Over the past few weeks,
I’ve been traveling on a pilgrimage to ancient Kemet (Egypt). While it’s impossible to capture the depth of my experience in a short email or blog, I hope to distill a few of my critical lessons and share them gradually with you here.
In brief, my journey to Egypt was instigated by a calling – to go deeper and to be even more honest about the work I am here to do on the planet at this time.
To put it simply, I am here to help re-awaken the feminine consciousness:
- In business
- In politics
- And in society at large
I am not unique in this role. There are SO many of us who have a vested interest, and who are doing important work, in service of the feminine right now. Many of us have our own approaches – from running for a significant office, to providing healing services, to investing in women-owned business. And each of us have our own unique “why” that fuels our commitment and helps us to stay the course.
But it isn’t easy. And while elevating the feminine may sound like a good (and timely) idea, thousands of years of history are still working against us, impacting our ability to crack the code.
What’s more, the models of society that could elevate and fully leverage the gifts of the feminine have all been forgotten – and even if we’re able to reach far enough back to find them, they’re likely in need of some serious twenty-first century upgrades.
So what’s a girl to do?
When business models and existing roadmaps fail us, walking the path of direct knowing – the somatic, the shamanic, the mystic, the prayerful, and the listening approach – enables us to fill in the gaps.
For me, this is what pilgrimage – and initiation – are all about.
Thus, the invitation to return to Egypt came exactly at the right moment, this fall. While both political unrest and weather-related natural disasters could have easily deterred this would-be pilgrim from saying yes to the journey, the level of uncertainty that’s been a hallmark of the recent months let me know that the answers I’ve been seeking wouldn’t come through study or research here in the States.
I needed to feel the ancient earth, literally, under my feet and get my bones involved.
And so, I created the space and invested the time (and money) to travel back in time and learn from the land, from the river Nile, and from the temples themselves about what it means to be human at this time.
As a part of this immersive and embodied study,
- I was reminded that mastery of the ego is the key to balanced power
- I was reintroduced to myself as a visionary and oracular being
- I was renewed in my commitment to servant leadership
- I was able to re-establish a presence that can shape the field through sound, words and intention
I was asked to surrender my preferences in service of my ultimate mission of service day after day after day.
And so much more.
Yet even in hindsight, there’s no way to know what was SO important about this trip. I just knew I had to go back – and I had to go now.
One vision I am left with is that of the solar boat: a vessel the gods use to help souls in transition traverse the underworld on their way to the moment of judgment – where their hearts are weighed, after death and before resurrection.
I believe that great leadership can serve as a vessel that guides humanity through difficult times. I believe that difficult times are sometimes necessary in order to elevate our collective consciousness to the next level.
And I know that part of my mission is to provide elevating contexts, transformative experiences and safe, integrous community that helps women leaders not just weather but thrive and serve as beacons in the storm.
If you resonate with this vision, it may be your calling as well.
In the weeks to come, we will be introducing some new opportunities to go deep with us here at Guts & Grace in the form if in person retreats, activations and ritual spaces.
We will also be opening the doors to our 2025 women’s embodied leadership program cohort at the end of this month.
If you have a hunch that you’re due for an upgrade or an initiation in the coming year, I invite you to keep an eye on your inbox.
When the invitation resonates, the way will always become clear.
On the journey,
LeeAnn
