Finding Power in Peace

“Our mystical power should not be relegated to the distant past. It still exists. I want mine now, and so does every woman I know. Our power is not evil but good. We must reclaim our goodness as well as our power. Today, the reason we haven’t found our grail, the key to who we are as women, is because we look for it in worlds of false power, the very worlds that took it away from us in the first place” Marianne Williamson
The last line of this statement struck a chord within me. It was one of those moments when you know the deeper truth and meaning behind mere words. We women want our power and that is the first step. We’re just not sure how or where to find it
I have come to the conclusion that it’s not for lack of looking, but of too much looking. Marianne states, we look for it in the worlds of false power. At the most superficial level we look to the media to tell us what will make up whole. The answer is usually something material, of cosmetic.
Even if we decide to connect with enlightened others, we don’t find our “others’ until we are truly ready. We need to learn that although we can benefit from mentoring and guidance or support, the only way we will know we are truly ready is when we are able to look within, rather than outside ourselves
There are some good teachers and guides out there; and there are also a lot of people making a lot of money by telling people how to become enlightened, successful, and whatever else they’re selling. Some of them probably believe they are right and doing the right thing. Some of them are pure charlatans. Some of them may mean well but are ill prepared or improperly initiated into whatever system they are preaching.
The co-opting of The Native Americans various beliefs is a common example. Having not grown up within the context of the native environment would require extra training and self reflection to understand a system of beliefs that is based on a lifestyle and culture that is completely foreign and misunderstood. And then there is the very real betrayal that Europeans have stolen everything from the Native Peoples and now want to take the last thing they can call their own.
Please understand I’m not saying we shouldn’t learn about other spiritual systems. In fact I believe the more we can familiarize ourselves with the more likely we are to open ourselves to possibilities. We find similarities within all the beliefs we explore.
One thing that has become clear to me is that we have to learn to listen within, and in times and places of peace, to connect with our spiritual power. Ritual has its purpose, but it’s not necessary. We have all we need within ourselves to discover and. celebrate our power.










© 2010 Nanakoosa’s Place, authored by Jennifer Hazard