RE:IJSNC, Issue 1, Volume 2, May 2012 - Ocean Seminary College

into harmony with nature. Endowed with feminine
wisdom, we can reenter the garden of paradise.
Notes
1 A recent U.S. Supreme Court case denied a class
action suit by female Wal-Mart employees. On
June 20, 2011, a BBC online article “Wal-Mart
women denied discrimination class action” noted
that “The US Supreme Court has dismissed the
largest class action lawsuit in history, ruling against
women alleging discrimination by US giant Wal-
Mart” ( 1). http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/worldus-canada-13845970
2 This metaphoric story explaining the loss of
paradise can simply be interpreted as assimilating
(eating) and discovering self-knowledge, and in this
case, ego identity that loses the unifying consciousness
previously described as paradise. It was a consciousness
of oneness with all.
3 The author of this article recognizes that men
have also suffered by this great imbalance and the
damage to their own feminine nature has also limited
their own balance of power and beauty.
4 Similarly Vedic scriptures (estimated to be written
around 1700–1100 BCE) demean women’s
equality and contributions to life. For example,
Manusmriti 9.2-3 “Men must make their women
dependent day and night, and keep under their
own control those who are attached to sensory
objects. Her father guards her in childhood, her
husband guards her in youth, and her sons guard
her in old age.” Rig Veda 8.33.17 explains that Lord
Indra says, “The mind of woman cannot be disciplined;
she has very little intelligence.” This deception
concerning women can be found in most, if
not all, religious scriptures.
5 It also appears that the Sumerians may have
been the first authors. In fact, according to Sumerian
scholar and translator, Cass Dalglish (1996,
2008), the first signed document attributing its author
was a woman, namely Enheduanna, the author
of the hymns to Inanna, a poet and prince of ancient
Mesopotamian culture. Women were actively
engaged in this 5,000+ year culture. (She was a
“prince” as status was not separated by gender.)
6 When studying the Sumerian hymns to Inanna,
inscribed by the female poet Enheduanna, one sees
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Mijares : Embodying Power and Beauty
that Inanna is actually referred to as “god” rather
than “goddess” in that Sumerian is a non-gendered
language. There is no differentiation denoting male
and female pronouns nor does this appear when
speaking of Sumerian deities (Thomsen, 1984, Dalglish,
1996). All are deemed to be gods (C. Dalglish,
personal communication, June 19, 2011).
7 In this ancient Sumerian story, Inanna is dead for
three days and then resurrected. This was a few thousand
years before Jesus’ journey of crucifixion and
resurrection.
8 In some interpretations he is simply dressed in his
best attire, having a good time, failing to mourn the
loss of his feminine partner.
9 I have resonated with this story since I first read it
in Carolyn McVickar Edward’s book, The Storyteller’s
Goddess: Tales of the Goddess and Her Wisdom from
Around the World, in 1991. This story spoke to my
own experience as a woman, and I could see it its
power from the first reading. Within two years (1993)
I met Cass Dalglish, becoming a member of her doctoral
committee focused on Inanna and Sumerian
literature.
10 This tactic was first introduced in ancient Greece
when Lysistrata, the main character in a play written
by Aristophanes, led the women to refuse sex to their
husbands if they chose to war. This ploy has reappeared
in various forms in the last few decades.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lysistrata
11 Inspiring women to empower themselves and
reach out to one another should not be a message
used for financial profit. This is another manifestation
of the corporate model, which is but another
manifestation of patriarchal ways (Mijares, in press).
It is important that women join and create forums to
support one another, but we should also recognize
that women in nations impacted by warring, rape,
and violence, have a much deeper sense of social
need. For example, Leymah Gwobee of Liberia, accessed
authentic feminine power in her response to
overwhelming circumstances. This response was
based on great love—thus, she demonstrated a balance
of both power and beauty.
12 In some versions he is called Gugalana, the bull
of heaven, and in others Nergal, the god of plagues.
13 “Displacement” is a psychoanalytical term for a
specific defense mechanism. Rather than expressing
one’s own “unacceptable” emotions on the real issue,