*from a group of essays – The Politics of Women’s Spirituality – which were collected and written by Charlene Spretnak, published by Anchor in 1982 (good gracious that’s getting to be a long time ago); the author’s wiki linked along with a brief description of the work below. I loved the quote, which is why it’s here – shall I buy this ‘ancient’ feminist classic and dig up this quote in its original form?! Mebbe. We’ll see. Happy Hump Day 😉
“The objective of patriarchy was and is to prevent
women from achieving, or even supposing, our
potential: that we are powerful in both mind
and body and that the totality of those powers is
a potent force. All of the myriad varieties of
patriarchal oppression -co-opting and replacing
the Goddess, imposing patrilineal descent and
ownership of woman’s womb, restricting and
mutilating woman’s body, denying woman
education and legal rights, forbidding her control
of her body, and portraying that body as a
pornographic toy. All of these acts are motivated
by one desperate drive: to prevent woman from
experiencing her power.
More on Spretnak here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlene_Spretnak
The Description: This feminist classic (first published in 1982) presents a chorus of voices exploring their authentic spirituality. The essays are active rather than reactive, revolutionary rather than reformist, and express a broad political awareness. Rather than codifying a religion exclusively for women, the authors address a range of contemporary issues that are informed by spirituality, our attitude toward life on Earth.
Part One: Discovering a History of Power
* What the Goddess Means to Women
* Mythic Heras as Models of Strength and Wisdom
Part Two: Manifesting Personal Power
* Consciousness/Energy/Action
* Self-Images of Strength and Wholeness
Part Three: Transforming the Political
* The Unity of Politics and Spirituality
* Applications of Spirituality as a Political Force