Here's how it normally goes when you are a woman raised in a patriarchal culture.
1) An innocent heart begins to work in the direction of success by the ways society praises Her.
Everyone has their own variation of striving - i.e. get good grades, have a successful career, etc. However, it's not your goals that are the indicator of this phase but the way in which they are approached. Women will work really hard to the point of utter exhaustion without valuing of any sense of personal resonance or fulfillment. Your goal is simply to be as productive as possible by DOING with the essence of a MARTYR.
2) Then something happens.
It could be the loss of a loved one, a financial crisis, a healing crisis or a natural disaster. All of a sudden, everything is different, and simply working for the sake of work is not enough. A whisper from the soul now becomes a scream: EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE.
3) Now this woman begins to dance with the dark and light side of the feminine.
Usually not by choice, but inevitably, she will choose or be forced into a moment of utter surrender, of absolution. For a moment, she will cross the threshold into her own underworld and simply BE in her grief, her sorrow, her rage, her disappointment, her devastation.
In that moment of BEING, she will realize that the courage to feel the spectrum of duality in her heart is the key to open the door to non-dual awareness. This is not a realization of the mind, but of the heart. You can never explain pain in a way that makes sense, but you can feel love at the center of all things when you return to the heart of the present moment.
4) After her experience of feminine awakening, she starts to make ripples into her world.
She questions the way things have been and is inspired to create more in the external world to mirror the purity of her essence in her inner world. This is when nurturing relationships deepen, businesses that benefit the highest good of all are born, and hope springs eternal. This is when the default response to feeling is EXPRESSION versus repression. This is when a woman allows herself to be WILD, and being wild is simply being TRUE.
5) Then she faces a crossroads.
She must resist the temptation to get stuck only in her feminine practices. She will know she is stuck simply by noticing she feels stuck. Like a pendulum swings from the masculine to the feminine, she inevitably comes back to center, and after her experience of feminine awakening, she feels unstuck when she integrates her masculine essence.
6) Now it's time for Union.
She embodies her feminine essence and is receptive to the gifts of the present while holding a vision for the future that honors the interconnection of all things. She marries this to her masculine essence of productivity and ACTION to make a plan for the emergence of a new reverent and loving paradigm to rule earth.
She WORKS, but instead of working hard, she works smartly, efficiently, effectively! And she does not feel the obligation to serve from her exhaustion, but inspired to serve from her OVERFLOW. When she has re-connected with HerSelf, the natural extension and expansion of that connection is to SHARE. She gives her whole heart to her projects, her parenting, and her passions, but she is BALANCED with compassion, surrender, grace, and mercy. She knows she's on the right track because for the first time in a long time, she feels FREE.
Here's the deal Ladies (and a few good men): the path of the divine feminine is not only those heavenly moments we share dancing on the beach under the sun, moon and stars. Those moments are our sanctuary and portals that create an external mirroring of the place we all know is possible inside. THEN - we use those moments as fuel for the work ahead of us, and the work is how we make love tangible. Love is a verb. It's the evolution of our time to get things done, but in a good way, with a grateful heart and with a strong spirit. It's the invitation to rise. With Mercury in retrograde, this is the most perfect time to look back at your approach and open yourself up to the soulful systematic upgrades that are available at this time, which are explained here by our resident Qoya Astrologer Virginia Rosenberg:
The New Moon in Virgo on September 1, 2016 (5:04am EST) is a time of reform. It is also a Solar Eclipse. This month offers a crossroads or a portal of change. Distinct endings bring new beginnings. Massive shifts. It is a good time to remember: You can’t do this wrong. But you can practice and aim for improvement. You can create wellness in your life and in the world around you. It is time to bring things into order to support your future. It will help to make “To Do” Lists, but let them stem from “To BE” Lists! Get back to basics. What do you need right now? If there were no constraints to consider, how would you progress? What would you prioritize? What do you most want to dedicate yourself to? Trim the fat.
“Eliminate the unnecessary, so that the necessary can speak.” --Hans Hoffman
It is time to focus. Simple is significant. Practical, efficient solutions and behaviors come to the fore. Channel nervous energy into exercise, organization, planning, or productive achievements. Amidst many changes, practice staying grounded. Keep consistent in daily habits and routines. Use discernment. The perfect scenario is seeking your arrival. In the meantime, dance in the spirit of appreciation for the perfection of what is. Let go of the need to know. Let go of over-analysis. Let go of control.
“You only lose what you cling to.” --Gautama Buddha
Let go of what is no longer meant for you, and take up your tasks with dexterous grace. The simple is the most profound.
Qoya is a movement system that is based on the idea through movement, we remember. We remember our essence is wise, wild and free. Here is a movement ritual to help you embody the balance of masculine and feminine within yourself, Do Your Sacred Work:
To the balance and harmony and highest good of all of us!
With love, Rochelle
p.s. Photos are by the incredible Daniel Johnson.