Feminine Mojo

Wise Women & Mid-Life (Re)Blooming

Many of us have experienced, or are experiencing, a sort of radical rebirth, a reincarnation within this incarnation.

We're living in uber-transformative times, so perhaps it comes as no surprise that transformation around us happens through transformation within us, even as circumstances seem to conspire to nudge us into that change.

For generations of women before us -- our mothers, grandmothers, great-grandmothers and before -- societal constrictions made such radical transformations difficult, if not impossible.

Even with these restrictions, there were many remarkable women who were transformed, and whose wisdom, words, and actions inspired transformation in others.

It's always inspiring to me, having experienced such a wild transformation -- that Inanna-Persephone death and rebirth -- during the decade of my 40s, to see examples of other mid-life 're-bloomers': women, and men, who truly came into new purpose and life-work at mid-life.

This morning, two wonderful and inspiring wise-women come to inspire: Hildegard of Bingen and Florence Scovel Shinn.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine Abbess, a mystic who was called "Sybil of the Rhine" for her power of vision and prophecy.  While she  had experienced visions from the time she was a small girl, she lived in a time when such things were as likely to be attributed to the 'devil' as to Divine inspiration.

She was 42 years old when she had a vision that instructed her to begin writing about the visions and guidance she was receiving. Still hesitant, she resisted the guidance initially, until she received encouragement from several supporters in the Church and finally began to give expression to the visions.

Hildegard's descriptions of her visionary experiences are very similar to other descriptions of activated Shakti -- the powerful, creative Feminine (for more about this listen in to my Feminine Mojo Show with Teri Degler on "the Divine Feminine Fire", and other shows on the Feminine as well).

Having experienced "the Divine Light" through her senses -- the wisdom and feeling of her body -- Hildegard poured forth the creative energy of Shakti, the Divine Feminine, in music, art, wisdom, healing and herbal wisdom, and prophecy. Shakti-fed brilliance, coming into full expression starting in her 40s.

Florence Scovel Shinn (1871-1940) lived more than half of her life during a time when women weren't even allowed to vote. She was an actress, artist, and illustrator whose life took a radical turn after her divorce at age 41.

During her 40s, rebirthing herself following the devastating 'surprise' of her divorce, Scovel Shinn left behind her former life as an artist and cultivated a metaphysical wisdom. She self-published her first book at age 54.

She became a wisdom teacher for what would later become known as 'New Thought', and her teachings influenced many of the Unity, Religious Science, and other New Thought teachers who would become well-known after her death.

If we had more information about her experience, we might see the trail of Shakti creative-fire as the source of her rebirth and creative expression, too.

Unity Minister Ernest Wilson, quoted in The Writings of Florence Scovel Shinn, wrote, "She never prepared for a lecture...and she depended on freewill offerings at the classes and in counseling sessions in (her) Fifth Avenue apartment. She lived, you might say, by 'invisible means of support.'"

She published many more books, which are still in distribution and still inspiring thousands.

These are just a few of the women -- and men like Carl Jung -- who were recreated, ripened, and rebirthed through the experiences of mid-life transformation. They speak to us, inspire us, and guide us as we move through similar transformations and rebirths now.

With Joy & Gratitude,

Jamie

Enter and cultivate your inner Garden of the Feminine with The Academy of the Divine Feminine.

Image Credits: Zhulong (pig-dragon) from Neolithic China was related to the ouroboros - symbols of death, rebirth, and ever-flowing Life energy, or Shakti. Florence Scovel Shinn and Hildegard von Bingen from public domain image archives.

Wild-Bee Wisdom from the Dark, Starless Road

We've all heard it: "There's no going back."

We've been places, created things, experienced relationships, and leave things and people behind as our lives take us into new territory and explorations, sometimes by way of  'dark and starless roads.'

Yet sometimes things come back up -- things that we might have filed away under 'in the past' -- and we see them with refreshed eyes and a transformed mind. Maybe even with a bit of new wisdom.

I experienced that yet again this morning, when I did an interview about my first book, Big Vision, Small Business. The paperback edition was published in 2003, and while I'm always amazed that I actually wrote it, and it actually got published, I considered it to be 'in the past'.

