstruation. Nuit is also a performance artist/sacred dancer, ceremonial visual artist, and founder of the Ishtar Noir Ritual Theater collective- and is the creatrix of Shakti Goddess Arts (www.shaktistudios.etsy.com) which carries her altar art and ceremonial offerings, wise women herbals, crystals, and her writings. Her website can be found at www.scarletshakti.com and she is also on Facebook at: Nuit Moore, The Scarlet Shakti and on Instagram @thescarletshakti