5. NETWORKS

You know about the internet, but have you heard of the “Wood Wide Web?” A tree looks like an independent majestic thing that stands alone. But in reality, under our feet, trees are in regular communication with other trees across vast landscapes in a web of mycorrhiza - “fungus root.” In a symbiotic relationship, fungus feed trees nutrients and in turn receive nourishment from the trees’ photosynthesis. Through fungal threads, trees also send and receive resources such as sugars and carbon from one another, and send messages about potential dangers such as insect invasions. In fact, trees can even send chemical messages to animals, like hungry birds, to help them when they are overrun with damaging bugs. In forests, nodes called “Mother Trees” standing tall and reaching toward the sun send carbon to younger trees that are under the shade of the canopy overhead, unable to catch direct sunlight. Dying trees can disperse their carbon to their living cousins across the network.

As a young woman in college studying philosophy and social sciences, I became enamored with the idea of the rhizome as an alternative to hierarchy. Rhizomes are common among grasses, and send root systems underground capable of popping up and propagating whole new plants in new locations. It’s a way of organizing life horizontally, with multiple connected points, and not in a top heavy pyramid. It seems so natural, and so in tune with the design of the universe.

Lines should vibrate and connect, not block and divide. Remember, everything in Gynarchy is about interconnectedness.

Borders may prevent the crossing of humans from one place to another, but they don’t prevent the crossing of any other life. Not birds, nor bees, not the seeds and roots of plants, nor even the communication of individual free standing trees. Borders may at one time have been lines drawn on paper by map makers demarcating the more or less natural divisions in the landscape. But the way they are believed in as a real and heavily policed now, they’ve become unnecessary and artificial walls, perpetuated, like most patriarchal concepts, out of anxiety. Borders speak of fear. They say “Gotta protect what’s mine.” 

Nationalism is a mental illness. When one suffers from it, it has the effect of making other humans seem alien and threatening. It causes the afflicted to judge others on arbitrary criteria like location or language. It creates delusions of superiority. It is a contagion that slips into the psyche through positive feelings of pride and then covertly infects its host with paranoia, hostility and aggression. It is the cause of both discrimination within borders (against immigrants - the other) and war between geographic neighbors.

Networks morph and expand, always finding new trajectories. It is an outward movement which seeks not to conquer but to share and include. If you’ve ever watched a murmuration of starlings, you can see the beauty and synchrony of a network in motion. Each individual bird pays attention to the movements of the seven birds closest to her, and together they orchestrate breathtaking shapes that swoop and float across the sky. Networks are not rigid and divisive. Like those of swallows, human networks are shifting, adapting, changing and ever alive. 

Gynarchy is a network, always seeking new connections and inviting new nodes.

6. THE HIVE 

Networks are made up of nodes and within Gynarchy I call these nodes Hives. I use the imagery of the beehive because bees have survived 30 million years, 5 times longer than homo sapiens, and the shape of their societies have not changed much over time. In hives the members all strive to support the hive as the whole, and their motivation at the center of it all is the Queen. The Queen sets up camp and the hive forms around her. Move the Queen and the hive follows. She is the central symbolic and practical focus that holds the hive together. Their raison d'être. 

Bees are also known as not only a sustainable species, but an ULTRA sustainable species. That means they provide more value to the environment than they take from it. In gathering their nectar, they pollinate plants, assuring more than enough plantlife to sustain their needs and that of other animals. And with their excess food production they provide us with their delicious honey. Bees are a symbol of sweet abundance.

And though the comparison has been made to systems like monarchy, bees don’t reflect a hierarchy. It is said that no bee starves unless the whole hive starves. Each and every member of the hive has an important role, and each and every member of the hive is cared for just as they all care for the Queen. 

Their communication methods are also quite efficient. When delivering messages via their vibrations and dances they do it in such a way that it effectively tags only those bees who need the information, the others then know the message does not pertain to them and their work is undisturbed by it. Bees also create elaborate “phone trees” of pheromones with messages passed from hive to hive to lead lost bees back home to their Queen. After 30 million years, they’ve got it all down to a fine art. Isn’t it telling then, that only recently, at the peak of the reign of patriarchy when monoculture and pesticides and lawns grown for status encroach upon the previous more organic farming methods, our human presence threatens their survival. It threatens our survival as well.

