I just returned from two weeks in Italy where I attended Satyana Institute's two-part event Cultivating Women's Spiritual Mastery. I first participate in a three day conference in Turin with three spiritual women teachers: Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo (Buddhist), Swami Abikananda (Hindu) and Sister Lucy Kurien (Catholic) and then traveled up into hills to the rural village of Vidracco for a five day retreat with 27 women to explore the theme of women's spiritual leadership more deeply.
I am still integrating all of my experiences and learnings. Among the things I am contemplating:
~Our group of spiritual pilgrams seemed more interested in Women's Spiritual Mystery than in 'mastery'. We kept surrendering to the unknown throughout our journey together and often found our deepest experiences in the spaces between the scheduled program.
~Women seem to thrive in the cracks between the defined religious dogmas. When both Tenzin Palmo and Swamiji stated strongly at the conference that spiritual seekers must chose one spiritual path and dig deeply, it stirred up waves of disagreement. Women expressed later that this felt patriarchal and dogmatic, that it was not congruent with their own experience as women who have historically been forced to find spiritual legitimacy outside the confines of traditional religious practice.
~We visited the Sanctuary of the Black Madonna at Oropa. It seems appropriate that there is no single explanation for the appearance of these powerful 'black' figures of the Mother and her Holy Child, that she too seems to live in the cracks between the official church stories.
~I met wonderful women from the U.S., Canada, U.K., Australia, South Africa and Europe and will carry them in my heart forever.
My heart is full and I am still digesting all these experiences and more.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
InspiraLogues Offer A Deep Pool of Feminine Wisdom
Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to co-create an InspiraLogue with Jamie Walters of Ivy Sea. Jamie has recorded and archived a diverse collection of one hour dialogues under the banner Wise Women: The Way of the Feminine.
You can find my dialogue with Jamie as well as many other inspiring conversations about the role of the feminine at this crucial time on the planet at: http://www.ivysea.com/pages/ivysea_store_audios.html
These dialogues offer a valuable 'lived experience' of feminine wisdom which can nurture and inspire. Feel free to pass this link along to the women of your circles so that more of them can tap into this resource.
You can find my dialogue with Jamie as well as many other inspiring conversations about the role of the feminine at this crucial time on the planet at: http://www.ivysea.com/pages/ivysea_store_audios.html
These dialogues offer a valuable 'lived experience' of feminine wisdom which can nurture and inspire. Feel free to pass this link along to the women of your circles so that more of them can tap into this resource.
Monday, June 8, 2009
An opportunity to support Joyce Oneko of Kenya
On Memorial Day, I had the opportunity to spend some time with Joyce Oneko who was in the U.S. visiting from Kenya. She and Elizabeth Stephenson were driving from Ojai to Palm Springs, and the three of us met at a Starbucks along the freeway for a lovely long chat and numerous hugs and kisses. I am delighted to report that Joyce had been resting and renewing under Elizabeth's watchful care, that she is as full of passion and ideas as ever and that she remains a remarkably clear visionary leader.
Joyce is not only the founder of Mama Na Dada, an innovative NGO in Kenya formed by and for African women to support the empowerment of the African girl child. (http://www.mamanadada.org/) She was also the organizing force behind the remarkable Grassroots African Women's Conference held in Bondo, Kenya in 2006 which brought together 513 grassroots African women to share ideas and build networks of support.
At this moment, there is an opportunity to help Joyce evolve the next layer of her own leadership, of the collective leadership of the women of Kenya and of Mama Na Dada.
Joyce has returned home to Kenya with the plan to hire a full-time director for Mama Na Dada -- a woman from Kunya Village who can begin to manage the eight projects of Mama Na Dada in a focused and collaborative way so that Joyce has the flexibility to respond to the many national, regional and international projects which have been flowing toward her. (One of these is a UNIFEM grant to provide training for women in the displaced-persons camps about their rights under the law and the government aid that should be available to them.)
Joyce feels that the work of Mama Na Dada and its projects originating in Kunya Village must become first even more effective on the ground and then be broadcast as a model for other villages in the region. Her plan is to hire and pay a full-time director who will work using a shared leadership model - empowering and facilitating more women amd young leaders to become involved in leadership roles. Joyce has given this much thought and builds upon her keen understanding of local politics, the complex dynamics among the women and the best use of local resources. She remains commited to capacity building at the grassroots level.
This project will require a fund of $5000 per year.
Your donation of any kind would be much appreciated and would directly impact the lives of rural women in Kenya. You can send funds payable to VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS (with MAMA NA DADA DIRECTOR marked in the memo line) to the following address:
Kathleen Kraemer
309 Benton Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Village Volunteers is a 501.c.3 in the U.S. which has generously volunteered to pass through 100% of all donations to Mama Na Dada.
