Welcome to Gaia! ::

I am in the process of writing my Masters Thesis for my degree as a Marriage and Family Therapist.

The goal of my thesis is to begin to include the myths, archetypes, and stories of people who are unfairly marginalized due to racism, sexism, and other systems of oppression. Both historically and currently, psychology has been hostile toward the experiences of people marginalized due to any of their characteristics, and this has disproportionately affected those marginalized due to several. Even when a feminist critique might improve the psychological view of white, gender congruent, heterosexual, currently able bodied women, it might actually impair the psychological view of women of color, or lesbians. In an attempt to counter this division of people and double exclusion of people with intersecting axis of marginalization, I would like to introduce the experiences, stories, and artistic creations of individuals excluded due to multiple characteristics.

My psychological bias is toward Jungian psychology, which is largely concerned with the archetypes that had been viewed as universal but which have been found to largely center white, heterosexual, gender congruent, currently able bodied men. Not everyone will want to step into a potentially hostile field with things they hold precious, but I will make every attempt to make my presentation of these things respectful and careful.

Please let me know if you would like to take part on my Thesis. I'll need an email to contact you with, and there is an Informed Consent Form (best in a word document) I need signed in order to meet the demands of the Ethics Committee.

To make this more topical, please feel free to discuss how other aspects of marginalization (gender, sex, affluence, race, etc...) has affected or altered your religious experiences.

Would you mind expanding on that? I only know what it is to be white and vaguely Celto-Germanic, and I sought my gods specifically along ancestral lines, so I have a very different experience (being one of the people saying OMG you don't need to be white! I know most of us are, but you don't NEED to be!).

I'll take part, if you can use me. I've got a gmail address that's the same as my Gaia name, but if you'd prefer you can PM me for my more 'official' e-mail address based on my real name.