Dear friends,
In light of the many accusations of misconduct from powerful men over women in their workplace, an old paradigm is shifting. The underlying cause of such behavior is the feeling that women are subject to the whims of men. That is an extension of a religious notion of a Masculine God and the exclusion of the Feminine in any sense whatsoever. The Catholic church brought Mary into the mix, but she had to be a sexless, virgin mother to be acceptable. Women have dealt with this brutal and dangerous mind-set for eons. Part of the spiritual revolution we are now experiencing is the dismantling of erroneous religious beliefs that served to oppress more than half of humanity.
This is not about women exclusively. I have written about this on several occasions, but we cannot allow the subject to be minimized or to devolve into a he said/she said argument. This is about all of us. This is a great moment in our shared story if we allow ourselves to see it for what it is. Sexual assault is a power-play. It is a way of domination. It is a message of the worthlessness of the victim. It is to blame the other for one’s conduct as in “I can’t help it, you are so beautiful.” This is why middle eastern women are forced to hide themselves under veils and burkahs. These men are giving the message that they cannot control their impulses. When that is coupled with a deep-seated belief that women are inferior, then it seems rational to punish women for being desirable.
The effects of religious dogma and superstition cannot be over-stated as culprits in these ugly incidents. The perpetrator may not be religious at all but he has been raised in a culture of misogyny and is deeply affected by an ingrained sense of entitlement. Not all men feel this way to the degree that they would assault a woman, but the sense of superiority is there if only unconsciously.
Now is the time for all good men to wake up to the equality of women and the necessity of the Feminine in a world that works for everyone and then to act accordingly.
Stay tuned in,
Carol Carnes www.carolcarnes.com or www.mvcsl.org donate via pay pal
My tv show is on LCC channel 98 in Las Cruces or on You Tube
See www.californiafreepress.net for more informed views on our shared reality
