What does authentic feminine energy look like? Llyn Roberts, Shamanic Practitioner and co-author of  “Speaking with Nature: Awakening to the Wisdom of Earth”, offers a perspective of what feminine energy looks like.

What does true feminine energy and women power look like?

The Western world defines power as having control over others. Also referred to as positional power, this male-oriented and masculine way of defining power derives from competition. Feminine energy, which is something that both women and men possess, is a power that comes through cherishing and protecting all living beings (plant, animal, etc) through collaboration. In the passage below, Llyn Robert’s beautifully describes feminine power as mysterious, sensual, creative, sensing, and intuitive:

“The magic of the wild and the rhythms of nature lead us back to the intelligence and mystery of life. The Earth has from ancient times been linked to mystery, and the deep feminine. Among those who recognized this are indigenous and matriarchal cultures that held women, and the Earth as sacred.

Despite all we may do these days to reconnect with nature – and with the creative feminine force – we can still feel separate from the deep feminine power of the Earth, and us.

The feminine principle is known by many names. She is associated with dreaming and the unconscious, and with darkness, the Earth and its plants and animals. The sacred feminine is about spirit and mystery. She connects us with power, fertility and sensuality, with water, as well as solitude, with incubation, death, and death’s partner of rebirth. Reviver of the dead, at the same time nurturer of life and the inner worlds of feeling, sensing and intuiting; the deep feminine is an alchemical muse” p4

Llyn Roberts Youtube: How does nature teach us about feminine energy and women power

• 2:06  What do we need to know about our feminine power? Llyn describes how nature is a teacher that guides both women and men to express their feminine aspects. She also explains how nature helps us embrace feminine energies that we often devalue, such as vulnerability. Nature helps us open up to what is beautiful, like the wide range of beauty that is expressed during aging. For example, maturity is something in nature that grows out of depth. What would happen if we could see the beauty of ancient beautiful women and men? Nature can teach us how to love these aspects of ourselves.
• 1:08 CJ talks with Lynn about her newest book co-authored with Sandra Ingerman. Llyn contrasts the writing styles of her two fabulous books.

Feminine Energy:  The benefits of meandering and wondering

Embracing feminine energy means navigating the world in a different way. Traditionally, we think of the world as a linear space and the quickest way between two points is by navigating in a straight line. But, do we get the most out of life by just walking in a straight line? Our obsession with efficiency results in missing wonderful life experiences that are off the beaten path.

There are benefits of walking a straight line, but there are equal benefits of meandering and flowing with life. The primary benefit is that you flow with life by connecting and opening yourself to Life’s mystery and wonder. In the moments when we’re off the path, we’re able to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

In her book, “Speaking with Nature: Awakening to the Deep Wisdom of the Earth”, Llyn takes us along her hikes in the Hoh Rain Forest where she meanders through the forest exploring all the mysteries abounding. Here’s a passage of one of her walks that demonstrate the life treasures she experienced.

“To engage the mystery, become the mystery. Think or even care about it too much and you fall out of it.”

I have found that the best way to understand soul kinships with nature, or with people, is to explore them – with feet on the ground and an open heart. In tracking for animals among Western Hemlocks in the Hoh Rain Forest, I am learning to identify signs – prints and tree markings and dung and other evidence such as nipped twigs, berries or hair and other items in an animal’s scat, and so forth. I notice how fresh or old the prints appear and scan the area with my senses and intuition, seeking clues and tucking them away in memory. I find that tracking is an art of invisibility, blending into the environment – and being precise in what I observe and sense, while staying open and not jumping to conclusions, thoroughly enjoying a journey that may never fully reveal.

Track this way in the Olympic Mountains and you may bump into an Elk. Regardless, you will walk the forest freshly, full of wonder.

As much as we sometimes think we know why an animal, person, stone, tree or land shows up in our life – magic increases when we let go of the search, immerse in the unfolding.This also opens us to know Anam Cara with everything, and everyone, no matter how that expresses.

Sacred kinships stir the soul awake, reminding us that we are one source, never separate. They reconnect the collective spirit and that of people and nature.

Ripe to help us discover who we are, Hemlock tells us the hiding times are over, it is time for the soul force to shine. We simply have to trust the world is headed there, too. p227

 

https://youtu.be/WKQRiQ7UuFk

Video Hyperlink: Embracing the journey and the destination

• 5:29 How can we embrace our meandering selves? What happens when we bring that sense back to our lives? We have a choice on whether we walk a linear path from point A to B or if we wander instead. How does meandering help reclaim our life force? What are the costs of the cultural values of moving in straight lines? Llyn talks about being in nature without an agenda (e.g.- do a hike). Next time you are out in nature, try to connect by engaging with your child-like self that is full of imagination. Wander, meander and dream in a new way by opening up to other possible ways of engaging with the world.
• 8:35  How does a forest reflect the diversity of life? Llyn describes how the forest offers incredible diversity with life and death and how it’s all reflected in the plants and animals in nature.

Aging and Menopause: A Shamanic Perspective

After contemplating aging for a few months, I’ve come to the conclusion that aging is a state of mind, but it is also a real, predestined experience that has to be respected.

Aging is real. After 50, we become like an old car – accrued lots of mileage and could probably use a little more maintenance and attention to our physical body. Remember vintage cars? If we care for our bodies in the same way we care for vintage cars, aging would be a more graceful experience. However, driving at break neck speeds without any oil changes will eventually cause long term damage and suffering of consequences.

