Introduction

Some years ago, the Chivalry-Now web site introduced a code of male ethics for men. It gained attention from readers all around the world, and formed a Companionship of like-minded people and advocates, each working to better the world from a personal and cultural perspective.
    Women understood the value of Chivalry-Now, and were attracted to its idealism. They even participated as members. But many longed for their own version of chivalry, something that would speak just as forthrightly but from a woman's point-of-view and with a woman's voice.
    Introducing: Equesta.
    Just as the root of chivalry is chevalier, which is French for horseman, or knight, Equesta is derived from the word equestrian, also related to the appreciation and mastery of horses, representative of natural instincts. Not only does this retain a semantic connection to its male counterpart, it conveniently encompasses the word quest.
    And so it begins.
    As Chivalry-Now provides the 12 Trusts as a code for men, Equesta presents a particular code for women. See the 12 Pledges.
    On one hand, Equesta does not have the history for women that chivalry does for men. On the other hand, it does not need to. The innate echo of its values comes down to us through the ages with strength of certainty. In our hearts and minds, we can discern what is right and wrong, and when we cross the moral line out of carelessness or intent. We know first hand the rich comprehensiveness and tenacity of female qualities that has sustained all humanity through countless wars and oppressions. There was never any need for a code of what we felt in our hearts and minds. What drives us as a gender has tied us to the core of human nature from the very start. While men search to imbibe from the sacred spring of life, Maidens of the Spring were there already. Men draw identity and strength from history, tradition and reason. Women draw strength directly from our nature.
    Equesta seeks to culturally express our values in words for the present and future generations. We proclaim them proudly. What comes to us in flashes of insight and whispers, will shine like a beacon for all our sisters and brothers to see.

Is Equesta just another trendy approach to women's issues?

Quite the opposite. Equesta has nothing to do with marketing trends that attempt to attract a new but fleeting audience. It makes no New Age claims, or points to pagan goddesses or Amazonian sisterhood. It is not about anti-age creams or the latest fashion, or how to win that someone special. It is not even about feminism, although it acknowledges a profound debt to the liberation it p[rovided.
    Equesta is about truth, responsibility, and personal decision-making. It's about accepting the liberation of feminism and moving forward as authentic persons, not crusaders. It's about stimulating free thought in a world of pressured advertising. It's about conscience, exploring the deeper meaning of things as people of growth, relationships, spiritual questing, and facing the world as the capable person that we are.
    The world of partisan politics, fashion and entertainment forever attempts to dominate our lives—from the way we look, to the way we think. Free people, in order to really be free, must resist that as just another form of authoritarianism. The history of women has too long been restrained by subjugation.
    It is time for women to speak out for truth, wisdom and virtue. Feminism is not enough. It was a great first step, but for liberation to be real we must move forward on our own now, engaging the adventure of life as the fascinating quest that it is. The challenges and oppression we face are more subtle than before, but just as ubiquitous. We need to claim the autonomy that comes from a direct relationship with Truth.
    In conjunction with our male counterparts, we join as sisters of Equesta to speak our minds and our hearts in defense of justice, equality, good behavior, defending what is right, and preserving what is good. This is the bedrock of our culture, desperately needed for the future, and it is time that we speak loud and clear with the authority of our souls.