Sisterhood

“I have learned that the point of life's walk is not where or how far I move my feet but how I am moved in my heart.”
― Anasazi Foundation, The Seven Paths: Changing One's Way of Walking in the World

 

In many tribes, that are matrilineal, Creator is assigned a feminine aspect:  First Woman.  The Pueblo, apparently have a story about this feminine Creator who created all the land and people from her own body.  She enlisted help from the Wolf, Coyote and Puma.  Feminine personalities in many tribes are always ones with strength and diversity.  Feminine personalities were seen as nurturers  and healers and women were thought as, and respected as, being great healers.  The sisterhood, in such cultures, are not necessarily biological family but given the deeply respected titles that showed them sisters to First Woman.  Women were all raised by mothers and aunties and sisters and grandmothers within a family unit whether blood-related or not.  And, anyone who mothered was called Mother.  

Young girls were raised to have innate strength that comes from First Woman.  They were taught to use this power in only the best ways.  Girls were molded to know their own personal sense of dignity and grace that came from that First Woman.  Their identity to First Woman was strong.

I have wondered, long, how it might have been to be raised in such a way, where, even in Christianity, females were taught more of Eve and the Virgin Mary as the utmost most grace, power, strength and nurturing.  Yes, we were taught to play with dolls and mother them.  Some of us created an invisible feminine 'sister', or 'friend', that carried the best, or sometimes, the worst, of us.  We most likely would have felt 'enough' and carry a pride that withstood growing up without First Woman as Creator ideology.

We have come down the line of women who we can, now, look back at and see as heroes, as sisters, as aunties, and mothers, as grandmothers.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to raise our children all over, with this in mind?  I did my best.  I called trusted friends, not blood-related, to be sisters, aunties, etc.  I would raise my children with the ideology that we are the answer to an ancient grandmother's prayer.

We are just that.  It is not too late to hear this.  You!  You are the answer to some ancient grandmother's prayer.

 

I began by getting some marks and lines and letters in the background.

I, then, drew quick shapes to represent the women. (Note: usually you will see four women, representing the four races, in yellow, red, black and white.)  

I chose to put an extra feminine figure in, in brown, to represent me.

I added some details and voila!  I love this painting on a long rectangular canvas. 

 

Be, as Jan Buyers says, "Queen..." of whatever you sense your personality to be.  Be aware of your divinity, no matter the earthly things that you allow to drag you down.  You are divine!  You are an answer to someone's prayers.

©Carol Desjarlais 3.6.20