Love our Mother: Feminism and the Divine Mother
Kelli Hanrahan
The essence of motherhood is not restricted to women who have given birth; it is a principle inherent in both women and men. It is an attitude of the mind. It is love —and that love is the very breath of life. No one would say, 'I will breathe only when I am with my family and friends; I won't breathe in front of my enemies.' Similarly, for those in whom motherhood has awakened, love and compassion for everyone are as much part of their being as breathing.
- Amma Chi
When Christine, this magazine’s editor-in-chief, initially put a call out for contributions to this edition, she suggested that we celebrate feminism by publishing a series of personal essays about feminism. I immediately took up the call, knowing that I had a thing or two to say about feminism. A year ago, were you to ask me if I was a feminist, I likely would have said "no." However, when I attended the Edwards magazine launch in December 2005—in a room filled with beautiful, powerful, and intelligent women —I realized that I was indeed a feminist; I had rejected the "label" based upon the judgments I carried about the so-called "f-word." I have since come to the understanding that feminism carries a highly subjective definition and is as diverse and multi-faceted as the millions of women who identify themselves as such. Feminism runs the gamut in its own categorization, from socialist and radical feminism to eco-feminism and even something called cyborg feminism! So, I realized that I was perfectly justified in my own definition of feminism, as long as I stayed true to its core values and used feminism as a place from which to learn, grow, and empower others.
What does feminism mean to me? Words such as power, choice, equality, action, and freedom came to mind. In a practical sense, I believe feminism means working towards the empowerment of women, in any way, shape or form, including promoting girls’ self-confidence, to advocating for child care and fair wages, to worshiping the goddess, and recognizing the goddess in all women. Realizing that these were, however, my own interpretations, I did the standard Google search on the word “feminism.” From trusty old Wikipedia, I found the following definition:
Feminism is a collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies, largely motivated by or concerned with the experiences of women.
Well, so far, so good; it seemed I was in keeping with modern feminist thought. Wikipedia further elaborated by saying that
many feminists today argue that feminism is a grass-roots movement that seeks to cross boundaries based on social class, race, culture, and religion. They also argue that an effective feminist movement should be culturally specific and address issues relevant to the women of the society in question.
Ah, now this is where the heart of feminism began to show its face.
You see, I have been seeking a means to bridge my intellectual ideals around feminism with a personal philosophy that best expressed the truth of who I am. For me, being a feminist means fully embodying the qualities of femininity, such as being nurturing, compassionate, receptive, wise, graceful, generous, caring and loving. To whom do I look for role models who possess these qualities? I look all around me and within me. And what do I find? The goddess. Who is the goddess, you ask? She an ancient figure of worship, a pagan symbol, the female embodiment of divinity, or the feminine quality expressed through divinity. The goddess is in you and me and all around us; she is the very air we breathe, and the words that I write on this computer; she is the computer. Now, that may come across as a little far-fetched, but hear me out here. The "concept" of the goddess is that of the creative, life-giving force of the universe; so, in the sense that your mother is the goddess who carried you in her womb and nurtured and cared for you, so the Great Goddess is the Great Mother who nurtures and cares for us all. In Greek mythology, Gaia is the goddess that represents the earth. There is a new theory in ecology called the Gaia hypothesis; it proposes that all the living matter of planet Earth functions like a single organism. In the same vein, all the living organisms on the Earth are thus like the children of the one mother. We often refer to the Earth as our Mother. Why? Because she cares for and nurtures us by providing the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. Hmmmm … I think these Gaia hypothesists have got something going on here.
What does all of this have to do with feminism? Well, you could call me an eco-feminist and be done with that. But then we are going back to that categorization thing, which is the reason why I had rejected the title "feminist" to begin with. Please don’t call me a goddess-worshipping pagan, either (not to deny that aspect of my self, as it is also a part of who I am). My point is that feminism, in all its permutations, is as rich and complex as each individual. Labels and categorizes are useful in a practical sense, but I feel they don't do justice to the essence and heart of feminism. So, where does that leave me? As always, in my moments of confusion, I turn to my spirituality for answers. One of the greatest spiritual inspirations I have encountered is a woman named Swami Sivananda Radha. In her book, Seeds of Light, she has a section especially for women, which outlines a few of her philosophies. Radha says:
The major problem facing women is emotional independence. She can do this by recognizing her Divine Nature. Women's nature is to preserve. Her nurturing instincts should never be turned into a destructive force. Women should not allow the anger accompanying the women's liberation movement to turn her against her nature. The revolution of women can be a revelation, a liberation.
These are words that came from a woman who did not label herself as a feminist; indeed, she would have been beyond any form of labeling by letting her words speak for themselves. I echo Radha's sentiments, and it is my sincere desire to see the modern feminist movement move beyond expressions anger and extremism, and toward greater compassion and wisdom. I would like to see feminism teach women how to live and embody their feminine qualities from an empowered place. By this I mean recognizing feminine qualities--such as receptivity and co-operation--to be equally as important as masculine qualities of ambition and independence. Radha included a philosophy specifically for women in her teachings, encouraging them to stand on their own two feet and, when in doubt, to seek guidance from "the Divine Mother" (whatever version of "Her" they felt comfortable with). The Divine Mother is another name for the goddess, or the life-giving creative force. There are as many expressions of the Divine Mother as there are religions, and she goes by the name Quan Yin in Buddhism, Kali in Hinduism, or Mary in Christianity. She also goes by the name Amma.
Amma Chi, also known as Sri Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, is a spiritual leader and humanitarian who travels the world offering hugs to millions of spiritual seekers. Amma has devotees the world over, a number of spiritual centres (or ashrams) in her honour, and heads charitable organizations that do work in education, cultural activities, environmental restoration, healthcare and, of course, spiritual teachings. She is considered by many to be the reincarnation of the Divine Mother, and her life is dedicated to her humanitarian work, as well as giving hugs and blessings to her devotees. It is said that her hugs are powerfully healing, and many are known to burst in tears at her very presence, feeling overwhelmed at the sheer force of her unconditional love.
Ah, love, the elusive yet all-encompassing force that drives us wild, makes us cry, or gives us a reason to live and sometimes a reason to die. The core of Amma’s teachings is that love is all there is—a simple concept with huge implications. One of the greatest challenges we face as individuals, and women, is learning how to love, and how to love unconditionally. It is said that a mother’s love is unconditional, that she loves her child just because the child is. It is this love that we are looking for in all our actions and relations, and it is something more than the love we think of in a romantic sense. This kind of love is more than emotion--it is a state of being.
So, my spiritually optimist self wishes to say to you, dear readers, that love is at the heart of feminism. Despite all the labels, despite the anger and confusion, despite women dressed as men, and men dressed as women, I believe that feminism in its work toward the empowerment of women is inherently a good thing. As feminists we do our work out of love, the unconditional kind of love that works from a selfless place, and says "I would like to help you to be better because I would like to help me be better. And that will make for the betterment of all beings, men and women alike." Love, the love of the mother, is where the heart of feminism beats an ancient, powerful and healing rhythm.
Other articles by Kelli:
- Cooperation: Necessity is the Mother of Invention (August 2006)
- The Divine Feminine: A Woman's Quest (February 2006)
