Writing Women’s History Month; Writing Herstory Reflections. The Personal is Very Political

The post about my experience with sexual assault really took the stuffing out of me. As I guess it well should really. I don’t appreciate the full impact on me. I feel distant from my emotions right now. I’m privileging my analytical/masculine self again.

A dear friend reminded me the other day the difference between the masculine and the feminine. She described herself as intuitive. I remember how feminism empowered me to trust in my feminine self and my intuition.

Clarissa Pinkola Estes’ in ‘Women That Run With Wolves’ wrote how social restrictions and hypocrisy silence a woman’s soul song. She shows women how to return to their ‘wild woman’ self; intuitive, protective and fierce. Like a wolf. I think I’ll add her to my reading list for the year.

I learnt from my study of feminism we can organize a different type of system that doesn’t privilege logic, analysis, profits and a paternalistic hierarchy. There are a growing number of models. Most of them social enterprises.

In the male dominated professional and business world ‘intuition’ is subject to analysis. There must be evidence even while there is a growing recognition that the intuitive, the subconscious, and the subliminal drive innovation.

Freemind Leadership Training by Tom Fortes Mayer’ is one of a few really innovative leaderahip programs that actually help you tap into the subconscious and intuitive thoughts. He’s shared some great tools. Time to reacquaint myself with them too.

(This staying in touch with your emotions is indeed a process and hard work!)

I’m having a a very productive time with this mini memoir/herstory I been writing. There is just 5 more days to the end of Women’s History Month. I’ll going to post everyday to conclude this exercise.

I’ve written about my family, my relationships and my work and how these have contributed to my feminism and to my politics. The remaining posts will reflect on some of the key socio-political issues that have .shaped my feminism and my values. Like race. Religion. And politics.

I read Catherine the Great’s Memoir in January. She wrote 3 different versions when she was in 20s. 40s and 60s. Same events. Three different perspectives. Some folks questioned the credibility of her memoir as a result.

Muhammed Ali said that if your point of view is the same at 50 as it was at 20 you’ve wasted 30 years of your life. I agree. Twenty eight year old Catherine and sixty something year old Catherine can’t be the same.

I think words are like snapshots. They really only tell a story in time and space. Capture a moment. We are all Becoming. Something. Other than what we are. I’m curious to see how I’ll view the same events in a few years time.

I’m also going to vary the narrative styles, voice and point of view of my posts for the next few days. Writing exercise. So expect something new. Your comments on what you think are welcome. As always.

The process of writing has been very personal and self reflective. I’ve used the exercises to focus on myself in a therapeutic way. I’m re-discovering my soul song. Thank you for reading so far. I hope its been mildly entertaining and informative for you.

Posted by MzAgams with WordPress for BlackBerry.