The Power of The Village

0

This month as International Women’s Day has come and gone, I have been thinking more and more about the power of women. 2018 has a strong divinely feminine energy. In Numerology it is a 2 year, which means a slower and more nurturing energy. There seems to be a collective need during a 2 year to focus on empathy, compassion, and cooperation–all feminine energy qualities. Feminine energy is also associated with intuition and inner work, and there has definitely been a shift and need in our society to go back to what is sacred. I believe that there is a very strong collective energy when women support each other that goes back to our tribal roots.

I am currently reading Diane Stein’s book All Women are Healers, and she discusses various healing modalities employed by women through the ages. In modern society, we have definitely lost our village mentality, yet I can’t help but think it is coming back. The momentum that the #metoo movement has received, the rise of womenpreneurs, the increasing popularity of female mastermind groups…

There is no denying the collaborative power and magic that ensues when women come together.

I have had the honor of participating in a few of these sacred bonding and healing opportunities. When I was pregnant during my Montessori training, my cohort members threw me a Blessing Way. If you are not familiar, a Blessing Way is a Navajo ceremony which focuses on a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood. In lieu of a baby shower, which focus primarily on the baby, a Blessing Way focuses on the mother. They can be done a variety of ways,  but at mine, I was honored by getting a Henna tattoo on my bulging pregnant belly, and having all women surround me and provide advice about my journey into motherhood. Then they each selected a meaningful bead and presented it to me so that together all the beads could form a bracelet, which culminated in a Love charm. As they presented their beads, some women read poetry and others read their words of wisdom from their own experiences. It was a really symbolic and beautiful glimpse at what the village looked like in generations before ours.

Different times, different tribes

When I had a miscarriage, I joined a Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group, and the collective healing that occurs in that group on a weekly basis is another glimpse into the support that a tribe can offer. It is so therapeutic to witness the pain and suffering of others in light of your own journey and to be able to offer compassion and comfort. The truth is women (or those who are femininely connected or identify in a feminine way) experience and process energy differently than our masculine counterparts, and that need for connection and a space to process still strongly exists in modern society.  

As I embark on my second pregnancy, I have felt the need to go back to the sacred sense of community that I felt during my first pregnancy. I wasn’t sure how to do this in my current life flow, but then I felt called to join a prenatal yoga class. I have always loved yoga, but currently a home practice hasn’t been sustainable. And so, I have joined my present class. It has been a very nurturing experience. Beyond the physical comfort that movement and stretching brings to an enlarged, pregnant body, I think my favorite part is the space to process and the collective, supportive energy. We begin each class by sharing something related to a prompt about our trials and tribulations throughout our pregnancy journey, and that is how connections are made. Again, it is the power of women supporting women and that tribe and village mentality that resonates the most in this experience.  

Although today’s “villages” look different, there is still an undeniable need for that feminine connection that I imagine our ancestors experienced as well. To perpetuate the idea of women supporting women, I have felt the need to hold space via a flexible and virtual mastermind program that I host, but I also see an immense need for the face to face connection and support. Thus, I plan to host retreats and Sacred Bliss Women’s circles in the near future. I want to provide those village opportunities and experiences for the women in my life, or those that need a space to process and heal. I have seen the benefits in my own journey and I feel that it would be a huge privilege to create that for my fellow mamas and seekers.

The magic of women supporting women

There is no telling what magic will ensue when women empower and support each other.  If you are feeling lonely or disconnected, go back to your roots and find or create a village. They say it takes a village to raise a child, but honestly I believe it takes a village to raise and support a mother or another woman.  This month, and every month, celebrate your own divine femininity by strengthening your bond with other women and using your collective and nurturing energy to step into what’s next. Listen to your intuition. Heed the call. The world is ready for the power of women, so are you ready to show up?