Bringing Your Feminine Genius to Life
Coming Home and Becoming Home
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR, The Second Sex
During a vacation in Mexico a few years ago, I walked along the beach back to my rented villa after meeting friends for dinner. Fish tacos and good conversation had distracted me from noticing that night had fallen quickly, and I could barely see my bare feet on the sand as I headed toward home. Ahead in the dusk, I suddenly saw an otherworldly, glowing light that lifted into the air and headed out toward the open sea.
A little nervous, because I wondered if what I was seeing was an odd drone or an alien spacecraft, I came upon a group of women and girls in a circle around a bonfire, talking and giggling in hushed voices. I couldn’t tell what they were saying, but it felt private, sacred, and celebratory. I imagined a cauldron between them, their cheeks lit by the glowing coals and the exchange of secrets.
I got close enough to see that each woman held a white paper lantern, its walls as thin as moth wings. One by one, each woman lit the candle inside her lantern. One by one, each woman held her glowing globe high. And one by one, each lantern, made buoyant by the heat inside, lifted out of the hands of these women, caught the evening wind, and floated out toward the horizon. I watched as the little fires flickered and did not burn out, but rose higher, regally shining through the luscious night, proudly laying a path of light.
Like these little Mexican fire lanterns, dear one, you too have gotten lit, held yourself aloft, hitched a ride on the wind, and are now about to sail out over the ocean of the rest of your life.
When you picked up this book, you may have felt numb, pissed off, and tired — fated to a dim future. Yet as you have read and practiced, you have confirmed your destiny as a living, breathing miracle. Your life is your own. You are a benediction. And a temple.
You have set down self-flagellation and self-deprecation, because you know they can’t carry you to where you are going. Where once you felt riddled with holes, you have filled those holes with wholeness. Befitting your holiness, you have learned to capitalize the word Woman. Sitting as still as you wish or grinding your hips, you embody divine light. Where you once felt too much or not nearly enough, now you know you are just right. Since you know that you are what the Goddess looks like, you can invite us all to enjoy the view.
these are miracles
your miracles
drink them like honey
Whether you choose to walk swiftly or slowly, to make good time or take your sweet time, this path is now yours.
This provocative ride is over, and now you begin.
Wild applause! Standing ovation! Confetti! You did it! We’re done!
And yet. As the alchemical dictum declares, “In my ending is my beginning.” So as we celebrate our ending and all that you are beginning, let us be clear: your Feminine Genius path has just begun.
And really, it never ends.
Woman
you are always coming home
as well as becoming Home
You have come far and you have come wide. You have learned and you have unlearned. You have died and been reborn. Let’s get the step-by-step highlights from this Heroine’s Journey we have taken together.
You Went Straight for the Source You loosened your grip on the script and found your own way. You found yourself far from crazy — you found yourself brave and beautiful. You denounced people pleasing and the prison of pretty, and instead chose wisdom. You stopped the war with yourself, and realized that the only thing you lost was your desire to do battle.
You gave up being perfect — as in flawless, finished, and invulnerable — and you see yourself instead as wondrously and perfectly made. The jar with the cracks needn’t be tossed on the trash heap; it is wondrously and perfectly made for watering the garden.
You know that walking the path of the Feminine Genius is the highest-stakes, highest-reward game in town. And you’re in good with the headmistress of learning and growing, so you’ve got a lifetime supply of gold stars.
Because the conversation with the Divine happens right here, right now, and is not limited to ashrams, synagogues, yoga mats, or meditation cushions, you know that every moment is communion. That there is nowhere you could go, and nothing you could do, to fall from the web of the All That Is.
You Birthed Your Light in Your Dark You reached into the other world and brought back treasures. You learned that going up and down, and going round and round, is simply your nature. You found yourself at the eye of the storm of all that you feel. You let the Queen of the Dark burn away that which you no longer need.
You hold the fiery mystery of the stars in your bones, and you shine like a searchlight. You know that all parts of you, working together as a unified whole, is the mark of Genius. You have all you need within you to navigate the dark night and walk proudly into your bright life.
You Remembered to Take Your Body with You You have welcomed your prodigal girl child, at once innocent and divine.
You know there is no spot on which God is not, no place that is not holy — including every inch of your flesh. You have discovered an Oracle between your thighs, learned to speak her native tongue, and let her help you steer your whole life.
You have unearthed your deep desires as a zip-line to the Feminine Divine.
Emboldened and empowered, venerated and integrated, you know how to use erotic energy as fiery fuel to strengthen your body so you can bring through your passion. You can allow Eros to ally you with pleasure, which will ally you with confidence. You can allow Eros to bind you to the Sacred, bringing meaning into your everyday life.
You have cultivated your inner world. You have fortified the connection between your inner world and the other world. You now see the Beloved’s face in the looking glass. Well remembered!
You Have Turned Your Light On Woman. You. Have. Turned. Yourself. On. And the secret under your smile says that you know how you help keep the candle flame lit.
Because: The more pleasure, the more truth. The more presence, the more power. The more life-force, the more light.
You now know that what you appreciate, appreciates. Your looking and listening can influence how anyone speaks, thinks, feels, and acts — yourself included. And when in doubt, you can flirt, dance, and pleasure yourself back to life.
You are now in dialogue with all of Creation, and Creation is so glad you are here. Get ready to drink in this shower of blessings; sweet, funky, and fierce as they may be. Oh, you don’t have to take everything in. You know how to deliberately wield your light with care and skill. Invisible is just as good a choice as full-wattage. What you receive is your choice.
Take it further. Bless us with your ecstasy. Lead with your intuitive intelligence. Commune with your truth, and tell us loud and clear what you hear. Let other women catch you, and let them catch you on fire.
your light is a blessing and a prayer,
as potent as fire,
as necessary as air
So now what? Claim your triumphs. Drink your miracles like honey. Boldly embody your Genius. Throw back your head and profess your joy. Exalt. Woman, you have arrived.
And remember, right after an arrival is yet another departure. You are never static. What Woman can stay still for long? Soon, Feminine Genius will be pouring through you, aching anew.
You are always moving, retreating, expanding, bending, breaking, mending. You are always falling and then again rising. Rising through the sky at night, a holy, holy sphere of light.
You are always coming home, and you are always becoming Home.
you are always
becoming
Woman