Wednesday, June 04, 2008
The Feminine Fire (new online e-mail newsletter)
Teri Degler (a professional writer in Canada who has written on kundalini) has recently begun an online magazine called "The Feminine Fire, the Divine Creative Force You Hold Within", and the recent issue includes a writeup of me. I am posting it here rather than simply giving you the site, since you have to be on the e-mail list to read the issue itself. (To sign up, write her at teridegler@sympatico.ca and ask to be included on her e-mail list.)
It is a truly fascinating journal, with many articles relevant to creativity and the Divine Feminine in both men and women. One of her special interests is Hildegard, whose inner inspiration she connects with both Sophia and the Holy Spirit.
It is a truly fascinating journal, with many articles relevant to creativity and the Divine Feminine in both men and women. One of her special interests is Hildegard, whose inner inspiration she connects with both Sophia and the Holy Spirit.
I felt truly honored to be included in this wonderful new journal.
Women Inspiring. . .
Dorothy Walters
Dorothy Walters is an extraordinarily gifted San Francisco poet who recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Her life has been filled with acts of quiet courage that make her a truly inspiring woman. She began by taking a Ph.D. in English at a time when women were not encouraged to enter higher education. As a university professor in the 1970s she helped to found one of the first women's studies programs in the United States and co-edited one of the first anthologies of poetry written by women. Dorothy also took it upon herself to mentor women whose education had been interrupted --often by starting families-- and who wanted to return to university. Today women's studies programs are so common, women’s literature so widely praised, and mothers in classrooms so much the norm that it is hard for us to realize how revolutionary Dorothy's actions were at the time and how much opposition there was to them.
But Dorothy has never let a little opposition stop her. Realizing early on that she was a Lesbian, she had the courage to embrace this lifestyle long before it had gained any kind of acceptance. And then in 1981 (as if she hadn't dealt with enough challenges!) she experienced a major spontaneous awakening of kundalini-shakti. During the many years of transformation and spiritual unfolding that have followed, Dorothy has been led by the promptings of her inner guru rather than any external guide or teacher. She has written about this spiritual journey with exceptional candor and moving honesty in her remarkable books, Unmasking the Rose, A Record of a Kundalini Initiation (Hampton Roads) and Marrow of Flame: Poems of the Spiritual Journey (Hohm Press). Dorothy now devotes much of her time to helping others undergoing spiritual transformation, with special attention to those experiencing awakening kundalini.
For Dorothy, the act of writing is itself a spiritual exercise. She says, "In my view, we are now undergoing planetary evolution of consciousness, a shift of indescribable importance which brings great hope into these most difficult times. Poetry can help achieve this remarkable transition."
Women Inspiring. . .
Dorothy Walters
Dorothy Walters is an extraordinarily gifted San Francisco poet who recently celebrated her 80th birthday. Her life has been filled with acts of quiet courage that make her a truly inspiring woman. She began by taking a Ph.D. in English at a time when women were not encouraged to enter higher education. As a university professor in the 1970s she helped to found one of the first women's studies programs in the United States and co-edited one of the first anthologies of poetry written by women. Dorothy also took it upon herself to mentor women whose education had been interrupted --often by starting families-- and who wanted to return to university. Today women's studies programs are so common, women’s literature so widely praised, and mothers in classrooms so much the norm that it is hard for us to realize how revolutionary Dorothy's actions were at the time and how much opposition there was to them.
But Dorothy has never let a little opposition stop her. Realizing early on that she was a Lesbian, she had the courage to embrace this lifestyle long before it had gained any kind of acceptance. And then in 1981 (as if she hadn't dealt with enough challenges!) she experienced a major spontaneous awakening of kundalini-shakti. During the many years of transformation and spiritual unfolding that have followed, Dorothy has been led by the promptings of her inner guru rather than any external guide or teacher. She has written about this spiritual journey with exceptional candor and moving honesty in her remarkable books, Unmasking the Rose, A Record of a Kundalini Initiation (Hampton Roads) and Marrow of Flame: Poems of the Spiritual Journey (Hohm Press). Dorothy now devotes much of her time to helping others undergoing spiritual transformation, with special attention to those experiencing awakening kundalini.
For Dorothy, the act of writing is itself a spiritual exercise. She says, "In my view, we are now undergoing planetary evolution of consciousness, a shift of indescribable importance which brings great hope into these most difficult times. Poetry can help achieve this remarkable transition."
Increasing the Creative Inspiration in Your Life
Dorothy gets inspiration from her inner spiritual experiences, from nature and music, and from reading the work of poets such as Rumi and Mary Oliver and the ancient spiritual texts, especially those of the Kashmiri Shaivite tradition. If you want to increase the creative inspiration in your life, she says, zzz'Do whatever works best for you to awaken your creative impulse: meditation, movement, reflection, reading, going into nature, dancing, being with friends, whatever makes your feel alive, joyous, filled with energy. Or, if you are working with the shadow side, then honor your feelings of pain and grief fully in what you write. Capture the spirit of the moment in what you create, whether you are touching on your deepest levels or describing something smaller, closer to home. Write or create what your inner self needs to express at that time, whether of joy or pain or humor or reflection. . . .Don't worry about recognition and rewards. Take risks. Be true to yourself and maintain your connection to source. Above all else, be authentic.
A Cloth of Fine Gold
You may think that first lit flame
was the ultimate blaze,
the holy fire revealed.
What do you know of furnaces?
This is a sun that returns
again and again,
refining, igniting, pouring your spirit
through a cloth of delicate gold
until all dross is taken
and you are sweet as
clarified butter
in god’s mouth.
Order Dorothy’s books and find more of her wisdom and poetry at: www.
(Note: If you go to the actual site of The Feminine Fire, there are some additional poems as well as some beautifuly paintings which accompany them. Be sure to "pass your mouse" over the stars in the margins to bring up these extras.)
