Cultivating the Feminine Gift
by Sharron Rose Today as the pressures of our modern world lead us away from
fundamental spiritual values such as truth, love, and receptivity into
those of deception, fear, and domination, I believe that it is
extremely important to look at the part that we, as women, play in this
current unfolding of the human drama. With the destruction of
the World Trade Center, with all the acts of terrorism that are taking
place around the globe in which innocent women, men, and children are
the unwitting victims of the dark forces of our times, it has become
increasingly evident that we need to search for alternative solutions
to jingoism, hatred, and war.
Based on my years of research into and
analysis of these issues, as well as numerous healing sessions and
discussions with friends, students, and colleagues, I have written this
chapter to provoke contemplation about who we were, who we are, and who
we might become.
In ancient times there were sacred schools, temples, and traditions
that held women and the feminine principle in high esteem. The most
important reason for the existence of these schools was to assist women
in understanding and aligning themselves with the spiritual nature of
the world around them. Having been created by women and for women, the
schools were based on a direct transmission of knowledge from
generation to generation.
An essential part of this knowledge, which we
now refer to as women's mysteries, was learning to perceive and
maintain the psychic energetic-emotional landscape of society, the
subtle realm of energy, emotion, vibration, and sensation that is
recognized by healers and mystics as penetrating all reality and
linking the spiritual planes with the material.
To fulfill this crucial function, women underwent years of physical,
artistic, and intellectual training, as well as intensive personal
reflection. They mastered ritual practices that enabled them to purify
their bodies and minds and transform into the Great Goddess, the most
profound role model that shaped and preserved culture and society. As
the earthly personification of the Goddess, they displayed her divine
qualities for their students, communities, and devotees. In this way
they provided an archetype for a more refined way of being human.
These
priestesses, temple dancers, yoginis, wise women, and visionaries would
perform a crucial role in society by constantly elevating the human
condition to one of grace and aligning it with the essential feminine
qualities of courage, elegance, refinement, joy, and receptivity. As
teachers, guides, healers, mediators, consorts, and initiators into the
sacred mysteries of sexuality and spiritual transformation, they
transmitted the spiritual light that sustained civilization.
Since earthly manifestation was perceived to filter down from the
divine source into the subtle realms of light and energy and then to
the concrete world of matter and form, women held positions of great
responsibility in these sacred societies. As they attuned themselves to
these energetic realms, it was the women's task to maintain an
atmosphere of emotional harmony and balance within the community.
Over
the centuries, teachings and practices were developed that trained
young women to focus and enhance these abilities so that they could
maintain the psychic-energetic emotional equilibrium. In particular
they were taught to perceive, understand, and work within the realms of
emotion, sensation, and feeling. They learned how to call on and
cultivate the feminine gift of second sense that we now call women's
intuition.
One of the main elements of this training was how to open
and expand the senses to perceive and interpret the signs and symbols
that are conveyed during every moment of life. These signs and symbols
and their underlying meaning come from every nuance of human
appearance, such as facial expression, gesture, movement, vocal tone,
smell, skin color, and so forth. But the signs also come from the
expressions of the world of nature, inner vision, and the land of
dreams.
Women spent much of their time learning these subtle languages
and discussing their underlying meaning and importance to the
community. The shapes of clouds, the stars at night, the passing of an
eagle, the look of fear or wonder on a child's face — each was a sign to
be interpreted. Each reflected something about the current situation in
the life of a society. Therefore one's connection to the Dream time, or
to the invisible voices of nature, became a large aspect of one's
everyday reality.
Even today in the fading beauty of the Australian Aboriginal
society, it is the woman's responsibility to monitor
psychic-energetic-emotional equilibrium. Aboriginal women, who still
preserve their ancient rites, gather together to discuss the emotional
milieu of the tribe and what action to take in the case of group
dis-equilibrium. The women find a way to restore a sense of harmony
within the group, whether through having sexual intercourse with a
specific man to soothe a disturbance in his energy field, working with
a child to teach him or her appropriate behavior, or mitigating
disruptions that come from the larger world.
In Wise Women of the Dreamtime, an excellent collection of
myths about the initiations, ceremonies, and practices of women in
Aboriginal society, author Johanna Lambert states:
An important aspect of the initiation of a young Aboriginal girl is
to develop the sensibilities and concentration that make her aware of
the living and symbolic interrelatedness of the natural world. During
her isolation, she is instructed to listen to the first note that any
bird sings throughout the day, to which she must respond with a
particular ringing sound. The birds are believed to be inhabited by the
spirits of her deceased female ancestors, and in this way, a subliminal
connection is maintained between generations.
Evidence of this innate affinity of women with the subtle energetic
realms can also he found in the work of Swiss anthropologist Jeremy
Narby, who has focused much of his research on the shamans of the
Amazonian rainforest. At a conference in London in 1996, he discussed
how chosen women sit with the male shamans, or ayahuasqueros,
as the men journey into the subtle realms under the influence of the
powerful drug ayahuasca. Narby reports that these women, who have not
taken the plant themselves, actually travel with the shamans into other
dimensions and share in their experiences. At the conclusion of this
powerful journey, when the men have returned to a normal state of
consciousness, the women assist them in recalling what they have
experienced.
