““people think i am strong. i am not strong. there is a difference between a strong person and a stubborn person who just won’t put her sword down. i am the latter. again and again and again…pick the sword up, pick the sword up, pick the sword up…”
- c. joyBell c.

WEEK FOUR: THE VOW

INTENTION

At the surface The Vow seems simple and easy; but as we deepen in we realize how nuanced and complex it is. This week we will keep a journal and careful eye to be sure our vow is in tact, and we will have an open discussion regarding this high and devotional practice. We will add forgiveness and grace into our embodiment practices: contemplating if there is anything to let go of or forgive as we stay committed to this vow.

daily practice for this week:

Metta + Hoʻoponopono - The Metta practice is a “loving kindness” practice that I do every single day; it has changed my life. When I feel a breaking of the vow coming (or when I break it) I offer this practice silently to myself and the man I’ve diminished. The four-part practice is: offer this loving kindness to someone you love, to someone who has hurt you, someone you don’t know, and to yourself. The prayer is: “May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be free from harm and free from suffering, And may my life touch your life for the better.” (Adding a candle lighting ceremony/ritual to this practice is a deepening in/bonus for this week.) The Hoʻoponopono practice is an ancient Hawaiian forgiveness practice. This is a beautiful practice to offer to yourself: “I’m sorry, Please forgive me, Thank you, I love you.” If you are careful with forgiveness (to yourself or others), I’d like to invite you to be careless with it this week just to see how this feels for you.

BONUS: Add lighting candles either on your personal altar or in a sacred space (temple, church, etc.) to the Metta practice this week. For the forgiveness prayer: offer this to an actual person.

where will you place your devotion this week?

“There is no journey of the Feminine without devotion.” Each week I will be asking you to share where you will be placing your devotion for the week. You have three choices: Your Higher Self, on God/The Divine (as you call it), or on The Masculine.

felt sense for the week:

Each week we will focus our attention on the practice of allowing ourselves to be felt. For many of us this practice includes learning to articulate how we feel in any given moment, and learning to trust our bodies to tell us how we feel, and having the courage to take action (mas)/or move (fem) from here. The very first step to this forever practice is allowing ourselves to FEEL, so that we can feel it and trust it for ourselves. Be prepared to enter our circle this week by sharing how you are arriving, in a felt sense.

This week I invite you to FEEL: Respect, Feminine, Forgiveness, Empathy, Kindness, Compassion, Love

altar + tools:

Each week I will be inviting you to consider the ways you incorporate the Feminine element of “the sacred” into your life; this is completely, uniquely YOUR way. I will be sharing things each week to inspire you, please find your own ways to deepen in here and I hope that you will share these during our journey so that we may be inspired by you and your practices.

This week I invite you to BE CURIOUS ABOUT:

  • Your idea of “an altar” and if you feel inspired, please create an altar that will represent this full journey. If you already have an altar, please consider placing something on it that represents your focus for this week.

  • Consider the “tools” you have to practice and/or to add “the sacred” into your life: candles, rituals, ceremonies, oils, prayers, affirmations, tinctures, cards, crystals… (If this is something you need guidance with please let me know and we can muse together on our Friday call.)

questions for contemplation + discussion

Contemplate both practices (loving kindness and forgiveness); before the week begins, how do these practices feel for you? What is your relationship with offering loving kindness to strangers and people who have hurt you? And forgiveness? Are you careful with it or careless? Do you need to forgive yourself for anything right now? Is this harder or easier (or the same) for you than forgiving others?

When you “break” the vow; how do you respond? Can you apologize + let go with a promise to do better next time?

(When you are able to do this what happens within and what happens in the partnership effected?)

Do you have a ritual, devotional practice or ceremony to share regarding the vow?

i love you