sarahnicholson

There is a wonderful teleseries that is right on topic for my research interests happening at the moment: ‘Women on the Edge of Evolution’.

Elizabeth Debold, senior editor of EnlightenNext, and someone whose work in this field I am much in attunement with, was this week’s speaker:

“In the following excerpt from her groundbreaking article, “The Divine Feminine Unveiled,” EnlightenNext magazine senior editor Elizabeth Debold describes the challenging and sacred role that women need to play in the evolution of culture:

We women can move culture forward and create a future beyond patriarchy. But it will neither be easy nor necessarily feel “natural” if we see our nature primarily in terms of the roles we have played in culture over most of historical time….The goal would be to develop a consciousness that both includes our biological and cultural inheritance and also transcends it, so that a new, free space of relationship is created in culture in which to catalyze a new partnership between women and men. This would be a new expression of the feminine, and given how essential it is for transforming our world, such an endeavor is nothing less than sacred.

Join Elizabeth Debold on Saturday, November 7, 2009, for a FREE teleseminar presentation in the Women on the Edge series. The series also includesJean Houston, Barbara Marx Hubbard, and other visionary women leaders exploring the role that women play in creating the next stage of our collective evolution. Click here to learn more.”

I’m guest teaching on a retreat with  the fabulous Tina Nance in January.

Bring in the New Year with the greatest gift you can give to yourself..

Reconnection to your Authentic Feminine Heart

A Womans Journey

Come & journey with a supportive group of like minded women, as we explore both ancient & contemporary Sacred Feminine Spiritual Practices, to reawaken  & radiate the Divine Feminine within. In our masculinised society today, so much of our deep feminine essence is pushed aside & de prioritised . When we are not opening as the fullness & Love that we innately are, we close ourselves off from the full flow of life, & so we feel empty & unfulfilled. Yet when we cease to suppress or close our feminine hearts authentic nature, when we re-learn how to relax our boundaries & allow ourselves to open as Love, we rediscover that there is no distance between us & that which we are looking for.

We will explore yoga, dance & movement & meditation practices, that connect us with the open-ness, sensory awareness, receptivity, surrender & radiance of the Divine Feminine aspect of ourselves.

Through experiential  workshops  we explore such topics as :

* What is the Sacred Feminine?

* Cultivating Shakti – Exercises & Practices

* Sacred Feminine Dance Meditations & Practices.

* The Female Brain- Hormones- Effect & purpose

* Consciously being With Emotion- Feminine Practices

* Sacred Feminine Yoga- Working with Shakti/ Prana/ Lifeforce on the mat

* Yin Yoga practices – The Art of Deep Listening

* Sacred  Sensual Dance- The art of Sacred Sensuality through movement

* Healing Women’s relationships to their bodies & their sexuality through Divine Feminine Dance

* Tantric Sexuality Practices for Women

* Sacred Menstruation

* History of Women in Spirituality & the current re-emergence of Feminine Spiritual Practice in an over-masculinised society.

* Exploring the dual aspects of Masculine & Feminine Energies within.

* Exploring the Unique Nature of Feminine Spiritual Practices

* Study of Goddesses/Deities/ Dakinis  (Egyptian/ Hindu/ Greek/ Buddhist/ Pagan)

Katherine Turner’s Dating God is one of the only blogs that I faithfully follow.

I’ve been reading Katherine’s posts for about four years now, and its been a unique thing to get to know someone in this way. Her blog beautifully ruminates on the unfolding  story of her life in a way that is intimate, vulnerable, real and profound, and in a way that never fails to speak directly to and to teach me. I recommend her to you.

“But then I remember that everything is okay, it’s all okay. There is no urge to call someone to fix the problem, or fear that there won’t be enough money. Panic may be trilling through my nervous system, but something deeper knows: all ya gotta do honey is go with What Is. Because Life will show me what needs to be done by what is and isn’t provided.”

I listened to a beautiful talk from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’ today . Her TED talk is “on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses”. She “shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person “being” a genius, all of us “have” a genius.”

” Fearlessness will also be punctuated by occasional fear, uncertainty, and confusion. Fearlessness comes from fear. The logic is quite simple. You might ask, for example, why someone takes a shower. You shower because you feel dirty. You aren’t inspired to shower purely because you have clean clothes in your closet. We might say that basic goodness is like the clean clothes in your wardrobe. It’s great to know they are there, but it’s not always enough motivation to get you to shower. The dirt is what really makes you want to clean up. Similarly, fearlessness comes from fear…..When as warriors we experience doubt and fear, then by rousing both our mind and body so that they are joined together, a good dose of fearlessness comes into our state of mind and is reflected in our body as well. Then we can appreciate the basic goodness we possess.”

SMILE AT FEAR: AWAKENING THE TRUE HEART OF BRAVERY, pages 76 to 77, iChogyam Trungpa Rinpoche,

I’m excited to announce…

an Integral Spiritual Retreat

for Women

with Dr Sarah Nicholson

and Tina Nance

Experience deep, energising, rest and nurturance,

Engage your consciounesss of mind, body and spirit,

Explore the path of womens sprituality…

through yoga, meditation,

journaling, dream work, dance

women’s history and Integral theory

Yoga

Stretch and strengthen each morning with daily yoga practice in Honeymoon Guesthouse’s yoga room.

Meditation

Lie down and let go.  Come back to your self with deep rest meditation in the style of Open Dharma.

Journalling

Beginning with presence, in the body, this free writing technique will open the gatway to creative expression and insight.

Dream Work

Work with extending conscious awareness into the realm of sleep through recording, remembering, and naming your dreams, and dialoguing with your dream self.

Dance

Experience the ecstacy of “Dancing the Dakini”

Womens Spiritual History

Beginning in ancient Sumerian myth, learn about women who have walked the path before us. Join in story with the lineage of spiritual heroines who have embodied the divine in flesh as women. Understand women’s spirituality in the context of Integral theory’s evolutionary unfolding.

Integral Theory

Explore and understand the pathways of women’s development to the embodiment of the divine: Unitive development through Integral theory, as drawn from the work of Ken Wilber, Carol Gilligan, Susanne Cook Greuter, Jenny Wade and others.

What hurdles might there be on the path to embodying the archetype of the Self as woman? How might our relationship to the social and cultural world as women affect our personal development?

About the venue:

The beautiful Honeymoon Guesthouse is perfect for relaxation. Elegant Balinese style guest rooms with private balconies are set amidst a lush tropical garden complete with beautifully carved stone statues, carp ponds and a grand salt water pool for relaxing.

Massage and beauty therapy is available onsite. Daily breakfast includes fresh tropical fruit, homemade yoghurt, and freshly baked pastries and bread from The Honeymoon Bakery.

Honeymoon Guesthouse is also situated only a five-minute walk away from the heart of Ubud’s shopping, eating, art and performance hub.

Other retreat information:

Retreat is limited to 18 participants
Full retreat costs:

$AU 1000 per person (single room)
$AU 875 per person (share room)

Includes:

5 nights accommodation

5 breakfasts

All retreat activities: yoga, meditation, dance, creative writing, dream work and lectures

Deposit:

$AU 250.00 to confirm your place

Full payment due by 26th January 2010

womensintegralspirtualretreat.eventbrite.com/

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at sass.gaia.com/blog