The Reclamation of Women's Bundles

The need for rematriation and reclamation work is planetary. We see this every time a woman experiences gendered violence from men, and we see it every time those men are protected by women. In a public forum where a woman is outing an abuser and multiple women come to call down the woman, even if they do not know the man being accused. We are equally as stricken by challenges to discuss the abuse of women in power by women who hardscrabble (often through extraordinarily un-friendly terrain) to rise into leadership positions in male-held spaces. We see this in grassroots communities where we cannot have cohesive conversations about predators in our midst. Alternately we see innocent women abused and scapegoated by others, both women and the men they protect.

“The Reclamation of Women’s Bundles” is a course of healing for women who have experienced living under patriarchy and faced internal misogyny from other women. We will host a series of workshops that will begin a conversation in a safe and grounded femme-centered space. The workshop objectives are to open the door onto a pathway to healing from recognising and addressing internalized misogyny, and to actively rebuild kinship and matriarchal leadership between women in the community of participants. Workshops will cover a (brief) history of matriarchy; the advent of patriarchy and monotheism; quick notes on white feminism and the need for a bigger intersectionality push, especially in white ceremonial or new age communities; and gentle examination of lateral violence and mean girl codes across all racial lines. They will be trauma-informed and give room to have this critical issue addressed, its wounds cleaned and aired, creating clear pathways for a rematriation of ourselves, our families, our workplace and our communities.

There is a visceral demonstrated need for this healing work, and the interest in this project is already being generated. I am being invited to present this as a featured facilitator at a retreat for “Cultivating Safe Spaces,” hosted by Elaine Alec in June. And I am in the process of developing a 12-week version of this for the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour (SNIWWOC).