Voices of Women of Spirit and Faith

Ravneet Kaur Tiwana is a Ph.D. student at UCLA conducting research on immigrant Punjabi Sikh women and their children.  She is a core-member of SAFAR (Sikh Feminist Research Institute).

As a Sikh, I believe I cannot reach spiritual bliss-“anand”-unless I connect with the divine feminine.  This divine feminine is compassionate, courageous, and humble.  It is through this divine feminine that I connect with the omnipresent power of Waheguru.  The divine feminine is not reigned by the five vices – lust, anger, greed, emotional attachment, and ego – but is in control of them.  She already exists in men and women, but now we have to tap into this universal femininity.

She looks like a lotus flower.  Existing within, but above the muddy water.  The water is like the world we live in. The divine feminine maintains her enchanting beauty while being born within these dirty waters.  She is not completely detached, but not entirely immersed. A beautiful and pure creation within a sea of ugliness.

The Guru Granth Sahib Ji, the Sikh holy scripture, includes hymns written by Sikh Gurus, saints, and bhagats.  It is the primary source of spiritual guidance for the Sikh community.  The condition of the lotus flower is continually illuminated in order to guide a Sikh into spiritual bliss.

Guru Nanak Ji in Siree Raag on Pannaa 85, says:

thoo(n) aapae kamal alipath hai sai hathhaa vich gulaal ||
You Yourself are the lotus, unaffected and still brightly-colored in hundreds of feet of muddy water.

Guru Nanak Ji in Raag Maaroo on Pannaa 990:

Maaroo, First Mehla:
bimal majhaar basas niramal jal padhaman jaaval rae ||
In the pure, immaculate waters, both the lotus and the slimy scum are found.

padhaman jaaval jal ras sa(n)gath sa(n)g dhokh nehee rae ||1||
The lotus flower is with the scum and the water, but it remains untouched by any pollution. ||1||

As a Sikh, my spiritual goal is to be the lotus flower.  But only if I allow her divine femininity to shine within me.

The lotus flower is not completely understood by science, although entirely embraced by the divine.  Showing that the mind alone cannot understand divine power.  It must connect with the heart and soul.  Lay humble to these gateways to bliss-“anand”.  Only then can we-men and women- become like the lotus flower.

The process of becoming like the lotus flower is similar to when black clouds part ways on a gloomy day.  Allowing the sun to shine.  As the clouds separate we begin to see more and more rays of sunshine that desperately want to be seen.

These rays of light reflect the beauty of the lotus flower within us.  Often life circumstances create a black cloud over us in the form of hate, greed, and jealousy.  These clouds obstruct our light from shining brightly. A Sikh’s goal is to help push these black clouds away so each of us can see the beauty of the lotus flower – the divine feminine.

by Anne Scott of  Dream Weather

This woodblock print that you see here, Benedictas Veritas, carries the essence of what this blog is about. For the green expresses what I understand as a woman’s sacred relationship to life and to the divine.

I once had a dream in which I see a vibrant, healing green stream that runs through women from head to toe. I am told that women need to find and recognize it in themselves, so that it can flow out into life.

I have heard variations of this dream reflected in the dreams of other women, including the newly homeless. At the meetings with groups of homeless women, I see how their wisdom surfaces, like frozen water, melting, allowing them to drink from a clear place deep within them.

During one of these meetings, a young woman living in a shelter shared, “I don’t know what it means, but I heard these words inside of me when we were meditating: Display the green of life on your resume.”

She might not be able to live this wisdom right away, but it is alive – and she can return to it again and again. What touched her most, and the women at the meeting, was the reality and power of this inner knowing.

The artist, Connie Butler said, “Did I tell you about the inspiration for the Benedictus Veritas? It is a pregnancy of inner greening, rebirth, renewal and ease from our collective sense of isolation.”

Recently I heard a woman’s vision that touched me with its directness. In the vision a woman rose out of the sea and said, “Women are to meditate on the color green.”

So I come back to this greening, and how we are each drawn to living this love, this devotion.

Laura Paskell-Brown is a writer, student and spiritual activist. She runs the women’s circle at Occupy Wall Street

I’m forever rushing at the moment. No sooner am I done with one task then I’m on to the next. Life’s about getting stuff done, and people just get in the way of that process. “HEY YOU!” yells the voice in my head “DON’T YOU KNOW I HAVE A WOMEN’S CIRCLE TO RUN? GET OUT OF MY WAY!”

I’m well aware of the irony of said position, so I try to mitigate it, throwing in the odd evening of socializing, calling my parents on the weekends, sitting on the meditation cushion every morning, pretending I know what I’m doing. But during all of those things I find it incredibly difficult to switch off the voice that forever wants to list off the things I haven’t achieved yet. “GET IT DONE. GET IT DONE NOW!” it squawks.

Dammit, Ego, you’re really becoming a drag.

What tools to use against the too-many-things-to-do itch? I’ve tried coffee and sugary snacks, but what would the Divine Feminine do? Well, having watched the women elders around me, it seems that asking questions is a powerful starting point. Granted, my Ego doesn’t mind me asking how I might do something or when I might try to squeeze it in, but these days, if I stop in the middle of a task and ask why I am so intent on completing it – what is the purpose of the activity – I can usually begin to derail it.

My Ego used to be able to fake an answer. “Because you’re helping the world!” it would say. Or: “Because it will make you feel better.” Or my all-time favourite: “Because you’re a piece of s**t if you don’t”. Today I know better. The truth is I’m not much use to the world if I’m running around in circles taking actions to make myself feel better, whilst feeling increasingly worse. Especially if my goal is to help myself and others to envision and build a better world.

