The beginning of Bambi marked an important time in my life. Not only was it the start of creating this little business, but it was the start of an energetic shift for me. The energy of creating, of desiring to connect back to nature through ritual and self-care-- I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the energy of the divine feminine.
I sat down with one of my greatest friends Zoe Tremblay to ask her to share her thoughts on the divine feminine, and what it means to embrace this sacred femininity.
What does “divine feminine” mean to you?
The divine feminine is the most loving, true, authentic, non judgmental energy within all of us. We have both the divine feminine and masculine. The feminine energy is like oozing honey, a river flowing with such ease. And the masculine energy is the riverbed, holding so strongly the feminine and giving her direction, and that is just as important.
Hmm, and how would you describe the qualities of the divine feminine?
I would say that there’s two big feelings that come to mind: there’s this softness, a very intuitive and creative energy. It’s sensitive and nurturing and loving. The other side is this strength, almost this sacred feminine rage that is cut off from so many of us. This unleashed wild energy is another aspect of our true nature. This energy supports us in childbirth. I'm talking about a genuinely empathetic and compassionate energy. It’s the energy of the mother that wants to care for the baby. So it is not just when we have babies that we carry this energy, it is innate in our being.
Would you say there’s been a dominant energy force in the world? An imbalance?
Definitely. I think a lot of us women are removing ourselves from this feminine energy because it feels unsafe to explore it in a world where we are asked to be in our masculine so much. For a long time, I prioritized this masculine energy because I saw it was more positively received by society and those around me. I pursued very linear ways of being in academics, in sports, these things that are praised. It is not to say that they are inherently ‘not feminine’, but they are very structured. We get pushed into this hustle mentality, this never ending desire to produce and to work because we have this idea that we are ‘not good enough’ if we don't do so. We then remove ourselves from this slow, listening, wondering state of being. It feels like I have been told my whole life both directly and indirectly that I should be connecting to this inner masculine energy in order to be successful and loved. So it’s really a lot of unlearning.
Why is it important to have both? Why do we need to call back in the feminine?
I feel so deeply that as a woman, I want to be in this feminine energy, living out my passions and creating. And, I also want security and safety. Naturally, I would love a place where I can be safe at night. Where I can have direction. So in order to live out my passions, I have to have the ability to write it out on paper. To get it out. And that is the masculine energy. It is taking all this feeling energy, this creativity, this emotion and life force, and it’s putting it out there. So there’s no part of me that is diminishing the inner man, it is just that right now, we have suppressed the inner feminine so much that our inner masculine is so strong… and it is time to get back to our roots. Back to harmony.
What are some ways you think we could connect to and embrace this divine feminine energy?
Slowing Down
I think the very thing is to slow down. We think that if we speed everything up it is going to go better for us. That we’re gonna get more done…and I wonder what it would be like if we all slowed down a bit. Because this body has so much wisdom and so much knowing that my mind and ego are totally disconnected from. When we slow down and pause, there is an amazing invitation for us to tune into our bodies and ask, how can I be in loving presence with my being? What is it that I’m asking others to give me? And how can I give that to myself?
For example, our cycles and bleeds… it is what gives birth to all human life. It is a magical thing. Yet many of us have these stories that we have to “level up” from our bodies so we can continue to produce and be on the path of getting jobs and so on. When we experience symptoms from our period, it’s our bodies asking us to slow down. And it’s our feminine energy, our inner Goddess, saying ‘hey girl, it’s time to slow down. I am here. Listen to me’
Self Pleasure
So I have recently developed a self pleasure practice. This is a practice separate from sexuality. It is really just anything that I can give my body that feels good. I’m giving myself 20 to 30 min each day to be in a loving presence with myself. It’s mindfulness, and being connected to our senses. Smell. Touch. Taste. One thing for me is body oil, rubbing it all over my body and feeling what it is like to be in connection with my skin. I’m smelling the aromas of the oils. I’m slowing down. It’s not about applying body oil and thinking ‘this is going to look so good to the people in my life’. No, it's about connecting with the oil for myself, for my inner Goddess, and letting her be seen.
Connecting To Nature
It is so important for us to connect with Mother Earth, down to her roots. She is not considering what we think about her, or how she could be better, she’s just being exactly as she is. I find being out in nature, it's like this place where we can really be ourselves. I absolutely love to go into nature and sing these songs that come from my body. And when laying on the earth, I never feel a lack of belonging. I'm simply here with the earth and she's supporting me and through that I can find more belonging within my body.
Would you say then that nature is always trying to heal us?
Definitely. Nature is always trying to heal us and it is the best medicine. Like being in the sun, being with the earth, being in the ocean, being in the lakes, being with the water that's running through us. This is all such sacred medicine and it is so healing.
I think we definitely covered how embracing the divine feminine energy can help individually, how do you think it can collectively heal? How does the individual work we do affect the collective?
In this human experience, we all just want to feel loved and accepted. We want to be able to trust that we can express ourselves. So much of the time I think we’re not really getting these needs met. When I think about being in my femininity and living my life embodied, I really believe that this is the best way to be more attuned to what it is we were meant to do in this lifetime. Like learning lessons, and experiencing joy and love. This energy that we can connect to, it is all love. So imagine a world where when we look at others, it is as if we were looking at the whole universe, or that we’re looking at ourselves. We see each other as mirrors, rather than individuals that need judging. This femininity, it brings us back to the source that we are all completely connected.
Okay, last one. If you could put into words what it feels like to be in your femininity, what would you say?
It feels deeply embodied. There are no more thoughts of “should”, it just is. And it is perfect. There is nowhere I have to be but here in my body, with my presence. It is the feeling of searching for nothing because I know I have it within me. When we connect with our bodies, it is like a portal to the feminine. And this feeling you know, it’s contagious. When you see a woman, when you see this energy, anyone who is connected to this energy, they are shining. You can feel it. This energy has no agenda, it is not trying to get something out of you. It is just perfect.
