In this article, we will look at the two ways human societies can be organized. One form of organization is called matriarchy. The other form is called patriarchy. In matriarchal societies, lineage passes through the mother. In patriarchal societies, lineage passes through the father. This apparently minor difference has a significant influence on the core values embraced by a society – in almost every aspect – from the family to political institutions and the organization of the economy. We will look at matriarchal societies first.
Matriarchy
Because lineage passes through the mother, the core values of matriarchy enhance the balance of male-female forces in women and men as well as in the institutions of society. This leads to a balanced, non-violent society that values life and relationships above power and wealth. Although few examples of matriarchal societies have survived, from the historical record we’ve learned that some features are common to them all.
Matriarchal societies live in clans. And all clan members have equal rights – which means woman are valued for their intrinsic worth – and along with men, they jointly decide on the destiny of the clan.
From the work of Heide Göttner-Abendroth, we learn that, in matriarchal societies, care was taken to maintain a healthy balance between women and men as well as between humans and the natural world – and that the acquisition of wealth by individuals in matriarchal societies was mediated by social rules. For example, at village festivals, wealthy individuals were obliged to invite all inhabitants to banquets, during which they distributed their wealth to gain honor. Ms. Göttner-Abendroth goes on to explain that, at the social level, women maintained control over the sources of nourishment, in particular the harvest and its distribution. This characteristic feature of matriarchy granted women such a strong position that they rarely had to struggle to assert their power and radiate it freely.
Like everything else, political decision-making was organized along the lines of matriarchal kinship. In matriarchal cultures, women and men met in village councils where domestic matters were discussed – and decisions were agreed upon by consensus. This practice extended beyond the village to the regional level, where decisions were made in the same way. This meant that every clan-house in every village was involved in the decision-making process.
These social and political traditions were time tested – and were designed specifically to prevent the rise of a ruling class that could oppress vulnerable members of society.
Another unique feature of matriarchal societies was the adoration of life, symbolized by the earth goddess, which included the planet Earth and the richness of life that is nourished by it. Because the earth goddess served as the model – balance and flexibility were prized, so was wisdom that was the product of experience and good character.
Even so – in matriarchal societies, people had their conflicts. But conflicts were resolved in the context of relationship – which meant that a system of justice based on balance and harmony was prized above rigid laws and regulations.
Patriarchy
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably lived your entire life in a patriarchal society – and you’ve had virtually no contact with any societies that are matriarchal. That’s because all major Christian and Islamic cultures are patriarchal. And, like everybody who has lived in a patriarchal culture, your well-being, your relationships and your ability to radiate your power freely have suffered. That’s because all patriarchal societies are male dominant, hierarchal and rigid – which means they put rules above relationships. And, their core values inhibit the free flow of Shakti’s energy through all members of society – especially women.
In the Western world, patriarchy arose several millennia before the modern era after deserts formed in North Africa, Arabia and Central Asia. After being buffeted by ecological shocks and famines and the ecological stress caused by a lack of resources, the matriarchal communities of the region collapsed.
It was during this period that violent desert tribes invaded the matriarchal villages and cities in the still fertile valleys of the Nile, Euphrates-Tigris and the Indus valley.
The largest known matriarchal community at the time was called Çatal Hüyük. From Wikipedia, we learn that Çatal Hüyük was a very large settlement in modern day Turkey, that was inhabited from approximately 7500 BC to 5700 BC.
In Çatal Hüyük, there were no defense fortifications – and no public buildings, palaces or temples. This strongly suggests that the city of almost 10,000 people was a matriarchal society.
The most recent investigations also reveal little social distinction based on gender, with men and women receiving equivalent nutrition and having equal social status and equal opportunity to participate in community activities.
When settlements like Çatal Hüyük were overrun by patriarchal cultures, much changed particularly for women. The conquerors reorganized the matriarchal societies according to their core values: a hierarchal system based on power and wealth that was concentrated in an elite – usually with a king at the helm. Patriarchal societies weren’t sustained by consensus any longer, as they’d been in matriarchal societies, but by brute force – and the labor of those who toiled to subordinate nature to the needs of the elite.
In contrast to matriarchal cultures, inheritance became paternal, and wealth was transferred from father to son. The conquerors also introduced a strange new idea: that men – not women – played the dominant role in procreation.
In the spiritual dimension, the adoration of the life-giving goddess was abandoned – replaced by a hierarchy with a male God at the head. In the early days of patriarchy, this male God was often personified by the sun. But later, the concept of a male God diversified into Thor in Norse culture, Mazda in Persian culture and Ra in Egyptian culture.
Women Fight Back
In many societies, even after the introduction of a dominant male deity that was antagonistic to female power and radiance, women tried to preserve their old heritage. They were most successful in natural medicine because their knowledge made them indispensable in pre-technological societies. However, even in natural medicine, much of their knowledge, power and status was eliminated – at least in Europe and North America – during the bloody witch hunts at the beginning of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.