REVIEW BY PEGI EYERS
“Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future”
Edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth
Inanna Publications
“Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future”
Edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth
Inanna Publications
"The Great Mother has had many names, but all of her historical forms reveal one ultimate reality. Archaeology has shown that Neolithic cultures worshiped a female deity, the Creatrix, the Mother of the Gods. Ancient matriarchies embraced a holistic, body-affirming, earth-centered worldview, and considered all life to be sacred. The Goddess was everywhere, within every being, and humanity was just another part of nature. In ancient times, the path of spirit recognized that the cycle of life was based on renewal and regeneration."
Heide Goettner-Abendroth, The Dancing Goddess
Heide Goettner-Abendroth, The Dancing Goddess
With the timely publication of Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future we now have a definitive textbook on the incredible outpouring of modern Matriarchal Studies that has occurred in recent years. An excellent anthology of research, essays, and ideas by luminaries in the academic world, Societies of Peace also brings together political activists, goddess scholars, feminists and indigenous women from all over the world. The new paradigm of Matriarchal Studies is here to stay! Presenting concrete social alternatives to the looming global crises our patriarchal civilization has wrought, Matriarchal Studies holds great political potential and lifeboats developed from thousands of years of experience.
If we take the wisdom in Societies of Peace and DELIVER IT! as Kenyan activist and powerhouse Wahu Kaara suggests, it will have an incredible impact on the world. The times require a fundamental shift in the way we perceive our collective reality, and findings on matriarchal cultures can offer us the vision of a new/old egalitarian society.
If we take the wisdom in Societies of Peace and DELIVER IT! as Kenyan activist and powerhouse Wahu Kaara suggests, it will have an incredible impact on the world. The times require a fundamental shift in the way we perceive our collective reality, and findings on matriarchal cultures can offer us the vision of a new/old egalitarian society.
The Minoan Queens
Matriarchies have a non-violent social order, conform to motherly values, and are based on gender equality. Political decisions are reached through consensus, and social guidelines guarantee a good life for all. Matriarchal spirituality, deeply rooted in a reverence for Mother Earth and her gifts, prevents the exploitation of nature or animals. These societies, both ancient and still existing on the planet today, are humanity’s – and especially women’s – greatest heritage. Societies of Peace presents to a wider public the message of an alternative social and cultural model that promotes trust, mutuality, and abundance for all.
Edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth, the founding mother of modern Matriarchal Studies, the scholarship and ideas in Societies of Peace are taken from two groundbreaking World Congresses on Matriarchal Studies that she led – “Societies in Balance” in Luxembourg in 2003, and “Societies of Peace” in Texas in 2005. For the first time at these Congresses, international scholars working on Matriarchal Studies and women’s spirituality in isolation from one another came together to connect and collaborate. The book features exciting, creative and important contributions from (among others) Riane Eisler, Barbara Alice Mann, Peggy Reeves Sanday, Claudia von Werlhof, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Vicki Noble, Susan Gail Carter, Annette Kuhn, Lamu Gatusa, Bernedette Muthien, Fatimata Oualet Halatine and Wilhelmina J. Donkoh.
Edited by Heide Goettner-Abendroth, the founding mother of modern Matriarchal Studies, the scholarship and ideas in Societies of Peace are taken from two groundbreaking World Congresses on Matriarchal Studies that she led – “Societies in Balance” in Luxembourg in 2003, and “Societies of Peace” in Texas in 2005. For the first time at these Congresses, international scholars working on Matriarchal Studies and women’s spirituality in isolation from one another came together to connect and collaborate. The book features exciting, creative and important contributions from (among others) Riane Eisler, Barbara Alice Mann, Peggy Reeves Sanday, Claudia von Werlhof, Lucia Chiavola Birnbaum, Vicki Noble, Susan Gail Carter, Annette Kuhn, Lamu Gatusa, Bernedette Muthien, Fatimata Oualet Halatine and Wilhelmina J. Donkoh.
The Matronae ~ Celtic Mother Goddesses
Of special interest is Genevieve Vaughan’s contribution and sustaining support, both to the Texas congress and the book, as well as her essay “Matriarchy and the Gift Economy.” The guiding light for the new gift economy movement, Genevieve Vaughan describes the practice of “freebies” like housework, childcare and other “random acts of kindness” that already exist in society, unrecognized and unappreciated by the dominant patriarchy. Within a matriarchal culture, the modes of distribution are based on the principles of nurture, and needs are met directly resulting in a more functional community than a market economy based on self-interest, greed and profit. Gift-giving creates positive relationships, justice and solidarity, and with radical change, can be adopted as a new alternative economy at local levels and beyond.
The knowledge and insight made possible with modern Matriarchal Studies is absolutely amazing, and has the capacity to change the historical record and create a paradigm shift in the prevailing worldview. Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future gives us the tools to wake up and take on this great work, which is creating alternative, life-affirming matriarchal models as the basis for a new society!
The knowledge and insight made possible with modern Matriarchal Studies is absolutely amazing, and has the capacity to change the historical record and create a paradigm shift in the prevailing worldview. Societies of Peace: Matriarchies Past, Present and Future gives us the tools to wake up and take on this great work, which is creating alternative, life-affirming matriarchal models as the basis for a new society!
This review originally appeared in "Crone: Women Coming of Age"
Issue #4 ~ Metamorphosis
Issue #4 ~ Metamorphosis
 | Pegi Eyers is also the author of Ancient Spirit Rising: Reclaiming Your Roots & Restoring Earth Community, an award-winning book that explores social justice, nature spirituality, the ancestral arts, and resilience in times of massive change. www.stonecirclepress.com |
