Grandmothers, Grand Mothers,
Women of Wisdom:
Now is Your Time

By Corrina McFarlane
GTW1558

"If ever the world sees a time when women shall come together purely and simply for the benefit of mankind, it would be a power such as the world has never known"- Matthew Arnold 1822-1888 British Poet & Essayist

Alice Walker spoke from the steps of the San Francisco Civic last month, in solidarity with the millions protesting around the planet on an historic Valentine's weekend. Not for the first time, she invoked the grandmothers. Grandmothers, we are sorely in need of you now. Step out from your domestic spheres, step into this mad arena, you who know how to turn everything on its head when needs be. The grandmothers know what to do.

"War is not healthy for children and other living things" said our endearing 1980s poster I now see replicated in pendants worn by the 'grandmothers' of today. Back in December Paul Reffell wrote in his article Baring Witness - The New Peace Movement:

"..When men are at war, either between themselves or with Nature, they are unhealthy, unhappy and in danger. That is the time for women to step in. That is when it is time to shock men, stop them in their tracks, turn them into embarrassed schoolboys, remind them of how they all came into this world and make them listen to words of consolation, healing and peace.That is the time for Baring Witness."

Unreasonable Women Baring Witness www.baringwitness.org was birthed in Marin County by 72 year old Donna Oehm Sheehan. She was inspired by the Nigerian village women (600 strong and up to 90 years old) whose threat of their nakedness (a shaming gesture for men in Nigeria) brought ChevronTexaco and Royal Dutch Shell to the table.

The women asserted that the oil moguls had a moral obligation to the families whose lives were bound to that place on the planet where they happened to find oil. The women's action was nonviolent and secured the social/economic commitments that should have been a common courtesy of foreign operations in their backyard.

Unreasonable Women for the Earth www.unreasonablewomen.org sprung out of the outrageous courageous one-woman highly effective activism of Diane Wilson, a Texas fisherwoman mother of five who was honored at the 2001 Bioneers conference for her incredible fortitude in bringing to task the big polluters in her home town. They knowingly risked the health of a whole community and she earned the title of 'public enemy #1' for her efforts to expose them. Being an 'unreasonable woman' is what it took to compel public servants to enforce the existing health and safety laws.

"The reasonable man (sic) adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable one persists to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man." (George Bernard Shaw). Unreasonable Women, Come Forth!

Diane Wilson, along with Medea Benjamin and several other powerhouse women launched the Code Pink for Peace www.codepink4peace.org Vigil opposite the White House on November 17 2002, with a commitment to hold vigil continuously until International Women's Day on March 8. In her now renowned all-in style, Diane began this vigil with a 40 day fast. Code Pink is the women's warning in the face of the death & destruction 'Code Orange' and 'Code Red'. A Code Pink alert in a hospital signifies that a baby has been abducted. Code Pink Grand Mothers are raising the alarm that the Child of us all and in all of us is gravely endangered by current practices and policies.

Bill McDonough, eco-architect, says we must ask in the process of all design; does it honor the children of all species for all time? Raffi www.raffinews.com children's troubadour, is deeply attuned to this wisdom; that if you act and design and plan for the well being of the children, that standard will serve for all the people of the Earth.

Raffi, during a stay at the Jefferson campus, immersed in and inspired by the legacy of high ideals, wrote the Covenant for Sustaining Children which states in its concluding paragraph:

"...We affirm our duty to nourish and nurture the young, to honor their caring ideals as the heart of being human.We commit ourselves to peaceful ways and vow to keep from harm or neglect these, our most vulnerable citizens. As guardians of their prosperity we honor the bountiful Earth whose diversity sustains us."

If it fails to honor the web of life, it's a peace issue - that's the criteria.

It is general knowledge that the U.S. Constitution was inspired by the Iroquois Constitution of the Five Nations (The Iroquois Book of the Great Law or Great Law of Peace) but what history fails to record is that the women's council was an integral part of government structure, with a primary woman (the 'Clan Mother' ) at its head. These women had the power to veto the men's council and would do so if their decision threatened the web of life.

Darrell and Karen Darling, long-time Santa Cruz resident activists, have recently brought forward a proposal for a Parallel Congress in DC, made up entirely of women, from every State, sponsored by we the people, going into session on the same schedule, debating the same issues as the US Congress. Bring the Grand Mothers back into process and let's see what wisdom emerges.

A small group of women in Santa Cruz, aged 35 to 94 started meeting weekly to have conversations because of their frustration with the world situation. These women brainstormed WomenRise for Global Peace www.womenrise.org WomenRise rise up and say when war, violence and fear are epidemic, it's high time for proactive prevention-the joy of living and knowing each other. To this end the group has been hosting conversations of the heart gatherings locally.

Jenny Joseph (now 71!) caught the mood and imagination of the good-girl woman in her oft-quoted poem: "When I'm an old woman I shall wear purple." Societal adjustment starts out seeming outrageous and every evolution needs its pioneers. WomenRise adopted the purple poppy as a symbol of their passion and purpose and fierce commitment to peace, and purple is the predominant color you will see at all their public events.

"Red poppies were for Flanders Fields
White poppies say that War must cease
Now Purple poppies blossom forth
for pangaiamic Peace."

WomenRise speak of 'women of all genders' understanding that the qualities of heart and deep nurturing are present in both sexes but largely dormant in the male-dominated politics of the day. It is important to recognize that the grandmother is an archetype, the wise woman is a quality. The poet David Whyte, www.davidwhyte.com tells the story of the wizened ancient Himalayan woman stepping fearlessly onto the broken rope bridge across a bottomless ravine where his oh so brave male self had stood unable to step, unable to trust.

"Namasté" she says with a beaming smile, and steps lightly onto the bridge, after which he can follow. There comes a time, Whyte says, where the brave male warrior fails us and we must look to the wise woman for the courage to proceed.

March is Women's History Month, a necessary construct in a world where women have been systematically written out of history. March 8 is International Women's Day as declared by the United Nations. At this moment in time the original vision of the United Nations appears to be holding - intention prevails.

In an impassioned address to the Security Council, French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin spoke of the United Nations as the "guardian of conscience" in the world today. When Villepin finished his remarks before the Security Council, the gallery burst into spontaneous applause, an unprecedented event at the UN www.democracynow.org .

We need look no further than the UN for strong visionary women of purpose and principle in public life, who, largely behind the scenes, apply heart and mind to the challenge of shaping a world that works for everyone.

Now is your time Grand Mothers of the World. The time is now. In the words of Gather the Women www.gatherthewomen.org we are mobilizing a global movement to harness the power and wisdom of women for the benefit of all life.

Hallmark did not invent Mother's Day; an outraged mother did in the 1870 Proclamation "Arise, then, women of this day! .Say firmly: "We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies." Julia Ward Howe (author of Battle Hymn of the Republic). So take heart, take the month of March as your launching pad, and vow to bring your whole undiminished self to the profound questions of our time.

Corrina McFarlane