Mind, Body, and Soul

After reading background information on Katherine Philips, I was struck by the strength and importance of her relationships with other women and found myself to be somewhat envious. I have never had a truly strong bond with another woman that was not a relative. For me, it was always easier to strike up a friendship with men. I do have several female friends but our bond is not as deep as the one I have with my best friend, a male. When I lost my husband to cancer, it was my male friend who comforted me and helped me through the whole grieving process. This friend even did the eulogy at my husband's funeral as he knew that I often found the services at my church to be too "Catholic" and not personal enough. My friend and I have always had a purely platonic relationship and never even considered making it anything else. I would not trade this friendship for anything in the world but I have always secretly hoped to find a female friend to connect with as deeply. Some may argue that Philips has a strong bond with the women in The Society of Friendship because there is a sexual relationship but I believe she knows how to connect with women in a platonic relationship as well. It has been said that Philips remarked that love between women was pure, uncorrupted by the sexual.

In Philips' works she uses images of sighs, tears, and breath to imply friendship. These images evoke thoughts of deep emotions coming from the heart. Her works also suggest there is a connection between the minds and souls of two friends, and such a connection is not easily broken. I have been lucky enough to make such a connection with my friend but I still feel I am missing something by not having a similar connection with another woman.