Sharing Your Feminine Gifts with the World

I know that, as a bright, talented and fabulous woman, you have incredible gifts you want to share with the world. You’ve read all the books, attended all the workshops and you’ve been working on personal and spiritual growth for a long time.

You are not alone! We are at a pivotal point in history where women are awakening to a realization that they want to contribute to the world in greater ways. We sense that there is much more for us and that we have a unique destiny to fulfill. We are ready to unleash our greatest feminine potentials.

Why is it then, that so many women are struggling to find meaning and purpose for their lives? Why, nearly 50 years after the women’s liberation movement, do we still feel disempowered to bring forth our true nature as feminine beings?

I can’t sum up all the reasons this is happening in one blog post. But I can give you a few tools for getting yourself unstuck from disempowering social and cultural structures that may be getting in your way. What is most important is that you learn new structures and systems to realize your greatest potential as a woman.

Unplug from Limiting Beliefs

First, totally unplug yourself from two beliefs that you probably have about how to proceed with expressing your deepest desires:

1) the belief that you have to know all the answers in order to proceed with bringing forth your dreams and desires.

2) the belief that manifesting the unmanifest is a rational (or mind/intellectual) process.

This is actually a simple process, but we have been socialized and entrenched in using masculine processes that do not work as well for women as they do for men. Masculine energy is not bad, we just need to come back into a balance of both masculine and feminine energies to help us to access our deepest knowing about why we’re here and what we’re supposed to be doing.

The Feminine Process of Surrender

When women get quiet, still and let go of our need to know all the answers to all of the questions of our lives, we are shifting into a feminine process that enables us to be deeply receptive to answers. We can cause answers to emerge through deep listening, faith and trust. As we deeply listen we uncover wisdom that guides us to the next step we need to take in our lives. Taking one step at a time, without worrying about the bigger picture, frees us from the anxiety of how the future will unfold.

We each have a perfect blueprint for our lives–the blueprint that is our destiny. When we surrender to discovering this blueprint, we can relax and hear the answers about how to move ahead on our journey.

Here’s an exercise for surrender that, practiced regularly, will help you access a deeper part of yourself and become more aware of your power to express the blueprint that is your unique destiny. You may not hear the answers immediately, but they will come when it is time. Release the need for answers about “how to do it” and be in a place of conscious unquestioning. Don’t force the answers to the questions; don’t make it an intellectual process. Be open, receptive and in a deep place of trust.

Meditation and Contemplation: Let Go and Listen

In a safe place, where you can be alone with no distractions, sit or lie quietly. Close your eyes. Become present with yourself.

Let go of your need to know the answers or the exact path of your life. Allow faith to guide you to access that part of yourself that you know is strong and resourceful. Give yourself permission to FEEL your feelings. Let them flow. Totally surrender to yourself and a Greater Power that is bigger than you.

Now ask yourself these questions:

What do I most deeply desire to bring forth into the world?

What is my unique destiny?

Now just listen. Keep asking the questions. Keep listening. Become receptive. Continue to let your feelings flow. Continue this for a time. You may get answers, visions, sensations in your body or have other experiences. You also may not get anything discernable at this time. The experience isn’t important. The LISTENING is.

Repeat this exercise as often as you can. It’s how you access that part of yourself that KNOWS. It is an essential feminine process that can help you surrender to the destiny that is uniquely yours.  

–Christine

Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010

Last week I took some time off and went to the beach for some R&R. I had been feeling a bit empty, perhaps because I just needed a break. This emptiness persisted to the point that I realized it was sending me a message. I was beginning to sense that I was being invited to spiritually empty myself in order to become receptive to something new and significant in my life.

I often find that the birthing process of anything new is preceded by a period of darkness, confusion, lack of focus or just plain emptiness. The nudging I felt to let go, listen and be open to deep Divine guidance ended up being exactly what I needed. I was craving the time to stop analyzing, reasoning and strategizing my way through some of the challenges I was experiencing in my life.

Sitting, walking and grounding myself on the beach was the perfect solution to releasing the unease I was feeling. The connection with nature facilitated my ability to go deep within myself and just live there for a few days. I stopped seeking answers by totally giving up my need to know why I was experiencing the emptiness. This allowed me to descend into the deepest part of my authentic self where the truth about everything resides.

