Rise Sister Rise

by Rebecca Campbell

  Your rising does not require someone else to fall.

  Raise them up don’t cut them down.

  DON’T PUT ANOTHER ON A PEDESTAL

  We are all human. Magnificent and imperfect all at the same time. No matter how much you admire someone, don’t put them on a pedestal. For as soon as you do, you raise them up higher than you. And so in order for you some day to join them, that person will have to fall.

  Instead of raising them up to giddying heights, start by recognizing that the thing you see in them is likely to be the same thing that is rising in you. What is in you may only be a seed but it is still there, and seeds were created to rise toward the light. Offer deep respect, honor, and admiration, but don’t hold them higher than you. Use them as your signal from the Universe of what is ready to rise in you.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  Who have you been holding up on a pedestal?

  What is it in them that is also rising in you?

  ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR SISTERS

  ‘If we each have a torch, there’s a lot more light.’

  GLORIA STEINEM

  Ever since our souls chose to come to Earth and be in this human body separate from everyone else, we have been battling with the feeling of being left all alone. I’m not talking about your ability to be alone, I’m talking about being separate. What I have come to know to be true is that all of us fear being cast aside.

  My friend Amy Firth and I saw Oprah speak in Sydney. Our favorite moment was when she revealed that after interviewing thousands and thousands of people, from Tina Turner to Obama, from Beyonce to Dr. Phil, the moment they all stopped filming they just wanted to know: ‘Was that alright?’

  We are all looking for validation, acceptance, that what we have to offer is of some value to the world. That the other person truly sees what we have to offer.

  It doesn’t matter whether you are just starting out or have been rising for over 30 years, deep down we all yearn to be acknowledged for doing our best. Your witnessing of that is both free and priceless. As you offer this valuable gift you will discover that the richness returns to you.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  Acknowledge someone in your life for the value that

  they are offering to the world. Especially the ones

  that you think wouldn’t need to hear it. For you

  may just find that they yearn for it the most.

  YOUR INNER CIRCLE

  ‘Lots of people will want to ride with you in the

  limo, but what you want is someone who will

  take the bus when your limo breaks down.’

  OPRAH

  While every woman is deserving of your respect, you are not meant to be friends with everyone. Some women will love you, others will not. And that is OK! Don’t spend your days trying to gain everyone’s approval. You’ll never succeed. Worse: You’ll miss out on creating deep connections with those who were born to walk alongside you. A potent posse or coven is much better than 100 people posting ‘happy birthday’ on your Facebook wall. Every woman should have an inner circle that she keeps sacred. Made up of women that they carefully choose.

  Inviting women into your inner circle is a

  sacred act; be mindful of who you invite in.

  Women who will catch us when we fall. Women who hold us when we lay our shame out on the table (something we all should do regularly). Women who love you when you are struggling to love yourself. Women who can say the most brutally honest thing while tenderly cradling your heart. Women who know that just because you feel a certain way today, doesn’t mean that is how you will feel a year from now.

  Your soul recognizes a sister in an instant. The years do not matter. Neither does location. You can be held from all corners of the Earth. Some of my sisters live on the opposite side of the planet, some I have only met in human flesh once or twice. Years have nothing on lifetimes.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  Who is in your inner circle of sisters?

  Do you need to call any more in?

  YOUR SUPPORT TEAM

  Rising ain’t easy. No one can do it alone. We all need our team of people beside us cheering us on.

  Your support team consists of all of the people who have ever believed in you. Those who have your back. Those who have encouraged you. Past, present, and even future, call upon them all. Call on your sisters, your brothers, your teachers, and your friends. Call upon your beloved peers, your followers, that complimentary journalist, and that friendly stranger on the bus.

  Each time before I go on stage or sit down to write, I call upon all of these people to stand beside me. Encouraging me on when I begin to doubt myself, to strengthen me when I’m feeling weak. If I’m really nervous, I’ll send out a message to my nearest and dearest requesting that they send their good vibes and hold me at that point in time. You don’t need to go at it alone. Call upon and receive the support of all the people in your life who have ever given it. Swim in their support.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  Write a list of all of the people in the world who have ever

  supported you. Past and present, in ways big and small, recall

  them all. Anyone who has ever been in your corner. Add my

  name while you’re at it. And so the next time you are called

  to rise, you can call upon this awesome team for support.

  THE WOMEN WHO CAME BEFORE YOU

  When certain people die, wisdom keepers, light bearers, all that they held is suddenly dispersed among many. Like a star exploding leaving sparks in each of our hearts. You don’t need to know the person to feel the impact of their spirit transitioning from physical form, for it to encourage your own expansion.

  I felt this deeply when Maya Angelou went home. An ancient custodian of feminine wisdom leaving the planet, while her light ignited our hearts a little more than before. A life force both divine and human that cannot be extinguished. I felt the same the day my friend Blair Milan died.

