Decolonial Contexts for Healing in Complex Times
Revisiting Healing and Creativity in an Era of Patriarchal Distortion
By Jenna McDonald
"You don’t see something until you have the right metaphor to see it." - Robert Stetson Shaw
Introduction: The Power of Metaphor
This insight underscores the importance of metaphor in shaping our understanding of the world. Over two decades ago, Joanna Macy proposed a provocative re-naming of our current epoch from the Anthropocene (an Era in which humans have impacted every natural system on Earth) to the Andropocene (which honors that fact that women were actually cut out of decision making that led to our current climate crisis). This term highlights a period dominated not just by human impact on the environment, but by a male-dominant and patriarchal worldview that has shaped our relationship with nature, creativity, and ourselves.
Macy's Andropocene reflects a deep-rooted schism perpetuated by centuries of androcentric logic that has marginalized the feminine and the organic. This era, marked by mechanistic and reductionist perspectives, has fostered a rejection of cyclical, nature-based wisdom in favor of linear, hierarchical thinking.
This perspective has profound implications for how we approach creativity, inquiry, and leadership in homes, relationships, and society today.
The Mechanistic Legacy and Its Implications
The Andropocene, as defined by Macy, represents a patriarchal mindset that emerged prominently after the trauma of the Black Plague. This historical trauma, combined with mechanistic metaphors, led to a worldview that treats life as a machine, governed by rigid, predictable laws. In this framework: nature, bodies, and women, all of which operate in cycles of birth and death, were seen as chaotic and undesirable.
According to Woodman (1996), the post-Plague psyche began to view death and ambiguity as threats to be avoided rather than integral parts of life.
This rejection of chaos and uncertainty led to a preference for classical logic over more creative, dynamic forms of understanding. As Low (2013) argues, the logic of ambiguity is essential to creativity, which thrives on integrating contradictions and exploring the unknown.
Creativity and the Crisis of Modern Scholarship
Creativity, at its core, is a vital subject matter for education and leadership. Montuori (2013) suggests that the traditional scholarly approach, rooted in Newtonian objectivity, has long neglected the impact of the observer on the observed. This reductionist view has relegated creativity to a few privileged individuals while ignoring the everyday, relational creativity inherent in nurturing roles, such as mothering and caretaking.
Montuori and Donnelly (2013) advocate for a "more relational creativity," which acknowledges the interconnectedness of all aspects of life and inquiry. This approach contrasts sharply with the traditional androcentric view that separates creativity from everyday life and dismisses the value of the feminine.
The Andropocene has perpetuated the notion that creativity and scholarship should be divorced from the feminine and embodied experiences. Instead, individuals are encouraged to embody the Hero archetype—individuated, self-reliant, and detached from the cyclical, nurturing aspects of the Great Mother.
This dissociation has contributed to a cultural impoverishment of attention and genuine caring (Hershock, 1999).
Colonial Influence on Reproductive and Narcissistic Learning
In the current educational landscape, we encounter two dominant forms of learning: reproductive and narcissistic.
Reproductive learning, which emphasizes repetition and adherence to established norms, aligns with the androcentric logic of stability and predictability. It is the memorization and regurgitation of facts (which we now know are largely subjective).
Narcissistic learning, on the other hand, is characterized by a focus on individual achievement and self-promotion, often in opposition to reproductive education.
Montuori and Donnelly (2013) argue that both forms of learning are inadequate for addressing the complexities of our current epoch.
Reproductive learning fails to account for creativity and transformation, while narcissistic learning prioritizes personal success over collective well-being.
Singer (2014) highlights how society often demands answers rather than solutions, managing anxiety through simplistic approaches rather than embracing the ambiguity inherent in creative inquiry. True creative inquiry, as Montuori (2013) suggests, involves pushing dialogues to new heights and finding joy in the process of learning, rather than seeking definitive resolutions.
My personal journey through education has been marked by a preference for creative inquiry over reproductive and narcissistic learning. My studies in botany, interdisciplinary fields, and cultural programs have exposed me to earth-honoring, cyclical perspectives that contrast with traditional androcentric models. These experiences have emphasized the importance of integrating nature-based wisdom and relational creativity into scholarship.
In being exposed to the institutions of higher learning we see that even the most compelling trends in social media based in Psychology, Self-Help, Neurobiology, etc - maintain their roots in coloniser methods and worldviews.
