She Who Leads Happily Across

Each of us is familiar with the presentation of three faces of woman:
Young and innocent;
Empowered and well-defined;
Elder and wise.

Nowhere in modern society is there more questing than in the lives of awakened women. Contemporary women recognize their unlimited potential. We are on the move; the energy of the divine feminine stimulates and lifts us toward a future yet unborn, and each of us becomes a component of her expression. Yes, we are magnificent.

As Woman garners her strength, she creates adventures and understanding with fresh new dreams. She most often takes form through those who dare to stretch their wings. We ponder her mystery, seeking to find ways to express—in words, songs, paintings, babies, hopes, jobs, or causes.

A near-death experience in 1958 set my inner nature free in a world with little comprehension of spirituality or the power of light-filled moments. Without words or concepts to guide me, I foundered in a world of values that forbade new awareness. Struggling to bridge my conventional role of good Catholic wife and mother with the spiritual reality I had encountered ever so briefly, the experiences I needed to link inner and outer slowly emerged. When I sat quietly, contemplatively after the children were in bed, I discovered first a rewarding peace, then a comforting presence. I found that I was not alone.

Reconciling dichotomies is a major work of contemporary women. We are learning to use our hearts and minds, our creativity and our rational capabilities at home and in our new public positions as we role-model for those who follow: our daughters, their daughters, our collective daughters.

How we as women embrace and master life as we approach the 21st century is the focus of this book. Each contributor has found that strength, encouragement, and challenge helped forge her foundation. From personal perspectives, we face the millennium hoping to share words of clarity for those ready to move forward and transcend the past. We no longer hesitate, looking wistfully to others for the rules; we take the lead, challenging forces, which once held us in restriction. Woman’s way is to tell stories that call others to new awareness.

A preponderance of this new energy is called by many names; I use divine feminine, meaning “sensitive, creative, supportive.” The nature of the feminine is to linger, endure, and embrace; it is often called Aquarian, which implies humanitarian and universal. Native people say to become a “true human” is every person's goal. The time rapidly approaches when we will see beyond gender and acknowledge wholeness as the great goal.

The society of the past half-century has been shattered by wave upon wave of falling thoughtforms. Equality is now demanded; mere promises are no longer adequate. No double standard, for it is too painful, glass ceilings demand shattering. The long-forgotten seed of spirit planted within human consciousness is bursting into bloom.

Currently, women are busy creating spirituality out of religion. Based on the experience of another, religion looks backward; spirituality looks to the future, to what we can be. Religion defines dogma and what is acceptable; spirituality acknowledges inner nature and begs its maturity.

We are in the midst of the Second Reformation of the Christian Church. In one hundred years, we will wonder why women moving into church prominence was so disturbing, for we know that Christ was served by holy women as he was by male disciples. The church of the third millennium will emerge as the church of the Mother and the Father—strong yet tender, healed and whole.

As we approach new frontiers, we are responding to impulses leading to Renaissance II—a flowering of fresh ideas, a new worldview. Spirituality is the next stage of that blossoming. Just as crystallizations of the Dark Ages once held individuals in a limited state, the Renaissance set the Western world free to begin a new cycle of ideas and philosophies. In the same way, spiritual will is carrying us beyond the entrapment of mechanistic thinking to reconcile and harmonize ancient wisdom and ever-expanding science. We must realize an expansion of consciousness in order to coordinate heart and mind, discover our unique inherent gifts, and claim both intellect and intuition. Wherever polarities exist, we seek to find a higher consciousness from which to view life—from a balanced, centered position, if you will. Awakened woman is ready to make her contribution. Sophia is her name.

The recognition of Sophia, as she is called in Proverbs, helps each world religion honor its feminine deities as personifications of wisdom, beloved in their own ways: Mary, Mother of Jesus; Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile; Kuan Yin, the Bodhisattva of Compassion; Isis; Venus; Athena; Ishtar; and Astarte. As each religious path or cultural pattern serves a collective, each advances slowly toward a worldview bringing order to a seemingly random universe. As we consider what may be the end times as referenced by Christian Scriptures, we see disintegration all about us. Wisdom warns us not to conclude this is the end of the planet, but of a worldview. Endings beg new beginnings, and the divine feminine responds.

