Blessings Goddesses,

I am taking a few minutes to share an article that I wrote sometime ago. Please enjoy.

SiStarhood: Gather the Women
copyright 2006
By Rev. Dr. Tonya K. Freeman

“No nation can rise higher than its woman.” – Elijah Muhammed –

Many years ago when I was a young woman of twenty – two years, a palm reader from India said to me, “One day, you will be a great leader of women.” I was stunned to hear this at the time since it was not even a thought in my mind to take on that type of responsibility but little did I know that on two more occasions others who were “in the know” said almost the same exact thing to me.

So, here I am now at the age of fifty-five and I have been helping to empower women through knowledge of self for over thirty years. It is a great feeling when women come together in SiStarhood to assist one another along their walk in life. Seeing a SiStar emerge as a lotus flower, rising from the ashes like a Phoenix makes my heart warm.

At present I am reading Jean Shinoda Bolen’s new book, Urgent Message From Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World. This book speaks to me in a number of ways and the time has not been so urgent in my lifetime then now for women to gather and do something or continue to do something to enrich not only their own personal lives but the lives of their family, village, community and the world at large.

When women gather it is not always about gossip, shopping trips, or getting their hair and nails done, there are many other reasons why women gather. They gather to do rituals and ceremonies, to pray, to heal, to counsel, console and lift up another SiStar, they gather in healing circles working towards a more civilized solution to things gone awry.

SiStarhood is a powerful force and women’s circles are growing by leaps and bounds. This is quite timely since it is a known fact that women help each other to heal with compassion, an energy that is one of our greatest attributes. When women are healed and truly empowered, Great Mother Earth and all of Her inhabitants will enjoy a life of harmony and oneness with All Our Relations.

A few examples of women who gathered to change the course of history: in Nigeria 600 women non - violently took over the Chevron plant in their village. They threatened to go naked unless their requests were acknowledged and acted upon. The situation ended agreeably, women of other Nigerian nations followed suit. They were not going to see a people, a village destroyed by greed and anger.

Another group of women in Argentina marched on the plaza every Thursday to protest the kidnapping and disappearance of children, friends and loved ones. They were heard.

A group of women in California saved a grove of redwoods from destruction. In Nagpur, India, women took justice into their own hands when they got “sick and tired” of young girls and pregnant women being brutally raped. The powers that be did nothing to help women in the past but things have since changed. Women made the streets safer for women in that city.

May is the month in which Mother’s Day is observed. Juila Ward Howe wrote a Mother’s Day Proclamation that spoke to peace on earth and goodwill towards all. She spoke to women of all nationalities coming together wherever and whenever they can to stop senseless violence for greed and gain. She spoke to the hearts of Mother’s the world over. Let us not forget the true purpose and intention of that proclamation which was written in 1870.

“Arise, then, women of this day! Arise all women who have hearts, whether our baptism be that of water or of tears!

Say firmly: “We will not have great questions decided by irrelevant agencies. Our husbands shall not come to us, reeking with carnage, for caresses and applause. Our sons shall not be taken from us to unlearn all that we have been able to teach them of charity, mercy and patience. We women of one country will be too tender of those of another country to allow our sons to be trained to injure theirs.”…

In the name of womanhood and of humanity, I earnestly ask that a general congress of women without limit of nationality may be appointed and held at some place deemed most convenient and at the earliest period consistent with its objects, to promote the alliance of the different nationalities, the amicable settlement of international questions, the great and general interests of peace.”

“When sleeping women wake, mountains move.” - Chinese Proverb -