Eckhart Tolle, in the book, A New Earth, considers the suppression of the Feminine Principle to be one of the greatest mistakes of history. “The suppression of the feminine principle over the past two thousand years has enabled the ego, (a masculine energy subpersonality) to gain absolute supremacy in the collective human psyche.” He goes on to explain that “The ego is a mind-identified, masculine energy subpersonality that grows more easily in the male form than in the female. Although women also have masculine energy egos, (the male-identified female), they are more in touch with the inner body and the intelligence of the organism where the intuitive faculties originate. The female form is less rigidly encapsulated than the male, has greater openness and sensitivity toward other life forms, and is more attuned to the natural world.” p. 155.
As discussed in my first few blog posts, men also have the feminine principle energy and intuitive capacity but it is less developed in them. Tolle concluded that, “If the balance between male and female energies had not been destroyed on the planet, the ego’s growth would have been greatly curtailed. We would not have declared war on nature, and we would not be so completely alienated from our Being.” p. 155
Demetra George in Mysteries of the Dark Moon, gives a more expansive view of this feminine principle suppression by the masculine principle through the lens of astrological science. If this dimension of knowing interests you, I recommend her book. This will be an abbreviated summary of her perspective. Instead of seeing this suppression as a “mistake,” she perceives it as part of a larger cycle of death, gestation and rebirth. We are essentially in a 5000-year-long vernal equinox cycle just beginning the rebirth phase. Since the Christian Era, we have been in the Age of Pisces and are moving into the Age of Aquarius. George states, “We are currently living in a time of global transformation because we are on the cusp of transitioning from the Piscean Age into the Aquarian Age.” (Take heart, we only have 2,500 years to go to create this transformation!)
When the change from the Age of Taurus to Age of Aries astrological cycle occurred in the years beginning in approximately 5000 BCE. The Feminine Principle, as expressed by the worship of moon goddess who was grounded in the fertile earth and was called mother, was replaced by the masculine principle solar gods, who were venerated as father, and became a male deity who resided in the heaven above. At this time many people concluded that the Goddess culture was destroyed and the patriarchal conquerors forcibly usurped power and position from women. This was an intentional, negative evil act that suppressed the values of the Goddess and has led to a decline in the quality of life on earth and our present-day crisis. As a result of this disempowerment, many propose that now women must reclaim their lost power and recapture their birthright in every strata of their lives.
Although destructive to the Feminine Principle, George suggests that these events were a natural phase of an astrological cycle. She feels we are now in the phase of rebirth of the Feminine Principle that is challenging the consciousness of today’s world. This process of reclaiming the Feminine Principle must come from a both/and, inclusive Feminine Principle perspective rather than from the either/or masculine principle stance that now exists, to allow women and the Feminine Principle to “come into full participation in mainstream society. p. 97.
In astrological terms, George states, that during the 5000 years of her disappearance, the Goddess was preparing for a rebirth, regenerating her body and mind…and now she has come full circle with her recent Aquarian rebirth.” p. 98.
“In the political realm, the peaceful, agrarian matriarchal cultures gave way to the warlike, nomadic patriarchal cultures. As the Feminine Principle drew inward into its dark closure phase, the masculine principle moved outward to shape the conceptual beliefs of humanity; male gods and men rose to positions of power in spiritual and worldly affairs. And in the evolution of the human brain, the predominance of feminine polarity, circular, right-brain processes was replaced by increasing activation of masculine polarity, linear, left-brain functions.” p. 96.
From this larger perspective, George believes that the secret of ushering in the rebirth of the feminine principle to right the imbalance we now experience, is to release our masculine principle attitudes of judgment and blame towards others in order to transcend the dualistic, either/or reality that keeps us oppressed and that the “ultimate solution to peace between individuals and between nations is not a political one, but a spiritual one.” p. 99. Hence the rise of the Women’s Spirituality movement which will be an upcoming topic for our blog.