The Emerging Feminine Energies

Visualize the emerging feminine energies as a fine mist penetrating ever so gently. The effects are nearly undetectable, like the delicate fragrance of freshness—vague, pleasant, refined. It enfolds us. Its physical influence is sensitive and peaceful; emotionally, the feminine feels pleasant, like a sunset or a warm, light rain. The greatest obstacle to this energy is mental. Not wanting to be absorbed by an encircling cloud of tranquility, the rational mind rebels, demanding independence and reward—from self and others.

Even as we admire sensitivity, nurturing, serenity, and encouragement, ego mind ascertains that “soft” is not as acceptable as “strong,” “casual” not as alluring as “chic,” “natural” not as commanding as “earthy,“ “sensual” not as powerful as “sexual.” We know the basic need for mothers—homes, nature, the quiet of evening—yet as a society we have been motivated by conquest and intellectualism.

As we progress into the future, Women can count on several factors:

• We will be challenged time and again.
• Humanity needs us, and we are to be role models.
• We must dare to be clear in our own ethics, even if misunderstood.
• As we progress, we keep one hand in the hand of a trusted confidant or therapist to help us wipe away the residue stirred.
• We must continue to love and forgive those who cannot understand.

To be positively feminine, a woman cannot be anti-male, nor can a true man be anti-woman. The time approaches when, valuing their differences, opposites will admire and honor one another. And an age of peace and accord and the wise use of creative powers will ensue.

Sophia, one of the names for God in the Scriptures, means “wisdom” in the original Greek of the Bible. Here exists divine validation of the holy feminine spirit—eternal co-creator with God who has been on the world stage from the beginning of time. In Proverbs, 8:22 we read, “The Lord created me (Wisdom) as the first of his creations, before all of his works,” and verses 27 through 30 continue to affirm her participation. In fact, all of chapters 8 and 9 narrate the roll of Wisdom (Sophia) in creation, as she formulates and orders the world, manifesting divine will. Wisdom delights to interact with humankind, teaching us her ways. Of greatest significance is that, as a gift of the intuitive heart, wisdom has been a guide, a goal, and a pathway for the homeward-bound soul among the discerning of all ages.

Feminine virtues—soft, loving, yielding, nurturing, and, above all, compassionate—are epitomized in the Legend of Kuan Yin from the Chinese tradition:

Long ago an emperor and empress ruled the land well, but they were childless. They went to the Western Mountain and prayed for children. Thereafter three girls were born but no sons. The Emperor decided that when his daughters married, he would choose one of their husbands to succeed him. The youngest daughter, Miao Shan, became their favorite, and they decided to make her husband emperor. However, Miao Shan said, “I only want to sit alone and pray to become perfect; to care for the ill and to help the poor. I do not want to wed.”

Her father became so angry he cast Miao Shan out to perish in the cold from hunger. She did not die. Her family begged her to change her mind, but she asked only to go to the Nunnery of the White Sparrow. The emperor allowed her to enter the nunnery but ordered its mistress to assign her the most menial tasks to discourage her from becoming a nun.

Miao Shan cheerfully carried out her hard chores. This report further angered the emperor. He ordered the nunnery to be burned to the ground, but heaven must have taken pity on Miao Shan, for rain extinguished the fire.

The emperor then ordered his troops to seize her and behead her. When the empress begged the emperor to win their daughter back with music and feasting, Miao Shan was not tempted. On her execution day, a miracle: the axe shattered to smithereens as it touched her white neck. A tiger spirit is said to have carried her away to the underworld where she prayed until the underworld became bright with light.

Returning to Earth, she sought a quiet place to pray for perfection. For nine years, she meditated on the Island of Pu To. By thinking only pure thoughts, she became perfect.

About to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, Miao Shan stopped at the gate. Wails of the poor, troubled people made her turn back to help. Because of her great compassion, from that time she has been called Kuan Yin, meaning “She who hears prayers.”

While this lovely legend dramatically portrays the attribute of the divine feminine we call “compassion” (Kuan Yin is known as the Bodhisattva of Compassion, it also expresses great inner strength, though strength has long been deemed a masculine attribute. So we add to the well-acknowledged feminine energies—nurturing, loving, and flexible—others less widely recognized: inspiring, creative, long enduring, intuitive, and playful.

