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A goddess is a female deity. Many cultures have goddesses. Most often these goddesses are part of a polytheistic system that includes several deities. Pantheons in various cultures can include both goddesses and gods, and in some cases also intersex deities.
In both ancient and modern cultures, the symbolism of gendered deities is open to a wide variety of interpretations. The primacy of a monotheistic or near-monotheistic goddess is advocated by some modern matriarchists and pantheists as a female version of, or analogue to, the Abrahamic god. In some feminist circles the Abrahamic god is perceived as being rooted in the patriarchal concept of dominance — to the exclusion of feminine concepts.
Among some duotheists, such as Wiccans, the primary deities are one goddess and one god, who are seen as together making up a larger whole that is both the transcendent divine and the substance of all creation.
"My beloved Divine Mother
Dance with me
under the soft moon shining
in the wide open fields
far beyond the toil and trouble
of my busy mind
Dance with me
before the night grows old
while the winds of love
still bow the grasses
and the coyotes howl for you
to step their way
Dance with me my beloved
while the Mystery's Edge
still flirts in the shadow
of your radiant light"
"Oh Goddess Mother
You are the mystery of Night
Your radiant shine is the Day
Infinite realms cascade within You
Abundance is Your essence of Being
Blessings flow from You Limitlessly
Your Universe is harmony and tension in Balance
Within each of us, You are Alive"