Now back to the historical perspective! In two previous blog posts, Craig S. Barnes, In Search of the Lost Feminine, and Gerda Lerner, Creation of Patriarchy, each identified what they felt to be the most significant factors in history that caused the severe suppression of the Feminine Principle. Gerda considered the writing of Codex Hammurabi which happened around 1760 BCE, as one of the major Feminine Principle suppressor events in history. This Codex put together a written record of all the oppressive patriarchal laws and rules that had been in place for hundreds of years. They became the extant cultural “laws” that justified the suppression of women.
Riane Eisler in The Chalice and the Blade, would put forward even earlier historical events that started the suppression of the Feminine Principle. These were a series of three invasions of existing pacifistic, matrilineal, matrifocal cultures of Old Europe. She named them the “Kurgan Invasions” and the first wave took place from 4000-3500 BCE; the second wave came from 3500-3000 BCE; and the Third wave was from 3000 - 2500 BCE. These involved the use of horses and metal weaponry by people from the northern Steppes.
Craig S. Barnes identifies three others significant, but later historical events that facilitated the suppression of the Feminine Principle. One came with the take-over of matrilineal/matrifocal cultures such as Minoan Crete around 1700 BCE by a Semitic people known as the Hyskos. But for the two most destructive forces of suppression of the feminine principle for future generations, Barnes pinpoints the “propaganda” of two Greek authors Homer (750-700 BCE) and Hesiod (750- 600 BCE) whose myths and stories still being read today, contained written messages that formed the foundations of misogyny, the suppression of the Feminine Principle, and the oppression and subordination of women in Western Civilization. These Greek authors were contemporaries who created massive story-telling campaigns that provided the intellectual and psychological climate for a patriarchal property system to arise and along with this came the invention of patriarchal marriage, which at its beginning was solely for the protection of patriarchal property rights.
The third source of historical written “propaganda” identified by Barnes that cemented the dominance of the masculine principle into Western Culture came from the author of Genesis, whoever that was. He told the creation story which included the story of Adam and Eve which placed the Feminine Principle (and women) in a distinctly subordinate position that later was institutionalized in the Bible by the Catholic Church. More detail of this story will be forthcoming in the next post.
The only, somewhat known counterbalancing force at the time that attempted to create some resistance to this oppressive patriarchal mind-set were the Gnostic Christians whose writings were suppressed and then destroyed. The only reason we know of this different philosophy and belief system that incorporated more of the feminine principle is that in the 1950s copies of the Gnostic Gospels, found buried for hundreds of years in the desert, were discovered and brought to light.
In summary, here is my “accumulated” list of significant historical events that brought about the suppression of the Feminine Principle, the effects of which we suffer from in our world today.
Invasion of pacifistic, matrilineal/matrifocal cultures of Old Europe by the masculine energy dominated “Kurgan” tribes from the northern Steppes.
Wave I - 4000 BCE - 3500 BCE
Wave II - 3500 BCE - 3000 BCE
Wave III - 3000 BCE - 2500 BCE
2. The writing of Codex Hammurabi that recorded all the patriarchal “laws” outlining the
Control and suppression of women that appeared around 1760 BCE.
3. The takeover of matrilineal/matrifocal pastoral cultures like those of Minoan Crete by
Semitic tribes known as the Hyskos.
4. The written, propagandistic Greek stories and myths by Homer and Hesiod that have
Been passed on to current times.
5. The authorship of Genesis containing the creation story that included the story of Adam
And Eve and its institutionalized in the Bible by the Catholic Church.
To end on a positive note, now because of our growing level of consciousness, we can focus on what structures the Feminine Principle will now create to counterbalance and complement those that have been created by the masculine principle. It is primarily women who will be creating these structures, visions, and different viewpoints. I see the changes in the makeup of our Congressional body which has more women and more diversity as a positive sign, a more hopeful vision of cultural “balance” for the future.