When we act as the Divine Feminine…we see leadership in a new way (Part II)

Last updated on: December 29, 2012 at 3:03 pm by Women of Spirit and Faith

When we act as the Divine Feminine…we see leadership in a new way (Part II) 2012-12-29T15:03:25+00:00 Women of Spirit and Faith

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.

Laura Paskell-Brown is active in Women of Spirit and Faith, where she edits this blog, and facilitates circles. She lives in Brooklyn with her roommate Doan and a cat called Rupert.

I’ve always been a mouthy, precocious little bugger. I was the kid at school voted “Most likely to be Prime Minister”. I turned every discussion into a debate, and my favourite activity was “being proved right”, which, according to me, happened rather frequently.

So an organisation dedicated to developing the next generation of spiritual leaders seems like the perfect place for me and my big ego. Right?

During my first encounter with Women of Spirit and Faith (WSF), I saw women at the front of the conference room, and immediately assumed that they were our “leaders”. In my arrogant way, I also assumed that I would soon be one of them. Then something strange happened: they began turning to everyone in the room, asking what we thought, what we felt, what our experiences were, and what we thought wanted to emerge next. I was baffled. “What are they doing asking everyone? “ I wondered.

That was my introduction to leadership, WSF-style.

The next day it got even weirder. When a group of young women decided that we wanted to talk about mentoring, we were encouraged to host our own circle. Circle practices are vital to the new leadership paradigm. In a circle all participants are equally close to the center, and therefore equally valued. Though I would have denied it at the time, valuing all people equally wasn’t exactly on my agenda that day. After everyone sat down, I put on my most competent face, and took control, even though I didn’t have the faintest idea what I was doing. I guess it was my way of putting myself up front again, of letting them know I was “a future leader”. It came from arrogance, and from the simultaneous fear that I was worthless if people didn’t see me as special.

A beautiful moment at the first WSF “Alchemy” conference in April 2011

But nobody shut me down; they simply sat quietly. And it was their total trust that the circle would allow what needed to happen to happen, which enabled me to do something I had never done before. After an awkward minute or two of using Roberts’s Rules – the only tool I had at that point – I stopped, listened to my heart and said: “I don’t think I can run this circle the way it wants to be run. Is any woman here who feels she can better facilitate?” There was a brief pause, in which I began to feel disappointed in myself. Then a woman elder lovingly stepped forward and we had one of the most powerful circles I have ever attended.

In this new paradigm, leadership is about stepping up when you feel called, and stepping back when you don’t. It’s about listening to your heart, and to Spirit – however you encounter Her/Him/It – and being willing to play the role that only you can play. Each person is important in his or her own right, but it is the circle that leads, not any individual. This was the key point I made in “Part I” of this blog. The way we have experienced leadership for many centuries has been based upon a hero worship that has placed leadership in personality traits or in particular roles and titles. The new paradigm does not focus on leaders per se, but on leadership practices.

Women in circle

At Women of Spirit and Faith, anyone who sits in one of our circles is a leader because leadership is located in the circle, not in you or in me. This shift in emphasis allows us all to take responsibility for what happens, as well as forcing us to trust The Mystery. I have facilitated many circles since that day at the conference, but I don’t take credit for how they turn out, and I no longer think that my job is to give people answers, (which is lucky, because often I don’t have any). A circle holder simply provides the loving space for answers to emerge. Which they always do.

Of course, though I do try to keep it in check, my oversized ego is still lurking. Anyone who knows me will tell you I still talk too much, and I have occasionally been known to sound patronising. Luckily, circle is big and strong enough to absorb our character defects, which allows us to act from our best selves when it really counts.

In short, collaborative leadership practices – and there are several different forms, circle being just one – enable anyone to show up as the imperfect people they are, to admit that they don’t always know what the plan is, and then to be part of leadership anyway. In this humble way we are being guided to envision a new world, and collectively taking steps towards creating it.

Another form of the new leadership paradigm in action during the General Assembly of “Occupy Wall Street” in Washington Square Park, New York in 2011

When we act as the Divine Feminine...

Previous Post

December 26, 2012

When we act as the Divine Feminine…we see leadership in a new way (Part I)

Next Post

December 31, 2012 When we act as the Divine Feminine…we no longer fear the cycle of life

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 28-day meditation challenge A new world Alchemy: Occupy Your Sacred Self Ancestors and Spiritual Evolution Consciousness Ending violence against women Holiday season: quiet time or chaos? How has She blessed you in 2011? inter-being. Interfaith Invitation to blog: What does a world transformed by the Divine Feminine look like? Sounds like? Taste like? Smell like? Living the Divine Feminine Mother Work Mothers and mothering On Feminine Ground Owning Our Wisdom Parliament of Worlds Religions Personal rituals or practices that keep you in touch with the Divine Feminine Reclaiming the heart of our humanity Reflections on WSF retreat Sacred Love Stepping Stones on the Spiritual Path The next generation Tugging at your heart Uncategorized Videos: women of spirit and faith What are you longing for? What are you noticing? What are your dreams/intuitions telling you? What gets stirred up in you when you hear the words "War on Women"? What happens when women lead? What is "the Divine Feminine"? What is the Devine Fem calling you to do? What wants to Emerge? When we act as the Divine Feminine... Who inspires you? Why I am a... Women of Spirit and Faith

Select a Month January 2017 December 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 May 2015 April 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz