Love it or fear it. A single slang word for the place where all human life begins. This word alone can cause such a stir. Division. Words have power, but actions speak louder than words. Pleasure and pain. In and out. Magnetic and polarizing. The magic dark.

Coming of age. My pure and virtuous Congregationalist turned Catholic mother rarely shared her insights with me regarding relationships with the male species. She was busy being a superwoman and it was the 1980’s, still very much a man’s world. I thought my mom and I were so different, and I wouldn’t have listened to her advice on the subject anyway. But she shared a few words of wisdom that always stuck with me. Power of the Pussy was one, short and sweet. She didn’t say things like that, and certainly didn’t use that word. She spoke it once and I cringed when she said it. Embarrassed. I didn’t understand what she meant and she didn’t elaborate. But I believed her. I filed it away in my library of mind and moved on.

Influencers and expanders. An underground copy of Our Bodies Ourselves, Seventeen magazine and Madonna resonated more with me. Radical. And I always learned a lot from my friends. I still do. When I was 10, Madonna’s infamous Like a Virgin album came out. Another Catholic girl like me. The hit title song was controversial at the time. Cutting edge and catchy. At my birthday party sleepover, a friend brought her copy and as we were listening to it on my record player, my mother rushed into the room and made us turn it off immediately. I was mortified! I didn’t even know what the song was about, just loved dancing to the music with my friends. I was very familiar with Virgin Mary, so I didn’t understand the big deal. Her strong reaction intrigued me, and I became a Madonna fan after that. Madge’s Erotica CD was a favorite of mine in the 1990’s. I still have it. Whatever you resist persists!

Learn and grow. I graduated from a university rooted in Catholicism. Its first Native American graduate in 1908 is a close ancestor of mine- Philip Gordon, my fathers namesake. A distinguished alumni, gifted athlete, noted scholar and writer. Lifelong changemaker. The University of St. Thomas became co-ed when I was 3 years old. My knowledge and skills deepened as a student there, years later. A solid education. I discovered that my favorite female in the Bible was Mary Magdalene, mentioned 12 times. Growing up in church, I always paid close attention when I heard her name, and was curious about her full story. I had a feeling there were 2 sides to it. I later learned the other side. She was Jesus’ love, muse, partner. He saw her as an apostle, an equal to the men who held that distinguished title. She was behind the scenes, like so many other inspiring women in our human history. In service. Passion. Hard work. Humble confidence. She has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. Opinions. Criticism. Judgment. Untruths. Don’t let the gossip and rumors fool you, she was a gentle and compassionate healer just like her loving companion. She knew how to play with the big boys. Fear and fascination. Love and celebration. Femme fatale.

Back to Power of the Pussy. Both P-words are supercharged and don’t seem to go together, hand in hand. Not in the same category. Opposites. Strong and weak. Forceful and gentle. Hard and soft. I associated the word power with men. Masculine. Strength. Control. Might. War. Intense. Force. Phallic. Yang. When a man was considered weak, he was called a pussy. A dirty and offensive word. That was the only context I had as a young girl. Pussy Willow. Flower. Female. Vulva. Feminine. Vagina. Yoni. Yin. Decades later, reclaiming that word became a whole movement. Remember pre-Covid when millions of women and girls were marching with pink knitted pussy hats on their heads? Everyone was paying attention and it caused an uncomfortable uproar. Balance of power. The word doesn’t feel so supercharged anymore. Love or fear. A choice.

Love it = recognize and honor its source of creation and creativity. Alchemy and new life. Womb. Eggs. Beauty. Respect. Warmth. Pleasure. Queen. Feminine. Receive. Give. King. Masculine. Sacral. Sex. Yesod. Union. Harmony.

Fear it = afraid of its life giving ability. At the edge of death. Tomb. Darkness. Blood. Restrict. Manage. Suppress. Control. Stop. Attack. Wound. Pain. Contain. Run. Hide.

My mother was right on…the Power of the Pussy is the real truth. A wise and beautiful Goddess knew that LOVE > FEAR.

Peace be with you,

Gretchen