Feminism's Fourth Wave: Spirituality Rituals
New women's spirituality rituals
March 2005
Pythia Peay Utne magazine
Like poetry or jazz, women's spirituality is a wellspring of
creative new forms of ritual expression. Here are several samples
of what women are doing when they come together in a sacred way to
change the world.
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Planting a Seed of Hope
After a time of silence in a beautiful natural setting, chose in
silence a large fava bean from a basket full of beans, and a
permanent marker from another basket full of pens, and write on the
bean a few words to describe your personal commitment to a new
world. Then plant your beans in a long row cut in the earth,
grounding that action with a prayer.
Created by Marilyn Miller, Venture County, California for the
Gather The Women Congress
Blessing of the Beads
In this ritual -- which comes from an actual dream with a Native
American Elder -- each woman is asked to bring prayer beads,
rosaries, or any other meaningful symbol of her personal faith.
After sitting for some moments in silence in a circle, each woman
then passes her beads to the woman next to her. As each woman holds
another woman's prayer beads in the palm of her hand, she
concentrates on the unique soul and life experiences of that woman.
After blessing it, she then passes it to the woman next to her,
until all of the women in the circle have blessed each other's
beads. In this way, women honor each other's individual life path
and faith tradition-weaving together a blessing basket of peace and
harmony.
Created by Pythia Peay, Washington, D.C., for a Women Weaving a
Culture of Harmony workshop
Rising From the Ashes
Gently move into a state of quiet mind and open heart. Feel in
your body any obstruction -- whether psychological block, fear,
stalled relationship, or an unfulfilling job -- that stands in the
way of your inner freedom, passion, or authentic voice. Once you
have located the obstruction, surround it with loving kindness, and
then write it down on a piece of paper. Turning to the woman next
to you, take turns reading aloud what you have each written. In
this way, one's commitment to burning away the obstacle that stands
between you and your authentic power is witnessed. Later, the slips
of paper can be burned, so that something rises from the
ashes.
Created by Elizabeth Lesser, at the Women and Power
Conference
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