All men have had to fight for their rights and womb-carrying humans are fighting for very unique ones.  In some cultures more than others the fight is still very challenging.  Furthermore, many of us are our own worst enemy in this fight. With low self esteem in tow, women trample on their own rights by declining them, not demanding them, and not fighting for them.  Not accidentally, the womb resides in the second chakra, the chakra of intuition and self-esteem. When a woman’s self-esteem and intuition come from a wounded or abandoned womb, it can seem as though the life one has come to live is a result of external forces. Rather than being in command of one’s own existence in a pro-active and empowering fashion, feeling as if things “just happen” that are out of our control becomes the modus operandi.  

When any of the chakras are out of balance, issues regarding self-respect, fear of losing control, financial loss, ability to survive and thrive, and poorly balanced relationships will be present. Eating issues such as anorexia and bulimia, along with buried emotions and depression are associated with an unbalanced second chakra and an unbalanced womb. Unless you heal yourself you cannot heal the world around you or help another sister, mother, or daughter in need.

 It is common knowledge that if the people who fight for other people's rights do not fully believe in their own they cannot make a difference. How can a woman stand up for her rights  to something, let’s say choice, if deep inside she doesn’t feel like she deserves any basic rights for herself?

Aside from the right to choice, there are some more personal, subtle rights that are constantly challenged by our social, familial, cultural and even religious environment. These are the right to speak and hear the truth, the right to love and be loved, the right to take action, and the right to know, just to name a few.  For example, if we are not taught to question authority as children, we might believe we cannot stand up for our rights to go against societal norms. This misguided belief can result in feeling compelled to consent to unnecessary medical interventions. Similarly, if we walk around with the belief that we are unlovable, we may not stand up for our right to be in loving relationships, overlooking abusive patterns. If the right to voice our feelings of anger and frustration, or even joy and laughter are denied in our childhood we might become incapable to stand up for ourselves or even believe we are deserving of any rights at all.

When a woman identifies her patterns and learns how to let go of unwanted beliefs she is on her way to obtaining the life she deserves and desires.  She is creating and cradling within her womb future generations of empowered human beings. Most of us living in the western world know this and understand the need women have to stand for their basic rights, but only a few of us have been given the tools to actually stand up for ourselves.

Much work needs to be done to re-write our history so that our reactions and actions stem from a positive and empowering place. Unless we do the actual work, just knowing this intellectually will not help. We need to begin a conversation with ourselves as we are the person best equipped to heal what needs healing, and exalt and bring into life our dreams, and desires.

 Many years ago I found myself at Esalen having a conversation with my shoulder. I was taking a workshop on Rubenfeld’s Synergy Method of Talk and Touch which is a modality that integrates bodywork, intuition, and psychotherapy. According to their teaching:  Rubenfeld Synergy utilizes talk, movement, awareness, imagination, humor, and compassionate touch as gateways—contacting and melting frozen tensions and emotions, freeing the body from pain and the mind from suffering. What intrigued me during this experience was the longing I felt coming from my shoulder to communicate with me, and the release and sense of well being that ensued once that part of my body felt ‘heard.’ Scientific research continues to mount showing the truth of a simple principle: the body, mind, emotions and spirit are dynamically interrelated.

Following the first conversation with my shoulder, I repeatedly heard different parts of my body calling me to have a conversation to clear and let go of those emotions and memories that were lodged in them and were causing not only emotional, but physical pain. This concept of speaking to parts of my body to obtain clarity and healing fascinated me so that I began engaging in conversations with my liver, which has been ailing for years. Recently during menopause, I felt compelled, even called, to speaking with my womb.

However, this time, I did not want to simply have a random conversation. My methodical mind longed for an in-depth inquiry where I could touch upon how the many facets of my existence where influencing my womb during this very important life change we call menopause. Taking the time to pause and ask the right questions I chose a tool I call the Nine Chakras of Creations that I had created when I wrote my first book, Painless Childbirth.

