In Sisterhood and Solidarity with Helios + Solene

“When I first heard these words I had a sense of deep pride stir within my belly….”

A Native American elder once told me that “Women are created spiritually different than men,” that “the womb inside each woman is connected to the womb at the center of the Earth.” As liaisons between two worlds we hold within us the power of creation, the glowing vibrations of Gaia consciousness within us that enable us to bring new life into this world. It is this reason that many believe that the path to world peace is through the Divine Feminine. It is thought that because we as a sex have the ancestral wisdom and power to create life we have a stronger spiritual connection to the Creator, to Earth, and to the Universal Consciousness.

When I first heard these words coming from his mouth I had a sense of deep pride stir within my belly. Like a whirlpool of energy it rose up to my chest, filled my heart with fire and came out of my mouth dressed as a sigh of relief. A sense of ancient remembering came over me, as if recalling an old tale I was once told long ago that had been washed down the river of my thoughts over the years. Something about these words carried a vibration of wisdom that deeply resonated with my soul. I needed to know more.

I was raised by a family of women, a wolf pack of nine tias, one abuela, and over a dozen female primas. The dynamic of my family was communal, each sister helping one another raise her children, selflessly stepping into the role of the Mother when needed because there was no sense of ownership over one another. There were no men, only a few male cousins. Each woman had to play both roles of the feminine and masculine and I learned firsthand how we can carry these dual energies within ourselves. We all respected each other’s spiritual journey and showed up as an undying support system because we knew that we came into this life as a soul family, to learn and unlearn the lessons needed for our collective evolution. Each woman showed up in love, with open arms and a sense of responsibility to nurture this small yet vibrant community.

In the golden days (pre-mobile devices and internet), when we sought advice, we went to an elder. We approached our families, neighbors, friends; we weren’t afraid to ask for help and allowed ourselves to be held. We showed up with open hearts, masks shed, and vulnerable. There was honesty in the simplicity and beauty in the action of it all. Through these significant interactions deep relationships were cultivated, trust was earned, love was magnified, and community expanded. Now when we seek wisdom it is so easy to type it into a search bar and forget to reach out to our support systems. We can be quick to forget the power of sisterhood and community and in turn unlearn how to give and receive.

I decided I wouldn’t be the link in the chain that would let these traditions break. I dove into the wisdom of my womb and I studied her. I acknowledged the deep truths she held in regards to my lineage, the energy of my mother, my mother’s mother, and their mothers before that. You see, when we heal ourselves, we heal all those that came before us and all those that will come after. So I dove deep, I blew the dust off of the wooden chests of ancestral wisdom nuzzled deep within me. I began to unlearn the teachings of “what a woman should be” and began to re-wild into my grandness. The more I embraced my own Divine Feminine wisdom the more women came to me seeking a shoulder to lean on. I realized then that I had not shown up for other women, including myself, for so many years. I had forgotten what sisterhood felt like and I vowed to never forget again.

Recently I went to a women’s gathering in Oregon. I came together with 600 sisters and we spent four days in the woods learning from each other’s journeys. We exchanged teachings each day and in return realized the more we gave the more opened ourselves to receive. Among some of the classes I took were plant medicine, weaving, sustainable life practices, ancestral birth ways, and shamanic journeying. Each morning was spent holding space for each other and each evening spent singing by the fire. I rest my head each night feeling grateful, filled with love and inspiration, and a deep knowing that this is what life should be like. I left the gathering with a new community of spirit seekers, vibrant warriors across the globe that understood the power of sisterhood. I knew that together, as a collective, in solidarity, the world was waking up again. So I sit here now, and I say to you… dear sister, wherever you are and however you stand, I see you, I hear you, your dreams matter to me, and I hold space for your infinite divine power. Welcome to the gathering of the goddesses.

In love and solidarity,

Emily Mikaelah

+ Check out more from Emily, including the power of smudging, here.

 Emily Mikaelah is a Brooklyn-based energetic healer, teacher and spiritual empowerment coach. She carries the ancestral teachings of the curandera women of Venezuela that have been passed down to her from the generations of medicine women in her family. In 2016 she founded Helios + Solene to create safe and sacred spaces throughout her travels to bring the powerful healing medicine of Spirit into the lives of others. She holds monthly workshops sharing her practice with the community through group classes, women’s circles, and one-on-one private sessions. To learn more about her offerings, please visit her online portal.

Photos by Ash Lynn.