Women are magnetically drawn to the ocean. Our wombs embody its power, depth, mystery, and creative capacity. Could that be why the mermaid is so present in many women’s psyches. We know there is a hidden dimension to our being that can only be explored in the oceanic depths. Perhaps that is why the feminist movement occurred in waves.
In the second wave of feminism (1960s-1980s) many women walked out on traditional roles in order to walk on. Women went on quest in mass. We were seeking our full equality and expression within the modern culture and society. That meant leaving the baggage behind and redefining what it was to be a woman along the way.
I believe we left more than the baggage behind. We unknowingly left something sacred and holy on the side of the road. In our quest to climb the corporate ladder, break the glass ceiling, and prove ourselves in the workplace we dimmed the light of the Feminine Principle, afraid she was not welcome in the world we were entering.
Some say we are in a third wave of feminism (1990s-2000s). I say we are seeking the missing mermaid. Women are once again going on a quest. This time to reclaim the Feminine in all her radiance and glory. The daughters and granddaughters of the second wave are rising to embody something mystical and too long marginalized from the mainstream. We are returning, in mass, to The Feminine Principle. All of Nature herself is lighting the way.
(This is the first in a two-part series.)