Wild Mercy

Wild Mercy

With Mirabai Starr  •  Recorded July 28 & August 4 & 11, 2019, 10–11:30am

Women’s Wisdom Across the Spiritual Traditions
a 3-part Webinar Series

Recordings can be found in the Modules tab.

The women mystics and goddesses of all spiritual traditions are connected to an aquifer – a deep wellspring of wisdom and vitality – that not only does the world urgently need but for which the world is at last ready. Thirsty. On fire. From these timeless sources we can draw cups of mercy, of healing, of intelligence and humor and hope, and pass them around in a spirit of celebration and inclusiveness.

In this webinar, we will focus on key issues that people of all genders are carrying in their hearts – matters such as care for the earth, standing with those on the margins, sexuality and relationships, cultivating contemplative life, and longing for the divine. For each topic we explore the wisdom of women mystics and goddesses who serve as way-showers for navigating that particular soul-terrain. We will be claiming our power and courage, yes, and also affirming the holiness of our vulnerability and unknowingness.

Each class session will offer a tapestry of:

  • Evocative passages of prose and mystical poetry
  • Mirabai’s reflections on the teachings of the mystics
  • Contemplative Practice
  • Inter-spiritual chanting 
  • Writing Prompts
  • Small and full group dialog
  • Rituals from multiple traditions

Women Mystics and Feminine Wisdom Beings will include:

  • Mary Magdalene
  • Teresa of Avila
  • Hildegard of Bingen
  • Julian of Norwich
  • Rabia of Basra
  • Fatima daughter of Muhammad
  • Lalla Dev
  • the Bhakti poet Mirabai
  • Machig Labdron
  • Kali/Durga
  • Sita
  • Radha
  • Tara
  • Quan Yin
  • Sophia
  • Shekhinah
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe/Tonantzin
  • Pachamama/Gaia
  • Demeter and Persephone

Further Reading:

Mirabai's new book: WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce and Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics (Sounds True 2019)

See a talk by Mirabai Starr:

Watch or listen on demand

Purchase this item to access

Module 1: Taking Refuge

Jul 28, 2019 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

We allow ourselves to acknowledge our weariness, our sorrow for the pain of the world, the ways that life has weighed upon us. We lay our burdens down in a safe, contained space, drawing on teachings & rituals from Buddhism, Judaism, and indigenous wisdom. We find sanctuary and rerill our cup.

Duration: 1 hours, 30 minutes

Watch or listen on demand

Purchase this item to access

Module 2: Stepping Up

Aug 4, 2019 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

Having taken refuge, we cultivate the strength, fearlessness, and creative energy to step up and discover and express what is ours to do in this world. We grapple with the "Reluctant Prophet" syndrome and engage in Tikkun Olam, the "repair of the world." Luminous exemplars of loving service, such as Teresa of Avila and the bodhisattvas of compassion, light our path.

Watch or listen on demand

Purchase this item to access

Module 3: Reclaim Longing

Aug 11, 2019 10:00am - 11:30am PDT

We immerse ourselves in the ecstatic poetry of the love-mystics across the spiritual traditions, opening to both the fire of longing and the bliss of union. We explore the connection between human heartbreak and yearning for God, how grief can be a portal to connection. We rekindle our passion for the Beloved.

Duration: 1 hours, 29 minutes

Mirabai Starr

Mirabai Starr is an award-winning author of creative non-fiction and contemporary translations of sacred literature. She taught Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico-Taos for 20 years and now teaches and speaks internationally on contemplative practice and inter-spiritual dialog. A certified bereavement counselor, Mirabai helps mourners harness the transformational power of loss. Her youngest daughter, Jenny, was killed in a car accident in 2001 at the age of fourteen. On that same day, Mirabai’s first book, a translation of Dark Night of the Soul, was released. She considers this experience, and the connection between profound loss and longing for God, the ground of her own spiritual life. Her latest book, WILD MERCY: Living the Fierce & Tender Wisdom of the Women Mystics, was named one of the “Best Books of 2019” by Spirituality & Practice.  Mirabai is on the 2020 Watkins List of the “100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People of the World.” She lives with her extended family in the mountains of northern New Mexico.

www.mirabaistarr.com