Divinely Different:
The Empowerment of Women in a Man’s World
Through The Symbol of
The Goddess
Women are socially and biologically different
than men. Women function, think, and take part in society in a different way
than men do. When thinking about the current status of women’s rights in the United States, we see that women are not quite equal with men. Women have fair rights and treatment yet they are different than that of the male population. This being so, women are still fighting for equality in what is predominately
a “man’s world”. Equality versus difference is a main debate within feminism. Is it a negative thing for women to be
considered different in comparison to men?
To
begin, it is important to understand what equal versus difference means. Joan
W. Scott defines difference as “the notion that meaning is made through
implicit or explicit contrast, that a positive definition rests on the negation
or repression of something represented as antithetical to it. Thus, any unitary
concept that contains repressed or negative material; it is established in
explicit opposition to another term” (285, Scott). For equality to exist
between men and women, there would have to be no difference at all, and that is
physically impossible. Women function differently, think differently, and have
different needs than men. Giving women
full equality to men is saying that there is no difference between the two and
that men and women are capable of doing, feeling, and acting the same. Equality
is a negative thing for women. Equality would take away what is most sacred and
empowering to women: their femininity. To embrace difference allows women to
embody their primal feminine essence and divine power, the qualities that make them
(in many cases) much more powerful than men.
In
this paper, I will approach the topic of equality versus difference from the
perspective of a Goddess-centered framework. The Goddess framework views being
a women as a power which is both advantageous and independent, and honors the
power, bodies, will, and connection of women (218, Christ). The symbol of the
Goddess is one of strength, beauty, and independence, bonding women of all
types. Modern women are joining together to develop a love and appreciation of
the godly qualities within themselves (211, Christ).
Looking
at the feminist debate between equality and difference from this perspective
allows for both psychological and political implications on women. Psychologically,
according to Carol P. Christ, “it means the defeat of the view engendered by
patriarchy that women’s power is inferior and dangerous” (213, Christ). Psychological
“moods” have been created for women by cultural and societal influences.
Politically, women are given new “motivations” in a Goddess framework, “it
supports and undergirds women’s trust in their own power and the power of other
women in family and society” (213, Christ).
The symbol or
notion of the Goddess brings legitimacy to female power. Symbols in religion evoke
a cultural attitude, which delineate the values of a society and its members
(211, Christ). What is the symbol of the
Goddess? Christ gives three definitions of the Goddess: “1) The Goddess is
divine female, a personification who can be invoked in prayer and ritual. 2)
The Goddess is symbol of the life, death, and rebirth energy in nature and
culture. 3) The Goddess is symbol of affirmation of the legitimacy and beauty
of female power” (214, Christ).
The
burden of equality and difference was placed on women since the beginning of Judeo-Christian
religious history. In Carol P. Christ’s essay “Why Women Need The Goddess”, she
explains that biblical religion encourages one to see themself as “created in
the image of God” (213, Christ). For women, this means renouncing her identification
with femininity and upholding “God’s transcendence of sexual identity” (213,
Christ). The result of this is a “mood”
of the redemption power of masculinity, and doubt of the female power (seeing
“herself and other women as inferior or dangerous” (213,Chrsit)). This “mood”
instilled for thousands of years has created a “motivation” manifested in the
reality of social and political issues. Identification with the Goddess can
bring women out of this socially constructed dilemma and into a more powerful
position. First, society as a whole must accept that women are different from
men and that their differences are not negative.
An
important difference between men and women is the powers of a woman’s
body. “In the ancient world, and among
modern women, the Goddess symbol represents the birth, death, and rebirth
processes of the natural and human worlds.
The female body is viewed as the direct incarnation of the waxing and
waning, life and death cycles of the universe. This is sometimes expressed
through the symbolic connection between the twenty-eight-day cycles of menstruation
and the twenty-eight-day cycles of the moon” (215, Christ) Women are naturally
attuned to the subtle energies of birth, life and death. They are biological
designed to bare children, nurture, and create. Identification with the symbol
of the Goddess creates a “mood” of joy and positivity in acceptance of the
female body (216, Christ). The
“motivation” behind embracing the Goddess is acceptance of the body and rights
of all beings, as well as an understanding of the characteristically duality
between the mind and body (216,
Christ).
