I am currently in two online women’s groups—one a small group that formed out of a larger group called Awakening Women to Transform the World led by Sara Vetter and Lynne Twist. The 8 women in this group were inspired to continue the momentum and ideas presented to us in the “mother group”. The other group meets weekly for 9 months and we are carefully and systematically working our way through the 12 steps (of Alcoholics Anonymous) and The 12 Efforts (as revised by Tommy Rosen). Each group has a different focus, yet the topics tend to coalesce. What I learn from one group often dovetails with the teachings from the other. For instance, one week in my 12 Efforts group, I voiced my discomfort with the language in the Big Book, which is very masculine and patriarchal. That same week, the Awakening Women’s group focused on the constructs of the patriarchy and how damaging it is to women and men alike.
Lynne Twist asked us in the original Awakening Women’s group to take a stand for something that moves us, that we feel deeply passionate about. As I explored my trigger points with the Big Book (BB) and wrote about it, I realized that what was emerging was to take a stand for women who have been wounded as a result of living under patriarchal rule for thousands of years.
In my 12 Efforts Group, we are studying addictions and recovery, using the Big Book, and other writings. The Big Book was written in the 1930s by men and, initially, for men only. It is still used today as a basis for 12 step programs. It is important to know that you do not have to have a substance issue to have an addiction issue. Substance addictions are alcohol, drugs (cocaine, opiates, methamphetamines, nicotine, heroin, etc.); process addictions are food, sex, relationships, internet, among others; and thought addictions include self-doubt, negative thinking, procrastination, and resentments. Most of us can identify with at least one thing in the above categories.
In the Awakening Women’s group, we have been discussing how we hold ourselves back from being our full, powerful Selves, how we can easily get caught up in the pettiness of things such as self-judgment or comparing ourselves with other women to keep ourselves small. We are being asked to drop the pettiness, to come together as women supporting women, to be a part of something bigger that benefits all people, the planet and nature.
As I reflect upon how these topics merge, I realize that when women are stuck in patterns rooted in the patriarchy, they do not support each other, they compete. They step on each other rather than being in step with each other. The patriarchy promotes separation from the self, from the other, from nature and from spirit. The patriarchy is hierarchal and dominating. You see this played out as the rich dominate the poor, and women, people of color, children and the working class are valued less than the masculine “elite”, and therefore exploited, dominated and oppressed. It also shows up in our proclivity toward war—war on countries, war on drugs, war on poverty, war on cancer, always reacting to our suffering by creating more war. Self-control is revered, and “emotionality” is frowned upon. Nature is seen as a thing to exploit, use, subdue, and convert into commodities for sale.
Trauma, which frequently leads to addictive behaviors, becomes the tool of the patriarchy to sustain itself—reaching back and forward through generations and becoming fertile ground for perpetuating behaviors, as we reactively yearn for anything that might alleviate our pain and separation.
Women are naturally relational and inter-connected beings. When women (and men) are in touch with their divine feminine energy, their birthright of connection, they become the healers of that pain and separation.
Addictions are grounded in the dysfunctions of the patriarchy.
Would sexual abuse, abandonment, emotional abuse, physical abuse, attachment issues or trauma be present in a culture where the masculine and feminine were balanced, where the divine feminine was revered, honored and respected?
In our Awakening Women’s group, we’ve been asked to take a stand for something that is meaningful to us, something that moves us. When you take a stand, you move from a point of view or a position to rising above your point of view to seeing another reality.
Lynne Twist Speaks About Taking a Stand
My healing work has led me to working with women and men who have issues with self-love around their bodies, and food and nourishment. In a culture where we are bombarded daily with images of what women are supposed to look like, what they are supposed to wear, how they are supposed to feel and how they would feel if only they were this weight, or used this wrinkle-free cream, or had this surgery to correct this flaw etc., it’s not a wonder that so many of us feel so unhappy with our bodies and are so disconnected from them. We live in our heads and judge ourselves for not being perfect. We have lost touch with our intuition—a gift that we as women inherently possess.
Identifying and taking a stand can be fluid and mutable.
Today, I take a stand for women to reclaim their divine feminine wisdom, to reclaim their bodies and to establish reverence in their lives, to live in coherence and interdependence with each other on this beautiful, precious planet Earth that we call home.
Healing Work:
My work as a healer has always been to help my clients and patients to heal their core wounds so they can step fully into their power and joy. I help women and men identify and heal the wounds or beliefs of separation from the divine. They come home to themselves, release the roots of addictions and know themselves as they truly are: empowered, lovable and joyful. From there, they can fully create the life of their dreams.
I invite you to reach out and join me on this magnificent journey to reclaim our Divine Feminine Power. The Earth needs you. You need you. We need you.
Rachelle Goering, MA, FNP 