Dancing in the Rain

 

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
its about learning how to dance in the rain.
~ Vivian greene

 

Dear Wise Women,

I am looking forward to BE-ing with you on March 6/7 and practicing together.

With love
Patti

listen TO TARA BRACH’S meditatioN: RAIN OF COMPASSION (9:21 MINS)
LISTEN TO TARA BRACH’S MEDITATION: THE PRACTICE OF RAIN (20:00 MINS)

Unfolding the Wings of Acceptance

 

As we lean into the experience of the moment—releasing our stories and gently holding our pain or desire—Radical Acceptance begins to unfold.

The two parts of genuine acceptance—seeing clearly and holding our experience with compassion—are as interdependent as the two wings of a great bird. Together, they enable us to fly and be free.

~ Tara Brach, “Radical Acceptance: Embracing your Life wtih the Heart of a Buddha”

 

The boundary to what we can accept is the boundary to our freedom.*
~ From “Radical Acceptance” by Tara Brach

* To understand this somewhat bold assertation, we must understand the true meaning of acceptance (hopefully my words below and our discussion will help reveal this).

Dear Wise Women,

Three weeks ago, I posed the question “ Could it all simply come down to Self-Compassion?” And since then we have been unpacking or, perhaps more accurately, unravelling, this surprisingly complicated question.

Last week we looked at how self-comparison not only prevents us from being compassionate to ourselves, but actually steals our joy. This week, I would like to expand on this by exploring what Tara Brach calls “the trance of unworthiness” and how the only way to liberate it is through “radical acceptance”.

We are going to watch the first three minutes of the following video together (please feel free to watch it in its entirety on your own time)…but before we do, let me share the following key points about what acceptance isn’t (as this is sometimes the best way to learn what something is):

Acceptance is NOT about:
- giving up
- giving in
- becoming passive
- inaction
- liking, wanting, choosing, or supporting whatever it is that you are accepting

Rather, “acceptance is the willingness to experience ourselves and our lives as it is.”

Last week we noticed the gripping power of three “C” words: Comparison, Conformity and Competition, this week let us feel the freedom in the “A” words: Awareness, Acceptance and Allowing.

I look forward to growing with you,

Love Patti

“When we say, “I accept myself as I am,” we are not accepting a story about a good or bad self. Rather, we are accepting the immediate mental and sensory experiences we interpret as self. We are seeing the familiar wants and fears, the judging and planning thoughts as a part of the flow of life. Accepting them in this way actually enables us to recognize that experience is impersonal and frees us from the trap of identifying ourselves as a deficient and limited self.”

~ Tara Brach

Self-Comparison: the Thief of Joy

“Rather than relaxing and enjoying who we are and what we’re doing,
we are comparing ourselves with an ideal and trying to make up for the difference.”

~ Tara Brach, “Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha”

 

Due to the physics of how grass grows, when we peer over our fence at our neighbor’s grass, it actually does look greener, even if it is truly the same lushness as our own grass. 

~ Scott Sonenshein, “Stretch: Unlock the Power of Less -and Achieve More Than You Ever Imagined”

 

Dear Wise Women,

Thank-you, thank-you for being brave enough to continue unearthing self-compassion.

We are no longer just scratching the surface, we are diving deep…and if that feels scary for you, please acknowledge that. I am scared and I acknowledge it. It is scary to learn new ways, no matter how much we want to. We all know that is much easier to stay in the comfort zone (no matter how limiting) of our habitual patterns.

It is not easy for me to admit that comparison, conformity and competition have been ruling my life, and that I’ve been bypassing this truth for many, many years. I am not alone.

We are actually hardwired to compare, and if we really want to evolve, it now time for us to understand what it is doing to us. Without awareness of the damaging effects of self-comparison, we will never be able to access true self-compassion.

Simply put, self-comparison is toxic and is the thief of joy, and sadly, is more pervasive in our culture today than ever before thanks to social media.

As Jordan Peterson says, “If the internal voice makes you doubt the value of your endeavours, or your life, or life itself, perhaps you should stop listening.”

Wise Women, may we all trust in the sanctuary of our circle as we bravely look at self-comparison. May we be curious as to how natural it is to self-compare, and may we strive to see with a beginners mind how deeply it is affecting our lives.

Know that I see you. Please see me. Please see one another.

With love,
Patti

“Comparison is the crush of conformity from one side and competition from the other—it’s trying to simultaneously fit in and stand out.”

Self-comparison’s damage lies in the fact that it involves both competition and conformity. At first, this might seem counterintuitive. How can we both compete with others and strive to conform at the same time? Surely competing with others requires being different from them—specifically, being better?

But competition and conformity do co-exist, and do so very destructively. They feed into each other when you want to be the “best” in your particular social or societal group—when you want to conform to that group’s standards, and do so “better” than everyone else.

When you allow comparison, competition, and conformity to take over, you lose sight of your inherent worthiness. You begin to base your self-worth on how well you match up against others—on how well you’re conforming. You think you’ll only be worthy if you meet certain standards of behavior. This is incompatible with the unconditional self-acceptance that underpins true worthiness.

Constantly comparing yourself to and competing with those around you may also harm your connections. If you compare yourself to someone and decide that you’re “worse” than them, you might become jealous or envious. These negative feelings will erode your bond. Likewise, comparing yourself to someone else and deciding that you’re “better” than them is, at its root, a form of judgment. You’ve decided that this person is “lesser” than you. This isn’t a good foundation for a strong, equal connection—and it isn’t particularly compassionate, either.  

The bad news is that our hardwiring makes us default to comparison—it seems to happen to us rather than be our choice. The good news is that we get to choose how we’re going to let it affect us. If we don’t want this constant automatic ranking to negatively shape our lives, our relationships, and our future, we need to stay aware enough to know when it’s happening and what emotions it’s driving. My new strategy is to look at the person in the swim lane next to me, and say to myself, as if I’m talking to them, Have a great swim. That way I acknowledge the inevitable and make a conscious decision to wish them well and return to my swim. So far, it’s working pretty well.

~ Brene Brown

“Being human does not mean being better than others. Being human means you encompass the full range of human experience, the positive, the negative, and the neutral. Being human means you are average in many ways. Can you celebrate the experience of being alive on this planet in all your complexity and wonder?”

 ~ Kristen Neff “Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself”

Could it all simply come down to Self-Compassion?

 

Fulfill me, make me happy, make me feel safe, tell me who I am. The world cannot give you those things, and when you no longer have such expectations, all self created suffering comes to an end.

~ Eckhart Tolle

 

Dearest Wise Women,

Oh my dear friends, I am not sure about you, but last week’s circle, “Let Go of Expectations, Let in Creation” opened up a pretty big can of worms for me.

What really struck me is how much of my life I have spent operating in response to what others expect of me. Like so many of us, I have mistakenly equated my ability to fulfill other’s expectations with my worthiness to receive love. An innocent response to an outer reality that so often tells us, “this is what you need to do (or not do) to be safe, secure, loved and accepted…and this is what you must do (or not do) to avoid criticism, rejection, abandonment or punishment.”

I know this may sound harsh, but take a moment to consider where this may be true for you.

With compassion, ask your inner child…she will have the answers.

I asked my inner child and all I could hear was “see me, listen to me and love me”.

True Self-compassion…could this be the (only) way to unravel the messy knot of weighted expectations and dishonoured boundaries?

Let us explore, let us love…together,

Patti

p.s. In my research I curiously discovered that self-loathing appears to be a uniquely western phenomenon. The following is an excerpt from a conversation between Prema Chodron and Jack Kornfield.

Michael Krasny: Wasn’t the Dalai Lama quite interested to learn how much of an obstacle this kind of self-loathing is for Western students?

Jack Kornfield: Yes, Pema and I were at a conference for Western Buddhist teachers with His Holiness in Dharamsala, and Sharon Salzberg started talking about this phenomenon of self-hatred. And he kept asking the translator to clarify. He simply didn’t understand what Sharon was talking about. Then, he asked not only whether we knew what she was talking about but also if we ourselves experienced this self-hatred. And almost all the Buddhist teachers there, representing an entire generation, said yes.

It is definitely something I’ve wrestled with in my spiritual life. It’s so painful, and yet it is a place where a tremendous turning can happen. One of the instructions I’ve loved offering to people over the past decade or two is to suggest that they do a year of loving-kindness for themselves as a practice. All of a sudden, people find out how difficult it is to do that. People feel unworthy and that they shouldn’t be directing such kindness toward themselves. They cannot wish themselves happiness. So, initially, it’s very painful. But after a while it does start to change people, and it also starts to change their relationship to their lovers, their family, and their community. We do have this capacity to care for ourselves and we are worthy of it, and when we discover that, it immediately translates into generosity toward others.