In eras of equality, male and female are of mutual significance. In our time, we experience misused masculine power. Evidence suggests that woman over-reached her power in times past and triggered a wide swing of the pendulum. As we create an age of enlightenment, we work to re-create gratitude for feminine influences that express through both male and female.

Consider the symbolism of the “Tree of Life” of the kabalistic tradition. On the feminine pillar, Binah, the sea, is filled with potential—the forms, or seeds, for all that can be. On the same pillar, but on a lesser level the stern mother, Geburah, trains, and disciplines with tough love, when necessary. Below that level on the feminine pillar, Hod is instinctual intellect—that inner knowing so often recognized as woman's intuition. There is so much more to each of us than meets the eye!

The Feminine Strengths
    Contemplation and meditation, as spiritual technologies, increase our realization of the benefits that accrue as humanity regains respect for the feminine principle. Through these tools, we will rediscover a natural reservoir of healing, comfort, tenderness, sensitivity, and protection. Strengthening our appreciation of feminine dignity and purity encourages women and men to re-establish worthy spiritual role models, thus empowering the woman of the future. With renewed appreciation, we will welcome feminine strengths in both genders. A return to sensitivity will reshape values and bring balance and wholeness.

So much mental rationale has been developed in our world that, as we prepare for the 21st century, we must now consciously stimulate an equal amount of sensitive love—compassion, rich with wisdom—to compensate for today' s indifference. Extreme masculine or feminine traits push us toward over-expression. The absence of love for divine principles shows in competition without compassion; brute force; power without temperance, mercy, or nobility; war; and lack of appreciation for emotions, nature, and the well being of the Earth. We must manifest the love humanity needs to think with the heart and feel with the mind.

It is interesting to note how Genesis, likely an early interpretation, is being re-evaluated. Well-known Bible authority David Freedman of the University of California wrote recently in the Biblical Archaeology Review “The age-old scriptural image of woman being made subordinate to man may be the result of a mistranslation of the Hebrew word ‘ezer’ (Genesis 2:18) as ‘helper’ or ‘helpmate.’ The word actually has roots indicating it should be translated as ‘a strength’ or ‘a power’ and that the word ‘kenegdo’ used with it, though usually translated as ‘fit,’ should be translated ‘equal,’ This would have made the Genesis account read that woman was created as ‘a power equal to a man’ instead of a helper fit for man.’” (My emphasis)

In ancient history, humanity revered the Divine Mother as goddess, giver of life, personifying the nurturing spirit that gave life. Later, Isis came to honor and immortalize the natural bond between mother and child. Then Mary, Mother of Jesus, embodied this divine principal for Christian and non-Christian alike.

Peter Roche de Coppens writes in The Nature and Use of Ritual for Spiritual Attainment:

"Short and simple as it is, the Rosary is one of the most important spiritual documents containing profound esoteric knowledge and a series of integrated and practical exercises designed to establish a breakthrough between the conscious and the super-conscious, to fill the human aura with spiritual Light, and to harmonize human self with Spiritual Self.

“Mary, therefore, represents the ideal woman, the perfection of the female principle, and the incarnation of the eternal feminine aspect, a part which we all have within our being.”

The long-hidden face of the divine feminine has endured in traditions worldwide. Buddhism’s White Tara symbolizes the highest form of spiritual transformation. Tara is revered as “she who in the mind of all Yogis leads out of the darkness of bondage”—the primordial force of self-mastery and redemption. While on the Inner plane she is known as Shakti, on the higher she is Tara “who leads happily across.” Especially venerated in Tibet, she is considered the Mother of Buddhism. She leads the souls across the river of samsara (“reincarnation” or “worldly illusion” in Sanskrit) to the far shore, which is nirvana. Her emblem, as illumination, is a book resting upon a lotus blossom, her hands forming a circle signifying the inner contemplation of the true doctrine. She is also called “Dolma”—the Saviouress, the Great Goddess of Mercy. Maya, the fantasy, the enchantress, delights in imprisoning all creatures; Tara, true spirituality, sets them free.

