19 July 2005
Dear Friends,
As mentioned in the previous number, I have encountered another work, The Chalice and The Blade by Riane Eisler, which bears significantly upon the discussion being developed in Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World. The book was recommended to me by none other than Ishmael; although he didn't elaborate, and I neglected at first to follow up on his recommendation.
Accordingly, I have significantly expanded chapter "11. Lessons From History," in order to accommodate this new (to me) information; and I must admit I am somewhat dismayed at how much that is obvious I habitually overlook entirely, until it is pointed out to me. Mainly, to put it in a nutshell, "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Which is to say, in a few more words, that a culture based upon domination of women by men (or the other way about, for that matter), as ours is, and as civilizations have been throughout "recorded history," is a culture destined for utter self-destruction – until and unless this critically unbalanced condition is corrected.
On the basis of the latest revisions, the current edition of Metaconsciousness: Mythology for a Post-Civilized World has been promoted to "V 1.00" – because I feel that with the addition of this vital element (i.e. the importance of balance and harmony between men and women) a gaping hole in my thesis has been addressed in at least rudimentary terms. Future editions will expand and refine the discussion further; yet with the explicit inclusion of the male / female nexus in the evolving mythology, we may have finally arrived, so it seems to me, at what we might tentatively call "square one."
Now yet again, I want to invite and encourage your collaborative input in this project to develop an "open-source mythology" for a post-civilized world. Thank you for your time, attention, and your participation.
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Love, Peace, Joy, Now,
Harmon
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