Goddesspell: November 2014

So I created this promo video early last week as part of a fundraising campaign through my non-profit fiscal sponsor C4Atlanta. I launched the campaign by writing about it and sending the link via my Roots Productions e-newsletter last Thursday- one week ago- to over 1500 people. I felt so empowered and excited that first day after receiving 4 generous donations hoping that things would continue moving forward with that kind of energy. By this past Monday, I couldn't help but let my disappointment get the better of me. Even though I had started the process of writing personal notes to my friends about the campaign, I hadn't received any additional donations and to date only one other person has donated. It's been interesting to witness myself in this process and the feelings and thoughts that come up- my fears around not being able to raise the money not just for the specific things mentioned but in order to really be taken seriously when going after grant money. Anyway, I won't go into the details, only to say that despite my fears in this process, I feel inspired and I will continue moving forward trusting that what I need will be provided somehow - someway.

I'm not sure what stops people from donating even the least amount of $25 when they feel inspired by the work. I could make all kinds of assumptions. At any rate, I'm grateful that one of my male friends who has the capability of making a generous donation, didn't just shut me down. He seriously wanted to know, after watching the video: "What is the exact problem and what is the exact solution?" And then proceeded to let me know if I took the time to answer this and it was something he felt good about getting behind, that he would make a generous donation. I know that he is the kind of guy that wants specific, concrete ideas he can wrap his head around. So I let it go and here is what I wrote:

Dear . . .,
The fundamental problem that Goddesspell addresses is awareness of the imbalance of masculine and feminine energy throughout modern history and in the world today; and, awareness that the root of many of our human problems are caused by this imbalance. Awareness is the first step to healing/solving problems. Goddesspell attempts to shift the way we perceive the world, expanding perceptions to then inform balanced/healthy actions.

We as humans in general have a tendency to see problems and solutions as outside of ourselves, as caused by something we do or not do. I would label this tendency as one of our masculine characteristics. There are aspects/energies, beyond the physical, that are inherently but not exclusively masculine and those that are inherently but not exclusively feminine. The Taoists call these energies yin and yang and believe that true health in every sense of the word comes from a balance between these two energies. At the very basic level, masculine energy is that part of us that drives us to hunt and gather so to speak (more focused on our “doing” and external nature) and the feminine to nurture (more focused on our “being” and internal nature).
At the moment, the masculine principle which is absolutely necessary to advance civilization and simply live in this world quite frankly is out of balance with the feminine principle- that of BEING in true relationship with one’s inner most self and others- the acknowledgement that we are truly all (all of life!) connected on an even deeper level than meets the eye. We are ALL suffering as a result of this imbalance- people are running over other people and the environment. As Time magazine reported – no matter how much money you have, only about 30% of the population says they are truly happy. The pharmaceutical companies are selling mass quantities of drugs for stress (blood pressure) and depression. This is our cultures answer to our disconnection to our Source and each other. I would like to see a world in which most of us are not just living- but living from a place of joy and peace, something that I believe more balance would ultimately bring.

I believe that many of our problems are rooted in this imbalance. We have been embracing masculine characteristic as our God - literally and figuratively at the expense of the feminine. We have very little respect for those characteristics of ours labeled feminine. And it shows up in how we look at and treat women (ourselves) in general as well – you saw the statistics. This is not something we can use our masculine energy to fix- it’s not a problem out in the world to fix. It is something to look at within our culture and ourselves. It’s a matter of the heart- not the head. It’s a matter of making relationships more important than things. It’s not something to figure out or analyze – it’s something to let ourselves feel and experience and then allow the solution to come from that place as an individual. As you know, we can’t truly fix problems from the same space they came from - otherwise we just repeat the past.

The intention of Goddesspell, is to immerse the audience in an experience of the wisdom of the feminine energy- to stop- to breath it in- to experience a space of BEING held and nurtured- of having your heart opened and remembering what being held by the MOTHER feels like again. My intention is to open people up to a new perspective/awareness- to see the importance of holding up the feminine principle as equally in importance to the masculine. Also, when you read the synopsis of the show on the website, you will see the intention to create, during the last part of the show, a space for a conversation with the audience to share what has opened up for them, what they see as possible moving forward (that would be solutions), and a call to action. So for example an individual may be opened up to how his/her own life is out of balance and come up with a way in which they are committed to bringing balance into their own life and they will be asked to speak or write it out for themselves and make a personal commitment. We also intend to have information available in the lobby about various local and national organizations that are helping to empower women/girls and heal the environment.

Change has to come from within first in order to have a true and lasting impact and in order for change to happen on that level, one has to reach into the heart and soul of another and we intend to do that with this piece. It is the nature of art to meet the audience where the audience is, so the effect will be as varied as the individuals. . .but this is where change will need to begin. I also realize that in order for change to move out into the world from the individual, there has to be the masculine principle of action- out in the world! This is an important piece to our show as well- the call to action- being that change out in the world.

There will be a myriad of different more specific outcomes depending on the individual. This is not meant to be a relatively quick solution to one problem- as you could see from the video- there are many problems that come from the root of our imbalance. This is a show that is meant to help shift consciousness and the actions that come out of it. The effects will be subtle but profound and long lasting. You may not be able to measure the results but you will be able to feel them. We will encourage an ongoing connection with our audience by asking them to share outcomes of their shifts which we will then share with the larger internet audience.

I personally have struggled with balancing my masculine and feminine energies/characteristics in my own life due to the culture I have been brought up in. What many of us struggle with is those feminine aspects of ourselves not truly being held in high esteem and acknowledged - thinking that we have to take on all this masculine energy because that’s what will bring us so called success in our culture- resulting in a culture that let’s their children be raised and the elderly taken care of primarily by institutions; school teachers get paid like education isn’t as important as being a CEO of a major corporation etc etc etc And then we have the obvious atrocities that are committed all over the world, in part because what women have to offer inherently as women-beyond their bodies-is not seen as valuable.

Does this answer your question? I really hope so because we could use the support! At any rate, I REALLY appreciate you taking the time to engage in this conversation. It means a lot to me. Many of my friends are artist activists who can't afford to donate that much and many of my wealthier friends haven't yet responded. So yeah, I'm inspired by your willingness to engage.
Deepest thanks for your time and hopefully your tax deductible donation:
https://force.c4atlanta.org/campaigns/goddesspells-a-touch-of-the-goddess/#description
Angela

And if you made it this far, thank y'all for reading this long ass blog! And hopefully being inspired to support this project in the way you feel personally inspired! We need your support- it's important- you do make a difference!!
And now here is a treat. . .the Goddesspell core ensemble (minus Anahata who is in Brazil) together and doing what we need to bring you "A Touch of the Goddess":

Goddesspell

Pages

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Thanks for Giving

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Trusting