Note, the Moon is now in Aries, and will be passing through many planets still aligned on the cardinal cross over the next few days. — efc
Luna is in the last degrees of Pisces as I write, Jupiter is in Leo and Venus is in that spot that I call the Atlantis Degree — with the Moon at an exact right angle to Venus (Pisces to Gemini). As we sit here in our Atlantis moment — the live test of that particular story. Not any kind of dressed rehearsal, the real thing, with no audience. Nobody can just watch this whole thing. Everyone is involved. Salon published an article today about politics and economics, or you might say about belief. One way to think of our Atlantis moment is to understand the influence of what people believe and why — the predilection for what is not true, or perhaps the emotional appeal. It might be that the planet is suffering from the collectivized eclipse of self-esteem.
And that particular emotion or lack of confidence endures constant attack. Consider this news from Japan, involving 3-D printing, a woman, her vulva and the law. I read this article thinking: what in tarnation is so controversial about the vulva? What is this concept of its obscenity, of its profanity, which means it’s existing outside the temple? The vulva is the temple. That’s where we’re born out of, the gateway to life. What is the controversy? Somebody please explain this to me. Are we talking about anyone objecting to existence itself? By the way, this has nothing to do with Japan, if that is what anyone is thinking — there is some version of this just about everywhere.
If indeed the controversy over the vulva is the result of the patriarchy and its dominance, and some property right claimed over the female body, associated with sex and fertility, what is the most appropriate response? In what way exactly do we stand up for this particular issue, or to this oppressor? Consider that another tool of the patriarchy is guilt. Any claiming of the vulva is a celebration of existence. People who feel ashamed of or guilty about theirs might not be in a position to stand up and cheer. Nor people who harbor antipathy, hatred or rage. Let’s say that negativity directed at women and the vulva sets conditions on the planet for war, and makes our whole environment susceptible to it in many forms. Which is another way of saying that war is about the hatred of existence. So therefore…
The split between SPIRIT and MATTER has been focalized in the idea of ‘womanhood.’
Ancient judgement against Matter, vs Spirit, that carries down through much ‘spiritual’ inheritance, not exclusive to the West, but surely preserved in the ascetic traditions of early Christianity and aspects of Gnostic traditions.. That’s it, my friend.
The ‘rebel’ incarnate spirits and the Deity. The Animal body vs the Indwelling Spirit.
All this agenda has been plunked down onto the female, and thus, upon the sacred vessel.
Le Vulva.
yoniyoganidra, I completely agree “that claiming our Vulva’s is an inside job, and like meditation, requires focus and introspection. And, sometimes, a little neurological rewiring.”
In a lot of ways, this is the story of my life. I grew up hating myself for having reproductive capacity, and when I would try to talk about it to other people they acted like I was the only one who had ever felt this that was also sexually attracted to men. I couldn’t say where the hatred and guilt came from, but it was immense and stopped me from having any partnered sex until my mid-twenties. I literally waged a psychological war with myself over having a vulva.
I’m 38 today, and it feels appropriate that this is the theme that is coming up. I feel that the next year will involve positive experiences in this area.
It would be a great leap forward for our culture just to use the word vulva. Most of the time people say vagina when they really mean vulva. It’s as if the hidden female part is more accepted than the visible. My circle of influence is tiny, but I’m making damned certain my daughter knows the difference between her vulva and her vagina and isn’t afraid to name them correctly.
Inga Musico speaks to my soul! Thanks Eric for your reminders to challenge shame, guilt and the attempted social control of sexuality.
As m therapist says “in our 50’s we are either deeply compelled to explore and heal our broken bits OR we are ‘dead in the box’. (The Box being whatever external controls are exacted on us (and that we confirm to) which lead us to conform and essentially cease to exist.)
Eric, I salute your inspiration, affirmation and astrological road maps that aid me in my heali g journey!
Jennifer Cobb
Moon in Aries = airplanes get shot down over the Ukraine.
