Tuesday, December 27, 2011

hypatia ... a womon of note...

this weekend was the perfect time to hide away from the outside world - the way-too-many tourists and shoppers and all things jingly, bright, loud and constant - the general christmas cacophony in other words...

i'd brought home a selection of movies for my 'hibernation', and the herstorical content drew me to agora… “fourth century a.d. egypt under the roman empire… violent religious upheaval in the streets of alexandria spills over into the city’s famous library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant astronomer, Hypatia, and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the ancient world… among them, the two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged orestes and davus, hypatia’s young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians” ... the container blurb...

as with all hollywood 'historical' depictions, a lot has to be taken with a 'modicum of disbelief' – ‘artistic licence’ is employed in their portrayal of people, places and events, which become 'blurred' in their endeavour to make a ‘blockbuster', so some reading inevitably has to follow… and what a treat i was in for in my search for hypatia...

all accounts recognize her as a teacher, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer… 

"Socrates Scholasticus wrote that "she far surpassed all the philosophers of her time,” and was greatly respected for her “extraordinary dignity and virtue.” [Ecclesiastical History] Hypatia's house was an important intellectual center in a city distinguished for its learning. Damasius described how she "used to put on her philosopher's cloak and walk through the middle of town" to give public lectures on philosophy. [Life of Isidore, in the Suda].
 
Admired by all Alexandria, Hypatia was one of the most politically powerful figures in the city. She was one of the few women who attended civic assemblies. Magistrates came to her for advice, including her close friend, the prefect Orestes. [Damasius, Socrates Scholasticus] In the midst of severe religious polarization, Hypatia was an influential force for tolerance and moderation. She accepted students, who came to her "from everywhere," without regard to religion" ... from suppressed histories

according to an article “Hypatia Silenced by Death” by bolder landry, “Even using material from sixteen different sources, I find it difficult to do justice to Hypatia, one of the forgotten heroines of civilization. Her birthplace, Alexandria, was three times the size of Athens and sparkled with marble- lined streets, colleges and a library of some 500,000 volumes containing all the known history of the time. Alexandria had been a gathering place for the best scholars, thinkers, scientists and historians. In the first century B.C. Egypt had become a thriving Roman province, but by the fifth century A.D. Alexandria's last glory was extinguished by the Christian bishops and monks (The Epic of Universal History).” 

and then this by mikelle mercer… "Along with her lectures, Hypatia also wrote several treatises. It is unknown how many she wrote because a lot of them were destroyed through the ages. Evidence does show, however, that she wrote commentaries on "The Conics of Apollonius" and "Amagest," which included Ptolemy's numerous observations of the stars, as well as an analysis of her father's edition of Euclid's "Elements." Most of the writings Hypatia completed were actually meant to be used as text books to help her students with difficult math concepts.

Hypatia's most famous pupil was Synesius of Cyrene, who later became the Bishop of Ptolemy. It is through some of his letter's that he wrote to Hypatia that researchers are able to learn more about her. In his letters Synesius credits Hypatia with creating an astrolabe and a planesphere, which were both devises for studying astronomy, as well as instruments for distilling water, for measuring the level of water, and for determining the specific gravity of liquids.”

so not only mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, but scientist and inventor too… 


but ohh, she was so much more – she was a believer in wisdom and reason... 

"Hypatia herself says, "Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fancies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child-mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be in after-years relieved of them. In fact, men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for a living truth - often more so, since a superstition is so intangible you can not get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable." from hypatia – a victim of bigotry

she was one strong, independent womon…

“Hypatia dressed in the clothing of a scholar or teacher, rather than in women's clothing. She moved about freely, driving her own chariot, contrary to the norm for women's public behavior. She exerted considerable political influence in the city… she was a woman who didn't know her place.” jone johnson lewis

it's not surprising this independent, highly respected, strong, wise womon was branded heretic, heathen, pagan... more from suppressed histories...

