By Anyaa McAndrew & Sahara Exodus
There appears to be a variety of ways that we are living our lives in 2013. I received a newsletter from a spiritual teacher a few weeks ago that really spelled it out for me. Some of us are busily living the old story, some of us are busy finishing up writing the old story, some are in the Sacred Pause, some of us have begun to catch & ride the Co-Creative Wave, and some of us are actually writing the New Story.
When it comes to women and our body images, our sensuality, our ability & willingness to receive pleasure in our bodies, and our sexuality, the New Story is directly connected to the Divine Feminine within us. If we can relate to the Great Mother, to Gaia, the Goddess in any way, shape or form, we may have a better chance at getting to the New Story. The old stories are really old, ancient in fact. We have been victims of violence, war, poverty and discrimination for 5,000 years. The V-day “One Billion Rising” to mitigate violence against women and girls that happened worldwide on February 14th, 2013 was probably the largest event of its kind ever.
This global campaign mobilized over a billion people worldwide, inspiring women and men in 207 countries to come together to express their support. They shared with singing, poetry readings, art and flash mob dances, and the gatherings also included speeches by state legislators. Various groups joined in the call of action, including marginalized communities of the poor, domestic workers, and the disabled. This event received support from the Dalai Lama, United Nations, as well as many famous people and social media.
Some of the victories were the creation of solidarity and a safe and free space for violated women to tell their sexual stories, dance in public, and commune in open spaces. It inspired millions of men to become our allies, deconstructing patriarchy. It helped to increase funds and supportive educational programs to end violence. The event brought much awareness to make violence against women impossible to ignore. It reminded the world that women united will not be defeated.
Consciousness is rising, and so are women, again. This time we will not be shamed into silence by being called bitches and radical feminists, because those words don’t matter anymore in the great scheme of things. I am fondly remembering a Seattle Shamanic Priestess circle in 2007 that calls themselves “Witches, Bitches and Whores”. I asked them if they wanted to put the word sacred in front of that, and they politely declined! I love the many younger women who don’t care about labels and laugh in the face of established power structures. I guess they remind me of myself as a young feminist in the 70’s.
The end result of the old story is internalized shame that directly affects how we feel about our bodies, and then bleeds into a distorted and disconnected perspective on sexuality. It is disconnected from the juicy, vibrant goddess that lies with each of us, who knows she is whole and has a divine purpose to bless and heal the earth and all beings with her love, sensual, erotic, passionate and compassionate nature. The bigger picture of the New Story is this Divine Goddess within.
Many women will never seek healing, choosing instead to feel powerless and stay unconscious in the old story. Their souls may offer them the opportunity to wake up through dis-ease, or depression, and they will wonder why they are being punished or why they cannot seem to climb out of their misery. Little do they know that they are carrying the wounds of countless generations of women, and are being asked in this lifetime to let them go.
Some women are waking up and discovering that their old story is falling away, and they can let it go more easily than ever before. They can no longer relate to it as who they are, and they recognize the signs and omens that are telling them to release it and heal.
Some women have done the work of releasing the old story and find themselves undefined, in the Sacred Pause~Paws of a Great Void, pregnant with possibilities unborn, or maybe not yet conceived. They are needing rest, renewal, and a nurturing of their life-force energies and a reconnection to the sensual.
Some women have caught and are beginning to ride the Wave of Co-Creation. The impulse and vibration of change is in the air for them, and they are ready to find a new way to be in their bodies. Practicing, or desiring to practice a freedom of movement that allows desire to rise up into power, they are feeling the exuberance of feminine flow in harmony with Gaia and the Goddess within.
And some lucky women are in the forefront, writing the New Story for the Feminine because they have been living it all along, those tantrikas and teachers that are truly walking their talk in all areas of their lives.
While many have sufficiently reclaimed their power, others have done little or only some of the work required to release their full potential in this time of the Turning of the Ages. Often we’re left with being able to do only so much on our own, and then require assistance from an experienced and innovative feminine source to complete our miraculous transformation.
For many women, the greatest challenge resides in the 2nd Chakra, which is the empowerment center for the feminine. It is here where a woman isn’t complete and whole until she heals the energetic-deficiencies within her (Sacral/Spleen area). Typically, what holds her back is due to some sort of sexual wounding… be it abuse, frigidity, neglect, or some type of fear or judgment.
There are many aspects to the 2nd Chakra which include our sexuality, sensuality, motivation, creativity, life-force energy, self-esteem, self-worth, life purpose, and being comfortable in one’s skin with a positive body image. It is the summation of our feminine power, and the doorway is our onnection to the sacred sexual/sensual experience.
It helps to work with an archetype to assist us in relating to what we wish to embody. One of our favorites for this work is Mary Magdalene ~ the Sacred-Sexual Healer. Connecting to this archetype serves to help in the healing of one’s sexuality and spirituality, then linking these two forces together.
Even though there may be some resistance to explore this sacred place in our bodies, the rewards make it a worthwhile pursuit. Self-esteem, liberation, strength, and the joy of receiving the radiance of your soul are the gifts this can bring. Fear is conquered and transformed into love resulting in an experience of sensual pleasure that brings a full and complete pathway to BLISS. But the main focus is to heal and fully reclaim all of the benefits of the 2nd-Chakra… to be set free!
Of course, the 2nd Chakra isn’t about having to have sex every day. There are many ways to activate our sexual power. And, learning how to activate the life-force energy within becomes supportive to express ones spirit in the physical realm.
“There is a life-force energy pumping through your veins. It comes from flirting with all of life. It’s a type of merging that’s energizing. Just love the best you can.” ~ Anonymous Facebook Post
When we take the time to slow down in life, and to come from the place of receiving by starting with rest and our sacred breath, we begin to enter the world of the Goddess. Try not to take your environment for granted, that’s the Great Mother. Her Spirit lives in all things. When you breathe into the essence of an object or the room itself, you can merge with all that is, and activate life-force energy, as you get plugged into the Divine Source. Life-force energy is there, when you connect with everything around you. You can then love unconditionally in the moment, because you are physically connected via spiritual vibrations. The emotions are the carrier to ignite the fire of desire. This births sensuality. Once our senses are awakened with presence, we can fully enjoy all 5 senses of sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste with magnified delight!
In many ways, this becomes the relationship to your sacred feminine (just being), and your inner masculine (physically doing). When these two aspects of self co-exist in harmony, the Divine Child is born, which is the magic of the 2nd Chakra. It is creativity and motivation all rolled into a sacred-fire, of the new. Without special attention to growing our pilot-light into a bonfire… we often only have enough energy to be on auto-pilot… especially if there are any old wounds needing to be healed that are either ancient or from this lifetime.
Now that we’ve fully entered this New Age of Aquarius, it’s time to reclaim our Divine Feminine power as she’s been hiding in the Underworld far too long. Together we can create a container of safety, whether it’s with a friend, a therapist, or in a group, and hold each other up as we face the last bit of our fears, and transform them into our greatest strengths with kindness and love. So then, we can truly fulfill our part of the Divine plan with ease, grace, joy and passion!
It’s time for us to move away from the very old sexual story of sacrifice, martyrdom and neglect/fear/abuse. Finally, we can blossom into a new sensual story of safety, desire, co-creation, equality, and innovation with our sexual fire to create a new paradigm shift. With our full life-force energy, everything we can imagine and more is possible. May we hold each other’s hands and take this journey together.
For more information on the
Awakening the Sensual-Sexual Feminine week-long Retreat
click here