Jen Engracio (one of the co-authors) promoted the book, “The Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within” on the Radio Show, PAGE Media Project. To check out the full interview, go to:
Kananaskis Snowshoeing Pictures
20 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
Highly recommended trail.
Cougar tracks. Yup. We learned how to make LOTS of noise with our poles and our voices to scare him away.
Heading back.
Michelle and I near the end of the hike. Happy and filled up with the beauty of nature.
Julie, our guide, sharing her nature wisdom.
Fairy lights in a photo Michelle took of the pines.
Looks like an owl caught it’s prey. See the wing tracks?
Our group of crazy women.
The beautiful Kananaskis mountains that beguiled us all day.
Khatija is ready to go!
Val bails at the beginning; good thing we were learning how to fall and get up in deep snow.
Michelle starting out the hike with a smile.
The Strength of the Feminine
19 Jan 2013 2 Comments
Mount Kilauea, The Goddess Pele’s home in Hawaii.
I work with families and kids who are home learning as a Learning Consultant. This week, a mum asked me this question and made this statement:
“How do you raise daughters to not fall into these lies but to stand up against them and scream from the mountain tops NO MORE! ”
I responded:
There is a movement doing just this. Check out One Billion Rising:
www.onebillionrising.org
And I agree that there is a lot of information out there that seems to work against women standing in their power. However, I look at the Idle No More movement and it is being led by women standing their ground for the health of their communities. I look at the way people in India rallied to change the status quo that allowed that young university student to be raped and mutilated on a bus. Although I don’t always agree with their politics, I am encouraged at the rising number of female premiers in Canada. This simply would not have occurred a decade ago. The world was not ready to accept female leaders. I value men and the role of the sacred masculine in creation too. It is about balancing the two inside each of us.
The feminine energy of creation is just as strong and capable as the masculine energy of creation. I’ve seen this in action. It seems to me that there is a misinterpretation of what it means to be a woman or to express our feminine essence as humans. First Nations folks acknowledge that the feminine and masculine energies of creation are present in every woman and man on this planet. The problem happens when we don’t have right relationship with these energies within us. Some folks reject their feminine essence. Some reject their masculine essence. The masculine seeds life and the feminine houses and births it. The masculine is the sun and the feminine is the Earth. The feminine aspect dreams a new world and the masculine aspect creates it. This dreaming and doing is essential in each of us living out our life’s purpose.
People all over the world are now saying NO MORE! I have chosen to be a part of this movement. I am hosting a One Billion Rising event here in Calgary on Feb 16. I am doing it because I realize that I probably can’t change the fact that women’s genitals are being mutilated in the Congo, but I can certainly start with me. With modeling what a woman standing in her power is. What being unflinching means. And by supporting girls to stand in their own power and step out of gender roles that have kept women in chains. These are socially constructed obstacles. We don’t have to play by society’s rules. We can live a life of our own design.
I admire the conversations you have with your girls. Awareness is always the first step to change. The world is what it is at the moment. There is also a measure of acceptance we can hold that can make the journey easier while we also envision a new future for the feminine on the planet.
What actions do you see yourself taking to encourage your own girls to stand in their power? How do you see your girls walking this out in their lives?
One Billion Rising Dancing Ceremony
09 Jan 2013 Leave a comment
Lava Tube: Volcanoes National Park, Hawaii
We are hosting a One Billion Rising event right here in Calgary and you are invited to attend! This event will be done in the healing container of a shamanic ceremony. Men and women are welcome of all ages and faiths. No previous dance or ceremonial experience is necessary.
When is it?
Saturday, Feb 16, 2013
Scarboro Community Center
(Near downtown Calgary)
What time?
1-3 pm
Cost:
$20 per person
*All proceeds from this event will go to Women in Need Calgary (www.womeninneed.net)
What is it?
From the site:
ONE IN THREE WOMEN ON THE PLANET WILL BE RAPED OR BEATEN IN HER LIFETIME.
ONE BILLION WOMEN VIOLATED IS AN ATROCITY
ONE BILLION WOMEN DANCING IS A REVOLUTION
On V-Day’s 15th Anniversary, 2.14.13, we are inviting ONE BILLION women and those who love them to WALK OUT, DANCE, RISE UP, and DEMAND an end to this violence. ONE BILLION RISING will move the earth, activating women and men across every country. V-Day wants the world to see our collective strength, our numbers, our solidarity across borders.
What does ONE BILLION look like? On February 14th, 2013, it will look like a REVOLUTION.
ONE BILLION RISING IS:
A global strike
An invitation to dance
A call to men and women to refuse to participate in the status quo until rape and rape culture ends
An act of solidarity, demonstrating to women the commonality of their struggles and their power in numbers
A refusal to accept violence against women and girls as a given
A new time and a new way of being
For more information, go to:
http://www.onebillionrising.org
How can I register?
Email Jen Engracio your interest at: jenniferengracio@gmail.com
Bragg Creek Jaunt
03 Jan 2013 1 Comment
We took our snowshoes to Bragg Creek but the snow was pretty packed when we got there so decided to do a hike instead with our nifty new poles that have suspension! Thank you technology. All photos were taken on Michelle’s iPhone.
Michelle (left) me (right)
Living from the Inside, Out 