POST ELECTION PERSPECTIVES ON KALI + CHAOS + COURAGE

Chaos precedes all great transformation.   Nature knows this well.  It knows that life/death/life cycle is a natural and necessary force of evolution.  But as humans, we become disconnected from this wisdom.  In our forgetfulness, Scorpio has done a superb job of ushering us through a great transition of chaos and transformation (click here for the last blog all about Scorpio and Feminine Transformation).

This is what is happening now.  We are being urged to transform and evolve through chaos, and suffice it to say, Scorpio's transformative energy has basically been a big fat reality check. 

Scorpio revealed the taboo, it ripped off the bandaid, it offered a release, exposing what we’ve been avoiding (personally and collectively), and created chaos in it's wake.

It triggered us.  It shocked us.  It scared us.  It shook us.  It terrified us.  It disappointed us.  It angered us.  

It also triggered the evolutionary process.  It shook us AWAKE.  It revealed our fear.  It showed us our ignorance.  It made us get real and feel by bringing our issues up to the surface to be seen and witnessed and REVEALED.

It also initiated us into remembering that certain wisdom can only be found in the mysterious chaos that precedes all great change.

Chaos / evolution / transformation.  

Nature knows.  The butterfly knows.  The trees and seasons know.

This is how we grow. 

If it makes it easier to understand, let me speak in archetypes, and share how this chaos carries the specific energy signature of Kali (an incarnation of Shakti) the Tantric Goddess of Revolution.  

Kali is found in every dark night of the soul, every natural disaster, every earthquake and eruption, every political revolution.  She carries a sword that slices through delusion, ignorance, fear, false hope, and lies.  

In terms of certain recent events, Kali has shown us all the shadows of our society: embodied both in the man who won and the aftermath we find ourselves facing.  We have been shown that we can no longer ignore systemic change in ourselves, our consciousness or our culture.  We are being asked to evolve, and Kali is the revolutionary force of energy that sparks the evolution of consciousness. 

She is dynamically paradoxical and in her divine paradox, carries out equal functions of creation and destruction:

In Indian mythology, she appears on the cosmic scene as “a battle maddened demon slayer, who comes into the world at moments when dark forces - demons - threaten civilization and especially the feminine” ( ... need I say more about the power of her archetype being alive and well within our culture at this time).

She is a mysterious, wild, fierce, powerful, loving, benevolent, wise force of nature that represents of the transformation of consciousness, individually and collectively.  

“One of Kali’s main teachings is that IN ORDER FOR SOMETHING NEW TO BE BORN, OLD STRUCTURES MUST BE DESTROYED.”  

Whether in society, politics or your personal life, for something new to be born, we must look to nature to be reminded of the creative force of the life/death/life cycle and what truly has to happen for new life to emerge.

“Violence is a part of the creative process. (The big bang after all was an explosion).  The energy that pushes a baby out of the womb, in a process that is bloody and full of threat of death, is full of creative violence.  Like anything to do with Kali, once the birth process has begins, it is inexorable.”

And so, this is where we find ourselves.  We are in the rebirth process, swimming through the revelations of awakening, experiencing the discomfort and uncertainty of pain, contraction, fear and chaos …. all the things that precede true transformation.  

This process holds power if we allow ourselves to sit with the truth of what arises through the chaos and have the courage to act because of it.

Because, sometimes the cold hard truth can only be revealed after our illusions are ripped away ... and this is the hallmark of Kali's work.  

If there had been a different result, we would have stayed asleep in avoidance and ignorance of the true problems that need to be seen and solved.  If there had been a different result, we wouldn't be feeling this big visceral collective experience that in some very necessary ways were needed to WAKE US UP.

I know it’s painful.  I know it's fearful.  But these fresh fissures in the heart are what awakening reveals.  We are thick in the throes of it now … thrown off kilter, feeling unsure and uncertain, which is to be expected, because awakening is never comfortable. 

... It's usually terrifying and its *always* chaotic.

Awakening brings you to your knees.  It knocks the air out of your lungs.  It punches you in the gut until you see the reality of who you are and what your role is.

And now, our role has been revealed.  The seeds of the Feminine Revolution have been planted, it is up to us to tend to them to make sure they reach the light of day.

"Goddess is feminine morality, the kind of morality that says hurting and killing are evil, spoiling the earth is evil. War is the worst evil of all, not glorious or heroic, never the 'holy war,' that God used to endorse.

Goddess morality says courage means protecting others, not fighting them; and cowardice means bullying and violence." - from Barbara Walker's 'Women's Rituals'

This is what I hope you know: Kali isn't just an esoteric force or philosophy.  She is LIVING and breathing inside of us and she is the spark of Feminine Morality being shot into our hearts. 

