Women Who Thrive, Change The World!

Posts tagged ‘Women’s Courage’

The Return of Wild Wisdom

mother-earth

Domesticated.  Is that a word that describes you or the life you are leading?  Are you “settling” for less than your heart desires?  Taking a look at the rote ways in which we live the moments of our lives  can be painful to that wild creature that lives, breathes and moves inside of us.  You know the one!

“We are here to fall in love with a lot more than just our mate… trees, stones, rivers, animals, birds, planets, galaxies, poems, music….”
~ Rev Matthew Fox

The creature inside that yearns to paint on the walls way outside the lines, dance outside at midnight (maybe in the nude!) to celebrate the universe inside and out, dig in the earth and come away with bits of dirt and leaves all over our clothes, speak out loudly and with conviction when a tree is cut down that doesn’t need to be cut except for some other humans profit,  go out of our way not to “follow the rules” and instead find a path and a way that creates more life for ourself and others, and…..you speak more here!

Our planet and all life on it, as well as our individual aliveness, depends not only on engaging that Wild Wisdom, but embodying it with fearless grace and passion.  What is it that you desire?  Desire is not bad…it is a passionate means to access the gifts that we have to bring and the full life we have to live this time around.  It is the fuel which feeds the Wild Wisdom that is within all of us.

I invite you to listen to my dear friend Lea Bayles speak to Wild Wisdom that sought her out to remind us to commit to and honor this clarissa-defiant-woman-quotableintelligence whose time has come to return once again into our global consciousness and actions…NOW.

This piece is eloquent, intelligent, grounded, irreverent, deliciously sensual, and a call to all women and men to not ever dare again to shut away Wild Wisdom in a closet somewhere whimpering low sounds of mournful abandonment.

We were born with Wild Wisdom.  It is all around us in nature and the interconnection of life that never ceases to evolve opportunity and change.  It lives and breathes innately within us.  Are we ready to listen??

“Within you, and in nature, is the potent, instinctual, untamable
and nourishing force of Wild Wisdom.
You need it. I need it.
Our world needs us to bring forth our Wild Wisdom.”  Lea Bayles

Wild Wisdom

….and some Wild Wisdom words from Allan Watts..

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OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

WEBSITE:

www.ResonanceWithLife.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Finding Your Voice

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Women As A Pathway To The Sacred

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This picture along with the words caught my attention.  There has been so much written about the Divine Feminine, Goddess traditions and women’s empowerment.  It is not my purpose here to delve into  these important and very extensive areas as this post would be very, very long!

However, I was taken by the simplicity and power of this picture as well as the words.  Masculine acknowledging feminine awareness which is different from his.  His understanding that women do have “another system of knowledge” that a man may not possess in the same way.  An honoring if you will, and an invitation to bring this understanding and intuitive wisdom to the “counsel table” for all to benefit from.

It is time that this honoring and acknowledgement take place once again.  Our global, national, community and family well being depends on it!  We as women also need to accept the gifts that we posses, and be willing to use them in powerful, insightful,  and compassionate ways

Below you will find a video done by the BBC that takes us on a journey into ancient times.  This video explores a little-known ‘golden age’ for women, when historical characters such as the Empress Theodora in Byzantium, Wu Zetien in China (the Empress who called herself Emperor), the early women of Islam (2 of Mohammed’s wives) and Anglo-Saxon Hilda of Whitby, used the power of ancient traditions and new ideas about religion and philosophy to wield influence in what appeared to be a man’s world.

Women wielding their *power* in deepest human connection with/in the Divine.

We can gain understanding and inspiration from these women who were not willing to back down on using their innate sense of the much larger picture to create positive changes in a mostly male dominated world.   It was a pleasure to be introduced to these women who paved the way to the sacred of their times!

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Breath-Book-coverW2(3)Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview, Reviews and purchase links can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Finding Your Voice, Power and Leadership

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Restoring Your Faith in Humanity

Passion, Power and Purpose by Pamela Turczyn

“Slow down
Open your eyes,
and every living thing will tell you its story.  Dewitt Jones

I had a conversation with a good friend the other day about how many good, loving and compassionate acts of kindness and support were going on every single minute of every day.  We are lead to believe that the negative, ruthless, cruel and violent actions far outweigh the good.

I, for one, do not believe that.  It is in our conscious acts of extending a smile, a kind word, an unselfish and fearless offering of our time, passion,  and attention that we heal the connections that yearn to come back into the whole of the fabric of the quilt we call life. Through the potential of our “passion, power and purpose” (thank you Pamela Turczyn!) we sweep away the fears that keep us locked in a prison of our own creation.

