I wanted to thank Joy, especially, for sharing her vision of the
Earth as Mother. Whilst I don't quite share that view, I did find it
inspiring. I spend most of my working life stuck in an office, which
makes it rather hard to feel even connected to the Earth, let alone a
true part of it. That said, one of the things I find most calming
and refreshing is to walk around my garden (small as it is) when I
get home from work and simply look at everything. Just at present the
daffodils are in bloom, birds are beginning to flit around the
bushes looking for nest sites, and leaf buds are swelling on the
trees. Green things are popping up everywhere and there is a real
feeling of the Earth reawakening after the winter. Sorry if I have
become excessively lyrical - it must be Spring! (at least it is here
in England).
Sincerely, June Brough.
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Mar 24 08:30:33 MST 1995
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 10:32:58 -0500 (EST)
From: "Deborah D. Fleming" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
I would like my name to be removed from the subscribers' list. Thanks.
>From [EMAIL PROTECTED] Fri Mar 24 10:25:29 MST 1995
Date: Fri, 24 Mar 1995 12:23:33 -0500
From: Deborah Rudacille <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Jayne's Mega-reply to Many Posts! -Reply
>>> Jayne S Docherty <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 3/23/95, 08:03pm >>>
wrote:
With fields of *practice* where metaphors lead to *action* they not
only become literalized, but they also become institutionalized.
Then, all of the economic, social and political forces that make an
organization or institution such as the Forest Service function
collude to mask the metaphorical nature of the concepts which
underlie the practice of silviculture. You can change the
institutional processes (such as budget practices or decision making
processes) and still not fundamentally change the *practice* and the
results. To change these, you *also* have to alter the range of
metaphors or models of reality upon which people can base their
actions.
I think this is exactly right and it is why Joy and so many others
(including me) are so passionately devoted to
developing/rediscovering a spirituality which is God/ess centered.
>From that one metaphor--God as Father--we have constructed an entire
civilization which is based on male models and male realities.
"Difference feminism" is currently out of favor (see Naomi Wolf's
book "Fire With Fire") but it seems to me that the fundamental
insight of difference feminism--that there are indeed distinctions
between characteristically male and female modes of being and that
denying the differences is as destructive to women as using the
differences to oppress women--remains valid. What would a
civilization which accorded as much value to "female" values as
"male" values look like and feel like ? I say this recognizing that
the use of the words "male" and "female" in this context itself
constitutes a metaphorical usage of the terms.
Deborah