Now that I’m home again I’m feeling open, cleansed and re-energized. Clarity abounds around several things I was really stuck on.

The lesson learned? Most often, the answers aren’t on the surface where our tiny little minds try to locate them. They’re at a much deeper level where we tap into co-creating with our Higher Source. Yielding to a system of surrender that cultivates a partnership with our Creator allows us to access our true feminine gifts, purpose and highest creative potential.

We make the shift into spiritual co-creation by giving up our own ideas (from the mind) about where our life is going and what we’re meant to be doing. It is then that we clearly hear the desires that emanate from the blueprint that already exists within us and is supported by the Greater Source. This can be a profound awakening toward a deep faith that we are always supported and that everything is unfolding as it is meant to. We experience a new way of being that creates momentum towards our collective futures and a Divine plan that is much greater than we could ever imagine.

As we evolve as women using this spiritual system of creating our lives we will navigate our way to destinations that do not yet exist and bring about astonishing change in the world. Our task in fulfilling our destinies is in bringing out unique expressions of who we are as female contributors to world change. Through emptiness, deep spiritual receptiveness and a co-creative Divine process we can generate a dramatic flourishing of feminine potential.

–Christine

Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010

Yeilding to the Flow of Life

On my personal spiritual path it took me a long time to truly understand the concept of surrender. I kept wondering just how to do it. I longed for the wisdom of this mystical way of being. Later, I discovered that what I really sought was the experience of it.

The following quote from Eckhart Tolle is a remarkable statement of what surrender is:

“Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing the flow of life.”

In his book The Power of Now, Tolle explains that the only way you can experience the flow of life is in the “now”. He encourages us to accept the present moment unconditionally. This is his definition of the meaning of surrender. You surrender to the one tiny segment that is “now”. Surrendering all resistance to what is, right now, puts you in a true state of Being. That’s surrender.

Here are some thoughts that may help you understand how and why to surrender. I hope they will help you experience the wisdom of “being in the flow”. This is what I call Surrender Into Grace.

10 Ways to Experience the Flow of Life:

1. Choose to stay steady on the spiritual path from day to day. Devotion and making a vow for spiritual development IS surrender.
2. The spiritual goal of life is to BE LOVE. Being loving and loveable surrenders all the fear and allows a flow of peace, bliss and fulfillment.
3. Spiritual surrender is not defeat. Your ego will tell you that it is. When you are in a situation where struggle dominates, release the ego’s arguments and surrender the outcome. Surrendering the result allows the flow of Divine guidance toward your highest potential and purpose.
4. Close the gap between ego and spirit. In any relationship, when you surrender ego power, the power of Spirit fills the gap. Allow relationships to flourish by surrendering them to Spirit.
5. Ignore the distractions of the outer world. There are many shiny things that will catch your attention. Most of them will not provide peace, bliss or spiritual growth. Most will distract the flow of your spiritual path.
6. Loosen your grip. Release attachments and expectations of your perception of how things should be. The loving presence of God is what evokes grace into your life and provides miracles beyond your limited perceptions of how things should unfold.
7. Surrender is the most important spiritual action. How? Why? Because it is faith that the power of the Divine can accomplish anything.
8. Follow your Dharma. Your dharma is a vision of spiritual equality and purpose. Society will set down rules and laws for you to adhere to that have nothing to do with your dharma. Hold steady to your core spirituality in the deepest sense; Spirit is always responding to your vision.
9. Stop labeling everything that you encounter. Practicing surrender throughout your day and your life by refraining from passing judgment on everything and everyone. Allow each precious entity of creation to be what is to be.
10. There is always the presence of Divine grace within you. Be aware of this—it is the simplest form of surrender.

A woman’s path to spiritual surrender is the accumulation of many small steps. Take a small step each day. The more small steps you take, the easier spiritual surrender becomes.

–Christine
Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010

I have to admit that, like many other busy women, finding time for spiritual connection can be a daily challenge. I feel frustrated when I can’t find a way to fit in spiritual growth activities. I often falter in my commitment and consistency and rationalize that if I’m not practicing in a certain way, I’m lacking devotion.

