Abolishing the Patriarchy

by Scott Silverston

Patriarchal world views are a relatively new phenomenon within the scope of human history. During their brief reign, patriarchal hierarchies have normalized the systemic abuse of both women and Mother Earth, to the great detriment of all life. This must change.

The Rise of the Patriarchy

A pivotal event that institutionalized the patriarchy in much of the world occurred in the year 325 AD when the Roman Emperor Constantine convened the First Council of Nicaea and decreed the imposition of a new uniform system for the physical and spiritual control of the diverse tribes within his empire.   As the disparate and far flung cultures that had been conquered by the Romans were brought under this doctrine, the original earth-based practices of these peoples were distorted or lost.

The ceremonies of the Pre-Roman peoples were twisted and adapted by Roman authorities and codified into rituals to serve the newly imposed doctrine. Over time, many of the tribes lost their unique cultural identities and were consumed under a new identity imposed by the Imperial Governors.  Goddess worship and shamanic practices were either diluted and assimilated into the new hierarchy or labeled as heretic and discarded under the threat of punishment or death. 

Colonialism and the Patriarchy

A thousand years after Europe had been Romanized, colonizing powers in Western Europe expanded their territorial aspirations to other continents.  Conveniently (at least for those doing the colonizing), the patriarchal world view was also expanded to include “savages” of other cultures who must be “saved and civilized” for “their own benefit”.

Doctrines of Control

The patriarchal hierarchy established a well strategized system of political control based on spiritual disinformation.  Doctrines were created to justify the primacy of the conquerors. Subjects were brainwashed into believing that “God is a man”, that emperors and kings “rule in God’s name”, that people are “born with original sin” and are “not worthy of God’s love”.  The patriarchal belief of male entitlement that “God gave man dominion over all of nature” was institutionalized and entrenched throughout all levels of “civilization”.  The myth of divine rule was used by men in positions of power to justify their abusive behavior.

Desecration of the Goddess (and Mother Earth)

With the rise of the patriarchy the way that humans relate to women and Mother Earth changed.  In many patriarchal cultures, women had no rights and were viewed as the physical property of men. In the patriarchal view, the Earth, like women, is seen as the personal property of man, and he feels entitled to do as he pleases with her irrespective of the consequences to other parts of the Web of Life. 

Instead of worshipping the Goddess as the container which gives physical form to the spark of creation, she was reviled as inferior, unworthy, dirty and something to be tamed, controlled, and subdued.  Instead of tending and caretaking the land and water for future generations, “resources” were extracted to maximum capacity and waste was dumped into the waters with no regard for downstream consequences to the life blood of the planet.

The predominant human relationship to the Web of Life devolved from one of worship, reverence and respect to one of entitlement, greed, disconnection and desecration.

A Spiritual Parasite

The patriarchy is a parasitic system, deriving its nourishment from life force energy extracted by the exploitation of others. The nature of a parasitic system is to expand, replicate itself and consume ever increasing amounts of resources from its host until its host eventually starves to death.  The patriarchy, like a cancer, must be eradicated before the Web of Life succumbs to its malignancy.

A Missionary Order

The patriarchy is a missionary order.  Its gospel is spread so it can expand. Popes, emperors and kings adopted, adapted, and comingled myriad local customs into their decrees as a means of achieving greater acceptance of their imposed patriarchal hierarchy.  The continuation of this strategy is painfully evident today.  The patriarchy is still broadly accepted and often amplified in our modern world.

Shamanism, an Ancient Spiritual Practice

Shamanism is the oldest spiritual practice on the planet, at least 50,000 years old and common to almost all indigenous societies. Shamanism and Animism form the basis of spiritual experience for most humans who live close to the Earth.

Shamanism Defies Hierarchy

Shamanism is not a missionary endeavor. There is no gospel to spread and no agenda to perpetuate. There are no intermediaries placed between the practitioner and Creator. Direct experience is encouraged and valued. Each individual seeks to find their place of right alignment within the Web of Life. 

Shamanic practices and the relationship of the local people to the plants and animals in their vicinity are culturally specific. Hundreds of diverse shamanic cultural traditions have developed over time, thus shamanism encompasses and accepts a broad variety of differing protocols, ceremonies and beliefs without trying to distort, diminish or subvert their original intent. 

Common Beliefs in Shamanism

Despite the many differences between traditions, there are also important common themes which appear throughout most if not all shamanic cultures and which point to unified global truths.  Studying common themes in shamanism can lead us to a deep and important understanding about our relationship with ourselves, the world around us and our place within the Web of Life.

Reverence for the Web of Life

A common thread woven throughout most Shamanic traditions is reverence for the Web of Life.  Equal respect is given to both the feminine and masculine.  We give thanks to both Mother Earth (Goddess) and Father Sky (God) for the blessing of life.  

Uprooting the Parasite

The patriarchal patterns of diminishing the feminine and abusing Mother Earth while being painfully obvious on many levels also lurk hidden deep within our subconscious programming.  In order to re-establish a balanced world view we must uproot these old paradigms of patriarchal entitlement and replace them with a reverence for both the divine masculine and the divine feminine.

Shamanic Healing

Shamanic healing allows us to uproot these hidden programs, shift our consciousness and step into leadership roles in our community as we reverse the damage done by the patriarchy.  When we uncover and heal the wounds and imprints that have harmed us on a personal level we are then able to step into our natural roles as healers and custodians of the Web of Life.

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