The Divine Feminine Fire

REVIEW
The Divine Feminine Fire:
Creativity and Your Yearning to Express Your Self
By Teri Degler
Dreamriver Press, 2009

“The feminine fire is a primordial, elemental force that is powerful
beyond our wildest imaginings.  It is, in fact, power itself.”  

    Teri Degler's brilliant work of scholarship and wisdom connects mythology to our spiritual and creative journey and the awakening of the Divine Feminine.  By decoding texts from religious and mystical traditions and delving into the mysteries of kundalini energy, Teri has been able to identify the Divine Feminine Fire as a source of empowerment already embodied within us.  This cosmic force, also known as Shakti, Shekinah or Sophia, is not just the voice of the feminine, or the divine within, or of our higher self, but it is the force itself.  Teri helps us to understand this force, how it exists within, how it manifests, and how it propels our spiritual journey and boosts our empowerment and self-expression.  We know this power as the yearning we feel to help others, to heal, to grow spiritually, to express our creativity and to transform our self and the world.  Often we suppress the yearning to create in favor or more socially acceptable activities.  Teri counteracts this with the life stories of both historic and contemporary women, and gives us teachings on how to "fire-up" our creativity and birth our own passions, desires, projects and visions.

    Examining the Divine Feminine Fire at work in the fascinating lives of Mahadevi Akka, a 12th century Hindu saint and Mechthild of Magdeburg, a 13th century Christian mystic, reveals surprising similarities to the spiritual experiences of women today.  The kundalini-shakti experience of Mahadevi teaches us to become comfortable with our wilder, more powerful emotions, and the holy spirit experience of Mechthild teaches us to go with the flow, to accept and embrace the life-long process of transformation.  Covered with greater detail in her earlier book "The Fiery Muse", Teri describes how the works of Hildegard of Bingen parallel the universal life force (the Divine Feminine "Shakti" principle), triggering a transformation of consciousness that led to Hildegard's mystical experiences and divinely-inspired creativity.

'Cultivating the Cosmic Tree' painting by Hildegard of Bingen

    Teri finds that three manifestations of the Divine Feminine from different spiritual traditions - Shakti, Shekinah and Sophia - share many of the same characteristics.  They represent the embodiment of the sacred within, manifest as divine light, are seen as the universal life force, and are a source of transformation and creative inspiration in our lives.  Inspired creativity is part of Shakti Awakening - a path that combines both spirituality and creativity.  Teri has found that the source for spiritual experience and creative energy is exactly the same, and moves us in the same transformational direction.  Creative blocks and the critical inner voice can be overcome, and our work is to allow ourselves to hear the call of the creative spirit, recognize the urge or profound need to create, and give this feeling its full expression.  The energy of life and creation is impossible to control, yet it pulses through each one of us and has a role to play in our daily lives.

    Women have always had access to the Divine Feminine within, but Teri gives us the actual steps we can take to recognize this energy, make it real, and discover how the embodied Divine Feminine can become an ever-expanding source of creativity. The first step is to recognize Her in your life by becoming familiar with the sacred stories of Shakti, Shekinah and Sophia; the second is to learn to listen to Her when she is calling you; the third is learning to hold Her great power in your body, to simply be with Her; and the fourth step is to express Her, the creativity of your soul, and allow Her to flow outward from the heart of your being.  With these four steps we can integrate the Divine Feminine into our lives, connect with Her through creative expression of all types, and "radiant with joy and enthusiasm", dedicate ourselves to manifesting Divine Feminine Spirit in the  world!

"It is time!  Our most crucial job right now is to embody the Divine Feminine."
Marion Woodman

Go to www.teridegler.com to receive her newsletter "The Feminine Fire".


This review originally appeared in "SageWoman: Celebrating the Goddess in Every Woman" Issue #80 Healing Ourselves  www.sagewoman.com