The patriarchal society and programming that I describe in Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom has a lot to do with how you think about your body and care for yourself. When I say patriarchal society and programming, I’m referring to the belief that the masculine ways of being (and doing) are superior to the feminine ways of being (and doing). This has been a part of the world’s culture for thousands of years. And after 5,000 years of patriarchal programming, it’s no surprise that women get sick in the uniquely female areas of their bodies. Anne Wilson Schaef calls it, “The original sin of being born female.” This refers back to the Bible story about Adam and Eve… God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and declared that Eve would bring forth children in pain and suffering, because she tempted Adam. This kind of programming teaches women—at the deepest, deepest level—that the processes of her female body, including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, labor, and menopause, are burdens to be endured. This belief system has left women with the idea that a woman’s body is not “good enough.” And nothing could be farther from the truth. These processes are embodied with wisdom—clues that tell us that something in our lives is out of balance. Whenever we trivialize our bodies or are ashamed of their normal processes, we are not only missing these clues, we are contributing to our own ill health. To truly thrive as women, we need to reverse or abandon this programming entirely. - Dr. Christiane Northrup
Posted on: Thu, 20 Mar 2014 21:13:25 +0000
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