Goddess Consciousness: The Power of Inanna as Revolutionary Ecofeminist Archetype
Psychological Perspectives, 2019
A robust study of the ecofeminist archetypes in ancient goddess literature, particularly the Sume... more A robust study of the ecofeminist archetypes in ancient goddess literature, particularly the Sumerian myth of Inanna, can assist in facilitating the global shift in consciousness necessary to alleviate environmental destruction and the human cost of patriarchal capitalism by resolving the wounded anima/animus in our collective unconscious. The human and ecological costs of patriarchal capitalism are the result of placing material wealth over life, just as the masculine is placed over the feminine. To guide any permanent cognitive shift, we humans have historically and intuitively drawn upon archetypes and symbols to give meaning to our lives and inform our transformations. Jung pointed out the relationship between the wounded anima/animus in the personal and collective unconscious and our crises of modernity. Ultimately, we long to resolve this disconnect with our ancestral wisdom. The Sumerian myth of Inanna has been “useful in psychological processes of contemporary women and men,...
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Papers by Evin Phoenix
This paper will describe an overview of the interaction of biopsychology and behavior and the conspiracy of factors that cause developmental issues with learning and memory, especially in children. Cutting-edge research on trauma and recovery will be summarized, as well as ideas for future studies. Finally, successful, empirically-supported treatment modalities of healing will be discussed with the hope of demystifying trauma.
Men and women have their differences. In recent times, we have come to respect our differences more. In health, our differences may be a matter of life and death. Research has shown that women are more likely than men to visit the doctor or hospital (Payne, 2006, p. 76). Is this due to women having more health problems or a higher degree of openness to seeking and receiving treatment? In the field of mental health, the data is striking. Men are far less likely to seek counseling than women (Cox, 2014), especially if they are depressed or suicidal. According to Cox, this may be due to self-stigma, gender role conflict, and psychological openness (2014).
Whatever the reasons are, it is as pervasive as it is dangerous. A slew of recent mass shootings perpetrated by mentally ill individuals has recharged the national conversation about mental health stigma. People do seem to be discussing it as a national priority, but what can be done? First, it must be understood. Where is the stigma coming from? Who or what is perpetuating it? How does it relate to the social construction of gender? There is a strong likelihood that mental health stigma is even held and perpetuated amongst medical practitioners, counselors, and those in medical and mental health. What could that mean for potential mental health patients?
Social and perceived stigma are dangerous and destructive, and prevent people from seeking treatment. Psychological symptoms of mental illness are seen as threatening and uncomfortable, and cause people to treat those with mental illness and dangerous or unpredictable pariahs. This paper will explore these issues, especially from a gendered lens, and pose both explanations and proposed solutions to combating the epidemic of stigma.
This paper will explore the complex origins of this astonishingly powerful movement, and attempt to explain the lure of this social movement for people from developed nations. Dozens of Americans and perhaps hundreds of Europeans have crossed the border of Turkey and Syria and joined ISIL’s army, where perhaps half of the army is actually foreign-born (Piven, 2014). What is causing foreigners to flow into Syria and Iraq and join terrorist groups which have institutionalized the most barbaric and extreme forms of racism? This paper will explore what ISIL is, how they recruit, and will include predictions for their future as a social movement, based on theoretical frameworks of social movements.
Drafts by Evin Phoenix
Sumerian myth of Inanna, can assist in facilitating the consciousness shift necessary to resolve the wounded anima/animus in our collective unconscious to mitigate climate catastrophe, ecocide, and associated human costs of unfettered capitalism. The human and ecological costs of patriarchal capitalism are the result of placing material wealth over life, just as the masculine is placed over the feminine. To alleviate environmental destruction and the human cost of patriarchal capitalism, a global shift in consciousness is necessary to place life over material wealth instead of the cultur- ally dominant inverse value system of profit over life. To guide any permanent cognitive shift, humanity has historically and intuitively employed the use of archetype and symbol to give mean- ing to our lives and inform our transformations. Jung pointed out this relationship between the wounded anima/animus in the personal and collective unconscious and our crises of modernity (Jung 1968). Ultimately, we long to resolve this disconnect with our ancestral wisdom. The Su- merian myth of Inanna has been “useful in psychological processes of contemporary women and men” (Grahn 2010), and as ecofeminist archetype can powerfully assist in facilitating the cognitive shift necessary to arrest these individual and collective crises, particularly the myth as recorded by the Sumerian poet Enheduanna and her reclamation of women’s sexual power. The result of this cognitive shift is the development of Goddess Consciousness. These poetic narratives “contextu- alize ecofeminist psychological issues” with powerful descriptions of “nature’s justice” (Grahn 2010). More broadly, this represents an example of the imperative in contemporary psychology to adhere to “epistemic disobedience” (Mignolo 2009) to further the field’s work as cultural healers and “create community and individual well-being,” (Watkins 2018).