Where Do We Seek Inspiration?

Sublime Feminine Intelligence

SUBLIME FEMININE INTELLIGENCE

What are the qualities of people who embody sublime feminine intelligence, as I aspire to do?

• They are lovers of equality; activists committed to social and economic justice; in service to people who are from disadvantaged backgrounds; excited to protect and preserve the health of the natural world; passionate about diminishing militarism, plutocracy, bigotry, misogyny, and racism.

• They believe that no one is free unless we all are free; that the supreme goal is to reduce suffering and increase joy.

• They prize their understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.

• Listening well is a quality they value.

• They are willing to expand and adjust their understandings of the world if they encounter new information that reveals their previous beliefs are obsolete or too narrow.

• They consider the needs of as many people as possible, not just the needs of their immediate family, community, and network of allies.

• They are emotionally intelligent. They understand it’s as crucial to develop a savvy relationship with our feelings as it is to be intellectually smart.

• They regard relationship as a crucible for spiritual work.

• They regard practical expressions of kindness and compassion and ethical behavior as sacred practices that are at the core of spiritual work.

• They proceed as if loving and caring for animals and plants and the earth is a prime test of our spiritual intentions.

• They understand that to accomplish practical changes that serve the greatest good requires hard work in the trenches of political struggle, often having to deal with people who have different beliefs.

• They are nuanced, not simplistic; respect dialog more than authoritative pronouncements; seek consensus, not doctrinaire obeisance; understand that perfectionism is often the enemy of the good.

• Love is their highest priority, their go-to motivation.

INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN LEADERS

I celebrate the many brave women and nonbinary people who help us stay grounded and awake in the midst of our red-alert emergency crisis. They are infused with Sublime Feminine Intelligence. Below are my major inspirationalists right now:

REBECCA SOLNIT: meditationsinanemergency.com and facebook.com/rebecca.solnit

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON: tinyurl.com/HeatherSubstack and facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson

JOAN WESTENBERG: theindex.media and tinyurl.com/JoanWestenberg

STARHAWK: tinyurl.com/StarhawkNewsletter and facebook.com/StarhawkAuthor

JESSICA CRAVEN: tinyurl.com/JessicaCravenNews

JEN RUBIN: tinyurl.com/JenRubin

CAROLE CADWALLADR: tinyurl.com/CaroleNews

ELIZABETH CRONISE MCLAUGHLIN: tinyurl.com/ECMcLaughlinNews

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PRESIDENT OF MEXICO, CLAUDIA SHEINBAUM

In the US, the supreme leader is a felon, liar, misogynist, bigot, oligarch, fascist, rapist, theocrat, psychopath, and person of very low intelligence.

Meanwhile, in Mexico, they have the embodiment of Sublime Feminine Intelligence as head of state — PhD energy engineer, climate advocate, LGBTQ champion, mother, and feminist President Claudia Sheinbaum. In 2024, she was elected in a landslide victory, defeating a woman who was the other main candidate.

On March 9, 2025, President Sheinbaum led a traditional Indigenous cleansing ceremony. It was a powerful statement that merged ancestral wisdom with modern governance in ways that would have been unimaginable a generation ago.

More on this momentous event: tinyurl.com/PresidentSheinbaum

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PS: A few crabby people tell me that President Claudia Sheinbaum isn’t perfect. Of course I know she’s not perfect. Breaking news: No one is. No politician aligns exactly with every one of our high ideals — EVER. Even Bernie Sanders, whom I love, doesn’t match all my values.

But President Sheinbaum is the closest we have anywhere in the world to a progressive leader who cares about women’s rights, LGBTQ rights, Indigenous rights, the stain of colonialism, the necessity of government support for economically disadvantaged people, and most other important leftist values.

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INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN MAGICIANS

The women I named above are core potencies in my efforts to navigate through the Trumpocalypse. Below are three other bold and ingenious women who provide gorgeous spiritual wisdom that’s intensely practical — an essential factor in our political struggle.

adrienne marie brown: adriennemareebrown.net and tinyurl.com/PleasureActivist

and here’s a conversation between me and adrienne: tinyurl.com/AdrienneAndRob

Amanda Yates Garcia: tinyurl.com/AYGnews

and here’s a conversation between me and Amanda: tinyurl.com/AmandaRobInterview

Mandi Em: tinyurl.com/HealingForHotMesses and tinyurl.com/FeralSelfCareProject and tinyurl.com/TricksterAlchemy

GRIEF ABOUT PATRIARCHY

I feel grief and rage because of the fact that older white men have run so much of the world for so long — and now, worse than ever before, cruel, wealthy, bigoted, misogynist, autocratic white men.

For me, it’s personal. Their manic, pathological grip on power, their catastrophic lack of compassionate priorities, elicit more suffering in my deep psyche than any other predicament.

We can’t instantly heal and correct for the damage of this debilitating imbalance. But it’s reasonable to expect that during the next 30 years, women and nonbinary people will come to wield at least 50 percent of the power in the world.

I’m excited about contributing to this transformation.

