Ecofeminism understands our current planetary predicament to involve crises of
the environment and spirit, crises that impact all of creation regardless of
particularities; crises that will only be undone when women and nature, the
marginalized and the oppressed, are no longer contained within a patriarchal
paradigm. Goddess spirituality of the west is one counter-force that acts on
multiple levels to undermine manipulative patriarchal identity branding and
control. It is a subversive tactic in part because it can and does, as many of
us have experienced personally, transcend national, political, and religio-cultural interests.
With this, the goddess of the west (however envisioned) is today joining together with a goddess-centered spirituality of the east known as Sakta
Tantra. At SHARANYA, we call our tradition Sha’can.
As the founder of SHARANYA, it is important to share that ecofeminism and Tantra both encompass and engage my personal beliefs on political,
spiritual, theological/thealogical, cosmological, and practical levels. I come
to this work of spirituality as an ecofeminist and woman of deep spiritual conviction. I am
an initiated Sakta, an initiated Tantrick and an hereditary witch. Although much of how I identify sits readily outside of the normative, I have been nevertheless socialized from
birth to fit within the dominant socio-cultural frameworks of the
United States. With this and given the privilege of a good education, I have found that my own identity and on-going
struggle to emerge, for a variety of reasons, from a patriarchal paradigm
benefits from both an ecofeminist deconstruction of the western worldview (a
worldview based upon duality), and a Sakta Tantrick
cosmology that reveres the immanence of spirit and in turn provides ritualized
as well as lived practices in which the body acts as and becomes substance for
the Divine.
The Goddesses of both these contexts, I believe, are coming together now at least
in part to help establish an identity politic that transcends patriarchal
gender valuations, in order to finally break the bonds of the patriarchal
paradigm that hold both men and women. Patriarchy, after all, is not simply
something with which women contend; it is an oppressive paradigm with which
the whole of society the world over contends, while gender itself, of course,
cuts across categories of race, class, ethnicity and other such distinctions.
And while it is obvious that oppression is not limited to gender, oppression
based on gender is similarly not independent of other factors. But within a
revisioned gender-identity framework (an example of which I will talk about in
just a moment), one based upon spiritual values such as those the Goddesses of
east and west empower, I believe alternatives can be found and implemented
that actually promote life as a rich and diverse system of interrelated and
interdependent actors and functions rather than as a field for pathological
experimentation.
Both ecofeminist and Tantrick philosophies and practices can be articulated as
integralism. Neither promotes the sublimation of diversity within a
life-negating One. Rather, both visions hold Trinitarian notions—notions that
in my mind foster the unfolding and dynamic spiraling of life.
Each specifically has an articulated theology of divine immanence (as
mentioned already for Tantra), and to greater or lesser degree (somewhat
lesser, I believe, in the case of ecofeminism, but one nevertheless) of
transcendent spirit in relationship to it, making these systems ready partners
in many respects. And indeed, the scholarly literature has already produced an
ecofeminism of Tantra.
With particular reverence for the human body, Earth, and indigenous traditions
as sacred and meaningful, and an approach that brings together eastern and
western philosophies, spiritualities, and cosmologies, an ecofeminism of
Tantra (informed by writers, traditions, philosophies, rituals and visions
from both contexts) becomes, in my opinion, a much clearer lens through which
to view and act in the world.
The Work of Our Spirituality
Tantra’s point most generally is the realization of an integrated wholeness of
polarities.
Framed as integralism, or what I like to call a radical non-duality of
relationship, this means that already extant in this eastern system of
spiritual thought is a model for unpathologized and dynamically balanced
relationships. In Sakta Tantra specifically, this idea is placed in an
environment where none other than Goddesses (or The Goddess, known generally
as Devi, or more specifically as Kali) rule; by this, I mean they are
considered supreme, at once the ultimate creatrix of and point of dissolution
for the Universe as well as the holders of paradox. As an aside, although the
Sakta and Tantrick traditions are often conflated because of the importance of
the goddess within Tantra generally, the followers of Tantra are not all
primarily worshippers of the goddess. There are distinct paths within Tantra;
however, it is devi who engages my heart, mind and soul, and hence not only my
choice of tradition, but of exploration for a realized pathway out of
patriarchy.