At any rate the hive model with its central female leader (or small group of female leaders, depending upon the size) is the structure of the individual communities within the Gynarchic network. These are individual sects within the wider religion. Each woman who wishes to lead makes herself known and gathers others around her who will live to serve her unifying vision. She provides the purpose and the focus around which others can contribute their efforts in their particular roles. And the Queen’s job is to provide authority - that is to be the author of the story and the designer of the shape of her community, and to connect and communicate with other Queens to share knowledge and resources.

The Queen does not become Queen for status, nor for attention, nor for wealth, although one or more of those things may come with the job. The Queen becomes Queen because she thinks about the big picture and knows what a thriving hive will look like - one that is beneficial for all members. She becomes Queen out of the heartfelt desire to lead. Others trust in her judgment enough to surround her, support her, and serve her goals. Each hive will be different, attuned to the desires and personality of the Queen, and some may even have a pair or a small group of Queens who share a common vision. Women within the hive may use their first hive as a training ground and later branch off and build their own in the future. This prevents hives from becoming too large and unmanageable. And since other hives are automatically seen as collaborators and nodes in the same network rather than competitors, battles between hives would be almost unthinkable.

7. CONFLICT RESOLUTION

There’s a Canadian relationship coach named Chantal Heide who teaches that a “no fight relationship” is the goal for long term intimate partners. This sometimes befuddles those who come into her live streams online. How can any two people live together and never fight? And she says that if you lay the groundwork in the beginning of the relationship, know who you are getting involved well with before getting serious, and confirm that they meet your predetermined criteria for what you want in the relationship, then there may be some disagreements, but they will never devolve into yelling and fights. Shouting matches and threatening behavior should never be tolerated. If a man doesn’t meet your criteria over a three month vetting period, then move on. Having too many points of incompatibility between you is just trouble waiting to happen.

This works well for dating and romantic relationships, and particularly for FLR where the woman's desires are centered. But we can’t make sure everyone we encounter in life meets our requirements for harmonious communication, and depending upon the situation, dismissing them and moving on is not always an option.

“You can’t win fights, but you can win allies,” says Kasia Urbaniak, a women’s power coach. In her classes she teaches about the importance of locating and approving of someone with whom you are in a disagreement. This means confirming with them that what you hear them saying is accurate, and empathizing with them before presenting a conflicting point. Only then can you influence them and help them see your point of view. Everyone likes to know that they’ve been heard, understood and that the opposing party has empathy for them. Connection, not division, is the way of Gynarchy.

Beyond one to one relationships, how would the Gynarchist leader avoid things like war? I like to point out that Gynarchists are actively anti-war, not passive. One way to avoid war is to avoid conquering or encroaching upon the free will of others. The Gynarchist has no use for colonization. Gynarchy draws people in through attraction and invitation, it doesn’t go around imposing itself. There should be no revolt from within our communities since we hold fast to the pillars of consent and bodily autonomy. And because gynarchy is predicated on networks and not borders, and the coexistence of different groups with differing ideologies is not resisted, but accepted as normal, there is less reason for violence to erupt. We value authenticity. We’re not butting heads with other groups. We don’t make any attempt to forcibly convert them to our way of life. It’s a very live and let live approach. 

That eliminates at least 50% of the reason for going to war with another group. We simply don’t go around starting fights, stealing land and property, or hurting others. In fact we should be available to help others refine their own communities, advise and solve problems through education if asked. Knowledge should be freely shared. 

But what if someone tries to encroach upon our communities? What if some other group wants to start trouble with us? First, we call upon our network of support to exert pressure from the outside and to collaborate on solutions. Gather witnesses to the conflict. When it’s clear that our small communities are not vulnerable and alone, it reduces the appeal of bullying.

Secondly, we find out what the need or want of the other group is. There is usually some underlying motive. We locate and approve of it, just like in interpersonal conflict. We figure out why they are on the attack, and how we can resolve or mitigate any aggravating factors. People will attack either what they don’t understand or what they feel threatened by. Both of those motivations are reasonably easy to remedy through connection and discussion.

