The 4th crime of patriarchy—greed—and the prayer to transmute it
Theme: Magicians Reporting for Duty
Week 17: in which we study the fourth crime of patriarchy, the crime that underpins the entire structure--greed--and speak the Goddess prayer that transmutes it
Beautiful Magicians,
This is the fifth of a six-part Notes from the Field series (there might be a seventh) on the five crimes of patriarchy and the prayers that heal them.
The five crimes are:
- theft of birthright dignity
- being silenced
- r@pe
- greed
- murder
It’s a hard list to read. But the news of war, of r@pe, and of the unending theft of resources is a mirror of the truth of this list. All five crimes are on appalling display.
This series began on week 13 when I wrote about the radical differences between a matriarchal society based on reverence and a patriarchal structure based on power.
On week 14, I listed the five crimes, wrote briefly about the first—theft of our birthright dignity—and offered a prayer to heal that theft.
On week 15, I wrote about the second crime, being silenced.
Last Sunday, week 16, I wrote about the unbearable crime of r@pe. The crime that just keeps growing.
Your responses inspire me to keep going. It’s powerful to hear that I’m not the only one horrified by the crimes of patriarchy. And determined to do something to restore reverence to our world.
Because my contribution as a prayer artist to healing these crimes is going to be prayer, Cathy Stevens Pratt and I are talking about creating a Garden of Reverence Rosary Circle to pray all five Goddess prayers. I'll share more when Cathy and I get our hands around what that might look like and when we could begin.
The Fourth Crime of Patriarchy—Greed
Under patriarchy, the earth and all her creatures are dead things, available for domination, exploitation, and extraction of all resources for profit. In hierarchical systems, a small group of men who meet narrow religious and racial criteria hold all the power. Everyone else can be exploited for profit just like the land and animals.
Patriarchy doesn’t just allow slavery; it requires slavery. Slavery, rape, and the confiscation of all the wealth and land and resources of the conquered people are the spoils of war and colonization.
And under patriarchy there is always more war. We can see those spoils of war celebrated on vases and plates and paintings starting around six thousand years ago.
In matriarchal times, art celebrated plants, animals, music, the radiant beauty of women, and the Goddess in all her many faces.
Under patriarchy, a woman's role is to support and take care of all the men around her: father, brother, husband. Her work, her labor, her efforts are expected, never remunerated or reciprocated. She is, in short, their slave.
Not much has changed. women today still do the bulk of the work to maintain a home and a family. Women are not only underpaid at work, they then come home to take care of children, handle the cooking and cleaning, and provide caregiving to the elderly. All expected and unpaid.
We are watching leaders today create and celebrate war, exploit political and financial systems for their benefit, continue to expect the free labor of women and minorities, and accumulate obscene amounts of wealth for the very few.
Patriarchal culture is greed culture.
This is my version of a Goddess prayer that honors the three faces of the Original god—the Goddess, who is always honored in all her life-giving and life-ending forms: maiden, mother, and crone.
Maiden
Hail sweet maidens, full of graces,
our________________
(This line changes for each of the five crimes)
Mother
Blessed are we among witches and women
and blessed are the fruits of our wombs
Crone
Holy First Crone, Queen of the Living and the Dead,
pray us, dream us, sing us, anoint us
now and at the hour we lay our beautiful bodies down
in your beautiful body to be received, renewed, and returned once more
Now insert the line that heals the crime of greed:
Hail sweet maidens, full of graces
our gifts and labors are honored once more
It’s really that simple. If everyone's contributions are recognized and honored, whether with remuneration or with sincere gratitude for the work, coupled with the genuine offer of reciprocal work, then slavery ends, misogyny ends, abuse of immigrants ends, child labor ends.
AND, abuse of the environment ends.
Human bodies and Mother Earth's body are interwoven. Harm one and you harm the other. Support one and you support the other.
Can we imagine a world where achieving wealth at any cost is no longer praised or prized or even allowed?
Let's begin by speaking this prayer. Aloud. And if you feel inspired to expand it, please do. Just keep naming all the ways our work and gifts are seen and cherished and honored.
Next week I’ll write about the fifth and final crime, murder.
Until then, I hope this powerful prayer practice restores your faith and guides you and everyone you love to move closer and closer to a post-patriarchal world of reverence.
Life is Fragile, Handle with Reverence.
Reverence for one another. For all work. All labor. All contributions. Reverence for the peace and beauty of living in equality.
Janet
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