Through SHARANYA’s work in the world, we seek to develop an understanding of the Hindu fierce
goddesses as they function to serve women and men in a rapidly transforming
world. I therefore tend put my eye to the realm of Sakta Tantra where Mahakali
(The Great Kali) of the Tantrick tradition is herself the triune vision of the
goddess—Maid, Mother, and Crone, who supports all diversity in relationship. I
do this because within this tradition, as Rita DasGupta Sherma
has suggested, are found (to western senses at least) ecofeminist principles
and an empowering recognition of the Goddess that helps alter perspectives and
paradigms. And this is of special importance in parts of the world such as
ours, which are historically and most generally goddess-less lands...although
that is has been changing now for some time with the presence of more and more
people committed to an awakening and re-emergence of the Divine Feminine.
In terms of paradigms, ecofeminist methodology uncovers the project of patriarchy as a
universal paradigm that destroys relatedness and promotes homogenization by
rendering women and nature passive objects to be largely developed, controlled
or consumed. One counter to this is found within Indian philosophy generally,
and as proposed by Vandana Shiva, the call is to embracing the notion of
Prakriti as living nature or Feminine principle, a principle that according to
her, is the entirety of nature, inclusive of its ability to create, sustain,
and destroy.
Shiva believes that such a philosophy can accomplish a more balanced worldview
while promoting environmental sustainability and the well being of diverse,
autonomous communities. Her work is important, I believe, in part because
represents a non-dominant perspective, one garnered from India and proposed by
an Indian woman. I also value Shiva’s contribution because she has been
willing to bring spirit to the table as a viable source of empowerment in the
larger ecofeminist discourse.
Shiva’s
position also helps formulate that revisioned gender-identity framework to
which I referred earlier. Hers is a transgendered approach to reworking
dominant paradigm systems that accords with a relational radical non-duality.
In it, prakriti asserts respect for everyone, meaning "both a holistic
perspective and an inclusive agenda of concerns based on its considerable
respect for diversity—both in turn being principles of nature." In this, ecofeminism as a philosophical position
explicitly deepens a conversation about the creative tension of holding a
universal/particular duality. In particular it stresses, along the lines of
Ernesto Laclau’s description, relevant here, that it is the, “unresolved
tension between universalism and particularism [that] opens the way to a
movement away from Western Eurocentrism, through an operation that we could
call a systematic decentering of the West.”
This
decentering provides not only a gateway, but serves an irresolvable paradox
whose, again according to Laclau, “non-solution is the very precondition of
democracy.”
This paradox is being articulately theorized, for example, by Shiva’s
ecofeminism and is extant within Sakta Tantra. Sakta Tantra itself holds a
strong conceptual container in which understanding the necessity of paradox
exists. Created from the tension between the opposites of Purusa (the
Masculine principle) and Prakriti, these principles are responsible for
creating the world; for creating a balance of opposites required to maintain
what Ajit Mookerjee calls “macrocosmic equilibrium,” or a state by which a
“collective uniqueness realize[s] the feminine fullness of the universe.”
Women, Feminism, Spirituality & Goddess
With this
conception of goddess-centered spirituality in mind, it is important to
ask regarding the innovations of women’s or feminist spirituality today: what
is the exact nature of the spiritual traditions being “innovated” for our
purposes; by whom does that innovation get enacted; what or who is left behind
in the process; and further, is feminism a concern only of women-occupied
spaces (and it may be asked who defines those feminist spaces), or can
feminism open a space within itself to include all women, all continents, and
all genders? If so, what does that “inclusiveness” look like, particularly for
peoples across differences of race, age, ethnicity, class, and culture?
Specifically of interest in developing an ecofeminism of Tantra are the
contexts in which Indian women, Hindu spirituality, and feminism exist and
overlap. Chandra Mohanty’s critique of Northern (First World) feminists who
totalize Southern (Third World) women and ignore the differences among them is
relevant here. Mohanty challenges Northern feminists not to essentialize
Southern women, and it is
with this in mind that we at SHARANYA urge us all to endeavor a globalized feminist stance that
includes sensitivity to the particulars; including, the relativism of truth
claims that serve in the overall fight for an emancipatory discourse.
