Inside the female animal mind

Are you brave enough to venture inside my mind. Are you fully prepared to unravel the mysteries of this 'enigma wrapped in that riddle', a well- used cliche, I know. But again, I ask...Are you?

If you truly desire to do such a deliciously crazy thing, then come along...I dare you, and please, do so at your own risk.

Oh, by the way...Don't hug me, don't touch me...don't get too close to me, don't try to read my mind and certainly don't judge me.

How then, you may wonder, will you venture inside my mind.

"Well, you sit over there, across the table, and listen to the answers which I may (if I deem it appropriate) give you to your curious questions".

"Dude, up here, my eyes and mind are up here. Just because I am wearing a dress molded to my form and cut in an appealing form fitting way, does not give you permission to ogle me".

"You are mistaken, I was not ogling you. I was merely looking at what you are willing to let me see, after all, you chose to wear that revealing attire".

"Oh no. You did not just go there".

"Well, you opened the door that allowed me to walk right in".

And just like that. It was on!!!

Let me introduce you to "Women's ways of knowing".

Mary Field Belenky, Blythe McVicker Clinchy, Nancy Rule Goldberger, and Jill Mattuck Tarule, published under the title "Women's Ways of Knowing": The Development of Self, Voice, and Mind". This work describes the process of cognitive development in women as five knowledge positions (or perspectives) through which women view themselves and their relationship to knowledge.

The five knowledge positions:

Silence is the name given to the first epistemological position, and describes women who felt disconnected from knowledge, the sources of knowledge and their relationship to knowledge.

Received knowledge. Words are not viewed as weapons, and are seen as critical to the learning process, but the origin and meaning of words and knowledge remain external.

Subjective knowledge is the recognition of the self as an authority. Subjective knowers rely on their own subjective thoughts, feelings and experiences for knowledge and truth - the "infallible gut" as the authors refer it.

Procedural knowledge reflects the recognition that multiple sources of knowledge exist, and focuses on methods and techniques for evaluating the accuracy of external truth and the relative worth of authority

Constructed knowledge is characterized by a recognition of the interrelatedness of knowledge, knowing and the knower. Women with this perspective considered all knowledge as constructed, and understood that knowledge is inherently mutable, subject to time, experience, and context; they saw knowledge as "a constant process of construction, deconstruction and reconstruction".

Women in this position generally came to a realization of self after intense self-reflection, 'real talk' and the ability to listen, share and cooperate while maintaining one's own voice undiminished. The position of constructed knowledge often involves enormous "empathetic potential": a capacity to feel connected with another person despite potentially enormous differences.

"What the hell are you even talking about"? You ask.

Did I not say that the inside of my mind was a jumbled concoction of wild convolutions and mazelike constructions that even I have to navigate to arrive at a sensible output of information.

There are whole books, unfinished manuscripts, flyers and loose pages which are desperately in need of filing, all jostling to escape the confinement of my mind.

There is junk from past lives and past experiences which is clogging up the highways and byways.

Don't venture in where angels fear to traverse.

"Ok. It is official. You are stark raving mad. Goodbye and good luck with your life".

I smile. I never said..."I told you so".

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Belle's prompt

631 words.