Dancing In The Footsteps of Eve

As women walking the path to the conscious evolution of a sacred humanity, we are aware of the qualities of the Sacred Feminine in ourselves and in the world—a respect for wisdom of the natural world, of which we are a part; for the deep connection we enjoy with one another; with the ability we have to love unconditionally, as a mother loves her new born baby without having seen or knowing anything about that child; the ability to learn from one another through the use of story – stories told, heard and felt. The Sacred Feminine pays heed to the invisible realms that give birth to the inexplicable coincidences, synchronicities and serendipities that give meaning to our lives— all of which can be summed up in the term connective intimacy

And what of the Sacred Masculine? We are all too aware of the secular masculine qualities on which our society is based— hierarchy, competition, domination and destruction, judgment, power and control over others, violence, linear thinking that is wedded to science, and a greedy consumerism as the only was to function. The ManKind Project, acknowledging the abilities and talents of the Sacred Masculine, teaches authenticity, responsibility, accountability, commitment and service as the path to follow. Such characteristics are desirable in us all and will lay the foundations of a harmonious society.

The Sacred Masculine, diverting the energies previously focused on our physical survival, can now hone in on honor, duty and respectful service— to the natural world, the global family and to the Divine, without the conviction of predetermined concepts. A penchant for scientific enquiry used in conjunction with an intuitive curiosity may lead the way to an enlightened vision of a peaceful future for all.

Everyday I learn more about the potential and possibility of what we can do in cyberspace. I am so gratified by the growing community that is connecting on my fb page, Dancing In The Footsteps of Eve. I have linked to Mystic Revelations, a wonderful source of beautiful words and images. I would like to link to other web pages and sites that are concerned with conscious evolution and women’s spirituality. Let me know if you would like to link to my page.

Were we created because God loves stories? We create our personal stories that tell us who we are— to ourselves. We also create our personal stories to tell the world who we are and what we want others to know about us. The sacred stories that we believe— about who we are, why we are here, and where we are going— set the stage for our personal tales. How does your personal story (that you share with the world) begin? Mine starts with “what if?” Perhaps these words, that seem to sum up my inner journey, should be on my tombstone. “She lived with ‘what if’ as a motivational impetus in her life.”

I think back to what seems like another lifetime ago in the early 90s, when I was trying to promote my calligraphic designs and my brother suggested the ‘world wide web’. “Sure,” was my answer, “I’ll do that— what is the world wide web?” I learned. Around that same time, a friend who was a published author attended a spirituality workshop I was leading. “You should write this all down – write a book,” she said. “Sure, I’ll do that – how do you write a book?” and she showed me.

I wonder if we knew what will be involved in the decisions we make, would we be willing to start the many ventures that make us who we are? I am so glad that I jump in, naive and and optimistic, on the many paths and adventures to further spiritual growth.

Life, according to my friend Paddy, is like the softball game she used to play as a child. She remembers that while she played in the position to which she was assigned, she would become extremely anxious if another team member was not able to do what was required, and Paddy would suffer extreme frustration in not being able to change the outcome of the game. She realized at some point in her life, that worrying about what other team members could or could not do, was not her business. She had to learn that she was assigned to hold a certain position on the team and hold it to the best of her ability. That was why she was there.

As in softball, when we become overwhelmed by the tragedies and trauma of our world and feel immobilized by our inability to take care of all that needs to be done (much as we feel as we think of the catastrophic devastation in Haiti) perhaps it serves us well to remember that we are not able to do it all. We are each here to play a part, and to play it in full consciousness, to the best of our ability. We can help others where and when it is possible but just being the best Paddy/Susan/Margaret/Heather that we can be, is why we are here.

A New Year’s resolution is to make my time more valuable this year by using it wisely. Interesting how we consider time as a commodity – we use it, spend it, waste it, and heaven forbid, kill it. I want to make the moments count and consider carefully what I do with my days. I make a point of having music on while I work and will now not just wait for vacation time to read, but will spend part of each day reading. As I walk on the treadmill or relax in a recliner at the end of the day, I am treasuring the time I can spend reading uplifting prose and poetry to fill my mind with meaningful images to replace the cacophany that television brings into our homes. “Traveling With Pomegranates” by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter Ann is nourishing my soul at present, as the books ‘The Woman Who Named God’ by Charlotte Gordon and ‘The Joining’ by Vishara Veda have done over the past few weeks. I would love to hear what you are doing with your time and what you are doing to feed your soul.

The new website and blog are now working as the promotion for the new book is underway. I was interviewed by Guy Rathbun for a program to be aired on Wed, Jan 27 between 4.30 and 5 on KCBX and streamed from kcbx.org. I look forward to being at Coalesce Book Store in Morro Bay on Sun, Jan 31 at 3.00 and hope friends in the area will be able to join us.

  In the light of the catastrophic devastation in Haiti, we feel a sense of guilt as we enjoy the simple pleasures of our daily lives. It seems so unfeeling to thrill to pleasure of engaging with our grandchildren as I have been doing over the past few weeks. On the other hand, deepening an appreciation of the privileges we enjoy, encourages us to do more for those who are suffering and to be able to teach the next generation about the importance of caring is so important and easily done between grandparents and grandchildren.

