Women naturally know and share truth. The Peaceful Woman honors this ancient wisdom with no-lecture retreats, providing a deep and safe space for women to share and reflect on personal experiences as they adventure together, immersed in the diverse physical beauty and profound cultural wisdom of Hawaii or on our Give Back Passages to Belize. Becoming a Peaceful Woman Retreat Facilitator has changed my life. Sharing a retreat with us will change yours.
There are many weeks to choose from for a Maui Passage.There are 7 spots open for women to travel with me on a fabulous adventure to Belize in June. We are going to build a library in a village, visit Mayan ruins, play, reflect, share and step more boldly into the greatest vision we hold for ourselves and the world. This special Give Back Passage is in conjunction with The Peaceful Woman retreats on Maui. Here I am in my greatest Passion, leading the blessing to begin our week.
Each individual woman's authenticity births the power to first change her own life, and then provides a bridge for her to join with other women to help change the world. We believe that when women come together at a TPW retreat, each woman has the opportunity to experience her authentic self and successfully commit to its fullest expression. The eyes and hearts of women on a journey together become multifaceted mirrors of clarity, encouragement, truth and acceptance, allowing each woman to make her own life-changing and profound choices. Supportive, loving women and inspiring role models serve as a catalyst for the safe emergence and sharing of your deepest knowing.
Would you be a perfect travel companion for this adventure? Curious to know more? I’d love to fill you in on the details.
Travel with like-minded women and give back to the people of Belize.
Are personal growth and a deep spiritual connection both on your high priority list? Does giving to others from your deep well of abundance inspire you? Have you experienced the power that becomes available when women come together in support of one another? Do you enjoy traveling to exotic places and experiencing them from inside the culture instead of as a "tourist'? If your inner answer is "Yes", you have just directed yourself to the possibility for a peak experience in your life this year. Want to play, be empowered and make a difference? I’m looking for a small select group of women who love fun, travel, personal empowerment and giving back. There are 11 spots open for women to travel with me on a fabulous adventure to Belize in June. We are going to build a library in a village in Belize, visit Mayan ruins, play, reflect, share and step more boldly into the greatest vision we hold for ourselves and the world. This special Give Back Passage is in conjunction with The Peaceful Woman retreats on Maui, where I am a facilitator. Would you be a perfect travel companion for this adventure? Curious to know more? I’d love to fill you in on the details.
Aloha Beautiful BraveHeart Sisters,
Today is my birthday. In a women's circle on Monday evening I shared that for my birthday and throughout my 57th year, I wanted to inspire and uplift women with my music. I was so excited to see that Ellie had chosen my birthday as the day to give my "Gift of Life" to all of you in her email. How wonderful is that Manifestation? I just keep smiling and my heart keeps expanding with delightful feelings of joy. We are so connected and it is so much FUN! Thank you for your heart felt comments and know that much more is on its way to all of us in 2010! I am so grateful to be part of this community of women.
Thanks to Ellie and my beautiful BraveHeart sisters, I am celebrating over 3,000 views of my inspirational video, “When BraveHearts Rise”, filmed just days before I performed it live in Los Angeles. 2009 brought powerful feminine energy into my life and today I'm sharing a special experience that allowed me to birth a stronger, more authentic self, willing to be inspiration in action and showng up to play a bigger part in the emerging feminine consciousness now rocking the planet.
I became a facilitator for “The Peaceful Woman” in May of 2009, completing my own “Maui Passage”, and then assisted other women through their journey in August. The Peaceful Woman is a spiritual retreat company, founded by Cher Bertrand and run by women for women. We specialize in creating opportunities for women to really get in touch with the parts of ourselves that we are still giving birth to, so that they can actually be expressed and experienced in a safe and sacred space. In that space shared with other amazing women, I made some profound new choices. When the opportunity came, I listened to the inner voice that guided me to write, record and film “When BraveHearts Rise”, and acted upon it, so that I could gift it to my sisters and women everywhere.
“The Peaceful Woman” is now using my original song, “One Sun”, for the promotion of their incredible women’s retreats. Come join us. Gather a few of your BraveHeart sisters and come on a “Maui Passage” in 2010.
