This morning I saw my new OBGYN and was given some intense news: I have 6 "follicles" left in my ovaries due to two surgeries for my Endometriosis and I have also developed some fibroids around my uterus. My doctor, an expert at the top of her field who specializes in treating cases such as mine, looked me square in the eye and said gravely, "if you want to have children, you have no time to wait. You should start trying right now if you want them. If you were just anyone I would say you have some years to consider it. But in your case, you don't."
I left the appointment in a bit of a daze. Unlike many of my friends, I have never "pined" or "daydreamed" about babies. While I find them cute to look at, their shrieking can drive me crazy in a matter of seconds. When I think of kids, I immediately think of loosing freedom and needing way more money than I am currently making to support them. I think of working longer, harder hours and sacrificing fun, beautiful things that matter to me. I think of loosing the time and leisure to enjoy wonderful days lost in sensual romance, fun, inspiration, trips and exploration. I also have a hard time envisioning doing it alone because I don't know what it would look or feel like to be in a relationship with a partner who would be present and available to take much, if not most of the responsibility.
On the other hand, I don't want to "miss out" on life! I watch women who become pregnant and see them so radiant and beautiful. I imagine the level of love that the experience would create in my body and know it is literally out of this world. It seems like the ultimate expression of feminine flowering, and as if it would elicit so many essential qualities of being a woman: compassion, surrender, nurturing... The fascination of watching a child grow, the magic of rediscovering the miraculous in the everyday... I know these are all gifts. More than anything, there is the fantasy of an actual family, warm connections during holidays, special times and celebrations, shared meals, etc. I've been a loner for so long that there is something vaguely nostalgic about this idea...
But honestly, I am just coming back to a sense of "me" after a very, very long time of transition. And I love me! I'm loving where I live in Mill Valley, I'm loving my beautiful home-temple which I am nesting in more and more, I'm loving freedom to do what I want when I want, I love that I can organize my whole life around whatever matters to me, like yoga, time with friends and my love, hiking or dance. But perhaps more than anything, I am loving that I am finally feeling clarity over my life mission after a long time.
For years I have been called to take my work with HoopGirl to the next level of planetary service, to be of benefit to millions more people than just those who would pick up hoops. Hosting women's gatherings at my home over the past year has helped me gain focus on what my expanded calling is: empowering women visionaries as leaders. I've created Goddess Blossom as the home for this work. Recent trips to Kauai brought immense clarity to me in how I could present this work, and mentorship with Sabrina of a Feminine Feast has only increased this lazer-like focus. I feel as if I am on the brink of something very, very meaningful to many, many women and deeply meaningful to myself as well. It has taken boatloads of trust, letting go of labels of who I "think" I am, and opening to the new.
What I am realizing is that this question, "do I want kids now?" is actually creating some urgency around clarifying my whole life mission, the purpose of my relationships and my devotion to self-actualization.
Here's what has been on my mind all day...
~ Who and what do I want to give birth to in this lifetime?
~ What am I willing to give for what I want?
~ Do I want to invest my energies into creating and sustaining a single or several new lifeform/s or into creating nurturing tools for empowerment of women all over the world?
~ Does it have to be either or? Realistically, what would I sacrifice and what will I gain with each decision?
~ What kind of partnership could sustain and nourish each vision? What kind of partnership could sustain and nourish both at the same time?
~ Who am I choosing to partner with and why? What shared goals and vision do we share in our relationship?
~ What would it be like to be with a partner who shared a devotion to the same spiritual and empowerment goals? Can I be with a partner who doesn't share these values and still self-generate all the momentum and discipline I need to actualize my life path?
~ Am I just reacting to this news and considering something that I truly have no desire for?
~ What gifts and talents is the world asking me to share that would be of the highest benefit to the planet?
~ Am I called to actually create and grow my own child or would I be content adopting down the line if having children was truly my path?
~ Why am I hesitating on taking my life path work to the next level? How can I immediately appreciate my current freedom by taking more bold action in manifesting my vision?
~ How can I take better advantage of my current lifestyle to enhance my health, friendships, romantic relationship and my dreams? What am I taking for granted that I can develop more appreciation around?
~ How can I intentionally cultivate the qualities in myself which I think having a child would create, without having to have a child? Can I identify the essence of what I think it would create in my life and create those feelings or experiences in another way?
~ What children are already in my life and available for love and affection whom I am not giving it to? How would it feel to invest more tender loving care into the children around me rather than having my own children?
~ How am I distracting myself from what needs to be done?
~ If I am truly devoting myself to my life mission of nurturing the world's women as leaders as my own "children", how can I step up to the plate of this challenge more quickly, with more confidence and more seriously?
~ How can I clean up my limiting beliefs around babies, children, having children, partnership and children, romance and children, marriage and my life calling? What beliefs can I download from Creator which would be more empowering, life-enhancing and healthy?
~ Why am I resisting making an actual decision? What is being served by my story of "being confused"? What will happen if I make an actual choice? If I knew the answer right now, what would it be?
Women today have few role models of heroines who have undertaken the conscious decision to "mother the planet" instead of mothering children. While we have cosmic ascended masters like Quan Yin and and gurus like Amachi, I know of few outspoken Western women luminaries who speak to this issue and light a way for others asking these questions. I want to discover these teachers! I want to hear more stories about women visionaries who have asked themselves these kinds of questions and learn their creative answers. I welcome your suggestions about resources in this area while I awaken my own truth.... thank you!
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