[Spirituality] “isn’t just about getting into the presence of God, because we’re in that presence all the time. The central question is ‘How can I fashion a life where I actually live in that awareness?'”   Rabbi Laura Geller, IN SWEET COMPANY: CONVERSATIONS WITH EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN ABOUT LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE

Welcome to the IN SWEET COMPANY blog, the next wave in the life of a beautiful book I wrote called IN SWEET COMPANY: CONVERSATIONS WITH EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN ABOUT LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE. The book is a collection of intimate conversations I had with 14 famous women about how their spiritual lives nourish them and serve as a steady compass for their decision-making. They are, like us, women of various ages and backgrounds with an appetite for Goodness — daughters, mothers, wives, and friends; educators, entrepreneurs, and activists; artists and healers; visionary thinkers and spiritual architects in search of the Sacred. The emotional generosity and courage they summon as they share their stories and live their lives is a demonstration of what individuals and society can learn from women committed to living with meaning, integrity, and joy. As one man told me after reading IN SWEET COMPANY, “Margaret, this is really a book for men who want to know what ‘real women’ are all about.” (insweetcompany.com/women.php)

To my great surprise, IN SWEET COMPANY has had a life of its own — almost as if “she” is the 15th woman featured in her pages. “She” has a “professional life” as a teacher and counselor. “She” is social, invited into homes and hearts around the world and shared among families. “She” is guided by core values and is trusted — a woman who has your back. “She” has a spiritual life, a profound connection to God — especially to the Divine Feminine.

When the book was released …

… I began speaking at conferences and leading workshops and women’s retreats around the country. (insweetcompany.com/retreats.php)  The women who are drawn to these programs are smart, funny, earnest, sincere, brave, spiritually-oriented “works in progress.” We get down. We get close. As one attendee said about a gathering, “I laughed. I cried. But most of all, I loved.” The personal and collective transformation that evolves from our being together gives me goose bumps. It aligns us, brings us into being “in sweet company” with our Selves, with each other, and with our God. When a retreat is over, it’s hard to say goodbye.
 
To keep these home fires burning, I started an IN SWEET COMPANY e-newsletter.(www.insweetcompany.com/share.php)  I write about what’s in my heart, provide resources, and invite readers to pass the newsletter on to anyone who can keep the conversation going. Pretty soon, I started getting emails from women in Afghanistan and Tasmania, Namibia and Boca Raton. Who knew there were so many “wimmens” out there who wanted to talk?

Last Fall, I moved to Northern California after years of living in the San Diego area. It was the move from Hell — not that San Diego was Hell, but that the dragons we slayed on the road North were some of the wildest puppies we’d ever encountered. Thankfully, time has marched on.

A few moths ago, I began asking the Universe to clue me in on what She wanted me to do next. I knew something was out there; I could feel it. One morning, She whispered in my ear, “Write for God.” (I’d hoped for something a tad more clear-cut, but I trusted the specifics would come when I’d give up my attachment to wanting to know them.) Two months later Beliefnet invited me to write this blog on women’s spirituality.  

So, here we sit, you and I. My sense is, now that we’ve found each other, there’s a lot we can talk about. I’m not an authority; I’m not a spiritual teacher. I’m just a girl looking to connect with the God of my heart. Things are tough out there. There’s a great deal to consider, to reconfigure, to keep on top of. Like the book, the IN SWEET COMPANY blog will be a place where “Conversations wIth Extraordinary Women (us!) About Living A Spiritual Life” will emerge. We’ll talk about creating and maintaining connectedness in the midst of transition and chaos, about creating a sense of the Sacred in our daily lives. We’ll talk about some great resources and events for women. And we’ll tell our stories — women’s stories — stories that bring healing and holiness to the present moment.

Some days we’ll rail, some days we’ll weep, some days we’ll laugh and revel in awe and wonder. The good thing is we’ll do this together. It’s what being in sweet company is all about.

Your thoughts?