Women and Our Future Pt. 4

On June 26, 2017June 26, 2017 By Roger B. BurtIn Struggle, vision, Women RisingLeave a comment

Broad Based Opposition

(I know this picture may seem a little strange in this context but I couldn’t resist. She is holding out something glowing and wondrous to all of us.)

Some Women Object

Seregon in her comments pointed out the opposition of some women to feminism. I have to say I haven’t been attacked for expressing my support, but then I haven’t spent much time in public making declarations. But I do have to wonder if men can declare support and other men simply dismiss them. But when women declare their independence it seems that is a threat and the opposition is made public.

The Threat of Change

But the threat is not just to the patriarchy. The threat may well be to the stability of the system which will affect women as well. As a psychologist I have had to conclude that people hate change. Doesn’t that sound awful? But the fact is I spent much of my career dragging people toward their future. There is good reason for the resistance in terms of internally established systems which I won’t go into here. But at one level we can see how the fight for women’s liberation is truly broad based. It is actually exceedingly complex.

Cultural Opposition

One of the things we have to face is what the anthropologist Leslie White called the extrasomatic stream. Even my computer hates the term and stubbornly refuses to keep it the one word it is. There is something for everyone to love and hate in culture which is what that stream is. It lies outside of ourselves and requires our attention in a demanding fashion.

When women stand up for themselves, they demand change which affects us all. Some people have insufficient perspective to accept an exploration that change often brings benefits and an enhanced future. And they construct excuses, as is the case in regard to women’s reproductive rights, so they can deny women those rights. Some may be uncomfortable but we have to look at what might then be. Of course, that is something, with my personality type, I love. Possibilities are the luscious fruit of my existence. But it does have to be found and tended.

Justice

Understandably some women will stand in opposition to these changes and it is our purpose in having discussion and dialogue to open the view of benefits and, yes, justice. I introduce the word justice because it is at issue. When you don’t have rights, or not all rights, then you do not receive justice. We see it in the cries from the black communities and from women as they look at their own possibilities.

The True Meaning of Resistance

And what we face is not an abstraction. As women emerge from subjugation there are many changes both subtle and glaring. They appear at the head of corporations and ask to breast feed their child in public. I have never understood why a discrete woman is to be prevented from tending her infant. And then at church their heads are covered. As I child when I first saw it, I asked but received no acceptable or, to me, meaningful answer. I understand the rationale now but find it still absurd.

The resistance to the change takes so many forms and it seems most of it does not go to the true meaning of the resistance.

Yes, we face change and have to step back and ask, why not and what are the benefits?

Gaia’s Majesty-Mission Called: Women in Power by Roger B. Burt

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Stepfamilies: Professionals and Stepcouples in Partnership

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The Context of Gaia’s Majesty-Mission Called: Women in Power

On April 5, 2017April 5, 2017 By Roger B. BurtIn Origins of Gaia's Majesty, vision, Women Rising, WritingLeave a comment

Childhood Innocence

One day in 1945 I was standing on Fifth Avenue with my aunts. Before us marched troops returning from the terrible world conflict which had just ended. Above us were flights of planes also proclaiming victory.

Five years later my family visited Europe. I recall the streets of London cleaned of rubble now to the side in seemingly endless piles. In France there were the faces of people haunted by the horrors of the Nazi occupation.

Only later did that child come to understand what had happened. America was rejoicing and building long hoped for prosperity after a punishing depression and war. The past haunted us even while we built a glorious future.

Something Felt Fundamental

Then came another demarkation I did not understand at the time, but it took the heart of a young man. Birth control was liberating women and they arose in the Women’s Liberation movement. I could feel the flowering of promise.

And now has come an era with an aura of fear. I’ve heard it said that what we are seeing is an era similar to what presaged World War I. Out of that prior era came the march to the terrible world conflict and the beginning of nuclear threat. Humankind has a history of waves both terrible and promising.

