The Superiority of Women

Anonymous Female Author

Back in 1982 Edward C. Whitmont a Jungian psychologists wrote a book called "Return Of The Goddess".  This book was about the returning Goddess archetype and although to my mind a very important book, it was written only for people interested in Jungian psychology.  So unfortunately it was limited in its readership.  So I would like to discuss the return of the Goddess archetype in a more easily understandable form.

A archetype is a powerful emotion that resides in the collective unconsciousness.  A example would be the Hero archetype which in its positive form will push people like soldiers, policemen and firemen to risk their lives to save others.  Though in its negative form will encourage conquerors like Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte and Hitler to conquer other nations and inflict great suffering onto millions of others for no other reason than to boost the conqueror's personal ego.  The Goddess archetype is feminine counterpart to the Hero archetype and is now returning to consciousness.  Over the last two thousand years the Goddess archetype seemed to have nearly completely disappeared from people's consciousness and only survived in passive forms like the Virgin Mary.  Yet over the last few hundred years it is now starting to return and what is becoming clear is that it is a immensely  powerful archetype.  So powerful is it that it is changing the consciousness of the human race over the last few hundred years.

The first clear manifestation came with the beginnings of the Suffragette movement in the late 19th century.  Though it is now clear it this archetype was affecting people's unconscious mind long before this in preparing the way for female emancipation.  Mary Wollstonecraft wrote her famous book "A Vindication Of The Rights Of Women" back in 1792.  Before such a book could be written without the authoress being burnt at the stake as a Witch. 

As scientists took over the role of the wise men of society they couldn't see why women needed to be oppressed. This allowed women to begin to demand equal rights without the threat of violence from the authorities.  What is surprising about the Feminist movements in the 19th and 20th century is the lack of male opposition.  It only took a small band of Suffragettes demonstrating in the streets at the beginning of the 20th century for exclusively male legislators to pass laws giving women voting rights.  The same thing happened in the 1960s where a small number of Women's Liberation demonstrators forced male dominated legislative chambers pass laws giving equal rights for women.  The lesson of this is that the Goddess archetype is so powerful in our world today, that if Women are willing to organize themselves and stand up for themselves, men will quickly capitulate. Though it has to be admitted that the Goddess archetype seem to be more powerful in the West than in many third world countries.  Though even here we are seeing signs of change.  Women in extremely patriarchal countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan are today risking their lives to bring about change.

The Goddess archetype seem to be affecting men in a very different way, as the Goddess archetype seems to be working through men's sexuality.   Back in the 19th century Leopold Von Sacher-Masoch wrote his famous book "Venus In Furs" and other books of a similar nature. He was basically the first FemDom writer and it was from him the word masochism comes from.  Another writer Sir Henry Rider Haggard at about the same time wrote two novels called "She" and "Ayesha, The Return of She".  Although these novels were not sexual they portrayed a women with seemly limitless power.  As in the second book she contemplates ruling China and seems to have the power to rule the world if she wanted to.  In these books she was undone by her love for an attractive man, though perhaps this had to be added to make the books acceptable to the society of the time.

The Goddess archetype was also changing other men's sexual behavior in this period.  The common image of the Victorian prostitute in England is of a very downtrodden powerless women.  Yet this wasn't true for all of them, at the same time there were very successful prostitutes who became very wealthy and powerful, like the infamous "Skittles".  She got her name by threatening men that; "she would knock them down like a bunch of skittles".  It seems that her aggressive nature made her very popular among rich and powerful men of the time who would happy grovel to her.  In spite of the fact she came from the lower classes.  Her great popularity even allowed her to become a fashion leader. As young upper class Victorian Women would copy her dress styles and even her behavior.

In the 1950s I remember reading a book that commented on the strange fact that many men going to prostitutes only wanted to do the prostitute's housework and to be ordered to do it.  Today with the increasingly popularity of the Dominatrix this behavior is becoming more understandable.  As more and more men admit to being sexually excited by Dominant Women.

The Dominant Women has also did have popular appeal in films.  What is remarkable about the Hollywood films of the 1930s and 40s is the popularity of powerful women like Betty Davis, Joan Crawford, Mae West, Marlene Dietrich, Katharine Hepburn and Barbara Stanwyck.  The powerful characters these actresses portrayed were far ahead of their time and must of presented a powerful role model for ordinary women of the time.  Then it seems the Hollywood films were subjected to more rigorous censorship and these powerful woman disappeared from Hollywood films, in the 1950s and 60s and only slowly returning in more recent times.

Where the Goddess archetype has had the greatest influence is in the individual relationships between women and men.  In the 19th century it was normal for men in marriage to be the dominant partner and there was a strong social stigma against him if he wasn't.  Legally he was entitled to beat his wife with a stick and have his "conjugal rights". This means his wife wasn't legally entitled to refuse her husband sex and he was allowed to use violence to get his way.  At the beginning of the 21st century we now see a big change as woman can have her partner charged with rape or assault if he attempted to do this.  Also it is now far more acceptable for men to no longer be the dominant partner, and among the  younger generation it seems to be more common place that the women is more dominant.  There is also now a increasingly number of househusbands where the traditional roles of the sexes has been completely reversed.

So it seems that the Goddess archetype is influencing us all on the political, religious, social and sexual levels.  There is now not a part of life that the Goddess archetype in not influencing and changing our world.  Even ironically in fundamentalist Churches where you have strong dominant women upholding, "family values" and attacking the rights of women to have abortions.

Now we are seeing signs that the Goddess influencing the minds of women in a different way to allow progress to continue.   The demand by Feminists for equality during the 20th century was very effective in giving women more power, but now equality has been nearly achieved it is becoming a hindrance to further progress.  This requires the Goddess to plant in the minds of people that it is acceptable for women to demand dominance over men and not just equality.  This is very difficult to accept for many older women who fought for equality in the 20th century but there are signs that for the younger generation dominance over men is more acceptable to them.

Men also have to change, many men still very much see Female Dominant as only a sexual fantasy.  Though by exploring this fantasy it has brought about a fundamental change within them.  The next stage will be in living this fantasy 24/7 which many men are starting to do.

This then means we are helpless in the face of this returning archetype, because she works on our emotions and unconscious minds. Already people during the 20th century have found social change too fast to cope with as the Goddess archetype increases in power and influence.  She is able to override the efforts of conservative and right wing politicians to stop the rate of change and return us to the certainties of patriarchy.  While the power of the Christian Church is continually being eroded because they continue to dare to challenge the power of the Goddess archetype.  The same is becoming true for Islam where many of its mullahs are becoming increasingly violence and fanatical in the face of  "western influences".   This has created oppressive governments in many Islam countries which in the long run is counter productive.  As normal people will in time revolt against the oppression of fundamental Islam.   This is already happening in places like Iran as the common people are now demanding a more freedom and liberty.  It seems that in Islamic countries where the extremists are not in control like Egypt, Malaya and Libya, women are now starting to organize themselves and demanding the freedoms western women enjoy.  This is why the Islamic clergy fear and hate the west as western influences are undermining patriarchal power in their countries. 

Patriarchy only became possible because the Goddess archetype moved into the background allowing men to rule.  She has now decided to return and there is nothing that can be done to stop Her.