Pema Chödrön: I found it quite interesting that all these teachers said it was the most prevalent thing they encountered teaching in the West, which led the Dalai Lama to conclude that there really is a basic difference between Tibetans and Western people. And now he continually says that there can’t really be compassion for other people without self-compassion.

Let Go of Expectations, Let in Creation

“To live your life without expectation - without the need for specific results - that is freedom. That is Godliness”

- Neale Donald Walsch, author of Conversations with God

Dear Wise Women,

Can you imagine what it would feel like to live truly free of expectations? To live free of the expectations others put onto us, free of the expectations that we put onto others…and, most of all, free from the expectations we put onto ourselves?

Even if it seems impossible to the mind, just imagine how the body would feel. Suspend the resistance of your mind, for just a moment, and give your body permission to fully let go of all expectations.

Just let them all float away.

Now turn inwards to feel the space that has opened up from this release. Notice how the space that once felt very tight, small and constricted suddenly has become light, vast and expansive.

Let yourself drop into the space. Marinate in it. And, then, take it one step further, let yourself dissolve into it.

Do not worry…you will not disappear…rather you will be found.

For you are this space. You are creation.

And in this remembering you access your fullest potential.

Let us remember together,

Love Patti

I release my parents from the feeling that they have failed with me.

 I release my children from the need to make me proud, so that they can write their own ways, according to their hearts.

 I release my partner from the obligation to make me feel complete. I lack nothing in myself.

 I learn with all the beings that surround me through all time.

 I thank my grandparents and ancestors who met so that today I breathe life. And I release them from the faults of the past and from the wishes they did not fulfill, aware that they did the best they could to resolve their situations, within the consciousness they had at that moment.

 I honor them, I love them, and I recognize their innocence.

 I bare my soul before their eyes and that is why they know that I do not hide or owe anything, more than being faithful to myself and my own existence walking with the wisdom of the heart.

 I am aware that I am fulfilling my life project, free of visible and invisible family loyalties that may disturb my peace and my happiness, which are my greatest responsibilities.

 I renounce the role of savior, of being the one who unites or who fulfills the expectations of others.

 And learning through LOVE, I bless my essence and my way of expressing, although there may be someone who cannot understand me.

 I understand myself, because only I lived and experienced my story; because I know myself, I know who I am, what I feel, what I do and why I do it.

 I respect and approve.

 I honor the Divinity in me and in you.

 We are free.

 ~A Traditional Náhuatl Prayer

Freedom to Let go

 

Be as a bird perched on a frail branch that she feels bending beneath her, still she sings away all the same, knowing she has wings.

- Victor Hugo

 

Dear Wise Women,

Welcome back! I am so excited to be in circle with each of you again!

As we move forward with this session, it is my deep desire to take our growth and healing to a new level!

In our last circle before Christmas, I simply shared a few words and then I gave ample space for each of us to weave together our experiences and reflections. The words I shared were:

In the end what matters most is
How fully did you love
How fully did you live?
How deeply did you learn to let go?

Over the past several weeks, I have pondered these questions deeply. I have suffered greatly by clinging to thoughts, situations and people that hold me back…and I have experienced the exhilarating sense of freedom that ensues when we truly let go.

Over the coming weeks, I would like to dive deep into what it means to let go, the many ways of letting go, and of course how we let go. Today, let us begin by asking ourselves the question…what is holding us back from letting go?

I will plant this simple seed with you and await with curiosity to see what will sprout from it.

Love Patti

 

I leave you with a related musing…

There are two ways to approach our lives: either as the victims to our lives, or the creators of our lives. To live as the victim is to live within the limited belief system that everything in our outer world is happening to us.

- Dr. Joe Dispenza

 

As Within, So Without

“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul.”
- Hermes

Just me and Grandmother Tree, Nov 8, 2022

Dear Wise Women,

Following our circle last Tuesday, I wandered up to visit “Grandmother Tree”. Standing beneath her, I found myself captivated by her majestic beauty above…and grounded by her rooted strength below.

It later occurred to me that she, like all trees, does not depend on the approval of others to grow. She has endured fierce storms, droughts and disease and yet she thrives on.

For she knows no other way to be.

She knows not of disconnection, separation, or betrayal.

Her connection to life force is so pure and clear that she just keeps on growing and living… and when it is her time to die, she will do so with grace and without resistance.

She is a living example of the simple law:

“As above, so below, as within, so without.”

Oh, how often I have heard this quote of Hermes (and have recited it myself). But in the wake of all that I am experiencing in my outer world, I am feeling a new and deeper understanding of what this might really mean. Melanie Tonia-Evans the founder of the Narcissistic Abuse Recovery Program and Quanta Freedom Healing says it quite simply, “What’s going on inside is what’s going to happen in your everyday life.” Similarly the late Wayne Dyer captures a raw truth when he says:

“With everything that has happened to you
you can either feel sorry for yourself,
or treat what has happened as a gift.
Everything is either an opportunity to grow,
or an obstacle to keep you from growing.
You get to choose.”

In other words, how can we be more like Grandmother Tree?

May grace guide our journey within,

Love,
Patti

 
 

Grace Within

Still enough

brave enough

and willing enough

I dive within

past the waves

through the currents

noticing

the many schools

swimming and swirling around me

Still

I dive deeper

and finally

I exhale

as I remember

the ocean within provides infinite breath

A voice beckons me

to go deeper

and I go

to where there is only stillness

I feel a warm embrace

and my body melts

into the arms of

the One

who knows me,

guides me,

carries me,

breathes me

She whispers,

“I am here, I never left you”

and my True Self remembers

She is Me.

I am Grace.

- Patti Wardlaw

Spirit Lights the Way

 

The path will be illuminated,
we must only carry the lantern.

 

Eventually, all the love, suffering, and humility we go through wear away our walls of resistance until Spirit shines from within us like an inner sun. This is how Spirit is revealed on Earth—as the coverings we carry are worn away by life, the light we carry can pour into the world.

~ Mark Nepo, “The Book of Soul”


Dear Wise Women,

Last week I wrote the following words in an email to you:

”As I witness my Dad nearing the end of his life, I am awe struck by the miracles that are occurring in his life and that of my family. I am deeply honoured to be participating in this beautiful unfoldment of grace. More than ever I am absolutely confident that we are light beings embodied in human form, and more than ever, I am committed to the path of “walking one another home.”

And this reminded me of words I previously wrote to you in one of our Treasure Troves:

“When we allow ourselves to fully open up to the power of wonder and presence we feel the magic that is activated. The inner energy body comes alive and merges with the energy of the universe! This is our purpose and our path as human beings. We are here to remember our oneness and to merge our bodies with the energy of the universe - and to embody this energy to create on earth, in the physical realm!”

Oh Wise Women, to be gathering with you during this time of transition for my family brings me immense comfort, peace and joy. More than ever before, I find myself deeply in love with the mystery and I fully believe in the power of spirit to weave miracles through our circles.

Let us embark on this journey into the unknown, holding our lanterns in front of us!

With deep gratitude, I bow to you,
Patti

 

The landscape of my childhood home on the morning of October 1, 2022. In this moment I experienced a profound sense of illumination, clearing and deep forgiveness. As the sun pierced through the fog, the Truth was revealed and Love poured in.

 

'When you feel a peaceful joy, that's when you are near truth.'

~ Rumi

Awakening Co-Creativity: The Crown Chakra

 

There’s no such thing as being alone in the universe, and so there’s no such thing as creating alone. Everything – every impulse, every creative gift of beauty, everything is a co-creation.

~ Gary Zukav, Author of “The Seat of the Soul”

 
 
 

Dear Wise Women,

We arrive at the most enchanted of all the chakras, the place where everything meets at the end of the rainbow. And synchronistically we are here at the time of the summer solstice, the most supportive time of the year to access the power of light! As we watch the fruit trees blossom and vegetables sprout, we are reminded of (and nourished) by the miracles that are co-created when the Earth’s feminine abundance is united with the Sun’s masculine radiance.

With our clear and balanced energetic pathways, let us draw down the bright light into our bodies and ignite the force of co-creation. This is the reason our souls chose to incarnate… to create through our bodies. For as the legend of Shiva (Divine Masculine) and Shakti (Divine Feminine) says, “If Shiva is united with Shakti, he is able to create. If he is not, he is incapable even of stirring.”

When we open the crown chakra we wake up from the illusion that we are separate and alone.

We invite the divine to co-create with us.

As always, we do it together!

