Conscious Choices

Nancy S. Ayer – Story 34: Tell us about the book

Conscious Choices — Wed, 06 May 2009 03:36:16 +0000

In this book you will discover the stories of 44 different women, women just like you, who write about what it means to be fully human. In their individual searches for a more authentic and conscious life, these authors share themselves with heartfelt candor on what it means to be a woman in the 21st century. You will read of their courage and great strength, their brave struggles and their heartaches, their accomplishments and their failures, their joys and their sorrows. Perhaps one of the stories may even remind you of your own efforts toward finding meaning in your life. This book inspires and empowers and will surely stir your compassionate heart. Nancy Ayer

Andrea Hylen- Story 1: Tell us about the book

Conscious Choices — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 20:17:12 +0000

On the cover of Newsweek magazine on Jan 21, 2008 there was a picture of Hillary Clinton with the quote ‘I found my own voice.’ I displayed the magazine in a prominent place in my house ever since that day.

One day later on Jan 22, 2008, Evolutionary Women held the first phone call inviting women to write the personal story that wanted to emerge from within them and submit it for the book: Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Women’s Guide to Life.

It was a beautiful synchronicity. As women were supporting each other in sharing their voices, the first woman running as a major candidate for the US Presidency, was also finding her own voice.

I was so grateful for her courage, strength, wisdom and strong sense of self that had been so present in my life and during the evolutionary process of our book.

On Sunday, May 25, 2008 I e-mailed the completed manuscript to Christine Kloser of Love Your Life Publishing. From the invitation to write, to the delivery to the publisher, it was four months of supporting 44 women in finding their voices.

Three days later, there was an announcement in USA Today. Tinkerbell finds her voice. Tinkerbell was starring in her first film where she was the star and would speak with real words.

She was described as Peter Pan’s sidekick or fairy friend who was helpful, silent, or expressed herself with an angry tinkling bell.

The new film was shut down at one point when John Lasseter expressed his displeasure with the story line. He gave the team of writers 18 months to re-write the story. The story line was to reflect how Tinkerbell works with the other pixies and learns to accept herself.

In the four months of 44 women writing a story, Hillary Clinton and Tinkerbell both found their voices and learned to accept themselves. A co-creative process of working with others to emerge as a greater part of ourselves. Women working together to support each other in finding their deepest words.

I honor their voices and the journey that helped them find self acceptance, self-love and inner power and confidence.

Andrea Hylen- Story 1: Tell us about Evolutionary Women

Conscious Choices — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:27:33 +0000

I was determined to finish my “holiday letter,” before attending the first Evolutionary Women Retreat in Santa Barbara, December 2005. Something inside of me was saying this would be a life changing event for me. Completing the letter was like saying, “I am writing this BEFORE I become an Evolutionary Woman. See you in 2006, AS an Evolutionary Woman.”

As I read the letter now, three years later, I get tears in my eyes. I can feel the evolutionary impulse that was encouraging me to register for this event and fly from Maryland to California.

At the end of the letter I wrote, “I am attending the first Evolutionary Women retreat. I don’t know what it is, but I want to be an Evolutionary Woman!”

I don’t know what I thought was going to happen. Maybe I would be zapped with Evolutionary Women Power, enter an altered Universe or a chamber and when I emerged I would be a different person. I know I was looking for answers. My husband had died, four months earlier. I was searching, questioning, looking…

What was my purpose? What was next in my life?

I had to be there, at the retreat.

There were so many feelings during that first retreat. So many memories. The beauty of the retreat center. The amazing women who were in attendance. Reconnecting with Lucky Sweeny, one of the co-founders.

But, it was in the first exercise on Friday night, the triad, where I knew I was in the right place. We divided into groups of three women in each circle. The speaker, the listener and the witness. And we answered a question.

What is your highest potential right now?

I didn’t think I had any words until it was my turn to be the speaker.

As I began to speak, I felt like I was in a time tunnel. My life was flashing in front of me. Tears began to flow. I could see that the decisions I had been making all of my life were because I am an Evolutionary Woman. Deciding to leave my first husband and breaking the pattern of marriage of dysfunction. Later on deciding to home school my children when the school system was not meeting their needs.

These were not revolutionary choices. They were evolutionary.

As systems break down now, family patterns, educational systems, financial systems, government structures, we are making different choices. The ability to identify something inside of us that says, this is an old way of being and it isn’t working. The decision to make different choices. To risk something new and to have the courage to do it to make the world a better place.

I was not becoming an Evolutionary Woman. I was remembering who I have been all along.

Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, there is no place like home. I am remembering who I am.

I AM AN EVOLUTIONARY WOMAN!

Karen Porter- Story 4: Tell us about Evolutionary Women

Conscious Choices — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 19:37:28 +0000

When I attended my first EW retreat in April 2007, I found myself in a group of women who were open, supportive, and nonjudgmental. For the first time, I felt safe enough to open my heart and show who I am and know I would be loved and accepted. My biggest fear was that once I left the retreat, I would not find or be able to recreate that experience. Through connecting with like minded women, I was able to find and be supported through processes that continued my own opening and growth. Five retreats and an ongoing Emergence process later, I have seen women empowered, women healed, women finding their voices, their passion and gifts.

Just during my own lifetime, I have witnessed a societal shift from rigid roles within gender. class and culture, to an explosion of energy, effort and identification in the belief that I can do anything, be anything and I can definitely do and have it all. Evolutionary consciousness allows us to realize that each of us has a unique gift. In a cooperative world, all we need to do is our part, what we do best and all will be done. How liberating is it to realize that you don’t need to know everything, and that you do not have to be able to do every single thing?

Evolutionary Women creates a network of support, a container for growth and personal change. Every woman has her own process, each woman has her unique talent. EW supports each woman in discovering, claiming and developing her brilliance. In the long tradition of “light” stories and metaphors, EW adds processes and support for women to let their light shine to illuminate the world.

Andrea Hylen- Story 1: Tell us about your story

Conscious Choices — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 11:29:18 +0000

From the minute the book idea was announced, I knew that I wanted to write a story. I had been a prolific journal writer for many years and I saw this as an opportunity and an adventure.

I began the story with free flow writing. Nothing was connected at first. There was emotion and I made the commitment to write for an hour every day. To write anything that was bubbling up inside of me.

I had a lot of anger when I began. I wanted to write down how angry I was at my ex-husband and what I thought he had done to me. The writing reflected my deepest emotions of blaming him, anger with him and I wrote it as a victim. But, in the process, I began to hear the song from the Mister Roger’s PBS show. I heard the words, “I love you just the way you are.” I remembered how unloved I felt. I remembered wanting my husband to love me and I felt the emptiness and helpless feelings of being unloved that were inside of me.

One evening, I was sitting in bed with my MacBook, a cup of raspberry green tea, and a box of tissues. Reading the story that was emerging for the 50th time and sobbing, I clicked on the Edit button in Word, highlighted 3/4 of the text and boldly pressed the delete button.

I didn’t save a copy. I thought to myself… ENOUGH! This was not the story. It was not a story of anger and victimhood. The story was about how unloved I felt and how I learned to love myself and claim who I truly am for myself. It is a story of triumph and victory and spiritual growth.

The story was a process of healing and forgiveness for me. I experienced a healing as I wrote it and I hope it will help others to heal and forgive themselves and others, too.

Conscious Choices: An Evolutionary Woman’s Guide to Life

Conscious Choices — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:19:14 +0000