So what’s left are the tiny percentage of groups and people who will attack just because they are intrinsically aggressive and wish to conquer someone. First, you must infiltrate the group and find out if all members are in agreement with senseless escalation. Chances are you’ll discover some dissent, some who feel their voices are not being heard, and the dissenters are the ones you want to get close to. Find potential allies within.

And at last, if all else fails be prepared to put up a strong defense and gather round all of those willing to help. In the process you will have been getting to know your opponents inside and out, trying to understand what makes them tick. Find their vulnerabilities and fight smart, not hard. Every group has its weaknesses and those with the conqueror mentality are not that sophisticated to begin with. Their competitiveness and need for ego validation will likely be an achilles heel. 

In the midst of battle minimize harm so as not to breed contempt and resentment among those more neutral. Maintain a reputation for compassion.Turn people. Make being a prisoner of our side more pleasant than being a soldier for the opposition. Deprogram any zealots. With our immense capacity for empathy, Gynarchists should become adept at intense psychological warfare as a means of self defense. Use manipulation over physical violence. Mind fuck techniques can be far more effective than brute force.

It is important for women to know some form of violent self-defense to use in a pinch. But if ever we have the need to turn to serious physical warfare we should employ the Feminine art of Witchcraft. Like the ancient Witch Goddess Circe, we can make ourselves familiar with the catalogues of pharmacopeia - plant medicine. Turn the tables with intoxicants, sedatives, mood enhancers, laxatives, hypnotics, hormone disruptors, and psychedelics all delivered discreetly through touch or food, or helpfully carried on the elements, in the air and water. Any combination of those are effective at neutralizing aggression. Remember to fight like a woman.

Always keep in mind, however, that the ultimate goal is never to have to fight at all. The ideal is to create allies, not enemies, even in times of conflict. And doing so can be as simple as never encroaching upon others free will and letting people be. Draw close to us those who are capable of harmonious relations and share knowledge and good will, be selective in our communities making sure that all members understand and are attuned to our ideology, and those who adamantly reject our ways can be left to their own devices. In conflict, use empathy as a superpower, figure out the underlying motivations and needs, and treat the source not just the symptoms of aggression.

8. THE FEMININE AS DIVINE

“To the Queen of Heaven, The Goddess of the Universe, the One who walked in terrible Chaos and brought life by the Law of Love; And out of Chaos brought us harmony, and from Chaos Thou has led us by the hand.” Babylon Eighteenth to Seventeenth Century, BCE. (source: When God Was a Woman by Merlin Stone)

In the beginning woman was god. Every one of us, every living human being, cannot enter this earthly realm but through the body of a female. A woman is literally your creator. Before formula and baby bottles women’s breasts kept us alive until we were able to eat solid food. They magically concoct the perfect sustenance for the growing baby, adjusting to their individual dietary needs.

But beyond the physical manifestation, if we look to the religions predating Arabraham and his jealous god (jealous of whom, I wonder?), on the Indian subcontinent, the Feminine, as a more abstract concept called Shakti, is known as the energy that creates all things from the silent nothingness. It was Her desire to know Herself that created binaries and then ever unfolding multiplicity. 

When the Feminine is acknowledged as divine - as the source - women are protected, cherished and sacred. They are central to life’s meaning. They are powerful, their will to create unhampered. Harmony and beauty exists for all when the force of creation is not blocked or locked away. We cultivate abundance.

When the Feminine is maligned both women and men suffer. Power turns perverse and anxious. Fear, competition and comparison are used to control. Fingers are pointed at anyone who lives fearlessly and doesn’t conform as the source of all woes. There is nothing left to do but conquer and hoard in an attempt to relieve the anxiety, to serve the need to feel that man’s existence is justified and important. He becomes disconnected from his source, lost in struggle. The patriarchal man may be terrified of hell, though he himself has created it for himself and for those around him.

In pagan times religion was a connection to nature, religion was philosophy, religion was culture, religion was therapy before therapy existed. Religious adherents passed down knowledge about the origins and nature of our existence, about how we may know ourselves. Religion has been the glue of societies and helped those in chaos find purpose and meaning in life. And so it is with the tool of religion that we build this movement. But it must be a religion that proclaims what we knew before that knowledge became shamed and repressed - that the Feminine is divine.