Direction Unknown

For a time there seemed to be more promise than threat, but now we see Europe trembling, Asia in fearful potential and even our beloved country reeling from an unexpected instability. We can only wonder if we may descend into another terrible era of conflict. Human history has repeated these kinds of errors.

Renewal of Hope

But like an echo, from a period decades ago there is a revolution which is occurring. And it is a revolution unexpectedly happening across the world. This time we call it the Empowerment of Women.

When I scan these recent decades I can feel my dreams and fears but now a special hope. All of these things came together in their own way to create the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy.

A Context of World Crisis

The context of the trilogy begins with many of the essential issues we see before us. In spite of the denials, the threat of climate change is upon us. A great variety of social crises are occurring. We also see oligarchs threatening the economic viability of countries and contributing to the failing of economic futures for so many people.

Center stage in the series is a movement with powerful women. Women were asserting their rights and place before World War I but could not turn the tide of war. But today women are rising up and may well be central to preserving our future. And, of course, in this trilogy a central force had to be a goddess.

We will see won’t we? What is before us deserves our attention and support.
Gaia’s Majesty-Mission Called: Women in Power by Roger B. Burt

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My Choice of Mysterium

On March 13, 2017March 13, 2017 By Roger B. BurtIn Cusp of Reality, Mythology, Origins of Gaia's MajestyLeave a comment

What did you conclude after reading about Mysterium Tremendum? (Post of 3/10/17)

The Library of the Unconscious

Up front I have to tell you about my curious brain. I have what I call files in there that were chosen for retention because I found the item interesting or important in some fashion. All too often the item may not be attached to the data which suggested to me I should be storing it. Such is the case for the term Mysterium.

When I set out to write the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy there was much of it which was ill-formed. In fact, I did not set out to write a trilogy. It just became a torrent which I knew related to my regard for the empowerment of women, what it represented and where it might lead humankind. Early on it was apparent that at least some of these women were extraordinarily engaging to the men they met. Beck, the lead male protagonist, was utterly enchanted by Avery with whom he fell deeply in love. Out came the term Mysterium to describe her ability to passionately engage and “bewitch” him. But it was not just bewitching which can be pejorative. It was to form a deep, extraordinary, passionate experience which enhanced their lives together. I happen to be an ardent fan of the Mysterium and chose to make it an important part of the story.

Enriching Fiction

Recently I thought it best to describe the meaning of Mysterium in more specific terms and I went googling. What I found were pages of references to a board game. Not what I had in mind. And then I happened across the material in the preceding post.

It seems I had filed the term decades ago as I was foraging in the world of Carl Jung and James Campbell. And there it was as something which well described what I was seeing in the relationship forming between my lead protagonists.

As it developed in a world of empowered women who were tended by our Earth Mother, Gaia, it became clear to me that it explained something. I believed it related to a process, a perception, and experience deep down in the human psyche. Intuitively I felt it explained the opposition by men to the empowerment and equality of women.

A Universal Phenomenon

We see the desire to contain the influence and power of women everywhere, in every culture and it has always mystified me. And now I’m going to tread into territory where I think many of my male compatriots may take extreme exception. But, I’m going to say it anyway. The impact of a woman’s mysterium strikes deep into men. I believe the power it exerts threatens their sense of their own power.

Lets face it, from the beginning, men’s power has been a significant force. It was essential to our survival and defense in our most primitive days. It is so fundamental that it is not easily contained.

Then comes a woman who is attractive and draws the man in. We use words like bewitch which is often how men experience the attraction. And then in lovemaking an extraordinary climax is reached and as it ebbs the need for it subsides and with it much of the man’s feeling of power. Then a man experiences alternatives. He can be disturbed by her power and what has happened to him and the two of them or he can rejoice in her, hold her close and revel in the experience of the endorphins they share.

Plumbing the Depths and Overcoming

Yes, I hear you. It may be that it is much more complicated than that. Yes, it certainly may be multilayered, and when we reach deep into the human psyche and extraordinary experiences, we cannot crisply define what we find. But, I believe this is our nature and it is a major contributor to the irrational fight to contain and restrain women in all regards. And it is my belief that in the empowerment of women we are seeing a process that will help us accept it and all its many benefits. And then, in the end we will have true partnership and discover its true meaning and glory.

