Many years ago I had a memorable dream. I was in the desert with a dear friend. Inthe distance a dust storm grew in fury and intensity heading towards us. As it neared we saw the cause of the disturbance. Hundreds of long-haired women were riding magnificent horses. Each woman was dressed in flowing white robes and held aloft swords and shields. One woman, more magnificent than the rest, led the riders. She and two other warriors pulled up their horses and came to where my friend and I were standing. They led riderless ponies, one silver and one black.
Speaking telepathically the leader explained the story and mission of the women warriors. She said, "Now is the time. We can wait no longer." Then she pointed to the two riderless ponies and asked, "Will you join us? If so, saddle up!" The two warriors handed us the reins to the horses and directed us to ride with them.
We mounted up and rode towards a huge gathering of women. Thousands were in a circular ceremony around a presence in the center. It was the DivineMother/Goddess who drew a silver and black highly polished sword and tossed it up into the heavens. The sword fell back towards the fire where it landed and broke into a million flames. Each flame illuminated the tops of the heads of all the women assembled. The Divine Mother was empowering them to remember that they were being called in service to humanity.
A few months ago Gail Sheehy, well known author of Passages, was the keynote speaker at a women's conference I attended. She said women were somehow persevering above the ever-present crises in their lives, by taking on the world and reinventing themselves. In a model of global empowerment, they were stirring the barriers and beginning to understand what activation was all about. The women were re-tooling their skill sets for the new world. They were no longer content to suffer in silence. Instead, they were relying on other women for help in their causes rather than deferring to the government, the military or the entrenched systems. Sheehy called them "fearless women" whose outspoken behavior incited other women to action.
Her words recalled the dream of a million flames empowering women to serve humanity. These are the ones who are changing the world. In the end, that is the true work of women - flourishing together through collaboration and cooperation and making the world a better place for all of us.