Our
patriarchal society has suppressed the power of the Goddess, creating a
hierarchy where men are at the top and the will of women is quieted. We see this in statistics such as: “Women
perform 66 percent of the world’s work, produce 50 percent of the food, but
earn 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property” (66, Tate). In
addition, “females compromise only 23 percent of leadership positions within
academia, 16 percent within corporations, 17 percent in politics and 15 percent
in religious institutions” (66-67, Tate). Not to mention, “the typical woman
working full time, all year, earns just 77 percent of what her male counterpart
earns” (67, Tate). Equality versus
difference shows up a great deal in issues related to the working world. Here, men are encouraged to take risks and
speak boldly while women are often put down for similar attempts. Men are less
scrutinized for their appearance, receive better health care, paid higher salaries,
and held back from jobs and promotion due to motherhood. Most places of
employment are “equal opportunity employers” yet women are still treated
differently. Many women are fighting for equality; they want to be just as
respected in the workplace as men. This is a fine goal, however, they must
accept their differences.
Let’s
take a looks at some of the main differences between men and woman that stand
out in the working world. Women are by nature sexually and erotic beings. The
“erotic” side of all humans is feminine and connected to our repressed feelings
(188, Lorde). The appearance of women
can often be considered erotic; this is an inherent quality within the divine
female. The sexuality of a woman is often used against her because we have seen
all through history (starting with the story of Adam and Eve) that “women so
empowered are dangerous” (189, Lorde). This is why women are criticized so hard
for their appearance (especially in the workplace). It is suppressing of the
dive power of the Goddess. Because women cyclic beings, they need medical care
at different stages of their lives: birth control, maternity, postnatal,
menopause. Women require more “preventative medicine” then men and most public
health care companies are not willing to support all of the needs of women.
Higher salaries are given to men because our society still sees men as more
powerful than women. Motherhood may
appear as a burden in the business world, forcing women to take time off work
to give birth and care for a life. (Hammell) However, it is quite the opposite,
women’s ability to bare children holds the key to the future sustainability of
our species. It should be celebrated not looked down upon.
How
can women rise above these obstacles? By tapping into the divine goddess that
is within. Our patriarchal society is afraid of the power of women. If women were
to fully embrace their beautiful differences, their possibilities could be
limitless. The Dalai Lama believes western women could rescue the world (69,
Tate). He (along with several other
eastern religions) understands the power of a female to take on great tasks and
dive into them fearless.
Shakti is the “feminine power of
nature” in the arising out f the Tantric movement in Hinduism, 200 A.D (17,
Bailey). This new focus on “Shakti” brought about a new theory on the body and
view of creation, uniting as all as “created in the image of” the Goddess. “The worship of Shakti is the oldest of the Goddess-based religious cults
of the indigenous Indian populations” (17, Bailey). In this “rediscovery on the
mystery of the woman”, Tantra philosophy dismantled the rejection of the female
body as sinful and erotic, and a new view of women as the ”manifestation of
ultimate reality” (17, Bailey) emerged.
While the alter ego to Shakti is Shiva, the
masculine power. Shiva contains qualities of the sun and the upper half of the
body while Shakti rules the moon and lower half of the body. While there is a slightly hierarchical notion
here, the feminine is not being suppressed. Shakti is being honoured for her
powerful divine qualities. Just as important as a Shiva’s, yet completely
different.
We all (men, women, individuals) come from the same place, yet we are all completely
different, and it is those differences that bring balance to our world. Women
are strong and powerful in their own right and should not be competing with men
to be respected.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bailey, Shiva Rea. Hatha Yoga as a Practice of
Embodiment. Thesis. University of California Los Angeles. Los Angeles ,
1997.
Christ, Carol P. “Why Women Need the
Goddess.” Hackett, Elisabeth and Sally Haslanger. Theorizing Feminisms.
New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 211-219.
Lorde, Audre. “Uses of the Erotic:
The Erotic as Power.” Hackett, Elizabeth and Sally Haslanger. Theorizing
Feminisms. New York: Oxford Universitt Press, 2006. 188-192.
Scott, Joan W. “Deconstructing
Equality-Versues Differece: Or, The Uses of Postculturalist Theory for
Feminism .” Seidmen, Steven. The Post Modern Turn . Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1994. 282-298.
Tate, Rev. Karen. “The Politics of
Eco-Feminism Goddess Spirituality .” Hope, Angela. Goddess Theology .
Heletes , 2011. 61-71.
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