Womb Worship
The Cycle of Life and Death
Few people realize - among those many women - that the "cycle of birth and death" is the main issue on which patriarchy has been launching its attacks from the very beginning. As has been discussed before "the cycle of birth and death" is symbolizing life. It is related to the menstrual cycle, the cyclic events of the seasons, birth and death, the tide and the phases of the moon. In fact there are countless cyclic processes in nature, most of them invisible for the human eye. Because the life cycle was controlled by the Great Mother, including the seasonal sacrifices of men in order to promote fertility, men have sought to destroy the entire matriarchal system. The result is evident: a one-dimensional, rationalized, profit and progress-obscessed, lineair and suicidal society.
Nowadays there is much emphasis on "gender studies". Many relevant aspects are being discussed by scholars of various disciplines. What tends to be forgotten though is what the main difference between women and men actually is. Books like "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" have popularized the psychological facts known to everybody, namely that men and women are not the same. For instance, they differ in brain function, hormonal regulations and emotional life. Less emphasized though is what really distinguishes men and women. It is the cyclic nature of women. Women have internalised the masculine denunciation of their physical functioning though, to a degree that many - especially intellectual women - are denying or even hating this their own nature.
On the road towards emancipation the first step is to liberate yourself from all dominating structures, images and expectations coming from the outside (male-dominated) world. After that re-integration on a higher level should follow, this time based on voluntary, conscious and autonomous decisions, not on individual interest only, but on the interest of the whole...With regard to their cyclic nature, more and more women come to understand, that they possess the key to the emancipation of the entire culture. Only the re-introduction of the cyclic principle may liberate mankind from the dominance of patriarchy. The irony is this. That (the physical nature of women) which once was the instrument of suppression, now appears to be a tool of liberation. It means that women should accept, live, celebrate, upgrade and transcend their cyclic nature, linking it to daily life, religion, society and the culture. Through re-integrating with the rhythms of nature, women may take the lead in guiding the rest of humanity (men) towards a new wholeness in which everything is interconnected, in which everything is complying with the Great Mother and Her Law of the Universe.
to have or to be the body, that is the question
Going deeper into:
2000 © Copyright Han Marie Stiekema. All rights reserved.