Love Patti

“Benois Madonna” also known as “Madonna and Child with Flowers” by Leonardo da Vinci

It is through the seventh chakra, or crown chakra, that our Divine Self is manifest in a physical body. This is the seat of transcendence, Divine Union with the Infinite Wisdom, and an understanding of ourselves as part of the Whole. The halo that is seen around the heads of angels and other ascended beings in art is indicative of an awakened seventh chakra. It can be observed in paintings of Ra, the Egyptian God, with a solar disk above his head, and in Roman art depicting Apollo, the Sun God, with a beaming halo surrounding his head. Countless pictures of Jesus and the Buddha have been painted with halos, and one of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous paintings, entitled Benois Madonna, captures Madonna with a baby Christ, both with semi-transparent rings encircling their heads.

Once we have awakened the third eye, and the crown chakra, it is said that divine intelligence can stream through the crown and give us ‘sight’ into our true nature, which is, in fact, Divine. We remain ‘grounded’ on earth, but stream divine awareness through this awakened eye, therefore we have what is called Cosmic Consciousness, or, enlightenment. Those souls who have been depicted with a halo around their heads in art through the ages, are thought to have achieved this sate of awareness.

~ Author, Christina Sarich

 

Artwork: “Shamanic healing sacred crown chakra” by Roberta Orpwood

 

The Crown Chakra, your crown of holy connection to the Divine, sits at the top of your head, a bright violet disk of light that emanates what we call the Violet Ray of compassionate and protective light. When your Crown Chakra is open and functioning well, you feel intimately aware of your connection to God/Source/Creator energy. When it is blocked or inactive, you feel disconnected from the Divine, and unsure of your relationship to God/Source/Creator.

While most empaths and psychics find it easy to keep an open and clear Crown Chakra through supportive exercises, such as daily meditation and recitation of mantras, many others struggle to find the Divine. It can be difficult to break free of the monotony and routines of everyday life in order to plug into a higher power. And yet we are spiritual beings having a human experience—not the other way around. Thus, the Spirit part of us will always long for a way back to Source. Answering the call of your spirit is a powerful gesture. When you say yes to your soul’s development, you also say yes to the collective evolution on the entire planet. You are one powerful piece of the broader matrix of energy that surrounds you. Your words, actions, thoughts, and decisions affect everyone around you. The Crown Chakra, your energy sanctuary, is the center of our comprehension of this interconnectedness. When we lose our spiritual way, this is the place we return to remember who we are. Here at the Crown Chakra, you learn that life is not meant to be a constant struggle. There should be flow and ease. You will find both here, waiting for you.

The Crown Chakra is literally your crown of divine wisdom and contact with the divine. Here you are working with the first layer of spirit guides and angelic beings who serve as intermediaries between this realm and theirs.

~ Athena Perrakis, “The Ultimate Guide to Chakras”

 
 

Arriving at the top of the chakra system is the Crown, or Sahasrara, located at the very top of the head. This chakra has the ability to connect with energies beyond the self, bringing divine light down into the body. Sahasrara is all about consciousness, wisdom and connection to the higher self. In Sanskrit, Sahasrara means “thousand petalled”, as the crown is likened to a thousand-petalled flower, for it’s ability to expand and connect with endless divinity. The colours of the crown are violet and white, and there is no element associated with it because it is pure consciousness and spirit.

An open crown chakra will bring deep wisdom, peace, and a sense of connection to the universe and all of life. It is like a umbilical cord to the divine, a receiving channel for higher consciousness. If this chakra is overactive, there can be feelings of judgement and a need to exert power over others. Likewise, if it is blocked there can be a lack of purpose and certainty, and feelings of isolation and loneliness. A balanced crown will receive the endless love from the universe, but without any ego or attachment to it. In this way, the nourishing light of love can be drawn in through the crown and flow through the entire chakra system, bringing heavenly wisdom into the body.

Focusing on the divinity within the body is a great way to tune into the crown’s energy. By honouring the connections that exist between everything in life, and the universal energy that unites it all, the crown can open to receive this beautiful light. By opening the gateway to the heavens that is the crown chakra, we can then embody this magical energy in our everyday lives, bringing connection and peace into all that we do.

- Ayla Wardlaw

Chant with wise woman melanie
music to activate the crown chakra, playlist by lila sofiyah

Awakening Intuition: The Third Eye Chakra

“It is a terrible thing to see
and have no vision.”

~ Helen Keller

 

When she was in grade three, our daughter Clara studied the book “The Little Prince” in school. For one of her projects, she chose this quote and drew a picture me doing qigong.

“It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupéry , “The Little Prince”

 

Dear Wise Women,

We arrive at the sixth chakra, the Third Eye. The work we have been doing in the lower chakras has prepared us to now remove all barriers that have previously blocked our ability to see beyond that lies in front of us. With our nourished and grounded bodies, our open and courageous hearts, our pure and clear voices, we are now ready to access the higher dimensions and reclaim our intuitive and mystical abilities.

We are ready to close our eyes and see.

Love Patti

“Close both eyes to see with the other eye.”

~ Rumi

“Sacred Third Eye Chakra” by Roberta Orpwood

 

It is with the third eye that we see the invisible, it is where we can witness the internal viewing screen where memory, fantasy, images, imagination and intuition are on endless display. It is through the third eye that we begin to decipher the light language of the universe speaking to us through symbols, images and dreams, bringing the light of the universal consciousness to all that exists within and around us.

Third eye perception moves beyond the confines of the conventional conditioned mind and brings us into an expanded multi-dimensional awareness. Here we can communicate with universal information through images, symbols, archetypes and holographic imagery that speaks the language of the soul.

Seeing with the third eye is within everyone’s capability, it only requires dedication to practice, face denial and see through the veils of egoic illusion.

~ Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 

Moving up through the energetic and physical bodies towards the heavenly realm, we arrive at the Third Eye, or Ajna chakra. This mystical energy center is located in the middle of the forehead, in between the eyes. This vital energy center manages the brain, eyes, pituitary gland, neurological system, sinuses, hypothalamus, aspects of the ears, the nose, and the pineal gland.

The colour of this beautiful chakra is indigo and the element is light, as it allows us to see clearly all that we cannot with our physical eyes, observing all the light and magical energies. If we take in the three dimensional world through our physical eyes, then we take in the energetic world through our third eye.

Ajna can be thought of as a source of information and knowledge that can be immensely powerful when supported by a balanced chakra system. Intuition is often a full-body experience, a sense of deep knowing that is commonly felt in the area of the lower chakras… the gut or stomach feeling we recognize as the deep awareness of the truth in a situation. This is where the power of a harmonious chakra system comes in! If the lower chakras are open to experience intuition, then the third eye takes that knowing and sees it clearly, as if magic glasses have been put on. In this way, the message can be perceived by the brain and understood, translating the body’s inherent knowing into information that is useful to the analytical mind. This alchemical translation allows the powerful thinking mind to work in harmony with the wise intuitive body, which is truly magical.

The third eye has a phenomenal ability to receive messages, visions, and divine energies. If it lacks energetic boundaries or support from the lower chakras, it can feel overstimulated and lead to a racing mind, an overactive imagination or a lack of focus. Likewise, if it is closed off, there can be a sense of disconnect from purpose or a lack of direction and satisfaction. When this chakra is in need of balancing, it can be as simple as closing the eyes to reflect and observe the energies, receiving any messages and letting the energy settle itself. The third eye sees past any lies or false truths, and can discern what is truly needed in any situation.

When balanced, Ajna takes the beautiful abilities of every chakra and gives us the information needed to apply that to our lives. When the third eye is flowing, we know when to step outside of comfort in order to grow, and when it is necessary to assert our boundaries. We can trust our intuitive messages about the physical and energetic worlds, because the third eye is seeing clearly and communicating from the energy of light. Creativity and mental clarity are awakened with this center, allowing the mind to put all the magic of the body into action. In this way, intuitive manifestations can become a physical reality.

Ajna is very connected to the heavenly realms, allowing us to channel absolutely divine light down into the body and the earth. Through this gate of wisdom and clear perception, we become a bridge for deep truth and heavenly light.

- Ayla Wardlaw

Partners in Perception: The Pineal and the Pituitary Glands

“In Ancient Egypt, the symbol of the Eye of Horus mirrors the placement of the pineal gland in the profile of the human head.”
~ Candice Covington, “Working with the Chakras, Divine Archetypes, and the Five Great Elements.”

The pituitary gland is a small endocrine organ about the size of a pea located in the middle of the brain. The pituitary is involved in the production of growth, sex, and other hormones that act upon the muscles, kidneys, and other endocrine glands. It also stores hormones produced by the hypothalamus. It is often called the “master gland” because it directs so many other organs and endocrine glands, including the adrenals, thyroid, and gonads.

Described as the “Seat of the Soul” by Renee Descartes, the pineal gland’s main function is to receive produce the hormone melatonin in response to the light and dark cycle of our environment.

Thus your pituitary gland, the seat of the mind, and your pineal gland, the seat of illumination, are partners in many mystical activities, including those associated with kundalini and psychism. In fact, many experts believe that the two must join to create a fully functional third eye.

