Romantic Philosophies: The Ancient Roots and Modern Directions of the Romance PART 1

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"Grow up!" she snapped, never expecting his response. At once he became somber, swinging the sleek car into a side street.

The face he turned to her wasn't that of a man's man, CEO of one of the world's most powerful corporations. Though the dark hair crowning it was tipped with silver, it was the face of a little boy. A frightened little boy.

"That's just it," he whispered. "Grow up, grow old, and then what do I have to look forward to? A decrepit old age, useless and alone?"

How strange, she thought. He has everything a man could want, but no grasp at all of the knowledge that she, a mere woman in his man's world, knew as a basic philosophy, a foundational faith. She cradled his face in her hand.

"Darling, age is nothing to fear. It's just another facet of life's jewel, when the knowledge of a lifetime comes to its fullest flower, its greatest power. When you can become a mentor, passing your knowledge to a new generation."

"Like my son -- our son." He smiled at last, his crooked grin so like that of the adolescent boy she'd brought back into his life.

"And I promise you," she murmured as her lips met his, "you won't be alone."

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For long ages before man began the records of his stories - history - the world centered on feminine philosophies. Ancient Paleolithic fertility goddesses. Gaia, the Earth Mother. The triple goddesses of Maiden, Mother and Crone. It was, in spite of its inherent hardships, a gentle time when life's journey from innocence to maturity, old age and even death was to be embraced, not feared.

From those roots in the deepest of time, the female spirit retained its philosophical faith, even when millennia of male-dominated society demonized feminine deities, derided feminine thinking, and degraded the feminine person. Today, feminine modes of thinking are again surging gently to the fore, gaining credence if for no other reason than their ability to survive their trials as they have.

Romance has always known the gentle strength of a woman. Throughout the history of the genre, Romance has been the one literary form where, invariably, women were leaders, teachers, rebels with cause, and healers of body and heart. The feminine concepts of constancy in the face of change, acceptance without submission, celebration, and the bonds of love, are all integral to the Romance genre. Though often disdained by male-driven thinking, these concepts, long at the heart of Romance, are being recognized as powerful forces in relationships and in the world at large.

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