The link below has captured via images many of these moments.  It served as a meditation the other morning and changed the fabric of my day.  This week remember that you can be the initiator of one of these actions.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/expresident/pictures-that-will-restore-your-faith-in-humanity

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Courage, Kindness

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Feminine Force Transforming Fear Into Love

Several years ago I was privileged to study with many curandera’s high in the hills above Mexico City.  Hardly knowing any Spanish at all I found at the end of 12 days spent there that I was dreaming in the language! This is a testament to the deep healing and opening that occurred as I sat, communed, ate, observed and learned from these very wise people.

I love the face of Grandmother Margarita here as it reminds me of the wisdom, love and passion that women grow into as they age.  Sometimes I don’t quite know how to take steps in this elder life of mine as it seems so different from what came before, but the words below remind me of what is so vitally important for women to remember.  Thank you to Awakening Women Institute for sharing this on Facebook!

Wise words from Grandmother Margarita Núñez García, Curandera and Wisdom Keeper, Mexico (Ingles y Español):

1. The awakening Feminine power corresponds to the heart and affects men and women equally. We are born with two possibilities, love and fear, and this feminine force is urging the transformation of fear into love.

2. Change will occur at the hands of women. For thousands of years (during pre-patriarchal times) woman was considered equal to man, and Earth was never poisoned, then both circumstances changed. The role of women is to honor and value herself and to teach men to love and respect the Earth.

3. Sex is sacred and it is being trivialized.

4. Older people are “like spun gold” for society — at that age it is an ideal time to share experiences and wisdom. According to the Mayan cycles of 13 years, when people turn 52 years of age [note: meaning 4 cycles of 13 years], they “open to universal fatherhood-motherhood,” so any feelings we have of victim-hood should stop and we should say “here I am.”

5. Death does not exist, our consciousness, our spirit, survives the physical body.

6. We are all sacred beings and we should honor ourselves.

7. Our thoughts have the power to create our reality.

8. Joy is an important ingredient in life. Shared with deep respect and prayers for the well being of Grandmothers and Wisdom Keepers of all traditions.

Translated from the Spanish, by Grace Alvarez Sesma.

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WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com
www.WildlyFreeWoman.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Empowerment, Feminine Presence

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Arise, Sisters!

Yesterday I attended a rally to protest what is being called “The War On Women” here in Austin, Texas. (with many men and government officials present as well!) Today I received an e-mail about this experience which is reproduced below.   In addition, I was reminded again about how powerful the media can be to undermine women and girls in the way we perceive ourselves by a video called Miss Representation which I have posted on this blog before.

All of this points to the absolute necessity for women to become active on behalf of themselves and all other women and girls on this planet.  Without our direct individual and group participation in countering this backward slide into the “dark ages” for women’s rights and basic human needs we will become complicit instead of empowered.

E-mail regarding the “War On Women” rally:

Yesterday there was a rally at the capitol to protest the War on Women.   It was a far smaller turnout than I had anticipated.  As speaker after speaker said, the gains of the past 40 years are being pushed down the drain by a very active radical right.  Little by little, our rights are being eroded, from the loss of equal pay in Wisconsin (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/18/scott-walker-equal-pay-repeal_n_1434886.html)  to the intrusion of vaginal probe ultrasounds being required prior to abortion (Texas).  Each of us needs to decide what our comfort level is regarding these changes, and regarding our own actions in response.  If these changes cause you concern, you might want to contribute to Annie’s List, a Texas organization dedicated to getting women elected who share the same concerns.  http://annieslist.com/Default.aspx

And a video that shows how the media is undermining women.  Let us all think about what kind of action we can take to shift this very negative long term trend that is greatly effecting our young women and girls world wide!

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Be The Change, Empowerment, Finding Your Voice

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We Are The Sum Of The Choices We Make

Never give up, never give up, never give up sings Gypsy Soul singer Cilette Swann.  We are truly the sum of the choices we make in life.  The song you will listen to below invites us to wake up from our slumber and ask these questions:

Do I give enough?

Do I love enough?

Do I trust enough?

Do I risk enough?

Did I ever give up on anyone?

Questions to not only ask ourselves frequently, but vibrantly, passionately,  and mindfully live in order to be able to say YES! to all but the last question!!

Addendum: “Did I allow myself to receive enough” for all of you women out there that have given until you had nothing left to live your life with….

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Preview and Reviews can be found here:
http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Empowerment, Self Love

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Yoga Woman – Creating A Scared “Time In”

Did you know that in the early history of yoga, and up until recently,  it was meant as a practice only for men?  That is hard to believe as the majority of students and teachers globally these days are women.  What first attracted me to the practice so many years ago now was the freedom to explore my body, mind, emotions and breath in a “time out”  – or better “time in” –  without the pressures of everyday life intruding.  Something women historically have had precious little time for.

Just today a video movie trailer came across my inbox (thank you Lynn Walker!) called YogaWoman.  I post it here because it makes a statement about what women can create when they become passionate about something.  Women have changed the entire make up of this ancient practice creating an embodied and grounded pathway to moments of nourishment, strengthening, nurturing, flow, expanded awareness, increased fluidity and flexibility, a modality for health and well being for all ages, genders, and races –  and for simply being with the breath in each moment.