A combination of physical and mental exercises and practicing good nutrition are the key factors to keeping a healthy, strong and well-oiled foundation. If we run our engines all day long, at some point we must take time to rest and relax. It’s critical that we engage in lifestyle changes like meditation or yoga to help calm our nervous system and manage our stress levels.

Aging = Old = Senile= Valueless is not true. Many envision retirement and aging as the stage in life when we can coast into the sunset and play golf all day. Really??. Are we no longer relevant or important once we reach 50 and above? Does this threshold of maturity mean that we should no longer have goals; that our mission should only involve relaxing? While many have worked two or three jobs and respectfully deserve a break, what happens afterwards?

Society sends all sorts of discouraging messages about what 50 and older are capable of doing. Well, I’m rejecting them. As long as I am healthy, age is simply a state of mind. My ultimate goal is to live by Christian Northrup’s idea of being ageless.

Llyn Roberts offers a unique observation the Glacial Silt and the power we offer as we age.

“Yet, just as indigenous shamans transmit the healing forces of stones through time and space, this softer stone of Silt, which derives from land that’s tens of thousands of years old, can benefit us all. Even if a world away, we can meditate on Stone Dust for strength, to feel healed by the Earth. We can ask the spirit of Glacial Silt, and the stones of our own lands, for help. As shamans do of revered rocks and volcanoes, we can ask good energy to extend to animals, people and environments beyond us.

The particles that come from grinding glacial ice against sedimentary rock are powdery soft, not solid and hard. Different than the large boulders that water flows over or around smooth Silt offers no resistance; it surges effortlessly with the river.

This easy flow is a good reminder for us to also stay fluid, to glide with life’s currents. Yet, most intriguing about Silt is its sacred feminine teachings about power.

Glacial Silt, soft and yielding, has a delicate power. Further, in peering into glacial pools and rivers you can’t see the fine stone, only a milky tint. Silt is camouflaged, just as our strength of spirit may be subtle or concealed.

As an example of a power that’s refined and mysterious like Silt, I recently met with some people at a gathering. During our short time together, one person in the circle dominated the exchange, leaving little room for anyone else to speak. We’ve all experienced such people and may recall times that we have felt insecure and also demanded attention. When too caught up in ourselves, as in speaking non-stop, we lose instead of gain power.

Interestingly in this instance, a tranquil young woman sat next to the person doing all the talking. I sensed an aura about this girl; her eyes were warm and wise. When she eventually spoke her words were few, yet they were heartfelt and strong. I later learned that I wasn’t the only one moved by this woman’s meek manner.

It’s probably not hard to think of someone who is subdued and sincere. This person likely stays out of the limelight and doesn’t force his or her views. Similarly, Siltstone affirms that power doesn’t have to be bold or showy; we can exert large impact without our uttering a word.

Once, after sitting with Silt for weeks to learn more about it, and my own, subtle power the Silt spoke to me. Not the complex teaching I was waiting for, it offered a modest statement:

“I am what I am”, said the Silt.

“And what is that?” I asked the milky, swirling stone.

The Glacial Silt responded, “I am, of course, the physical and spiritual force of stone that flows with water.” …… pg 41

“I saw Glacial Silt for what it was: a delicate, invisible, yet, prolific giver of life. Here, in the Hoh Valley in the Olympic Mountains, that life includes the largest Elk as well as the largest variety of the largest trees in the world.

The feminine wisdom teaching of Glacial Silt is to be who we truly are. It invites a soft, intangible presence that humbly offers richness out.” P43

https://youtu.be/lXBndhToMKg

Llyn Roberts Youtube: How other cultures view women in their 50’s and menopause?

Llyn Roberts shares how indigenous cultures view aging and menopause.

• 11:26 What can nature tell us about embracing the process of aging? Llyn explains how ancient trees provide the rich nutrients for new trees to take seed and grow.
• 12:38  What is a different way to view beauty as we age? Llyn talks about her own journey and curiosity of what beauty looks like for her as she approaches 60. In indigenous cultures, the age of 52 is seen as the wisdom age where we finally become adults. While we may not be creating children during this time, our life force is very strong.
• 13:14 What is a different way of looking at hot flashes? Llyn describes how hot flashes are seen by Easter Religions as power surges. It’s about taking this kundalini energy and re-energizing it in a very different way. Llyn questions whether our life energy really drains with age and if we can shift our minds and the paradigms through practices that cultivate our energy.
• 18:03 The next time you have a hot flash consider feeling into that fire engine red. Think about how we want to take this tremendous surge of energy and what our soul wants to create with it (writing, painting, etc.).  How do you want to offer your beauty back to the earth?
• 14:34 What types of changes happen during our 50’s? When our children leave home, that change can be used as a time for a life review. That time should be used as an opportunity to contemplate and shift our sense of what “creating” means. The shift comes from using the time and energy we used to spend nurturing others and focus that same energy on ourselves. It’s both healthy for us as women and as mothers to let our children go and release them to their new adult lives. 20:04 it can be a very woeful time when our kids leave the nest. A time of longing and reminiscing when they were toddlers. The upside of this, however, is freedom, spaciousness, and pursuing other possibilities that we typically don’t have when taking care of family responsibilities.
• 18:56 How can nature teach us about giving back? Llyn discuss the cycle of giving and receiving. Nature often gives out to new life and the life energy we give out radiates back to the sender.
• 20:36 In indigenous cultures, the role of the elderly is to pass down their wisdom and wealth of experience by way of story telling.

While retirement can be a time for us to relax and kick back, some people have a hard time adjusting to the change. The challenge is finding what to do with our deep sense of creativity without separating ourselves from a diverse community. Retirement should be used as a time to create a more soulful way of living.