Engaging and informative

I find this history inspiring. The author has devoted her heart and soul to this work and it shows. There’s a lot here to unpack. The writing and narration make it easy to follow and exciting.

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Brilliant and Healing

A brilliant, thoroughly researched lineation of our matrilineal ancestry and the saga of patriarchy. Both truths which we desperately need to digest for collective liberation, healing, and empowerment. This book moved me deeply and is one I will return to again and again.

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Vitally Update to Human Social History

I am not a follower of archeology or linguistic or much of history (like the author, I found the public school practice of mindless recitation of places, dates, and names to be mind-numbingly boring, in addition to being devoid of any value to my life). But I have had a life-long desire for sense making, a penchant for inquiry into the origins of our current cultural insanities, and an avid interest in mythology, embodiment, and social context. I believe that, regardless of academic standing, everyone, by virtue of being human, has the legitimate right to question and critique what works and what doesn't about the systems we find ourselves embedded in.

My life changed in the 1990's when I read Riane Eisler's, The Chalice and the Blade and learned, through a series of bootlegged videos, about Maria Gimbutas, the Lithuanian Archaeologist whose theories and interpretations stand to change the shape of our past and our future, have been discredited by the mainstream (and majority male) academics.

For me, Elisha Daeva's book helped me pick up right where I left off, with a highly readable, well organized, reasonably argued, accessibly formatted update to our matrilineal, matrilocal, and matris origins. Her chapters on defining patriarchy, the history of western civilization, where Europeans come from, the politics of the dissemination (or lack thereof) of worthy information, zoology, sexology, linguistics, genetics, archaeology, history, and mythology build solid foundation and a clear, reasonable, and captivating understanding of how our historians have been misinterpreting the data that's been uncovered over the last several hundred years. And how that misinterpretation of our origins has held in place a violent, unequal, and destructive, social order that's serving a very small percentage of humans and screwing the rest of us.

The volume, breadth, and depth of information that the author has curated over the course of 20 years is nothing short of staggering. And none of it funded by institutions, corporations, or a monied interest of any kind. Or even, for that matter, motivated by her own desire for money, fame, or academic credentials. Based on her conclusions chapter, she's written this book to provide updates to Gimbutas' findings, to pull together this information in one volume, and to weave together some strands of sense making in order to liberate us all from this pathological tyranny that is patriarchy.

What it looks like to me is liberation theology on a very meta scale and I am beyond thrilled that she's done it. It seems to me that the author wants a different world; one where she and everyone else can feel at home in their bodies, embedded in land-based systems, living out cooperative values, for the good of the whole. She wants a playground of sane, coherent, intact, and nurturing systems. Much like how our ancestors lived. And she's got the data to prove that it's possible - because it existed: for far longer and with more success than anything else.

For those of us who are creating the systems that will replace the decaying structures of domination, control, and bullying that is the military-industrial-religious-corporate monster, this book is big heap of high quality compost on our gardens. It's a bullhorn of remembrance and chorus of support for us to keep building. Because even though the previous cultures have been destroyed, the blueprint is intact and our foremothers are cheering us on!

I love that this is written for the average person. I love that the author gives us a peak into her own life. From a hint at her upbringing, to her personal story of rape and ideas about healing trauma, to her hopes for the future of humanity, and her perspective on healthy sexual relating (love the post-patriarchy manifesto!!). I also love how she weaves the data together to form a context that makes so much practical and rational sense. I love that she's not afraid to call out cultural sacred cows like marriage and monogamy and confidently rails against cowardly scientists who take the well trod road of upholding the standard narrative against all evidence to the contrary. I love how she goes out of her way to name that men are NOT the problem and are hurt just as much from Patriarchy as women are. And I love when she's fair minded in seeing multiple perspectives on one issue and naming when a piece of evidence isn't conclusive. This book makes me trust her and bow to her commitment and devotion to this topic.

To be reminded of our egalitarian, women-loving, land-honoring past is a tremendous contribution to my life personally. I've spent my entire life trying to be in a body that doesn't seem to belong to me. My value seems to be based on how well I pass the test of perfection and how much I'm willing to serve the values of the "machine" of conformity. I'm grateful to be reminded of a place and time where things were different.

Collectively, this book is patching big holes in the world quilt and needs to be placed right next to Riane Eisler's masterpiece. Together they form a crucial breadcrumb trail out of the dark woods into the emergent new earth. It's time to end this demonic and misguided and failed experiment that is Patriarchy and get back/forward to the societies we all long for: fair, equal, kind, loving, and prosperous for all.

Thank you Elisha Daeva for reminding us of our past and shining a light towards our future.


Lee Warren
Death & Tantra Educator
reclaimingwisdom.com

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