philosophy
I view the natural world, literature, and the Divine Feminine as deeply connected through the archetypal, symbolic, and spiritual understanding of the Earth as a living, nurturing entity. ​
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Our planet is an amazing and vibrant ecosystem, rich with diverse plants and animals and crucial elements of air, water, and soil. This complex web of life has existed since the very start, highlighting the extraordinary balance needed to nurture and sustain life on Earth.​​​​
"Some humans say trees are not sentient beings,
But they do not understand poetry—
Nor can they hear the singing of trees when they are fed by
Wind, or water music—
Or hear their cries of anguish when they are broken and bereft—"
— Speaking Tree, by Joy Harjo
For thousands of years, this connection was expressed by viewing nature not as an object to be exploited, but as the "Great Mother" or a manifestation of sacred feminine energy, embodying birth, growth, death, and regeneration​.​
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The Divine Feminine represents a spiritual knowing or energy filled with empathy, compassion, and nurturing qualities. This includes the cycles of life, including creation, destruction and rebirth. This energy is symbolized by various goddesses, like Shakti, Atira, and Pachamama, and is a universal creative force that resides in all individuals. It transcends gender boundaries and cultivates balance in our world.​​​
The imbalance we see in our world today stems, in part, to the historical suppression of Divine Feminine energy by patriarchal systems. For thousands of years, qualities like intuition, nurturing, and collaboration have been disregarded or silenced, causing the current form of masculine dominance that lacks harmony. We live in a world where gift economies gave way to market economies, stewardship to ownership, commodification of natural resources, and constructed scarcity. This energy focuses on competition, greed, logic, control, and rigidity, and has led to environmental harm and societal turmoil.
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This history would likely have been lost, if it weren't for the passionate research that is now reflected in literary works. Literature provides the language and narrative that acts as the portal to understanding the relationship between nature and the Divine Feminine. In essence, it helps us understand who we are. The expansion of our world through literature can unveil the universal themes that connect us and this can be the driving force for positive transformation.
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In my own way, I want to remind us how we are all connected. We've lost our original way of being, which was centered around trusting our intuition and living in reciprocity with nature. The Divine Feminine or Mother Earth was revered throughout history and was our natural, intuitive essence. Returning to intuition, collaboration, and nurturing is the way to bring balance back into our world. This forms the heart of Toemi Jewelry.