SPIRITUALSISTAHS

Issue one March 2009

SPIRITUALSISTAHS

Welcome to ‘Spritual
Sistahs’, an
introduction to
Interfaith spirituality for
women of the spiritual
path.

Celebrating the sacred feminine

Remembering who we are this March, International Women’s
Month
Words and photo (above) By Rev. Anita McKenzie

Greetings Honorable International Women’s Day many special daughters

Sistah’s, welcome to the
first issue of ‘Spiritual
Sistah’s’ a small Interfaith
offering in which I hope to
share with you brief
insights about journeying
the spiritual path together
as women.
Today is the 1st March and
its International Women’s
Month! There are some
great celebrations on offer
this month, happening on
6th - Women’s World Day
of Prayer, 8th -
and 22nd - Mothers Day in
the UK.
It is a wonderful
opportunity for us to
glorify the sacred feminine
force or energy within us
all - as daughters, sisters,
aunties, wives, Mothers
and elders (crones) in our
families and communities.
Let us first also remember
to revere our Mother Earth
for her nourishing, life-
giving forces and for the
she has brought forth as
our Holy spiritual mothers,
leaders and teachers....
I heard an interesting story
yesterday - that Mary gave
birth to one of our greatest
male spiritual teachers,
Jesus, and that there wasn't
a man any where in sight!
Just something to ponder.
However whether you
agree or disagree with the
sentiment of that story, we
must not overlook a basic

1 - © Spiritual Sistahs 1
Issue one March 2009 universal law - that opposites in
all things should create balance "Inside each of us is a healer,
not duality - therefore the a part of us that connects
deeply with the Ancient
feminine and masculine are
Energies of this world."
equally important for balance.

— StarMedicineWoman
Our greatest spiritual teachers,
as open-hearted men and
women, have been able to
transcend the perception of
difference' and demonstrate
their divine gifts through
embracing all of humanity,
regardless of values, beliefs or
SPIRITUALSISTAHS

faith.

There is an awesome amount of

inspirational work being gifted
to us by an array of spiritual
sister teachers - they are the
Traditional Priestesses, Earth
Mothers, and everyday Elders,
Midwives, Therapists, Artists,
Writers and Musicians.
This month let us also give
thanks for and celebrate the
numerous Holy Mothers and
great souls that have left for us
their legacies, those such as:
Maya - Mother of Buddha
Yasoda - Mother of Krishna
Amina/Aminah - Mother of
Muhammad
Alberta - Mother of Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King
Putlibai, Mother of Mahatma
Gandhi;
Also for our prophets, saints and
spiritual teachers, women like:
Dadi Janki, Pema Chodron, Joan
of Arc, Mother Teresa, Pratima,
Lousia Teish, Vimala Thakar,
Mother Meera, Queen Afua;
And For the numerous faith and
spiritual Goddesses that supply
individual and collective
connection to and understanding
of our spiritual world: Oshun,
Tara, Gaea, Maat, Hera, Diana,
Tlalteuctli, Ishtar, Isis, Durga,
Neith, Yemoja, Brigid, Mama
Quilla and Mami Wata etc.
Let us embrace the road to
spiritual liberation, thereby
becoming strong and
enlightened women. This is
important for the whole of
humanity, as only with the
balance created from the
inclusion of our divine gifts as
women can a true spiritual
freedom be realised for us all.

Words of Wisdom "...To find the origin,

Words of Wisdom
Please feel free to send your comments and
favorite quotes for this section to Anita by
email to; healingimageinterfaith@yahoo.co.uk
“Another world is not only possible,
she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can
hear her breathing.” - Arundhati Roy
"We must put into practice the
values of freedom, equality, solidarity,
tolerance, respect and shared
responsibility which can unite North
and South, rich and poor, left and right,
religious and secular, us and them."
— Mary Robinson
“I love all religions, but I am in love
with my own.” —Mother Teresa
trace back the manifestations.
When you recognize the children
and find the mother,
you will be free of sorrow."
-The Tao Teh Ching
“Dreams are illustrations
from the book your soul is writing
about you.” – Marsha Norman
"A woman is the full circle. Within
her is the power to create, nurture
and transform."—Diane Mariechild

