File spoon-archives/french-feminism.archive/french-feminism_1996/96-10-07.165, message 119


Date: Sat, 10 Aug 1996 17:34:21 -0600
From: Geoffrey Hunter Cyndy Ward <wardhunt-AT-cadvision.com>
Subject: Re: For Clare -astrological signs -- here is my attempt


Nietzche is also Irigaray's lover as implied in the title of "Marine 
Lover of Friedrich Nietzche".  In her eyes, Nietzche is the scientist 
who attempts to catch her in his vision, to contain her, in order to 
find his own mastery.  Nietzche's Darwinism, man's evoloution into 
superman, (a perfection in individual which is still the one/whole) 
conversely woman's 'devolution' to primal fluid.  His becomming in the 
world relies on her and excludes her.  Irigaray examines woman's place 
in his thought as the reversal of all this... by imaging woman's 
fluidity. She uses the four elements intrinsic to astrology, air, 
fire, earth, water.  These are concieved in astrology as the elements 
of life.  According to Barbara G. Walker (Women's Dictionary of 
Symbols and Sacred Objects), patriarchal religions have altered the 
structure of the zodiac from moon signs to sun signs over a period of 
time. The  astrological signs were also originally associated with 
women's sacred rites (Walker 284).    The circle of the zodiac could 
relate to the circle of Nietszche's becomming, "in her, becomming and 
being never join up in the shape of a ring"(32). she is water 
(Pisces), associated with the night and the moon both fluid and yet 
also material.  Irigaray asks (Niet) to remember that his voice relies 
on a woman who is outside of knowledge in the occult, "something 
exists which has a language other than your own"(ML.3).  Unlike 
Nietzche's air which attempts a duplication of opposites (his Gemini) 
or economy of the same (his Libra).  Being the human sign, air 
concerns itself with a union of sorts (humanism) while the air signs 
are also the unconventional subjects of astrology.  They attempt to 
escape moral/espistemological law by their duality.  Aquarius controls 
history, his Juno having two faces, looking both forward and backward.  
Gemini with his two selves.  Libra trying abolish difference with his 
balancing scales.  Their role to is maintain the great lie of unity 
and of metaphysics.  Nietzche, in all this posturing of air, he fails, 
according to Irigaray to leave the structure of oppostional thought.  
In this, he only strengthens the metaphysics he seeks to criticise. 
The feminine is associated in traditional astrology with the 
mysterious, water, the fish and the moon.  These multiple states exist 
in a non-heirachical relationship ( both darkness and light, hidden 
and visible, clear and infathomable).  Cancer the crab and Scorpio, 
both water signs, contain both the emotional and political 
(intersubjective) realms.  He, Nietzche, could also be Aquarius, 
holding in container of knowledge/language/philosophy, the idea of 
woman.  Irigaray recognises woman's role, "that way I have become your 
idea"(30).  He looks into this container of knowledge and sees only 
himself in a reflective pool of water. The place of air is closed to 
woman "except when you capture me in your unique mirror" (30). 
Nietzche knows both the relective/deceptive quality of water. Air is 
the element that Irigaray associates with stillness and death and the 
logos. She asks Niet,  is this her water which he (Aquarius) pours out 
carelessly after using her up in contemplation.


This is my attempt ....Cyndy.  So whats your sign.



   

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