Service Rather than Incessant Production: How the Feminine May Save the Planet
Time for Change for Both Sexes
For it’s only in the feminine–the channel of creation into the world–that humanity finds the power and compassion necessary to overcome the darkness of ignorance. — Dr. Stephan Hoeller
Astrologer Rob Brezsny's recent newsletter inspired this post from his Aspiring to Express Sublime Feminine Intelligence: All Genders Can Do It.
I have long been passionate about the Goddess or Saint, depending on who you speak with, generally Christian or, as I prefer, Gnostic, pre-Christian SOPHIA. We derive our word philosophy from the word Philo (from the Greek word for love) and Sophia (which became wisdom).
Reflexivity is dedicated to introspection and intraspection, that is, knowing our own values and being able to engage with others to learn and grow on any level. As John Heron and others have proposed, life is divine, transpersonal, and participatory. That knowing occurs in relationships. I intend to post something thoughtful and maybe new to readers. All I write comes from years of academics and a wild life of experiences.
Notice I use knowing instead of knowledge as knowing is an active experience, an engagement. Knowledge changes, and we know more or differently. A wonderful gift of life is we choose to be open to learning. I’ve mentioned that Martin Buber’s classic I and Thou may be the best anti-depressant. He suggests that when we see everything in life personally and as sacred, we allow aliveness to be felt. When we objectify and create more, we distance ourselves from the objects. This is similar to Brezny’s suggestion to serve instead of producing stuff that destroys the planet and others. That’s what I am getting at here. I have posted elsewhere economist Hazel Henderson’s upside-down cake (which you can find in Google images), where the few eat from the top all that is created by those at the bottom, usually women.
Brezsny suggests we consider service as MORE VALUABLE than production. Many have been puzzled by this. When did MEN especially decide they could rule Nature from mind and strength, leading us to where we are now in a hell of a lot of trouble? Instead of seeing the value of serving? What called the Greeks and Gnostics to name wisdom after a WOMAN? And when did we leave Earth and seek the stars rather than chop wood and carry water? Just recently, the malignant pathological former U.S. president compared himself to Galileo.
These are no minor considerations, and many have inquired how this all happened that men took charge of PRODUCING instead of SERVING life.
Regarding this inquiry, Charles Eisenstein wrote his first book, The Ascent of Man. Chellis Glendinning wrote in her early eco-psychology book, My Name is Chellis and I am in Recovery from Western Civilization, mentioning that when men first discovered metal in the Earth, they knelt and prayed before digging.
Many have attributed the objectification of Nature to language. One of the earliest I studied was Dolores LaChapple, author of Deep Powder Snow: Forty-Years of Ecstatic Skiing, Avalanches, and Earth Wisdom Paperback. That book has a great James Hillman, a Jungian analyst quote stating that when we are alone, we are nothing, and only when we are in a community do we become somebody. We need each other to see us, to be us. (This can also be seen as phenomenology.) Think of the mental isolation of dominators like Elon Musk. His mind runs amok, and he cannot understand empathy and feelings. He cannot see, and many of us refuse to see him. The point here is many have asked when did men decide to dominate and now destroy Nature, especially in the West?
I hope you get my point by now and consider what life might be like if men, like women, learned that life is service rather than a drive to produce. Somewhere there is a balance. I know as an epigenticist. Balance is life.
Brezsny recommends Pamela Clark's 35 Practical Tools for Men to Further Feminist Revolution. One that jumped out at me was MEN get the HPV vaccine. She doesn’t mention it, but you must get it by age 45. I am familiar with all this as my cheating ex is dying of HPV. She also has strong opinions, and I generally agree regarding vaccines. STDs are also rampant now especially guess where? In nursing homes. I highly recommend monogamy, and I have a famous author friend who writes on polyamory.
Recognize, as Pamela mentions, misogyny, that is, hating women, is rampant and literally in the Supreme Court’s proposal to end ROE.
I highly recommend Brezsny’s Aspiring to Express Sublime Feminine Intelligence on Substacks. He even has a chat with a male pal.
I hope you understand this is a long-standing confusion in the West yet the Gnostic Greeks named wisdom, philosophy, after a woman. Maybe we need to change our views and actions.
As a woman and a lover of love, life, learning, and the Earth, I could go on a long while, but I will leave you with some images as I like my posts to be unique and to cause us to consider the innovative ways to meet the challenges of our times. I hope you agree.
I feel blessed to know many great WOKE men.
To conclude, HOW do you want to live? Rich in money or rich in love and meaningful living? Free will is authentic. And absolute freedom has agreements, civility, dignity, and respect as some of its costs. You can respect the Divine Feminine and even support it or choose options that hurt and destroy each other and the planet.
I’ll leave us with one of my favorite photos. I talk to this Gal often.
Contact: Nancy Peden, D.D. I also offer counseling sessions and am very good with depression and PTSD, and dream manifestation. Text 831-236-6904, and please tell me your interests and the best time to call. I am on Mountain Time.