Women's Gatherings, The Greater Good?

What we “lost” at the Eve juncture was not really “lost”. When occupying forces swept through the inhabited areas of Earth, the Wisdom Culture that had experienced the power of the female's intuitive visioning and declarations for the Good of all life, saw the handwriting on the wall, so to speak. In some situations, there were great battles with the destruction, terror, and death that always accompanies war. In other situations, the cultural wisdom keepers were hidden for as long as possible, hoping to wait out the dominator’s presence. In other situations, the women themselves made sacred contracts within their circle to secret their knowledge and pretend obedience in order to keep the village, their families and themselves alive to “fight” another day. Perhaps the Eve figure represents that last choice.

The time of the oppressing parasitic cultures has lasted longer than any would have supposed. The impact of torture, rape, burning at the stake, drowning, has taken its tool on women and on the world. Through the burning times, women learned many things. They began to stay small, hide their gifts, diminish visions, fight one another for the approval of the male oppressors, be nice, hide anger, disconnect from other women, make themselves less “female”, point out the flaws of other women and obey the male voice as the ultimate authority. While suppression and assimilation is what so many women in the world today fight against, those whose ancestral lines come through the earth areas of the burning times, many in the West, have no awareness that this long ago suppression and assimilation has left them in a context of enslavement. They do not know they are puppets of the colonizers. These sisters, and I am one, are just beginning to wake up to their Divine Magnificence as visionaries and leaders beyond being such nurturers.

The good news is that what was not destroyed were the deep, mighty, interwoven roots held in Mother Earth. The trees were toppled, the new sprouts were trimmed into smallness but the roots of those long ago cultures and indigenous villages remain. In this time of awakening, women are emerging from a deep inner impulse. The impulse is coming from their tribal mothers, from the roots which have grown strong. These emerging “trees” will not be trimmed, crippled, diminished into smallness.

What might we expect, what patterns are appearing that can quickly lead us back to our magnificence?There are three that I see.

One, a growing passion awaking and calling women into something greater. They will not know what the “greater” is and may have various ways of describing this inner urge. It is an urge that will not be denied as in the past.

Second, there is a drawing together. Women following their personal impulse are finding others who are also “following impulse”. A forming is occurring. The forming is numberless. Two, or ten or hundreds or thousands are showing up and finding themselves together with “sisters” they did not know they had. The “together” might be a friend's party, a national event, a political rally, a sewing class, a discussion group, a women's circle, an internet social page or a soccer field.

Third, being together occasionally is not enough and so commitments are being made to gather in some regular fashion. What is important to consider is that we are finding our “lost” villages, our communities from the energy of our indigenous roots. These are not frivolous, happenstance situations. These are reunions and the attention we pay to them, the time and commitment we give to them and awareness we glean from them will become the life blood of the new world of Good for all life.

Those are the three I have been seeing, especially in the past four months. There is another emerging pattern that could become the number four. However, it is so valuable that I want it to be a stand alone concept until we fully embrace it.

The next pattern is very ancient. This is a pattern that assimilated women have lost. I was really made aware of it in 2008 at the gathering, Constellations of Hope. There were several women from the First Nations in attendance. I was struck by their introduction message. They spoke of receiving the invitation to come and of being in conversation with their tribal elders relating to that possibility. With the decision made for them to attend, they were sent with a message from their elders to those of us at Constellations. They were also very clear that they were not here for themselves. They would be taking what of value they learned here back to their community as the gift from our gathering. I sat there as a single woman who had been taught to work hard, do it yourself, be perfect, don't ask for help – all the result of assimilation, by the way – and thought where is my tribe? Who cares if I am here? Who is waiting to hear the value that I might gain?

And so the fourth pattern that is emerging is not really forming yet. It is a model for holding hands that could arise after our coming together into communities. One concept of the old survival, assimilated lifestyle that would hinder this is the idea of “us vs. them”. This concept shows up as “my thoughts/ideas are the only right ones”, my religious teachings are the only “right ones”, my healing modality is the “most powerful one”, my political candidate or social issues is the most “critical one”, because if that is not true, I have no value. Diversity, which is an integral aspect of life on this planet, is a reason for separation and divisiveness in a fear based system. Diversity, in a love based culture, is the basis of expansion, abundance, thriving and greater understanding.

The fourth pattern is one that we can consciously bring into form by using a model such as the First Nations. You are not an individual walking this journey. As a member of one diverse community, you go out into the world with a intentional message beyond your own to be given. With your presence, your community is gifted within the gatherings. Then, you are present with intention to truly listen to the other “community delegates” in order that the value they add is taken back to enhance your community.

If you have wondered how the craziness in the world could ever shift, consider that the Next Step is to build coalitions. Then truly Weave the World. We hold hands, march in each other's parades, be in each other's events as delegates, listen to each other with respect, pause to hear the values of our sharings, and then with this greater collective womb, we breath the earth into our Weave. The birth/evolution into an expanded, abundant, generous, loving, peaceful and joyful world will come naturally from the collective womb of women who declare it to be so!

Blessings!