"She spoke out against dogmatism and superstition: “To rule by fettering the mind through fear of punishment in another world, is just as base as to use force.” Unquestionably, Hypatia's teaching represented a challenge to church doctrine. The apparent destruction of her philosophical books underlines the point. Her mathematical works survived and were popular into the next century." 

claims of witchcraft? you betchya...

"Realizing that he was losing on public relations, the bishop changed tactics. Now he attempted to turn the people against Hypatia as a powerful woman by accusing her of harmful sorcery. A later church chronicler, John of Nikiu, explained that "she beguiled many people through satanic wiles." It was Hypatia's “witchcraft” that kept the prefect Orestes away from church and made him corrupt the faith of other Christians. Further, she was involved in divination and astrology, "devoted at all times to magic, astrolabes and instruments of music ...

Hypatia was not targeted only as a pagan. Other pagans—men—continued to be active at the university of Alexandria for decades after her death. It is clear that Hypatia's femaleness made her a special target, vulnerable to the accusation of witchcraft. Her courage in opposing the escalating anti-Jewish violence and her moral stance against religious repression were factors as well. In defending the assault on the philosophical tradition of tolerance, Hypatia had everything to lose, yet she acted boldly."
 
the womon had to go… it appears hypatia may have been one of, if not the first womon killed as witch by the violent zealots of christianity…this from hypatia, a tragedy of lent ... 

"It was on the morning of the fifteenth of March, 415, — the fatal Ides, the anniversary of the murder of the greatest of the Caesars. Hypatia set out as usual in her chariot to drive to the lecture-room. She had not gone far when the mob stopped the way. On every side were men howling with all the ferocity of hungry wolves. She was forced out of the vehicle and dragged along the ground to the nearest church. This was the ancient Caesar's temple, which had been dedicated anew to the worship of the Christian Trinity. Here she had been denounced by Cyril and her doom determined by his servitors. Her dress was now torn in shreds by their ruffianly violence. She stood by the high altar, beneath the statue of Christ.

"She shook herself free from her tormentors, and, springing back, rose for one moment to her full height, naked, snow-white against the dusky mass around — shame and indignation in those wide, clear eyes, but not a stain of fear. With one hand she clasped her golden locks around her; the other long, white arm was stretched upward toward the great still Christ, appealing — and who dare say in vain? — from man to God. Her lips were open to speak; but the words that should have come from them reached God's ear alone; for in an instant Peter struck her down, the dark mass closed over her again, . . . and then wail on wail, long, wild, ear-piercing, rang along the vaulted roofs, and thrilled like the tram-pet of avenging angels through Philammon's ears."

While yet breathing, the assailants in a mad fury tore her body like tigers, limb from limb; and after that, bringing oyster-shells from the market, they scraped the flesh from the bones. Then gathering up the bleeding remains they ran with them through the streets to the place of burning, and having consumed them, threw the ashes into the sea."

Hypatia, by Charles William Mitchell (1885)

with its depiction of christian misogyny, domination and brutality - all supported by other accounts - what a fitting movie agora turned out to be for this christian celebratory time… a powerful reminder of the subjugation of womyn by all patriarchal religions... 

Monday, December 19, 2011

give me a solstice to celebrate any day…

 "there are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. there is only our natural world. 
religion is but myth and superstition that hardens hearts and enslaves minds" ... 
anne nicol gaylor, founder, freedom from religion foundation


why is it presumed everyone is christian - or that at the very least everybody celebrates christian festivals? there are many that aren't, and don't... we aren't, by constitution, or law, a christian country... we don't have a state religion... we are a nation encompassing many beliefs - and yet we only close down for christian 'observances' - whatever happened to separation of church and state?

like many i don't believe in the christian god or christ - hey, jesus i'll concede existed, a documented historical figure – but i believe, as do others, he was just an ordinary man fighting for reform within the judaic religion he followed - a man who could be considered a religious revolutionary - not son of any god… after his ‘martyrdom’ christianity and it's bible certainly became one hell of a fairytale - and one brutally intolerant doctrine...