Logistics supports this assertion. As shown in the illustration below, the pineal gland is situated in the midbrain, behind and just above the pituitary. It contains pigment also found in the eyes and is connected to the thalamus, two large masses of gray substances in between the cerebral hemispheres on either side of the third ventricle. The thalamus relays sensory information and is a center for pain perception. The pineal gland is at the back side of this ventricle, and the pituitary is in its roof. It is said that the mingling essences of these glands in the third ventricle opens the third eye.

What is the third ventricle of the brain? It is a narrow opening near the base of the cerebral hemispheres. It also separates the two areas of the thalamus that store our sensory reactions. When the energies of the pituitary and pineal glands merge, we can access higher knowledge—and avoid becoming or remaining stuck in our personal experiences.

The actual path of the rising kundalini is said to occur through the nerve channels and then enter the medulla oblongata, move into the pons area of the brain, and descend into the pituitary gland behind the eyes. From here it radiates through the third ventricle to awaken the pineal gland and our connection with higher dimensions.

~ Cyndi Dale, Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras

Chant with wise woman melanie
Music to activate the third eye chakra, playlist compiled by lila sofiyah

Awakening Authenticity: The Throat Chakra

 

Enlightenment is the crumbling away of untruth.
- Adyashanti

 

“I Speak” by New Moon Visions

 

Humankind is being led along an evolving course,
through this migration of intelligences,
and though we seem to be sleeping,
there is an inner wakefulness that directs the dream,
and that will eventually startle us back to the truth.
- Rumi

 

Dear Wise Women,

As we continue our chakra journey let us be reminded of the dynamic and alchemical connection between all the chakras. This is especially true of the throat chakra which can never fully open fully if any of the other chakras, especially the sacral, are closed.

Perhaps more so than the other centres, it is easy to identify blockages in the throat chakra, for it is from here that we express ourselves, that we express our uniqueness, creativity, ideas and stories. It is from here that we speak the love we feel in our open and connected hearts.

Following the lead of the heart, the throat will close when it feels unsafe, unheard and unloved. It will retract from its own truth in order to remain safe.

Oh wise women, let us tap into the divine from above, let us deepen into the divine from below. Let us receive the encouragement we need for the soft and tender blossoming of our voice. Let us remember our truth, reclaim our power and speak from it.

As Rumi says in the following poem and Mark Nepo says in the following (appreviated) story, we cannot do this work alone.

Love
Patti

If you never searched for truth
come with us
and you will become a seeker.

If you were never a musician
come with us
and you will find your voice…

In our gathering one candle lights hundreds,
we will light your path and give you courage
so you will open like a flower
and join in joyous laughter.

Plant the seed of truth and watch it grow
when it spreads its branches
come with us and sit under the blossoms.

Your eyes will open to the secret of the truth.
- Rumi

 

Opening the Gift

….
They say that, after a time, the two who paused on the edge of what was known and unknown stumbled into humility. “Please, tell me, is there more to this than hauling wood?” the one would ask again. And the more tired of the two replied, “No, no. It is all in the hauling, all in the wood, all in how we face each other around the small fires we can build.”

It was then that they rested, as we rest, when accepting the grace of our humanness. You see, we’ve always been on a journey, like it or not, aware of it or not, struggling to enter and embrace things as they are. And when we can accept our small part in the way of things, when we can build a small fire and gather, it opens us to joy. So join me on this journey we are already on. We can help each other hold nothing back. We can help each other live a sincere life. We can help each other wear down what gets in the way, waking close to the bone.

Come. There are teachers everywhere: in the stories around us, in the stories within us, in the life of expression that sings where we are broken, in the kinship of gratitude that keeps reminding us that we need each other as we become the earth.

- From Mark Nepo’s book “The Exquisite Risk: Daring To Live An Authentic Life”

 

Art: Krystleyez

Authenticity, truth, communication, deep expression. These are the key characteristics of the sacred throat chakra, also called Vishudda in Sanskrit. It is located at the center of the neck, near the thyroid gland, the windpipe, and the vocal folds. The beautiful throat is the first of the upper three chakras, all of which draw their power from the ethereal world more than the physical. The elements of these chakras move beyond earthly powers, which is why having a balanced and flowing lower chakras system is incredibly stabilizing when working with the magical upper energies. The throat is connected to the flow of water, but its primary element is called ether. Ether is said to be an element of energetic space through which sounds and deep truths can pass.

Vishudda’s color is light blue, and it is connected to lavender, frankincense, and blue crystals like lapis lazuli. The throat chakra is all about speaking one’s truth, drawing up connection, knowledge, creativity, insight, and emotion from the lower chakras, and articulating it to the world. An empowered throat chakra allows us to speak out, stand up for ourselves and our beliefs, and authentically share our true selves. It is our internal and external value system and helps us to discern what boundaries are important and what messages we want to share. This centre is connected to our nose and ears, making it the entry point for information from those sacred senses. Thus, the throat is about communication through speaking and also through listening, by absorbing the truth in both the spoken and the silent.

A balanced throat centre can be a force for healing, sovereignty, and liberation from false truths. An overactive throat charka may look like oversharing, speaking without compassion or interest in others, and using words as a force for harm. Likewise, a blocked throat chakra may express itself as difficulties with sharing, speaking, singing, communicating, and being heard thanks to the paralyzing effect of fear. Healing imbalances, whether that be fear, overcompensating, or a combination of both, creates the ability to authentically share and communicate all things from a place of truth and love.

An important aspect of this expansive energy centre is the deep connection between the throat and sacral chakras. These chakras work together to create and birth creations into the world. Even anatomically, these two areas look very similar. The sacral waters become the fluid ether of the throat, and the rich, deep sensual creativity of the sacral is communicated and put into action through the expression of ideas by the voice. It is as if the sacral is the incubator of creation, and the throat is the vessel for projecting it out to the world. Because these centres are so connected, there can often be similar blockages in each. Particularly as women, standing up for our sexuality and creative selves is not something the world has fostered, so we may feel repressed and stunted in these areas. This makes it all the more important to heal and reclaim this sacred power, as it is exactly what makes women goddesses and unstoppable forces of loving creation. Speaking our boundaries and needs along with our desires and dreams reunites us with the full force of our inherent, natural, beautiful, feminine power.

Working through the layers surrounding this centre can feel very dense and ancient, and it requires fierceness, inner strength, and trust that we are safe now, and the world needs our voices to be heard. Speaking our boundaries and needs along with our desires and dreams reunites us with the full force of our inherent, natural, beautiful, feminine power.

- Ayla Wardlaw

 

THE THROAT AND THE WOMB: SACRED TWINS

There is an undeniable, magical connection between the throat and the womb. Not only do they physically resemble one another, but they are also energetically linked. They are divine mirrors.

As above, so below. A sacred twin.

When your mouth and throat relaxes, so does your pelvic floor. You can actually feel it open and soften.

Sing. Hum. Moan. Groan. Take deep sighs.

Notice how that feels in your yoni.

Notice what happens when you don’t speak your truth...is there tightness in your pelvic floor?

- Julia Claus

 
Chant with wise woman Melanie

Note: The photo in Melanie’s video was taken by Wise Woman Julia on May 30, 2020. Julia shared this on our Wise Tribe WhatsApp chat and Melanie happened to find it while preparing her chant. The synchronicities of this are quite deep reaching on many levels…further evidence of the threads of truth that are always connecting us.

Music to activate the throat chakra: Playlist compiled by Lila Sofiyah

Awakening Love: The Heart Chakra

How did the rose ever open its heart
and give to this world all of its beauty?
It felt the encouragement of Light against its Being.
Otherwise we all remain too frightened.

- Haviz

 
 

Oh Wise Women,

As always, I will be totally honest with you. The past two weeks have been very intense. Without a doubt the awakened energies of the root, sacral and solar plexus chakra have been flowing upwards into the heart. This surge of grounded energy and solid sense of self into the “feeling” centre of my heart has been both liberating and terrifying…and, at times, incredibly messy.

So I guess it should come as no surprise that I am floundering in my attempts to convey a coherent message in this Treasure Trove. I have numerous passages to share, intellectual teachings I could offer, and the beautiful words my daughter has compiled, however, my attempts to weave them together are falling short and it seems that the harder I “try”, the more resistance there is.

Over the past three hours, while sitting at my computer writing to you, I have felt extreme tightness in my chest, I have cried and felt immense sadness, and I have also experienced waves of spaciousness and lightness in my heart. Though the spaciousness is very difficult to explain, there is a falling sensation and it feels absolutely wonderful, ecstatic even…until fear comes in and tells me to “get control” and I land with a “thud” back to tightness.

And herein lies the message.

