The Divine Feminine

 

Let's talk about feminism........I have a strong distaste for it!  It's a plague, end of story!  Okay, I'm exaggerating a little, but there is truth in my feelings.  First of all, I'm all for supporting women and I'm all for women having rights, okay!  I'm not someone who believes women are only here to have babies and be a companion to a man.  I understand why women fought for many of the rights we enjoy today and I'm grateful for that.  I think what many women of the past were really fighting for was to be seen as equal human beings with value to all of society.  That we are more than just a body, a pretty face, or some kind of trophy you bring out to show high society.  Our value did not and does not just exist as a physical feature.  Feminism lost me when it became about women being able to choose any life they wanted....except for a mom and a wife.  You can choose to be whatever you want, but as soon as a woman chooses motherhood and to be a wife, it's all of a sudden demonized.  Women have worked too hard to give you all of these options only for you to move backwards!  That's kind of funny!  I don't think that's moving backward.

According to secularism, I've had every reason to be a feminist.  I've had every reason to be angry at men.  I am very familiar with misogyny.  I've been down the modern feminist rabbit hole and I'm here to say that it is indeed a plague on society. I do think of feminism as being a spectrum, so there are some forms that are worse than others. Modern feminism isn't just about women's rights; it's about making men inferior.  It has become anti-family.  Twenty years ago, feminism told me that I would be happier with a job than with a family.  Now having been someone who came from a place where women were made inferior, I have to ask, why would we want to be just like the misogynistic counterpart that got us here?  My experience with misogyny is a mixture of my home upbringing, medical doctors, and just the culture I was in. It did not come from my church as a whole, however I think some of it came from misinterpretations of some things in my church.  I would classify it as unrighteous dominion that men fell into at times.  There's an old joke in the church that goes the harder your mission, the prettier your wife will be.  That was no joke when I was in college in Cedar City.  I knew young, returned missionaries that really thought that was true.  They thought very highly of themselves.  Let me just say, that many of them were not that good looking, or nice.  Cedar City was its own strange world when it came to dating in the early 2000s.  There were some weird expectations circulating among the men at the time.  It's a good thing I never married anyone at that time in my life!  Seriously, thank God!  Let's just say I would've ended up with a cousin I didn't know was my cousin, or a very messed up situation!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has produced a lot of great and amazing people, but because of misinterpretation and some misunderstandings I think it also produced some people with misconceptions.  Just like any group of people that have an authority structure, or power structure, people who gain any position in that authority structure can misuse it and abuse it.  Let's be honest, people like authority and power.  People like to be in these positions of influence.  If it gets to their head in an unrighteous way, it can have disastrous results.  I do believe my church has always warned about and taught against unrighteous leadership, but there are always a few bad apples.

I've been told by men that the only reason a man marries is for sex.  I've been told by a male medical doctor that part of my body would not work for most men and that I would need to change it before I became sexually active.  I've been character assassinated by women medical professionals who assumed I was lying about stuff like being pregnant as a teenager, or about blood pressure readings during actual pregnancy, because women tend to lie especially teenagers!  All teenagers just sleep around and lie to their parents and then come to the doctor just to get sympathy and attention! Yep! That was me......NOT!  I was never pregnant as a teen.  I ACTUALLY was suffering from a legit medical condition called endometriosis.  I was told, as a teen, that if endometriosis was the case I would probably never have kids. That was fine to them though, they didn't care.  They just dropped a bomb of life changing information on a 17-year-old girl and acted like it was nothing.  As if it was no big deal because many women did not want kids these days anyway.  I could just be one of those.  

When I was growing up, every subject was taboo!  You couldn't talk about or ask about sex, abortion, suicide, mental illness, because that didn't exist, and even issues in marriage were sometimes never addressed.  I learned about sex from trashy talk shows and friends at school that knew things.  It's unfortunate, I wish I could say that my first conversations about the topic were with my loving parents that were stepping up to the plate to properly educate me about it, but no. There was a certain attitude about it........ "How dare you ask about such an inappropriate topic"?  I'm sorry Boomer generation, but what was the deal with your list of taboo topics?  Just because you didn't know how to talk about it doesn't mean your kids deserved to be shamed for their genuine curiosity.  And then you wondered why your boys were looking at playboy and your girls were watching Jerry Springer???? Come on!!! Please!  As a parent it was your responsibility to figure out how to talk to your kids about that stuff!  You can't just put your head under a rock and say, "I'm uncomfortable talking about that....."  Okay, okay, I'm done with the boomer rant. Maybe it was just the boomers in Cedar City, I don't know...... I'm not here to blame all of my problems on my parents!  I still love them! I've become the parent that will embarrass my kids because I talk too much!  Better too much than not enough, I say!

