BeautifulWarriorWomen.com The Blog : 2007 : August

Archive for August, 2007

A man’s voice of support.

Al wrote:

> Hey Eldra,
>
> I saw that you were online, so I thought that I
> would send you the Oath from MZB’s “the
> Saga of the Renunciates.” Here it is;
>
>
> From this day forth, I renounce the right to
> marry save as a freemate. No man shall bind me
> di catenas and aI will dwell in no man’s
> household as a barragana.
>
> I sweat that I am prepared to defend myself by
> force if I am attacked by force, and that I
> shall turn to no man for protection.
>
> From this day forth I swear I shall never again
> be known by the name of any man, be he father,
> guardian, lover or husband, but simply and
> solely as the daughter of my mother.
>
> From this day forth I swear I will bear no child
> to any man save for my own pleasure and at my
> own time and choice; I will bear no child to any
> man for house or heritage, clan or inheritance,
> pride or posterity; I swear that I alone will
> determine rearing and fosterage of any child I
> bear, without regard to any man’s place position
> or pride.
>
> From this day forth I renounce allegiance to any
> family, clan, household, warden or liege lord
> and take oath that I owe allegiance only to the
> laws of the land as a free citizen must; to
> kingdom, the crown and the Gods.
>
> I shall appeal to no man as of right, for
> protection, support or succor; but shall owe
> allegiance only to my oath-mother, to my sisters
> in the Guild and to my employer for the season
> of my employment.
>
> And I further swear that the members of the
> Guild of Free Amazons shall be to me, each and
> every one, as my mother, my sister or my
> daughter, born of one blood with me, and that no
> wamal sealed by oath to the Guild shall appeal
> to me in vain.
>
> From this moment, I swear to obey all the laws
> of the Guild of Free Amazons and any lawful
> command of my oath-mother, the Guild members or
> my elected leader for the season of my
> employment. And if I betray any secret of the
> Guild, or prove false to my oath, then I shall
> submit myself to the Guild-mothers for such
> discipline as they shall choose; and if I fail,
> then may every woman’s hand turn against me, let
> them slay me like an animal and consighn my body
> unburied to corruption and by soul to the mercy
> of the Goddess.
>
>
> This is pretty powerful stuff. If I had a
> daughter she’d know every word of it by 14 and
> swear to it before I would let her leave my home
> to pursue her own life. No society is any
> stronger than its women. Societies that make
> their women weak are always doomed to fail.
>
> Love and Light,
>
> al

My response:

Thanks Al!

That is great to read.

And I totally agree with you that societies only hurt themselves when they stifle their women.

It’s happening again in a more subtle way by girls themselves at this time. I believe a lot of it has to do with media influences.

It’s frustrating to watch.

Which is partly why I started my site. So girls and women can have a place to come and see they are allowed to be strong.

It’s so encouraging to hear your supportive voice! Thanks.

Eldra

August 30th, 2007 | Articles, Guest Writers | No Comments »

Men in Contact Sports and Violence Against Women

Contact Sports and Violence Against Women

Another aspect of sports and women is the violence against women associated with contact sports like football, basketball, rugby, and ice hockey. The case of O.J. Simpson has trained the spotlight on the connection between male athletes and violence against women.

Mariah Burton Nelson, in her book The Stronger Women Get, the More Men Love Football, points out that coaches of these sports often exhort players to perform better by telling them not to be 6 4 sissies” or “girls.” She quotes rugby songs that describe violence against women, and talks about women-degrading language used by players of contact sports. Players ridicule the opposing team by calling them “girls.” Being good at these sports, in other words, is associated with putting women down. Women are not seen as fellow athletes to be respected.

While these athletes talk about women in violent, degrading terms, are men athletes more likely to commit violence against women? A recent study of student-athletes at ten Division I universities showed that while male athletes made up only 3.3% of the male university population, they were 19% of the students reported for sexual assault. Of the male student-athlete S reported for sexual assaults, 67% were football or basketball players.

