We have subordinated things associated with women, and made ourselves ignorant of half of humanity. The root of the problem lies in a social system in which the power of the Blade is idealized and elevated. At a time when the lethal power of the Blade-amplified a millionfold by megatons of nuclear warheads-threatens to put an end to all human culture…". We now stand at a "potentially decisive branching point. "In this model-beginning with the most fundamental difference in our species, between male and female-diversity is not equated with either inferiority or superiority." "When our ancestors began to ask the eternal questions (Where do we come from before we are born? Where do we go after we die?), they must have noted that life emerges from the body of a woman." įrom re-examining human society from a gender-holistic perspective, Eisler sees that a new theory of cultural evolution is necessary, which she calls "Cultural Transformation theory, with two basic models: (1) Dominator - involves ranking humanity, (2) Partnership-in which linking is the principle. "The story of Jesus' birth, death, and resurrection bears a striking resemblance to those of earlier 'mystery cults' revolving around a divine Mother and her son.or daughter" as in Demeter and Kore. New story of our "cultural origins", verifying that "a better future is possible"-based on what has actually happened in the past. New study of human society, taking into account, the entireties. The Author, Riane Eisler, provides a self-disclosure of her lifelong quest: Why do we persecute each other? We alone can imagine and realize new realities, and so are partners in our own evolution. This Review is an Outline of her Introduction. Ashley Montagu Eisler's.synthesis.is an important contribution to social history. Isabel Allende The most important book since Darwin's Origin of Species.
The Chalice and the Blade is one of these magnificent key books that can transform us. Some books are like revelations, they open the spirit to unimaginable possibilities. These tapes are an important contribution to that struggle. Her vision is the partnership model, which today is struggling to reemerge.
In selections made and read by the author herself, The Chalice and the Blade presents new scripts for living - based on a more socially, economically, ecologically, personally, and spiritually balanced society rather than on the tension and violence typical of what Eisler calls the dominator model. The result is a startling synthesis of prehistory, history, present, and future - a radical and convincing view of the human condition. She powerfully reconstructs the Goddess culture and the global shift to patriarchy, drawing evidence from literature, art, sociology, archeology, politics, and economics. We look at the limitations of language that have so far prevented the depth of cultural change we urgently need, and how sharing a new mythology of partnerism may yet regenerate a more humane and environmentally sustainable world.Creative inspiration for moving the future of humankind toward a new era of partnership - Presents this classic visionary synthesis in a new, abridged, accessible form Combining original theory with the work of other noted scholars, Riane Eisler creates an expansive look into prehistoric times, when Goddess religions flourished. In our conversation today, we cover the foundations of her cultural transformation theory, along with her own childhood experience of fleeing Nazi Germany.
Eisler is president of the Center for Partnership Studies (CPS), as well as given keynotes at the United Nations General Assembly, the US Department of State, along with corporations and universities offering applications of the partnership model introduced in her work. In the decades since, she’s written numerous other books including Sacred Pleasure, and most recently Nurturing our Humanity. I first encountered her work through the book The Chalice and the Blade, where she first articulated her cultural transformation theory of history, which includes the lens of dominator versus partnership society. Riane Eisler, a social systems scientist, cultural historian, and author whose research, writing, and speaking has made an enormous impact on the cultural landscape.