“And humans have a very peculiar and egocentric point of view that they are intelligent but nature is not.” (Paul Stamets, mycologist)
One advantage of blogging is learning about new things while you research your respective field of interest. This is how I came across several documentaries by the Canadian director Donna Read. While her oldest film was shot nearly 30 years ago, I had never heard about Read's work or the Goddess Spirituality, also known as Women's Spirituality. Besides, it never occurred to me to link the above-mentioned movements to Ecofeminism or Permaculture. Coincidence or not, all these tendencies emerged in the 1970s. And even if Permaculture was developed by two men and is not feminist-centered at all, its ethics are in total accordance with those of the Goddess Spirituality and Ecofeminism. If this sounds confusing, keep reading.
(The Venus of Laussel, ca. 30 000 year-old)
“Goddess Remembered” (1989) is the first documentary of a trilogy on Women and Spirituality Read made between 1989 and 1992. Today, I am going to discuss the above-mentioned film and another one she made in collaboration with activist Starhawk in 2011. “Goddess Remembered” is a a poetic reverence to the Great Mother, a prehistoric deity representing Mother Earth and found in numerous cultures across the world. Overall, the scenes in the film are carefully thought through and the use of sound is beautiful. Much of the soundtrack in the entire trilogy is composed by the amazing Loreena McKennitt. Several prominent feminist authors feature in this documentary but perhaps the most famous is Merlin Stone, a professor of art history, sculptor and author of the book “When God Was a Woman” (1976). It is said that Stone's work profoundly influenced the Goddess movement, which is not a centralized religion or philosophy. There are various neopagan currents under its umbrella, gravitating around the idea that everything is one: humans and nature, micro- and macro cosmos, creation and destruction, etc. Why is this movement is significant? Because many of its followers were eventually inspired to become environmental activists:
“We feel very much that the kind of connectedness the Women's Spirituality and the Goddess Spirituality teaches about the Earth, are missing in the politics today, The people who are guiding our countries see nature only as a resource for industrial growth. They don't see the sacredness and the interconnectedness. And the simple fact that we live on a finite planet! So we're very much involved in the ecological and environmental causes.” (Charlene Spretnak, author/ecologist)
(Goddess Tlazolteotl giving birth to the Sun, Aztec civilization)
“Goddess Remembered” is also a bow to matriarchy and a reminder that once women played a central role in human society. 19th century anthropologist Johann Jakob Bachofen was the first person to suggest that prehistoric social structures were matriarchal. Ever since the publication of his book “Das Mutterrecht: eine Untersuchung über die Gynaikokratie der alten Welt nach ihrer religiösen und rechtlichen Natur” (1861) / English edition “Mother Right”, (2003-2008), anthropologists have been arguing whether women really dominated in archaic cultures or not. And maybe such assumptions stem from a completely wrong premise! A key characteristic of patriarchy is hierarchy, i.e. pyramid structure where there is one main element at the top supported by several less important ones. So perhaps the matriarchal order was the opposite of patriarchal, not because the women were more important than the men, but because every member of the group was equal to the others. A little bit like the notion where the brain is viewed as the most significant organ in the human body. But in reality, although the brain is essential, it is merely a part of a whole organism and cannot exist without the heart, the lungs, the kidneys and the rest:
“Such culture is one that the female has a place of honour and respect. And that doesn't mean domination. The women and men in those cultures in old Europe were buried in almost equal ways...the women had a little more stuff. But nothing like the patriarchal chieftain system later where one man owned women and other men, and horses, and objects. So it was a pretty much egalitarian society. There was not a putting down of the men in order to elevate women. There was just a natural reverence of the bountiful powers of women, and the bountiful powers of Mother Earth.” (Charlene Spretnak)
(The Minoan Goddess leading a procession, fresco)
"Today's scientific theory that all living matter of the Earth forms one interconnected life system echoes the religious beliefs of Minoan Crete. For our oneness with each other and all of nature lies at the heart of the Goddess worship." (Donna Read)
The film ends with an account of the Minoan civilization in Ancient Greece, which is believed to be the last matriarchal culture in Europe. It also depicts the rise of warfare in the Middle East and the region, as well as the conversion of the old myths and, finally, the establishment of patriarchy.
"Goddess Remembered" (1989)
While working on her trilogy, Read met and befriended Miriam Simos, also known as Starhawk. Starhawk is an American writer and activist who got closely involved with the Women's Spirituality and Ecofeminism. In 2011 the two made a documentary called “Permaculture: The Growing Edge”. Starhawk states that Permaculture is “the practical application” of the Goddess Spirituality principles. The word Permaculture means 'permanent agriculture' and was introduced by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in 1978. In an essence, the term refers to cultivating the land in a manner which imitates nature and its ability to regenerate and reuse its resources. In other words, ecosystems are observed along with their constituent elements: how these interact together by fueling and reducing each other. Subsequently, smaller replicas of these systems are created directly on the land where the particularity of the local climate, flora and fauna are carefully considered. The approach relies on biodiversity, renewable energy and natural solutions for curing plant disease and purifying the soil. But there is more to it; as David Holmgren states:
“Perhaps the first thought about what Permaculture is, it has to do with land use, gardening, agriculture and with other wise ways of using natural resources to provide for our needs. But it's also about how we redesign our own ways of living and, for that matter, our own thinking.” (David Holmgren, co-founder of the Permaculture movement)
(Partial example of some elements in an ecosystem and their interconnectedness)
In my view, “Permaculture: The Growing Edge” is less inspiring in terms of aesthetics. However, it presents much valuable information about the existing practical solutions to the environmental problems we face today. Some of the solutions that are mentioned in the film include: volunteers cleaning properties and purifying the soil after hurricane Katrina, cleansing oil spills with mushrooms and giving an opportunity to at-risk youth by teaching them how to grow their food and be self-sustainable. The documentary is available on dailymotion.com (here you can watch the first and second part).
I wish I could end this article with some hopeful message. But I can't help thinking that even if such long time has passed since scientists first started raising awareness about the climate change not much has changed, overall and for good. However, the great news is that creative solutions do exist! And if more of us started taking environmental issues seriously and actually "walking the walk", then maybe the positive change would be more visible.
(There are thousands Permaculture communities all over the world and if you research the Internet, even Facebook, you might find one near you. Further, there are many platforms which actively campaign about the environmental causes and provide advice for leading zero waste lifestyle. One such platform is the Australian site 1 Million Women; also to be found on Facebook)
(Premaculture garden)