Apparently This Needs to be Said

[qos]

I strongly object to any and all terms which characterize women's bodies and beings as being "less", with being a failure -- especially when explicitly contrasted with warrior culture. I particularly object to women's genitalia being used in this way. Make any case you like criticizing the current state of our culture (or anything else), but do not use women, women's sexuality, or femininity to characterize what you think is wrong.


Criticizing individual women is as valid as criticizing individual men, of course. My objection is using the "idea" of women, of feminininty, as inherently derrogatory.

Comments

[qos.livejournal.com]

But we were not discussing a bio-medical situation, were we?

You made this statement: The man must allow the female to surface from within themselves to become balanced for the female sexuality is far more potent and powerful then the males. Only from this adrogeny will the man equal a womans sexuality.

Your own statement is that female sexuality is "more potent and powerful" and men must take certain steps in order to "become equal." You defined the model in terms of one gender needing to do work which the other does not. This implies a natural superiority in the one who does not have to do the work. Since you base that claim on gender, it is a sexist statement.

I am rejecting your original position based on the following beliefs:

1. Generalizations about gender are not helpful in a discussion about spiritual talents or capacities because ultimately spirituality is an individual endeavor, and individuality always trumps generalizations.*

2. Any gender-based generalization that reduces gender to two binary and mutually exclusive (however complementary) polarities is ignoring the growing body of knowledge about the spiritual lives and experiences of those whose gender does not fit that model: third gendered people, people who are naturally androgynous, transsexuals, and etc. It is simplistic and reductive, two qualities I also do not consider helpful.

None of us has has an innate, universal spiritual advantage or disadvantage due to gender or biology.

If the principles you espouse have been helpful in your own experience and growth, great. But they are not universally helpful or applicable, however "ancient" they may be.


* I believe this is also true in the strength example you brought into the conversation. It may be true that on average men are stronger than women -- but no responsible doctor or personal trainer will judge an individual's health or physical capacity based on statistical profiles. Men in general have greater upper body strength than women do, but not every man can outlift every woman.

[rravencroft.livejournal.com]

I have always found it amusing how the modern human has contiued the approach that the religons have employed to harness ignorance throughout the masses. What I refer here to is the seperation of spirituality and biology.

Even in the Gnostic scripitures of Thomas we find a saying from YeJoshua saying "... is it a mystery that the flesh is because of spirit or is it more a mystery that the spirit is because of the flesh..." not an exact qoute but close enough.

I actually was refering to biology when speaking in terms of tantra. The school of thought that I attend removes the spiritual hocus pocus thought from the teachings and takes it to a purly scientifc and medical stance in such demonstrating the truly alchemical nature and mystery that our bodies represent and have the potential to demonstrate. I would encourage anyone to study the "Jewel and the Lotus" writen by my teacher Sunyata Saraswati.

Our bodies are the alter. The blood, with all its magical hormones, is the wine are brains are the bread and the alchemy occurs in the skull chalice.

However, you are correct in your ascertions. I believe that there is only a miscommunication between we two because of an expected response from my qouting. You see again I used this qoute for this particular discussion because of the nature of the qoute and that the qoute itself represents the degradtion prevalant within our society.

I did not make the qoute because, as is insinuated, that I am sexist. I actually experience sexism frequently being a stay at home father and having had been raped, through the us of a drug in the drink, while in the military. Both being almost taboo to mention in the public.

[qos.livejournal.com]

I think I'm finally beginning to understand where you're coming from in your comments, and I think we're a very great distance apart in our spiritual beliefs and practices.

And please understand: I did not mean to suggest that you yourself are sexist in general. I said that I believed the particular spiritual paradigm you were endorsing was sexist. I suppose that statement can be easily extended to infer that the person who chooses to participates in that paradigm is sexist, but that was not my intention.

I'm very sorry to hear that you were raped. I can only imagine what kind of pain that has been for you, especially since it occurred in the military.

[rravencroft.livejournal.com]

We are not that far in our spiritual beliefs just different, I am of Odin you must know. I still need to get to know you more but from what I have seen and Sidhe, we have similarities but as you said the spiritual path being an individual experience and we all being individuals there will always be differences. Neither you or I are of the mass mind of "cookie cut" people. ;-)

Yes, I caught myself after I had actually made the post and thought that I probably should have re-thought the qoute and wrote something else, however it was already posted.=(

You are correct, there was many issues for me to deal with. Being a man, being a warrior, being a sam sex rape. It was difficult and the worst part was not being able to say anything to anyone and to continue my tour surronded by other men always having that in the back and front of my mind. Many years of work, however all well now. I can speak of it and it holds no power over me!

[qos.livejournal.com]

I have disagreed with -- or been indifferent to -- every statement you have made on my journal regarding your beliefs and opinions about spirituality and/or culture.

I have no connection to Masonry, to Tantra, or to Odin.

I am at a loss to imagine what you think we have in common.

[rravencroft.livejournal.com]

Maybe I have misprecieved then. Too which I have no problem with complete indefference to our paths being non-similar, hopfully you do not as well. This I feel is the place where knowledge tuely is born: from the collision of differences. However, I still feel that there are similarities. We will see as the days continue.

May be I should first question: Being spirituality an individual process, many people have different definitions leading to miscomunications often. I have a calling toward the path of the Raven which leads me to be a warrior/priest of The Deep. The Deep in my eyes is similar to the underworld. I may be wrong in my asertion.

I felt a similarity whith your post as being a priestess of the Underworld. Could you explain this to me. Being a "Seeker" I also study anthropolgically spirituality. From the Ancient Greeks and Scythians to the Eygptians and Summerians. I have found in my studies that they all have an underlining connection being they all where originally propagated by the same source (Dragon Kindread of the Nine Nations). Should I ask this question on another post.

With Respect I have addressed.....

(frozen comment)

[qos.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry, but I have no wish to continue this or any other conversation with you. I don't know what you think you've 'seen' in regard to me, but the more you've written, the less comfortable I've felt with you. Your mention of the Dragon Kindred of the Nine Nations and your reference elsewhere to the Annunaki have clinched it.

Go in peace, but go, and do not continue to visit this journal.