Clothing: A Perspective of Role

Paz! Tau!
Las matematicas de hoy son “construir y destruir”. El grado en el alfabeto supremo es “El o Ella”. Today’s mathematics is build and destroy. Today’s degree in the Supreme Alphabet is “He or Her”.

Build and destroy are dialectical opposites and represent the forces of creation and destruction within the universe. This is a process that is constant and is ever at work with all degree’s of matter and life. What is often misconstrued is that relationship between the two, for they are looked at as opposing forces instead of two parts of a whole. They are both intricate and integral to the balancing of the universe. Our people have understood and acknowledged it in daily life and through different rituals. We acknowledged life and death and embraced each with a specific context and understanding.

The principle of “build and destroy” is parallel in many ways to the Eastern perspective of Yin and Yang. It is a principle that manifests at varying levels of existence, especially socially, between He and Her. He and Her, are representative of those balancing forces within the universe. The man, being the naturally more assertive and proactive force within the universe, and the woman, her, being the more reactive and receptive force within the universe. This is one of the reasons we symbolize the “Sun” with the Original man and the “Moon and Earth” with the Original woman. Because of the role they fulfill in the universe and have similar the relationship is between man and woman.

Within “El Nacion de Dioses y Tierras”, man and woman’s relationship can be better understood in terms of the 8th Jewel in a plus degree entitled “The 12 Jewels”- “Clothing”. The 12 Jewels are as follows: knowledge, wisdom, understanding, freedom, justice, equality, food, clothing, shelter, love, peace, happiness. They represent the essentials of human existence on this planet and serves as goals for achievement within one’s own life. However, the 8th principle is “Clothing”, which has a lot to do with providing and making sure one has clothing appropriate for the weather and work, etc. Clothing is also important as it concerns the relationship between man and woman. The roles and relationship of each are based on culture. Certain clothing is adorned by men and women of specific cultures. Many of us have heard jokes about "who wears the pants" in the family. Often, the men and women dress according to their gender, distinguishing, not separating, one’s roles from the other within their society. The relationship of men and women is often strengthened (build) or weaken (destroyed) by the manifestation of clothing with the culture. As we have seen within Western Society. Clothing can be used to exploit one’s gender and social value and destroy male/female relationships which prevents the strengthening of the community and the continuation of culture. This is especially true when considering women and their ability to thrive in many societies. Some women who come from another culture feel that in order for them to “live” or more up in society, they have to alter their dress and mannerisms and abandon their culture ways.

This is a discussion we have within ‘El Nacion’ due to the traditional dress of our women, being head wraps and ¾ length skirts, clothing which represents the covering of the planet Earth by 3/4th’s of water. Often sisters feel the are restricted from adorning head wraps or long skirts in certain atmosphere’s such as the workplace, for fear of persecution and chastisement. However, it comes down to being a personal decision to adapt to mainstream society or maintain cultural identity and expression while still determined to push forward and succeed. My Earth and I discussed this as we watched a television program last night on the Travel Channel, ‘Bizarre Foods‘. The gentlemen was in Bolivia and attended a woman’s wrestling match, which we found quite odd for Bolivia, being so steeped in tradition. What was to our amazement was that, aside from it being no more or less “cheap fun”, like the wrestling here in the states, their was a high degree of cultural respect. The women remained in their ‘refinement‘, their modest cultural clothing, the whole time. Even while throwing elbows and leg drops on each other. This for us, was a strong example of cultural identity and the affirming of a women’s identity within society. As opposed to the United States, where the theme is to get rich at any cost or sacrifice. Not to mention that Bolivia is steeped in indigenous tradition and socialism, which combine to bring forth a more modern view of the women in society. The women have themselves shown and proved to their importance in Bolivian society- from carrying babies while farming crops, cooking, doing construction etc. All in their traditional Aymara dress. Something for us to think about as we struggle with gender identity here in the U.S.- where it is increasingly harder to disguise men from women and women from men, both in dress, role, and more. Not mention how we relate to and interact with women in our own culture (both the Nation of Gods and Earths and Indigenous culture)

Do the knowledge.



Paz!