As a student and teacher for many years now I still feel a thrill every time I step on the yoga mat and know that this time, this practice, is just for me!  Deep gratitude goes to the many men that have helped bring yoga to the Western shores….and a standing ovation goes to the women that have consistently expanded and grounded the practice in a way only a woman can.

If we can support each other in stepping into our individual expressions, such as has been done with the practice of yoga,  instead of competing with each other (or ourselves!), then we have not only come closer to embodying the authentic and honest expression of who we are, but have joined other women in a collaboration of empowerment and joyous creation.

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT: 

www.BreathingSpaces.net
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

Website:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath Book: http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

Category:

Authenticity, Creative Expression, Empowerment

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Happy Birth-Day to Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath!

Happy Birth-Day to the long awaited book that has many favorite posts from the BreathingSpaces blog within the pages!! This is what has taken my time away from posting here on WildlyFreeWoman.  My heart is wide open as I deliver Our Daily Breath into your hands, hearts and souls. My deepest wish is that this book will be of service to those who read it and that it will encourage pauses in life to simply be with the breath and the sacredness of this life we have been given.

As women we sometimes hold back on our creative imaginings and they never manifest out into the world in physical form.  I know that I have been that “hold-back” woman for a long time….and also know that there is always a great loss to others, and the very planet we live upon, when we do not share our wisdom, feelings, stories, art – actually the deepest parts of our unique being.  I have now declared that there are absolutely no more reasons to NOT do and be what my purpose is this lifetime around – so here you have my very first book in print to “delight, rest and reflect in”.

Here is some advance praise as well as links where you can purchase one of three options – Downloadable with beautiful formatting and the ability to print out each week’s focus for a daily reminder; e-book for Kindle, iPad, etc; and soft cover spiral bound to place in your library as a treasured resource.  For a Sneak Preview go to: http://resonancewithlife.com/daily-breath-book/

A Road-Map to Living an Inspired Life!

Richard Cawte, Ph.D.

Give Us this Day our Daily Breath is so much more than just a book about breathing. The subtitle of this beautifully-crafted and elegant work sums up its difference from anything else that I have read on the subject: “Weekly Breathing Spaces to Delight, Rest and Reflect In”.

That says it all.

Life has become so hectic for so many of us, with so many things to do every day (and never enough time to do them!). In Give us this Day our Daily Breath, Gaye Abbott gives us a clear, easy-to-follow guide that helps us find places of calmness and deep ease from which the day can emerge in a fresh, vibrant way.

We tend to pay attention to peripheral things in our lives and yet so often the very thing that sustains us – the act of breathing – is something we barely pause to consider. What I love about this book is that it brings the act of breathing to the forefront, allowing the reader to explore his or her relationship with the world through the breath itself. It’s an inspired piece of writing, flowing from the heart.

Giving us weekly practices is a stroke of genius, because it makes it easy for the reader to experiment and adopt new ways of breathing bit-by-bit. That’s why I love the book so much. It’s more than just a book. It’s a road-map to living an in-spired life, a step-by-step manual that invites us to align ourselves with the rhythms of the natural world – and then shows us how.

Life throws up many challenges, but as Gaye says: “the breath is a tool to anchor you. Allow it to be the constant thread around which you weave your life.” Wonderful advice.

Truly a book to read, delight, rest and reflect in!

Richard Cawte, Ph.D., International Business & Author of the Natural Wealth Course, www.ResonanceWithLife.com

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Give Us This Day Our Daily Breath is a wise, graceful, kind and gently humorous guide to awakening more fully through weekly explorations of breath.
By relating the natural breathing rhythms to the cycle of the seasons, Gaye Abbott invites readers to reconnect with a sense of being at home on Earth and in our bodies. This fresh perspective combines with personal story and observation to offer valuable new insight into the healing and transformational power of breathing.

Lea Bayles, M.A., transformational coach, speaker and author, creator of the Replenish Your Soul series of guided meditations lea@leabayles.com, www.leabayles.com

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Leza Lowitz

Give Us this Day our Daily Breath is a wonderful book born from Gaye Abbott’s decades-long practice of yoga, meditation, awareness, mindfulness and joy, celebrating the breath each and every day like the gift and prayer that it is.   Inspirational, creative, healing and practical, Gaye offers insights, exercises and easy-to-follow practices that allow us to fully appreciate and embody this act of breathing and all it contains. Gaye writes, “When we come together with another life form, we share the breath in the air that surrounds us. We take of the same breath, so to speak. Down through the millennia this has continued. In fact, we are breathing and sharing the recycled air of the dinosaurs, the very first humans, the dolphins, and the trees…In many of the classes, workshops and retreats, I often have people sit back to back and feel their own breath first, then connect with the breath rhythm of the other without attempting to change theirs. Almost everyone noticed, in a short period of time, that the breath would synchronize and become one. 