Once upon a time, I was angry.......I was angry at men and some women.  I was angry at the way people treated each other.  I was angry at the misogyny in my life.  At times I felt that there was nowhere else to turn, but feminism.   It did not feel like there were other options.  Once upon a time I was the overweight girl sitting around complaining with my girlfriends about why men couldn't get it together.  I whined about men being too intimidated to date someone who had everything together and was independent.  I asked, "why can't I just find a man that loves me for who I am"?  I wondered, "why can't a man accept me for who I am"?  In my defense, I was not taught about all aspects of marriage, and I was ignorant about what men wanted and why for a good part of my life.  I did not understand that physical attraction was important to a relationship.  I was the hypocrite.  I wanted someone who I was attracted to physically, but I wanted a man to just accept me as I was.  I thought that my ambition and personality should be enough.  Well, I wasn't in that mind set for too long because it did not serve me well and it did not bring any kind of happiness.  

Feminism tells us to only care about ourselves.  Self-care first always, and that we are the most important. It doesn't teach us to look outside ourselves.  I'm a huge advocate for self-care because what is also true is that you cannot successfully take care of others until your basic needs are met.  Good women usually choose to sacrifice on a pretty regular basis to take care of others, but eventually you have to recuperate yourself.  That model is not sustainable forever.  I can see why this line of thinking exists, but wasn't it feminism that initially started this?  This exists in part because of misogyny, but also because of feminism. One of the goals of modern-day feminism seems to be that we must be more like men, more masculine, and even replace them.  Women decided it was a good idea to abandon femininity, mostly. Yes, let's remind ourselves that we live in a world that isn't exactly kind to femininity. Many girls don't feel comfortable being feminine for many reasons, and I don't blame them. It's looked down upon, exploited, or sexualized. One thing that has always baffled me is that there is NO femininity in feminism! Often times women now days don't feel safe being feminine. The feminist movements tell us we shouldn't be feminine or can't be feminine.....there is either danger in it or weakness in it. Femininity has been demonized from every angle. It took me such a long time to feel comfortable in a beautiful dress, or wearing makeup. I still ask myself in front of the mirror regularly, "is it too much?.......should I dress down?.....is this outfit too fancy?.....Am I wearing too much makeup?"

It's a rough world out there......another brand of feminism makes us choose between their definition of femininity and masculinity. If you don't fit into their boxes, then you must be something else. No tom boys allowed anymore! The answer for our young girls and women is not to now tell them they must identify as something else, or they are not welcome in the woman club if they are more masculine, or are at a stage in life where they shy away from femininity. We all go through that stage of shying away from femininity, it's only natural in the world we live in. Life is so hard for young people we shouldn't make it harder for them by complicating it further. This is all so confusing.....I think I'm getting confused just writing this out! Just tell them the truth and love them for who they are.....stop putting people in boxes!

Today's world says that "you are perfect just the way you are", and at the same time espouses, "you can change anything you want at any time with no repercussions.......if you are not feminine, then perhaps you should start wondering if you were born in the wrong body, or you might be a different gender." Both of these are dangerous to the physical and the spiritual. No one is perfect the way they are! If that were the case, then we would have no need for a Savior. Newsflash! He already came and died for you, and because of that we must become better through repentance. This statement suggests that there is no room for improvement for anyone and that is just false. The second statement is false because there are many personalities on the human spectrum, not genders. There is no happiness in mutilating your body. There is no happiness in constant changing with the ebbs and flows of societal standards. There are masculine women and feminine men, they exist. There is wisdom in coming to accept things of a permanent nature. There is joy in living according to the way God created you even when it might be challenging at times. We experience joy when we fulfill the measure of our creation.

Feminism inside the Latter-Day Saint church does exist. They like to talk about how we need more women talking in conference, more women sitting on the stand in church each week, and more women in leadership positions. I can see how this is enticing and an easy thing to criticize in the church. This is low hanging fruit though. I might have said things like this before I actually became a mother. Most women in the church are too busy to "run" things in the church. Women in the church are too busy CREATING LIFE! I tire of hearing "women don't do anything in the church......where are the women?.....Why don't we give the priesthood to women?...." Oh, well, the women are just creating life and raising the next generations, that's all! Yeah, that's nothing.......right? I say, PLEASE...let the men run things.....I have way too much on my plate to be sitting on the stand at church, or to take on the responsibilities that come with the priesthood. "Women aren't represented in the church", they cry!

