In different forums recently, visionary activist Caroline Casey and author Sharon Blackie (in If Women Rose Rooted) have highlighted the Arthurian story of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnelle. The moral of this story is that women want sovereignty more than anything else in the world, and I woke up today almost on fire with the desire for true sovereignty. We want sole power over our own bodies, life directions, and choices. We wish to "govern" ourselves, first and foremost.
In a recent blog ("Dark Nights"), I referred to the four huge centuries-old traditions that my life seems to have challenged, wondering what I had been thinking! I have been picturing them as four random, unconnected life "jobs." Yet seeing them from the lens of female sovereignty, they suddenly seem focused, understandable and almost manageable. They were all about sovereignty, in the end. I never wanted to lose sovereignty by marrying (at least the wrong person). I want to sing the music I love, and to live where I want to live. I want the power to conceive of the Divine exactly how I see it, not to "import" (to use computer terminology) another "program." And, yes, I want the power to be valued for who I am, and to value (find worth in) what is important to me, not what some external force has determined is "worth money."
Of course, just the way I have written the above signals that I am on a learning journey toward sovereignty over my life. Language is everything, isn't it? How would I phrase these concepts if I were sovereign, and truly felt like one? I'm sure no king or queen in history ever talked about "wanting to do" things.
1) My sovereignty is not open to question. Any partnership(s) from this point forward will be within the context of both people understanding each other's inherent divine worth and self-empowerment.
2) Somewhere within me is the power to be where I love to be, singing the music I love to sing. If I haven't yet accessed that power, at least I know that it is absolutely part of my sovereignty.
3) My sovereignty allows me to embrace as much of the Divine identity as I can, and to respect each human's effort to do the same. It is safe and natural for all of us to continue to search for a more complete understanding and articulation of Love.
4) My sovereignty allows me to continue to insist that Love (at least no harm to others or the earth) be central to my "currency," and for me to be involved in transitioning to a future love-based economic system, if indeed money ends up being necessary at all.
In 2018, "sovereignty" is my word. And it's sovereignty over my life, not others' lives, of course...What is your word for next year? May 2018 surprise us, and be the best one in years!
