Congratulations to the winners of The Queen of My Self book giveaway:

Terri Miller, FL

Anna Mills, OH

Clara Vaughan, MO

Enjoy!

 

June is traditionally the month for weddings and it is also now celebrated as Gay Pride month. Love is in the air all around. This is a juicy time of making whoopy.

But while June is the jolly season for Brides and Grooms, Brides and Brides and Grooms and Grooms, it is important to remember that the most primary and important love is that of Self Love. All relationships are built on the respect, esteem and affection that we have for our self.

 

I just returned from a weekend in Pennsylvania where I presented a full schedule of Queen of My Self workshops and rituals at Where Womyn Gather, an annual women’s spirituality festival.

The women who participated were an eclectic bunch. They ranged in age from 30 to 66. They were heterosexual and lesbian; married, single, divorced and widowed; mothers, grandmothers and childless by choice or circumstance. They were every shape, size and color.

They were nurses, healers of various modalities, social workers, astrologers, librarians, entrepreneurs, teachers and retired women. They came from New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, Maryland, Florida.

They were Every Woman.

What they all had in common was their desire to achieve an enhanced sense of Self: Self-acceptance, Self forgiveness, Self-respect, Self esteem, Self-confidence, Self-identification, Self-direction, Self-appreciation, Self-love.

Their common goal was to step into their sovereignty: To find their center and stay in their authenticity. To say what they mean and ask for what they want. To speak with conviction in a clear and loud voice. To be heard.

This is the program we followed:

The Full Spirited Four-Fold Goddess Workshop

A presentation and discussion of the new Queen archetype and how it completes the inadequate Triple Goddess model.

High Tea with the Queen

A playful gathering where we dressed in garden hats, pearls and gloves and shared tea and cookies as we got to know each other better.

Stepping into Sovereignty: An Initiation for Queens-to-Be

A ritual of personal empowerment that included blessings, sharing, releasing obstacles and resistance, drumming and chanting.

The Queen’s Guide to Power

An investigation of what power is and isn’t and how it is used. A rethinking of how to be powerful in a new, non-patriarchal way.

A Crown and Scepter Making Playshop

What fun we had creating the symbols of our sovereignty to be used in the Crowning Ritual.

The Royal Coronation Ceremony

Our time together culminated in ritual in which we proclaimed our intentions as empowered Queens and crowned our own head with the authority to manifest them.

I was so impressed, honored and touched by the level of trust that we created, which facilitated deep sharing, profound honesty and vulnerability. There was lots of weeping as the layers of resistance were shed, and also exuberant joy, growth and transformation.

After two workshops, two rituals and two special events, the women all left — ready, willing and able — to create and live their dreams. To walk their talk. To manifest their own destinies. To rule their own domains.

What a glorious time!

I will be there again next year from June 7-12 to offer the same program. Mark your calendars and plan to join me for a fabulous experience.

In the meantime, I am available to facilitate Queen of My Self workshops for your group, club, school or gathering of friends.

Have Crown Will Travel! Just contact me if you are interested: thequeenofmyself@aol.com

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Donna Henes is the author of The Queen of My Self: Stepping into Sovereignty in Midlife. She is the Midlife Midwife™ offering counseling and upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity.

Consult the MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™: http://www.donnahenes.net/queen/consult.shtml

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The Queen welcomes questions concerning all issues of interest to women in their mature years. Send your inquiries to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.