Anahata, the sanskirt name for the heart chakra, means “infinite, unhurt or boundless.”

As we know, it takes courage to face our wounds. It takes courage to restore the boundless energy of the heart and it takes courage to reclaim its true nature which is unhurt, unharmed and limitless.

Yes, it takes courage to rise into love.

But it also takes courage to fall into love.

Let us fall together, and as always let us hold limitless space for each of our experiences.

Love Patti

 
 

As the earth and life-force energy rise up through the body, they unlock each gate of the three base chakras. Moving through the grounded root, the sensual sacral, and the empowered solar plexus, this energy arrives at the tender and beautiful heart.

The heart chakra, Anahata in Sanskrit is the center of love and connection in the body. It is located in the chest (the physical heart is on the left side, but the energetic heart is in the center), is traditionally associated with the color green but is also often represented as pink, and is connected to the element of air, given its anatomical proximity to the lungs.

Anahata is the middle chakra of the whole system and bridges the connection between the lower and upper energy centers. The element of air surrounding the heart is a key part of this sacred bridge, as it completes the circuit of the base chakras (earth, water, fire, air), and simultaneously breathes down the heavenly energy being received from above. The chakra system as a whole is truly a magic alchemical process, where the base three chakras draw up the strong, mystical, divine feminine power of the earth and the upper three chakras draw down the heavenly, celestial, divine masculine energies. These cooperating life forces then meet in the heart, bridging heaven and earth, feminine and masculine, transmuting it all into love.

The heart center is a place of polarities. It is incredibly strong and resilient, yet tender and gentle. It can be radiantly open, but also tightly closed. Unfortunately, much of the conditioning in today’s world teaches people to close their hearts, shut down their emotions and disconnect from others. In a world that lacks kindness and compassion, it can feel frightening and vulnerable to dare to live with an open heart. Yet that is exactly what this world needs. Every human has a precious, exquisite heart that is longing for connection, longing to feel love, longing to be broken open. While it can be very tempting to ignore this call due to stories of fear, hurt, unworthiness, etc., choosing to open your heart and follow the call for connection despite these things is so brave, beautiful, and liberating. The heart was made to feel love and is inherently worthy.

The heart chakra is intimately connected to all kinds of rose medicine and can be imagined as a rose itself. The rose’s opening process is gradual, and it is the same for the heart; deep healing and trusting is an ongoing ever-unfolding expansion. The rose does not bloom until it is ready, and so it is with the human heart. The rose is one of the highest vibrational plant medicines and holds much of the same gentle, soft, and tender frequencies of the heart. Working with rose quartz, rose oils and teas, and the flowers themselves are lovely ways to connect with the energy of the heart, as well as trusting that the rose-heart blooms exactly how and when she is meant to.

- Ayla Wardlaw

 

“Sacred Heart Chakra” by Roberta Orpwood

Our hearts open; our hearts close. We dive in love, we fly in love, we fall in love, we burn in love, we cry in love. We strip ourselves naked in love fearlessly bearing our souls. Then we get hurt and decide it’s not safe to love, we learn to protect our precious hearts - so soft, so delicate. We develop protective psychic armour, which is sometimes useful, but mostly not.

Opening the heart chakra requires letting go of energetic density and physical armouring created by loss of love, mistrust, abandonment, aloneness, hatred, unexpressed sadness, grief, pain resistance and fear of surrender. We open by feeling these uncomfortable feelings. It sounds so simple! Why can it be so difficult?

It can be difficult to feel because we may think that we will lose ourselves and fall apart, becoming dysfunctional in our lives. But there is a way to break down with awareness that a healing process is taking place. Although it can be challenging, we can celebrate these waves of emotional release as a way of creating more space for divine love.

If we are courageous enough to dance with our demons and feel our pain, the jewel of the heart can shine again in its full brilliance.

~ Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

Falling into the “Great Love”

In Greek, there are many words for love. In fact, in most languages, there are more words for love than there are in English, which can leave us English speakers bereft of language to express our deepest feelings. The four main types of love expressed in the Greek language are eros, romantic love; philia, sisterly and brotherly love; storge, maternal love; and agape, or love for all.

Agape love is the Great Love that is larger than you. It is the Great Self, the God Self. It's not something you do. It's something that you learn to live inside of.

This love is unconditional, always present, and comes without any stipulations except the falling itself.

We will only allow ourselves to fall into love when we give up control, consciously or unconsciously. It will often feel like a falling and a faltering, an ecstatic humiliation.

We have to take breathing lessons and develop larger lungs to live inside of such a new and open horizon. It does not come naturally until we draw upon it many times, and then it becomes the only natural, the deep natural, the true natural. You have then returned home and can even practice the other kinds of love with much greater ability and joy.

~ Father Richard Rohr

 

Absolutely Clear

Don’t surrender your loneliness so quickly.
Let it cut more deep.
Let it ferment and season you
As few human
Or even divine ingredients can.
Something missing in my heart tonight
Has made my eyes so soft,
My voice so tender,
My need of God
Absolutely
Clear.

~ Hafiz

ChaNt with wise woman melanie “Pran Bandha Mantra”
 
Listen to "Rose Lineage" by Marya Stark
 
MUSIC TO ACTIVATE AND AWAKEN THE Heart CHAKRA, PLAYLIST Compiled BY LILA SOFIYAH

Awakening Power: The Solar Plexus Chakra

When you do not seek or need external approval, you are at your most powerful.
- Caroline Myss

 
 

Dear Wise Women,

In the past two weeks we have explored and activated the vital energies of the root and sacral chakras. We have called upon the divine feminine to rise through our root chakra and allowed ourselves to soften and receive her strength, stability and safety, and from this place of rooted nourishment, we vulnerably invited the divine feminine to continue her ascent into our sacral chakra and to reunite with the divine masculine in an ecstatic union of sweet sensuality.

Now with the seeds of creation fully activated we are ready to rise up into the full reclamation of our free will and true power!

Stepping into our true power requires a willingness to clear away all perceptions of what power has come to mean to us. Many of us fear power, both our own and that of others. Wounded by the violent and controlling misuse of power that has dominated society over the past millennia, we may even view power as a bad thing.

Together, let us reframe our perception of power and enter this chakra with lion-hearted courage.

Love Patti

 

The word Courage derives from the Latin root \"cor\" for heart. To have Courage is to have Heart.

The lioness holds powerful energy in supporting the courageous path of reclaiming one's power, breaking out of old paradigms, and reclaiming one's true nature, channeled through the power of the heart. Call on the Lioness to support your journey of transformation and stand confidently in your sovereignty.

- “Roaring Lioness , Solar Plexus Chakra Energizing Artwork” by Joanna Reid

 
 

As the elements of nature work together and build upon one another, so do the chakras in the body system. The root is the stable earth, the sacral provides nourishing waters, and the solar plexus is the luminous fire.

The Solar Plexus (or Manipura in Sanskrit) is the third chakra in the system. Located in the stomach between the navel and the chest, it is associated with the color yellow and the element of fire. Mani means “jewel” or “gem”; pura means “dwelling place.”

The third chakra manages the digestive system and organs, skin, breath, upper abdomen, diaphragm, middle spine, small intestines, and parts of the kidneys and adrenals, particularly the adrenal cortex. The solar plexus is responsible for our sense of self, personal power, and inner strength. This is an incredibly impactful and emotionally charged energy centre that we feel it in the “pit”of our stomach. If we are feeling stressed, we may be able to feel this nerve plexus as a tight knot just below the sternum.

An open and balanced solar plexus is our personal sun, blazing confidence and inner fire that radiates from our core into our entire being. It is all about taking action, being lovingly assertive, and confidently taking the steps towards our desires. Solar plexus wisdom teaches us to let our truest selves be seen and witnessed in all their magnificence, claiming our strength and advocating for our needs. Cultivating the flames of confidence may seem intimidating and challenging, or may feel taboo and strange, thanks to a human history that has disconnected people from their own innate radiance. Therefore, reclaiming this power and letting the depths of your human and soul journey be truly seen and shared, is an important and invaluable act of healing on a personal and collective level.

Power is a very interesting word in modern life; it often invokes an uncomfortable response because we are so used to the unbalanced and arrogant abuse of power. Using power to harm, control, or put down in any way is indicative of a blockage or issue in the solar plexus. However, when the intentions towards working with this energy centre are loving and healing, then there is no need to worry about being dominating or aggressive; negative power is never born from a place of love. Inner confidence is not domineering or harmful; rather it is an acknowledgment and celebration of our immense and endless divinity. Likewise, a lack of confidence in the self is also indicative of some necessary solar plexus healing.

