Behind every feminist is courage

Behind every feminist is courage.

I’m working on a program facilitated by the brilliant Nisha Moodley called Soul of Leadership. I’m compelled to admit that this is one of the most challenging things I’ve ever done for my inner self. When I signed up for this journey, I was instantly connected with so many brilliant women around the world that I suddenly felt inadequate and intimidated. While reading the brief and modest bios of these women, I shifted from a sense of intimidation to a beckoning of nurturing and inspiration. The work that we do – whether within our homes or within a skyscraper – is beautiful. For me, the idea of working with the talents and skills of other women sounds much better than comparing and competing with them. But this takes courage and humility and faith that other women feel the same. While discovering my true definition of courage, and listening to the beautiful music of Ayla Nereo, I created this mandala using the powerful words of Nisha’s program that I’m still striving to fully embody. I don’t usually do this much writing within a mandala, so I share this today as a poem. I usually save the words lingering in my mind and heart for the piano, where they’re transformed into a song. Thank you, Nisha, Ayla, Oprah, and every other human being out there seeking equality and empowerment for themselves, their family, their community and ultimately, the world.

Courage

Courage feels isolated, but what if I reached out to another who was seeking courage just as much as me? And what if she reached out to another seeking courage just as much as we? And what if we three were just the beginning of a chain of courage that encircled Mother Earth like a delicate braid of integrity, sovereignty, curiosity, fluidity, attunement, trust and courage? What if the result beckoned the power of all our collective devotion, focus, creativity, receptivity, and luminosity? What if all it took was that first courageous step forward?