Throughout his book Whitmont works with the terms the gynolatric cultures and androlatric cultures (of patriarchy). The transformative potential of the archetypal feminine holds out the possibility for us in Western culture today of what I will style here as the emergence of androgynolatric culture and value system.
Whitmont claims that "the androlatric value system created distance and separation [between the knower and the known, or between individual persons, as in I-Thou communication?]" but that "the integrative trend of tomorrow will create and demand contact and nearness, both metaphorically and concretely" (page 233). However, elsewhere, he emphasizes that we need distance to take our own stand and hold one's own. We can experience contact and nearness in I-Thou communication, but still hold our own, which involves a certain kind of distance.
The first, and indispensable, step toward integrating the archetypal feminine into our lives that Whitmont calls for is awareness and attentiveness. But he also says that awareness and attentiveness must be accompanied by asking "the Grail questions: 'What is the meaning of this?' 'What can it lead to?' 'What can it teach me?' and 'What is it to serve?'" (page 257).
By asking these probing questions, Whitmont says, we will discover ourselves -- and discover how to integrate the archetypal feminine into our lives.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