Much more to come over time.

Do you find these thoughts intriguing or do you hate the very idea of it?

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Whatever Happened to Community Mental Health by Roger B. Burt

Transformation/Women Rising

On February 27, 2017February 27, 2017 By Roger B. BurtIn Struggle, Transformation, Women RisingLeave a comment

Keeping a Broad Focus

With our twenty-four our news cycle we become obsessed with the story of the moment. Such a focus means we often do not see the big picture. Women’s issues are not to be overlooked even amidst our strife with autocracy. In America there is a struggle for the maintenance of women’s health care. In the Middle East women are struggling against their invisibility while they are being cloaked from sight. The stories are varied across the world but hold a common theme of suppression and resistance.

Which leads us to the necessity to question what is happening in the larger picture. In part, the larger picture is conveyed by Sally Armstrong in her book Uprising: A New Age Is Dawning for Every Mother’s Daughter. I’m a huge fan of this book because it helps us shape and understand the breadth of what is happening.

The Struggle with Change

In our day to day existence we often miss the impact of change even as it settles upon us personally. Today I sit here writing on my computer which did not exist not so long ago. I wanted to confirm the reference to Sally Armstrong’s book and had it within seconds. Looking back I see asymptotic changes in many areas. And I believe such changes are not merely happening in the world of technology. How we deal with them is another matter.

Culture Sweeps Us Along

Leslie White, the distinguished anthropologist, defined culture for us and referred to it as an extrasomatic stream since it flows outside of humankind. It is, indeed, a process and a stream which has a life of its own as it flows in us and around us. Calculus was “invented” by three people at the same time when they were not in contact with each other. The basis for calculus was in the stream.

And now we have a stream process which is impacting the roles of women which means all of us. I would contend that we have a process of incalculable meaning. This is not a battle for just one issue like equality of pay or reproductive rights. This is a monumental movement. After all of human history we are seeing women coming to power and that means true partnership with men.

Choosing the Core

It was precisely because of this groundswell that is becoming an asymptote that I chose women as the moving force in my trilogy of Gaia’s Majesty. Put it how you will, we are seeing something which will almost surely be transformational for humanity and the benefits we are only just now beginning to see. Women are more social, less inclined to put power first and offer a range of creativity among other things. As they rise amongst us it will surely have beneficial effects we can only dimly perceive. But it will involve monumental struggle. The shape of the transformation is yet to come into view.

What form of transformation do you want or expect?

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Women and Our Future

On December 14, 2016December 14, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Mythology, Origins of Gaia's Majesty, visionLeave a comment

Note: This is the last post for 2016. The next post will be on January 4th. 2017 The first book of the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy was published in late 2015 but I withdrew it because I wanted to do additional work. The second edition of book 1 will be published this winter. In advance I will comment more deeply about essential themes, the present and developing role of women and, among other things, specifics about the caste of characters.

In these troubled times, what is your view of what is unfolding?

To Repeat

By now you understand my view that the changing and developing role of women is deeply important to our future. And in this trilogy, as I was writing it, the importance of women grew. And recently, somewhat belatedly I ran across an encyclopedic book about the women warriors called the Amazons. It is called The Amazons by Adrienne Major. How interesting!

I thought Amazons were pure myth. It turned out that is not even close. Yes, they were real and of great significance in the ancient world.

Our World

When we think of the ancient world we tend to think of Greece, Rome and Egypt. Certainly they were great and important civilizations. But recently we are gradually hearing about other parts of the ancient and medieval world. In the Middle Ages the story of the Vikings revealed shield maidens fought along side the men. And in ancient times in the near Middle East all the way into China there were prominent women warriors.

