Awakening the Divine Feminine – Villa Eyrie Photo Shoot
“It’s a perfect moment to quietly meditate on the cosmic Great Mother who can inspire us all; the divine feminine Spirit of nurturance, known as The Goddess, so revered in ancient times and being rediscovered by women today.”
– Sarah Ban Breathnach
You just never know where you’re going to end up on a Friday afternoon
A couple of weeks ago, I received an e-mail from Barbara Edie (I have blogged about Barb before). She was wondering if I would be interested in participating in an afternoon photo shoot at the oh-so-lovely Villa Eyrie Resort (near Mill Bay) where she and her colleague, Mischelle vanTheil, would be hosting an afternoon workshop – prior to their upcoming 4-day retreat, Awakening Your Feminine Divine (Aug 27 to 30).
The purpose of the afternoon would be to lead the participants in several mini-workshops (a sampling of the retreat) – and while we were partaking in these activities, professional photographers would be snapping photos, to use for promoting the retreat.
I e-mailed Barb back immediately with a resounding, “Yes!”
The afternoon was a delight. I had the opportunity to reconnect with some friends I hadn’t seen in awhile, as well as to get to know a few new fabulous women – all the while participating in some very creative workshops that really got me thinking about what it means to ‘awaken one’s Divine Feminine.’
I suspect this means different things to to different people but I must say the timing of the photo shoot – a month before the release of my book, A Widow’s Awakening, as a novel by BHC Press – was interesting. As you may know, my story is very much about the spiritual awakening I experienced after John’s sudden death, including strong links to the Divine Feminine.
I would love to hear what ‘awakening the Divine Feminine’ means to you.
At the end of the photo shoot, we were all treated to an exquisite dinner at the hotel. The view was stunning!
Here are a few more photos from our delightfully Divine afternoon:
About the Retreat
If you are interested in learning more about the Awakening Your Divine Feminine Retreat at Villa Eyrie, from Aug 27th to Aug 30th, 2018, here is the link for further information. I wish I could attend myself but I have previous commitments.
“Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.”
– Anon
Other blogs by Maryanne about Barb Edie
Teaching Kids & Touching Lives – Mothering in the Broader Perspective
Impossible Dreams – Bringing Your Vision to Life
Maryanne Pope is the author of A Widow’s Awakening, the playwright of Saviour and the screenwriter of God’s Country. Maryanne is CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Chair of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. If you would like to receive her regular weekly blog, please sign up here. As a thank you, you’ll receive a short but saucy e-book entitled, Dive into this Chicago Deep Dish – Ten Bite-Sized Steps for a Yummier Slice of Life.
A Widow’s Awakening Novel Coming Sept 13th…pre-order at BHC Press
6 thoughts on “Villa Eyrie Photo Shoot”
I began working with the Divine Feminine around 1970, mostly through reading women who were students of C.G. Jung. In 1988, I went to a workshop with Marion Woodman on The Black Madonna and it’s been a constant since then. My women’s mythology class works in depth with goddess energy from many traditions and has met since 1990. We spend as much as two years on a myth, exploring images, painting, movement, writing, and also studying. At the moment, we’re studying Kali, a Dark Goddess of Death and Rebirth (we know about that since we had to rebirth ourselves). Because of deafness, I don’t attend workshops led by others anymore, but this looks terrific. Besides Kali, I’m exploring the Mexican pre-Hispanic Butterfly goddess, Quetzalpapalotl, also a goddess of death and rebirth. I need to know why I’m so captivated by raising Monarchs. The workshop sounds wonderful, as does the setting. Thanks for writing about it. The joy is written all over your face.
Hi Elaine! Thank you so much for your insightful comments. The Divine Feminine fascinates me, as it does you. When I was in India, my friend Jackie and I were very keen to learn about the Hindu Gods & Goddesses – and Kali, of course, is a very important Goddess. I am curious, too, about your connection to monarch butterflies…AND to bluebirds!
Take care and I so look forward to meeting you in person some day.
Maryanne
Lovely article! Would love to hear if there is a way of knowing about their future events as I will put it on the divine feminine app (interested? google it. 😉 ) Jai ma, Karen
Hi Karen! I will connect you with the Divine Feminine Retreat organizers!
Maryanne
This sounds as though it were a truly special day and it looks absolutely stunning too. The pictures are incredible.
Elliot 🙂
Thank you!
MA