“Sorry if that’s a little too ‘woo woo,’” we say, in a hushed voice. It’s that moment in a conversation where you feel compelled to share something, an observation, a piece of advice or wisdom, but at the same time, feel what you’re about to share might damage your credibility. We’ve been raised in the cult of patriarchy, where if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist or matter. Where we can use our intuition, but only after we find the “proof” of what we already know.
We use the term woo woo as a catchall to hold the things we believe but are ready to dismiss in the face of another’s skepticism. I suspect it’s no coincidence that the term woo woo has also been used to refer to female genitalia because women have long been ridiculed for their intuition.
Well, I’m done apologizing. I have nothing to prove. I’m more than a little woo woo and I don’t care who knows it.
Being “woo woo” connects me to a lineage of intuitive, powerful women. Women who were brave enough to defy the conventions of the patriarchal societies they lived in, no matter the cost. Women who were unafraid to use their wisdom and gifts, for healing, for midwifery, for spiritual connection, even when it meant that they might be ostracized, tortured, or even executed. Women who paid homage to their ancestors and respected Mother Earth and danced naked in the moonlight with joy or grief or fear or rage. Women who knew on a deep level that they were connected to something larger than themselves, something unseen and powerful.
Connecting with my intuition and with that lineage helps me look beyond what I see in front of me. It allows me to envision the future our world could have. It empowers me to see the humanity and the divinity in even the people who are profoundly different from me. It leads me to seek connection with those I disagree with, rather than dehumanizing and demonizing them and lets me move beyond anger so I can see a path forward.
So, I create rituals, burn candles and read Tarot cards for friends. I keep fresh flowers on my altar and crystals on my bookshelf. And I stay open to the infinite possibilities that surround us all.
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