Οι Μητέρες των Αρχαίων Καιρών

απόσπασμα απο το ενορατικό άρθρο που αλιεύσαμε στη σελίδα http://www.anandaseva.org/yoga/mothers-of-the-ancient-times

Οι Μητέρες των Αρχαίων Καιρών

Στις πρώιμες μητριαρχικές κοινωνίες η ιδέα της σύλληψης ενός παιδιού ήταν νοητή με διαφορετικό τρόπο. Εθεωρείτο μυστική εμπειρία. Αναπτύχθηκαν, λοιπόν, διαισθητικές πραχτικές, τελετουργίες και ιδέες γύρω απ’ αυτήν την εμπειρία. Η ουσιαστική γονιμότητα της γυναίκας έγινε η ουσία της κοινωνίας. Η κοινωνία ξεπηδούσε από τη γυναικεία μήτρα, τρεφόταν από τη μητέρα και ανθούσε κάτω από την προστασία της Αγίας Μητέρας. Αυτή, λοιπόν, ήταν η πρώτη γνώση των ανθρώπων για και από τη φιλοσοφία, την τέχνη,  τη θρησκεία  και τις τελετουργίες τους.

    Δεδομένης της θέσης των γυναικών, δέν είναι περίεργο που αυτές οι κοινωνίες έδιναν βάρος στη φροντίδα και την υποστήριξη όλων των μελών τους. Δέν λειτουργούσαν με πατριαρχικές προδιαγραφές. Δέν υπήρχαν εδαφικές συγκρούσεις, ούτε διασπαστικές δυνάμεις που θα μπορούσαν να απειλήσουν το προοδευτικό κίνημα της κοινωνίας. Αντίθετα υπήρχε  μιά συνολική στάση ενσωμάτωσης. Όλες και όλοι ήταν καλοδεχούμενες, -οι. Όμως αυτές οι κοινωνίες υπήρξαν σε μιάν εποχή που οι πληθυσμοί ήταν σχετικά μικροί και οι πόροι άφθονοι. Οι άνθρωποι δέν ήταν απειλή για τους συνανθρώπους τους. Μπορεί, λοιπόν, να ειπωθεί ότι αυτοί οι μητριαρχικοί πολιτισμοί έζησαν και υπήρξαν σε μιά περίοδο «ενισχυμένης» ανάπτυξης.

    Οι άντρες ήταν κυνηγοί και τροφοσυλλέκτες αλλά  δέν είχαν κεντρικό ρόλο στον μυστικισμό που επικεντρωνόταν στη γη και στον γυναικείο κύκλο…

Δέν μπορούμε να πούμε ότι η συγγραφέας μιλά εντελώς  επιστημονικά,αλλά αναμφίβολα ξέρει, όπως δείχνει η συνέχεια του άρθρου της, τη δυναμική της οικονομίας μέσα στην κοινωνία. Μιάςκαι δέν έχω πολύ χρόνο, δίνω το υπόλοιπο αρθρο στο πρωτότυπο:

Regarding the change from animalistic periods to human cycles, it can be said that as individuals collectively formed in societies of a tribal or clan structure and women came to live together, slowly a change took place and women who were erratic and irregular in their menses, who often would not bleed for years in the harshness of the wilds, began to bleed in a regular fashion. They began to have monthly cycles and to be enhanced in their fertility. This enhanced their goddess worship and helped to bring increases in the populations and range of these peoples. Commerce began to develop between the communities. Art, monuments to the Holy Mother, fertility ceremonies, rituals of conception, rituals of birth, and the worship of the nurturing aspects of the feminine grew until these societies began to have a priestess class to execute the ceremonies. Within this class certain women, as well as some men, began to delve into the deeper aspects of spirituality. They began to look deep within themselves, to the mother, to the goddess, to the divine aspects of creation. They began to ask themselves: “Who am I that I am worshipping the Holy Mother? Who is this who is worshipping?” They began to walk the inner realms.

Around 12,000 BCE the city-state type of culture was very dominant. Many states developed very sophisticated cultures, complex cultures. They developed fine architecture. They were refined in the arts. There was a great deal of trade between these city-states. The degree of culture and sophistication of these peaceful societies was very high. Interacting with one another through trade routes they established shipping, trade, exchange of merchandise, and cultural exchange, so that in this booming time of the ancient world, in these peaceful city-states, there was a very good life. Most had settled in fertile regions of that time, and game was abundant, the soils rich, the climate gentle, and the people began to flourish. Their numbers grew steadily. Within the city-states, many had fine temples to worship the goddesses, which were the great clan mothers of the past who had become the benefactors, not only in life, but also in death, of that clan which had now grown in number from tribe to city-state. These people had very fine weavings. Many produced excellent weavings, pottery and artwork. There were many fine artisans in many of these city-states.

The men of those states continued in their hunter role. They organized and began to form hunting bands. As game became less in a particular area, the hunting bands would foray out three or four days away. They would go out hunting large animals. They also would guard the state against predators and other such creatures. Many were also artisans. The women likewise were artisans and took the main responsibility of the children. Still in those societies, the men had very little to do with the children, as there was no patronage at that time, no understanding as yet of paternity. They would collectively enjoy the children and raise them but there was no association for any male that this is my child and that is not my child. They would enjoy the children but children belonged to their mothers.

