The WELL: inkwell.vue.39: Mary Mackey, Writer, Wit and Bonne Vivante

#53: Mary Mackey (mm) Sat 24 Jul 99 13:01

Sat, 24 Jul 1999 13:01:00 PDT

I have just put up a homepage. If you'd like to read a bit of my poetry or prose on line the URL is

http://www.csus.edu/indiv/m/mackeym/ [Read entire topic]

#52: Phil Catalfo (philcat) Thu 17 Jun 99 14:05

Thu, 17 Jun 1999 14:05:00 PDT

Not to take anything away from Eisler, but I think it's fair to say--I think she might even agree--that her book would not have been possible without Gimbutas's work. [Read entire topic]

#51: David Gans (tnf) Thu 17 Jun 99 00:31

Thu, 17 Jun 1999 00:31:00 PDT

Riane Eisler. Right, my mistake. She made copius reference to Gimbutas, if I recall correctly. [Read entire topic]

#50: Mary Mackey (mm) Wed 16 Jun 99 19:09

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 19:09:00 PDT

Sounds like a great book, Phil. I have been meditating for years. I don't know if this helps the world, but it certainly helps me be kinder and calmer on an individual level. [Read entire topic]

#49: Phil Catalfo (philcat) Wed 16 Jun 99 17:27

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 17:27:00 PDT

>What the hell are we gonna DO, I wanna know.

I don't have any perfect answers, but what I've learned is that one can only (and must) do what one can do, which in this context means to try and come to terms with aggressiveness in one's own self. I was a pacifist and a conscientious objector in 1970, but learned years later that I had a lot of sublimated anger. It was only after seeing how that anger, given a kind of pot-boiling-over voice, upset my kids that I started to deal with it. A lot of historical aggression stems from fear/hatred of The Other, which has to do with insecurity with (or ignorance of) the self. Time and energy invested into processing that can reduce the amount of violence in the world.

I just finished reading (and reviewing, for Yoga Journal--see our September/October issue) a very interesting new book by Matthew Fox, that bears some relevance to this question: "Sins of the Spirit, Blessings of the Flesh: Lessons for Transforming Evil in Soul and Society" (Harmony). Fox does a very interesting thing, in that he correlates the seven chakras (from Eastern philosophy) with the "seven cardinal sins," showing how "misdirected" chakras lead to sins such as fear, hatred, resentment, pursuit of unhealthy power, racism, fascism, and so on. He also suggests "sacraments" for "cleansing" each of the chakras, and provides "spiritual exercises." Fox is a very engaging writer and this is a very interesting treatise, and I recommend it heartily. [Read entire topic]

#48: Reva Basch (reva) Wed 16 Jun 99 16:48

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 16:48:00 PDT

Great plug. And it's a wonderful book! [Read entire topic]

#47: Mary Mackey (mm) Wed 16 Jun 99 13:46

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 13:46:00 PDT

that should have been "helps" the hungry. Oxfam gives out a lot more than hugs. [Read entire topic]

#46: Mary Mackey (mm) Wed 16 Jun 99 13:46

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 13:46:00 PDT

Sure. Or, alternatively, people can buy a copy of "I Should Have Stayed Home: The Worst Trips of Great Writers" edited by roger Rapoport and Maarguerita Castanera, Bookpassage Press, ISBN 1-57143-014-8. All profits go to the charity Oxfam which helds the hungry, world-wide. The true story of the night the army ants crawled over me is entitled "Night of the Army Ants." [Read entire topic]

#45: Reva Basch (reva) Wed 16 Jun 99 08:32

Wed, 16 Jun 1999 08:32:00 PDT

Yep. And I just want to add my thanks to Mary and Phil for a wonderful interview.

Anyone who wants to keep chatting informally on the topics raised here, by all means, go ahead.

And Mary, one of these days, when you have time, wouldja come back and tell the "ants" story? [Read entire topic]

#44: born cross-eyed (dpd) Tue 15 Jun 99 23:22

Tue, 15 Jun 1999 23:22:00 PDT

I think that's Riane Eislers' book, The Chalice and the Blade.

y [Read entire topic]