And, when we step back dispassionately we see considerable diversity among women. There are many perceptions depending upon the culture involved. And comparisons with men are diverse. Today women serve in the military in highly variable roles depending upon the country. The bottom line is that men and women are not utterly different except by reproductive measures. On any given ability or talent there are usually overlapping bell curves. That means that on a given variable some women may exceed the capacity of many men. Think about height. Not all men are taller than all women. Likewise for ferocity in battle there are some women who will exceed the capacity of many men. We may be different but neither men nor women need to be placed in the extreme or totally detached from the other sex for some ability or talent. The future is open and diverse.

And Today

Looking at history reveals that the current role of women in the west is not a matter of how women are but how our cultures are. Gradually women are taking very different places. The spirit of the past and the reality of humankind is being drawn more deeply into the West and across the world.

An Expanded, Exciting World

The changes are being fought and resisted but the wonderful news is that devastation is not assured. And there is so much richness to be gained. Throughout history it is clear that men and women fought and loved together. The rich lives of men and women in our world together can clearly instruct us about how it can be for us. Some men are resisting the autonomy and empowerment of women but their hold will inevitably fade which is already apparent.

The Women of the Andromeda

Since I only recently found Mayor’s book I learned I had no idea what I was doing in including a defense force of women warriors in the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy. But as I was writing they kept me intrigued and their role kept expanding and deepening. And I had to laugh. One of the most important woman warriors (among the Andromeda women) has red hair. She came from Ireland. But then in The Amazons I learned that many of the women inhabiting the steppes in the ancient world had red hair and even blue eyes. It seems many of these people moved west. In the trilogy, many of the women have a common role, but each had a different history and contribution to make.

As we move into the new year and I introduce the first book in the series I’ll also be posting in detail about these women.

In the meantime have a happy holidays and I’ll see you in the new year.
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Pt. 2 Beyond Speculative Fiction

On October 24, 2016October 24, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Cusp of Reality, Life Forms, Struggle, Women RisingLeave a comment

Expansive Perspective

Are you searching for a fulfilling perspective?

In fiction we can speculate and explore. But is it mere foraging or are we looking to define emergence and process? Having an adventure is fine but we seem to be arriving at choice points. At choice points we are also looking at turning points. Certainly they are more than entertainment and it is my contention that our world social scene is enduring significant choice points. Information technology is exploding and our world is shrinking. That is a dynamic scenario to which we need to attend. What fun? I think not. It is a challenge.

Utilizing Exploration

In fiction I’m not interested in idle exploration but think it is possible to edge into social commentary and define underlying realities and emerging themes. And wouldn’t it be nice if we had the guidance of a challenging but benevolent goddess. By putting the issues in a different light we may gain choices and recognitions. If we are edging into a postcapitalism world we need to pay attention. If deeply hidden themes are surfacing, we need to pay attention.

Essential Recognition

One theme which is clearly surfacing, but is not sufficiently recognized is the gathering import and impact of women. Women have been subjugated but what is happening is more than the liberation of them as they gain control of their fertility. Clearly men feel threatened by their liberation and try to hinder development.

But this is not about fertility. I would contend there is a fundamental threat and it is being expressed in misogyny as women gain power. I utterly fail to see that this is being recognized sufficiently and I expect this thought will not go unchallenged.

The Power of Women

Let me lightly touch upon the power women hold. They enrapture men and at first men love it but she had best be careful because men don’t yield power easily. And so then there is sexual exploration. The man feels the rush of desire but with fulfillment comes a diminution of his power. And beyond that women are coming to explore themselves and what they wish for themselves. That means the man must yield some things to her. If they achieve true partnership, which takes some effort and negotiation, the outcome offers tremendous benefits—if it can be achieved. But for now we must attend, define and work to achieve a goal we can use for mutual benefit. It is in our interests.

Spirits and Beyond

We can also approach many other issues. Everywhere in human history are stories about spirits and a variety of life forms to be conjured and raised to awareness. Some of this, of course, reflects our need for an eternal life. But it also may just be touching on something that may be. Our senses are defined for specific purposes in our lives as they are. If our senses were different it is possible we would sight layers of life and amazing diversity.