Today,
I choose to live by choice, not by chance
To make changes, not excuses
To be motivated, not manipulated
To be useful, not used
To excel, not compete
I choose self-esteem, not self-pity
I choose to listen to my inner voice,
not the good opinions of others.
I’m proclaiming 2010 as the year of Positive Possibility for Feminine Power. 2009 introduced me to many women’s organizations that are thriving by bringing women together to empower themselves and each other to benefit our world.The call is going out loud and clear and women are rising individually and collectively to answer it. These women share a common vision of changing our world for the better, and yet each individual woman understands that before she can empower others, she must empower herself to reach a place in her own life that affords her the time and energy to devote her courage and creativity to the larger issues facing humanity. Our businesses cannot grow unless we grow ourselves. I’m committed to growing my self every bit as much as the businesses I am building, for I absolutely understand that my inner world is always reflected outside of me. A thriving, evolving, abundant and growing business reflects my inner beliefs combined with my willingness to act on those beliefs.
I have created a system of ten questions which I use to stay inspired and moving forward in my life and in my businesses. I invite a wonderful and Divine Feminine presence to observe my thinking and gently guide me back to Source if my mind wanders into any kind of dis-empowering pattern. I also practice deep gratitude every day for the connection to the Divine Abundance that is the source of everything. This inspired action helps me fine tune my inner vibration so that I am in resonance with the Infinite Abundance and opportunities all around me.
Try These Ten Questions to Engage Your Feminine Power for Maximum Success:
When I am faced with a challenge: How can I approach this challenge with courage and creativity? How is this challenge requiring me to develop a new skill or strengthen an existing one?
When I feel myself retreating or weighed down with frustration: How can I release the excuses I am making and claim my strength so that I can move in the direction of empowered action?
When I am faced with a new obstacle: How is this new obstacle the perfect invitation for me to strengthen my commitment to my goal and to upgrade my passion?
When I feel like giving up: What is the greatest possibility here? What next small step can I take on my journey of discovery?
When I feel the need to ask for help: Where can I find wise counsel? What steps could I take to actively seek advice and direction knowing that new understandings can change my perception and possibilities?
When I need new information or input: Where can I find new experiences that stretch me and opportunities that challenge me to show up in a new way?
When fear and doubt begin to overwhelm me: How are my fear and my doubt ushering in necessary growth? What unknown worlds am I required to enter to develop my greatest potential?
When the needs of others threaten my balance: Can I help others in a way that also allows me to stand in my own power, honor my own boundaries and empower others to do the same?
When procrastination calls my name: What action step can I take toward my goal, knowing there is never a “perfect” or “right” time, only the now moment that I actively proclaim to be the time to take action?
When I need to restore, reflect and renew: What would be the most Self honoring action I could take to acknowledge how far I have come so far and rest and recharge?
I proclaim 2010 as the year for women to let their dreams and goals define who they are, rather than letting their present circumstances define them. Our individual and collective dreams and goals can become the voices that call us forward. Present circumstances have only the power that we give them. Magnificent and positive possibilities abound. BraveHeart Women tops my list of 2009 and I am deeply grateful for the experience I had meeting so many of my BraveHeart sisters at RISE, and creating the video for and performing my original song, "When BraveHearts Rise."
Other Inspiring Women's Organizations and Projects that arrived in my 2009.
Aloha Amazing BraveHeart Women,
You have overwhelmed me with your encouragement and support and comments for my recent inspirational video. I am off to the airport in 2 hours and I have wanted to post a link to the site that has the harmonies for the song, so that it would be easy for you to learn the lead, alto or soprano harmony for the chorus!
Harmonies are Here
It is all laid out quite simply. I know we will be very busy at RISE,
so if you are willing to help me on stage during the talent show,
please visit the link and you will have a perfect rehearsal tool!
I have been in such a state of gratitude hearing from so many of you about your experience of "When BraveHearts RISE."
I look forward to seeing many of your faces Tomorrow!
Bentley
“When BraveHearts RISE” is truly one of the most inspired songs I’ve ever written. The energy field leading up to this powerful women’s gathering just kept urging me to put it into a song and I listened. The result is HERE! We will RISE and claim our power! We will blossom, we will flower!