The problem with the prospect of recovering from this way of life is that the world is not full of obvious alternatives. Even in the spiritual community I’ve seen plenty of supposedly enlightened people running around helping others, right up until the point they burn themselves out. It’s not a great comfort to someone like me.

But there are those who I can see have something I don’t have. When it comes to my activity addiction, I’m still too bat-s**t crazy to claim I know how to get where they are, but at least I’m aware enough to know that I don’t want to stay where I am. And, as I admit that to myself, I have become humble enough to listen to their suggestions on how to change course.

Chief amongst these suggestions are self-examination and meditation. I’m told that, if I continue to use these every day, they will allow me to increasingly separate myself from the sergeant major in my head. And if I do it long enough, I will be able to experience something else – the Divine Feminine itself.  Yes, some of what I wish to see out there, is already in here, I’ve just been too busy lately to listen to Her. But when I do, my next action will be clear, and it won’t involve constant anxiety and a schedule that makes me want to crawl under a rock and hide.

So what would the world look like if I were more in-touch with this Divine Feminine inside of me? Will it smell of jasmine? Will it taste like peaches? Will it look like a sunset? Yunno, I’m not sure, the vision is hazy at this point. What I do know, and what keeps me moving forward, is that the moments I have stopped the gong-show long enough to let Her speak, have been sweet enough to keep me coming back for more.

And, as a side note: the fact that I could write this piece admitting that I don’t have all the answers shows that, one day at a time, the Divine Feminine is already transforming this goofy little girl into a graceful woman warrior. Even if sitting on that cushion with my eyes shut is the most damnably uncomfortable part of my day.

2-15 I’m In A Hurry (And Don’t Know Why)

p.s. For those of you who feel similarly, here’s three minutes of bliss for you. It’s my anthem at the moment! (Click on the link to play the song).

Yvette Warren is a grandmother, the author of the blog One Family, Many Faiths and a newly ordained minister in the Universal Life Church.

Feminine Fecundity

A world transformed by acceptance of the feminine divine

Would stop jockeying and competing for power.

Humankind would stop acting as jackels and dogs

And celebrate each other’s finest feats and hours.

Our world would look for connections and ways to cooperate

In striving to create societies that our young can imitate.

We would cheer each other on and teach each other’s babes;

Only in this way can our universe possibly be saved.

Soft and warm like the duff in a million year old forest,

But strong and eternal as a sequoia tree –

This is the place that we’ll all lie down

When we reach the mother/father/spirit of eternity.

Eternity will look like the sun, the sea, and the rain

That replenish each other again and again

It will look like the love in the smile on a mother’s face,

And the strength of a father’s protective embrace.

It will sound like the wind that blows hurricanes and tornadoes

And the cool breezes that whisper our names.

It will sound like babies cooing and lovers in laughter,

As they play their gently teasing games.

It will taste like the sweet tartness of ripe strawberries,

And of tomatoes picked fresh off the vine.

It will taste like good yard eggs freshly laid,

And the warm grapes from which we make wine.

It will smell like the earth before a warm summer rain,

And our favorite person’s early morning smell.

It will smell like the sweetness of a baby’s breath,

Fresh milk, flowers, sea, and sunshine, as well.

These are all parts of the fecundity of this life,

Gifts from the womb of our eternal mother.

To produce life, even in cloning, females must be a part,

But man, devoid of woman, could produce no other.

© 2012 Yvette Autin Warren

Kendra Ford,  is a spiritual guide, activist, and scholar. She is the founder of the Divine Lotus Project and offers interfaith spiritual guidance.

When you see the Goddess, her eyes sparkle with grace.

When you touch the Goddess, her loving hand caresses you.

When you love the Goddess, she offers her welcoming embrace.

When you discover that you too are the Goddess, you begin to recognize that she has always been alive in you.

The Goddess is the mother, she is the daughter, she is the lover, she is the fierce fighter of justice, she is the nurturer, and guide.

The Goddess is the divinity that resides in all and she is always in your heart.

A world transformed by the Divine Feminine is a world of divine justice. It is a world filled with love, grace, honesty, and truth. The goddess does not ask for perfection, but rather asks that we remain open, transparent, honest, and willing to remain present with our lives each and every day.

The Divine Feminine alchemically transforms the world through her unwavering love, compassion, and presence. When the Divine Feminine in the form of Kali emerged in my life, I have been forever changed.

In the summer of 2009 while sitting in meditation on the earth of the Nevada dessert, Kali came into my mind’s eye. She appeared as a red figure with her tongue hanging out and her arms raised with weapons in her hands. Although I recognized this red devi warrior as Kali, I had never personally encountered her prior to this vision. Shortly after having this vision I began seeing someone for spiritual guidance. I quickly learned that Kali’s fierce energy is a loving energy that directs me to truth by cutting through ignorance so that I may come to reconnect and embody the deeper meaning of my soul.

By working with Kali’s energy and following her direction, I have gained a deep reverence for the Divine Feminine. In many ways Kali has become a saving grace in my life. She has given me strength to move forward even when I’ve been terrified, she taught me how to stand my ground and honor my soul, she has taught me that loving someone may sometimes come in the form of letting go and that death (metaphorical and literal) is not just an end, but also a beginning of something new. Kali’s spirit has penetrated my heart so fully that she has become a driving force in all that I do.

I believe that the Divine Feminine, in whichever form she manifests, alchemically transforms the world and reorients the focal point of our lives to reflect the voice of the soul. From this focal point grounded in the Divine Feminine we move more grace-fully in our lives, honor our truth, love unconditionally (even ourselves), and we find ourselves forever changed. A world transformed by the Divine Feminine is a world of divine justice.