Mary Daly, we won’t ever forget you…not that you would let us.
I sure wish I’d been a fly on the wall when legendary feminist revolutionary Mary Daly finally met up with whatever power it is that runs our universe.
God forbid it is a man.
On Sunday, January 3, 2010, Mary Daly – grande dame of feminist theology – died, leaving feminists, everywhere, sad but leaving the world one helluva’ legacy.
Mary Daly committed her life to the defining and defeat of patriarchy in every sector of society, that women may be liberated – freed from limitations of any kind.
‘Radical’ is a term commonly used by journalists when describing Mary Daly, but, then, so is ‘prophet’, ‘visionary’ and ‘alterer of the course of world civilization’.
Most known the world ’round for her 30 year stand-off with Boston College and her prodigious body of books, I want to, now, bring attention to Mary Daly’s take on ‘Spirituality’.
After all, Wild Iris Books is a feminist – New Age independent bookstore…
In an article for EnlightenNext magazine, Susan Bridle had the good fortune to interview Mary Daly.
Several questions by Ms. Bridle led to the subject of spirituality.
Mary Daly replied to use of the word ’spirituality’ thusly;
“…There was a point a few years ago when I stopped using the word “spiritual”. …it sounds too much like dichotomizing mind/body.
And, in fact, when I do speak of spirit and matter, I often hyphenate it: “spirit-matter,” for the reason that I don’t like to dichotomize. I think matter is extremely alive and spiritual in the deepest sense.
And so “spiritual” usually just doesn’t do because it seems to carry with it that baggage of dichotomizing.
So whenever possible I use the word “elemental.” By “elemental” I mean a lot of things; the four elements: earth, air, fire, water—but also the ether. And in ancient Greek philosophy the primal sounds of the alphabet were called elemental, and angels were elementals. And the universe, the earth, stars, other planets and the suns were also called elements, or “stoicheia.”
It’s something vast.
My work follows in that tradition of bonding—recognizing and realizing, meaning also actualizing, our connection with the universe. So, the word I commonly use for the ultimate reality—I won’t say “God,” that’s dead—is “the universe.I’ll say “spirit,” but meaning a principle of life within all being, including rocks. …
…it’s a recognition of our connection with the entire universe—microcosm and macrocosm. We don’t necessarily have to know everything that’s out there—that isn’t the point—but it’s a sense of striving for connectedness and a joy in that.
…I think it’s beyond spiritual. I mean, my cat wouldn’t be concerned with “spiritual liberation”; she’s all spirit, she’s absolutely in-spirited…”
Most fascinating to this journalist is that Mary Daly held six graduate degrees – including three doctorates in religion, theology and philosophy – yet concluded it all really is as simple as ‘we are one’.
Ms. Daly, we thank you for ‘altering the course of world civilization’.
We know your spirit-matter is still out there…bringing the ruckus.
Though, at the time, Ms. Daly may not have intended her own statement to be a prognostication, I don’t believe there aren’t any words more befitting the summation of a being’s existence and intentions here on Earth and speculation of what they might be up to in the ‘hereafter’ than those of the ‘grande dame of feminist theology’, herself.
Ladies…a toast…to Ms. Mary Daly.
“There are and will be those who think I have gone overboard. Let them rest assured that this assessment is correct, probably beyond their wildest imaginations, and that I will continue to do so.” - Mary Daly
By: Bernadette CarterOhhh...ya' knooww...I'm your atypical Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Guru who moonlights as a professional ghost writer and psychic medium. I've also been known to work as a Creative Director and Project Manager on commercial web/blog related endeavors. My current obsessions are Chinese Astrology, the Chinese Zodiac and anything having to do with SEO! You can catch me on Twitter @ Spiritual SEO and on Facebook as Bernadette Carter!
Website: http://blog.wildirisbooks.com