i'm not wiccan, pagan, jewish, islamic or buddhist either - i don't follow any of the myriad spiritual or religious doctrines that make up our society... i consider myself an earthling, one of many sentient life forms inhabiting this earth… my belief lies firmly within nature - in the natural world and all it’s wonders, the equality & complementarity of all creatures of this planet, home to us all...

i have to ask though, if you are christian, do you follow the basic, important tenets of your christianity – the 10 commandments, the religion's 'rules'... the 6th commandment – though shalt not kill - is an interesting one... do you partake of the death industry? do you eat the product of someone else's 'kill'? do you wear someone else's skin? if so how does that fit within the christian ethic?
 

i hate the in-your-face crass commercialism and consumerism pushed heavily at this time of year, and i feel sickened at the 'saturation' of  repugnant advertisements exhorting  people to eat flesh - the dead, cooked carcasses of once living beings displayed with such morbid delight in the anticipation of the taste of suffering and death… the brutality and cruelty perpetrated by the death industry is horrendous…  
 
paul mccarney once said "if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian"… but I came across this graphic and couldn’t help but nod my head in agreement…


and there's still more life seen as commodity - the factory farming of our companion animals - more cruelty and abuse... and many from these deplorable facilities end up in shelters... please don't help this cruel industry continue to exist... 'animals are for life, not just for xmas'... if you are looking for a companion, please consider offering a forever home to a shelter animal desperately waiting for rescue, for the chance to know compassion and love...

 
ahhh yes, the summer solstice - far worthier of celebration... we are all dependent on the changing seasonal cycles, and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere – where “the earth’s south pole is tilted towards the sun ... is, usually, the longest day of the year” – is due to occur on december 22 this year – far more crucial to the earth's well-being than xmas... happy summer solstice...


Saturday, December 10, 2011

a new look...

as the saying goes "a change is as good as a holiday"... so, after a few years with the same colour scheme i decided it was time for a 'makeover'... 

rosie the riveter takes pride of place in my title banner, with beautiful australian dingoes in the background...




rosie started out as the 'star' of a us government campaign aimed at recruiting female workers for the munitions industry during world war 2, becoming the most iconic image of working womyn - and she has, over the years, been adopted  by many as a symbol of female strength, passion and 'attitude'...



i decided to go with a sepia colour tone for the moment, but don't be surprised if next time you come back the look has been altered a bit...

i hope you like it... i'm sure it will take me a few views to get used to it... i do like the transparent overlay with the static graphic... but it has taken a while to get it to this point though, so that's it for this post... almost...

i just received my latest oscar's law update with a timely reminder coming up to one of the most commercial times of the year... "The lead-up to Christmas is a critical time for puppy farmers who rely on impulse purchasing at pet shops in order to profit. We can stop the puppy trade by not buying puppies from pet shops and showing others why they should do the same."

why not become an oscar's law ambassador - find out more here

Sunday, December 4, 2011

a karmic experience...

i read this article on the care2 causes site... i got a chuckle out of it...

"Dog Shoots Duck Hunter in Butt with Birdshot

You could call it payback, justice or even doggie karma.  A Utah man went duck hunting Sunday and was accidentally shot in his buttocks by his dog.

“One of the hunters was inside the boat with the dog, and the other hunter was in the water setting up decoys. The guy in the water had put his 12-gauge shotgun across the bow of their boat,” said Chief Deputy, Kevin Potter from Box Elder County.

“The dog got excited, was jumping around inside the boat and then it jumped on the gun. It went off, shooting the [decoy setter] in the buttocks,” as told in The Salt Lake Tribune.

The incident happened at the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in Brigham City, Utah.  Don’t be confused by the word “refuge.” It is a U.S. Fish and Wildlife facility, hence they allow hunting.

The unnamed 46-year-old victim of the float-by shooting was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released.  He was lucky to have been wearing waders or the birdshot could have done more damage.

No one else – including the dog – was injured."

a true animal activist... saving ducks, one hunter at a time...


Big Guns... Little Ducks. Ban Duck Hunting! unleashed.org.au