Because the truth is, the fear and hate and injustice that are rearing their heads now were already here (and they've been here for too long).  We just see their severity now.  In Kali's wake, a deeper layer of truth is being revealed. 

And in that truth, fear is a very real reality for us.  

But in this reality, we have a choice: will we stay in fear, will we pretend or avoid the rising pain and suffering, will we acquiesce? 

Or will we rise?  Will we stand together, fight with Feminine Morality and walk through the transformative fire of chaos?

I'll choose the fire every time.  We have big work to do ... will you walk with me?

... THIS. IS. FEMME. RISING ...

Ashly

*quotes from Sally Kempton's Awakening Shakti

If you feel called to step up and RISE INTO THE WOMAN YOU ARE READY TO BE: SHAKTI BODY STARTS SOON.

 ... if you feel the call to rise, to own your power as a woman, to align with your feminine wisdom, to reprogram your relationship with your body, to activate your Shakti, to live and empowered, confident life CLICK HERE to learn more + sign up. 

FEMININE TRANSFORMATION + THE WISDOM OF SCORPIO

Scorpio shows us what needs to be seen.  It takes away the illusions we tell ourselves and gives us the true reflection of where we’re at and what we need to get to where we want to go. 

As a water sign, Scorpio is connected to the intuitive, emotional, watery, feminine shadow landscape of our psyche. 

And, Scorpio is a sign of transformation - it’s said that this astrological sign goes through life stages, that it starts out as a scorpion, rises into a serpent and then eventually evolves into the Phoenix, the mythological creature that in Greek Mythology is a long-lived bird that would cyclically die and emerge reborn from the transformative fire of it’s own ashes.

And ... this is the energy we have at our fingertips right now:

Feminine Transformation. 

Primarily, the regeneration that can only be found from release.  In the words of the great Toni Morrison, “you wanna fly, you gotta let go of the shit that weighs you down.”

So what are you ready to let go of?  Who are you ready to be?  

At this time of year, we are descending into the darkness of the harvest. The time of culmination.  It’s the time when we gather everything that’s been reaped and sown over the course of the year.  

And so - this is the time for you take stock of your harvest. 

To harvest your awareness, your wisdom, harvest your growth, your mistakes, your desires.  

The harvest brings gratitude for the growth and nourishment from season the and equally, gratitude for the awareness that death is approaching and descending as we enter into the new season.

So, what has grown within you?  

And what is ready to die?  Fear?  Shame?  Living small?  Self sabotage?  

That death (and your willingness to throw yourself into it) will serve as the soil for you remerge from.  This is Scorpio’s greatest gift to you now: surrendering to the process of what is ready to die and be releasedfrom you so that you can again reemerge reborn - as the YOU you’re ready to emerge into. 

It’s commonly known that the natives and ancients lived by cycles and seasons, that they revered the wisdom found in each phase of birth, life, death and re-birth.  

What is less known is that the cycle of birth was actually revered for beginning in death.  

This is gorgeously mirrored in the feminine archetype of the triple goddess, the Maiden - Mother - Crone.  The three aspects are not actually experienced as separate entities of feminine life cycles or experience, they are all seen as interlinked, one is always upon the wisdom ofthe other.  The Maiden grows into the Mother, and the Mother grows into the wisdom of the old Crone, and the Crone dies to again, be reborn as the Maiden.  

Death is not the Crones final destination, it provides the fertile possibility for feminine rebirth.  In this way, the knowledge from each cycle is carried over.  Death is not feared, it is revered.  

And the same goes for Scorpio, death is one of it's greatest teachers and biggest allies.  When we apply Scorpio’s wisdom of death and rebirth to our lives, instead of fear, we are able to understand it as the fertile place of transformation where seeds of change can truly take root. 

This is how we learn to evolve and to stop disowning the imperfect / wounded / shameful parts of ourselves.

Because the shame and shadows we carry from our past are not to be forgotten - they are to be carried as sacred seeds of wisdom. 

This is the sort of wisdom we avoid in the west, we don’t like to confront death, dying or anything ugly or on the fringe.  But because Scorpio dwells in the realm of taboo, this energy is not afraid to look at what has been kept locked away.  

Scorpio allows us to become aware of what has been hidden or distorted within ourselves by plunging into the depths of our inner landscape to explore the things that we think about ourselves but don’t want to admit ... to work with the taboo / secretive parts of ourselves or our bodies that we’ve sent into exile.  

These are generally the parts of ourselves the we have disowned.

The problem is, when we disown ourselves, suppression takes root - and suppression is the mother of all shame and imbalance.  