The seven years since Big Vision, Small Business was published have been radically transforming for me, and as one of my shamanic teachers said, with transformation, there is no going back. So I figured, been there, done that.

For readers, though, it's new, and when I hear from readers who've just discovered it -- an amazing thing -- it brings it back around for me.

This morning, after the interview about the book, I saw it with new eyes. I saw the link between then and now, like a bridge between who I was and what I was doing ten years ago, and who I am and what I'm doing now.

In speaking about 'the four keys' of Big Vision, Small Business this morning, in a sort of  'aha moment', I recognized the link between that body of work and the newly emerging Feminine Mojo work -- two things that I thought were light-years (and seemingly a lifetime) apart from one another.

The four keys of BVSB are:

* there is more than one way to define growth (qualitative growth rather than just quantitative);

* to live large, you have to vision big (the power of an authentic, inspired vision);

* "right-relationship" is a big-vision craft (a quality of relationship that's extraordinary); and

* to live from the source, you have to replenish the well (inspiration doesn't flow from a dry well).

The Feminine Mojo work dives fully into these, so we replenish and drink from the well, which allows us to show up  authentically, heartfully, creatively, intuitively, and with inspiration flowing into expression.

I share this because it's one of those examples of insight that becomes clear only with enough hindsight. When we've taken what can seem like a detour or wrong turn, or life is shaken up to the point that it doesn't resemble what it was before.

And yet, and yet...

Suddenly our vision opens and we can see the connection -- the path of breadcrumbs through the forest we muddled our way through. We can see that the 'detour' or 'off the map' four-wheeling adventure has allowed us a deeper experience and understanding of certain ideas or values. We 'get it' more than we ever did.

There are a lot of people I know -- and many I don't know yet or may never know -- who feel like they're off-road or off-path, on that unexpected detour without map or compass. They feel like they're muddling their way through the dark forest and "know it not" (as Dante said). I know this place.

So if that's you, I share this for you, so you can know that even though it feels muddled and directionless, there is a path, and there will be a place where you'll look back and see the path with new eyes and a new understanding, aware of the the gifts you picked up along the way.

In the midst of my dark-forest walk, a sparkling gem of a message found its way to me from a little book by Fiona MacLeod (William Sharp), and I'll pass it along to you now:

"But you--you are of the little clan, for whom this book is: you who have gone upon dark ways, and have known the starless road, and perchance on that obscure way learned what we have yet to learn. Let me be not only of your fellowship but of that little scattered clan to whom the wild bees of the spirit come, as secret wings in the dark, with the sound and breath of forgotten things."

The wild-bee wisdom and the 'forgotten things' you've been gathering and remembering along that 'dark and starless road' are the medicine for these times.

Blessings on the Way,

Jamie

Gather your wild-bee wisdom, reclaim your compass, and cultivate your unique 'medicine' in the Feminine Mojo Mystery School. Join us for the exploration of the Feminine Way.

Image Credits: Smoky Path from PDPhoto; Bumblebee from Inhabitat;

Itty, bitty, vision-inspiring reflection - Are you part 'Wild Artist'?

This quote from today's "Heron Dance - Reflections of a Wild Artist" offers good Food for Vision-Thought. Anything that we do well, heartfully, and with authentic passion has a degree of artistry.

"As an artist, a part of your job is to care. The world needs that. There is enough stuff produced without care."

That could be artistry expressed in any number of the things we do throughout the day, from 'artistry in listening' to creating a meal to leading a group in a heartful, integrity centered way. Being, and doing, with a greater degree of artistry, a greater level of care -- not just care that we're doing something technically correct, but care for the impact it has on others.

How can you express your artistry and care more fully -- more artfully -- as you go throughout your day?

And if you're really feeling spicy, how can you add a bit of 'wild'?

FeMojo Blessings,

Jamie

Miscellany ...

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This Feminine Mojo blog has just launehed in January 2011 and will be my primary blog. Find lots of pre-2011 blog entries and the archive at my Sophia's Children and Priestess in Blue Jeans blogs.

Photo/Image Credit: Le temps By Biscarotte - creative commons spiral gallery