Together

An excerpt from Reveal: A Sacred Manual for Getting Spiritually Naked.

We have all felt it at some point in our lives. It has made us weep; it has made us laugh until our stomach hurt; it has reminded us that we are invincible. It has called back all the pieces of ourselves, of our soul, that we somehow lost. It has allowed us to feel that deliciously intimate bliss of being wildly alive, as if we could skinny dip in winter and fly through the air on a swinging trapeze without worrying about a net. We have all felt the power of what happens when women come together.

Call it what you want—a gaggle of goddesses, a women’s group, a femme flock, a power posse, a girl gang—it doesn’t matter. All that matters is that you have women who will stand by you, women who will reflect back to you just how much you are and just how much you are here to share. There is no greater spiritual tool for revealing your soul than a bevy of women who believe in you.

We have been separated from ourselves for so long. Individually, we have endured such extreme distances from our own souls. And we have also had to withstand the collective pain of not trusting one another, of feeling we are pitted against one another. We are all different, but comparison is an unholy waste of our time. In the end, no difference stands a chance when we tell our truth to one another as women, with heart-stopping transparency and raw honesty.

If you tell me your story—that you long for love; that you’re numb and lonely; that you lost your child; that you ache to have a child; that you’ve been abused; that you dream; that you cry at night wondering where the brave, little tom-girl is hiding; that you know there’s another way to live; that you know there’s more—my soul will root for you and want your freedom even more than my own.

No matter how briefly I know or encounter you, if you are getting spiritually naked and showing the real you, I will want every possible blessing to come your way. This is not unique to me; this is inherent in every woman I have ever known. The truth is, we want to love and support each other no matter our differences. The truth is, we know deep down that we’re on the same sacred team and that our work right now is to love each other into wearing our wings.

Why is it so important to have spiritual community? You can never really forget who you are or what you came here to do if a dedicated group of women are with you on your pilgrimage, to unveil your own love to you. They will hold you to your truth with whatever love (or spiritual spanking) is necessary. They will love you when you have blocked your own love for yourself. They will feed you with their soul—talk and warm you with the fiery conversation of self-possessed women.

And they will feed you—literally. When you have deserted yourself, they will pick you up and put their home-cooked food in your mouth themselves if they have to. They will nurture you until you remember again that you want to be here, that life is good. They will help you laugh when you are least able to, and they will help you cry when you are trying to keep it locked inside you.

They will forgive you as quickly as you can ask for it. They will hold you steady as you do the treacherous work of going within, of meeting the audacity of the soul. They will be there as you take that love you have found within you and move it out into the world. They will hold your highest truth for you. They will pray with you. They will create rituals that comfort and support you. They will break dark chocolate with you.

They will look you in the eyes and wordlessly connect you to the power that has always existed, century after century, when we come together as women.