All right, let's get to my favorite part!  You want to talk about being represented in a religion, in a faith, in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints??? OK, let's do it!  God made woman, not from a rib, but from a half of Adam.  The Hebrew word for half of is Sela. It does not mean rib as was translated.  Sela means side, flank, half of, or side portion.  This suggests rightly so that women are the other half of humanity and that we are a half of a whole that must mean the two halves are equal.  Woman is not beneath Adam (male), nor is she an afterthought, but rather the literal other side of Adam.  

Ancient Hebrew and Old Testament stuff suggests deep symbolism that we practice in our church today, mostly in the temple.  The veil is a symbol of closeness to God, being in the presence of God, or being cut off from God.  In some senses it indicates something holy.  The veil being "rent" or removed is symbolic of now being in the presence of God, or in some senses could mean being cut off from God.  Women's faces being veiled in other religions and in our temple is symbolic of being close to God. Women are cleansed from the blood of this generation in the temple, men are not.  When someone veils their face, they veil it because it is glorious.  Moses veiled his face after seeing God because it scared the Israelites.  The glory that shone in Moses' face after being in the presence of God was too much for the people to handle.  He veiled his face when he spoke to and preached to his people.  The Arc of the Covenant was veiled in animal skins, not only to protect it, but because it was holy.  Veils are there to cover what is holy.  They are also there to protect you from the glory of God that we could not withstand without a covering.

The coats of skins given to Adam and Eve were to cover their sin from God.  The skins represent the first animal sacrifice that was done by Jehovah, Jesus, representing the Atonement.  It's significant that the coats of skin were made by Jehovah.  Kaphar in Hebrew means to cover and is the root word for Kapur which means Atonement.  Adam and Eve were literally covered by Christ's animal sacrifice and in a sense given new life as they were sent out of the garden.  Their garment could also represent their separation from God now that they were cut off, but their garment also represents the Atonement.  It also could represent their connection with God that they still had.  They could still somewhat be near God with their covering of protection from the glory of God.  

We see the veil in the temple ceremony in LDS religion.  The veil is said to have thinned over time in a very literal sense.  In ancient times, apocryphal texts have suggested the veil in the temple was as thick as the width of a hand.  Today in our temple it is a thin fabric. The women in the temple no longer veil their faces. This could be a sign of the veil thinning. The garment is a symbol of the veil containing the same markings to the veil in the temple.  Some suggest the ancient markings to be akin to God's name YHWH in Hebrew.  The wearing of the garment is symbolic of God's protection and also putting on the name of God.  We put on the sacrifice of Christ because the garment is also a covering or atonement and through doing so we have a new life. 

There is significance placed on the navel and the tree of life in the temple.  Here is where the temple is symbolic of a birth story. The amniotic sac that surrounds a baby in the womb is called a veil.  If a baby is born with the amniotic sac intact, it is called a veiled birth.  This is not an LDS thing; it's just a universal thing.  That veil bursts at birth......OR in other words it is rent.  To me this represents something so sacred and holy.  Within the woman's body is the temple itself.  She creates this world for the baby that is nourishing and protecting.  If a veil represents closeness to God, then that makes a lot of sense to me.  I believe babies are closer to God than us.  They just left His presence.  When this veil is rent, the baby is born.  This represents both a closeness to God and a separation from God.  Now the baby is in a new world with a new life.  Before this though, the baby is nourished through the placenta.  What does a placenta look like?  It looks like a tree, and in the birthing world it is referred to as the tree of life.  The placenta along with its veil (amniotic sac) cleanse the world the baby is in.  It cleans and nourishes.  Because the baby is in water it can't breathe, but the placenta provides "inspiration" of oxygen to the baby.  This placenta is connected to the baby through the navel.  The tree of life is behind the veil in the temple.  

