Think about a world the place magnificence is revered only for bringing pleasure and pleasure; the place buildings abound in swish, naturalistic, energetic renderings of animals and vegetation; the place the human physique is magnificent artwork; the place on a regular basis objects for all are ornamented with advanced, swish imagery. Think about a world the place “magnificence” shouldn’t be a narrowly outlined type of attractiveness or an attribute of works created by a small elite, however a revelation of life’s pleasure created by all, an expression of enjoyment within the Earth, and a bridge to the worlds inside us. If we glance again throughout human historical past, we’ll discover all these expressions of “magnificence for magnificence’s sake,”
From our earliest millennia, “the place you discover people, you’ll find artwork,” says pre-historian Jean Clottes (Marchant). Individuals carved zig zags in shells 500,000 years in the past (Handwerk). About 164,000 years in the past, individuals left behind in South African caves ochre and pierced shells, maybe for jewellery (Marchant). Artists created the oldest cave work but discovered, gorgeous of their realism and motion, in Spain 65,000 years in the past (Handwerk).
Whereas the love of magnificence is definitely expressed in lots of historic and modern cultures, it’s a significantly robust theme working by Outdated European cultures during which ladies performed a robust religious and social position. Marija Gimbutas documented, for instance, the incised and painted pottery and different objects of matriarchal Outdated European societies from 7,000 years in the past and the nonetheless gorgeous colourful wall work from locations like Minoan Crete (Gimbutas). Statues of girls and goddesses superb of their artistry and selection are being excavated from these cultures as are sacred and on a regular basis objects with intricate, swish ornamentation symbolic of feminine sacredness and divinity.
In our personal period, an outpouring of high quality artwork, music, dance, drama poetry and literature started as quickly because the twentieth century feminist spirituality and faith motion dawned. We additionally see a convention of encouraging the creativity of everybody in selfmade residence altars, the creation of significant, sensual, and poetic rituals, and even colourful, individualistic, extremely embellished clothes many feminist spiritualists put on to ceremonies or every single day, evoking the flowery regalia of goddesses and priestesses of the previous. Artwork by modern feminists additionally brings a particular high quality to protest, sidestepping patriarchal assumptions that change should come about by battle, as an alternative persuading and educating by providing new visions and views.
We are able to see the connection of magnificence to the feminist spirituality motion additionally in Carol Christ’s 9 Touchstones of Goddess spirituality (Christ) as nicely. “Nurture life,” “Stroll in love and wonder,” “Belief the information that comes by the physique,” “Observe nice generosity,” and “Restore the net” have apparent relevance to artwork and its bodily, life-affirming, and therapeutic features. However, love, respect, and reverence for magnificence are additionally evident in: “Converse the reality about battle, ache, and struggling,” “Take solely what you want,” “Take into consideration the results of your actions for seven generations,” and “Strategy the taking of life with nice restraint.” In these we do not forget that artwork is an expression of the significance of our bodily existence on the Earth, that it has at all times been a method for girls artists to talk arduous truths whereas testifying to life’s meaningfulness and pleasure; and that the love of magnificence encourages us to protect the supply of all magnificence, the Earth, and the dwelling beings who dwell on Her.
Sadly, our Western society doesn’t at all times dwell by these rules, and it’s not arduous to see a connection between our society’s commodification of girls, of artwork, and of the Earth. Every of those is a repudiation of the sacredness of our lives as bodily beings on the planet to which we owe respect and care. In exploiting ladies, artwork, and the Earth, our mainstream tradition deems second class and disposable the creation of life and those that give beginning, the impulse to create stunning objects, music, poetry, and dance as greater than an financial exercise, and the dwelling pressure of our Earth that, day after day, season after season, and 12 months after 12 months offers abundantly to all dwelling beings in a means that’s the font of all magnificence.
What does our society lose when ladies aren’t in a position to maintain themselves by artwork and their work isn’t skilled? We lose their voices and our important views forever, factors of view that might lead us to options of our biggest challenges. Our cultural lives are much less wealthy and impressed, our communities much less trustworthy and simply. Individuals lack self-awareness and the private advantages of making artwork after they develop into primarily paying customers of artwork, by no means exploring their very own concepts and visions. The environment turns into standardized, drabber, and severed from vitality and pleasure.
When true magnificence for magnificence’s sake is valued, it softens our particular person and cultural arduous edges whereas thrilling these elements of us which are most alive. Our imaginative and prescient is expanded past our slender, on a regular basis sight view. We’re shielded from the tyranny of conformity as a result of all, or no less than extra, views are on view. We see the advantages of magnificence for magnificence’s sake within the immense cultural and social achievements of these historic matriarchal societies during which it was practiced.
Appreciating magnificence for its personal sake and integrating it into many features of on a regular basis life is one key to making a society that’s vibrant and soul-affirming, Earth-honoring, peaceable, and simply. The feminist spirituality and faith neighborhood has already discovered methods, by intuition or maybe a deep remembering, to welcome magnificence into all that we expect and do. It’s a nice present to ourselves and to the world as a mannequin for different communities and even our world society as a complete. Could we discover magnificence in every single day of our lives and cross alongside this blessing to all we meet.
Sources:
Christ, Carol,”Ethics of Goddess Faith: Therapeutic the World,” Feminism and Faith, June 25, 2018, https://feminismandreligion.com/2018/06/25/ethics-of-goddess-religion-by-carol-p-christ/
Gimbutas, Marija. The Civilization of the Goddess: The World of Outdated Europe. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 1991.
Handwerk, Brian. “Oldest Identified Neanderthal Engravings Had been Sealed in a Cave for 57,000 Years.” Smithsonian Journal, June 21, 2023. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/oldest-known-neanderthal-engravings-discovered-in-french-cave-180982408/.
Marchant, J. “A Journey to the Oldest Cave Work within the World.” Smithsonian Journal, January, 2016, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/historical past/journey-oldest-cave-paintings-world-180957685/.
