Your Feminine Heart: A New Era of Love (Book Excerpt)

Moving Beyond Feminism: The New Era of Love & Spiritually Enlightened Womenn
Women today have entered every facet of industry and business. But the industrialized world is a different place than it was forty years ago. We have evolved. In breaking through the shackles of limitation to gain independence, we discovered that our heart's deepest expression suffers. By opening our hearts to our deepest truth, we became spiritually conscious. We acknowledged that our greatest gifts were being in service to others. This service was not out of duty, as in the past, but from a much higher place. We have an inner knowing that we have much to offer that can make a difference to the state of the planet. We've had to look critically at our roles, and we've made a sociological shift. We are once again willing to embrace more of our innate feminine traits, to become the kinds of leaders and caretakers that the world now requires. We can have it all -- just not all at the same time.

Although it was in the 1960s that women started to question their role in society, most men didn't start reviewing their role until the early 1980s. Twenty odd years later, as a backlash to the feminist movement, men started looking at their traditional role as providers and leaders. As women started climbing higher and higher rungs on corporate ladders, men started wearing their hair longer, putting on more jewelry and wearing pastel colors. Today, both men and women have evolved beyond the survival mode of our parents, and have started embracing all aspects of both the masculine and the feminine.

AS WE JOU
EY THROUGH THE STAGES OF WOMANHOOD we become aware of the changes in our bodies. Every month it is obvious that our bodies have a life of their own, a life that cannot be controlled by our will. Some women wish that their monthly periods didn't come, but come they do. We begin to realize that we are not just our bodies, and we are not just our minds. At some point, we also realize that we are connected to something much bigger than both of these things.

Every month we have a reminder that we have a connection with a creative life force. As we grow in our awareness and wisdom, we cannot deny that we are indeed one with all life.

In "The Power of Now," author Eckhart Tolle suggests that women are potentially closer to enlightenment than men because it is easier for women to feel and be in their bodies, so they are naturally closer to "being." Once a woman has been satiated by this fullness of being, she will never forget the taste. Throughout her life she may try to get back that sublime flavor of deep intimacy -- filling herself with food, buying another pair of shoes, starting a new romance. But nothing tastes as good as how being connected to our Higher Self feels. These appetizing distractions may take the edge off her hunger, but they will never give her the deep sense of satisfaction she craves.

We can spend a lifetime looking for things or ways to give us that feeling of being filled up. Ultimately, in our wisdom, we realize that fulfillment comes from feeding the deepest need of our Feminine Hearts -- giving and receiving love. When we have our hearts broken or trampled on we evaluate our situations and we hash things out with our girlfriends (our own best therapists). Protecting our hearts from more pain we build shells around them, then we go and cry with our friends, or we go to a therapist. Hopefully we are able to work through our issues, and find the strength to surrender our hearts so that they may open up once again.

Men don't have that same luxury. On their own, men are slower to work through healing. As women, we are naturally more aware of our emotional world. Men tend to be at a disadvantage in this department. Don't get me wrong -- many highly developed and spiritually aware men are out there. But in my experience, the number of men who have embraced their spiritual side does not equal the number of women. But they are working on it.

Instead of complaining about the lack of spiritually aware men, however, we can be leaders. We can actually help a man move out of his head and into his heart. When a man senses that he is in the presence of a woman who he can trust, he will start opening his heart up to her. That is a really good place for the Masculine to start feeling his connection to Spirit. This is one of the greatest gifts we can give a man, helping him to feel and open his heart to life. "I can't be bothered to train another man," a sophisticated, middle-aged matchmaking client told me frankly. "If a man isn't already on the spiritual path, I am not interested in meeting with him."

I had heard this comment many times before, and I clearly understood her conce
s. The unfortunate aspect to this attitude is that it is all about "What can I get?" instead of "What do I have to offer?" This adjustment in our approach can make a huge difference in the numbers of men available for a spiritual partnership.

Your Feminine Heart: A New Era of Love
The armor around a man's heart may not yet have cracked open -- but as an enlightened woman, this is your gift. Using your feminine essence, you carry the key to open the heart of any man graced by your presence. I highly suggest blessing the people in your life and at the same time fulfilling your heart's desire. Spirit is calling the Feminine Heart more loudly than ever before, because our dear Mother Earth and her children need us more than they ever have. We can choose to ignore her plaintive cry but we suffer deeply -- like hearing our own children cry out for help -- if we do not heed the call.

Musings & BlessingsnHOW CAN YOU BE MORE AWARE of the presence of Spirit in your everyday life? How often during the day, the hour or the minute do you acknowledge that you are a divine Spirit? To live from that place of awareness may take practice. To manifest Spirit, treat every day like Christmas Day. Make life a celebration of love and gratitude, for the heart of Goddess is everywhere.

What lightens your heart and fills your soul with wonder? Find something or somebody you love. Immerse yourself in the beauty and wonder of that feeling of love. Relax into your Feminine Heart, breathing through any constrictions. Exhale, releasing everything that doesn't serve your highest good. While you are breathing, smell your surroundings and take in the sweet nectar around you. Exhale, again; relax your mind and let your body express the love in and around you. We have an inner knowing of that part of our destiny. The opportunities to do so are endless.

Breathe deeply. The love we feel in our hearts is the fertile soil in which we plant our seeds of creativity.