Scorpio asks you to access this wisdom as you reflect truthfully on these questions, revealing to yourself the taboos you've been avoiding or the shame you've been suppressing: 

What’s your relationship with your body?  

With your sexuality?  

With your feminine cycles?  

With your blood?  

With your feminine power and expression?  

Do you love and honor yourself or reject and suppress yourself?  

What’s the quality of your relationship with yourself as a woman? 

What’s your relationship to the parts of yourself that you (or someone else) labeled as bad, taboo, shameful or secretive?

What parts of yourself have you sent into exile for being too much or not enough?  

Are you willing to look under your covers, to explore the shadows that shape your thoughts and perceptions of yourself?

The true magic we have access to right now is the ability to shine a light on all the shadows that dance in the darkness of our psyches.  Of all the parts of ourselves that have been hidden from sight but yearn to be seen and heard and loved and nurtured.

ACCESSING THIS HIDDEN WISDOM

I love Scorpio - and I dwell well with the taboo sides of myself now - but I wasn’t always this way.  I was disconnected from my sexuality and sensuality as a woman.  I lived in an ongoing cocktail of extreme body shame, bingeing, boozing and zero self-confidence. I was fat, stressed and obsessed.  I was a hormonal mess.  I tried so hard to avoid my pain that the avoidance of it actually became the ongoing cause of my pain.  

It wasn’t until I addressed the underlying parts of myself, the pieces that had been buried under layers of a shameful, numbed out life that I could really claim the root of what had been holding me back - and from there, claim what needed to be released so that I could be reemerge into the woman I was ready to become. 

Thats why Shakti, the sensuality practices that reawaken her and cycle syncing are so powerful - because through this process we learn who we as women are and what we need.  

By learning from the shadows that keep us from being in our bodies, we can gain the courage and desire to regain feeling and sensation and to be able experience joy and pleasure.

Since activating my Shakti and starting cycle syncing just last year, it’s shocking how many women ask me what my secret is.  

My biggest secret? 

I was willing to look at my shadows.  I was willing to get real with myself about what about why I was living a numbed out life and learn about what I needed to heal + cultivate + love + awaken within myself to live the life I was ready for.

Shame was my biggest shadow - and if I hadn’t been wiling to go into the darkness, to explore it's dark corners and how they kept me disconnected from my body, I wouldn’t have ever ended up here.  

I would have never became who I am.

I would have never became the confident, sensual, joyful, expressive woman I am.  I wouldn’t have created Femme Rising, I wouldn’t have fallen in love with myself … and I wouldn’t have fallen in love with my life.  

Shakti, sensuality and and owning my power as a woman were the biggest taboos I had to be willing to reckon with.  From there, I had the keys to start working more deeply with my body, my sexuality and my sovereignty. 

My feminine freedom came from the fertile wisdom that lives in the womb of darkness - this is where Scorpio lives and what you are tasked with exploring and honoring.  

If you feel ready to look at your shame and your shadows - you feel ready to reclaim your body to live a hell yes life in a body you love, I just opened the doors to SHAKTI BODY, a 6 week immersive online experience for you to Heal Body Shame + Activate Your Shakti + Access The Magic That Lives In Your Hips With Cycle Syncing.

I this is something you’re ready for, CLICK HERE to learn more.  

Big love, 

Ashly

Ready to live a #HELLYESLIFE in a body you love?

Are you ready? The#HELLYESLIFE challenge is here to help you activate and own your sensual power to learn how to celebrate your body and be comfortable in your skin!

Because you can only think yourself so far: Your body is the way IN. Your body, your senses and your sexuality are literally the ignition switch to living a confident, empowered and feminine life.

Bottom line? Your body isn’t something you should be struggling with, it’s something you should be CELEBRATING!

Every woman deserves to feel healthy, magnetic, sexy and alive …. and your body and your life are intimately connected. You can’t have an amazing one without the other. 
So over the next few days I’m sharing some of my favorite Sensuality, Shakti and Self-Love Secrets to help you get into alignment with your body and your life! 

Follow moi, @femme.rising and stay tuned, Day 1 is coming soon! 

With LOVE + SHAKTI,
Ashly

ARIES FULL MOON: EVOKE YOUR INNER WARRIOR

The wisdom of this Aires Moon is here to evoke your inner warrior - for you to rise into the action she's been waiting for.

What's she whispering?  Whats the spark of transformation you're ready to ignite? It's not something you'll have to think too hard about ... you already know.  And you've known for awhile.

… And you're ready now.

So what's that thing??  Admit it, feel it.  Own it, claim it.  Get it, take it. BE IT.

