The first few days of November hold deeply meaningful things for me.
November 1st is the date I was due with my first child, Jackie.
She came eleven days later, on November 11, but for some reason I always remember the 1st, too, as if the day I was due to deliver also marked the crossing of a threshold.
Perhaps it was because for eight months this date stretched out in front of me as the day I would become a mother. I remember the feeling of this date being etched in my heart before I knew how my heart would break open to the unconditional love I felt when I first held each of my daughters.
The last day of October and first few days of November also mark a time when the veil between life here and life beyond is thin – then enough to feel and sense life on the other side. Life almost seems to have a magical quality to it during these hours and days.
In these days, I feel a strong desire to go inward, to begin the descent into the darker months of late autumn and winter. This desire to go inward sits awkwardly with the warm sunny days we have here in the Bay Area during this same time.
Yesterday, I spent a part of my day co-working with a few fellow coaches and writers. At the suggestion of Tara Mohr, we began to meet one day a month to work together, to enjoy community, and I’ve come to look forward to simply being with these lovely women.
As I sat in Rachel‘s kitchen, the sun shined so brightly into the room that I could have sworn it was late July. While the heat felt like summer, the warm cozy colors of her home deepened the urge I feel to settle indoors, making a warm cozy space in which to write.
Andrea and her son joined us as we took time out from work to eat. I felt so at peace simply being with friends, eating good food and talking about everyday things. I tend to be a loner, and I’ve been consciously trying to spend more time with others.
The way of women is to come together, and for some reason I learned habits that conditioned me to spend so much time alone. I am learning to come together with women. It hasn’t been easy. And, I long for it.
I’ve had the pleasure
of getting to know another woman, a woman I first met at the World Domination Summit in June. We met in an unexpected way. The doors of the hotel elevator opened and lo and behold, Jamie Ridler, who I had only known through social media, stood there right in front of my eyes. I witnessed her divine smile in real time.
Just a few weeks ago, Jamie invited me to be a guest on her podcast series. Let me tell you, speaking with Jamie was one of the most ease-filled times I’ve ever experienced. As you’ll notice on the podcast, our conversation was so fluid and effortless.
In this podcast, Jamie also shares some of her own wisdom. And then, further into the recording, Jamie and I speak of creativity and the Feminine, what it means to be creative as a woman.
I’m excited to share this talk with you. I hope you enjoy it, and I’d love to hear what it sparks for you.
Are these relationships with women not the most beautiful, divine, and gathering-of-self invitations ever? With daughters nearly born, with friends, with colleagues, with virtual-turned-real connections. A connection to the divine while finding and being connected to our deepest, truest self. Lovely, Julie – as always. Thank you.
Ronna,
Thank you, dear friend. You are one of the women I long to meet in real life. We will, some day soon. Yes, they are the most beautiful, divine invitations.
Love,
Julie
Oh, Julie – as usual I come here and understand something that has been going on with me at a deep level in a new way. I’ve been turning inward for some weeks now, feeling quiet, and certainly aware of the sheerness of the veil you describe. It is good, also, to be reminded of the richness that comes from spending time with other women. I don’t have too many like-minded women nearby, and so it’s easy to miss out on that connection altogether. I’m so happy imagining you all sitting in a sunny kitchen together. xox
Julie,
I had ‘seen you around’ on social media, and I so enjoyed getting to know you a bit better through your conversation with Jamie. I adore her and her podcast is one of my favorite weekly things to do. It is always wonderful to hear someone talking to really get a sense of who they are.
I was so struck when you said, ‘I am this woman who is here creating and following those threads of what wants to come into being’. And then Jamie used the term ‘the evolving identity we all have’. These parts of your conversation resonated so deeply with my understanding of where I am right now. And they made your story of Unabashedly Female so real for me.
It is a delight to connect!
Hugs,
Lisa
so beautiful to read about you coming together with other women, gathering in the name of fun and support and just getting to know each other better. oh, and food. we have been conditioned to distrust women – and it’s not all conditioning. i think women are often incredibly mean and hurtful to other women, that behavior likely a result of the conditioning, too. for far too long, we’ve fallen prey to the divide and conquer mentality. if “they” could divide us – often by pitting us against each other – then “they” can conquer . . . conquer meaning keeping us under their thumbs, keeping us quiet, keeping us afraid and ashamed.
at my class reunion 2 weeks ago, i found myself flanked by a woman i’ve literally known since birth and a man who entered our school in 5th grade. he was new, he was handsome, he combed his hair up. we both liked him, and when she found out i liked him, she quit speaking to me. as i told them at the reunion, it was my first experience with the jerry springer way of relationship, and i did not like it – not one little bit. what did i do? i wrote my girlfriend a note and said no boy was worth losing our friendship over, so she could “have” him. what did she do? she said “nah, i don’t think so” so we both dropped him and loved each other again.
decades ago when i dared say aloud “i love women. i just love women,” i risked much, but i said it anyway. and more importantly: i quit saying it and lived it. and that, my dear friend, has made all the difference.
*sigh*
Julie, you are such a wonder. I love how we have this shared story of the doors opening and discovering one another. And now, this shared conversation, which was such a delight! I look forward to many to come!
And how I’d love to join you all in Rachel’s Kitchen 😉 (Sounds like a book title or something, doesn’t it? Hmm….)