Snippets from my correspondence with other women
Heya Ladies,
I really was pondering quiet a bit about our "homework" this weekend. In doing so I was exploring the possible effects and shift in power from males to females in terms of our economic, social and political landscape as we know it today, and all that triggered by an article I read on "The death of the macho; is today's recession a he-cession"? The article is basically talking about a shift in proportion of power from males to females as there was a large percentage of male unemployment due to mass lay-offs in male-dominated industries such as construction, real estate, manufacturing, financial world, etc.
With the above context in mind I came to realize how essential it is to go through the process of consciouss-ening, meaning to do this self-reflection, re-examination, dis-identification (from old), and re-positioning / re-orienting 1) my relationship to power as a women, and 2) make aware which approaches (masculine/feminine) I currently conduct and operate from in relation to myself, and to others?
If I continue to draw upon my masculine qualities as I'm navigating through our patriarchal system, how then can I possibly contribute to a new paradigm as I'm operating from the same old, conditioned one? So I can conclude that creating a different system is not gender based, but rooted in the mindset. Now put the masculine/feminine qualities in the context of power: If a women in power continues to execute from a patriarchal, masculine mindset she may end up producing equal or more destruction than her male counterparts. Hence, I can totally see the value in re-evaluating my relationship to power (as a woman) by asking:
1) Have I abused power so as to execute it over others?
With the above context in mind I came to realize how essential it is to go through the process of consciouss-ening, meaning to do this self-reflection, re-examination, dis-identification (from old), and re-positioning / re-orienting 1) my relationship to power as a women, and 2) make aware which approaches (masculine/feminine) I currently conduct and operate from in relation to myself, and to others?
If I continue to draw upon my masculine qualities as I'm navigating through our patriarchal system, how then can I possibly contribute to a new paradigm as I'm operating from the same old, conditioned one? So I can conclude that creating a different system is not gender based, but rooted in the mindset. Now put the masculine/feminine qualities in the context of power: If a women in power continues to execute from a patriarchal, masculine mindset she may end up producing equal or more destruction than her male counterparts. Hence, I can totally see the value in re-evaluating my relationship to power (as a woman) by asking:
1) Have I abused power so as to execute it over others?
2) Do I have do be afraid of power as I'm fearful of being overpowered by others?
3) Do I have to be afraid of being powerful myself?Imagine if all of us 1,300 women here participating in this course are coming to grips with our current unconscious relationship to power, and infuse the world with feminine qualities such as nurturing and fostering deeper levels of love, care, relatedness, health, well-being, creativity and goodness, etc, just imagine the kind of shift we could contribute to in areas such as politics, economy, social systems, finance, and mother nature!
So perhaps this economic crisis and recession (consider the he-cession here) that initially left me (I don't know about you) with an identity crisis after I got laid-off myself from my corporate and social identities (or shall we say patriarchal identity), may after all provide an opportunity to infuse the current system with a new kind of power, one where men and women empower each other, versus powering over each other...and keeping mother nature in mind all along.
Tatjana
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