by Angela Kaufman
In many metaphysical traditions, the element of Earth corresponds to abundance.
Modern western society equates this with money, stocks, cars and houses, yet those who commune with the Earth element see abundance as all things physical.
Harvest follows process of channeling abstract energy into some physical shape.
This includes the money but also includes things often devalued in our society, namely one’s own body.
The body is central to the generation of abundance. Without a healthy body, one’s ability to generate any other kind of harvest is obstructed.
In philosophical terms, anything we perceive to ‘own’ in the material world can be lost within an incarnation.
The house burns down, the car may be repossessed, the money spent. Only the physical body remains with us, guaranteed throughout the lifetime.
Yet we are taught to devalue and disown our bodies.
We are taught that our bodies belong first to our parents, when we are children, and then to our company, to be worked to the point of injury or death.
For women the situation bears further gravity.
We are taught on that our bodies belong to our spouse, our children if we bear them, or even to society or the government.
If such a statement appears absurd consider that external institutions of commercialized fashion industry and even government dictate what we wear and what size or shape our bodies should be.
Consider that the exposition of body parts, even in the act of breastfeeding, are considered vile or criminal.
Campaigns to draw attention to breast cancer have been censored on Facebook for showing women’s nipples.
Even the image of the Tarot based Queen of Pentacles as created for the book Queen Up!, ironically the ruler of the Earth element in Tarot, was censored on the social media platform as pornographic because it depicts an exposed breast.
image from Author’s book Queen Up!
We, as women, have no say over when and whether we can share the image of our bodies or even art in our likeness, without someone else determining for us if our actions are ‘pornographic’ or inappropriate.
This is what it means to lack body autonomy. To have someone else dictate our physical experience, and our relationship to the only source of abundance that we truly own during this lifetime.
But it doesn’t end there. Every child who is instructed that they must hug, kiss or sit on the lap of an adult is taught they don’t control their own bodies.
Every child who is forced to sit at a table and eat what is on their plate before being allowed to leave is being taught their body’s wisdom is not valid.
Every woman who is reprimanded for complaining about the unwanted physical contact or ‘friendly’ unsolicited touching of others is being reminded of what she learned as a child- that her body is not her own.
Living in a society that disparages the Earth in all Her forms, including the microcosm of Earth energy- the human body itself, creates a fundamental breach of power.
The very power to determine what is right for one’s own body, the notion that one does not own their own basic asset, is the first crucial step to disempowering women, and all of humanity.
We can accept that a bank may repossess a car. After all, we are only borrowing it until it is completely paid for. Even if it is paid in full, it, like all things, is temporary.
Yet our bodies are not on loan to us from society or government, or a corporation.
We owe no debt to family, lovers, society or government for the right to body autonomy.
We have been indoctrinated to mistrust our bodies and question our authority over our bodies as part of the system of Patriarchy.
A system which benefits when we are uprooted from the Earth element in all its forms. Disconnection with nature, alienation from our sources of food and disharmony with our own bodily autonomy.
It is no coincidence that Patriarchy removes us from all that is sacred in the Earth but also from our means of access to abundance in all its forms, even as mere energy.
How radical it must seem to those of us still awakening from the slumber induced by this institution to be told that people – women in particula r- have a right to decide what is best for our own bodies.
That we have a right to conceal, display, nourish, medicate or care for our own bodies.
That we have a right to decide the function of our bodies, rather than subscribing to the social roles given to us as mother or sexualized objects or passive companions or sources of affection for others.
How striking it must seem to those whose conditioning has not been challenged, to hear and see people, especially women, reclaiming their Earth energy which is a core source of our own power.
Our power as abundant beings, as physical beings and as beings with a right to manage our own resources ranging from money to our physical bodies.
And our reproductive choices.
The outrageous abortion bans making headlines in numerous states have little to do with concerns about life.
They have little to do with family values or protecting the rights of future children yet to exist outside the womb.
They have everything to do with a backlash against women reconnecting with our Earth power.
They have everything to do with perpetuating a generations old cycle of keeping women disenfranchised, dependent, interfering with bodily autonomy, subjecting women to the rule of institutions which will dictate what can and can’t be done with our own bodies as if it were not a matter of personal choice but a matter of terms and conditions outlined in the leasing of a car.
It is a blow to the power of the Earth element in all women and in all people and a continuation of a cycle of abuse of power.
Beyond the procedure of abortion, this legislation is about the social norms that devalue women’s bodies and usurp our control over our own destinies and choices.
It is as much an assault on our bodies as it is on our connection to the energy of Earth and the power within us all to be grounded in our physicality as people.
In order to truly take back our power we must learn to distinguish between the wisdom of our own bodies and the interference of the Patriarchy.
We have much healing to do in order to make peace with our bodies and heal shame, replacing self hatred and hiding with love and openness.
Our efforts to heal and protect the Earth are directly related to our ability to heal and re-root ourselves.
We must challenge the disastrous efforts of Patriarchy to uproot and control our bodies at every turn. This includes protecting a woman’s right to control whether she wants her body to bear children.
Regardless of one’s personal stance on abortion, protecting the safety of the right to choose is crucial to protecting the connection between our bodies and our destinies.
IN CONCLUSION
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About the Author:
Angela Kaufman is an Intuitive Empowerment Coach, and author of the book, Queen Up! Reclaim Your Crown When Life Knocks You Down- Unleash the Power of Your Inner Tarot Queen (2018, Conari Press). She specializes in blending the mystical and mundane to help women at the crossroads connect with their core sources of power to overcome obstacles. She is also an activist and artist. For more information visit intuitiveangela.com/inner-queen/.
featured image via deviantart
