Lilith or Eve?
On rebellion, responsibility, and the feminine path after awakening.
The question you didn’t even know you were asking: Lilith or Eve?
I’ve been in the Divine Feminine stratosphere for about seven years — writing about goddesses and feminine figures, hosting workshops, programs, and goddess circles, and coaching women one-on-one.
Over that time, I’ve learned a lot about what delights women, what they fear, and what incites rage. And I’ve also noticed that many women in my communities idolize Lilith and are quick to dismiss Eve.
And maybe that was true for me, too. Lilith appears in my book The Goddess Solution, and I didn’t even consider including Eve (though I promise I will atone).
So if you’re new to Lilith and Eve, let’s go back — all the way to the beginning.
Lilith
According to Hebrew mythology, Lilith was Adam’s first wife, before Eve. They were created as equals from the dirt of the earth. Adam believed he was superior to Lilith and wanted her to act accordingly. Lilith wanted to be treated as an equal. As the story goes, Adam always wanted to be on top during sex — and Lilith wanted her turn.
Rather than submit to Adam, Lilith left the Garden of Eden to be on her own. This was not the easier path. She lived wildly and alone in the forest. Some consider her a demon or a succubus — a night figure associated with sexuality and danger. Others believe she brought stillborn babies to heaven. Over time, Lilith has become a symbol of independence and feminine power, often associated with the beloved Wild Woman archetype.
Eve
You likely know Eve from Genesis. God created Adam and wanted to provide him with a helper. When no suitable helper could be found among the animals, God put Adam to sleep and created Eve from his rib. Because she came from man, she was called woman.
At first, all seemed well in paradise, and Eve fulfilled the role she was given. But then the wily serpent convinced her to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, promising that she would come to know good and evil — just like the gods.
Despite God explicitly telling his beloved human creations not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge (they could eat from any other tree, including the Tree of Life), Eve followed her own free will and ate. With that bite — which she quickly shared with Adam — they became conscious. With this came self-consciousness, and for the first time, shame at their nakedness.
Displeased that his children had disobeyed, God sent them from the Garden of Eden: condemning Adam to long days of hard labor, Eve to painful childbirth, and the serpent to slither on the ground eating dust. One point often overlooked is that God places enmity between the seed of Eve and the seed of the serpent, which I like to think of as the ongoing battle between good and evil that still plays out today.
Many believe that Eve caused humankind to suffer through her disobedience and naivety. Even when I talk about Eve to the women in my communities, the words that they often associate with her include sinful, naïve, stupid, and disobedient.
But is she really?
When we question the narrative we’ve been handed and look at the story through another lens, the ground beneath our assumptions begins to shift—especially those surrounding feminine power.
Lilith and Eve aren’t just figures in an ancient story or misbegotten characters. They’re living archetypal forces shaping how women today relate to power, independence, love, anger, devotion, and responsibility.
And though Lilith is often considered the embodiment of feminine authority, what if it’s Eve who carries the deeper power?