Women are not the only ones that are veiled or unveiled in ancient scriptures.  Men also experienced a removing of the "fore skin" which is a symbolic veil.  After the Antediluvian period, the period before the great flood, God covenants with Abraham.  This covenant is known as the covenant of the cut.  Some suggest that there is a connection between the defiling of women from the antediluvian era and this covenant of circumcision. No Hebrew texts say this explicitly, but it has been inferred by some who know the context and history well.....and are smarter than me!  It also makes sense. Before the flood, the people were so evil that there were abortions and sterilizations for the purpose of hedonism and inheriting the earth.  Women were defiled a great deal in this era.  The covenant given after the flood, in part, was about remembering the sacredness of procreation.  God would bless the seed of Abraham if they kept the covenant.   The smarter people suggest that men are required to "take off their hat or covering" before entering a holy place, women were not required to do this.  Can you guess the holy place I'm talking about?  This was to help them remember the holiness of procreation.  Part of this covenant was to divorce sex (pleasure) from procreation.  It was a reminder of the sacredness of the relationship with his wife.  Her body represents the temple. This is interesting and is true if God placed within her a veil and a tree of life, as well as the waters of rebirth.  You don't enter the temple, aka, the woman to just have a good time, but instead this is of the highest and holiest order.  It was about honoring the woman as well as the power of procreation.  If this covenant was not kept there was a curse, it's called being "rooted out", which refers to infertility. The phrase rooted out meant that their line would stop, or they would be infertile.  God would not allow the hedonism and abuse of women again. How is it that all of these ancient temple symbols that are present in our temple today, are also held within the woman?

The woman is also a representation of the Atonement of Christ.  The woman makes a monthly sacrifice of blood in order to create life.  When women deliver a baby, it is the closest example we have to the Atonement.  She is suffering a very large amount of pain in order to bring life into this world.  Her body is sacrificed in a sense for 9 months to make that baby.  I have heard that childbirth is the closest thing to death that a person can experience.  I'm not sure if that's how I would choose to describe it, but I guess it's kind of like that.  When a baby is born and it nurses, the mother's body gives the baby a covering of antibodies for protection.  A baby is born with a natural lotion covering that is a protection for the skin called vernix.  It's a natural moisturizer and is anti-bacterial.   I do think God gave us the privilege of carrying this example and symbolism of the Atonement, and the temple, which I think we should be more honored and reverenced by, rather than so negative.  This is part of our calling and our Divine Feminine.

Heavenly Father is the master of our existence and salvation.  He is the author of the Divine Feminine.  We should never just throw it aside because it is inconvenient, hard, uncomfortable, or painful.  It is an honor to be a representation of life, the ancient temple, and the Atonement.  The veil over the earth will burst again when Jesus comes.  The veil will be rent when we are reunited with God and Jesus Christ.  Just like the baby's veil bursts at birth, the earth's veil will also burst.  Earth is referred to as a mother and she as well.  

Interesting.........after studying and pondering on all of this I find it hard to find the men in all of it........Where are they now?  Just kidding!  They are still here with us!  In LDS theology the man and woman cannot be exalted without each other.  We are two halves of a whole.  We are to be one, and one with God.  Not sounding so misogynistic anymore, is it?  There is nothing weak about femininity.  There is nothing weak or dangerous about being a representative of life and holy things.  There is nothing weak about creating life and birthing children.  There is nothing weak about our monthly sacrifice of blood for life.  There is nothing weak about being a mother.  There is only strength, only holiness, only sacred miracles.  I think I'll take God's design of divine femininity over modern feminism any day!  

I didn't get married till I was almost 26 and in Cedar City time that put me at old maid status.  I should have had a career and 2 cats by then!  It's a miracle anyone wanted me at that age!  I can testify that a job never made me happier than having a family!  I'll take family and motherhood all day over my job!  How does all of this not testify to us of God's love for His daughters???  Where are the women in the church, you ask???  While many women are worried about our numbers of representation on the stand and at the podium, we are missing something quite profound.  Is it any coincidence that the real representation of women in the church is found behind the sacred doors of the temple?  I'm not a coincidence-theorist!  If there is anything I've learned about God, it's that He is very intentional!  Everything is designed with intention.  Words, language and context have meaning.  Everything He does and creates, has meaning, purpose, and symbolism.  So, ladies, in a sense, we are the temple!  In a sense the temple is in us!  We are a representation of the mother of all living!  Our very nature typifies the Atonement of Jesus Christ!  The representation of women in the church and in general, is woven in the most sacred parts of our religion........it's as if God thinks of us as close to Him!

I think the reason women in the church turn to modern feminism is because we lack the understanding of the temple.  We lack the symbolic literacy of the Old Testament, and The Book of Mormon.  The Book of Mormon is a temple book.  There is temple symbolism everywhere!  I do think that the church needs to better educate the youth about the temple.  We need to train our brains to look for the symbolism, in scripture, in our theology, and in our temple.  

God.....Heavenly Father........the original feminist.......the author of the Divine Feminine!

True empowerment comes from God, not modern-day secular feminism!

Are there anymore slogans I can think of?   No.....I guess not.....BUT

God's design for women is better......end of story!😉

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