Here are some quotes from the book Cunt: A Declaration of Independence by Inga Muscio
“There are two ways to make money in a capitalist, patriarchal setting:
1. Fuck other people over faster and more efficiently than they fuck you over.
2. Whore”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“A gentleman who doesn’t have the physical and/or emotional sensitivity to use condoms couldn’t possibly possess the self-confidence required to fully procure the infinite sounding of pleasure from the depth of a woman’s being, via the endlessness of her cunt.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“If your skin is crawling, pay attention. If something doesn’t feel right, pay attention. If the hairs on the back of your neck prickle, if your gut clenches up, if a wave of wrongness washes over you, if your heart starts beating faster, pay, pay, pay attention. Do not second-guess yourself or rationalize anything that impedes your safety. Our instincts are the animal inside of our humanness, warning us of danger.”
― Inga Muscio, Rose: Love in Violent Times
“Yesterday I felt like shit, so I rode my bike around town and repeatedly grafittied “The revolution is not being televised” in paint pen. It was a “pointless” action, but it nonetheless healed me to do this. It was an act of love for that “hooligan” Arundhati Roy. It was an act of self-love. I don’t expect it to change the world, but on the other hand, I know it will.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“As ever, the original inhabitants of Turtle Island are entirely overlooked. Mysteriously, the only time indigenous people are guaranteed a mainstream Amerikkan mention is on Thanksgiving.
Again, to contextualize, this would be be kinda like someone busting into your house and robbing you blind, then sending you postcards once a year to remind you how much they are enjoying all of your stuff, and getting annoyed with you if you don’t respond with appreciation for their thoughtfulness.”
― Inga Muscio, Autobiography of a Blue-Eyed Devil: My Life and Times in a Racist, Imperialist Society
“It’s like suddenly in the Middle Ages, people figured men should be in charge of women’s bodies since they were in charge of pretty much everything else”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Masturbation is an absolutely peerless cure for the hiccups”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Most Whores are completely unaware of how important they are to society, and subsequently do not have the opportunity to learn how to be all-compassionate, all-loving, all-giving and all-receiving incarnations of the Goddess.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Without honoring Whores, we cannot truly understand and transcend the dynamics of violence, destruction and ignorance fostered in our cuntfearing society.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Grown-ups and children are not readily encouraged to unearth the power of words. Adults are repeatedly assured a picture is worth a thousand of them, while the playground response to almost any verbal taunt is ‘sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.’
I don’t beg so much as command to differ.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Do not, under any circumstances, put this book down and turn on the teevee.
The teevee debilitates our culture. ”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Iranian women are very consciously aware of gender-explicit oppression. Therefore: with so much more at stake, Iranian women have each other’s back: on the street, in stores, at celebrations, everywhere.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“We tend to hold that popping medicine in our mouths and swallowing is the extent of our involvement in the healing process. We believe that if we get better, it’s because the medicine worked magic, not the person.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
“Sadly though, the general feelings among straight men is, ‘I ain’t no fucking faggot, so keep clear of my ass.’ Thus, a lot of men deprive themselves of this (anal sex) highly pleasurable sensation.”
― Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence
The phallus is celebrated annually in festival and you can’t make a vagina kayak?
Chief Niwots Son: well said. Look forward to your blog posts.
mm.
(Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat Naomi Moryiama)
Eric this is part of Japanese keeping ‘face’ or at least it was – that’s why MI’s art is seen as so controversial – wasn’t it was an obscenity to kiss in public (at all?).
Doesn’t matter more than that – good to open the doors to the light of day – the few Japanese women I have met have loved the west because it feels freer than their own culture.
On the other hand I thoroughly enjoyed ‘Why Japanese women don’t get old or fat’ and ‘the one straw revolution’ by Mr Fukuoka
Thank you Eric for speaking up for the “vulva” and Chief NS for the Tao Te Ching.
My experience is that claiming our Vulva’s is an inside job, and like meditation, requires focus and introspection. And, sometimes, a little neurological rewiring.
And, as long as it has the power to give birth, in all forms, creative and otherwise, I sense that it’s going to frighten people whom are to insecure to get to know it better, and the beauty that it holds.
“The spirit of life
never dies.
It is the infinite gateway
to mysteries within mysteries.
It is the seed of yin
the spark of yang.
Always elusive
endlessly available.”
– Tao Te Ching, poem 6 (translated by Ralph Alan Dale)
Don’t buy into the drama created by others, stand clearly in what you know to be true. Do not respond with your emotions to the emotions of others, in this way their fear will not poison your heart. By affirming the truth, falsehood loses it’s attraction.