Redefining matriarchy

The Queen of England’s funeral is on September 19th. As the world mourns the death of the?longest reigning monarch?in British history, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about monarchies, and more specifically, matriarchs.??

Even though England is a patriarchal society, Queen Elizabeth reigned for 70 years.?The Guardian?stated that, “The Queen was the ultimate matriarch, with a power exercised quietly and artfully.”?

This same article by The Guardian goes on to say that, “The sweeping nature of the constitutional powers she held – to dissolve parliament, or withhold consent from legislation – were tolerated within a modern democracy precisely because they were sparingly used…She did not so much normalize the idea of a woman in charge as make the nation largely forget that that was what she was…while she approved legal changes preventing future monarchs’ firstborn daughters being leapfrogged by their younger brothers in the line of succession, she did not obviously strive to leave a legacy for women.”?

I have mixed feelings. I was always impartial to the Queen and felt it couldn’t be a bad thing to see a woman in a position of power—it’s the system that I have an issue with. A centuries old system in which the British Empire was responsible for?atrocities?like the partitioning of India, the use of Boer concentration camps, colonization, and participating in the Atlantic Slave Trade, to name a few.??

All of this happened before the Queen's reign, but I can’t help from wondering if the way she ruled is how matriarchs?should?be ruling. Or maybe if the definition of a matriarch is outdated for the 21st Century? Mirriam-Webster states that a?matriarch?is a woman who rules or dominates a family, group, or state. But shouldn’t this definition include a women’s chosen family, community, and descendents, either biological or chosen? What about the fact that this definition includes the word “dominate,” which no doubt comes from the underlying workings of a patriarchal society??

We need a new model of matriarchy that replaces the outdated, patriarchal paradigms of the crumbling world we are leaving behind. The modern matriarch doesn’t need more patriarchal, prescriptive advice or mainstream thinking or programs. She needs a new way of leading using intuition, generational wisdom, and empathy. She needs to be an integral and influential leader who makes critical decisions, collaborates freely, and forges new paths.

Modern matriarchs map their own truth, heal their wounds, own their lineages, and forge new paths to radically generative futures.?

• What do you think of this definition of a modern matriarch??
• Do you consider yourself to be a matriarch??

I’d love to hear your thoughts—let me know if you think our culture needs to re-define matriarchy.?

Wishing you all a contemplative week.?

—Madeline?