Women never cease to amaze me when they rally at impromptu gatherings to reignite the bonds of their ancient female past. Recently, I was invited to join a group of women on a trip to the American southwest. I knew only the trip planner. Some arrived as friendship partners or business partners; others were taking a brief hiatus from being mother, wife, fundraiser, curator, marketing analyst, or teacher. Others came for meditative time and long walks, seizing the day to reconnect with their bodies through better eating or exercise. Our only commitment: eat together at least once during the week.

Surprisingly, in six days this group went from strangers to sisterhood, laughing like old friends, sharing conversation about marriages, children, and spiritual development. Unknowingly, we granted ourselves permission to deeply explore one another’s minds with the intention of learning, and nothing more. Unthreatened by our diversity, we developed a dialogue, and we were both shocked and entertained by everyone’s perspective. By the time we participated in a drumming circle on the final evening, we beat our instruments as if it were the last day on earth, rhythm makers connecting land and sky, our dancing selves somewhere in between.

By the time the last flame was extinguished, a sense of community existed which was nothing less than magical: a pledge of support and understanding as we re-entered our individual lives. Our sacred circle was inadvertently cast. And a grounded, unstructured, woman-affirming spirituality arose from emptiness, as a consequence of creating space for wisdom to emerge. 

Women Need to Gather to Share Wisdom

What is it about a woman-gathering that empowers women? It’s molding collective ideas into something that makes sense; the telling of stories; inhaling a woman’s worldly viewpoint and not a man’s. It’s about enhancing our judgment on what to let go and what to pack in the suitcase for the journey home. A woman-gathering is an opportunity to place sticky notes on those areas of our lives where we’ve lacked true self-awareness, alerting us to why we have been taking too much direction from external circumstances and not enough from a sense of our own creative power. Our individual and collective strength is greatly diminished when our minds race with what needs to be done and whose needs need to be met next, with little or no time to revisit the meaning of what we’re doing. As a result, we wander, letting life move us instead of choosing where we want to move life.

Revisit the Tribal Sisterhood

Reviving our past extends far beyond analyzing the happenstance of the immediate. It goes back to a time when tribal sisterhood existed, when women helped one another find wisdom within everyday experiences, when making spiritual room for self-discovery and renewal was as necessary as breathing. I believe we are born with a need to gather ancient women’s wisdom from all walks of life and apply it to our private expeditions. Women long to share stories of tragedy and success, to weep, giggle, and feel better about adversity, while comparing notes about how to improve our own thinking and change our individual worlds through relationships and work.

Affirm your connection regularly

Today, celebrate your ancient tribal sisterhood and the wisdom you have earned since the beginning of time.  Be empowered by your women’s wisdom!  Remember to love being female.  Have lunch with a friend, visit your mother, or talk to the woman who works at the corner supermarket.  Honor this shared connection that deepens in power and confidence daily.  Affirm the wonder of you! Say:

“I am all seasons, all cycles, and all elements. I am empowered by the wisdom of women’s collective experiences since the beginning of time. I feel competent knowing my worldly perspective matters. I am a powerful, beloved female!”

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!

Do you feel captured by old thoughts and emotions that no longer serve you well?  Do you spend more time in the past than in the present moment?  And do you often find yourself feeling physically ill, depressed, or even angry just by spending time with your memories? 

Having a “positive today” requires making plenty of space for personal growth. That means opening up energy and time to let go of the past and forgive.  Having difficult parents, an abusive relationship, or a dysfunctional family situation presents greater challenges for us to move into the present.  Present moment awareness is where our greatest power resides.  When we choose to live in the agony of the past and do not expect a positive future, it is nearly impossible to find creativity, joy, and peace in life.

Moving into a peaceful state of mind requires us to have a high level of forgiveness.  Unforgiveness nurtures a negative state and attracts undesirable circumstances.  We can become prisoners of our negative emotions. The Law of Attraction states “like energy attracts like energy.”  Since thoughts are energy, we want to resonate with clear, loving, and present-day ideas that focus on what we want – productive lives, satisfying jobs, or wonderful relationships.  We don’t want to spend time attracting more of what we don’t want.

Regurgitating old messages and unsavory experiences from the past doesn’t allow us to move forward and step into a vision of what we can become. Let’s work on ways to move our thoughts away from self-doubt and resentment, using forgiveness as a vehicle for change.

Release negative experiences

Once we release a negative experience from our mental and emotional state, we can make peace with it.  You cannot change the past, only your feelings and attitude toward it.  True forgiveness is about rising to the challenge of viewing the past as an opportunity for transformation and refinement.  The past has provided you with strength and dignity to become an inspiration to others.  Your most powerful moments are spent in the present.  Today is what matters, not yesterday or tomorrow. Eliminate negative self-talk and all negative verbiage from your vocabulary.  Be done with old hurts and let them go.

Visualize Positive Outcomes

No matter what you’ve been through, take charge of your own thoughts.  Cultivate a positive and enriching state of mind.  Each day is an opportunity to grow.  You can’t change your parents or old events from long ago, but you can change your outlook.  Take responsibility for what you think and how you approach life on the inside first! Have peace knowing there is a lesson in all you have encountered and stop punishing yourself through self-abusive behavior or quitting. Get up in the morning and consciously create your day in your mind.  Go for as much wonder and abundance as you can imagine! 

Affirm regularly with passion

An affirmation is a positive, present-day statement that declares your current reality.  Affirmations provide power and clarity to your daily thinking.  Spoken out loud, and held with a strong belief and passion for the idea, affirmations are an invitation to what you want. Here are three forgiveness affirmations that attract good energy and help you move forward.  One is for parents and the other is about regrets.  Another reminds you about the power of forgiveness:

“I selected these parents long before I arrived on this planet in order to evolve my soul.  My chart includes many people challenges.  I accept my learning situation.  I need to strengthen my resolve by working through difficult family situations.  Today, I rely upon Spirit to assist me in taking the high road.  I am a willow branch that bends in the wind but never breaks.  I am a fantastic and beautiful soul!”

“Life is a curvaceous and fluid journey. Because I am always moving through learning stages, I cannot look back or measure.  I learn through my relationships because that is how I begin to define who I am.  Nothing is unforgivable in life.  I know nursing this hurt is holding me back from fully being with others; therefore, I choose to thank the universe for giving me another opportunity to develop my soul by knowing yet another person.  I move easily through this experience.”

“I forgive because I am capable of expressing compassion.  By forgiving, I release this situation from my energy field and feel clear-headed and full-hearted.  I forgive because I am able to rise to my higher self and feel lighter.  My light knows no boundaries when I forgive.  Life feels lighter when I forgive.”

© The Goddess Network, Inc. and Charlene M. Proctor, Ph.D.  2007.  All Rights Reserved.  See http://www.thegoddessnetwork.com/connect.php?page=eshow for more empowering thoughts on forgiveness! Register for The E-Show, a series of enlightening lectures!