In this way, these societies grew and developed, and a complex system began to be in place. The worship of the goddess became quite formalized. The temples became very fine and the simple rites of the mature women of the early clans became more sophisticated and complex. Women would ascend positions of spiritual authority in sacred orders only for women. In the mystical traditions of these ancient cultures, while there were variations from one clan to another, there was an overall pattern that can be observed.

Males in these clans developed rituals of their own that revolved around the hunt. They would perform purifications before the hunt and ceremonies to bring the spirits of the animals to them, to call the animal spirits to them so the animals would come for the hunt, and to worship the spirits of the animals that they would slaughter. They had their own society and their own rites but would still consult the mothers and receive their blessing and their guidance before the hunt could begin. The process for this would vary from clan to clan.

When the city-states formed, these rituals became more elaborate and departmentalized as these societies grew in number. The priests and priestesses came into existence as a class of people in charge of performing the rituals for hunting and for agrarian tasks as well. There were those who were hunters, those who were farmers, those who were artisans and tradesmen. So the society became more complex.

The priests were the ones to officiate regarding practical matters in most of the city-states. The priestesses were the ones to guard the goddesses and to bring forth the word, knowledge and wisdom from the goddesses to the people. So these women were of very high standing. It was not as is typically thought that there were temples of virgins. This was not the case. You must remember, these societies were based upon fertility, and the woman with greatest fertility who had proven herself in childbearing would have the greatest status. This was carried through the evolution of these societies, even into the city-states. These priestesses were not virgins. Instead, they were women with many children and that is how they were chosen as priestesses in the community. As women and mothers, they had to prove themselves before they would be eligible to be selected for that elite community. This community was then dedicated to the worship of the goddess or goddesses, and the great wisdom of their particular deity would come to the leading priestess, who would then convey it to the priests and to all others.

These societies functioned in this way and bloodlines were traced to the mother only. As time went on, there began to be more pairing of men and women, and the system of marriage began to occur. Slowly over time in many of these cultures there developed the association of the child with a particular father. Then fatherhood became important. The males were held accountable to their children. This developed at different times in different societies.

At the same time that this transition was taking place in social structures, many societies had grown so large that the hunting parties had to go farther away in their hunts. Large hunting parties might meet hunting parties from other states and find themselves in competition for game. This created certain rivalries between them and hunters began to war over rights to the game. When a hunting party would return, some of the hunters would have been killed fighting over game. In this way, ill-will developed. Then it became a matter of territory. When hunting councils would assemble and find they were in competition with a neighbor they became concerned for the safety of their city-states and for their territory. This led to the formation of raiding parties as well as hunting parties. The city-states began to discover war.

At the same time the social structures within the states were changing. This disrupted the trade that had been going on peacefully for thousands of years. Some of the internal practices had become decadent at the same time that the social structure was changing. The fathers of the children were acknowledged for their patronage and they would take responsibility for caring for the mothers and their offspring. As children began to see that they had one father to care for them, the role of the mother became greatly diminished. With the changes in the social structure there began in many of these states a decay of culture. They became aggressive; there was a need for protection from aggressors. So the male consorts became more dominant in protecting against aggressors. Slowly, slowly the women lost both status and rights and the gradual shift to patriarchy occurred.

Now there was a hey-day of these city-states when their cultures were bright. Trade abounded. There was the development of many fine capacities in a peaceful world that grew and thrived with little competition and much exchange. It was a rich and growing time that lasted for perhaps four or five thousand years in many places, and slowly began to decline. It varied from place to place, but between 15,000 and 6,000 years past these cultures blossomed and then began to deteriorate.

So, you see, there was a great cultural renaissance or blossoming at that time. Then with many changes in the social structure, with the growth in population and infringing of one state upon on another, the development of war, the development of patronage, and the loss of the rights of women, there was a shift in the society. All of these occurred together at about the same time. Due to frictions between the states and internal frictions within the changing social structures, many trade routes deteriorated. Due to hostilities between states, it all degenerated and this great golden time of matriarchy began to come to a close.

The societies, degraded in culture, became more barbaric, very warlike, war-torn. Many of the states died altogether. Many then succumbed to natural difficulties due to the weakening that occurred as a result of these strong competitions. So the people again became more primitive and moved into tribes. Living standards degraded. Their trade routes closed. Isolated, fending for themselves, they struggled a great deal and had to build themselves up once again. In this way, the modern world has been built.

The great cultures that existed in the past, though they are not yet well traced, will come to light because they bear significance in the changes that are now occurring. For once again the cycle turns; once again the ages pass and a new energy is coming to this place. It will not return to matriarchy but patriarchy is falling away also. A new shift, a new paradigm comes. A new energy is about to emerge in which there will be a blending of these two elements that have been strong periods in human history. A third time will come, and of the three periods this will be the greatest time in human development.

Look to the future with high hopes and bright feelings for a golden era will come to this world in the near future.