Another study by Mary Koss and John Gaines at the University of Arizona also suggests there is a link between men athletes and violence against women. According to a survey of 530 undergraduate men at the University of Arizona, men college students who participated in formal athletics were slightly more likely to feel hostile towards women, and to engage in sexual aggression, than other men. The best predictors of sexual aggression and hostility to women were high alcohol and nicotine use.56

Yet college and professional football players who commit sexual assault are often given preferential treatment by police, judges, and sports authorities, according to a Washington Post article. For example, the NFL usually does not suspend players who have been convicted of sexual assault, domestic violence, or other violence, and these players often do not lose lucrative endorsement contracts either.57

By encouraging boys to become aggressive, violent athletes, and by encouraging girls to cheer for them, we perpetuate the cycle of male aggression and violence against women.

(Empowering Women in Sports, The Empowering Women Series, No. 4; A Publication of the Feminist Majority Foundation, 1995)

This is a fascinating article with many implications. –Eldra

August 14th, 2007 | Articles, Guest Writers | 1 Comment »

Bodyguard exemplifies self-sacrifice

Friday, January 05, 2007

Standing at the left hand of the Dalai Lama, about 10 feet from his brocaded throne, was a man who could have been any mother’s son.
Six feet tall, trim and clean-cut, his short but well-groomed black hair matching his dark suit, he stood attentive, brown eyes scanning the crowd of 500 people, waiting for some flash of movement betraying untoward intentions.
Like a hunter looking for prey, he was serious — a sentinel — a man who, despite his casual, unbuttoned white shirt, was nonetheless dangerous and alert.
As I studied his face, I could imagine his baby picture — fat cheeks that one day would be the strong and slender face I now observed, his wild dark hair flopping over mischievous eyes. I saw his toddlerhood, carrying sharp sticks to his mother’s dismay; his high-school graduation photo, smiling self-consciously.
This young agent of the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service would die at any moment, willingly, for the man sitting on the throne. Tears welled in my eyes as I considered this possibility.
The Dalai Lama is called an embodiment of compassion — a human who, after gaining control of his own karmic destiny through deep meditation, chose to return again and again as a Buddhist teacher to carry on the Buddha’s work. He is also said to be the appearance in this world of Chenrezig, the bodhisattva of compassion, whose altruism is legendary in the Buddhist world.
And yet, what made me cry was not this knowledge. Rather, it was the realization that this young man’s life — his elementary-school report cards, his first kiss, all the thoughts of deep longing he ever held in his soul — could end in a moment, as he dove in front of an assassin’s bullet to save the Dalai Lama.
The man was trained to die. He was carefully taught to sacrifice his life for a higher ideal.
Every step of that path — learning how to spot danger in a milling crowd, how to hold and shoot a gun, how to seem invisible and very present at the same time — was leading his warrior’s soul to a hero’s funeral.
Yes, that was it. A warrior. Willing to end his life to save another’s.
Who are the important people in this world? Presidents, prime ministers and kings? How are they different from this noble man?
And what did I have in my life that I would be willing to die for?
It is said that when Chenrezig was an ordinary man, he stood before a Buddha and took the Bodhisattva Vow. The vow, the entry point into the serious practice of Mahayana Buddhism, pledges that until someone reaches enlightenment, she or he will work for the benefit of all the suffering beings in the world. In fact, his or her entire path will consist of putting other beings first, dedicating all spiritual practice to the eventual liberation of the entire world.
When Chenrezig took his vow, he added an important stipulation. Until all beings had been liberated from suffering, he said, he himself would stay in the world of suffering, called samsara, working to free them.
It is said that when he did this, all those in the assembly bowed toward his courage, honoring what they themselves could not attempt.
So it was that this young agent touched my heart. Standing on the left hand of the man said to be the embodiment of Chenrezig’s compassion in this world, he was both the compassion of Chenrezig and the courage I someday hope to achieve.
Lama Kathy Wesley is resident teacher at the Columbus Karma Thegsum Choling temple. The link to the article is here.