As we seek to appreciate the divine feminine and the emerging Sophia-wisdom—the intuitive knowing stirring more and more significantly among humanity—the challenge of acknowledging human divinity as feminine disturbs our age-old consideration of divinity only as masculine. Gradually, we realize that if God is whole and absolute, s/he must be of both genders, and we are forced to face our limited conceptions about holy reality.

Even as we are challenged and stirred by such daring thought, the goddess herself must be restless—perhaps saddened as well. From every corner she seeks to make herself known. Whether through appearances of Mary, the whispered inner knowing of Sophia, or the return to goddess religions, e.g., Wicca and Isis, our world must confront the swing of the pendulum to the feminine. Since many are still uncomfortable with subjects’ dear to the Lady's heart—sexuality, birth, death, intuition, healing, play—polite society is thrown into many challenging areas. She seems to have her foot in the door of every arena, from the office and laboratory to sports and politics, as well as spiritual circles.

It is important to realize our goal is integration and balance of the divine in both the masculine and the feminine. Our social structure has functioned in a driven, success-oriented, competitive mode for centuries, and now a surge of interactive approaches challenges this achievement style. Women who dared enter the world of business, science, or higher education seventy-five to one hundred years ago did so at the risk of being stripped of their femininity or told to “park it at the door—emotion does not belong here.”

Today, active listening is encouraged. Suggestions and ideas travel from ground level (foundation) up. Workers buy companies and find new ways to implement their ideas. Interactive styles are “in,” even for the President of the United States, the John Wayne approach has been retired. What initiated such change in these few years since the women's movement began? Can we not see there is more at work here than just cultural shifts? Esoteric philosophy suggests a cosmic current is affecting our planet, and perhaps it is time to stand back and observe. Many believe humanity advances by utilizing first one set of skills or qualities, then another. Historically, we trace the last few ages from hunter (masculine) to agriculture (feminine) to conquest and industry (masculine). Having penetrated a new level on the spiral, we ascend again toward honoring feminine values.

Long ago, most of society shifted from tracing family lineage from matriarchal to patriarchal, from ownership by women to ownership by men, Only in this century have women captured the right to vote in our country, initiating their movement toward renewed value and the right to be heard. Modern history records the achievements of men, barely mentioning noted women and their contributions of the last millennium. Authors and poets were forced to write under pseudonyms to get published. The feminine gender was disdained.

Now we watch the tide turn. We are challenged to see what has long been denied. All of life is supporting this balancing. Planetary consciousness demonstrates its femininity distinctly:

• Earth continually adjusts to create a fertile environment to sustain the “seeds” of life;
• Mother Nature adapts her creatures to her environment;
• As a last resort, the enduring, long-suffering planet turns to tantrums and storms to cleanse, to begin life anew

Societies themselves may be labeled masculine or feminine. The more rational, rigid, and ambitious the culture, the more it is considered masculine. The more instinctual, comfortable with emotions, and respectful of natural laws, the more a unified collective is regarded as feminine. Cultures of the East project concepts of unity: of the West, separatism. Eastern religions and spiritual traditions recognize the relationship of every part to the whole, while the West dissects, analyzes, and rationalizes how’s and whys. Thus, while the East cultivated philosophy, yoga, and castes, the West exalted science, art, and organized religion. While the East attuned to inner, invisible precepts, the West prized outer, visible power and status.

Like dawn and dusk, planetary cycles come and go. The dawn is overtly powerful—that is, masculine—but covertly contemplative; the dusk is overtly soft—that is, feminine—but covertly vigorous.

Women and highly sensitive men—feminine in nature—are used as instruments of impression repeatedly. Since the mid-19th century, a swelling of information has spilled into the educated and articulate of the world. Messages from spirit and transmissions from holy ones in the higher world stir minds and set new currents into motion. Phenomena erupted: from Helena Blavatsky—saint or sinner, according to one's perspective—to the Fox Sisters of New England, to Alice Bailey and her service as an amanuensis for The Tibetan.