Connecting the solar plexus fire with the rising kundalini energies of the earth is one of the most liberating and empowering experiences possible. Burning away old standards of “not good, worthy, beautiful, wealthy, successful, etc. enough” allows us to remember our inherent and unshakeable divine worthiness. Solar plexus fire makes us beautifully unstoppable. Sharing this worthiness and beautiful light with others, letting ourselves truly be seen, is unbelievably freeing.

A woman whose empowerment and self-worth come from a deep connection to all of life is magnificent and inspires those around her to lift their own energetic vibrations. The solar plexus, our inner light, our inner brilliant sun, is an alchemical cauldron of deep love that has risen from the earth, combining with radiant confidence and fire so that magic can beam out to the world.

- Ayla Wardlaw

Soraya Manipura by Holly Sierra

 
 

The New Paradigm of Power

When the feminine, yielding, open, feeling, receptive energy is in equal flow with the masculine, solar outwardly manifesting creative energy, they ecstatically merge and that brings balance to our power centre.

As we allow the unification of the Divine Feminine and the Masculine in our solar plexus chakra we begin to allow DIVINE WILL to work through us and understand that TRUE POWER is LOVE in action.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

The immature masculine solar plexus:
The immature masculine energy expressed through the solar plexus is a very driven energy, seen when we push through against all odds with stubborn willpower. It can be very ego-centered and characterized by thoughts like: “I am because I can control my reality. I am because I do. I am because I have.” When people are centered in this kind of power they become controlling, dominating and competitive. If this kind of power is seen in a woman, she may be a controlling mother or partner or a competitive business woman who works overtime and is driven to succeed because this is how she measures her self-worth.

The Divine Masculine solar plexus:
When the Divine Masculine expresses through the solar plexus, our actions becomes imbued with love and integrity, in humble service for the good of all life. As we mature spiritually and integrate divine love, we become less “I” centered and more “we” centered. We offer our vessel, our instrument as a medium for divine will to create more beauty and love for the good of all. The more we allow ourselves to feel and let go of old wounds and emotions that have been held in the solar plexus, the more space we create for divine light to enter.

The immature feminine solar plexus:
The immature feminine energy expressed through the solar plexus is emotionally needy and sources her power from others. She seeks recognition and approval from others to feel a sense of inner value or worth. She is in a constant state of anxiety around who does or doesn’t like her and who is or isn’t giving her energy or attention. She sources false power outside of herself. She may be needy and clingy in her relationships and behave in ways she thinks she has to in order to be liked or loved. She is disconnected from her inner knowing and unable to make clear decisions for herself.

The Divine Feminine solar plexus:
The Divine Feminine radiates love through the solar plexus and heart centres and draws to her that which is the heart’s deepest desire. When the Divine Feminine flows through our solar plexus we trust our feelings and express our vulnerability freely and openly, knowing that the more we let go, the more divine love can flow into and through us. We give our love and care freely. We remember how to take care of our own emotional and physical needs as well as surrender and be taken care of. We know how to surrender to imperfection. We can multi-task, let plans fall apart and be open to what is being dished up onto our plate in a given moment. We embody the feminine essence that finds the center in the chaos.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 

Solar Plexus Affirmation

In truth I know I am loveable.

I follow my pure spontaneous expression and am loved as I am.

In truth I know I am love.

I trust my power and I know that my power is love.

I trust my inner authority and I allow the voice of the Divine Feminine to flow through me without fear.

My solar plexus is in balance.

I do not serve anyone by staying small.

I feel whole and sovereign within myself.

I see my soul gifts.

I integrate the soul codes that I am here to remember.

I am honoured to come back into my power.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

Chant with wise woman melanie
Music to activate and awaken the solar plexus chakra, playlist compiled by lila sofiyah

Awakening Creativity: The Sacral Chakra

 

If sexuality means saying yes to life, then you should be able to remain sexual until the day you die.
- Susan Sarandon

 

Soul Bird Art by Roberta Orpwood

Dear Wise Women,

With curiosity and awe, let us continue our journey through the seven chakras. May we do so with a “beginners mind” and may we be open to the possibility of new awakenings!

Drawing from the strength of one another and from all women, we enter this chakra with a fierceness that may feel uncomfortable at first. We are reclaiming our ability to both access and embody the sensuality of creation. Stable and secure, we beckon the divine feminine and, from below, we allow her fierce love to enter our bodies and restore the innocence and true power of our wombs.

Love Patti

 

Soul Bird Art by Roberta Orpwood

After the earth's energy has unlocked the gate of the root chakra, it then rises up into the powerful sacral center. The sacral chakra is located between the naval and the root, in the pelvic center of the womb and ovaries. It is associated with the color orange, the element of water, and with passion, creativity, sexuality, and sensuality. Spiritual and physical passions and pleasures come from this important energetic body center.

As one of the three chakras located beneath the heart, the sacral is more closely connected to the earth’s life force, and can contain immense power, but also density. Opening the sacral chakra activates creative fertility, flow, life force, passion, vitality, and awakens the sensual power that is every woman’s birthright. This sacral shakti energy is abundant in the natural world; it is the force that draws the bee to the flower.

Thousands of years of social conditioning have disconnected humanity, and women in particular, from their sacral centers. Thus, working with the sacral chakra can feel challenging, possibly intimidating, or very dense, as liberating the feminine life force contradicts everything society has taught us. Having gentle, loving compassion for anything that may arise from this potent energy center is very important. Disconnections and blockages in the sacral chakra can manifest as a lack of creativity, sexual desire, or sensuality, but also as physical challenges with the reproductive organs.

Letting the waters of life force flow back into this energy center is incredibly powerful and beautiful, but also liberating and important. Reclaiming sensual energy is a reclamation of the full magic of the Divine Feminine, in all her soft and wild ways. Sacral energy is sexual liberation, but it is also noticing the pleasures in life; a juicy orange, a blooming rose, a radiant sunrise. Sacral energy is an invitation to enjoy life’s sensuality and its sweetness.

- Written by Ayla Wardlaw

 
 

A Return to Innocence

Swadhistana, the sanskrit name for the sacral chakra, means “sweetness”.

Many of the keys to understanding our inherent divine femininity lie in unmasking the lies we have learned, particularly about our bodies and language. One such word is “sin”, which generally invokes a terror of wrongdoing, evil, and suffering horrible consequences. In truth, the words sin and sinister come from Latin and simply mean left-hand path (in many spiritual traditions, the rituals of the feminine are called the left-hand path). In ancient traditions, a sin-woman or sinner was a scared priestess, who followed the mysteries of the moon, the rose, the feminine body, and many other powerful wisdom traditions. Sinning by practicing the feminine mysteries was a holy and revered act, full of power and radiance compared to its modern connotations. Connecting to the moon, to life, and to the feminine secrets that have been passed down and inherited through our bodies is the most sacred sin.

- Ayla Wardlaw

“Sweet Taboo” www.autumnskyeart.com

The theme of forbidden fruit has seduced us since our very first days in the garden. There is something deliciously captivating about the taboo, something that beckons our defiant curiosity and dares us to rebel against the doctrine of dogma.

In a reckoning of outside authority we must make a personal calculation of value, weighing the past and the future, what is worth preserving and what is a burden to our growth. We must take care to not recklessly dismiss tradition, while also embracing new, challenging ideas and experiences.

The fruit can be found in claiming our own inner agency to discern what is true or false, what is poison or medicine, what is bitter or what is sweet…

- Autumn Skye Morrison

When we purify and lift the vibration of the sacral chakra, we disconnect from the collective trance that can be either polarizing in the sexual shadow of lust, promiscuity or shame, guilt and fear, or we align with the deeper wisdom of the soul and return to sweetness.

Sexual energy is so powerful that many cultures have gone to extremes to repress it through shame, guilt and fear. This repression then blocks the sacral chakra and one’s vitality. Stagnant energy in our sexual centre eventually dams the flow of our creativity.

In the west, we have come a long way since the shackles of the Victorian era, but our collective sexual expression still seems tainted by the cultural and religious views of the past. What has been suppressed will find its expression through its polarized shadow, and we see this in our sexually obsessed popular culture, and in the porn industry, which keeps the collective consciousness locked in the lower frequency of lust and perversion.

Culturally and collectively we are shifting out of an old cycle and are now witnessing a gradual inner transmutation to embrace our sexual energy as an evolutionary current that will move us toward higher consciousness, greater freedom and synergy. The power behind this shift comes from the individual-each one of us-you and me. As we address our pain, hatred and blame, we evolve from within and shift the collective.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 
 

Sacral Chakra Affirmation

I open myself as a receptive vessel for the creative currents of source to flow through me.

I honor my sexuality as sacred and as a vehicle for higher consciousness.

I know and trust that it is safe for me to embody and receive the wisdom of the Divine Feminine.

It is safe for me to embody the ancient feminine wisdom that resides within me and it is safe for me to openly act upon that knowing to serve the highest good.

