Thank You Very Sweet

I first learned of the concept of sacred rage while reading about of the myth of Pacha Karmaq, the Father of the World according to Peruvan Ichma Culture. The Ichma predated the Inca’s and they believe that God created Man and Woman but, in so doing, forgot to create food. When man died from malnourishment, woman got angry and demanded reparation from God. Pacha Karmaq responded by blessing woman with fertility and populating the earth with food. According to this myth, the sacred rage of woman led her to demand healing change.

In my view, this myth speaks to the need for sacred rage over neglect and how it can inspire creative resourcefulness within us.  It begs us to ask questions of ourselves about what is being neglected in our lives, communities, country, and world.  What is being neglected in education and in spiritual development? Can we speak our truth about these areas of neglect and even muddle in the uncomfortable waters of rage over them?

I am enraged by the marginalization of women in stories about God.  I am an ordained Christian minister with a Master of Divinity from an Ivy League institution.  I learned about God as man in my formal and informal training. Courses about God and women were specialized electives, not general track requirements. 

The year 2020 created time and space for me to explore the ways that world cultures throughout history have understood who God is.  I learned many stories about powerful women; Goddesses, Wisdom Keepers, Sages, Leaders, Healers. I learned stories of women so tall and majestic that ‘they have to bow their heads when the moon hangs low’ (Hafiz – “Dropping Keys).  I learned myths about women with super powers and the audacity to express rage toward God, I learned that the wombs of women were worshiped!

No more! My sacred rage over this neglect is inspiring creative change in my life and in my understanding of who I am. Perhaps the burn of sacred rage is what we all need to melt away that which does not serve our individual and collective highest good.