dogmatic thinking and totalitarian political systems, the human being now stands in a wider scope of possibilities for choice and understanding. Dogma breeds discrimination, and we can be just as bigoted as other spiritual paths in thinking our way is superior to others. The institualization of paganism is problematic; it can become dogmatic and dominating or cling to its marginalization while turning away from the potential power to transform the larger society. Many chose the Goddess because they had deep criticisms of mainstream society, especially of its treatment of women and the Earth. They prefer being on the boundaries of institutions and are more committed to marginality than true spiritual and personal growth. Conclusion Ruether argues for healing relationships between men and women, classes and nations, and humans and the earth and humans and the divine. The author insists that ecological healing is a theological and psychic-spiritual process. Ecofeminism draws on aboriginal, pagan discourses. It recognizes ecological insights in religions that worship life/nature. Recognizing human dependence and oneness with nature is the basis for a culture that would live in balance and harmony with the natural world. Pagan and tribal worldviews see spirit embodied in the natural world. The Wiccan Goddess or the Great Mother represents the divine embodied in nature, in human beings, in flesh. “This is the consciousness I call Immanence – the awareness of the world and everything in it as alive, dynamic, interdependent, interacting, and infused with moving energies: a living being, a weaving dance.” (Starhawk, 1982). Bibliography Birkland, J. (1993). Ecofeminism: Linking Theory and Practice. In G. Gaard (Ed.) Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature. (pp.13-59). Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Christ, P. (1988). The Laughter of Aphrodite: Reflection on a Journey To the Goddess. New York: HarperCollins Christ, P. (1997)...