The Role of Cultural Complexes in Inquiry
Our cultural complexes, such as the Death Mother archetype, play a significant role in shaping our approach to creativity and inquiry. The Death Mother, as described by Sieff (2009), represents a fear of change and transformation, manifesting as resistance to deep, regenerative processes.
This archetype reinforces the status quo by freezing the life-death-life cycle, hindering our ability to embrace creativity and transformation.
The Andropocene, with its patriarchal and dualistic thinking, perpetuates these cultural complexes, leading to a preference for classical logic and predictable outcomes. Montuori (2022) suggests that creative inquiry must engage with both research literature and our cultural context to address these challenges effectively.
And we could all use a bit more diverse rendition of context that includes both indigenous pattern thinking (Yunkaporta, 2020) and Matricentric orientation for the benefit of future generations.
The Need for a Paradigm Shift
To move beyond the limitations of the Andropocene, we must reconsider our approach to creativity. Basically, how we learn in the first place - and the context within which we are learning. Is the body involved? Is there wisdom woven through multi-perspectives? In what place and time does the learning take place and seek to improve?
Eisler (2013) advocates for a holistic perspective that includes both masculine and feminine elements, acknowledging the importance of relational dynamics and historical context.
By integrating prehistorical and goddess wisdom into our understanding, we can challenge the dichotomies created by patriarchal thinking and embrace a more comprehensive view of creativity and inquiry.
Yunkaporta (2020) emphasizes that innate human genius and brain function are enhanced by living within complex systems of natural interconnectivity. Reconnecting with land and nature can restore our creative and neural capacities, allowing us to engage more fully with creative inquiry.
Shifting in the Age of Accelerations
In the face of the relentless pace of the Age of Accelerations (Wergin, 2021), we have been grappling with the challenge of balancing multiple demanding aspects of life: sustaining well-being, supporting children, advancing studies and regenerative actions(which hold potential for future life).
I understand that I am not alone in this struggle; we are all navigating the demands of a Market Economy Culture (MEC) that prioritizes economic continuity over personal well-being and sustainability, particularly for mothers whose labor is often exploited for reproductive tasks (Federici, 2021).
The complexity of modern life can lead to frustration and anxiety, potentially resulting in paralysis or a desire to escape (Wergin, 2021). The constant pressure to stay tethered to the market makes it challenging to embody a Chthulucene (Haraway, 2016), a concept that emphasizes the interconnectedness and care for all beings.
It is difficult to integrate and care for everything when personal survival is closely tied to financial stability.
The Cost of Childcare and Predicament of Being a Mother in the Andropocene
Since becoming a mother, the high cost of childcare necessary to engage in nourishing activities has often negated any sense of enjoyment. I hear this from clients consistently. But the issue is not solely in the cost of participation, but in the lack of communal mothering structures which lead to compounded loss for the financial lives of mothers.
Most long for more choices, funding, and opportunities for mothers to thrive, recognizing that certain privileges may make this topic feel irrelevant to many.
Building a supportive community as a mother within a market-driven context has proven to be one of the most challenging tasks of my life, often seeming insurmountable - but because the need is so universal, I continue to explore the reasons why we do not center mothering-care, as the highest form of child care.
The overwhelming burden of trying to balance numerous responsibilities leads to a sense of inefficacy, overwhelm, and diminished self-worth for mothers in a wage patriarchy - when comparing oneself to others who appear to manage better.
This comparative projection results from a lack of community and shared suffering, highlighting how our brains are wired to experience isolation as painful.
Conclusion: Returning to Pattern Wisdom
The Andropocene represents a period in which creativity was often seen as the domain of the lone genius. However, for much of human history, creativity was associated with the Goddess, the unknown, and the paradox of transformation.
Reclaiming these ancient metaphors and integrating them into our contemporary understanding of creativity can offer new insights and possibilities.
As we seek to revive pattern thinking and creative inquiry, it is essential to acknowledge both the feminine and masculine aspects of our knowledge processes. By doing so, we can cultivate a deeper quality of attention and care, allowing us to engage more effectively with the complexities of our world.
In summary, embracing the wisdom of the Goddess and recognizing the limitations of androcentric thinking can help us navigate the challenges of the Andropocene.
By integrating these insights into our approach to creativity and post-traumatic growth, we can foster a more holistic and transformative understanding of our place in this cultural, and living garden that establishes belonging on Earth and in our very own bodies.
I look forward to sharing more research based writing on the power of re-creating more adequately attuned bio-social environments and spiritual orientation to a global culture impacted by spiritual poverty.
