A few years ago, I had an idea. A vision, really. It was a new trajectory for my work, a complete departure from what I had been doing. And in some ways, it wasn’t. Over the years, I had been dancing around the idea in my blog topics, not knowing that I was already attracting the people who would share that vision.
It started out as a word. Three words, actually: Village Wise Woman.
Those words have always been a favorite of mine because I have secretly always wanted to be the Village Wise Woman. You know, the woman other women come to when they need a remedy or a cup of herbal tea and a listening ear.
Or as Yael at Village Wise Woman says:
I am the Village Wise Woman.
One among many, but unique nonetheless.
Guide,
Teacher,
Healer,
Servant,
Storyteller,
I am here to help you remember
Who you are.
YES.
While I could have blown it off as my Leo ego, I knew there was something more there. Beyond wanting to be the wise woman myself, I knew there were other women out there who shared this same yearning.
As luck would have it I was meeting with a business coach soon after having this idea. They asked about my business and blog and wanted to know what I had done and what I was planning. I excitedly shared my vision with them.
“That sounds great”, they said. But.”
Uh oh.
“You’re a Christian blogger. When people hear the term Wise Woman, they think of witches. You don’t want to confuse people – they might think the wrong thing.”
Oh. Of course. I wouldn’t want that. So I did nothing with that idea and went about my business.
(Incidentally, when you search the term, Wise Woman, there are a lot of Christian articles on wisdom. Search for Village Wise Woman and it gets all witchy. Interesting.)
A lot has happened in the three years since that conversation. A lot of changes, a lot of questioning.
I don’t consider myself a Christian blogger anymore (as in, I’m not gearing my content toward Christian women). I’ve been accused of being a witch (turns out, it’s not so bad). And this blog is no longer my main source of income, which removes the (crushing) pressure to hustle my ass off so I can pay the bills.
There is freedom here again and I’m relishing the fact that I can pull the plug if I want to.
But.
What about that vision? What if this became a gathering place for wise women? There are already lots of you here – we’ve chatted via email. And if you don’t consider yourself a wise woman already, you hope to, someday. (My bet, though, is that you already are.)
What if this was a place to inspire and equip? What if this was a place where, despite your beliefs, you could connect with and support other wise women on their journey?
Hmmmmm.
Let’s do that. Together.
If that resonates with you, would you do me a favor? Leave a comment or send me a message and let me know what’s holding you back from embracing your role as wise woman? Are you afraid of being called a witch? Do you feel like you’re just not qualified? Something else entirely? I’d love to know.
I feel I am always learning so I am ever the student.
Totally resonates, been following you for ages and learnt a lot from you. I feel that I can’t hold all the information in my head. the things that have worked for my family stay there but things which I’ve not experienced go.
Ah I love this so much!
“I am the Village Wise Woman.
One among many, but unique nonetheless.
Guide,
Teacher,
Healer,
Servant,
Storyteller,
I am here to help you remember
Who you are.”
This reminds me of something I wrote about myself in the spring. My last grad class asked us to write a personal statement, what does it mean to be someone who works in “international disaster psychology”? I wear a lot of hats in my work, from being a therapist to disaster behavioral health responder to liaison between local and federal disaster partners and everything in between, but so much of it came down to the same core values, most (all?!) of which are expressed in that quote. I just found your blog today, but goodness am I happy that I did!
I love this so much! I think there’s a fine line between being that Proverbs 31 woman and being judged as practicing witchcraft/being labeled negatively in the Christian community, at least that’s been my experience.
I’m Jewish. My name is Yael. I practice healing….myself & using the wisdom from my own experiences to inspire others. I didn’t fit into a box, and it didn’t work thinking outside the box. I just decided to make a NEW box…..that fits me. 🙂
I love the concept of the village wise woman. It is something worth aspiring to, don’t you think? I understand how some may find that idea threatening, and I believe that is the only reason the term witch comes up in that derogatory way. Personally, I would love to have more of the qualities you mention. For me they include healer, nurturer, listener, and probably a few other things.
I just found this blog and felt immediately connected with you (and other women), this is like the first time that I actually feel like I´m not alone, that there are other women thinking and feeling what I do and it is amazing! Thank you so much for this, for sure I´ll be coming here often and I´m really excited to read everything here! Greetings from Costa Rica!
I love it! Welcome, Maria. Pura vida!