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Starhawk (continued from page 6)

"Goddess" also makes many people who would define themselves as "spiritual" or "religious" uneasy; it smacks of Paganism, of blood, of darkness, and sexuality, of lower powers.

But it is preciesly the reunion of flesh and spirit, of women and nature, that is the key to the Goddess image she describes. She thinks that women must restore value and authority to the female body and all the life processes, including birth, growth, sex, aging and death. True value is to be found in nature and human beings as they are, not in some abstract heaven. The task of the individual feminist is to reclaim her sense of personal power through identification with the Goddess imagery and energy as her context. One of the tools is familiarity with the ways of magic, which Starhawk describes in the first few chapters of the book.

The last half of the book answers the broader questions about how women who are struggling with identifying personal power in positive ways can work in groups for political goals. Her chapter called "Building Community" describes how important the small group is in the creation and preservation of a community of resistance. The emphasis on small groups draws from the radical political traditions of feminism and other left ideologies. Within these groups individual women deal with authority, power, choices, and consensus, and seek new answers to hierarchical elitist structures. Respect for the integrity of the individual is one of the most important characteristics of these groups. Again, Starhawk describes how the use of rituals that confirm connections to the environment and the energy in it can empower and inspire groups that do political work.

The chapter called "Sex and Politics" seemed more a rationalization for Starhawk's choice of a male partner than a real analysis of sexuality. Her remarks about erotic power are best understood in the context of changing power relations between women, regardless of their sexual preference. One feminist strategy toward the liberation of women is certainly to welcome and encourage diversity and freedom of choice, but to embrace sexual freedom as a fundamental cultural goal seems dubious in the face of urgent survival issues.

Dreaming the Dark is a provocative book and raises more questions than Starhawk can answer in one book. Her use of abstract language makes understanding her ideas difficult. For example, she assumes some familiarity with psychology and a therapeutic process when she discusses the individual quest for self-esteem. Her political perspective needs more disclosure, because although she outlines her liberalism, she does not specifically endorse socialist, reformist, or partisan politics. She does seem to assume that her readers are white, christian, feminist, probably lesbian, educated, and possess some degree of political awareness. It would help clarify her position if she could illustrate with inore examples of "immanent" cultures. She does not address the issue, however, of how to learn from other cultures without patronizing and exploiting, taking and not giving back. The immanent cultures she refers to are not white cultures and the individuals within them have and will experience terrible oppression at the hands of white people. Her tendency to romanticize the experience and values of these people is questionable. In the appendix, for example, she describes the history of the witch-burnings and how peasant communities in medieval Europe supported women witch/healers, and happy peasants frolicked through vast forests collecting herbs and talking to spirits.

Another aspect of the book that deserves more consideration is the question of the role and function

of small groups. Feminists need more information on how consensus is reached, particularly in large groups and under crisis conditions. How do the small groups Starhawk describes avoid becoming closed off and how do they insure the survival and integrity of any knowledge, wisdom, or skills they gain? How do small groups grapple with and resist complex power structures and remain true to a feminist vision? Hopefully Starhawk can publish more material and other feminist writers will address some of the same issues.

Sexuality (continued from page 8)

our friends and lovers are all facets of our sexuality. The expression of our sexuality through erotic behavior involves a continuum of experience which includes touching, holding, caressing, kissing, talking, looking, listening and understanding.

Choices about whether to marry or remain single, to live alone or with others, to have children or not to, and our sexual preference are all expressions of our sexuality. Our feelings about our bodies and whether or not they are OK ("If only I weighed twenty pounds less, s/he would love me more....If only my breasts were bigger s/he would love me more....If only my nose were smaller, s/he would love me more....") is another aspect of our sexuality. Much of how we express our sexuality and how we relate to each other and to men are defined by our sex role learning. Deeply ingrained beliefs about appropriate behavior for women lead us into stereotyped behaviors that limit us as human beings. Indeed, sexuality involves every level of human experience-spiritual, emotional, intellectual and physical.

With a deeper awareness of this expanded definition of sexuality, we can look forward to a better understanding of ourselves and our lives. As adult women, we need to begin/continue to unlearn society's messages and relearn what we now know to be truc from the work of women's health care researchers, writers and advocates, and from our own experiences. We also need to recognize our natural androgynous nature, the joining of the masculine/feminine, yin/yang, in all of us, leading us into new behaviors that will help us realize our full human potential. Sexual gowth is a normal, ongoing part of adult development as we learn about and accept ourselves as women who are sexual, lose our learned inhibitions, and become better able to express ourselves.

By the way, I forgot to mention the book I saw as I walked out of the bookstore-How to Make Love To An Extra-Terrestial. Now we know what those long glowing fingers were for!

This is the first in a series of articles dealing with women's health and sexuality issues. Some of the future topics will include the history of women's sexuality and beliefs about women's orgasm, love and intimacy, homosexuality and lesbianism, the G-Spot and female ejaculation, pregnancy after 30, and sex role socialization and androgyny.

Oven Work (continued from page 2)

other jobs as well. We usually deduct one-half the ticket price for one work exchange slot, which amounts usually to one hour of work or less. The intent of work exchange is not to penalize the woman with less money by making her work. Öven has discussed various ways of handling ticket prices, and work exchange seems to be one way that works.

Right now we often have slots that go unfilled, so we encourage you to investigate how you might help out. If you would like to find out more about how work exchange works, leave a message at 321-8582 and someone from Oven Productions will return your call.

Page 14/What She Wants/March, 1983