Six months ago I met Pat McCabe, Woman Stands Shining, at a gathering on the Maternal Roots of the Gift Economy (and Giftival) in Rome, Italy. She showed up as a powerful and wise teacher and mentor for me… inviting me deeper into my own journey of being a woman honoring the sacred cycle of life I am a part of, and modeling standing fiercely and gracefully in one’s own wisdom, listening to guidance for how to authentically invite healing and ceremony in accessible ways with diverse groups of people.
Yesterday she showed up again as an angel in my life by making some facebook posts that spoke deeply to what I needed to hear. I am humbled for the sharing of this wisdom from Pat – a powerful woman, mother, grandmother, artist, activist, and compassionate leader.
I pray that the sacred feminine and the sacred masculine in each of us can heal and stand with honor. We need each other.
Here are some excerpts from her words and at the bottom you can see her full words with a few comments from others which I HIGHLY encourage you to read.
..much of what is taking place against this Mother Earth is because the masculine aspect, which dominates this Earth at this time, does not truly hold the woman as Sacred.
…The way we treat the women is the way we treat the Mother Earth, the way we treat the Mother Earth is the way that we will treat the women. They are inextricably connected.
..to all the young men who would be warriors on behalf of this Holy Mother Earth: You cannot truly protect Her and abuse women at the same time.
…to the young men, and to the young women, I say: Take heed. I pray for … all the young men who are finding their way. I need you, our daughters need you, all the women need you, to uphold the honor of being Human Being, as the masculine, now more than ever. Step up to your Honor- I know that you can.
…And the corollary to this… is: The way women treat other women is the way that the Earth will be treated as well. If we cannot hold or see ourselves as women as Sacred, we contribute to the violation and degradation also. I gotta step up y’all!!
…{an} understanding of the Sacredness of Women is that unless she is fully informed of the truth and is fully informed of her choice, without deception or violence, or alcohol, or mind-altering substance, any physical relationship that is conducted outside of these boundaries ought to be considered “rape.” It would be taking the most holy gift from a woman, and from life itself, without true permission which does constitute rape.
ORIGINAL POSTS ON FACEBOOK AT THIS LINK
Dear friends, yesterday my daughter posted a warning to her sisters about a young man we met recently. I acknowledge her courage and honesty and a true desire to prevent her sisters from harm. I also had considered posting something about her encounter with this young man because it was very disturbing to me. He is a primary leader in a very necessary action to speak on behalf of the Mother Earth and on behalf of his people as well. His deception, his “sweet talk” of my daughter, including using traditional values such as “I will bring your mother some horses”, is very sad to me. Along with injuring young women by saying this and with talk of marriage to each of them, one after another, in order to get what he wants, he does not understand that much of what is taking place against this Mother Earth is because the masculine aspect, which dominates this Earth at this time, does not truly hold the woman as Sacred. The way we treat the women is the way we treat the Mother Earth, the way we treat the Mother Earth is the way that we will treat the women. They are inextricably connected. What I would say to all the young men, who would be warriors on behalf of this Holy Mother Earth is: You cannot truly protect Her and abuse women at the same time. You are fooling yourself if you think that you can. I would love to see our old traditional courting rituals come back to life. But obviously this is not the way that will happen. This is using something beautiful, and powerful, for selfish and violent purposes. My daughter used the word “rape” in her original post. This is because her understanding of the Sacredness of Women is that unless she is fully informed of the truth and is fully informed of her choice, without deception or violence, or alcohol, or mind-altering substance, any physical relationship that is conducted outside of these boundaries ought to be considered “rape.” It would be taking the most holy gift from a woman, and from life itself, without true permission which does constitute rape. So again, to the young men, and to the young women, I say: Take heed. I pray for this young, confused man, and for all the young men who are finding their way. I need you, our daughters need you, all the women need you, to uphold the honor of being Human Being, as the masculine, now more than ever. Step up to your Honor- I know that you can.
Comment by J Michael Combs:
good words, sister. we have truly lost the path of respect for ourselves, our mother, and one another. it didn’t happen in a week; and it won’t be healed in a week nor in a generation perhaps. but we do have the power to consciously choose our words and actions. the level of awareness we bring to them is the level of sacredness. with all of us weaving together we can heal ourselves, our families, our communities, our nation, and our earth mother. thank you.
And the corollary to this, and I am humbled by this truth, is: The way women treat other women is the way that the Earth will be treated as well. Also, if we cannot hold or see ourselves as women as Sacred, we contribute to the violation and degradation also. A new realization for me as of this weekend with my Sisters from around the world. I gotta step up y’all!!
Comment by Liane Gale:
Phyllis Chesler’s 2009 book “Woman’s Inhumanity to Woman” speaks to this. “Women’s aggression may not take the same form as men’s, but girls and women are indeed aggressive, often indirectly and mainly toward one another. They judge harshly, hold grudges, gossip, exclude, and disconnect from other women.
Like men, women are exposed to the messages of misogyny and sexism that permeate cultures worldwide. Like men, women unconsciously buy into negative images that can trigger abuse and mistreatment of other women. But like other social victims, many do not realize stereotyping affects members within the victimized group as well as those outside the group. They do not realize their behavior reflects society’s biases.
How women view and treat other women matters. Are women oppressed? Yes. Do oppressed people internalize their oppressors’ attitudes? Without a doubt. Prejudice must first be acknowledged before it can be resisted or overcome. More than men, women depend upon one another for emotional intimacy and bonding, and exclusionary and sexist behavior enforces female conformity and discourages independence and psychological growth.”
About Pat McCabe:
Woman Stands Shining (Patricia McCabe), of Diné Nation, living in Taos, NM, is a mother, activist, artist, writer, and international speaker who draws upon the deep Indigenous sciences of thriving life to reframe inquiries about sustainability, and is devoted to next generations, “Women’s Nation” and “Men’s Nation” as functional members of the “Hoop of Life,” upholding the honor of being human. She speaks on the subject of how gender relates to sustainability, and carries a discourse titled: The Feminine Design and Sustainability.