We are proud to announce our support and engagement with this initiative by Sushila Mertens

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Introducing

The Evolutionary Dictionary

Including the Feminine Voice into Humanity’s Language

is being created and your words and definitions are invited to be part of this collaborative project.

 

Research has shown that the language we "assume" is actualized through the words originating from a left-brain hierarchy of domination over thousands of years. It makes sense that we have been walking through the world in a state of what Dr. Riane Eisler refers to as “the Domination Trance”.

 

When we ask two people the question, "How do you define the word, Power?" we are sure to get three answers. Perhaps we need to rethink and get creative inventing new words to say what we mean and mean what we say. We owe it to ourselves and the work we do honoring life to pay attention to the words we use. Perhaps we will all be well served by watching our assumptions of our choice of words to communicate authentically what we are thinking.

 

When we create what we envision, why not exchange the common phrases, “We’re killing it!” or “We nailed it!” with “We created our vision!” or “Let’s celebrate what we actualized.”. Say the different words and feel the difference in your body and state of mind. Did someone have to lose for your success or can your success have its own merit?  Therefore, it is essential that what we have to say is in its highest integrity. This condition requires us to remember our responsibilities to not only our words, but also our thoughts that impact our language, and ultimately our behaviors. This is one way to co-create the new narrative and actualize a culture that works for everyone.

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Assumption of Meaning

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We are not only midwifing a new narrative with new words, we are paying attention to those established words we use that deserve another look.

The word Domestic in the phrase Domestic Violence is an example of how we misuse our words. The word alone elicits an image of that which takes place in the home or on home ground. However, when describing a type of violence, it is not serving its highest purpose to articulate this problem in society. Choosing the word Domestic rather than the actual violence for what it is, as in: child violence, intimate violence, and/or violence in families, demonstrates our willingness to wash over the difficult reality of what’s at hand. Generally speaking, such violence disproportionately impacts women and girls so we are further masking a serious problem that deserves a spotlight. Making a conscious choice in these distinctions is transformational if we are to consciously make a change.

 

One telling sign of a shift in civilization is questioning assumptions about what we have been told is the final word vs what works for our world and our place in it. When the written word became democratized (7,000-5,000 BC) we believed what the handful of scribes knew to be “truth.”  Yet today we are recognizing that each of us carry our own lived experiences, wisdom, and belief systems. We start by honoring that in another by listening carefully to what they have to say, so it is clear that our role is to say what we mean.

 

An Era of Co-Creation; Your Invitation

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The Next Buddha May Be a Sangha 

Thich Nhat Hanh

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The community has always been our source of connection to culture, which is nothing more than a collective agreement by the whole. So, it is fitting to believe that the next guru may very well be, as Thitch Nhat Hanh states, community.  That culture depends on a common narrative, and that’s where you come in.

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For thousands of years, the condition of our human story is that we abide by the authoritative structures of one to the many. Yet, this new evolutionary shift, we are thrust into a construct of the many to the many. That’s us! We are the ones we have been waiting for, and we have the “Power” to change our story. The best place to start is with our words.

Please send your word or phrase that you would like to contribute to the Evolutionary Dictionary.

We invite you to send your contributions to the Evolutionary Dictionary here.

Sande Hart and Sushila Mertens

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Read Sushila's Introduction HERE

 

The Evolutionary Dictionary Guidelines

• We promote words that value life and the narrative of peace, equity, gender-balance, and sustainable partnership

• We eliminate in our speech words rooted in violence, aggression and dominan

• We redefine current words that dishonor the feminine/nature/women or diversity

• We re-ignite the power of the creation tales of the Mother and Goddess stories that balance the male mythology