Women, Spirituality, and Transformative Leadership: Where Grace Meets Power

A Blessing and an Invitation
Ann Marie Sayers and Rachelle Figueroa xi

Introduction 1

Exploration I:
How Do I Express Being an Empowered Woman of Spirit and Faith? 17
Becoming a Vessel of Peace
Lynda Terry 19
But I Thought You Knew the Way: Lessons in Leadership
Fredelle Brief 25
Living My Way into Answers
Courtney E. Martin 30
Seeing a World Where There Is No "Other"
Yoland Trevino 36
Faith in the Transitions of Not Knowing
Susan Quinn 40
Practicing Empowerment
Karen R. Boyett, MA 45

Living Our Leadership 50
Digging Deeper
God Our Father; God Our Mother: In Search of the Divine Feminine
Joan Chittister, OSB 60

Exploration II:
How Do My Spiritual Values Inform Me about Living with the Challenges and Blessings of Diversity? 73
Buddhism, Women, and Religious Diversity
Karma Lekshe Tsomo 77
Faith's Challenges: The One We Seek
Jamia Wilson 82
Living My Values
Diane Tillman 88
Where Grace Meets Power
Reverend Lorenza Andrade Smith 94
Best Friends Forever
Jan Booman Saeed 99
God Said: We Have Created You from a Single (Pair) of a Female and Male
Shareda Hosein 104
Remembrance, Witness, and Action: Fuel for the Journey
The Right Reverend Mary Douglas Glasspool 109

Living Our Leadership 115
Digging Deeper
Leading from a Whirlwind: Faith and Courage in a Swiftly Changing World
Valarie Kaur 124

Exploration III:
How Do We Stand for the Greatness of Each Other? 139
The Wind Is Blowing from the West and Has the Smell of the Sea
Adelia Sandoval 141
Mother-Lines of Body, Mind, and Spirit
Carol Lee Flinders, PhD 145
Birthing Awake the Dream
Alisa Starkweather 151
Kindness Empowers: A Mohawk Skywoman's Journey of Thanksgiving
Dawn T. Maracle, MEd, EdD (ABD) 156
In Order to Heal the World, We Have to Stand for Each Other's Greatness, but "First," the Grandmothers Told Her, "You Have to Heal the Wound between Women"
China Galland 162

Living Our Leadership 168
Digging Deeper
Where Do We Go from Here?
Nontombi Naomi Tutu 174

Exploration IV:
How Do We Catalyze Our Collective Transformational Power as Women of Spirit and Faith? 185
Living in God's Amazing Grace: The Power of Faith in Leadership
Musimbi Kanyoro, PhD 188
Creative Acts of Expression: Catalyzed in Circles
Jean Shinoda Bolen, MD 195
A Poetic Response: "The Catalyst"
Lisa Anderson 201
The Meta-Civics of Feminine Leadership
Dr. Barbara E. Fields 204
Thou Art Goddess: The Return of the Divine Feminine
Phyllis W. Curott, JD and HPs 211

Living Our Leadership 216
Reflecting on the Pattern 224
Written in My Bones
Kathe Schaaf 224
In Transition
Kay Lindahl 227
On Being Advocates, Activists, and Alchemists: Exploring Power on the Way Forward
Kathleen S. Hurty, PhD 230
Ever-Evolving Women of Spirit and Faith: Naming, Doing, and Be-ing
Reverend Guo Cheen 234
Transformative Leadership
Kathe Schaaf, Kay Lindahl, Kathleen S. Hurty, PhD, Reverend Guo Cheen 237
Engaging with Women of Spirit and Faith 240
The Young Leaders Council of WSF 241
The Mentoring Project 241
Local WSF Circles 242
Parliament of the World's Religions 2014 242
WSF in Canada 242

Closing Blessing
Rachelle Figueroa 243

Resources and Networks 244
Circle and Dialogue Resources 244
Environment/Ecology 245
Interfaith Organizations 246
Leadership and Partnership Organizations 248
Seminaries and Educational Organizations 249
Women's Organizations 250
Women's Organizations, Faith Based 253
Jewish Women's Organizations 257
Muslim Women's Organizations 258
Young Leaders 258

Acknowledgments 259
Notes 261
Selected Bibliography 264