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FASHIONMONTHLY 19 February 2009
Women as trainers of other women
Role models and an essential spiritual community resource
Words by Rev. Anita McKenzie
Many of us learn a great deal about how to be a
woman from the role modeling of the women
around us. It is also said that a mothers influence
will always have a profound effect on her children.
This also includes our initial spiritual identity.
If we think about it, all life, our relationships and
doings in the world, form our personal ministry.
This is the way in which we can develop and
manifest our spiritual awareness, in a conscious
and focused way for the benefit of all who are
around us.
For centuries, mature elder/older women of
many cultures have embraced the responsibility
of supporting mostly younger women by
teaching or passing on the traditions of what
is thought to be ‘good’. Acts of loving kindness,
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May all beings be peaceful.
May all beings be happy.
May all beings be safe.
May all beings awaken in the light
of their true nature.
May all beings be free.
— A Buddhist Metta Prayer
truthfulness and self-discipline, mothering,
nurturing health, honoring family, are all subject to
the spiritual beliefs or guidelines of their particular
group or culture.
We can all give examples about what we have
learnt from other women, we can remember the
social, domestic and spiritual rituals we have
witnessed and engaged in. Why not remember the
stories we have been told and the ones we are now
part of? Why not let this remembering be a sharing
of the richness that women often and mostly share
as part of our spiritual growth and our survival?
Let us rejoice in the laughter and tears we share as
women learning from each other, this helps us to
develop the strength, love and compassion we can
then pass on to others...
 The Gift of Silence
Issue one March 2009
Finding peace and tranquility through meditation
By Rev. Anita McKenzie
Picture the most idyllic setting of your dreams,
a completely relaxing environment that
enables your body’s muscles to be in complete
sympathy with your surroundings. Perhaps you
are catching a little R&R on holiday on a
beautiful sun drenched beach in Barbados,
or you may be enjoying a beautiful landscape
environment, such as the magnificent views
from ‘Gods Window’ Mpumalanga, in South
Africa. Chances are that for some us, this
makes up many a day-dream!
SPIRITUALSISTAHS
Few of us these days lead stress-free lives,
especially if we live in an urban environment,
although it is acknowledged that there are
certain life events that do cause us
tremendous stress, like moving home or
taking exams etc. for many people, it is also
the pressures associated with balancing the
demands family, business, employment, and
things like homelessness, which demands
that we bring our maximum resilience and
resourcefulness into achieving balance, let
alone peacefulness.
In order to manage the demands of modern
life, there are many suggested life-style
changes that we can adopt. Stress busters
like types of exercise, healthy eating regimes
and personal development programmes can
all lead to the benefits of inner happiness,
peace of mind, and a reduction of stress-
based anxiety.
Once we begin to attain peacefulness in
our lives, how do we then maintain it?
Again there are many tools, one of which
Where there
is harmony,
there is
peace.
— Sounds of
Blackness
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is meditation.
An holistic approach to achieving a more
balanced life, meditation is an ancient, sacred
practice used by shamans, gurus, priests,
medicine men and other wise beings, for
thousands of years. Meditation’s true purpose
is “to attain conscious awareness of God,
with the added gain of being an excellent
stress management and relaxation tool. It is
a spiritual practice that is used in many faith
traditions and is taught in many different ways.
Most forms of meditation use concentration in
its highest form and begin with a particular
focus for your attention such as on: a mantra,
the breath, a candle flame, image, walking etc.
Whenever the attention wanders, we simply
notice that; and then gently bring the attention
back to the point of focus. Therefore one
purpose of meditation is to quietly liberate the
mind from our constant wandering thoughts,
in order to enable internal insights to be
revealed to us. In this way we can
become more aware of the workings of our
lives and of our responses to it.
Meditation serves many purposes for you to
explore life purpose and daily life issues.
When the mind, body and spirit all work
together, the result is a balance of thought,
awareness and well-being that is unmatched.
It is in this state that healing can occur on
multiple levels. Regular meditation can not
only improve your emotional and spiritual self,
it can also dramatically improve your health.