Return of the divine feminine

There is great deal of energy focused on restoring the divine feminine, often referred to as the goddess, and consequently the rebalancing of power between masculine and feminine, in our societies and in ourselves (both women and men). The essence of this work is the acknowledging, honoring, respecting and welcoming of the divine feminine into our lives and culture.

It is generally acknowledged that the barrier to this change is the power held by the patriarchy. However in the article “Beyond patriarchy – corporate-archy” I propose that there is an even more powerful opponent to consider.

In the article “Our mammalian brains” I propose that there are two fundamental drives at work within us – the desire to acquire and the desire to nurture / protect. These desires have run rampant and increased in impact over time, from taking resources from the earth, then dominating the earth at the expense of other life, and now manifest as plans to control the earth. All in the name of what is best for humans, and making human life safe.

There are many names for mother earth – for this article I’ll use the term “pachamama” from the indigenous peoples of the Andes. Pachamama has been treated far worse than the feminine in human society, yet pachamama is perhaps our best example of the divine feminine, the goddess manifest as creator and sustainer of life.

As long as we dominate and control pachamama, rather than honor and respect her, the likelihood of honoring the divine feminine seems quite limited. Honor and respect would likely mean not taking what we want, leaving space and resources for other creatures, treating pachamama and all living beings with loving kindness (including the rocks, water, plants and animals). And accepting the notion of not always having what we want, and accepting the risks of living on a dynamic, divinely feminine planet. Some may see the changes required as being a great sacrifice, giving up much that we value in western culture – but what if we had no right to take the resources to create this culture to begin with?

This poses a number of challenging questions:

What are the real attributes of the divine feminine? Are they manifest in the beauty and wonder of pachamama?
Is the divine feminine “human-centric”, or are all forms of “life”, and manifestations of energy, equally valuable?
Can we ever honor, respect and make manifest the divine feminine, when our day to day actions result in the domination, control and destruction of pachamama?
Will we ever end the abuse of women and children as long as men and women are abusing pachamama?
What rationalizations do we each use to tell ourselves that radical personal change in how we live is not really needed, and that continuing to take pachamama’s lifeblood, to maintain our comfort, security and lifestyle is OK?