The Movement We Need ~ with Starhawk

In this episode, as we continue Transforming the Inner Strong Man, I look at two internalized voices of the strongman: the Master of Servants and the Orderer of the Universe. Who counts? Who gets treated as "filler," and what undoes that division inside us and in our culture?

Once again, grab your notebook and bring these reflections into your groups. Together, we’ll explore:

• Recognizing and undoing the Master of Servants and the Orderer—including how these patterns show up within ourselves.

• Empathy as the antidote—our capacity to imagine the world through someone else’s eyes. A profound form of intelligence, and perhaps the kryptonite to these patterns of power and control.

• Reason and intuition—reason is one of our greatest human capacities, but it is not our only way of knowing. Rarely are we taught how to balance reason with intuition, or how to cultivate both with discernment. What happens when we privilege one at the expense of the other?

REFERENCES:

📺 Signs out of Time, the Story of Archeologist Marija Gimbutas

📚 Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery

📚 Sylvia Federicci. Caliban and the Witch
📚 John Keenan. The Face of Battle
📚 David Kubrin. Marxism and Witchcraft

Read the full article and connect at starhawk.substack.com

On The Movement We Need Podcast, I am sharing a special series on Transforming the Strong Man. In the last episode, I talked about the judge. That inner voice that says what is right and what is wrong, and that judges your sense of value. That says you do not have inherent value and need to live up to someone else’s standards in order to be valuable.

Today, I am talking about what I like to call “The Conqueror.” I like Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s term, the strongman, because in today’s world, we’re not so much dealing with kings per se or absolute monarchs. What we’re dealing with are would-be kings, wannabe kings, and dictators. So the strongman kind of covers all of that, and the strongman is especially apropos for the figure of the conqueror, because the conqueror is our defender against enemies, the head of the army, and the one who will protect you because they are someone who’s so strong that they can’t be defeated.

I’m also going to walk us through the process of holding the truth of multiple perspectives to undo the spell of “The Conqueror.”

Once again, it might be worth grabbing a notebook or even bringing this episode to your groups. Share with me in the comments section what is helpful, and what you would like to know more about. I read all of your comments, and it helps me as I plan what will most serve you through The Movement We Need.

What would a world look like where there is space for mistakes and repair? In this episode of The Movement We Need Podcast, I explore how internalized authority shows up as self-judgment, moral purity tests, and punitive group dynamics. Together, we will consider the ancient patterns of warfare and patriarchy to modern politics, then weigh up alternatives rooted in restorative justice, constructive critique, and solidarity.

It might be worth grabbing a notebook or even bringing this episode to your groups. Specifically, I discuss:
> traditional roles of the king or strongman: judge, conqueror, defender, censor, master of servants, and orderer of the universe.
> how comparison, grading, and social media performance can intensify shame and insecurity, especially for young people.
> how the judge turns practical questions about harm and care into tests of moral purity.
> solidarity-based safety, nonviolent communication, and clear, behavior-based feedback as alternatives to shame and threats.

📚 Truth or Dare: Encounters with Power, Authority, and Mystery

In this episode, I read a few exerpts from my 1994 novel, The Fifth Sacred Thing. I share them to encourage more ouf our collective envisioning for the future (and present) that we want to see. Not just focussing on what we don’t want.

I hope you enjoy this episode and that it offers something for you to work with.
Your support of my work here, on Substack through likes, shares, and becoming a paid subscriber, or by purchasing my books, really does help ensure I can continue teaching and writing. Thankyou!!!

Important links

vote411.org — it takes about 5 minutes to check if you are registered to vote!

Connie Chan

👾 Upcoming Courses & Rituals

- Transforming the War Cult: a 5-week online course. Tuesdays, 5:30-7:30 pm Pacific Time, starts Sept. 29 (recordings available)

- Empowering Collaborative Groups: a 6-week course Thursdays, 6-8 pm Pacific Time, starts October 1 (recordings available)

Transforming the War Cult, a by-donation online course, begins this Tuesday, September 29. Learn more here.

Ritual is an important tool in meeting the core human needs discussed throughout my Substack essays and podcast. One of the core human needs I talk about a lot is the need for belonging, which is something that’s very basic to us as human beings.

Read more and watch the meditation video on my Substack.

I want to talk about transforming the war cult. For many years, I’ve been thinking and writing about how the transition from cultures that were what I like to call matrifocal, not exactly the same as matriarchal, meaning “woman ruled,” but matrifocal, being “woman-focused,” and “female-focused,” focused on life, on bringing life into the world, on nurturing life rather than on war and conquest and accumulation. The changeover happened at different times in different parts of the world.

Read the full article on my Substack here.

In this episode, I speak with my friend and lifelong activist, organizer, and author, Shea Howell. And it’s a goodie!
Shea’s life’s work has been centered in grassroots democracy, racial, economic, and environmental justice, nonviolence, and creating community-led ways of responding to the challenges people face.
It is a real opportunity to have Shea here on the podcast, and I hope you look further into her work as we move toward greater collective action. So grab a note book if you can, or bring this conversation to your groups!