The chakras (or energy centers) are a system used in many healing modalities, especially in Eastern cultures and have their origins in yoga. What I love about using the chakras is that each relates to a specific physical location in our body as well as a life lesson. In studying the chakras I noticed that many disciplines use them parallel to some basic human rights like the right to be here, the right to be loved, and the right to speak.  I also learned that focusing on each chakra, one at a time could shed light on obstruction that some life event might have placed on it. Going one by one helped me focus on certain aspects I had not previously considered, and each time I released the energy in a lower chakra I could feel the one above longing for the same relief.   This way the conversation with my womb began with questions related to the first chakra, my roots, my relationship with the past, my family of origin, my culture and the tribe I come from. The conversations in my first and second chakra led to the relationship with myself in the third chakra, love, intimacy and universal relationships in the fourth, the impeccability of my words in the fifth, all the way to my relationship with the Divine in the ninth.

The lessons revealed in using the basic human rights (in tandem with the lessons embodied in the chakras,) helped me follow a specific path. On this path I was able to see and understand the major influences and belief systems that shaped aspects of my history, my memories, and who I am as a person, a woman, and a mother. By using the nine basic human rights embedded in each chakra I was able to explore how I truly felt, for instance, about my right to be here in this world, or my right to be loved. At times I was even surprised that it had taken me all this time to realize that I needed to ask myself if I had a right to have a vision for my life, or if I had a right to my Divine powers. This process helped me shed light into some dark corners I never even knew existed.   

Concurrently, for the next five years I began offering workshops on the Nine Chakras of Creation around the world. During this time I recognized how useful the lively conversations generated from the women who attended these workshops, and the tools employed within them could be. This is how Conversations With The Womb was born.

I encourage you to begin an intimate conversation with your own womb, the seat of all creation and, to use the Nine Chakras of Creation as a spring board to zero in on what needs your attention.

Through the use of these nine steps you will learn:

·         How your history and the pacts you have made in the past affect your present actions.

·         How your mind works and what stands in the way of achieving your goals.

·         How to harness the power of intuition which resides in your womb, and how to listen and trust it.

·         How to heal past grief related to your womb and bring to light that which is in the shadows.

·         How to harness the power of manifestation.

·         How to use your newfound womb power to take action.

·         How to have a daily conversation with your creative womb.

Since the journey into our souls requires a lifetime to tackle, having reminders at particular times in my life, has really helped me to stay on track. In this book when we talk about striving to live a conscious life, or having a conscious contact with the spirit, we tap into a universal message; one that is not NEW, but is repeated each and every year for centuries by different people using similar kinds of languages.  We are not here to impart new knowledge, but reawaken, remind and/or accompany you on today’s journey to self-discovery. Just like athletes practice every day to keep their skill fresh, our spirit needs daily reminders and tools to stay sharp on the journey of self-discovery.  Many times in my fifty-seven years when I needed inspiration I picked up a book that had motivated me in the past, only to discover that at this particular point in my life I could not read the same message, for my soul was hungry for something new; not a new message per se, but a new shade, or voice that would wake up something that was still asleep. In this vein I offer you these nine steps, the Nine Chakras of Creation.

From the title Conversations with the Womb it would seem that I am only talking to women folk, but that is not true. I recognize that all human beings have a feminine side to them and that this feminine side needs to be reached through feelings rather than concepts of thought and logical processes, especially when we are going to look at our lives from a holistic point of view encompassing body, mind, spirit and emotions. So it is to the feminine in all of us that I dedicate this book.

There are, have been, and will be many teachers on my path; illustrious men and women from Jesus to Siddhartha, from Carlos Castaneda, to Carolyn Myss, from Marianne Williamson to Dr. Christine Northrop, from Plato to Bruce Lipton, as well as all the women who have given me the privilege to be at the birth of their child, those who have participated to my workshops, all the men I have loved, and the one I have given birth to. Their legacy is shared in this book.  

My purpose with this book and in my work is to create an environment where women support one another. I invite you to cultivate nurturing relationships with supportive people. Join one of our workshops, create a woman’s group, or start a book study using this book as your springboard. Then share how you are doing in these endeavors on my site at www.ConversationsWithTheWomb.com, or on my Facebook page, Conversation with the Womb.