  A kind of passing of the baton can also occur when we lose significant people in our lives that have been holding the light for others. As if their seeds of wisdom, light, and devotion are transmitted in their passing. This was the case for my friend Amy Firth the day that her nan, Moira, journeyed back into the realm of spirit. She had been one of the first female ministers in Australia, and Amy had always had a special bond with her courageous and adventurous nan. More like sisters than grandmother and granddaughter. Both black sheep in a way, neither able to settle to a normal caged life. Both knowing they were here to answer a greater call. Wild women with whopping hearts and a love for the messy things in life.

  When Amy told me the news of her nan’s sudden passing, I could feel that what had seemingly been extinguished in Moira had been relit in Amy, unable to shake the feeling that in her passing she had passed the torch to Amy. Preparing Amy to continue walking the path she had courageously paved. And that Amy’s life was never going to be the same. Back in Australia I attended Moira’s memorial at the Uniting Church where she ministered. In her place at the pulpit, Amy gave her first eulogy. Three years on I am to attend Amy’s ordination when she will become an Interfaith Minister.

  There are many light keepers and wisdom holders who have trodden the path before you. And, in some cases, for you. Both those you know and those you didn’t even know existed. Women whose dedication to both spirit and humanity is then gifted and passed on like a luminous torch.

  You stand on the shoulders of thousands upon

  thousands of magnificent women. Those who

  have come before and those who will continue

  to come again. And just as we are each made of

  stardust, we are also made of each of them.

  #RISESISTERRISE MANTRA

  I call upon the resilience, strength, and support

  of all the women who have walked before me.

  With them beside me, I never walk alone.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  Who have you lost (whether y
ou knew them in

  person or not) that ignited a light in you?

  What women who came before you,

  have paved the path for you?

  Call upon them.

  WE ARE THE MARGUERITES, THE MAGDALENES, AND THE CRONES

  We are the ones who stood alone to pave the path before you. We are the ones who fought for what so many of you are now able to take for granted. The ones who remember a time before the hiding and the struggle. A time when all women were deeply respected and unafraid to share their birth rite. Who knew their worth, embodied their power, and deeply trusted their intuition. Who drew their strength from their very core and shared their magic freely.

  Our deepest wish is that you recognize and use the gifts that so plentifully abound. That you unveil your medicine and not resist sharing it with the world. To remember the pact from long ago. To continue the path that we started so long ago.

  The time has come for one and all to take their place and rise. To step forward, to rise on up and walk the path just like we planned. The veil of silence has been lifted. Your message is your life. Now free your voice, unbind your power, forge a new path, create a new model, and rise.

  The time is now. You are on due course. Let’s unite and remember what we started so long ago.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  How are you being called to step up and rise?

  WHAT IS RISING IN YOU?

  What is rising in you? What is bubbling up? What is ready to overspill?

  What is impatiently tugging, nagging, bursting to be birthed?

  What’s demanding your attention? What’s crying out late at night? What is longing to be ushered into form?

  A child, a book, a creation, a reclamation of something true.

  That, all of that, is what is rising in you.

  When we connect with the boundless well of our heart, we connect the inspiration of Divine Mother with the power of Divine Father. Inspiration and creation merge with surrender and daily action.

  Give in to the bubbling, surrender to

  the swelling, show up every day.

  For when you express what is in your soul, or rather let what is in your soul express itself through you, you effortlessly dive into the current of a life in alignment. And when you live a life in alignment, your unique presence alone contributes to the healing of the planet. And when you draw your last breath, you do so knowing that you being here has left the planet a little more harmonious than it was before.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  What is rising in you?

  RISING FEMININE ARCHETYPES

  Through working with thousands of women devoted to Lightworking and the rising of the feminine, I began to see a pattern that informed their personalities and the work that they came here to do. This pattern can be separated into the following seven Rising Feminine Archetypes.

  While each of us has access to all of these archetypes, I’ve found that we tend to have a primary, and sometimes secondary, one as our baseline. We can deepen our understanding of ourselves and our calling through the lens of the archetype. Furthermore, as we possess each of these archetypes on some level, we can call upon each of them as a form of inner council (as you would spirit guides or angels).

  Read the descriptions below and see which archetype you resonate with most.

  The High Priestess (crown chakra)

  A female priest of sorts, she is a mystical bridge between the worlds, channeling information, creating beauty and harmony through her work. High Priestesses are leaders of light in the world. The High Priestess is so devoted to her purpose and her work that she may find it difficult to put her personal life or relationship first, as she feels such a duty to her work. She is wed to the divine. High Priestesses of times past were responsible for offering ritual so that the sun could rise and set. Linked to Virgo and Venus, she feels a great responsibility to ensure everything is perfect and that there is beauty, balance, and harmony in the world. Prayer and Devotion are her middle names. High Priestesses often remember why they incarnated from a very early age and her holy work is always her priority. But in order to serve in a sustainable way the High Priestess must first learn to serve herself.

