Spirit of a Woman (eBook)

Introduction

I invite you to experience The Spirit of a Woman as a spiritual gift.

It is filled with stories of the individual, mystical experiences that empower women to travel a spititual pathway, no matter what difficulties they may encounter. Every woman's story is unique. The power of her story comes from belief in a larger world of possibilities that is relevant and sustaining.

I honor women who have the inner spirit to face challenges, to go into the dark and emerge with compassion and truth. I am inspired by women who confront their fears and rally the strength of their hearts to find meaning and faith. I respect women who journey into the depths of confusion and emerge with love and healing. I applaud them.

My own experience with facing the 'unfaceable' has blessed me with a kind of freedom. A cancer diagnosis, black and fearful as it was, ultimately brought healing into my life. Contemplating my own death initiated a dark period in my life. I sought solitude so that I could heal my body, my mind, and my spirit. My old ideas of God were cast aside, and I opened to finding God in everyone and everything, even in my diagnosis of cancer. Paying attention to my heart and intuition, I encountered many dimensions of spirit.

My prayers were answered by women who came into my life to mentor me. They shared the stories of their journeys of healing and growth, and in so doing, they showed me the framework of a new way of life. Awakening slowly, little-by-little, day-by-day, I came to a new life enriched by spiritual dimensions.

Am I unusual? No. All women are naturally gifted with the power to create, overcome, and transform. They trust their wisdom and, with body and spirit, they find their way in the dark. There is always a moment within a crisis when one feels connected to spirit and knows it is possible to rise out of the ashes alive and whole. To witness this kind of transcendence is to understand what is human is holy. There is no separation.

I am blessed to live by the sea in California. Some time ago, on a beautiful, sunny day after many gray, overcast ones, I went to a yoga class. Months of health problems were diminishing and I felt well. As I left the class and walked through a garden, I experienced a magical moment and rejoiced in simply being alive. Suddenly, I was aware of butterflies around me, perhaps as many as fifty. In my happiness, I thought, 'The butterflies mean change and freedom, and their message is for me!'

As I passed through the garden gate, I mused that the butterflies had already survived several life cycles and were surely telling me that everything can be right in the world.

Moments later, I stepped into a shop where a young woman greeted me. Her face showed stress, but her voice was optimistic.

'Did you see the butterflies?' she asked. 'I think they mean abundance. Oh, I hope they do. I'm so worried about money, but I think they are here to tell me not to worry any more.'

I wanted to share what the butterflies had meant to me, and I almost began my story, but then I stopped. She needed to be heard. She needed me to be with her, to hear her.