Joyce is not only the founder of Mama Na Dada, an innovative NGO in Kenya formed by and for African women to support the empowerment of the African girl child. (http://www.mamanadada.org/) She was also the organizing force behind the remarkable Grassroots African Women's Conference held in Bondo, Kenya in 2006 which brought together 513 grassroots African women to share ideas and build networks of support.
At this moment, there is an opportunity to help Joyce evolve the next layer of her own leadership, of the collective leadership of the women of Kenya and of Mama Na Dada.
Joyce has returned home to Kenya with the plan to hire a full-time director for Mama Na Dada -- a woman from Kunya Village who can begin to manage the eight projects of Mama Na Dada in a focused and collaborative way so that Joyce has the flexibility to respond to the many national, regional and international projects which have been flowing toward her. (One of these is a UNIFEM grant to provide training for women in the displaced-persons camps about their rights under the law and the government aid that should be available to them.)
Joyce feels that the work of Mama Na Dada and its projects originating in Kunya Village must become first even more effective on the ground and then be broadcast as a model for other villages in the region. Her plan is to hire and pay a full-time director who will work using a shared leadership model - empowering and facilitating more women amd young leaders to become involved in leadership roles. Joyce has given this much thought and builds upon her keen understanding of local politics, the complex dynamics among the women and the best use of local resources. She remains commited to capacity building at the grassroots level.
This project will require a fund of $5000 per year.
Your donation of any kind would be much appreciated and would directly impact the lives of rural women in Kenya. You can send funds payable to VILLAGE VOLUNTEERS (with MAMA NA DADA DIRECTOR marked in the memo line) to the following address:
Kathleen Kraemer
309 Benton Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95401
Village Volunteers is a 501.c.3 in the U.S. which has generously volunteered to pass through 100% of all donations to Mama Na Dada.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Soul of the Mother
I have just returned from Soul of the Mother, the lodge where Mohawk ceremonial leader Diane Longboat and the members of her Governing Council maintain the Sacred Fire of the Great Peace. This fire has been burning continuously for more than four years and serves as the sacred center of ceremony, healing and teaching work just outside the Six Nations Reserve in Ontario, Canada.
The mission statement of Soul of the Mother can be found on their website: "Our mission is to offer Ancient Indigenous wisdom as a means of awakening the true loving essence of the human spirit. We join with the natural rhythm of the heartbeat of our Mother Earth and we are governed by the sacred world of the Spirit."
It was an honor and a blessing to experience that mission in action as one of seven white women warmly welcomed into dialogue and ceremony at the lodge. As we sat circled around the Sacred Fire with the beat of the drum sharing our visions and passions, I could feel an ancient and powerful through-line connecting me to Creator, through my own spiritual lineage and to my deep love for this Earth. As we spoke about our ancestors, each of us a complex blending of races and cultures, I could see the intricately woven web of humanity and the embodied truth that we are all One. As we spoke of the ancient past and the challenges of the future, I was reminded anew of my own divine assignment in this moment.
Soul of the Mother will carry ashes from the Sacred Fire of the Great Peace to Greenland in July 2009 for the Aasivik Fire and Ice Ceremony ( http://www.fireandice2009.org/ ) and to Africa in 2010. I strongly encourage you to make a donation to help them with this sacred work. You can find out more at http://www.soulofthemother.org/.
The mission statement of Soul of the Mother can be found on their website: "Our mission is to offer Ancient Indigenous wisdom as a means of awakening the true loving essence of the human spirit. We join with the natural rhythm of the heartbeat of our Mother Earth and we are governed by the sacred world of the Spirit."
It was an honor and a blessing to experience that mission in action as one of seven white women warmly welcomed into dialogue and ceremony at the lodge. As we sat circled around the Sacred Fire with the beat of the drum sharing our visions and passions, I could feel an ancient and powerful through-line connecting me to Creator, through my own spiritual lineage and to my deep love for this Earth. As we spoke about our ancestors, each of us a complex blending of races and cultures, I could see the intricately woven web of humanity and the embodied truth that we are all One. As we spoke of the ancient past and the challenges of the future, I was reminded anew of my own divine assignment in this moment.
Soul of the Mother will carry ashes from the Sacred Fire of the Great Peace to Greenland in July 2009 for the Aasivik Fire and Ice Ceremony ( http://www.fireandice2009.org/ ) and to Africa in 2010. I strongly encourage you to make a donation to help them with this sacred work. You can find out more at http://www.soulofthemother.org/.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Reclaiming Grace
Kathe Schaaf
is so grateful to announce the the birth of an impulse
and a declaration of committed intention.
Watch for new developments in the publication of her upcoming book
is so grateful to announce the the birth of an impulse
and a declaration of committed intention.