Reaching Out

And the question “Are we alone” relates to this possibility. It also seems we have the yearning to find the other out there for contact and the wonder of diversity. Of course, there is also danger. But wonder does not always pay attention to danger.

And then, of course, there is the universe itself. Monumentally creative and destructive, it is a lure we reach for. We are stardust and have learned that we are. Again there is danger in the maelstrom of the universe but the creativity is worth the danger and we can only begin to see the kinds of encompassing life forms which may exist.

And to come full circle in this commentary I have to say adventure is intriguing but exploration can lead to the most wonderful discoveries. At the same time we must fight our way through our struggle and conflict. It helps to look out and examine our possibilities and what may be. We may strike a chord of guidance.

Where does speculation lead you?

Roger B. Burt’s Amazon home page

A Vision of Women

On October 19, 2016October 19, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Stewardship, vision, Women RisingLeave a comment

A Vision of women

Searching for Meaning

Do you have a clear vision of and for women?

There are events and then there are the meaning of the events. The difference is something we would do well to understand. Women are assuming different positions, importance and balance. In some ways the United States may be catching up to the curve. We may well shortly have a woman president. Other nations such as India, Israel, Great Britain and Germany among many others have been led by women.

Now we are offered an unparalleled opportunity for exploration of attitudes and potential. It is not just a matter of women coming to the fore in greater numbers. What does is mean about the potential and the future of humankind?

Exploration is Needed

One of the things we must do is to examine our beliefs, our cultures and our feelings. It is easy to say “the times they are changing” and leave it at that. It is not so simple and it would be unfortunate to be dismissive because the import is highly significant.

The battle to get women the vote took almost one hundred years although in a sense it has been thousands of years. Eventually we let them drive, permitted them to have credit cards of their own among other things and these things were quite recent. Why we changed is not clear.

Matters of Power

We are seeing some of the basis of the problem in the matter of power. At least in the United States it seems that women who seek power are not to be trusted. How interesting. Men are to be trusted but women not. It comes to us unexamined but was confirmed by a study at Yale University. I have yet to hear justification for why anyone would believe this.

I hold a different position. I do not routinely trust men with power. In so many instances they have proven themselves incapable of effectively wielding it again and again. Are we to accept it just because they have always been doing it? Effective management is much more impressive and I have seen women to be ever so effective. They are showing up in greater numbers in politics and so many are impressive. The men who are in office in larger numbers are often less so. The absence of mission and perspective is too often stunning.

Who Are We?

Is it possible that we perceive women as weaker and less able to control themselves. In general women cry more easily than men and may cry tears of anger. The reality I learned in studies and in couples therapy is that men feel just as strongly but contain the feelings inside and so do not cry. Does that make them more capable of leadership. I think not.

Like it or not, we can already see the effects of the empowerment of women and it is broadly beneficial. The largest issue before us is that we have not sufficiently examined our attitudes and cultural perspectives. Why be suspicious of woman wanting to take the reins of power? I hear silence and dim prejudice. What is it that men are afraid of? And, for that matter, what is it that women are afraid of as women take the reins of power? We need to examine these matters.

Understanding Would be Useful

We seem to be heading toward true partnership and need to clarify what it means and why we are so afraid of it. The benefits will surely be world changing and I am raising the issue that we should be examining this process in more detail and what is holding us back. I contend there are other issues than power and it would serve us well to search for what they are.

What alternatives do you see?
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The Enigma of the Movement to Empower Women

On April 27, 2016April 27, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Struggle, Women RisingLeave a comment

What do you think is the significance of the movement to empower women?

The Centrality of Struggle

Time and again we see the centrality of struggle in the existence of all living beings. And humankind is definitely not excluded from the process. Recently our hopes were dashed as we descended deeper and deeper into conflict across the globe. Whether it is the broad distress of the Arab world or the appalling malaise of our national politics, we are challenged beyond what we had recently hoped.

