John, from your link:
Even today there are peoples with matriarchal patterns in Asia, Africa, the Americas and Oceania. None of these is a mere reversal of patriarchy, where women somehow rule over men, as it is often commonly misinterpreted. Instead, they are, without exception, egalitarian societies. This means that hierarchies, classes and the domination of one gender by the other are all unknown to them. They are societies that are free of domination, but they still have their guidelines and codes. And this is what makes them so attractive to those looking for a new philosophy to support the creation of a just society.
Equality does not mean a mere levelling of differences. The natural differences between the genders and the generations are respected and honoured in matriarchies, but they never serve to create hierarchies, as is common in patriarchy. The different genders and generations each have their own value and dignity, and through complementary areas of activity they depend on each other.
This can be observed at all levels of society: the economic level, the social level, the political level, and in the areas of their worldviews and faiths. More precisely, matriarchies are societies with complementary equality, where great care is taken to provide a balance. This applies to the balance between genders, among generations, and between humans and nature.
Among shamans, the earth and Nature is seen as feminine and is often referred to as the Great Mother. Shamans work in harmony with her, creating and restoring balance where necessary. It would seem, from from John's linked article above, that matriarchal societies did (and still do) work in harmony with nature, rather than exploit it like the male-dominated, power-based hierarchies of today.
This, imo, is more evidence that the original shamans were probably women. As midwives to humanity, they would have seen the earth as the midwife to all souls that are born here to learn their lessons, and then move on to the next dimension.
Talking about male-dominated rapers of Mother Earth, I recently did some work for the global mining company, Rio Tinto. They wanted me to write about what they were doing in terms of sustainable development - i.e. caring for the environment and the social needs of the people where they site their mines.
I thought it would be mere tokenism ... but I was amazed and delighted at the extent of it in the end. They have a whole massive programme that must be costing them billions of dollars, without which, they say, they wouldn't get a licence to drill. The world has changed, partly because of climate change and the need to act more sustainably. But also beause we are giving greater recognition to the rights and spiritual traditions of indigenous peoples, and respecting them.
For instance, nowadays, before opening a new mine in northern Australia on aboriginal land, Rio Tinto has to get permission from the tribal elders. They consult with them on a plan of what would be most appropriate to put into the community in terms of schools, healthcare and so on. On top of that, Rio Tinto also has to produce a plan of how they will close the mine at the end of its days (usually about 40 years) and restore the land to its original pristine beauty.
At the opening of the mine, nothing can happen until the tribal elders have performed their lengthy shamanic ceremony. The mine is seen as a womb, a uterus, and the tribe's shaman asks permission of the Great Mother for the miners to enter her and to take the ores from her. All the miners take part in this ceremony and also the company management and execs.
For a big, rough, tough mining company like Rio Tinto (and all the others, apparently, have had to make the same changes) this is quite a turnaround and perhaps a good omen for the future, John. So don't give up hope just yet. It may be the beginning of the beginning! And you might be able to invest in sustainable companies through Goldman Sachs and still have your vegetable patch
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