Watch for new developments in the publication of her upcoming book
Reclaiming Grace:
One Woman's Journey of Remembering Her Spiritual Power
Publishing early 2010
Prayers and the lighting of candles would be lovingly appreciated!
Coming soon: http://www.reclaiminggrace.org/
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Mother's Day Proclamation 1870
Just in case you did not know: Mother's Day was originally started after the Civil War, as a protest to the carnage of that war, by women who had lost their sons.
MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION, 1870
By Julia Ward Howe
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says, "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing her own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God---
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
MOTHER'S DAY PROCLAMATION, 1870
By Julia Ward Howe
Arise then...women of this day!
Arise, all women who have hearts!
Whether your baptism be of water or of tears!
Say firmly:
"We will not have questions answered by irrelevant agencies,
Our husbands will not come to us, reeking with carnage,
For caresses and applause.
Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn
All that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience.
We, the women of one country,
Will be too tender of those of another country
To allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs."
From the voice of a devastated Earth a voice goes up with
Our own. It says, "Disarm! Disarm!
The sword of murder is not the balance of justice."
Blood does not wipe our dishonor,
Nor violence indicate possession.
As men have often forsaken the plough and the anvil
At the summons of war,
Let women now leave all that may be left of home
Let them solemnly take counsel with each other as to the means
Whereby the great human family can live in peace...
Each bearing her own time the sacred impress, not of Caesar,
But of God---
In the name of womanhood and humanity, I earnestly ask
That a general congress of women without limit of nationality,
May be appointed and held at someplace deemed most convenient
And the earliest period consistent with its objects,
To promote the alliance of the different nationalities,
The amicable settlement of international questions,
The great and general interests of peace.
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Join STANDING WOMEN on Mother's Day
I am passing along this message from Standing Women.org:
Two years ago and last year, we committed ourselves to stand on the second Sunday in May, Mother's Day in many countries, to signify our commitment to a better world for our children. Many of us have continued our commitment to the world's children and grandchildren every day in many ways. Yet, as the second Sunday in May is almost upon us, this is a special opportunity, to show ourselves to each other, and feel deeply the global nature of our commitment.
Please register where you will stand on "Mother's day", May 10, at www.StandingWomen.org, and invite all your friends to register as well. Making our commitment visible is very important, especially now when crises abound.
Please stand with us again for five minutes of silence at 1 p.m. your local time on May 10, 2009, in your local park, school yard, gathering place, or any place you deem appropriate, to signify your agreement with the statement below. Please stand at a different hour with a different time zone if 1 p.m. is not your preferred time.We ask you to invite the men who you care about to join you. We ask that you bring bells to ring at 1 p.m. to signify the beginning of the five minutes of silence and to ring again to signify the end of the period of silence. During the silence, please think about what you individually and we collectively can do to attain this world. If you need to sit rather than stand, please feel free to do so. Afterwards, hopefully you and your loved ones can talk together about how we can bring about this world."
With the deepest gratitude for all that you do and are,
The Team at StandingWomen.org
Two years ago and last year, we committed ourselves to stand on the second Sunday in May, Mother's Day in many countries, to signify our commitment to a better world for our children. Many of us have continued our commitment to the world's children and grandchildren every day in many ways. Yet, as the second Sunday in May is almost upon us, this is a special opportunity, to show ourselves to each other, and feel deeply the global nature of our commitment.
Please register where you will stand on "Mother's day", May 10, at www.StandingWomen.org, and invite all your friends to register as well. Making our commitment visible is very important, especially now when crises abound.
Please stand with us again for five minutes of silence at 1 p.m. your local time on May 10, 2009, in your local park, school yard, gathering place, or any place you deem appropriate, to signify your agreement with the statement below. Please stand at a different hour with a different time zone if 1 p.m. is not your preferred time.We ask you to invite the men who you care about to join you. We ask that you bring bells to ring at 1 p.m. to signify the beginning of the five minutes of silence and to ring again to signify the end of the period of silence. During the silence, please think about what you individually and we collectively can do to attain this world. If you need to sit rather than stand, please feel free to do so. Afterwards, hopefully you and your loved ones can talk together about how we can bring about this world."
With the deepest gratitude for all that you do and are,
The Team at StandingWomen.org
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Women's Spiritual Coalition
Calling women of Spirit!
Women who call upon the Divine using many different names
and who represent many diverse spiritual traditions
are arising and gathering
united by their vision of a better world.
If you recognize yourself in these words, you are may want to explore a new collaborative community of women and organizations coming together under the banner
Women's Spiritual Coalition.
