The Sacred Well Keepers

This weekend was International Women's day, and I decided not to post anything or share anything on the day as there was already so much out there about women's freedoms, rights and empowerment being under threat in so many ways around the world. 

Despite the work of so many women over the last few generations, we’re still not there yet. 

My social media was filled with incredible images from women engaged in protests, from the bare breasted French women marching against Fascism to women in the public squares of their own small towns here in the USA. 

It was inspiring to see these women taking such visible action and as I watched I was reminded of the Celtic mythology of the sacred well keepers. The maidens of the wells. 

The stories tell us about the waters of the earth being tended by women who were considered sacred because of the importance of their work to both the land and the people. 

When those maidens of the well were violated, abused and silenced, the wells became poisoned, the water dried up. The fields turned into a wasteland of war, competition & conquest, with an emphasis on domination.

There was an absence of empathy.

Tending the wells isn't about water. I once called women the water that flows and turns the wheels of civilization, so when I talk about caring for the sacred wells, It's about tending to the depth of contribution that comes uniquely from women. 

When women are dis-empowered, everyone suffers. We know this not only from our own stories and experiences, but from real hard data. When women are sidelined we see higher rates of 

Poverty and Inequality

Increased Social Divisions

Violence and Conflict

Stunted Cultural Development

Reduced Economic Productivity over all

We’ve seen this in every single country and culture in the world when women are not active participants and contributors at a leadership level.  And this is ultimately the mission behind Change One Woman, because for each woman we support to create change, we take another step towards shifting the global consciousness. 

For the “wasteland” to be healed, we have to bring back the maidens of the wells. We have to create spaces for women to tend to their own deep wells of wisdom and spirituality. We have to tend to each other and each be a woman of the well. 

Keeping the sacred waters healthy. Protecting and growing our strength, our empathy, our intuition and our fierce sense of empowerment for ourselves and those around us. 

This is a mission that's not just for International women's day. It's for every day. 

So today I offer you this. 

Just for today, how are you tending to the sacred waters? How are you drawing from your own deep well?