Wise Ones, or ascended beings, also provided guidance and instruction to Helena Roerich. Her inspired transmissions, Agni Yoga, offer data of a cosmic nature, addressing the changing period, our planet would be entering and speaking to those deemed ready to receive. The Agni Yoga teachings gradually were shared with a small number who started adapting new thoughts and lifestyles, practicing meditation, and deepening their spiritual disciplines. As they observed the acceleration of change in the outer world, they contemplated the Agni writings for keys to holistic living.

Helena Roerich, a Russian aristocrat and theosophist (1879-1955), preferred absolute anonymity: her writings were published unsigned and remain so today. Two books of her letters, stepping down the teachings to students, have been published, but the bulk of transmitted material only now is becoming known. Much guidance concerning the future is given, with great emphasis upon cultivating an appreciation of the work, the teachings, and magnitude of the divine feminine.

Some Agni Yoga thoughts from the world of spirit, complied in Woman, which was published by the Agni Yoga Society in 1958, regarding the impact of the divine feminine are:

1. The approaching great epoch is closely connected with the ascendancy of woman. The future again offers woman her rightful place beside her eternal traveler and coworker, man. Buddha held woman in the greatest esteem, and stated that she could achieve, as well as man, the highest degrees of Arhatship. Verily, the same fire of spirit, the same monad is aflame in woman as in man; the psychic apparatus of woman is subtler than that of man. That is why in ancient Egypt the high priestesses of Isis transmitted the orders of the Goddess to the Hierophants, but never vice versa.
2. All the present and coming miseries and cosmic cataclysms to a great degree result from the subjugation and abasement of woman. The dreadful decline of morality, the diseases and degeneration of some nations, are also the results of the slavish dependence of women. Woman is deprived of the greatest human privilege—complete participation in creative thought and constructive work. She is deprived not only of equal rights but, in many countries, of equal education with man. She is not allowed to express her abilities in the building of social and government life, of which, by Cosmic Law and Right, she is a full-fledged member. But, a woman slave can give to the world slaves only. The proverb "great mother, great son" has a cosmic, scientific foundation. As sons mostly take after their mothers, and daughters after fathers, great is cosmic justice! By humiliating woman, man humiliates himself! This explains today the paucity of man's genius.
3. New Age writings present various other ideas for women today. Woman is the one who should know and proclaim the power of culture developed from spirit because she was chosen to link the two worlds, visible and invisible. Woman possesses the power of the sacred life energy. The coming epoch brings knowledge about this great omnipresent energy, which is manifested in all immortal creations of human genius.
4. Woman must defend not only her own rights but also the right of free thought for the whole of humanity!

The goal of Agni Yoga—yoga means “union” (as does yoke in the Bible, take my yoke upon you)—is to provide a new comprehension of the nature of reality of humanity and the universe, stirring aspiration in the hearts and minds of humanity. Agni emphasizes the natural laws of the cosmos by advocating appropriate interaction of masculine and feminine energies and by teaching that misuse and abuse of either gender brings imbalance to the laws of nature.

Today's women—awakening to this stirring of the divine feminine--must be alert to the danger of repeating the pattern of swinging from one extreme to the other, seeking revenge for errors suffered, or devaluing men in retaliation. Wise ones who recognize the universality of spiritual teachings demand dignity for all. Recalling the rules of high consciousness, they must assist the lesser aware to respect every being. The seven great “world-old” Hermetic Laws, from The Kybalion, published by The Yogi Publications Society in 1940, teach:

1. The Principle of Mentalism: All is mind, for everything flows from the mind of the Creator, i.e., Father-Mother God.
2. The Principle of Correspondence: Everything relates—the laws and all planes of matter, the ethers, and energy, of being and life. As above, so below.
3. The Principle of Vibration: Everything is in motion, reverberating, never at rest.
4. The Principle of Polarity: Everything has its opposite aspect, differing only in degree.
5. The Principle of Rhythm: The pendulum swing manifests in everything. Just as the tide ebbs and [lows, matriarchy and patriarchy rise and fall.
6. The Principle of Cause and Effect: Everything happens according to law; “chance” is just a name for law unrecognized.
7. The Principle of Gender: Everything is feminine and masculine. Gender, meaning, “to generate,” manifests on every plane.

As the pendulum returns to the feminine, may the Inner Knower within each, speak strongly and clearly, with balance and forethought.

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