“The empowered woman is powerful beyond measure and beautiful beyond description” –Steve Maraboli
A woman is a magnificent creature. She is a fighter. A listener, an athlete, a leader. A caregiver, a provider, a peacebuilder. A life bearer. She is a human uniquely capable of moving mountains in the face of adversity. During these turbulent times, “woman” is reinventing herself. She is stepping into new roles and exploring her power. Amongst varying predictions of impending disaster, women around the world are wrestling with finding suitable solutions for big problems. Women are protesting, persevering, and persisting despite enduring conditions of gender discrimination. The increasing involvement of women in decision-making, politics, social movements, and management promises to speed up and improve action against the current climate crisis. When women remember their divine power and use their energy to contribute to the global fight for social justice, the world benefits. Aside from being a source of life, a woman can also become a savior of life.
The book ‘Why Women Will Save the Planet’ by Friends of the Earth argues that enabling and empowering women will heighten our collective ability to move towards environmental sustainability. This is not to say women are automatically more capable at or more responsible for leading or changing the world than other genders. It simply means that they hold space differently, approach issues from a different and often overlooked place, and have a lot to offer when it comes to solving human problems. In an article for The New York Times from earlier this year, Tina Brown argues that a woman’s wisdom comes in part from her struggle and her attempts to juggle the moving parts in family, personal, and professional life. This wisdom should be integrated into modern paths of power if we are to soothe our world and have any hope of saving it. Brown believes salvation will not be found in the traditionally masculine path of self-elevation and conflict, but rather in the distinctive ways of knowing and peaceful coexistence women have accumulated for thousands of years. Creating a wholesome society depends on unearthing the knowledge and ideas that have historically been dismissed and reexamining our standard ways of doing things. We cannot expect different results if we continue to do the same thing over and over and over again.
Our ancestors understood the connection between female power and earth power. The school of thought branded “ecofeminism” is aiming to understand this connection again. Ecofeminist thinkers use the concept of gender to examine how humans relate to the natural world. How do male-dominated social systems influence Earth’s ecosystems? Is there a connection between long-term sustainability and women in leadership roles? Why is Mother Earth a female? Wicca, said to be the oldest religion in the world, demonstrates how the woman has been identified with divine power. The cycles of woman parallel cycles of nature, most obviously exemplified in the congruence of the moon and menstrual cycles. When women use their wisdom, inner light, and intuitive nature to bring about change in society, we can heal the environment and look at solutions to global issues with eagerness and enthusiasm instead of doom and despair. It is no accident that the toxic political energies of Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Vladimir Putin, and Jair Bolsonaro coincide with the most environmentally destructive and crisis-ridden period of the recent past. A new world needs new leadership and a new economy. A new economy needs to put Earth, sustainability, and women at the top of the priority list.
Living in uncertain and violent times means it can be hard to stay engaged, to stay hopeful. In an article written for Impakter, Anne Hidalgo notes how climate disasters disproportionately affect women. Systems designed by men have also been catering to men for hundreds of years, marginalizing the role of women in society – when in fact their impact on the world is tremendous. Making up half of the global population, bearing the brunt of raising children, and persisting through hundreds of years of oppression, womankind has surpassed great obstacles before and are well placed to do so again. Opening the gates to a new (and harmonious) Golden Age of humanity depends on redesigning systems to prioritize inclusivity, gender equality, and above all, sustainability. The tide is changing already as women remember their power, run for office, get involved, speak louder, dream bigger, jump hurdles, juggle responsibilities, overcome adversity, and tackle the climate crisis. On a local and global scale, women are standing up to make sure that the sun comes out tomorrow, food still grows tomorrow, children breathe clean air tomorrow, and we all live a better life tomorrow.
However, the fight for social justice and global sustainability is taking place today. We need to inspire the new generation of women and men to adapt to climate change and work for a better world together. We need to invest in women and girls to create a healthy, balanced society. This article is a call to action to save yourself, your families, your future. Make yourself be heard and seen so you can help make the planet whole again. Disrupt the power structures that are in place and reshape them. Do not give in to the doom and gloom narrative. Make your own instead. Tap into the intuitive feminine energy this planet so desperately needs more of and strive for harmony with the natural world. Unlearn things you have been conditioned to believe about humanity’s relationship with the Earth. Unlearn what you know about power, about women and men, about the limits on your potential. Learn instead how to connect with your inner drive to live well and live happily. Learn how to empower yourself to protect those things which your life depends on. Stay active, stay hopeful, and persevere.
Art by: Desiree Finlayson
