What It Means To Be A Woman - (LOH #82)

What it means to be a woman, in the world today. We are often told, or more like, we have been led to believe, that women had it way worse in the past. But actually if you look far enough back, you will discover that there was a time, where women were held, in a far higher regard than they are now.

Before the introduction of religion, especially Christianity, women were respected and honoured more. When most of the continent, followed an earth based faith, one that connected them more with the land and with each other.

Ireland is my motherland and it was one of the last matriarchal societies within Europe. The people held fast to their ways, honouring Mother Earth, represented by their worship of the triple Goddess, inline with the seasons, Maiden, Mother and Crone.

Even when religion came to her Isle, the people would not let go of their respect for the female form and today, when you travel the country you can see that, as it is statues of Mary that you see. Shrines to the mother, allowing the people to hold on to their old ways.

Saint Brigid is equally honoured in Ireland, she herself represents the maiden form of the Goddess and to this day, she is still celebrated. The only way, that the priests could get the Irish people to convert to Christianity, was if they found a way to incorporate the Goddess into their religion.

So if anything, as time as progressed, we have actually become more disrespectful towards women. Yes there were more recent times, where we could not vote and indeed that has changed and on the surface it appears that we are treated with more respect, more as equals.

But that is not the same as honouring what it means to be a woman, recognising what it is that makes us different from men. Within the feminist movement, so many got lost fighting to be seen as equals, for sure we can do the same work as any man and vice versa, but there are some things that are unique to each gender and that needs to be respected and honoured.

One of the most important roles we can have, is as a mother and yet that role is rarely honoured. With many women feeling the pressure to return to work, soon after giving birth.

The same can be said for birth. Birthing is seen more as a business now, with women being encouraged to surrender their well being to others, instead of trusting our instinct and becoming more intune with our bodies and the baby that we are growing within.

Instead we are told, that we can connect with our unborn, through a screen!

This week the Ladies Of Hive Community, have asked the following question .....
What are your thoughts on the way women have been treated
in the past, and how women are being treated now?

As it stands today, I believe that we are being encouraged to move further away from what it means to be a woman. Instead of tuning into what our bodies need, we turn to others to tell us. Instead of trusting our natural instinct, we listen to people who's only desire, is to have us to conform to their way of thinking.

If you desire to live in a material world, then perhaps you are happy with the way in which the world is going. But if like me, you wish to live a more natural life, a life where we are connected with what it means to be a women. Honouring ourselves and the men within our lives. Recognising the need for women to take back birth, to fight for our freedom to choose what is best for us and our families. Then you will see that there is still a lot of progress to be made.

And for me, that progress comes, when we choose to empower ourselves, when we decide to step into our sovereignty and create our own way.