Ready to Bake the Bread?

If you’ve been following the winding path of my blog and videos starting this January 2023 I’ve declared that I’m on a “stay at home” pilgrimage. I’m studying and learning about the sacred feminine. I’m going to continue with this theme until either the enormity of the task does me in (quite possible) or completely overwhelms me (more than likely!) – or until it leads me to…well, who knows? (This is truly a journey into the unknown.) I’ve invited you to come along. Thank you for being here. I hope we’ll all learn something.

Serendipity? My Intuition? The Hand of the Divine?

Did you know that when you write about the Heroine’s Journey there is a definite possibility that you might be propelled right into one…a heroine’s journey that is, which seems to be happening to me – I announced to you back in January that I’d be starting on a…

Well, I’ll just copy my words here – from my January 17 blog, Are You Ready for an Initiation?

I begin:

“As I start on this virtual pilgrimage I have more questions than answers. I still need to come up with the questions. It seems like so much of what I want to know and uncover on this pilgrimage can be wrapped up in this one question –

What happened to the feminine, the divine feminine, and how does that influence me and my sisters today?

My pilgrimage will be conducted - from my desk, in my office using, yes – the internet as my traveling chariot.

I know. Not the same – but I’m still going to travel…just virtually. Come with me. I’m going to let my intuition have a say but also rely on books that I’ve collected over the years. (There are many.) I’ll share what I learn with you and you can see if any of it speaks to you and maybe I will encourage you to go on a pilgrimage, too.”

My Intuition has a say – and more!

I was thinking, back there in January of other pilgrimage routes and particularly one I took in person in France. But, things shifted, and little did I know that my intuition would soon replace those books on my bookshelf! Is intuition even the word for it? Maybe it’s serendipity. Things keep unfolding before me. I am certainly being steered away from seeking out information on the web and in my books. Instead, things are being sent my way!

I continue on…

Here’s how I wrote about it in my February 14th Blog, I Get a Breadcrumb:

“The breadcrumbs keep coming. (I’ve used the tale of Hansel and Gretel finding their way back home by the breadcrumbs they left – as a metaphor for what I’m doing. Maybe this is a poor choice as birds ended up eating those breadcrumbs and Hansel and Gretel got lost!) I’ve declared that I’m on an armchair-traveler sort of journey to discover (understand) the sacred feminine. I’m finding my way breadcrumb by breadcrumb. A scholar well-versed in how to do research would have mapped out a plan, and an outline of how best to go about this exploration.

Not me.

An Unscientific (Very Peripatetic) Exploration 

I announced to the Universe that I was doing this and waited for breadcrumbs. And they’re arriving and they’re leading me. I’m learning but at some point, I’ll have to gather the breadcrumbs and bake the bread…make sense of it all – but I’m not there yet.”

Last year I was introduced to Anne Baring by my Hudson Institute of Coaching colleague, Blanca Vergara. (Blanca invited me to participate in her summit and Anne was another participant!) As a result, I had purchased her book, The Dream of the Cosmos, described as her magnum opus. That is one I’ve taken down from my bookshelf. I’ve been using it as a sort of travel guide. 

Then in early January, I took a workshop from Margaret Jones and it was Margaret who had the next breadcrumb. In that same blog, I write about how the intuitive force has its way with me – and has directed me:

It was Margaret Jones, the storyteller, who introduced me to Sharon Blackie, the writer, mythologist, and psychologist. Margaret is a friend who happens to be an excellent Tarot reader and who along with her colleague, Jeanne Fiorini, offers online tours of sacred sites, (which I highly recommend! The one to Petra is beyond amazing!)

I had asked Margaret what books she read and Sharon Blackie was a name she mentioned.  I had never heard of Sharon. 

Now, here is how intuition works for me. It’s a process.

  • Sharon’s name stayed in my head.
  • Then one day I wrote it down. (Let me be clear. I write down a lot of names – but this one wasn’t going to go away. That’s the thing about my intuition. If it has something for me, it keeps offering it up.)
  • So, maybe a month or so later, on another day, I looked her name up online. I saw who she was and what she had written and…
  • I purchased one of her books online: The Enchanted Life, Reclaiming the Magic and Wisdom of the Natural World.
  • Maybe after a few months after receiving it, (I have a stack of books to read) I picked it up to see what I had purchased.
  • Wow! I loved the book. And my intuition was still going strong and led me to...
  • I looked up how I could get more of Sharon Blackie and I discovered she had a membership program that included an online course.
  • I dove in deep. I signed up.
  • As part of the program, I got her newsletter.
  • Today, just this morning (in the midst of my struggle of trying to grasp what was going on with the Sacred Feminine) I received an email from Sharon in my inbox: The Post-Heroic Journey, an antidote to the all-conquering Hero. You can read it here

In my February 28th blog, The Four A’s, I include this essay from Medium to my findings – written by Deepak Chopra. It’s another breadcrumb that came my way from a fellow traveler who knows of my exploration into the sacred feminine.

But, do I have the answer to my question:

What happened to the feminine, the divine feminine, and how does that influence me and my sisters today?

Chopra tells us that we need to find a healthy balance between the masculine and the feminine aspects and he identifies “the masculine” as what has had predominance for eons –

“the era of masculine dominance, which goes back to prehistoric times, has not benefitted men, who are as damaged by war, violence, and lack of love as women are. The masculine energy arc has not reached a state of exhaustion, which I think is felt quite widely. Brute force, physical strength, and aggression are masculine energies that once had survival value.”

Speaking of masculine dominance – here’s…

Susan’s Story

Back when I was still an executive coach working with men and women in business settings I had a woman client, an engineer, let’s call her Susan.

She and a male colleague weren’t getting along. (My primary role as a consultant and coach was to help colleagues get along).

She had been there longer than he and had more experience, but he was rising fast and was being recognized more than she was. She was feeling intimidated – and thought he wanted her job.

 

And he did. Actually, he wanted to be promoted over her.

Susan and I met several times and discussed the presenting issue, this competition, and his advantage over hers – being female in this particular organization.

And the kicker - he played golf – and she didn’t. He was able to be there (on the green) for important conversations. 

And eventually as often happens if a coach can lay down a foundation that promotes trust and openness,

…eventually, we got to what was in her heart – the real seed of her unhappiness…

Here’s what came up from the depths of Susan – and it has remained with me because it’s quite sad and I think it’s such a common story for women. 

She told me –

I love horses. I’ve always dreamed about doing something with horses – a business…something that connects me with them on a daily basis. I love them.

I could feel the longing in her – the intense desire to work with these animals.

But, she continued - my dad always wanted me to be an engineer.

Talk about a pall falling on the conversation.

That was it – the story ended. The door closed.

And there she was locked in a big shiny office building in a very well-paying job, making her father happy –  and she was miserable. She was playing the male competitive elbow jostling game of getting ahead  - in a world she didn’t even want to play in.

Completely separated from what she loved the most.

How sad is this?

And how many of us have done it? 

But I think it’s changing… 

Making the Leap Toward Joy

This trend of wanting to do what brings us joy – our passion… points to the rise of the sacred feminine – the sacred/eternal/divine feminine. 

It’s emerging more and more –

 – allowing what calls to us, from within… to surface. Not to repress it to please a father, a husband, a culture – but to let it blossom. 

Yes, for me I think the breadcrumbs are starting to come together – to assemble into something meaningful. I’m collecting my thoughts and getting ready to bake them into some sort of bread.

 

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