It seems the winds of change are upon us and will continue to grow over the coming months. The field is continuing to shift within and without – as is witnessed by the historical changes happening in the United States in preparation for the Presidential Election.    

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While this is in no way meant to be a political writing – I will be honest and share that I am deeply heartened that my daughter, who just turned 18 and thus is now of voting age, is witnessing a woman of color – and that too – of mixed race – running for President of the United States. Quite frankly, I never anticipated seeing a President decide to give up his “right to renewal” and give the floor to an extremely capable woman of color to lead the country. It gave me hope and pause at the same time.  

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Integrating Divine Masculine and Feminine Energies for Transformation:  The Samudra Manthan Story

‍Watching this historical action, I could not help but be reminded of the popular Hindu mythological story of Samudra Manthan, or “churning of the ocean.” This occurred during a time of great imbalance, when divine qualities became reduced due to excessive ego attachment and an inability to see fortune when it was offered. To remedy the imbalance, reduce despair, and bring forth flourishing, devas and asuras (gods and demons, or our own divine and ignorant qualities) partnered together. They churned the ocean (which represents our consciousness), to bring forth the divine feminine, in the form of Lakshmi, an embodiment of Shakti, (the manifest power of the universe – which is embodied in each of us) to restore fortune, balance and harmony to the world. Shiva (representing our unmanifest, spacious consciousness) swallowed the deadly poison (ignorance) that was churned out of the ocean, in order to protect the universe. Further gifts emerged from the ocean of consciousness, including amrita, or the nectar of eternal life (or knowledge of our true nature).

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Regardless of our political ideologies, we can see Biden’s actions as reflective of a movement not only outwardly, but within each of us. We are in the midst of a movement to integrate our divine masculine and feminine energies, for true embodied healing and liberation.  

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Biden’s move is an outward reflection of the masculine coming into his full divine aspect, to hold spaciousness, awareness and grace, so the power and energy of the divine feminine can become fully manifest. Once the divine masculine and feminine energies connect in this way, it is possible for us to remove ignorance, provide balance, and instill harmony to a tilted world. 

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This includes our inner world as well as the outer world. In fact, it is critical that we engage in aligning our divine masculine and feminine qualities now to provide the balance and harmony that is necessary for ourselves, as well as society, to flourish.   Only once we bring this balance within ourselves, can we fully be and manifest the changes we wish to see. While we may each identify our sexuality, gender, or political affiliations in different ways, we all have masculine and feminine qualities within us that long to be brought to their full divine potential, so we can fully express these qualities and bring healing and harmony to the world.

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Igniting Transformation: A Mantra Practice

There are many ways to begin to integrate our energies toward healing and transformation. In today’s dense times, full of noise, I find  a helpful place to start is by “burning the dross,” or releasing what doesn’t serve.   

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To aid you, I’m sharing a divine feminine mantra practice (a mantra to Chamunda Devi, a fierce form of Durga Ma) for you to explore. This is a fiery mantra meant to release ignorance and negative attachments to your field. If you choose to practice it, I’d love to know how you resonated with it.

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Time for Your Renewal

I’m also going to be facilitating a few intensives this year, in some beautiful places, including the gorgeous Esalen Institute atop the cliffs and Pacific Ocean in Big Sur, California in September, as well as the seminal Omega Institute, among the beautiful changing leaves and tree energy at the end of October (the weekend before the election, by the way!). Here we will be working on uniting our masculine and feminine energies for healing change, through breath and energy work, inner sound healing and mantra meditations, creative practices, and of course some scientific insights on the nature of our world and healing capacities. Whether you feel called to be balanced by the watery flow of the waves and a never-ending horizon of sea and stars, or the serenity and groundedness of trees with splashes of transformational color, you will be incredibly nurtured and held by these sacred surroundings as we continue our evolutionary journeys in sacred and positive community.