Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Essence of the One

Home
New Visions
Powerful! For Mothers & Daughters, from Orlando’s Women’s March…

Powerful! For Mothers & Daughters, from Orlando’s Women’s March…

Last updated on: January 23, 2017 at 9:52 am by Mastura Debra Graugnard

Powerful! For Mothers & Daughters, from Orlando’s Women’s March… 2017-01-23T09:52:44-05:00 Mastura Debra Graugnard

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Women's March needtolisten-550x290

A friend on facebook asked, “How did all these women just become victims overnight? Why are all these feminists, who are supposed to be strong women, playing the victim?” A strong Trump supporter, she goes on to defend him as if the Women’s March were about him alone.

For many, his words and beliefs have sparked the fire of pain and feelings of oppression and inequality which they’ve endured for a lifetime. The position of president has the power to influence policies that threaten a woman’s way of life, and so it is true that some have found justification to direct a lifetime of anger toward him. Perhaps this is what my friend is reacting to.

Women's March decencyrespectequality However, what’s moving in the world right now is not about any one person. The issues that are being challenged now have been around for centuries.

I attended the Women’s March in Orlando this weekend. They had a number of powerful speakers with a beautiful call to action. The called for all the local groups representing the individual causes to unite and work together to be more effective in bringing about the changes they wish to see in the community. They issued an invitation for everyone concerned to get involved locally. I’m sure this same invitation could be extended to you from your community if you are looking for a way to make a difference.

There was a speaker who was not from a non-profit agency or among those listed on the website, who shared a poem she had written – a powerful dialogue between a mother and daughter. For me this sums up what the movement is about at a base level.

Poem written and performed by Faith Culhane.

Our new president is playing a role. He is a catalyst that is inspiring many of us to reclaim our power and our voices, to strengthen our conviction in what we believe.

Likewise, each of us here is playing a role. No role is more significant than any other. We are all here from the One Divine Architect Who gives us each a place and a purpose, and a lesson plan.

Women's March menofquality We are all here to learn from each other. This movement is challenging us to dig deep into our hearts and examine what is right, just and fair.

Even those issues that strike us as so blatantly wrong are here to mirror for us some way that we buy into the illusion of them. This world is an illusion, and what we see – what is reflected to us in the space around us – what we perceive through our individual lenses – reflects back to us what we need to know about ourselves.

When we truly know ourselves – what we are – we can understand the deeper meanings behind the material realm. We can know the truth of our existence. Only then can we come to realize the presence of love in every fiber of our beings.

If you, as an individual, have felt oppressed, or fear future oppression, there’s an opportunity for you to strengthen your conviction and trust in divine truth. If you fear the oppression and mistreatment of others, the same is true.

When we come to face that which we fear, we find the places inside where we hold separation. What is fear but perceived separation from love. And what is the divine bridge that brings together the sides of right and wrong? That bridge is compassion.

Women's March loveyourneighbor When we feel compassion for others who are being mistreated, the compassion draws us closer to them and closer to the divine light in them. It bridges our divine light with their divine light, our fear with our own divine light, and all of us together toward one divine light.

The same is true for the feelings of oppression and separation within ourselves. We need compassion and love for ourselves. If we can’t find it inside, we call on The Essence of the One for help.

That pain you feel in your heart is a signal. It tells you there is an opportunity to draw closer to love, to One Light. The way to draw closer is to feel the compassion.

God willing, through the heightened awareness this movement brings, we come to recognize where we have held ourselves at a distance from those we do not understand or feel comfortable with. God willing, we will look deeper with a more compassionate and loving eye and draw closer as one community, one family, one people, one light.

Through this movement we can come together to offer up those places where we hold fear over unity, and pray for wisdom and discernment, for protection and justice, and for peace and unity.

Women's March imarchto I did not march to claim victimhood. I march to claim my power as a human being and as a woman, for myself and on behalf of those who are struggling, who need help believing in themselves, who need help standing for equal opportunity, equal pay, equal value as a human being and equal respect.

God willing, we can all use this catalyst to find and discern what is most important to us, to become more solid in our beliefs, and to stand up and take action on issues that truly matter to us – whether those actions are within our own hearts or in the global community or anywhere in between.

We each have a divine inheritance. We are made of love. The life force breathed into us is a divine cosmic breath. We carry the Essence of the One within. This Essence is worthy of love, honor and respect. No less, no one less than any other. Only Love.

Photo credits: All photos taken by Debra Graugnard. 
Poem written and performed by Faith Culhane at the 
Women's Rally in Orlando, Florida, on January 21, 2017.

Sufi-Webinars-Living-Peace

New Online Program begins January 31st.

We are blessed to live in “interesting times,” beyond the sublime order of angelic existence, and to seek the gifts that are hidden in the apparent uncertainty and chaos that periodically threaten to overwhelm us. This year’s federal election has blown away some comforting assumptions about where we stand, so this webinar series is a timely response to help us make sense of the challenges we face as a nation, an ummah, a community or family, and as all of humanity.

Join Dr. John Abd al-Qadr Davies for this special series to learn:

How to move from focusing on others’ failures to stepping into real responsibility for catalyzing constructive change.
How to connect with empathy to the hearts of those caught in fear, overwhelm or reactive blame.
How to recognize how others mirror for us the places that need healing in our own lives.
How to respond to prejudice, alienation or hatred, to defuse threats of violence.
How to live in peace, in love, now.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE

Equality

Parenting

Previous Post

January 19, 2017

What Now? Special Prayer for Inauguration Day

Next Post

January 24, 2017 Hello Rumi Tuesday! We Are From Nowhere...

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Best of Journey Home Series 2017 Equality Getting to the Heart of Cancer Healing Racism & Bigotry Healing the Planet Journey Home Life Purpose Life-Work Balance Livestreams Parenting Peacemaking Relationship Healing Rumi Tuesday Spiritual Healing Sufi Concepts Uncategorized

Select a Month June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the correct order of 'these three' that remain, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Love, faith, hope Faith, hope, love Hope, faith, love Faith, love, hope