  The Seer (third-eye chakra)

  The Seer has an astute intuition and an ability to see things others cannot. Like the High Priestess she is a bridge between the seen and unseen worlds. Highly sensitive, psychic, and visionary, with an intensity she journeys deep and to often dark places and is not afraid (or has learned not to be afraid) to face the shadows. Her clear vision allows her to cut through any sort of inauthenticity. She often has a tendency to say it like it is, and her truth speaking can sometimes trigger those who are used to a world in which things are seen but not spoken about.

  The Storyteller/Artist (throat chakra)

  The Storyteller/Artist is here to express and be heard, to share her stories, opinions, ideas, and creations with the world. She makes a wonderful speaker, writer, performer, and teacher. Rarely lost for words, the passing down of information is what she came here to do. She receives so many ideas that it is important that she finds a channel for her creations to be funneled into and shared. The storyteller is at her most powerful when she is focused on passing down wisdom rather than being the student who feels unprepared.

  The Healer (heart chakra)

  The Healer feels things very deeply. She is unconditional with her loving. A natural empath, she is highly sensitive to her environment. She has a huge heart and a tender capacity to relate and hold others during their darkest hours. She sees the wholeness of all people and is not quick to judge; you can say just about anything to a healer and be accepted with love. She can see the good and light in all. The Healer needs to remember that in order to heal others she must first tend to her own healing, and that it is OK to receive abundance for her work.

  The Warrior/Wild Woman (solar plexus chakra)

  The Warrior/Wild Woman is fierce! She is the game changer and the activist of the world. She possesses Joan of Arc-like courage, and is not afraid to make a stand and go where others are afraid. Often speaking out about issues she feels need to change, the Warrior/Wild Woman is here to bring about justice. You cannot restrain her. She is boundless. The Warrior/Wild Woman needs to remember to fight for what she is FOR rather than resist what she is AGAINST.

  The Natural Witch/Medicine Woman (sacral chakra)

  Like the Seer, the Natural Witch/Medicine Woman has the capacity to journey into the shadows in order to find the light. Through history she has been misunderstood and at times mistreated, and so may feel fear or defensiveness around being accepted by the world. At essence the Natural Witch is one with the Earth. Connected to the cyclic nature of life, she is in tune with the seasons, animals, the Moon, and the body. A guardian of the Earth, she sees the sacredness of all life and knows how to use the elements to create magic for herself and others.

  The Earth Mother/Midwife (root chakra)

  The Earth Mother is the midwife of the world. She is here to usher in the new through encouraging, supporting, and assisting others. Often very grounded, the Earth Mother is here to birth the potential of the world. She possesses a mother-bear-like energy when she needs to protect what is being birthed. Highly compassionate and very hands on, she makes a wonderful host, loves caring for others, and being in a relationship and surrounded by people.

  RISE SISTER RISE

  What do you think is your primary Rising Feminine Archetype?

  NEW WORLD RISING BIRTHED BY YOU

  We are the creators and change-makers birthing a new world. We are the artists and midwives for this new consciousness that is beckoning to be brought forth. Catalysts of change, ushering in a new age. Our CEO: She.

  We are the women birthing and nurturing new ideas and ways of being on behalf of the planet. Voicing things that have for too long been left unsaid. Remembering long-forgotten wisdom. Bringing the fierce feminine back for good.

  And while that all sounds idealistic and
lovely, this process ain’t easy. But birth never is.

  So the next time you’re doubting yourself think of the miracle of birth, that big round head, neck and shoulders pushing its way through a seemingly much smaller space. For what you are called to do is likely as natural and excruciating and rewarding and necessary and exhilarating and impossible and miraculous as that.

  No matter what you are birthing, the process is always going to be full of contractions and tension and ‘I can’t do this’ and ‘OMGing.’ We must groan and moan and scream and grind and kick and breeeeeeathe our way through it.

  And while there are times that we think we simply cannot, if you allow it, something guttural and sacred then takes over. The stubborn, crazy amazing process of Life.

  Every time we are called to grow and change, we are birthing ourselves. This process is never ending once you are on the path of She. This is not the time to keep your moans quiet; let your pain roar. For when you do, you transmute this pain into power. Use it. Use it all.

  No matter whether you are birthing a creation or being birthed yourself, you are going to need a birthing team. Those who are on your side, at your beck and call, wiping your brow and encouraging you to go on when you doubt the immensity of the thing that you have taken on. Midwives and cheerleaders who can see the light at the end of the tunnel and above all else, remind you that you already know when to breathe and when to push…