Free Tori Amos: Piece by Piece by Tori Amos, Ann Powers Page A

his army. Over the years I've chosen to see it somewhat differently. I believe that this force, called Satan, if you will, is a position from which you or I choose to act. This force takes no responsibility for the suffering it causes. Some people who need to have power over other people can't see that they are operating within the satanic framework. If you stop walking on eggshells and are honest about it—dominating another human being, needing to control another human being,even if it's in that person's best interest, treating someone like a possession, taking advantage of another human being because you can—all of this is what 666 really is. The misuse of power. Not all of us are willing to admit where we're misusing our power.
I would sit and speak for hours and hours with these Jamaican nurses, each of whom had had a child who had been killed, and they both chose to hold the space of the Great Mother. One of them lost her eighteen-year-old baby in a car accident and was sued by the so-called friends who survived, who were trying to eke out as much money as they could. Yes, of course the money was paid out by the insurance company, but not one survivor had any concern or compassion for their friend, who was dead, for the mother who had lost her baby. No, they cared about what they would get out of it, though their lives had been spared. Now that is satanic. Until each of us has the courage to look at our priorities …
The Apocalypse is not something out there that will eradicate everything on planet Earth. That would be far too simple. The Apocalypse is in each and every one of us. It takes courage to fight the beast. The beast is allegorical and rears its chameleon head when power is misused by each and every one of us. Sometimes we misuse power by not standing up for ourselves, by being powerless. That's the inverted beast—when you can't say no but you should because you're being asked to do something that you know isn't right for you, but you do it because you were never taught how to say no. You were never taught that sometimes the consequences of saying no are that the person that you've said no to will say you're not being a good friend, then will threaten to leave you or will just walk out on the relationship. So as they start to walk, then you start to buckle and you say, “No, don't go, don't go, I'm sorry—I just want to make it okay.” That's another form of the Apocalypse. This iscalled spiritual slavery. You have just handed over an invisible leash that goes from your neck to their hands. Now, until we all have the courage to look at where we aren't choosing freedom for the soul, then we are out of alignment with the Great Mother and the Divine Father—whatever you want to call them. Sometimes the Great Mother seems to inhabit little people as well …
I have been writing about Grandma for days now. Tash finds me on the curve of the half-moon-shaped old Georgian stairs, sits down next to me, and says, “You need to stop work and come play now, Mum.” “Yeah, but Tash, I have a deadline.” “It'll be okay, Mum. Come on and play.” “Okay, Tash, which animal do you want me to be in the safari?” We play—Tash, Emily, Kelsey and I—down our hill on this huge rock in our garden that the kids dubbed “the safari.” And out of the blue Tash puts her hand in mine and says, “Do you know who we are Mum?” And at that moment I just look into her blue planets for eyes, and she says, “We are Daughters of Song, Mama.” And at that I jump up with new life, pick her up, and say, “Now let's go play” _____

 
    TORI:

    “Jesus was a feminist, dear.”
    At nineteen years old I look up at my mom and with exasperation say “Ma, I've got no problem with Jesus, okay? Always dug the guy—still do. Do you really think the Magdalene would have entertained the idea of them as an item if he weren't for women's rights and equality in the workplace?”
    “Yes, dear, I understand all that, dear, but you