I get caught up in when and how I should “do” my practice. Perhaps I’m trying to think my way through a problem that has an elegantly simple solution. The solution? Spiritual practice isn’t an intellectual process or a list of special things I’m required to do. It’s a way of life. It’s how I live my life from moment to moment.

Meditating, praying, rituals, and study are all great things to include in my daily practice. But they’re not exclusive to a life of spiritual development. I’m learning that faulty thinking is actually what is limiting my spiritual practice, not a lack of time or devotion. As I change the way I think about myself as a spiritually evolving woman, I begin to increase my awareness of how to live in a more genuinely sacred way.

I can attend to all the spiritual elements of my life through gratitude, forgiveness, love and compassion each and every day. This is a more useful approach that raises my consciousness beyond my self-centeredness. It eliminates my ego’s need to manufacture a circumscribed set of activities just for the sake of daily practice. I integrate spirituality into my life without adhering to any schedule or activities that I must engage in.

What does my life look like now that I’m experiencing a moment to moment, continuous spiritual practice? Here’s a list of elements that I recognize as part of my spiritual evolution:

Interconnectedness. I’m connected to everyone and everything on a spiritual level.
Service. I can awaken Divine love in all hearts.
Passion. Whatever is fueling my passion is what brings me into authentic spiritual expression.
Noticing. There are spiritual change agents all around me.
Synchronicity. Events will always align to my spiritual purpose in life when I pay attention.
Silence. The more I remain silent, the easier it is to hear my spiritual truth.
Surrender. When I spiritually surrender the outcome of a situation, I receive all that I need.
Grace. When I’m receptive to grace, I experience life on a deeper level and deepen my spiritual practice.

What does YOUR life look like when you allow your spiritual practice to be your life and your life to be your spiritual practice?

Please share with a comment!
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Here’s a lovely website I came across that has given me some unique and graceful ideas on spiritual practice: http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/

–Christine
Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010

When you’re feeling stressed and rushed do you just want to stop everything and make a retreat? Do you want to wrap yourself in a soft, warm blanket and get cozy and comfy? Our busy and over stimulating lives can cause us to long for moments of comfort when we can turn off the noise and experience some rest and rejuvenation.

What can you do in your daily spiritual practice to enjoy a time of comfort and respite? When your life is moving too fast and you crave some relief, wrap yourself in grace.

In my daily practice I simply build upon my relationship with a Higher Power and allow grace to lead me on my unique spiritual path. The more I take time for a soul-directed life, the more I notice the subtle influence of grace flowing into my life and providing the serenity I crave.

The presence of a Higher Power can help you feel like you are wrapped in grace. When you strengthen your spiritual foundation and open yourself to the power of Divine will, you’ll feel wrapped in a cloak of loving spiritual energy. As your spiritual awakening process gains momentum, the evidence of grace becomes ever present in your life.

You are a magnificent soul being shaped by God’s hands. When you allow God to surround you with loving energy you will find more moments of peace and ease. You’ll be surrounded by warm and loving people and unexpected events that will support you in expressing your true potential. As your true self emerges, you’ll notice your life becoming more stress-free, calm and harmonious.

Long-lasting peace and fulfillment come from being strongly connected to your spiritual core. Make this connection right now and feel the reassurance of being wrapped in Divine grace. Grace surrounds you all the time. Surrender into it.

Please share ways YOU wrap yourself in grace. Leave a comment!

–Christine
Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010

Over the past few years I’ve experienced profound personal and spiritual transformation as a result of practicing daily silence. Without having any expectations, I stop several times a day to be silent and reflective.

What possibilities and opportunities might present themselves to you if you were to alternate your daily activities with times of silence? Practice silence and bring yourself back to your spiritual center where the clear answers you seek can be found.

Some of my reflections on Silence:

Silence supports surrender
Silence invites grace
Silence unfolds into pure bliss
Silence encourages restful awareness
Silence invokes deep peace
Silence promotes rejuvenation
Silence creates perfect balance
Silence becomes spaciousness
Silence builds spiritual strength
Silence brings you into the present
Silence IS the answer

What are your questions about silence?
How can I help you with your silence practice?
I invite you to send me your questions and comments!

–Christine
Copyright Christine O’Dell, 2010