Feminism
Feminism – feminist thought and its application to today’s world
What does the world want of us?
I’ve said elsewhere that our gods and goddesses are imaginary; in a real sense which does seem to be supported by (shudder) modern physics, the universe is something of a grand illusion, and the only way we can approach it is through the limited tunnel provided by our senses.
Beyond the universe – the tao – is void, unknowable, something beyond the distinction of existing and non-existing. That is not god in any of the senses in which we humans form religious beliefs. Our gods are right here in the illusion with us.
Recovering the Goddess
The gods and goddesses we believe we worship are in essential ways imaginary, and yet they have a huge impact on our lives.
What do I mean by imaginary? Consider the opening chapter of the Tao Te Ching:
The Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal Tao
The name that can be named is not the eternal name
The nameless is the origin of Heaven and Earth
The named is the mother of myriad things
Thus, constantly without desire, one observes its essence
Constantly with desire, one observes its manifestations
These two emerge together but differ in name
The unity is said to be the mystery
Mystery of mysteries, the door to all wonders
Both the nameless and the named are concepts of our minds, and if there is an ultimate reality, it is beyond the ability of the naming and categorising mind to conceptualise. It is something which we may experience a little of, and only if we can silence the mind for a while, and experience ourselves on a level both quieter and more fundamental. This is why Buddhists, Taoists and some Western mystics avoid concepts like “the name of God”. It is not that God is so special that he or she cannot be named; it is that the act of naming creates a concept in the mind. And all concepts distance us from that experience of reality. Whether you think about Santa Claus, or Jesus, or abiding non-dual awareness, you are thinking about something, not experiencing it. Continue reading
What is – or isn’t – a feminist?
When I read articles and blog posts about feminism these days, I always come out feeling a bit as though my head has been put through The Tumbledryer At The End Of The Universe.
Anyone who mentions rape culture, or rape, or sexism, or That Shirt (the one which got caught in the spotlight during the Philae landing on the comet) immediately gets bombarded with accusations of not being a ‘real’ feminist because they’re not ‘inclusive’. And possibly they’re manhaters (or, god help me, “misandrists”. Misandry is not a thing, as I hope to show a little later.) Continue reading