WOMEN ONLY! Honoring Ourselves and the Divine Feminine

Some women find it challenging to relate to the Divine in the traditional Westernized version of the masculine God. For many, God might resemble someone like my father, who was a Methodist Minister in my early years. God is a good Dad but can often be authoritative, judgmental and demanding! This concept of God helped me feel safe, but it wasn’t always comforting, nor did it provide guidance on how to be confident and strong in my feminine nature.

In 2000, I was introduced to the Shekhinah, the feminine face of God in the Hebrew tradition. The Shekhinah has been referred to as the “Holy Spirit” and is the manifestation of God’s presence, which dwells among the people and can be apprehended by the senses. She has been referred to as the Bride of the Lord, or Yahweh’s consort, and represents the presence of the Divine in humans.

My introduction to the Shekhinah unraveled my perception of God. Suddenly I was freed to explore all the many faces of the Divine, including the Feminine. I embraced the Divine as the compassionate and loving Divine Mother like Kuan Yin and Mother Mary. I reclaimed female deity images such as Artemis, Athena, Kali and Sekhmet as models to emulate how women can be confident, independent and stand strong in our power.

Spirituality is the part of us that wants to make sense of our world. There are so many unanswered questions! Is life full of random purposeless actions, or is everything orchestrated at birth? What is the purpose of life on earth? Are we here to learn lessons? Or are we here just to procreate and ensure the survival of our species? Philosophers, theologians (God-centered) and “thealogians” (Goddess-centered) have been debating questions like these for hundreds, maybe thousands of years. We may never know all the answers, yet viewing life as a spiritual journey helps us make sense of the part we play in the greater design of the universe.

The In Her Name Circles, which I have been leading since 2007 in San Mateo, provide a safe community for women who seek greater understanding of the Mystery. Together we are able to deepen relationship bonds with other women while strengthening our spiritual connection to the Divine. We create a safe haven that honors feminine values, feminine ways of being, and feminine ways of knowing that are more subjective and intuitive. In Circle we learn to honor our feelings, our need for relationships, to share stories, and to be heard with a compassionate ear.

In the In Her Name Circles we add an additional element that is central to our gatherings. We gather to honor and celebrate the Divine Feminine in all Her many manifestations from global history, cultures and spiritual traditions. And, importantly, we also honor the Divine Feminine within each one of us.

Please join us for one of our In Her Name Circles. We would love to include you in our growing community. We have a rich program scheduled for 2016. (See upcoming schedule below.) Please join us. We would like to welcome you to our circle.