October 27, 2004
Second Gather the Women Congress:
Called to Lead, Called to Serve, Called to Balance
By Joan Cowden
In twos, threes, and singly women drifted into the lobby of the hotel where for three days we would hold the field of a reality that challenges everything we have been taught about the world: that hunger, strife, and deprivation are inevitable; that we will never have enough, and that we are insufficient to the task of creating a world where resources are shared and where Peace is the energy that contains us, as our mothers contained the energy of Life in their wombs.
As the number of women swelled, the Call to Gather was given through a conch shell reverberating through the bottom two floors of the hotel, defining the tone of the space where we would spend our weekend, and resonating with all in our spirits that had drawn us there. For we had answered a greater call to gather&emdash;from Canada and Kenya, Australia and Brazil, Israel, Palestine, the United States and other countries, across oceans and mountains and rivers, so that we might learn from each other and share our stories of hope and courage. As women returning to the well, we came to share in the great well of our own collective spirit, in surety that another world is possible, and that We, the Women, are the ones who will demand and facilitate its creation.
The conch shell resounded as we poured toward the rooms set aside for our weekend's work. Then, on rounding a corner, with the even tones of the conch still calling, we heard drums -- steady, compelling, joyous -- drawing us into the atrium of the room where we would gather. Passing the banners of Goddesses of the world and a curtain of colorful origami peace doves, we spilled quietly into the main room where we were greeted by chants from Mosaic Song, who would be with us periodically throughout the weekend. And as certainly as in any women's sacred circle, we had come to a space between worlds, which was somehow mostly maintained throughout the time of gathering.
What followed was a weaving of the mundane and the sacred.
Over the course of the weekend we acknowledged the realities of the critical condition of our world, and the dire plight of the women and children in it. We confronted the devastating consequences of countries waging war on women and the planet. We heard from groups dealing with issues of women's health, rights and safety: Linda Gray in the Movie Face to Face, Jane Roberts for 34 Million Friends, and other remakable women from partner organizations. Family planning, safe maternity and birthing, adolescent health, dealing with HIV/AIDS, cessation of female genital mutilation and universal access to sexual and reproductive health care remain at the top of the list for alleviating the horrors women face, and providing stability to developing countries.
Groups such as our partner organizations provide needed programs and support for women worldwide, yet our discussion acknowledged that we must connect at a deeper level as well, woman to woman, to bridge the artificial divides of religion, politics and cultural forms that have been rigorously enforced to sustain the patri-archal systems that thrive in the presence of those divides. We affirmed that while our actions to help the planet are critical, as co-creators we must also hold the vision of the world that we wish to bring forth. Women can lead the energy to create change, even in the face of entrenched and abusive patriarchal systems. In light of our willingness to adopt nonlinear modalities, we may be only ones who can.
On bridging the divides between women within and between cultures we heard from our Gather the Women Director Kathe Schaaf, offspring groups Gather the Family and Gather the Girls, Patricia Smith Melton for Peace X Peace, and Jean Shinoda Bolen, founder of the Millionth Circle Initiative. We were gifted with the poetry of Ada Aharoni, and the insights of Cynthia Walker and Barbara Marx Hubbard. Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson offered inspiration and encouragement, and it was good to know that someone could anchor our energy in secular spaces as we continue to hold the field for change. Through all these ran threads affirming the reemergence of the Feminine Archetype, a sense of process, and an understanding of synchronicity as an outflow of holding our intention in Spirit -- holding the morphic field.
Yet did we do that? And did we commit ourselves fully to the Feminine energy? Yes, and no.
Speakers' topics were interwoven with ceremonies of Blessing, yet there were moments when old forms prevailed; moments where opportunities to hold Power Within were missed on giving in to habits of outward expression; and times when language and ceremony were rooted in patriarchal frameworks.
Of sacred moments, the Blessing of the Grandmothers was potent and moving, bearing little miracles in its wake. The blessing of the Waters of the World was also profound. We poured into the cauldron our waters from oceans, sacred rivers and most continents, some of which had been blessed by the Dali Lama and other spiritual figures. Cognizant of the symbolism of women gathering at the well, and of the dire conditions of many of the world's waters, we held our vision for clean water as we blessed our own Waters of the World with our intention for the weekend. The blessing ceremonies woven between speakers and various days' ac-tivities created a heightened sense of sacred space, yet throughout the weekend, there was a marked reluc-tance to address or name the Feminine Energy as Goddess.
In our thought environment we empower that which we name, yet with few exceptions, speakers were unable to refer to Deity except in the male energy, or at best, in the neutral, as Source. The "Interfaith" Service was also of note: it simply wasn't Interfaith. In sermon, song and form it was exclusively a Christian service, which reveals again our entrapment within the forms and constructs that have contained our expression for so many millennia. Whether we will fully embody the energy of Feminine Principle in time to bring balance to our planet remains to be seen. I think we are learning. But in public spaces, even "safe" public spaces, few of the women gathered seemed truly comfortable with the Divine Feminine expressed personally. It is still a time of transition, as we relearn our ancient processes: organic, whole, flowing -- and forbidden for so long.
Amid the speakers and workshops we were offered music by Mosaic Song and Jana Stanfield daily through-out the weekend, which helped cement our inspiration and intent through words, sound and dance, as well as giving us an outlet for the heightened energy in which we were bathed. The workshops I attended were help-ful, but too few. Time could have been made for more workshops by eliminating a few lengthy biographies throughout the event which were not truly relevant to other material being offered. Of greatest importance however, was the reflection time provided for in the schedule each day, which often contained some of the most enlightening moments of the weekend as impromptu circles formed to address issues: "How do we cre-ate community?" "How do we take this home with us?" "Do we emphasize holding the field over action, or must we do both equally?" "How do we become the Divine Feminine archetype in person and process in hostile conditions of the work environment?" "How do we explore what that Archetype is, without any-thing to model in our time?" And so on. Some of the gems of the weekend were to be found in these unex-pected discussions.
From these discussions also emerged overriding daily themes: Connecting the Dots on Friday, and Resonance on Saturday, in a flow of synchronicity and convergence that pervaded the unscheduled circles. A circle ceremony during final activities on Sunday provided some closure for the event, but a process for grounding the collective energy was not provided for, with the result that the energy afterward was a bit scattered.
In all, what did we accomplish?
Do we have all the answers? No. Do we even have all the questions? Certainly not.
We are still in the process of Becoming, of remembering in our deepest Selves what it means to be Goddess Within. We are doing all this while trying to slow the hemorrhaging of a planet that is horribly wounded, and may not survive without extreme measures -- and our ability to hold the field for healing. Gather the Women offers a vehicle for connection as we evolve, but it too, is evolving, perhaps in ways that we do not yet fore-see. If we maintain compassion for our collective process there is huge potential for co-creative action through this container; this movement of ongoing gathering, action and intent. How much of that potential is realized depends on our continued contact -- personally and through the forums provided for our interaction -- and on our ability to remain active and flowing under adverse conditions. For now, two hundred women have become seeds who will return to their communities to germinate. Many more could not be with us, yet they, too, are part of the web. Our actions and our intent together form a powerful force toward aligning the morphic field to our vision of peace and balance. We can be the vehicle for a new paradigm if we will trust the process and simply continue.
Joan Cowden is a new voice at AWe. From Oklahoma City, she is a long time subscriber to the e-news. Look for her upcoming contributions on these pages. Welcome Joan!