In the sacred rituals of the Hebrew tradition one can discover a
clear acknowledgment of the importance of these innate feminine
capacities to the community. Every Friday evening at sunset it is the responsibility of the woman
of the house to usher in the Shabbat, the holy day of devotion and
rest. To begin the ceremony, the woman lights candles and calls on the
spirit of the Matronit-Shekhina-Shabbat, the bride of God, to come and
dwell within her home. The Kabbalistic
teachings document that during the course of this holy night a man and
his wife were required to perform the sacred act of sexual union, thus
replicating in human form the mystic union of God and his Bride.
In the tantric teaching of Tibet, women's natural receptivity and
affinity for the inner realms of spirit and their extraordinary
capacity to experience and express profound feelings are seen as fuel
for enlightenment. As the embodiment of wisdom, women's innate
receptivity and intuition make them ripe for the subtle teachings. As
disciples on the path they are shown to possess strong spiritual
resilience, overcoming great hardships to support and maintain their
practice. It is for this very reason that the great Tibetan sage
Padmasambhava told his consort Yeshe Tsogyel:
Wonderful yogini, practitioner of the secret teachings! The basis
for realizing enlightenment is a human body. Male or female — there is no
great difference. But if she develops the mind bent on enlightenment, the woman's body is better.
There is evidence in the early gnostic tradition of Christianity
of this same idea. Mary Magdalene, whom the gnostics considered the
foremost disciple of Christ, was known to have abilities that
transcended those of Jesus's male disciples. The gnostics who depicted
the eternal principles of wisdom, truth, thought, grace, faith,
silence, intelligence, foresight, and direct experiential knowledge (or
gnosis) as aspects of the feminine — revered Mary Magdalene as the
favorite disciple of Christ. She was the one who realized his highest
wisdom. In the gnostic Gospel of Mary she is depicted as being in
intimate communion with the risen Christ. In this text she confesses
that she is still in communication with her Lord through the means of
her inner vision. Her knowledge, wisdom, and insight were said to be
far superior to that of the male disciples.
Even though remnants of these ancient women's mysteries can still be
found in some of the surviving shamanic and initiatory societies that
have survived in remote areas of the world, the images of our Western
industrial society dominate today's growing world culture. Throughout
the past centuries the minds of women and men have been increasingly
indoctrinated toward a secular, consumer-oriented lifestyle that places
its highest value on achievement and progress in the material domain.
During this time the sacred rites of women — so essential to the
maintenance of a truly spiritually oriented society — have been all but
eliminated. Not only has this happened, but also our very capacity for
working with the energetic realms has been toyed with and turned
against us.
In today's materialistic society the sacred paths of the priestess,
the wise woman, and the healer are all but forgotten. As the values and
seductions of our media-dominated culture consume us, we women have
increasingly turned away from our ancient feminine roles — with often
alarming results. As many women attempt to redefine themselves by male
standards, with no time-honored training or true role models to support
their essential feminine spirit and moral values, and as they are
separated from their children by their growing need for worldly power
and prestige, they have become lost and confused. As a result all of
humanity is suffering.
Stop and think about it for a moment. Do you remember any truly
powerful female role models presented to you when you were a child? Do
you remember any stories in which the dominant theme was what could be
accomplished through the mutual support, companionship, insight, and
imagination of women working together, uniting their energy and
vitality? How many stories do you remember that explored the lives,
values, and innate capacities of women?
The stories we were told were
almost exclusively focused on glorifying the achievements and
attributes of the male. In these stories the female was almost always
portrayed as being of lesser intellectual and physical capacity and
clearly subservient to the male. She was given the role of assistant,
the silent force who sacrificed her own dreams for his success. Of
course, it is natural for the female to nurture, protect, and support
the male, just as it is natural for the male to nurture, protect, and
support the female. This is the proper balance and alignment of natural
forces — female and male working together in harmony
Reclaiming Our Sacred Heritage
The brilliance and clarity of sunlight cannot be dimmed by
aeons of darkness; likewise, the radiance of the mind's essential
nature cannot be obscured by aeons of delusion.
The empty house that has stood in darkness for millennia is
illuminated instantly by a single lamp; likewise, an instant's
realization of the mind's clear light eradicates negative propensities
and mental obscurations inculcated over countless aeons.
-- FROM "THE FLIGHT OF THE GARUDA," AN ANCIENT SONG OF DZOGCHEN
If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will
save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not
bring forth will destroy you.
-- JESUS, SPEAKING TO HIS DISCIPLES IN THE GNOSTIC GOSPEL OF THOMAS
As women born into this transformative age we must join together to
become leaders in the reshaping of our world. Traditional teachers,
shamans, and mystics the world over have told me that we actually dream
our world; that whatever appears on this earth happens first in what
the Australian Aborigines refer to as the Dreamtime, an ever-shifting
realm of connections and possibilities. The Dreamtime is created and
sustained by the mind.
