Mamas Gone Wild
“She is traveling between worlds right now. You can see her holding the tension of not knowing. She is simply breathing into her unanswered questions. Sometimes she drinks her coffee with quaking hands, not knowing where her life or her bank account is going. But this time, she is holding onto the tension of not knowing, and is not willing to hit the panic button. She is unlearning thousands of years of conditioning. She is not being split between the opposing forces of fight and flight. She is neither naïve nor ignorant. She is a frontier woman, paving new roads & making new choices. She is willing to make a new transcendent possibility emerge. You may see her now, standing at thresholds, or at crossroads, breathing into her body and intently listening for inner signals.” ~Sukhvinder Sircar
I read these beautiful words on the About Me page on the website of Beth Berry, Revolution from Home. Beth is a coach, mother, and also the author of the book Motherwhelmed, a book I read in 2020 and wrote about in a previous blog post about The Gift of Great Teachers. I’ve really resonated with Beth’s story and love the work she is doing in the world - reminding mothers of their worthiness and reframing our importance.
When something from Beth landed in my inbox the other day, I felt compelled to share - particularly to any mothers of young children out there. It’s a 2-week online course and I think it looks amazing!
The following description of the course captured my attention:
“In service to your wildness,
You feel her within, but do you have a healthy, thriving relationship with her?
Patriarchy depends on our guilt-ridden endless giving, our depletion, and our self-abandonment.
Capitalism depends on our mechanization (how robotically and efficiently can we make it through our days and to-do lists?)
THE WORLD WE'RE HERE TO CO-CREATE,
ON THE OTHER HAND,
DEPENDS ON...
Our magic
Our power
Our vitality
Our creativity
Our medicine
Our boundaries
Our connection to source”
WOW! and YES!
Beth has given me permission to promote her upcoming course on my blog, which I share with your below, along with some further information on Beth. Even if you’re not interested in participating, it’s worth having a look around Beth’s website for some inspiration, and even join her mailing list.
ABOUT BETH:
Welcome, friend!
My name is Beth Berry and I love that our paths have crossed. If you’re someone who aspires to live from your heart, cares deeply about the state of the world, and believes in the transformative power of personal growth, you’re in the right place. Even if you only identify with some of these characteristics, I invite you to make yourself at home, try on a new idea or two, and let your curiosity lead you.
Nine years ago, when we first moved our family abroad (for a total of four years), I began writing about the richness, beauty, and mystery all around me. I fell deeply in love with southern Mexico, her people and the slower pace of life. As my mind was blown and my heart softened by our experience, I began to notice a richness, beauty, and mystery being awakened within me, too.
Turns out that inner exploration is my very favorite kind.
Since then, I have journeyed through regions of my inner landscape that I never even knew existed. I’ve learned to be gentle and nurturing with the particularly sensitive parts, shone light into places I’d long been avoiding, deconstructed the walls around my heart, and learned to trust the guidance of my soul.
Though it’s been hard work (and quite painful at times), I now have access to peace, joy, and connection that were previously unavailable to me. I’ve healed my relationship with myself, which has proven invaluable in my relationship with others.
My roles include life coach, writer, and mother of four daughters (ages 12, 15, 19, and 25), though to truly know me is to know what I believe:
I believe that improving the world starts with improving our relationship with ourselves.
I believe that vulnerability and sensitivity are superpowers of the most valuable sort.
I believe there is as much to be learned from the homeless guy on the street and the whispers of our own hearts as any ancient text or modern-day mystic.
I believe that by becoming kind and loving observers of our thoughts, feelings, and experiences, we become powerful beyond measure.
I believe that unexamined thoughts, stories, and agreements are the root of all suffering.
I believe that we’re alive during the most confusing and most transformative time in history.
I believe that we all need emotional support in order to grow into the best versions of ourselves.
I believe that our children’s greatest chance at thriving is for us to exemplify thriving for them.
I believe that each of us is here to shine the light of our soul uniquely and powerfully, and that until we do so, our joy and inner peace will be limited.
I believe we need more safe and supportive places to show up authentically, bear witness to one another’s journeys, and celebrate growth.
I believe that we are born worthy of love, acceptance, and authentic, enriching connections.
I believe that awakened women have more world-changing potential than anyone else on the plane
ABOUT MAMAS GONE WILD & WHY BETH CREATED IT:
I was an extremely invested, idealistic mom when my kids were young.
Hardworking, willing to make sacrifices, and highly intuitive when it came to their needs and wellbeing, I spent day after day, year after year, making sure that my girls...
...had a wholesome feeling home life
...felt safe, seen, and heard
...were being nourished, mind, body, and soul
...were protected from threats to their innocence and honored for their uniqueness
...were exposed to nature, often
...were allowed plenty of time for unstructured play
...were immersed in (or at least exposed to) the arts, sports, natural cycles, and rich traditions
...were read to, played with, and securely attached
...were receiving a healthy balance of academic and creative learning opportunities
…bonded with other healthy adults and mentors
...were supported thoughtfully, gently, and effectively when they struggled
(Of course, I wasn’t always able to achieve these things, so there was a load of guilt management adding to my load, as well.)
What I didn’t realize until I burned out and hit bottom 13 years into my mothering journey, was the toll it was taking on my own mind, body, and spirit to do and hold all of those things (and more!) in relative isolation.
Yes, I had a loving husband, and yes, he was a loving dad who did a whole lot for our family.
But HE wasn’t lying awake at night nursing babies, scrolling through a mental to-do list, and tracking the aforementioned needs in his head. Good or bad, healthy or not, that was all ME.
In the absence of the village (and in patriarchal societies) it’s the mothers who do the bulk of the tracking. It’s those of us hormonally wired, biologically evolved, and culturally conditioned to overgive as much as necessary in order to ensure the wellbeing of our offspring. Today, in the absence of the village, that means trying to BE THE WHOLE VILLAGE OURSELVES.
I wish I’d had a village. Next best scenario is that I wish I’d had someone who’d already gone through that part of the mothering journey, to help awaken, validate, and breathe life into parts of me that were atrophying under those circumstances.
This version of motherhood isn’t working for us, Reader. It’s too depleting to a whole, vibrant sense of self, which we know we need access to in order to be the CHANGEMAKERS we’re here to be.
We’re modeling motherhood to the next generation. What do we want them to aspire to if and when they become parents? What do we want to normalize?
I created Mamas Gone Wild with my younger, overwhelmed, radical mama self in mind. A 2-week online course + virtual retreat packed full of reminders, nourishment, perspective, ceremony, play, lightness, and connection to something greater and more meaningful, it’s exactly the kind of medicine I could have used when I was in the maternal trenches.
Click here for all the juicy details!
Sounds pretty amazing, huh!
I also highly recommend her book Motherwhelmed, which you can purchase here.
Enjoy…and be that wild, beautiful Mama!
