• Skip to main content

Cycle Harmony

Create. Love. Flourish. Be.

  • Start Here
  • About
  • Blog
  • What’s New
    • Vaginal Discharge
    • Fertility and Pregnancy
    • PMS | PMDD
    • Period Symptoms
    • Menstrual Irregularities
    • Hormone Imbalance
    • Health and Healing
You are here: Home / Health and Healing / Menstrual Myths and Rituals / How Views Of Women Have Traditionally Shaped Our Views Of Nature

How Views Of Women Have Traditionally Shaped Our Views Of Nature

Last updated on April 2, 2018 By Ikam A. 2 Comments

Scientific models have traditionally been masculine, and even medical practitioners primarily study the male anatomy and center cures around it. When it comes to women’s health, the models used are less than adequate. Medically, women have been categorized as the weaker sex: as the incomplete. We have undeveloped penises and testicles (clitoris and ovaries being the analogous organs).

In psychology, maleness is identified with separating from the mother and becoming autonomous, whereas femaleness is identified as merging and identifying with the mother. Masculine qualities like reason, fact, and object are considered scientific knowledge, whereas feminine qualities like feeling, value, and subject are deemed unpredictable and irrational.

Even in philosophy, women have played second fiddle to men. Aristotle philosophized over how males possess the principle of generation and movement and females the principle of matter (the passive vessel for the active seed). This notion of women as a vessel can also be seen in science, when dealing with surrogate mothers, and even in the simplification of some myths.

For example, the Egyptian goddess Nut is sometimes referred to being a vessel into the afterlife. But for the Egyptians, she represented more than that. Nut was a link between earthly mortality and timelessness and eternity– a system granting the possibility of regenerating oneself, creating a continuum between the finite and the infinite.

Since women have been traditionally identified with Nature, examining the relationship a culture has with Nature can better explain the relationship they hold with women and other marginalized groups. The orderly earth was once seen as a benevolent provider, and Nature was compared to the “nurturing mother.”

With the rise of science, this was replaced by a desire to predict and dominate the natural world, eventually leading to its destruction. Even the “cultural mandate” in Genesis states that man is to subdue the earth and have dominion over it. Not only was Nature considered to be the “other”, but she was regarded as being uncontrollable and malevolent by some groups, with the threat of floods, storms, and other natural disasters.

Instead of worshipping and respecting Nature as once was done, there was a shift towards attempting to control her and all of her aspects, leading to her eventual demise. Nature becomes a dreadful element, especially when characterized by the feminine, since the power it carries has always been a mystery to men. This separation of man from Nature still exists today; however, some groups still believe we are part of a whole and revere the feminine element in the universe.

Native Americans hold the view that everything is interconnected in Nature and there is a quintessential spirit that transcends everything.

The earth is seen as female and called the Great Grandmother, and Wakan Tanka, the Great Grandfather, is the sacred coded energy underlying all things.

In Taoism, the feminine aspect is needed in order to create a perfect balance between the ten thousand things.

Feminine energy is subtle and sublime, but holds just as much importance as male energy. Water is characterized by a feminine principle—yielding, but strong in overcoming obstacles.

Even in the modern realm of Quantum Physics there is a notion of oneness with the universe. 

It means that we cannot dissect the world into independent units, but must understand the world as an interconnected system of relationships between various components of the collective. This may be the beginning of a non-dualistic science. The goal of synergy in Quantum Physics is the harmonious cooperation between all beings and the order of the universe, clearly a feminine ideal.

Transforming the views held about the natural world and one’s place in it changes one’s relationship to it.

Valuing wisdom in Nature and recognizing its intrinsic value and subjectivity makes it possible to move away from the masculine perspective and towards a more feminine perspective that will transform the way women and nature are viewed in relation to the grander scheme of things.

By seeing our selves as part of the natural world, instead of its conqueror, we can live in ways that are more in tune with our natural rhythms and cycles and live a smoother existence.

In what ways do you celebrate your body’s synchronicity with nature? I invite you to start listening to your body more and examine what your needs are. Is your body craving better nutrition? More rest? More love? Practice more self care and honor your relationship with nature with rituals and affirmations. Learn about how you can live more in tune with nature and see in what ways your life transforms for the better.

ikam-acosta-cycle-harmony-bloggerIkam is a freelance writer from South Florida. She received her Masters in Religious Studies in 2001, specializing in myth and ritual. She has worked with victims of crime and trauma and also has a Masters in Criminal Justice, which she got in 2008. Ikam is interested in spirituality, healing, health, and the paranormal. She loves writing about a wide variety of topics, including travel, entertainment, culture, and health. Ikam wants to be a part of the Cycle Harmony community in hopes she will help and inspire others to achieve their goals, as well as share ideas on women, spirituality, and healthy living.

Image source

3      

Related Posts

  • Menstrual Rituals And Rites Through The Ages
  • My Favorite Quotes, from Women to Women
  • Menstruation and the Power of Yurok Women

Please help us educate other women in your circle. Thank you!

Hi, this is Jing. I created Cycle Harmony to share what I've learned to live in harmony with my body - and my life. Join us and share yours @facebook.com/cycleharmony!

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. beachgirl33140 says

    September 16, 2013 at 1:49 pm

    OOh the Yin! Absolutely! I will have to write something up on Taoism, I love the Taoist ideal of the feminine/yielding/water!

    Reply
  2. Jing says

    September 16, 2013 at 11:42 am

    I agree with you completely Ikam. Honoring and applying the feminine (the yin) principles is not only important for creating harmonious societies, it is also essential for creating health and harmony in our lives! Thank you for this insightful article 🙂

    Reply
cycle harmony amazon store

Let’s Connect

Facebook Pinterest Youtube Envelope Rss

FACE YOUR PAIN

 

Vaginal Discharge

 

Fertility and Pregnancy

 

PMS/PMDD

 

Period Symptoms

 

Menstrual Irregularities

 

Hormone Imbalance

BEGIN TO HEAL

 

Menstrual Health

 

Menstrual Tracking

 

Mind Body Healing

 

Nutrition and Recipes

 

Healthy Lifestyle

 

Emotional Wellbeing

 

Relationships

 

Menstrual Myths and Rituals

 

Red Tent

LIVE IN THE FLOW

 

Create. Love. Flourish. Be.

 

ABOUT

 

About Cycle Harmony

 

Our Amazon Storefront

 

Contact Us

 

Connect with Us on Facebook

 

Site Map

CycleHarmonylogo150

Copyright © 2022 — CycleHarmony • All rights reserved. • Terms • Privacy Policy 

Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Jing Jin and her community. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

Disclosure: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.