Perhaps it was always one to begin with. Through this interconnected basic biological process we can feel each other, and with acute knowing understand what is within the other – even if we do not consciously acknowledge it. What if each one of us joined another – or others – in sharing a peaceful breath rhythm. Would the world change?” 

Yes it would, and with Gaye as our guide, it is bound to. And what a joyful and transformational journey it will be. Thank you Gaye for giving us this day our daily breath and reminding us of the incredible beauty, grace and power of this thing called breath that we too often take for granted!

Leza Lowitz, #1 bestselling Author of Yoga Heart: Lines on the Six Perfections www.lezalowitz.com

OFFERINGS: Downloadable (Instant PDF Download Below) with beautiful formatting and the ability to print out each week’s focus for a daily reminder OR through LuLu – e-book (EPub/Adobe, iPad, Nook, Kindle, etc); and soft cover spiral bound or regular soft bound to place in your library as a treasured resource!

PDF Instant Download – $9.97

E-book & Soft Cover Spiral Bound Versions

Also Available HERE

Ebook : – http://www.lulu.com/product/ebook/daily-breath-ebook/18852025
Regular bound soft cover: – http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/our-daily-breath—paperback/18852066
Spiral/coil bound soft cover :-  http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/our-daily-breath—coil-bound/18852103

Category:

Be The Change, Creative Expression, Manifesting Your Dreams, The Breath

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I Am A Dangerous Woman

I am a dangerous woman…

Infinitely compassionate and wildly loving.
Softly strong and strongly soft in my ways.
Don’t get too close, you may see dreams come true and wishes appear from thin air.

I am a dangerous woman…….

Able to give unconditional love from an endless well within.
Blindingly bright ~ I will continue to shine until the stars fade from the heavens.
For God’s sake, don’t give me your heart, I might show you what it’s for and how to use it.

I am a dangerous woman……

Capable and real.
Genuine and wise.
Whatever you do, don’t tell me your secrets, I will keep them.

I am a dangerous woman…….

Gently staunch in my defense of family, friends and home.
Crazy in love with my life.
Don’t expose me to your children, I may teach them something of value.

I am a dangerous woman………

Reveling in my sensuality.
Enjoying all the pleasures of being female.
Stay away from me if a lover that is both your equal and your joy is what you seek.

I am all that I am meant to be.
If this means danger then……

I AM a dangerous woman.

Written By:

Mary Costanza – A Woman’s Heart And Soul

Thank you Mary for this inspiring gift as we enter into the New Year of 2012 with our authentic voice, senses, wisdom, creativity, love, compassion, integrity, courage, faith and empathy fully expressing! GA

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.NaturalWealthJournal.com
www.BreathingSpaces.net

Category:

Acceptance, Authenticity, Empowerment

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Being Absolutely Truly Yourself – Is Freedom!

Today I watched a video of a talk given by the Dali Lama on women.  What he said in essence is that there is a “lack of human affection” in our world today….and that women are the ones to turn that around.   Our naturally compassionate and feeling nature often lead the way in daily interactions.

This is not to say that men don’t have this as well, but we as women are designed for it.  After a few funny stories the Dali Lama made a statement that would potentially upset 1,000’s of years of a lineage that is based on very defined practices and beliefs.  He said he was open to a female Dali Lama!  Needless to say this would be quite a paradigm shift for many, many people…but what if this did happen??

Following on the heels of this I was re-inspired once again by Caroline Casey who gave a TED talk on how extraordinarily far belief can take a person.  I won’t spoil the story for you, so you will have to devote 15 minutes to it in order to find out what happens.  You won’t be sorry that you did!

I am asking myself right now, “am I pretending to be something that I am not?” or “am I absolutely being truly myself”?   Good question to immerse in!  Enjoy the video and Caroline’s story…she is one of those innately compassionate (self and other) women and just by being fully herself inspires us all!


Caroline Casey on Moving Beyond Our Limits

Activist Caroline Casey tells the story of her extraordinary life, starting with a revelation (no spoilers).   In a talk that challenges perceptions, Casey asks us all to move beyond the limits we may think we have.

WEBSITE:  www.ResonanceWithLife.com  (New offerings!)

OTHER BLOGS BY GAYE ABBOTT:

www.BreathingSpaces.net  (watch the video of me on the Daily Breath page & see Sneak Preview of book to be published in January!)
www.NaturalWealthJournal.com

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For a great Christmas present for those hard to buy for younger teenagers on your list take a look at this.  A great and adventurous read that even you will not be able to put down…with a female heroine!

CLICK HERE

Category:

Acceptance, Authenticity, Empowerment

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