I embrace my feminine power as love.

I open to the wisdom of the priestess within me and I remember it is safe to express my wisdom-body openly.

As I commune with the alchemical element of water, may my emotional body be purified and balanced as love.

This sacred day, with every breath I take. I allow the tantric union of the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine to marry within me.

I am one. I am whole.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 
Chant with Wise Woman Melanie
MUSIC TO ACTIVATE AND AWAKEN THE sacral CHAKRA, PLAYLIST Compiled BY LILA SOFIYAH

Awakening Trust: The Root Chakra

 

Flood, fire and quake fling us back to the primal struggle for survival and reveal our gross dependency on mammoth, still mysterious forces.
- Camille Paglia

 

Artwork: “Root Chakra Goddess” by Carol Cavalris

 

It is an evolutionary requirement that we clear the root chakra and it’s access points (the perineum, the anus and the base of the spine) of all fear-based emotions, old memories and traumas.

As we lift the vibration of our root chakra, we open to the higher evolutionary potential inside the themes of this chakra. We begin to feel our oneness and interconnection with each other and all of creation. We open to the abundance grids of the earth and open to the compassionate, co-creative field of mutual support where we realize there is enough for all of us and we can support each other to flourish. We trust that we can follow the spark of our true authentic nature and apply our gifts in order to manifest everything we need on the physical plane for our survival and comfort.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 

Dear Wise Women,

Let us begin our journey through the seven chakras!

I offer you these images, words and sounds with deep respect for the lineages and wisdom in which they originated. I open myself to be a messenger of truth and activation of our individual and collective remembrance.

May we embark on this journey with curiosity and awe, may we embrace this journey with a “beginners mind”, and in doing so open ourselves to the possibility of new awakenings!

Love Patti

The Chakra System - Our Spinning Wheels of Light:

 

“While chakras, subtle energies, nadis, and more are named differently across the continents, the underlying truths are the same. Chakra medicine is an ancient, mysterious, and modern rendering of universal concepts.”

- Cyndi Dale, “Llewellyn's Complete Book of Chakras”

In this beautiful world, energy is the force that flows through all things, bringing them to life. The human body is a channel for life-force energy, concentrating in certain sacred areas of the physical form. These energetic centers are called chakras and are commonly envisioned as wheels or swirls, found in specific places along the spine at the intersection of nerves and hormones. While there are hundreds of chakras in the body, the seven main ones (according to Hindu tantrism) are the Root, the Sacral, the Solar Plexus, the Heart, the Throat, the Third Eye, and the Crown.

Each chakra rules different emotions and qualities that can impact many aspects of life in the material realm. When the chakras are open and balanced, energy can flow freely through the body, mind, and spirit, bringing life into alignment, connection, and ease. Likewise, a physical issue with a chakra can lead to energetic blockages, and emotional or mental density can produce physical responses. Certain chakras may feel denser than others depending on life experiences, and that is completely normal. Observing and clearing density can bring the chakras into harmony, healing the physical and emotional bodies!

Each chakra is a part of a whole system, in which love and life force flow in and out, starting from the root.

The root chakra, or Muladhara (in Sanskrit), is found at the base of the spine, where the tailbone, bladder, and colon are located. The root is the most instinctual and primal of the chakras and is responsible for our connection to basic needs-survival, family, safety, money, food, shelter, and security. Unsurprisingly, the element of the root is earth and the color is red, as this energy center is all about grounding, security, and connection to our physical and emotional foundations. The planet associated with the root is Saturn, and the zodiac signs are Capricorn and Aquarius. A balanced root will bring feelings of strength, trust, positive connection to the physical world, and the ability to grow through challenges. Imbalances may feel like worries about money, shelter, lack of trust in others, and a general sense of ungroundedness.

A simple way to balance the root and connect to the earth is by spending time barefoot in nature, and visualizing grounding and stability. A thriving root provides a beautiful foundation of stability and deep earthly love for the other chakras to dance upon.

- Written by Ayla Wardlaw

 
 

“Ruby the Root Chakra Goddess”, artwork by www.hollysierra.com

The openness of the root chakra determines how much earth energy we allow into the body. When we enter into the activation of the root, we face our relationship with our blood mother, the earth, and the divine feminine. The deeper one connects to “the Mother” as a cosmic force of creation, the more profoundly one will feel the ecstatic currents of Kundalini energy through the body.

The deeper our longing to reconnect with the mother energy, the more authentic our prayer to Mama Gaia, the more potently she will rise and enter your body on the current of your breath. She will come when you call her and only when you call her.

 
 

Root Chakra Affirmation:

“When I lift the vibration of my root chakra and align it with creation, in truth I know and remember that it is safe to offer my gifts to the world. It is safe to be a vehicle of expression for the creative spirit of the Divine Feminine. It is safe to remember my path as an evolutionary priestess. It is safe for me; it is safe for us all. When I am guided by love, love prevails through the shadows of doubt and mistrust. I remember. I live in trust. I follow my path and am supported. I am aligned with my essence”.

Earth medicine pulls you down

then when you are connected in

plugged into her vital core,

she rises up through you.

she rises only on your invitation

she is like a cleansing fire

her vibration is pure love-

burning, purifying, cleansing

pulling all that is not of her

back down into her

loving essence.

Om, Mama Gaia

risings fire

I call you. Come

rise up on the current of my inhalation

cleanse me, purify me, activate me, set my soul free

that I may reclaim my birthright and live as one in ecstasy.

- Leyolah Antara, “Kundalini Dance, Sacred Alchemical Evolutionary Keys”

 
Chant with wise women melanie
 

“Om Kreem Maha Kali Sarva Rogam Nasi Nasi”
May the root of all affliction and disease be removed. May we be blessed to grow and thrive through this difficult time. This is a powerful mantra for strength, calm and resilience. It is said to cleanse the body of disease and bring clarity to the mind so we can steadfastly overcome the rise of fear and confusion.

 
MUSIC TO ACTIVATE AND AWAKEN THE ROOT CHAKRA, PLAYLIST compiled BY LILA SOFIYAH

Circling Back, Soaring Higher

I came to this earth so that I could find my way back to my beloved.

- Rumi

This Golden Eagle may appear to be floating, but it is actually riding on rising columns of warm air known as thermals. Thermals are generated when the sun warms the earth’s surface, indirectly heating the air closest to the ground, causing it to rise. Soaring birds can use this rising air to gain elevation and remain aloft for extended periods without flapping their wings.

http://birdbiology.org

Dear Wise Women,

As our winter session draws to a close, I wish to, once again, express my deep gratitude to each of you for being willing to continue walking this unknown path with me. These past two sessions (the fall and the winter) have been a true journey into the unknown, guided by our willingness to trust the unfoldment - both within in our circles and our personal lives.

And so, this week, I would like to “circle back” to all the themes we explored over the past ten weeks of our gatherings.

As you take in these images and re-visit these words, may you be like the eagle and allow yourself to be lifted by a power greater than you, may you relax your wings, soar freely and take in the bigger picture.

With grace and gratitude,

Patti

The Space Between

 

When how you appear is who you are, you are truly free.

- Dr. Joe Dispenza, “Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself”

When we can meet others as equal living beings, each with their own center, then we live out the I and Thou relationship, through which the Mystery manifests as a vital life-force between us.

- Mark Nepo

 

We are Divine Creators

Love is the bridge between you and everything.
- Rumi

 

Trust what makes you come alive as a valid source of information to guide your choices.
- Charles Eisenstein

 

We are the Earth

 

Walk. as if your feet are kissing the earth.
- Thich Naht Hanh

 
 

You carry Mother Earth within you.
She is not outside of you.
Mother Earth is not just your environment.
In that insight of inter-being,
it is possible to have real communication
with the Earth,
which is the highest form of prayer.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

 

The Grace of Space

 

Remember the entrance door to the sanctuary is inside you.
- Rumi

We are a vessel for spirit to fill. We contain a divine light, a space of sanctuary and stillness, that is available to us at any moment if we choose to go inwards. I believe that this is what the Bible means when it says, “The Kingdom of God is within you.” Over the many months of painting this piece, the mantra came to me and repeated again and again in my mind, “My body is my Temple and my Earth is my Home.”

- Autumn Skye Morrison

 

The Innocence of (True) Gratitude

 

Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you are happy for a reason, you're in trouble, because that reason can be taken from you.
― Deepak Chopra

 
 

The instinct of most conditioned human beings is to decide what to be grateful for—to look at everything and think: Is this something I should be grateful for?

Gratitude has to be woken up because it's buried underneath conditioning. As children we possess gratitude naturally, but as we grow up it becomes buried under a lot of layers of defensiveness.

So, we need to be returned to—and reacquainted with—the innocence of gratitude.

