| Within contemporary feminism is a concern with spirituality as not only an integral part of feminism but also as a means to create change. This dissertation is a study of four threads of contemporary American women's spirituality which adhere to the female principle or that force which creates, nourishes, and has as purpose the well-being of the earth, the universe, and all its inhabitants. Most of the threads examined have as a focal point the Goddess, who is symbol of the female principle and who is called by various names. Each of these threads also recognizes that most Euro-Americans do not acknowledge the female principle as primary and that generally the lack of this acknowledgement has been destructive. Thus, the dominant Euro-American culture needs to be "cured" or changed if the destruction is to end and well-being is to be restored. All four groups take this goal seriously, offering varying kinds of "ceremonies" to help participants discover the female principle within themselves and to act upon it.; This study is divided into chapters with each chapter looking at a different thread of women's spirituality based on the female principle. Chapter 2 looks at the thread which is part of Laguna Pueblo culture through the novels of Leslie Marmon Silko and Paula Gunn Allen. Chapter 3 looks at a thread of Afro-American culture rooted in West African culture through some of the writings of Alice Walker and Audre Lorde. Chapter 4 looks at a Celtic pagan tradition surviving in American culture through the writings and rituals of Starhawk and through Marion Zimmer Bradley's novel, The Mists of Avalon. Chapter 5 looks at the female principle exhibited in the mainstream culture areas of politics and psychology by white feminist activists Sonia Johnson, 1984 presidential candidate, and Anne Wilson Schaef, psychotherapist.; The conclusion brings all of these threads together with a discussion of a female ethic of caring, the cornerstone of the philosophy of the female principle. Taken together, the work of these writers and activists contributes to a vision of a world based on a female principle. |