Whatever it is, it's time for action ... and if you take it, there's one thing I can guarantee. There's transformation and liberation waiting for you on the other side.

How can I make such a lofty promise? 

Because Aries is a fire sign … and what happens when you set things on fire?  

They transform.

Fire is the fastest track to transformation and this is the energy we have at our fingertips.

The leaves are changing, falling from their tress … and it's the same with us.  Right now we are being given the nudge we need to let go of who we are NOT in order to become who we're ready to BE.

And because Aries takes action, this moon affords us two options.  We can either stick with what we’ve got and see where it gets us (aka take no action and go nowhere) or we can courageously take action and see where it leads.

As the light in the October sky wanes, the veil between our conscious and unconscious selves grows thinner, and when this happens, our INNER KNOWING kicks in, with attempts to get us to take ACTION on what we need in order to have healthy bodies and boundaries and to live fulfilled and nourished lives.  

It's is a radical sense of knowing.  Because like I said, you already know.

So the message of this moon is simple.

SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?

You know what it is.  You know that inner stirring you’ve been feeling in your bones, in your psyche, your soul.

It’s been calling out - and with this Warrior Moon you have the ability to hear it - so let me be clear.

This is not the time to play coy.

To pretend that you don’t really want what you want or that you aren’t the one that is actually in charge of your life.

Don’t chalk it up to fate.   

Fate is determined by a series of events just waiting to see what we choose to act on.

WE DECIDE.  

Everything is a choice.  

And this moon is here to present you with a very clear option:  are you going to take her hand and say YES to the wild unknown call that’s been crawling at you from the inside, begging you to hear her?

Or will you shrink back into your small life of determined circumstance and forsake this chance?

If it sounds drastic it’s because it is.  

There is literally BIG MAGIC happening right now.

But it’s only available to you if you say yes. 

So listen.

The hardest part is over because you already know what the thing is! 

YOU KNOW, THE THAT THING THAT’S BEEN GNAWING AT YOU … for weeks, months, years … your whole life.

You know it.

You probably know it so well you wish you didn’t.  

So what is it?

WHAT ARE YOU READY FOR??

WHAT ARE YOU SO SICK OF YOU CAN’T STAND IT? ?

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU KNOW YOU NEED TO DO??

You already have the answer.  I don’t need to coax it out of you.

So honor that.

Love it.

Accept it. 

And then fucking DO SOMETHING about it. 

If your call to action is about your body, about living a feminine life that feels delicious to live, then I have some things for you.

The #HELLYESLIFE challenge is coming.  

Because your body isn’t something you should be struggling with, it’s something you should be celebrating. 

Your relationship with your body as a massive impact on your relationship with life, so over the next few days on Instagram, I’m literally going to be sharing ALL of the biggest secrets that led me to self love, weight loss, understanding my cycle and most of all, honoring my feminine truth.  You can follow along HERE @femme.rising.

And if you want more, if something in you is screaming HELL YES to heal the body issues that hold you back from living a delicious, joyful, life in a body you love, adore and understand, then get on the list for SHAKTI BODY, a program where you'll:

get to the root of your body and shame issues

become the expert on you

discover how to live in alignment with your body and your cycle

develop a more meaningful relationship with yourself as a woman

learn what your feminine power source is and how to activate it

cultivate core strength, confidence and ease in your body

But look - I want you to know something - if I’m not the one for you, or you know what you need to do and it’s something else that is on your own, something that means starting new journey or leaving an old one behind- please know you aren’t alone.

Know that you can take this BOLD BIG FUCKING TRANSFORMATIVE ACTION and be supported while you do it.  Just about every woman I look up to has had help.  In fact, no woman that I admire has gotten to where she is in business or life or love alone.  

Yes, sometimes the heroine’s journey means we have to go into the wilderness alone … but more often than not it also means opening up for the vulnerability that can lead us to the support we need for healing, direction or guidance.   

So what ever action you take, do one favor or me?  Include some women on your journey.  

As FKA Twigs says,

Vulnerability is the strongest state to be in.

So open up, let the love in.  You aren’t alone, you never were, and the more you relate with other women the more fun and meaning and healing you’ll have. 

Your final push?  You know the Joseph Campbell quote, "the cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek" ... well it's time to let you inner warrior take you to the cave and let her lead/push/shove you in.

Whatever you do, stop waiting.  Evoke your inner warrior and let her lead you where you know you need to go. BECAUSE WOMEN LIKE US DON’T WAIT.  

So, what's it going to be?  What are you yearning for?  What's at least one action step you're going to take to make it happen? I'd love to hear from you and support you in the comments below.  

Here's to bold action and big dreams,

Ashly