The song was written on Friday, the video was made on Saturday and edited on Sunday, so it is very, very fresh. I am asking Kathy Bibby for permission to use some of the choir members for the backup vocals as the chorus needs to be quite prominent. On the video, I am playing and singing all of the parts live, but for the talent show, I’m asking some special women who really feel the message to join me!
Although I had chosen a different song previously to sing for “Braveheart’s Got Talent”, I kept feeling that there was a song in the ethers that would really bring us together, so I set out to listen and bring it in. “When BraveHearts RISE”, was born from that intention.
When BraveHearts RISE
Here I am, BraveHeart brave hands
I can touch the dreams my BraveHeart plans
As a woman with brave hands and a BraveHeart
I'll claim my power and become wise
I'll see the world with brand new eyes
I'll watch my dreams take to the skies
When BraveHearts RISE
I will RISE and claim my power
When BraveHearts RISE
I will blossom I will flower
Here we are, brave hands BraveHearts
Each one is called to play her part
As women with brave hands and BraveHearts
We claim our power and become wise
We see the world with brand new eyes
We watch our dreams take to the skies
When BraveHearts RISE
I will RISE and claim my power
When BraveHearts RISE
I will blossom I will flower
Brave Hands BraveHeart, You are called to play your part
When BraveHearts RISE
So excited to meet BraveHeart Women this week!
Bentley
"Mana i ka pua ua mohala malie," is a Hawaiian phrase which means; "There is mana in the flower that has blossomed slowly."
As women, we know from our individual journeys that personal power comes to us as we develop our talents with patience and time. Mana, or energy flows better when we move in harmony with the universe. We tap into the flow of the universal supply of mana best when our bodies are calm and our minds are clear.This mana can then empower our creations and radiate from us.
Today, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I attend a monthly songwriting circle of beautiful Maui women and we were all challenged to bring a new song tonight. My excuse all month was that I just didn't have the time or space to create it.
With just a few hours to spare, I changed my attitude and just got still and listened. I wondered if my muse would cooperate. AND she did! The result is a new song titled, "Mohala ka pua", which means, "The blossoms are opening."
Here are the lyrics and I'll post the actual song in time.
Every woman is a flower of the earth
Her creations are the blossoms that she births
Rivers of wonder
Waterfalls of Grace
Mountains of Power
Infinite Space
Mana i ka pua ua mohala malie
May your power and your beauty grow stronger with age
Mohala ka pua, Blossoms are opening
Blossoms are opening, Mohala ka pua
We are petals of one flower and we each play a part
Filling up the gardens of each others hearts
Oceans of loving
Seasons of change
of all the flowers blooming
no two are the same
Mana i ka pua ua mohala malie
May your power and your beauty grow stronger with age
Mohala ka pua, Blossoms are opening
Blossoms are opening, Mohala ka pua
Cherokee teacher Dhyani Ywahoo who is also a recognized master of Tibetan Buddhism writes that we are moving into “the age of flowers”. Those who respond to the teaching of the flowers are committed to peace and generating the energy of peace and joy.
This process of change cannot be an individual undertaking. It will be necessary to establish a network in order to rebuild those areas of the Earth’s web that have been harmed by unclear thinking.
I'm so excited to come to RISE for this very reason. To see all of the other flowers that are unfolding and blooming and to co-create a world that works for everyone.
Laughter is love’s breath and in some cases, love’s absence of breath; when extreme mirth leaves no time or room for inhaling, when tears, for some reason, rush on to the stage of your face, falling over each other in a body pile, stumbling, limbs weak with hilarity. This runaway kind of laughing breaks the rules and leaves the belly with an agenda of total noncompliance, going wherever it wants, commandeering every body part and function for its own purpose.
The very best treasure of life is "losing it"while laughing, when words don’t even have a chance to survive in the deluge of sound gone wild, unbridled joy on a rampage. Trying to escape, phrases explode in to pieces, "syllabullus interuptus," creating an entirely new language of the ridiculous. Unaccustomed to the rigors of holding up such a happy face, our cheeks seem to be held hostage, delightfully aching, pushed as close to our eyeballs as they can be.