This initiative is just beginning to take shape, guided by a core circle of women who have histories with several diverse organizations and multiple spiritual traditions. This core is dedicated to:
- listening deeply to the wisdom and inspiration of many
- holding the space for the emergence of divine guidance and collective vision
- self-organizing using feminine principles and practices
- creating opportunities for inquiry and collaborative conversations locally, regionally, nationally and globally
- discovering together projects, actions, activities and intentions which will nurture and magnify the spiritual leadership of women and contribute to global transformation
Over the next year, we will be hosting dialogues and conversations as an inquiry to explore this potential at a number of events and conferences, including the Parliament of World Religions in Melbourne, Australia.
You are warmly welcomed into this sacred space where we can explore together the many dimensions of the sacred feminine, the healing potential of feminine leadership and new paradigms of collaboration.
For more information, contact KatheSchaaf@cox.net or MeredithHTenney@yahoo.com
Sunday, April 5, 2009
4 Girls Glocal Leadership
Yesterday, thirty women gathered on my back patio for Afternoon Tea and Global Connections. It was a wonderful gathering. This sun was warm; the roses were bursting into bloom; there were lots of desserts; and the conversation about the local/global connection was inspiring.
Our guest of honor was Jin In, dynamic founder of 4 Girls Glocal Leadership (http://www.4ggl.org). Jin spoke of her passion for empowering girls in all parts of the world and her belief that developing the leadership potential of girls is essential to the economic and social well-being of any country. Her program is built upon a multi-generational model, training young leaders of college age who in turn reach out to do training with girls on the local level. 4GGL is currently planning a major project in Pakistan, Afganistan and India that will reach across national, cultural and religious boundaries.
Jin welcomed these Southern California women as the newest members of 1000 LEADERS, a leadership challenge to show that everyday people CAN change the world. Until Mother's Day, just as every mother makes her children a priority, YOU can make the world's poorest girls a priority by becoming a LEADER. It starts with $10 and your gift can honor your mother by naming her as the LEADER. 4GGL will acknowledge and name all 1000 LEADERS at the end of the Challenge. http://www.4ggl.org/Donate.html
Leaders from numerous other global initiatives were also involved in this gathering, including Gather the Women, Sophia 2010, The Hunger Project, and United Religions Initiative. We all had the opportunity to explore the local/global connections that are just waiting to be activated ... literally in our own backyard!
Our guest of honor was Jin In, dynamic founder of 4 Girls Glocal Leadership (http://www.4ggl.org). Jin spoke of her passion for empowering girls in all parts of the world and her belief that developing the leadership potential of girls is essential to the economic and social well-being of any country. Her program is built upon a multi-generational model, training young leaders of college age who in turn reach out to do training with girls on the local level. 4GGL is currently planning a major project in Pakistan, Afganistan and India that will reach across national, cultural and religious boundaries.
Jin welcomed these Southern California women as the newest members of 1000 LEADERS, a leadership challenge to show that everyday people CAN change the world. Until Mother's Day, just as every mother makes her children a priority, YOU can make the world's poorest girls a priority by becoming a LEADER. It starts with $10 and your gift can honor your mother by naming her as the LEADER. 4GGL will acknowledge and name all 1000 LEADERS at the end of the Challenge. http://www.4ggl.org/Donate.html
Leaders from numerous other global initiatives were also involved in this gathering, including Gather the Women, Sophia 2010, The Hunger Project, and United Religions Initiative. We all had the opportunity to explore the local/global connections that are just waiting to be activated ... literally in our own backyard!
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Happy Spring Equinox
In the early morning hours of Friday March 20, the spring equinox will occur. This is a moment when the hours of daylight are exactly balanced with the hours of darkness and it signals the coming of spring with all of its magnificence. Days will get longer and warmer and that amazing shade of light green will begin to appear on the bare branches as the persistance of the life force rises.
I will be gathering tonight to celebrate the equinox with a circle of my friends, just as we gather to celebrate all the solstices and equinoxes. We will laugh and talk and we will definitely eat (in our usual delicious potluck style). We will also be doing a quiet ceremony to each reaffirm our dedication to our sacred calling.
May the change of the seasons awaken your senses and stir your dreams. May you discover a thriving living impulse growing from a seed that was planted long ago. I hope your Divine Assignment reaches out to enfold you in its loving tendrils and surround you in the mystery.
I will be gathering tonight to celebrate the equinox with a circle of my friends, just as we gather to celebrate all the solstices and equinoxes. We will laugh and talk and we will definitely eat (in our usual delicious potluck style). We will also be doing a quiet ceremony to each reaffirm our dedication to our sacred calling.
May the change of the seasons awaken your senses and stir your dreams. May you discover a thriving living impulse growing from a seed that was planted long ago. I hope your Divine Assignment reaches out to enfold you in its loving tendrils and surround you in the mystery.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
