Emerging Paradigms, The Divine Feminine and Learning to Love the Bear

As I scan the horizon in search of religious trends and emerging spirituality, I see a huge wave of change that can be summarized in one sentence: The Divine Feminine is on the rise… and that’s a good thing! The wisdom of the Divine Feminine may be the only compass that can lead us through these times.

The past few weeks have been a real challenge for those of us working to build cooperation, collaboration, unity and enlightenment on this planet.  We have been bombarded by dark news of conflict and violence, separation and hatred, ‘us’ and ‘them’.  I am reminded of an old Russian proverb shared by a friend years ago:  If you ask a bear to dance, you have to be willing to dance until the bear is ready to sit down.  I see humanity growing a bit weary and discouraged as we are required to endure yet another round of our dance with an old bear named Patriarchy in our quest for planetary transformation. The bear clings frantically to old patterns and ways of doing things, holding on tightly to the familiar and fighting back fiercely as new paradigms emerge.

At the same time, I am amazed at how quickly transformation is happening. I know so many people working in creative ways to build a world of compassion, cooperation and sustainability; their bright lights connect to create powerful new constellations of hope. I see how the Divine is guiding and nurturing this amazing hive of evolving humanity and am awed every day to witness miracles both large and small.  On a deeply personal level, I experience more love and enjoy more profoundly authentic relationships. My intuition is growing stronger and my faith in the Divine Feminine keeps me sane and grounded as I embrace the paradox of these times.

The Divine Feminine embodies wholeness and invites me to celebrate both the darkness and the light. She offers me a safe sacred space where I can rest when I am weary and discouraged.  She teaches me to dance with wild abandon as a form of prayer. She whispers words of hope and  encouragement when I admit that I don’t know the answers; in fact, Her miracles seem to show up most often when I surrender to  ‘not knowing’. She invites me to remember that the Earth is sacred, that I need to live in balance with all of the natural world.  She asks me to re-member the truth of who I am.

I hear the messages of the Divine Feminine everywhere.

I hear Her name spoken by both men and women, young and old, from all faith traditions and religions.

I  hear Her voice rising up at the Parliament of the World’s Religions, at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, United Religions Initiative,  at hundreds of circles and gatherings on several different continents.

I hear Her voice rising up as more women speak out, bringing their voices and wisdom to leadership on this planet – even at risk of their lives.

I heard Her voice as a young indigenous woman shared this vision in 2013:

She is walking on a road with a group of women when they encounter a very large wounded bear. The bear is howling, angry and frantic with pain and the women are terrified they will be killed. The young woman hears the voice of the Mother telling her “Love the bear”. She gently approaches the bear, speaking words of love and wraps her arms around him. The bear relaxes in her arms and tells her that he knows he will soon die.  He instructs her to take his pelt and to use it to heal the world.

I am still learning to love the bear… and I trust that Divine Mother will love me even as I struggle.

Kathe Schaaf is a founding member of Women of Spirit and Faith, organized in 2010 with the intention of exploring, nurturing and celebrating women’s spiritual leadership. She is one of the editors of Women, Spirituality and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power, an anthology of women’s wisdom.