- Matt Kahn

 
 

The Courage to Keep Looking

Don't turn away. Keep your gaze on the bandaged place. That's where the light enters you.
- Rumi

 
 
 
 

“Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack a crack in everything
That's how the light gets in.”

- Leonard Cohen

 

Soft Eyes

 

When the eye is not set on one leaf, and you face the tree with nothing at all in mind, any number of leaves are visible to the eye without limit.

– Takuan Soho, Zen Buddhist monk (1573-1645)

 
 

To see with “soft eyes” is to take in what is in front of us, rather than to project out. It is a completely different way of seeing. It is both a meditative practice and a way of being in the world that immediately activates presence. Soft eyes are curious, free of judgement, free of limitations and free of preconceptions. When we look with soft eyes we open ourselves to receive all that is visible and invisible in the field between us and what we are looking at.

 

Soften and Listen with the Ear of the Heart

 

We listen deeply by listening to the Source through immersion, absorption, and presence. We begin by allowing ourselves to sink into the depth of whatever moment we are in.

We speak deeply by listening with heart to the Source, no matter who or what conveys it, and translating that presence into meaningful speech. We begin by accepting and working with what we hear. Speaking deeply has something to do with letting things pass through our heart as they are.

We question deeply by listening to what is offered and surfacing its meaning and usefulness through further questioning and honest dialogue. What can you ask that will open that door? What can you ask that will let you enter what has been opened?

- Mark Nepo, “Seven Thousand Ways to Listen”

 

Return

Stay centered, do not overstretch. Extend from your center, return to your center.
- Buddha

 
 
 

The spiritual path is not one of attainment, but of return.

- Alan Cohen

 

A Single Step

A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
- Lau Tzu

 
 
 

For being human, we remember and forget. We stray and return, fall down and get up, and cling and let go, again and again. But it is this straying and returning that makes life interesting, this clinging and letting go - damned as it is - that exercises the heart.

- Mark Nepo

 

And now, dear Wise Women, I wish to leave with a Mary Oliver poem that I feel captures the essence of our journey down this winding path:

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting -
over and over announcing your place in the family of things.

- Mary Oliver

A Single Step

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
- Lau Tzu

 

I listened carefully as he described his little girl’s first steps. He encouraged her to keep her eyes on him, and only when she didn’t, did she stumble. Only when she lost her focus, when she became too conscious of the steps she was taking, did she fall.

I was afraid he was going to declare some parental primacy, that without his loving presence, his little girl wouldn’t be able to make her way. But to my surprise, he understood her first steps more deeply as a wisdom that effects us all.

He stared off, offering slowly, “She made me realize that when I stop looking for a sense of truth, I stumble. When I lose my focus on what really matters, I fall.”

This small story has stayed with me. For aren’t we forever taking first steps, again and again? Don’t we uncover a mystery of strength by looking out before us and bringing into focus a deeper sense of truth?

Isn’t balance, in reality, the ability to step quite naturally, like this little girl, without too much thought, into everything larger than our fear?

- Mark Nepo, “The Book of Awakening”

 

Dear Wise Women,

Last week we contemplated the many ways of returning. We moved past an intellectual understanding and into an embodiment of these words, “the spiritual path is not one of attainment, but of return.”

Together, we felt into the sensation of returning to our centers - and the collective energy of our return was palpable. What was also palpable was our shared vulnerability.

As we shared our stories and the nuances of our (apparently) different paths, one thing became crystal clear, it takes courage to return to the center and it takes even more courage to emerge from it. To begin anew, to take one single step onto a new path can feel very wobbly - it can feel like learning to walk again!

Serendipitously, during our Monday evening circle, wise woman Laurie shared the following passages from Mark Nepo, which echoed and reinforced this message.

 

I don't personally believe in an arrived state of enlightenment. I feel that being human is a constant practice of return. We have moments of clarity, and then we're confused. We have incredibly sensitive periods of being awake, and then we're numb. Being human is a very universal and a very personal practice of learning how to return when we can't get access to what we know.

For being human, we remember and forget. We stray and return, fall down and get up, and cling and let go, again and again. But it is this straying and returning that makes life interesting, this clinging and letting go - damned as it is - that exercises the heart.

 

And so, dear wise women, let us continue our walk together…

walking down a path with no end
a path that appears to circle back
again and again
but in truth
is always guiding us back home
returning us to our centers…
if only we have the courage to keep stepping.

My daughter Ayla taking her (much anticipated) first steps while vacationing in France. When Ayla was four months old, our doctor told us that she was developmentally delayed and that she may have neurological damage. The tailspin of fear that ensued was both unnecessary and harmful. Fortunately, the doctor was wrong and she was perfectly fine…she just had her own timeline. Ayla, it seems, is in my life to teach me how to choose love over fear. She continues to be my greatest teacher.

Yes, you fell down.
I feel for you, for I have
fallen many times.

But life is this repeating journey
from sleep to wakefulness,
from blindness to sight,
from fear to love.

No matter how many times
we fall, we are just beginning.

- Excerpt from “Anthem” by Mark Nepo

Return

The spiritual path is not one of attainment, but of return.

- Alan Cohen

The morning sunrise at Parksville, BC on March 29, 2022. Later on this same day, I boarded a plane for Calgary to assist my family. When I decided to book this trip, I vowed to bring only love and light to the situation. However, on the morning of my departure (while walking on this boardwalk), I realized that for true healing to occur I would need to do more than just bring light and love - I would need to return to love and light. I would need to return to my center.

Stay centered, do not overstretch. Extend from your center, return to your center.
- Buddha

Dear Wise Women,

Welcome back!

So much has transpired since we last gathered! Spring has officially arrived and, with it, the emergence of more light and new growth. Yet amidst the blossoms and birdsong, we continue to witness destruction, division and suffering.

The call to stand in the middle appears to be getting louder. The need for each of us to stand in the light and hold the opposites appears to be increasing.

Can we experience despair and choose hope? Can we feel fear and choose love? Can we see darkness and bring light? Can we return to the essence of who we truly are? I believe we can.

Although you appear in earthly form
Your essence is pure Consciousness.
You are the fearless guardian
of Divine Light.
So come, return to the root of the root
of your own soul.
- Rumi

Over and over again, no matter how far off we have veered, we can always choose to return to the stillness within that contains infinite healing power. In every moment and with every opportunity, we can always return to our center.

And, so when I returned home and I came face to face with both familiar and new challenges, I remained steadfast on my commitment to return, over and over again, to my center…to access the Source of love that I came from and that I will return to.

And from here, I was able to extend a new level of love to my family, and I was able to hold darkness in a way that I have never held before…and the healing I witnessed can only be described as magic!

As one of our our beloved wise women said so eloquently,

“When darkness is shared and held in a loving environment with the intention to heal, I really believe it can't help but dissolve and return to the light. LOVE, it seems, is the ultimate solvent.”
- Glenda Koppe, Certified Life Mastery Consultant,

Return to Compassion...Return to Gratitude…Return to Innocence…Return to Presence…

The evening sunset on a country road between Indus and Strathmore, AB on March 29, 2022.

While driving with my dad from his house to my mom’s house, I asked him to pull over so that I could capture a photo of this magnificent sunset. The magic of having my day begin with an orange glow on the coast and end with an orange glow on the prairies most certainly was not lost on me.

The light, it seems, was determined to show me the way!

You have to give yourself permission to take up the space you need in this life. 

To say no even when it’s easier to say yes. And to say yes when it’s more comfortable to say no. 

To not doubt yourself and the way your body communicates what is best for you.

To trust that sometimes the timing feels like swimming upstream, or letting others down, or breaking a belief that’s held you protectively for years for something bigger that’s calling you. 

To love who you love in ways that feel soothing and safe or wild and intoxicating, for your soul is always guiding you to growth through your willingness to experience. 

To feel at ease with knowing when it’s time to talk and let the words spill forth from your honest heart. 

And when it’s time to listen and let your presence be a well of nourishment and wisdom for the confessions of those who seek your sanctuary. 

And to allow when its time to nestle into the silence and find peace in the stillness that lives there. 

You’re unfolding into a galaxy of treasures that have laid quietly sleeping within you,  waiting for this season of awakened activation. 

This day is laced with precious moments to observe your worthiness. It will mirror back miracles of your being if you let it show you the way. 

May you cross the bridge that releases you from your past to discover the wholeness and peace of your present. 

May you release the confusion to welcome clarity of mind and purpose of soul.

May you hold your heart gently and your vision thoughtfully.

May you transcend your own limitations and set yourself free from the illusions that hold you back.

May you liberate yourself from the projection of others so you may find your true voice.

May you learn soulfully and be educated mindfully by energies that progress you lovingly.

May you trust in yourself as you evolve, expand and awaken to more. 

- Romy Wyser