The Tibetan Buddhists and Bon shamans say that
manifestation first comes through an imagining in the mind. To them the
mind is like a doorway; it receives and projects images. It is a portal
to the primordial source — the source of inspiration, creative
imagination, and the magical display of divine light and energy that is
continuously weaving itself into the forms, feelings, and circumstances
of our lives. Its essential nature is pure and untarnished by any
experience the ego or personality may have.
In his song of
introduction to the nature of mind titled "The Flight of the Garuda,"
Ahakkar Lama Jatang Tsokdruk Rangdrol, a Tibetan tantric yogi of the
nineteenth century, relates, "All relative visual and auditory
experience is only the natural and spontaneous manifestation of mind
itself. . . . The mind is like an artist. The body is created by the
mind, as are all the many worlds existing in the three dimensions of
microcosmic world systems; all of them are also drawn by the mind."
Once upon a time one of the essential roles of women was maintaining
the natural equilibrium of the psychic-energetic-emotional landscape
emerging from these projections as the "magical display of mind."
Through our sacred rites we learned how to attune ourselves to the
radiant light and energy of the spiritual domains and transmit this
light to all beings. It is time to reattune ourselves with this inner
landscape. We have the ability to heal our confused and unstable way of
life, to restore a sense of harmony and balance to ourselves and the
world around us.
Like Mandarava, the princess of India who through her passionate
devotion to the dharma realized the luminous rainbow body and became an
immortal dakini, no matter what obstacles appear before us we must keep
our eyes focused on the pristine path of enlightenment.
Like Inanna, the goddess of ancient Sumer and the queen of Heaven
and Earth, on her transformative journey to the underworld, we must not
be afraid to relinquish our precious ornaments and implements of
worldly power in order to receive the inner treasures of spiritual
initiation and rebirth.
Like Kali, the Hindu goddess and Great Mother of time, we must
become warriors of truth and integrity, dancing the fearless dance of
death that leads to spiritual metamorphosis and transformation.
Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, we must steadfastly hold love and
compassion in our hearts, working ceaselessly to liberate all beings
from their pain and suffering.
Like Isis, the Egyptian goddess of wisdom and healing, on her long
search for the pieces of her dismembered husband, Osiris, we must begin
to remember who we really are.
It is time to start a revolution and envision a new society — a sacred
society that arises from a real desire for spiritual transformation and
the deep stirrings of love and compassion in our hearts. This society
would consist of sisters and brothers, sisters and sisters, and
brothers and brothers working side by side in grace and harmony.
We have the potential to reshape our reality and change our world.
If our reality is manifested in the Dreamtime first, in this fertile
womb of vision and imagination that is our natural domain, then perhaps
our revolution should begin there. If thought precedes the
manifestation of reality then the starting point for the building of a
more perfect world is through the creation of a
psychic-energetic-emotional landscape that is imprinted with the best
intentions.
Woman kind, rise up and take hold of your true feminine power! Dare
to lift the veils that have obscured your mind and begin to see from
deep within your heart. Have the courage to swim against the rising
tide of darkness that constantly threatens to overcome you. Do not be
afraid to risk all. Do not be afraid to live in truth.
Look into the
eyes of your children, into the eyes of your mates, parents, sisters,
and brothers. See the shining light of spirit trapped within them,
imprisoned by the vicissitudes of this Dark Age. Understand that your
loved ones are just as confused and afraid as you are. They are waiting
for their mothers, teachers, healers, and wise women to wake up from
their long, painful sleep and once again guide them toward true
liberation.
As we move from this age of male domination and power and of
materialism and technology into a new era that promises equality,
balance, partnership, and union, it is essential that we women begin to
actualize our true wisdom and potential. We must realize the profound
significance of our role in this new unfolding of humanity. As
intelligent conscientious women who care deeply about the state of the
world around us, we must begin to perceive, acknowledge, and take
responsibility for our individual and collective roles in creating and
shaping the psychic-energetic landscape.
Understanding from an intellectual viewpoint what it means to be a
woman is only the beginning of the journey. To walk the path of the
priestess, yogini, wise woman, and soror mystica, and the
transformative paths of Tantra and alchemy, it is necessary to purify
both body and mindstream. Through this process you
will begin to reattune yourself and, like the priestesses, yoginis, and wise women of old, once
again weave the psychic-energetic emotional landscape of our world in a
truthful and loving manner.
This
article was excerpted from:
 The Path of the Priestess
by
Sharron Rose.
Reprinted with permission of the publisher, Inner Traditions. ©2002.
www.InnerTraditions.com
Info/Order this book.
About the Author
SHARRON
ROSE, an internationally acclaimed teacher, writer, and performer and Fulbright
scholar in world mythology, religion, and sacred dance, has been investigating
the wisdom of ancient cultures for the past twenty-five years. She lives in Los
Olivos, California, with her husband and hermetic scholar, Jay Weidner. Website:
www.sacredmysteries.com
More articles by this author.
| Comments () >> |
 |
 |