7 self-care strategies for dismantling the patriarchy: tinyurl.com/DismantlePatriarchy

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PS: Brave men I love, too: Robert Reich, Robert Hubbell, John Pavlovitz, Timothy Snyder, Thom Hartmann, Aaaron Rupar, Anand Giridharadas, Mehdi Hasan, Bryan Tyler Cohen, Simon Rosenberg, Jay Kuo, Josh Marshall, Wajahat Ali

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

For the Week of March 27

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Ancient Rome's emperor Julius Caesar undertook a radical move to fix the calendar, which had become increasingly inaccurate as the centuries passed. He added three months to the year 46 BCE, which as a result was 445 days long. I'm thinking that 2025 might seem equally long for you, Aries. Your destiny may feel like it's taking forever to unfold. APRIL FOOL! I totally lied. In fact, I think 2025 will be one of your briskest, crispest years ever. Your adventures will be spiced with alacrity. Your efforts will be efficient and expeditious. You may sometimes be amazed at how swiftly progress unfolds.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Guilt and fear are always useless distractions from what’s really happening. Right? APRIL FOOL! The fact is that on rare occasions, being anxious can motivate you to escape from situations that your logical mind says are tolerable. And guilt may compel you to take the right action when nothing else will. This is one time when your guilt and fear can be valuable assets.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The German word Flüsterwitze means "whisper jokes." These jests make taboo references and need to be delivered with utmost discretion. They may include the mockery of authority figures. Dear Gemini, I recommend that you suppress your wicked satire and uproarious sarcasm for a while and stick to whisper jokes. APRIL FOOL! I lied. The truth is that the world needs your outspokenness. Your ability to call out hypocrisies and expose corruption—especially with humor and wit—will keep everyone as honest as they need to be.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the lead-up to the Paris-hosted 2024 Summer Olympics, the iconic Eiffel Tower was repainted gold. This was a departure from tradition, as the usual colors had been brown on the bottom and red on the top. The $60-million job took 25 painters 18 months. I recommend that you undertake an equally monumental task in the coming months, Cancerian. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, I do hope you undertake a monumental task—but one that’s more substantive than changing the surfaces of things. Like revisioning your life story, for example—reinterpreting your past and changing the way it informs your future. I think you are ready to purge inessential elements and exorcize old ghosts as you prepare for a re-launch around your birthday.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): When I worked on the Duke University grounds crew years ago, I did the work I was assigned as quickly as possible. Then I would hide in the bushes, taking unauthorized breaks for an hour or two, so I could read books I loved. Was that unethical? Maybe. But the fact is, I would never have been able to complete my assigned tasks unless I allowed myself relaxation retreats. If there is an equivalent situation in your life, Leo, I urge you to do as I did. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. The truth is that I think you should be a little less extravagant than I was—but only a little—as you create the spaciousness and slack you need.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): In his film Fitzcarraldo, Virgo director Werner Herzog tells an epic story. It includes the task of hauling a 320-ton steamship up a hill and over land, moving it from one river to another. Herzog could have relied on special effects to simulate this almost impossible project, but he didn’t. With a system of pulleys and a potent labor force, he made it happen. I urge you to try your equivalent of Herzog’s heroic conquest, Virgo. You will be able to summon more power and help than you can imagine. APRIL FOOL! I half-lied. While it’s true that you will be able to summon more power and help than you can imagine, I still think you should at least partially rely on the equivalent of special effects.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Researchers discovered that Egyptian fruit bats engage in extensive communication with each other while nesting in their roosts. Surprisingly, they talk about their problems a lot. In fact, they quarrel 60 percent of the time. Areas of disagreement include food allocation, positions within the sleep cluster, and males initiating unwanted mating moves. Let's make these bats your power creatures. The astrological omens say it's time for you to argue more than you have ever argued. APRIL FOOL! I was not entirely truthful. The coming weeks will be a good time to address disagreements and settle disputes, but hopefully through graceful means, not bitter arguing.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Unlike many modern poets, Scorpio-born Alice Notley rejects the notion that she must be part of any poetic lineage. She aspires "to establish or continue no tradition except one that literally can’t exist—the celebration of the singular thought sung at a particular instant in a unique voice.” She has also written, "It’s necessary to maintain a state of disobedience against everything." She describes her work as “an immense act of rebellion against dominant social forces.” I invite you to enjoy your own version of a Notley-like phase, Scorpio. APRIL FOOL! I lied. In fact, I encourage you to enjoy a Notley-like phase beginning May 1. But for now, I invite you to be extra attentive in cultivating all the ways you can benefit from honoring your similarities and connections with others.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is a standardized test that many American high school students take to prove their worth to colleges. The highest possible score is achieved by fewer than one percent of test-takers. We might imagine that earning such a premium grade must guarantee admission to any school, but it doesn't. During one five-year period, for example, Stanford University rejected 69 percent of applicants with the highest possible score. I'm sorry to predict that a comparable experience might be ahead for you, Sagittarius. Even if you are your best and brightest self, you may be denied your rightful reward. APRIL FOOL! I totally lied. Here's my real, true prediction: In the coming weeks, I believe you will be your best and brightest self—and will win your rightful reward.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The visible part of an iceberg is typically just 10 percent of its total size. Most is hidden beneath the sea’s surface. References to “the tip of the iceberg” have become a staple metaphor in many cultures, signifying situations that are not what they seem. Of all the zodiac tribes, Scorpios are renowned for their expertise in discerning concealed agendas and missing information. The rest of us tend to be far less skillful. APRIL FOOL! I fibbed. These days, you Capricorns are even more talented than Scorpios at looking beyond the obvious and becoming aware of the concealed roots and full context.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the coming weeks, I advise you to be like the 19^th-century poet Emily Dickinson. She lived in quiet seclusion, corresponding through letters instead of socializing. She seemed content to write her poems all alone in her home and be unconcerned about trying to get them published. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Here’s my real horoscope: Now is a highly favorable time for you to shmooze with intensity at a wide range of social occasions, both to get all the educational prods you need and to advance your ambitions.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Some systems and situations improve and thrive in response to stress and errors. Indeed, some things need strain or irregularity to be fully healthy. For example, human bodies require a certain amount of stress to develop a resistance to infection. In reading the astrological omens, I conclude you now need stimulation like that. APRIL FOOL! I lied. Here's the truth: August of 2025 will be a great time for you to harvest the benefits of benevolent stress. But for now, your forte will be the capacity to avoid and resist stress, confusion, and errors.

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