One Central Struggle

When I step back, I again and again pinpoint one central struggle which I have come to believe is fundamental. And that is the struggle for the empowerment of women. I know of no research which defines for us the need for its immediacy or how it will lead to an essential outcome. But everywhere we are seeing signs of its importance and steadily perceiving the benefits.

In America we have a war on women. And we have to ask why it is so essential that women be confined and that so many men are willing to work against the independence of women and their opposition includes the availability of reproductive health care which is so central to health care for women. Not once have I heard a definitive explanation nor have I seen illuminating research. In so many cases I am seeing evidence of deep underlying, even unconscious, processes which seem to be at work.

Beyond Power

It is easy to dismiss this entire process as a matter of power. But, nowhere do the possible outcomes suggest that it is purely a matter of men yielding power. Certainly there is a component of power but the explanations are insufficient. There may be duplicity in male opposition and they may defend their own women better than women at large. But the process is all encompassing. It goes beyond reproductive rights including showing up everywhere in the workplace. I’ve never heard an adequate explanation for income inequality.

Struggling for Solidarity

And then recently I found an overlooked copy of Bloomberg Business week from early February. In it was a long article entitled “The Female Solidarity, Have-It-All, Feel-Good Machine”. And in the article they ask, “Feminism is being branded and sold like never before. Who is it really helping?” Throughout the article there are pictures of women attending conferences where men are utterly missing. They describe a struggle to work for empowerment. And it is apparent that the struggle is not strictly against men. Yes, the all male panel speaking to the women is gone but the tone of the article is distressing.

Difficulty Within the Ranks

Maybe I’m missing something. It seems women are not unified which is hardly surprising. Utter unity is missing in all kinds of movements. The Bloomberg article points to a great deal of conflict and uncertainty. Yet, the thing that disturbs me the most is the seeming absence of any effective joint efforts between women and men to work together to define and move the effort forward. Or, at least it is not prominent.

Partnership to Build Partnership

Can it be that men are that unaccepting of the movement that they must be shut out of the efforts? Or can it be that women are sufficiently divided that they must close the discussion or be divided hopelessly? I cannot find any significant explanations or example. This movement is essential but it seems we are groping in the dark. Or is it that we do not know what we are groping for or fear what we might find? It clearly deserves a great deal more discussion.

I realize that this post is a ramble because I cannot find clarity of definition for what is happening. I’m not sure any of us know what the empowerment movement means, where it might lead or why we might fear it so. And by that last statement I mean both men and women.

I would love to see some in depth exploration of the process behind this issue. But beyond all the uncertainty I believe the bottom line is that the empowerment of women is a game changer and crucial to the future of humankind.

What do you think is missing in this movement? Why is the struggle so difficult?

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#struggle for women’s rights,#war on women,#powerful men,#partnership with women

Irrational Control

On February 15, 2016February 15, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Struggle, Women Rising2 Comments

Why do you think women are controlled?
Breadth of Threat

To me the image I chose to go with this post is extraordinary! I chose it because it conveys power and threat. Both are at issue in the interactions of men and women and this image clearly has a mythological quality to it.

The Mysterium Tremendum alludes to something most often seen in the realm of the myth. As indicated, it is of interest in this context because I believe it relates to the apparent need to keep women “under control” but certainly with relatively less power. It seems that women pose extraordinary threat. The fair sex? How interesting!

Naturally it may be that the need to keep women controlled or contained may merely be a matter of men wanting to retain as much power as possible. Often the argument is made that the restriction of women’s rights and freedom relate to the issue of knowing the paternity of children. While there may be betrayals, it seems unlikely to be the complete reason. Again, it is hard to come up with a totally clear and complete reason because in so many ways it is irrational. It hints at some underlying force.

The Female Power

What might that force be? As already noted, it may be the extraordinary attraction to a woman felt by a man. We stress a woman’s appearance certainly more than that of a man. At celebratory gatherings the men are routinely dressed in dark suits or black formal attire. It is an entirely different matter for the women.