Also
important in these areas of intersection and overlap among contexts and
disciplines just mentioned is the kind of awareness Carol Lee Flinders brings
to a conversation of feminism and spirituality in which she specifically
recommends that western feminists enter into dialogue with Indian feminists so
that each can learn from the other, particularly given the living goddess
traditions of Hindu India and the ways in which these traditions inform some
Indian feminisms.
Specifically because, while for some Indian feminists (as is true for many
western feminists) spirituality is not an important focus, for others it is.
Then, if
engaging an east-west dialogue under the rubric of an ecofeminism of Tantra,
looking at feminist concerns about the treatment and status of women in
spiritual contexts is also necessary. Within Sakta Tantra especially, the
literal position of women generally pales in comparison to the status afforded
the goddess. While women may occupy a metaphysically high position—they may,
in some cases, be said to be a small part of the devi’s sakti with some
resultant real-world benefits—they are still most generally marginal. On the
one hand, the Sakta tradition has been said to be:
suited to all constitutions and to all
stations of life. It is for the
prince as for the peasant, for the poor as for the rich, for the man of
business as for the man of leisure.
It makes no distinction of caste, colour, creed, or nationality,
welcoming one and all who will bow to the lotus-feet of the Divine Mother.
Yet, it is
still a tradition where many interpreters and practitioners often avoid
discussing the role and status of women.
For example, Barada Kanta Majumdar just quoted, seems to have left at
least one distinction off his list—gender.
On the
other hand, as David Gordon White notes:
...it
would be hasty to conclude, on the basis of the general Tantric exaltation
of feminine energy, that female practitioners have ever dominated the
religious or political Tantric sphere. Even in her transformative initiatory role, the Tantric
consort has remained instrumental to the requirements of the male
practitioners she transforms.
Other recent attempts
to discuss women’s place in Sakta Tantrism have, while not exhaustive or
entirely feminist, at least opened a door to a critical conversation in this
regard. Some recognize that in many interpretations, women within the Sakta
tradition have not generally been viewed as serving as anything other than
ritual instruments for men’s sadhana or spiritual practice. But many, perhaps
attempting to legitimate a feminist Sakta Tantra, are claiming women to have a
significant role to play in the formal worship rites, in which they sometimes
primarily act as initiator.
Nevertheless, taken with a critique in mind, Sakta Tantra can provide a model not only for the elevation of women’s status in Hindu society, but
for the reclamation of goddesses and women’s empowerment the world over.
Conclusion
Within SHARANYA's vision, Kali as the Supreme Goddess again manifests,
serving not only an ecofeminist reconceptualization of Sakta Tantra, but also
a western push to break open the bounds of the Abrahamic faiths. For
westerners, as Rita Gross argues, Kali may be telling us, “it’s okay to be
female,”
and more generally, perhaps She’s telling humanity that it is okay to
restore honor and dignity to the Feminine.
To conclude this brief introduction to an ecofeminism of Tantra conversation, we at SHARANYA offer that a collaboration of ecofeminist and Tantrick
principles can help foster the development of a community supportive of
life-affirming struggles rather than the struggles of continuing domination.
An articulated ecofeminism of Tantra can become a rooted category of challenge
to the dominant culture. In this awareness and action, women and nature will
create real and individually meaningful values that translate to positive
world transformation. In this awareness, we believe that subordinated
communities will find ways to reclaim marginalized ideological and literal
spaces. No matter where in the world, the creation and reclamation of such
space can act on multiple counts to empower individuals and institutions.
An ecofeminism of Tantra can therefore:
- help build
self-worth and positive identity frameworks;
- foster the development of an
“earth family”;
- foster a participatory and sustainable environment; and
- develop an ethic where exploitation is not conceivable in any context.
Lastly, it can help promote specific action, including ritual work and personal spiritual practice that informs engaged spirituality, as well as
provide the tools for the unpathologizing and healing of relationships on all levels—between
men and women, between the marginal and the normative, and ultimately, between our human
species and the rest of the planet.
Ecofeminism and Tantra