Being-With

Being-With refers to the ways in which women honor the spiritually holy moments of their daily life while negotiating the polarities of their existence. Women experience Being-With through:

• Awareness of the hallowed-here-and-now
• Recognition of sacred relationships
• Synthesizing polarities

Awareness of the hallowed-here-and-now

“It's not about going to a sacred space, and having an experience with God.” “I am already home and it’s already holy.”

Nature is often perceived as divine: “The woods are like my church”. “I think of myself as most spiritually empowered when I am in touch with the source from which I came, as well as the rest of creation around me”

Recognition of sacred relationships

“There's something… about female friendships and bonds and cohesions that strengthens women.”

Upon entering a woman’s consciousness raising group, one co-researcher realized “oh my God, every other woman is having very similar experiences as mine and I am not alone!”

Sacred connections are not specific to woman-woman relationships.

"All relationships are sacred, if we let them be. Some stand out as particularly important to my evolution. Each of my spiritual awakenings, and each of the therapeutic epiphanies that have allowed me to change self-defeating patterns have come in relationship to someone else. A teacher, a mentor, a lover or friend…"

Synthesizing Polarities

Women with Embodied Spiritual Empowerment have transcended “either-or” polarities, like the idea that Earth is sinful while heaven is holy, or that the body is sinful while the soul is spiritual.

"I see all the divisions that have been created between what is sacred and what is secular, and for me they are very bogus. It’s all sacred. It’s not about going to a sacred space and having an experience with God. All places are holy."