Feminine Power: Claiming the Priestess, Answering the Call

From the Women of Power series by Katarzyna Majak I hear it from my clients all the time... "I am drawn to the work of ceremony..."


"I feel like I need a rite of passage, and I want to learn how to do one myself."


"Spiritual stuff has always called to me but I have been worried about what other people think."


Half of the people who have come to me for ceremony are seeking this work because they want to learn more about it.  And once we have made our way for the process of ceremony creation and facilitation, many have continued on their own ceremonial journey:  pursuing further education, starting shamanic training, creating spirit centered businesses.  Ceremony has a way of clarifying our path, articulating what we always yearned for but were too afraid (uncomfortable, uncertain, unknowing) to proceed.

Do you know the feeling?  Do you feel locked in a life or work that isn't in alignment with your soul's calling?  

What would it look like if you were to answer the call?

What would you look like if you were living in your fullest power? Another Woman of Power by Katarzyna Majak Claiming Your Bigness A few weeks ago I attended a ceremony where I was a participant, not an officiant.  But after a while people were drifting, disorganized, and I called the group together.

It was a simple enough process, not dictatorial, and the ritual did what rituals do--it wove itself.  And at the time I felt part of a circle, complete.

But later, the old fear kicked in.  In The Moon Divas Guidebook I call it the Old Story.  It is the loop of narrative we all carry with us.  Sometimes it comes from lineage, sometimes from family, or peers, friends, lovers...it immediately begins its work on our nervous system.  Provoking our less than positive emotions.

One of my oldest stories is if I get big, stand out, show my power, I will provoke resentment.  That my big powerful self is dangerous, and the only way to be safe is to stay quiet, sit on the corners, be small.

How many of us shrink again and again into our lives because of old stories that keep us tethered?

Where do you need to get big, take risks, and grow? Another amazing Woman of Power by Katarzyna Majak. Last year, last month, today... My life changed.  I wrote about the old story here at my old blog.  And I am amazed at how often I have been asked to confront this story.  It has not left me, it is not over, I am not beyond it.

Instead, I meet it, again and again.

Only every time, it is with less fear, less anxiety.  It is with more humor, more elation, more verve. 

More, "Ha, you wiley bastard.  Here you go again!  Caught you this time, suckah!" 

And whenever I confront what I fear, the woman of power, around me and beside me and before me slap their legs and roar with pleasure.

They rejoice when we reclaim what is rightfully ours.  Our power, our resourcefulness, our bigness. Reclaiming Rites of Passage Reclaiming ceremony, claiming spirit, is my work in this world.  Maybe it is your work too?  If so, we should totally get together.  And this, my friends, is what I've been working on for the past few weeks:  opportunities for ceremony, self-care and community.

The first one I'll mention here, as I know with the rile of summer planning it can be hard to set out space, but if you live Portland local you should mark you calendars for August 10th, the full moon, for a Reclaiming Rites of Passage workshop and ceremonial extravaganza.

For the others, I'm almost ready to announce.  But not quite.  To get the scoop first, sign up for The Muse Letter, like my Facebook page, or join the Moon Divas Community.  This is the circle, the community, the tribe, and I would love for you to join us in sharing your gifts.  I promise more inspiration than promotion, more resources than products, and more connection than marketing, always.  May we come together, reveling in who we are, sharing the journey ahead with souls on a similar path. And, if you can't stop by the Reclaiming Rites of Passage workshop but are interested in the ceremonial life, here are some great resources to check out as you travel:

Rites of Passage:  Celebrating Life's Changes by Kathleen Wall and Gary Ferguson
The Art of Ritual by Sydney Beck and Renee Barbara Metrick

With all blessings to the road ahead--


(A note on the Women of Power photos:  this exhibition of women who are self-proclaimed witches, healers or women of power was created by Katarzyna Majak to explore minority religions in Poland. )