Gnostic Woman is a journey to recover the fragmented soul from the alienation of the modern world. It is a re-enchantment and restitution of the feminine body and soul.
Cultivating an awareness of what obscures our essence and committing to a path of inner work, Gnostic Woman focuses on integrating aspects of the feminine that have been lost, banished, or exiled over the past few thousand years.
This work also speaks to the feminine principle in men; both men and women have suffered the loss of feminine wisdom.
Gnostic in this context refers to inner knowing ‘gnosis’ rather than any historical religious sect, however an exploration of the gnostic texts is included in this work. Bearing in mind that almost all history, teachings, religion, and culture has been filtered through an androcentric lens, the prospect of resurrecting a feminine gnosis is vital and exciting.
Unlike some of the ancient Gnostics, ‘Gnostic Woman’ includes an embodied awareness and celebration of spirit in matter- immanence and transcendence. Making the body a home, and a strong vessel for the soul and spirit, is an important step to finding the gold within.
Astrology is a language which once learned, offers guidance for the journey through life.
Astrology, mythology, and archetypes can help us to attune to our soul’s unique code.
Working with astrology in this way is an alchemical process: once we begin to interact with the symbols and images of the psyche, their power- or medicine- is revealed and strengthened. The relationship between inner and outer becomes more integrated as body-mind-spirit are reconnected through the wisdom of the soul.
Working with the breath in a pattern of connected breathing opens the space for healing at the deepest level.
Breathwork can lead us to the softness of the heart and de-armour defences that have outlived their purpose.
I don’t feel this piece is a feminist’s polemic against Christianity. Rather it is a lamentation over modern culture’s demotion of the goddess in Her role of Creatrix and Mother; Her mysteries forgotten and subsumed into a religion in which She has been forced into a subordinate position.
And there it is. Women who are perceived to be witches and who are/have been persecuted accordingly, are not spectral, disembodied figures from ancient pantheons or religious hegemony, they are real life flesh and blood women navigating- and to some degree achieving- autonomy and power within structures and authorities that were never designed for them. They are women who are perceived as dangerous to the self-invested architects of those structures.
Thinking about the Sirens from this perspective one wonders if the archetype really is the dark destructive feminine, or else the feminine who has dived to the depths and brought back uncomfortable truths.
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