Woman Arising :: October 8-10

Writer Amanda Christmann Larson

 When I was young, I thought being strong and being female meant that I had something to prove. It was as if I had been born with a disadvantage, but if I tried hard enough, I could keep up with the boys. I played baseball with the boys on the block, wore blue jeans and boys’ t-shirts well into adolescence, and got knocked down more than once on the playground soccer fields while blocking balls with my head and other “tough” moves. On the softball field, my dad taught me not to throw “like a girl,” and each season started with the inaugural slide. I’d stand on base grinning widely as blood trickled down my shins - my coach grinning back and flashing a thumbs-up sign. I never cried even when I was really hurting, because only girls cried; and I wasn’t going to act like one of those.

I was fortunate to have been born at a time when there were messages of equality everywhere. Girls could do the same things as boys, and the other way around. We were equal, I was told. “Stewardesses” became “flight attendants,” “firemen” became “firefighters,” and dozens of other gender-neutral words popped into our vocabularies. While my mother’s generation hit a glass ceiling, my generation was told that the sky was the limit. We were free. We could take on traditionally-male jobs and, as long as we proved ourselves, we really could be equal - or something close to it.

Somewhere along the line, though, equality became a very masculine thing. Women’s pants suits and short, cropped hair became popular, turning women into smaller cookie-cutter versions of their male counterparts. Success meant becoming hardened and cutthroat. Never show your emotions; don’t let your family get in the way of your career. It seems to me (some may disagree) that we lost our femininity somewhere along the way.

In my own life, I have spent several years redefining what it means to be “feminine.” For years, I associated that word with weakness. I have now come to understand it as something entirely different – more of a feminine “energy” – completely separate from masculinity, but just as important. We have thousands of years of nurturing imprinted in our genetic code. We are communicators. We appreciate beauty, both in nature and in each other. As women, we all share varying degrees of the same uniquely female traits, and I have come to believe that there is truly a gift in that.

Something wonderful happens when women get together. Once we get past competitiveness (and women can be very competitive), we begin to nurture each other. The same innate traits that make us good mothers make us good friends. We empathize, we laugh, we share, and we understand. Our female energy comes out, and when we leave each other, we feel good about ourselves and about our lives. Ironically, however, so few women take the time to build relationships with other women.

My friend Sarah McLean recognized this much sooner than I did. Her journey into her “Self” started when she was serving as a medic and behavioral specialist in the U.S. Army in the 1980s. She started focusing on the connection between the mind and body, which led her to meditation and self-examination. Like me, she began to recognize that strength had less to do with her muscles than it did with her mind.

In 1989, Sarah began working with Dr. Deepak Chopra. Most people know Dr. Chopra as the guru behind the Chopra Center, where he’s preached about the connection between mind and body, taught meditation and other connecting techniques, and influenced some of the most powerful world figures. Before he was that, though, Sarah began working for him as an educator at the Ayurveda Health Center in Massachusetts. As his popularity grew, she became a founding director of the Chopra Center in Carlsbad, California. In 1997, she went on a six-month sabbatical, meditating and teaching English “Eat, Pray, Love”-style in ashrams in India. When she returned to the States, she spent two years, much of it in silence and meditation, working as a cook in a Zen Buddhist training center in the mountains of California. Today, she is the founder of Sedona Meditation Training Center. She has no religious bias, and her teachings are about learning to celebrate the person each of us was created to be.

Sarah’s journey has been unique, and I have always sensed that in her presence. I admire her, respect her, and love being around her because she inspires me. So when she asked me to be a part of a project to bring women together for a nourishing and inspirational weekend, I didn’t have to think twice.

“Woman Arising” is unique. Even the world of self-discovery, it turns out, is dominated by males. While many of them are wonderful teachers, Sarah wanted to celebrate the beautiful feminine energy that so many women are still figuring out how to embrace.

For lack of a better word, it is a conference; although it will be more of an “experience” than anything. To begin, Lindsay Wagner (known by most for her role as the Bionic Woman in the 1980s) will be facilitating a pre-conference retreat all day Saturday, October 8 at Sedona’s amazing Enchantment Resort. Lindsay is now an accomplished author, and has experienced her own journey of self-discovery. The retreat, called “Quiet the Mind, Open the Heart,” is an all-day guided meditation perfect for everyone, from meditation newbies to those with a daily practice.

With the backdrop of the red mountain cliffs and rugged canyons surrounding Enchantment, on Sunday and Monday, October 9-10, Woman Arising dialogues take place. The speakers are all incredible women whose stories are both inspirational and engaging. They include: Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, New York Times’ best-selling author of “Women Who Run with Wolves” and “Mother Night”; Constance Kellough, founder of Namaste Publishing and author of “The Leap”; Reverend Cynthia James, Associate Minister of Mile-Hi Church in Denver, Colorado; Colette Baron-Reid, author of “The Map”; Andean medicine woman Martika Gomez; and Sedona writer and artist Victoria Nelson, who escaped the corporate world to follow her passion. Sarah will be speaking, also, and women in attendance will be treated to a concert by world-class singer and song-writer Kathy Zavada. I will be emceeing the event, and I am looking forward to sharing the wisdom and insight each of these women has to offer, and to take part in helping others realize their own personal strengths and potential as women.

If you would like to join us at “Woman Arising,” please visit www.womanarising.com. Woman Arising is also on Facebook, and discounts may possibly be available through that site. You can also call 928-202-7995. Organizers have kept the event small and intimate, so only 150 tickets will be sold. Please register as early as possible to ensure availability.