Woman
THE POWER OF
Conversations
◈ Why do you think the concept of power is not inclusive of women?
◈ What kinds of power will men have to concede to allow for a safe, just and peaceful future? In a future that is marked by spiritual and material safety, health and justice for all persons, how would power be defined?
◈ What do you think are the barriers to women being part of decision making processes within families and communities, and on a national and global scale? What do you think stops men stepping back, and women stepping forward, to create an equitable balance of power?
◈ Tahirih, an early Baha'i Hero, a woman who left her husband and was not allowed to mother her children, was described in the Dawn Breakers as having “indomitable courage”, an “impetuous character”, “dauntless faith”, “fiery ardour and vast knowledge”, and again by Abdul-Baha as having “a brain full of tumultuous ideas, and thoughts vehement and restless” and as being “the calamity of the age” and “the trouble of the world”, was titled by Baha'u'llah "The Pure One" - why do you think this is? Are the qualities that Tahirih manifested celebrated in women now?
◈ How does Tahirih shift the paradigm of womanhood for this stage of human development? If we acted on this shift, what impact could it have on our families, communities and cultures?
Deepening
As part of Elevate's mission to help you to create spaces for deeper exploration of these important topics, we are pleased to introduce Deepenings - sets of links to interesting and relevant resources and some questions for those who seek to go a little bit further into exploring the theme. These could be used individually, or to conveniently host a space for exploration with others.
As always, we welcome your feedback on this new material and hope it assists you on your path of service and learning.
Inspirations
For those of us who are born or present as female the world can be a restrictive and dangerous place.
But the power of women, however dismissed, is real - and acknowledging, harnessing and honouring it is critical if we are to transform the world in which we live.
Women’s power incompasses the creation of life, but is not limited or defined by it. Our power, our worth and our womanhood is not tied to our bodies or our ability or willingness to give birth - it comes from our spirits.
If we are to create a future in which all people will have the opportunity to spiritually and materially thrive, we must rid ourselves of the thoughts and behaviours that undermine, exploit and disregard femininity - and change our understanding of the very nature of womanhood itself.
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