  Globally conscious, I have been thinking about the games we play with 7-year olds. Cards games provide excellent interchange and practice with math skills and logic as does chess, checkers and Parcheesi. Monopoly seems to encourage the very characteristics that lead to the problems that existed in Haiti before the earthquake. How do we find a balance between teaching the joy of winning and still maintain a sense of encouragement to whomever comes in second place? I will be on the look out for socially conscious games and would welcome any suggestions.

When asked how she is, my friend and mentor, Barbara Marx Hubbard of Santa Barbara responds: “Evolving, thank you and how are you?” I love this response and was delighted to find that Barbara was interviewed recently as part of a 14 week teleseminar that has caught the attention of 30,000 women from all over the world— listening in on the computer or telephone. A gathering of this size, by women all over the globe, is simply astounding— women from all walks of life responding to the call of the process of conscious evolution. We re responding to something we may not be able to articulate but whose validity we intuitively recognize.

At a recent Peace Conference, the Dalai Lama stated that “ the world will be saved by the Western woman.” Inspired by this sentiment and following their intuitive wisdom, in balance with their technological knowledge, Katherine Woodward Thomas and Claire Zamitt (www.femininepower.com) devised and are presenting “Women on the Edge of Evolution”— an invitation to “awaken to the power to co-create our lives and shape the collective future.” The question they pose for us to consider is what our role as women will be, in the creature of our future on this planet— something profound to consider as 2010 opens for us.

In the New year, I plan to start a new conversation for women in the San Luis Obispo area based on this series and will welcome the participation of those who would like to be a part of this exploration. Please feel free to contact me at heathermendel@me.com should you wish to participate and I know we will gather together and watch our combined energy move us forward.

In his new book, The Lost Sign, Dan Brown informs us that the world is certainly stranger than we know. Members of the ancient fellowship of Free Masons are divided as to the meanings of the symbols of their tradition. Ancient signs are mythic and multi-layered and meet the observer at whatever level they are encountered. It was ever thus and is as timely as it is timeless. Quantum physicists are showing the validity of this concept as they explore the world on a subatomic level. The observer may affect the results of laboratory experiments. Are we seeing the meeting of science and spirituality?

Nothing is as it appears. Surface and substance — which is real? An ancient Buddhist teaching reminds us that the finger pointing at the moon is not the moon, and unless we move our focus away from the finger, and focus on the direction of where the moon is, we miss the splendor in the night-time sky. In a totally contemporary setting, we are confronted with the multi-layered world of twitter. As novices, what appears as a disconnected cacophony of signs and symbols carries layers of information. One ‘tweet’ does not follow another in conversation-like fashion of she-says, he-says. The short bursts of no more than 140 letters contain cryptic codes, apparently random events sent out to invisible audiences of people we have never met and likely never will. These messages contain strata of meaning and information that initiates are able to follow, at lightening speed no less.

In learning the language that connects them, people are able to find like-minded compatriots all around the globe and share information that is important to them, from the most mundane, such as where to get the most delicious chocolate in the neighborhood to satisfy the body, to the most profound concepts that inspire readers with courage, hope and empowerment to satisfy the soul.

Our language and communication skills are getting shorter and faster, closing vast distances of geography and society, as the communication net we cast out reaches further than before. Long gone are the days of the pleasure of receiving a long awaited letter in the mail. So much is changing so quickly. News is no longer news 24 hours later, which means newspapers were replaced by TV news, which is now getting its instantaneous information by e-news. Shopping in stores now being conducted online, and like-minded people all over the world connect through a gadget that fits into the palms of our hands.

Authors are discovering that it is no longer the reviews of professionals that build readership, rather it is the words of readers, you and me, that will encourage one another on enjoy what we have found meaningful.

For some, this is daunting, for others exciting. There are benefits and dangers to this e-age, multiple possibilities that are affected by the senders and receivers of these apparently cryptic messages. A strange new world indeed!

Having just returned from an enjoyable and enlightening trip to the Balkan Peninsula, I am conscious of the importance of choosing to let go. Visiting the countries of the former Yugoslavia, the hope and aspirations for a better future were as tangible as the physical evidence of past conflicts, recent and ancient. The wounds from the recent homeland war in Croatia, Slovenia, Montenegro and Albania were still fresh, both in the physical landscape and the hearts of the people. Geopolitical boundaries are permeable and shift while ethnic divisions remain deeper than any marks on a map.

As visitors, we are reminded of the ethnic pain suffered over the globe in far-off lands and close to home. Whatever our own ethnic background, we feel each other’s pain and are reminded of our own familial stories. What do we do with our own historical and ethnic pain? What to we pass on to the next generation? With the blessing of becoming concious, we realize that we have choices. We can teach our children not to forget and at the same time to forgive, as we forge a new pathway forward. Our challenge is to find ways of releasing the past instead of living in it in the present moment.

The Balkans are a complex interweaving of histories, ethnicities and cultures. Visitors marvel at medieval walled cities, now vibrant with internet cafes and people sipping coffee and chatting on cell phones. Museums are filled with ancient weaponry and swords— instruments of death, irrespective of their beautiful mother-of-pearl and inlay designs, for those deemed different. Just as buildings of ancient stone, partially destroyed by earthquake or human greed and fear of the ‘other’ can be left to accent the landscape, they are also used to rebuild new lives and start anew. Can we each learn to take past memories, remnants scattered over the terrain of our individual inner landscapes, and build something new, creative and hope-filled? By letting the past go, we can become conscious in the present moment and build a new and different future of mutuality, respect and celebration of diversity. It is challenging, possible and worth our striving.