These bouts of laughter seem to be most often shared with people we love, or at least people we are comfortable with and trust. The relaxation that follows one of these delightful fits can feel as deep as an hour massage and a cranial sacral adjustment. Perhaps, laughing is like a human reset button, most useful in stressful times when our wires are crossed and our circuits have overloaded. We’re more likely to laugh with others than alone, but I find extreme delight when I am pushed to at least giggling, all by myself. My most recent episode occurred yesterday, when after an 16 hour double shift, I arrived home used up, to find my beloved had made my bed for me, and propped a teddy bear on the pillow, with my reading glasses on, playing a ukulele. The tension of the day released its grip and dropped away when I laughed out loud.
Love is fine white flour after it has been sifted. I remember baking with my mother, in the days before pre-sifted flour, before pre-sifted life. The best part was getting to use the canister sifter with the silver handle. Both hands would grasp the holder and begin the squeeze and release motion that would force the flour to breathe. This resulted in a soft rhythmic metal beat, a world groove percussive base, good sifting music from a curiously shaped maraca.
Love is what's left when we've contracted and released around some impurity and then let it go. Sitting in our bag of life, like flour, we get compacted and weighed down by unwanted clumps of non-love. I was always surprised to see only a few tiny white pebbles left on the fine mesh after all the squeezing. This was the "stuff" too full of itself to get through. Rigid thoughts and attitudes, coarse judgments and "stuff" with arms crossed in protection were not allowed to leap into the soft and fluffy white pile on the other side.
In the game of sifting, love would always win and spread everywhere,making more of itself in the process. It's hard to control where the sifted goods go. From stuck to flowing, the volume of flour after sifting always made a bigger mountain. Now we can use the love flour for good measure, spoon by spoon, careful not to pack it or overwhelm it. Love can make such a difference in the texture of life that we're making. We can sift our experiences as they come to us and give love more volume, making it easier to incorporate into our choices, giving us lighter, fluffier results.
Aloha Braveheart Women,
I just read this article by Andrew Cohen.
Yesterday, I committed to coming to the RISE event. I purchased my airline ticket and hotel and I'm making arrangements to perform at the talent show.
I am reaching "toward my own edge," as Andrew describes below, motivated by "the very highest part of myself," to "catch up with my own extraordinary potential." I look forward to meeting so many of you at RISE, and if you are still thinking about coming, I hope that reading this passage encourages you.
Bentley
An Evolutionary Life
What motivates us to make the important choices that we make?
Are these choices informed by the deepest insights and the highest perspectives that we have seen?
Or are these choices driven by conditioned impulses or unquestioned “shoulds” that we’ve unconsciously absorbed from the unenlightened world around us?
If the choices we make are motivated by anything less than the very highest part of ourselves, we will always, at some level, experience a sense of unease, as if something is wrong that we can’t quite grasp. Unless the important choices that we make are in alignment with the highest we have seen, reaching towards our own edge, we will always be spiritually dissatisfied. We will not feel whole.
But when this changes in a dramatic way, when the important choices we make become a genuine reflection of our own deepest and highest knowing, then we’re going to experience what it means to be alive in a completely new way. We’ll be living at our own edge. In fact, we’re going to have to run just to keep up with that edge. Once we’ve made the choice to align with our own higher but as yet unmanifested potentials, undoubtedly we will become even more painfully aware of the many parts of ourselves that are very far from that edge.
So we are going to have to spend most of our time doing all we can just to catch up with our own extraordinary potential. But that’s what it means to live a truly evolutionary life. It’s the ultimate challenge and the biggest thrill that there is—always living on that edge.
Andrew Cohen
Thank you for the honor of sharing with such an amazing group of women,
Bentley
I will show you my letting go room. I come here to pay attention to whispers and silent urgings. It used to be too noisy, too full of unfinished forgivings. I knew that love was there, trying to be heard, so I started to carry the loudest things away. Miscellaneous boxes of all shapes and sizes held random contents and curiosities. Some were extremely old, covered with dust and spider webs and some had just been recently stored there, like new clothes with the tags still on.