When we look back into mythology we see the men are often dynamic warriors but dangerous women take another form entirely. They do not classically attack as much as they use extraordinary powers. Certainly in the Odyssey there are examples of the dangers Odysseus faced. There was Scylla who was originally a sea nymph loved by the sea god Poseidon. His wife poisoned her bath water and created a creature with 12 feet and six heads on long snaky necks. Her loins were girded with the heads of baying dogs. Clearly a very dangerous woman. And there was Charybdis, also female, who was a dangerous whirlpool.

At a more generic level we see the contrast between witches and warlocks. Witches are generally more dangerous or are more often portrayed as so. We use the term bewitched to refer to the power of a woman over a man.

Real World Mythic Power

Again I have to come back to the point that it is unlikely we can rationally define the reason women are so controlled. We often make superficial analyses but my suspicion is that the root of the issue is the power of sex and sex is certainly powerful because it is related to reproduction and the continuity of our species. And this power takes on mythic proportions.

The reason for even discussing this issue is that we all suffer from this kind of discrimination and virtual imprisonment. It is clear that freeing women and empowering them is having remarkable benefits for everyone. If we detach ourselves from the prejudice and discrimination, then we can all benefit. Need I say it is also only fair.

Do you have an alternative explanation?

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My Choice of Mysterium

On January 20, 2016January 20, 2016 By Roger B. BurtIn Mythology, Women RisingLeave a comment

What did you conclude after reading about Mysterium Tremendum?

The Library of the Unconscious

Up front I have to tell you about my curious brain. I have files in there that were chosen for retention because I found the item interesting or important in some fashion. All too often the item may not be attached to the data which suggested to me I should be storing it. Such is the case for the term Mysterium.

When I set out to write the Gaia’s Majesty Trilogy there was much of it which was ill-formed. In fact, I did not set out to write a trilogy. It just became a torrent which I knew related to my regard for the empowerment of women, what it represented and where it might lead humankind. Early on it was apparent that at least some of these women were extraordinarily engaging to the men they met. Beck, the lead male protagonist, was utterly enchanted by Avery with whom he fell deeply in love. Out came the term Mysterium to describe her ability to passionately engage and “bewitch” him. But it was not just bewitching which can be pejorative. It was to form a deep, extraordinary, passionate experience which enhanced their lives together. I happen to be an ardent fan of the Mysterium and chose to make it an important part of the story.

Enriching Fiction

Recently I thought it best to describe the meaning of Mysterium in more specific terms and I went googling. What I found was pages of references to a board game. Not what I had in mind. And then I happened across the material in the post of January 18th.

As it developed in a world of empowered women who were tended by our Earth Mother Gaia, it became clear to me that it explained something. I believed it related to a process, a perception, and experience deep down in the human psyche. Intuitively I felt it explained the opposition by men to the empowerment and equality of women.

A Universal Phenomenon

Lets face it, from the beginning, men’s power has been a significant force. It was essential in our most primitive days to survive and to defend. It is so fundamental that it is not easily contained. Then comes a woman who is attractive and draws us in. We use words like bewitch which is often how men experience the attraction. And then in lovemaking an extraordinary climax is reached and as it ebbs the need for it subsides and with it much of the feeling of power. Then a man experiences alternatives. He can be disturbed by her power and what has happened to him and the two of them or he can rejoice in her, hold her close and revel in the experience of the endorphins they share.

Plumbing the Depths and Overcoming

Yes, I hear you. It is much more complicated than that. Yes, it certainly is, and when we reach deep into the human psyche and extraordinary experiences, we cannot crisply define what we find. But, I believe this is our nature and it is a major contributor to the irrational fight to contain and restrain women in all regards. And it is my belief that in the empowerment of women we are seeing a process that will help us accept it and all its many benefits. And then, in the end we will have true partnership and discover its true meaning and glory.

Much more to come over time.

Do you find these thoughts intriguing or do you hate the very idea of it?

Roger B. Burt’s Amazon home page

Gaia’s Majesty: Discovery Amazon page

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