"Woman, remember. You have the memory living deep in your mind, in your blood, in your lifegiving darkness. Reach down to it and bring it forth.

“Remember the time before men began to count time. Remember when woman was the world, and the world was woman. Remember when every mother established her clan, guided her children, set the standards of behavior for her lovers, and owned the home place to be passed down to her daughters. Remember when the Mother’s laws forbade man to do violence to others, especially to women and children. Remember when rape was unknown, because every sexual encounter was by woman’s choice. Remember when men dared not claim the right to control any aspect of women’s economic, political, sexual, or reproductive activities, but honored all women for bringing forth and nurturing the human race ...

“Remember that woman alone ... had the right to decree wise laws for the benefit of future generations. Remember that woman alone knew the mysteries of life and death, of healing and cursing. Remember the shrines established by the primal ancestresses. Remember the great temples where priestesses dwelt, helping their people. Remember that the world was at peace, because men were forbidden to kill ...

“Realize ... that the real foundation of human life is Woman. Remember your Goddess.

“Woman, remember.”

Barbara Walker, Woman’s Rituals, (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1990), pp. 184-85.