Quite a few of the boxes were full of little people. I used to think they were big and powerful, so I fed them my fear to keep them that way. Then, later, I had to shrink them so they didn’t feel so threatening. Finally, in a moment of deep openness, and without judgment, I was willing to perceive them truly and I realized they were all my brothers and sisters in the Oneness game we agreed to play. I knew I had created my world and placed everything and everyone on the stage and agreed on the parts. Now, as I walk through this room, one of the silent urgings defines this epiphany perfectly.
“You can no longer blame another for the absence of your own peace”.
I have removed and let go of countless boxes of struggle, tears, toils, and judgments, creating a sweet open space for better imagining. I’ve been very careful of what I place there now, choosing appropriate containers full of my creative power in forms absolutely and completely chosen by my quiet urgings and inspirations. All of the people who have graced the stage of my life are still there, too, but they take very little room now because I see them as light. Like me, they are totally free of past appearances, now shimmering and shining, each a star in their own dream.
My letting go room has the most magnificent view of my Self. Now, when I see that something or someone has sneaked in, insisting that they really exist outside of me, broadcasting that they would seriously like to interrupt my peace and joy, I pause and listen for the whispers. They quietly confirm it is just a picture of a choice made within, and remind me that I am in the letting go room, free to choose again.
What does your "letting go" room look like/feel like, and what personal process helps you let go? Bentley
Trust smells like sun dried sheets you crumple into your arms and bury your face in. The scent is of a world uncomplicated, pure and childlike, nourishing in its simplicity. The aroma of trust has no edges to fall off of. It presents no circular staircases to climb. It is as pungent as fields of grasses and flowers that stretch as far as the eye can see in all directions. No places to hide and nothing to hide from. Trust smells like waking from the most delicious dream of absolute knowing, having found perfect guidance and secret blessings, which pour into your being a sweet completion, like stirring vanilla into warm pudding.
What does trust feel like, smell like, taste like to You?
Aloha Braveheart Women, I am announcing a fabulous book on Creativity and Women I just discovered. Kris Waldherr's Art and Words Creative Friday newsletter features an interview with Kris Steinnes, the founder of the Seattle-based Women of Wisdom foundation. The interview with Kris discusses her experience working on her new book Women of Wisdom: Empowering the Dreams and Spirit of Women. Kris points out ways women can carve out sacred space to nurture their creative spirits; and how important this creative expression is for the future of the Divine Feminine in our society.
She has brought together women leaders from many fields to share their experiences, including Isabel Allende, Marion Woodman, Brooke Medicine-Eagle, Nicki Scully, Frances Moore Lappé, Angeles Arrien, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Judith Orloff and Riane Eisler. Their essays and poems are interwoven with beautiful art and design. The ultimate goal is to build a world in which women’s voices are heard and feminine wisdom can be lived to its fullest.There is also a book giveaway if you read the interview and leave a comment before August 1!! Go to: kriswaldherr.com/blog/2009/07
There is a child who dances out of my being, tossing words here and there, flying some on a kite string, floating others down a river, making mud pies with the rest. The flow of everything she does with those creations is in harmony with the entire Universe. She knows what to say, what to do, what to be and most importantly how to feel. She is not satisfied with good and content. The child muse endeavors to exude sheer light and to express herself with a joy that wells up and cannot be contained.
She lives as a musical, poetic creature, anchoring herself in the soil and growing words with flowing water and brilliant starlight. Her expression has no governor, no restrictor, no limiter. She does not cry when her imagining is done. She simply lets it go and moves on. Spontaneity is her very best friend. They hold hands in the moment on their grand adventure, their thoughts merged, unguarded and open to all.
My rambunctious writing child knows when to pause and be still, knows to listen for the oneness and harmony which long to be shared, delighting completely in being the messenger. Kind and gentle phrases tumble out of the softness in her eyes and the smile on her lips speaks wordlessly of a love designed to find resonance in the hearts of others. She allows words and meanings to flow and change, disappear and form again without attachment, following threads of awareness just to see if they are attached to miracles. And of course, they are.
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