Spirtualsistahs Nl1 By Anita Mckenzie

Issue one March 2009 SPIRITUALSISTAHS

SPIRITUALSISTAHS

Welcome to ‘Spritual Sistahs’, an introduction to Interfaith spirituality for women of the spiritual path.

Celebrating the sacred feminine Remembering who we are this March, International Women’s Month Words and photo (above) By Rev. Anita McKenzie

Greetings Honorable

International Women’s Day

many special daughters

Sistah’s, welcome to the first issue of ‘Spiritual

and 22nd - Mothers Day in the UK.

she has brought forth as our Holy spiritual mothers,

Sistah’s’ a small Interfaith offering in which I hope to share with you brief

leaders and teachers.... It is a wonderful opportunity for us to

I heard an interesting story yesterday - that Mary gave birth to one of our greatest male spiritual teachers, Jesus, and that there wasn't a man any where in sight!

insights about journeying the spiritual path together

glorify the sacred feminine

as women.

all - as daughters, sisters,

Today is the 1st March and

aunties, wives, Mothers and elders (crones) in our

its International Women’s

families and communities.

Just something to ponder.

great celebrations on offer this month, happening on

Let us first also remember

6th - Women’s World Day

for her nourishing, life-

of Prayer, 8th -

giving forces and for the

However whether you agree or disagree with the sentiment of that story, we must not overlook a basic

force or energy within us

Month! There are some

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to revere our Mother Earth

Issue one March 2009 SPIRITUALSISTAHS

universal law - that opposites in all things should create balance not duality - therefore the feminine and masculine are equally important for balance.

"Inside each of us is a healer, a part of us that connects deeply with the Ancient Energies of this world." — StarMedicineWoman

Our greatest spiritual teachers, as open-hearted men and women, have been able to transcend the perception of difference' and demonstrate their divine gifts through embracing all of humanity, regardless of values, beliefs or faith. There is an awesome amount of inspirational work being gifted to us by an array of spiritual sister teachers - they are the Traditional Priestesses, Earth Mothers, and everyday Elders, Midwives, Therapists, Artists, Writers and Musicians. This month let us also give thanks for and celebrate the numerous Holy Mothers and great souls that have left for us their legacies, those such as: Maya - Mother of Buddha Yasoda - Mother of Krishna Amina/Aminah - Mother of Muhammad Alberta - Mother of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King

Putlibai, Mother of Mahatma Gandhi; Also for our prophets, saints and spiritual teachers, women like: Dadi Janki, Pema Chodron, Joan of Arc, Mother Teresa, Pratima, Lousia Teish, Vimala Thakar, Mother Meera, Queen Afua; And For the numerous faith and spiritual Goddesses that supply individual and collective connection to and understanding of our spiritual world: Oshun, Tara, Gaea, Maat, Hera, Diana,

Words of Wisdom “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” - Arundhati Roy

Words of Wisdom Please feel free to send your comments and favorite quotes for this section to Anita by email to; [email protected]

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"We must put into practice the values of freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect and shared responsibility which can unite North and South, rich and poor, left and right, religious and secular, us and them." — Mary Robinson “I love all religions, but I am in love with my own.” —Mother Teresa

Tlalteuctli, Ishtar, Isis, Durga, Neith, Yemoja, Brigid, Mama Quilla and Mami Wata etc. Let us embrace the road to spiritual liberation, thereby becoming strong and enlightened women. This is important for the whole of humanity, as only with the balance created from the inclusion of our divine gifts as women can a true spiritual freedom be realised for us all.

"...To find the origin, trace back the manifestations. When you recognize the children and find the mother, you will be free of sorrow." -The Tao Teh Ching “Dreams are illustrations from the book your soul is writing about you.” – Marsha Norman "A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform."—Diane Mariechild

FASHIONMONTHLY 19 February 2009

May all beings be peaceful. May all beings be happy. May all beings be safe. May all beings awaken in the light of their true nature. May all beings be free. — A Buddhist Metta Prayer

Women as trainers of other women

Role models and an essential spiritual community resource Words by Rev. Anita McKenzie

Many of us learn a great deal about how to be a woman from the role modeling of the women around us. It is also said that a mothers influence will always have a profound effect on her children. This also includes our initial spiritual identity. If we think about it, all life, our relationships and doings in the world, form our personal ministry. This is the way in which we can develop and manifest our spiritual awareness, in a conscious and focused way for the benefit of all who are around us. For centuries, mature elder/older women of many cultures have embraced the responsibility of supporting mostly younger women by teaching or passing on the traditions of what is thought to be ‘good’. Acts of loving kindness,

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truthfulness and self-discipline, mothering, nurturing health, honoring family, are all subject to the spiritual beliefs or guidelines of their particular group or culture. We can all give examples about what we have learnt from other women, we can remember the social, domestic and spiritual rituals we have witnessed and engaged in. Why not remember the stories we have been told and the ones we are now part of? Why not let this remembering be a sharing of the richness that women often and mostly share as part of our spiritual growth and our survival? Let us rejoice in the laughter and tears we share as women learning from each other, this helps us to develop the strength, love and compassion we can then pass on to others...

Issue one March 2009

The Gift of Silence

Finding peace and tranquility through meditation By Rev. Anita McKenzie

SPIRITUALSISTAHS

Picture the most idyllic setting of your dreams, a completely relaxing environment that enables your body’s muscles to be in complete sympathy with your surroundings. Perhaps you are catching a little R&R on holiday on a beautiful sun drenched beach in Barbados, or you may be enjoying a beautiful landscape environment, such as the magnificent views from ‘Gods Window’ Mpumalanga, in South Africa. Chances are that for some us, this makes up many a day-dream! Few of us these days lead stress-free lives, especially if we live in an urban environment, although it is acknowledged that there are certain life events that do cause us tremendous stress, like moving home or taking exams etc. for many people, it is also the pressures associated with balancing the demands family, business, employment, and things like homelessness, which demands that we bring our maximum resilience and resourcefulness into achieving balance, let alone peacefulness. In order to manage the demands of modern life, there are many suggested life-style changes that we can adopt. Stress busters like types of exercise, healthy eating regimes and personal development programmes can all lead to the benefits of inner happiness, peace of mind, and a reduction of stressbased anxiety. Once we begin to attain peacefulness in our lives, how do we then maintain it? Again there are many tools, one of which Where there is harmony, there is peace. — Sounds of Blackness

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is meditation. An holistic approach to achieving a more balanced life, meditation is an ancient, sacred practice used by shamans, gurus, priests, medicine men and other wise beings, for thousands of years. Meditation’s true purpose is “to attain conscious awareness of God, with the added gain of being an excellent stress management and relaxation tool. It is a spiritual practice that is used in many faith traditions and is taught in many different ways. Most forms of meditation use concentration in its highest form and begin with a particular focus for your attention such as on: a mantra, the breath, a candle flame, image, walking etc. Whenever the attention wanders, we simply notice that; and then gently bring the attention back to the point of focus. Therefore one purpose of meditation is to quietly liberate the mind from our constant wandering thoughts, in order to enable internal insights to be revealed to us. In this way we can become more aware of the workings of our lives and of our responses to it. Meditation serves many purposes for you to explore life purpose and daily life issues. When the mind, body and spirit all work together, the result is a balance of thought, awareness and well-being that is unmatched. It is in this state that healing can occur on multiple levels. Regular meditation can not only improve your emotional and spiritual self, it can also dramatically improve your health.