What does ‘living as a woman’ look like in our current age?
In an era that boasts more equality and advances for women than at any other time in history (at least in some parts of the world), we now have a great opportunity to see deeply the true effect of a woman at her fullest and loveliest in the home and in society. And yet in reality we find ourselves still very much lacking in some advances and indeed in some ways the ‘equality’ we have fought hard to win has actually created greater and new complications. Many of us are finding that we are big time multi-tasking under the demands of a society that now expects us to be the super-mum-career-woman-great-daughter-athlete-sex-kitten combo rolled into one. It has become fairly standard for us to be generally racy, anxious, driven, deeply lacking in self-confidence or simply managing life as best we can. Many women care for all those around them but stop short of truly caring for and nurturing themselves. And how many of us know how to make ourselves look ‘pretty’ but do not truly and deeply feel a sense of our own beauty?
But what would ‘living as a woman’ look like in today’s society if we were to first develop a deeply tender and nurturing relationship with our bodies and our selves?
This site explores the possibility that there is actually a great power in being tender, and a great strength in being delicate. That there is a way to live that is deeply honouring of the body; that there is a way of being in the world that need not constantly exhaust or expend us. It examines the possibility that there is a self-nurturing rhythm that is natural to us and that we can choose to know and live by.
Living by the knowing of the body and developing an honesty with the body allows a way of living or a ‘livingness’* to develop that is informed from within us as women rather than through the impositions of societal ideals and expectations.
This site will be a platform for women (and men) to share their observations on women in life and in the media and make comments on the variety of issues pertaining to women today. Some of the stories will be personal accounts and some will be general observations. We welcome your submissions and comments.
Many of the regular contributors will be participants of the courses and workshops of Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine and in particular will be familiar with the area of Esoteric Women’s Health. Because of this you may occasionally come across phrases or concepts within the writing that are not immediately recognisable but which we will expand on as needed. In time and if necessary a glossary will develop. It is important to note that the purpose of this blog is not to promote the Esoteric Women’s Health area of service (although those wanting more information can of course view the site) but rather it is a means for us to comment and unfold our understanding of living as women in a modern context and to make available for public discussion the simple and practical tools and understandings that have been made available to us through the work of Esoteric Women’s Health and our own self-guided navigation. For while the tools are everyday and practical it is at times surprising to see how rare it is to find such simplicity presented in our rather complex current times and it is for this reason we write — to ensure the tools are equally accessible for everyone, so that there is at least an informed opportunity to take them or leave them as one sees fit.
This is a stand-alone blog in terms of content, no prior study is required as the topics of the Esoteric are by their nature universal – Esoteric simply meaning our ‘inner-most’ quality — our inner-knowing. It is worth noting that the word originally comes from the Greek ‘esôterikos’ meaning ‘from within’. So while the ‘Esoteric’ has in modern times had a reputation as pertaining to something ‘mysterious or hidden’, this is perhaps only on account of the fact that we have lost touch with our own innate deeper knowing – and in doing so, it seems we have become a mystery to our own selves. To truly know ourselves, and to truly know our own body is to make much less mysterious that inner knowing. Interestingly, for many of us our bodies and our rhythms are not deeply understood or connected to. For instance, many women see their bodies as betraying them, their periods as a nuisance or inconvenience and the associated pain at best an annoyance but increasingly both debilitating and unmanageable for some. Many are suffering from endometriosis, sore or lumpy breasts, cysts, fibroids and the list goes on. And this is now considered quite normal by medical standards. But is this how it has to be? Or is there a greater harmony to be had? Much more on this will be explored in the following articles. This blog marks the start of a dialogue in the public domain about how we can come to know our bodies and live our lives from a knowing that is informed first from our own inner-feelings. In doing so we allow the possibility that we can instigate true and lasting change. Quite apart from categorising ourselves in such limiting ways as ‘women who burn their bras’ or ‘women who only wear push-up bras’ or by any other label, we have an opportunity to return to the women we naturally and innately are, free from the ideals, expectations and images we have been fed. In doing so, we find that in all of our various expressions we have a common underlying essence — an innate stillness, tenderness and a knowing — that is there to call us back to being women in livingness.
The Livingness is about living the love that we are from the inside out – this is what it means to live from and with the soul, to live soul-fully in our daily lives. The deep care we have for ourselves and the loving way we are with ourselves is the “quality we then bring to all others”(SB). So naturally our friends, husbands, partners, children, brothers and sisters all benefit from this approach. We endeavour to explore what ‘living this love’ might look like in the most practical ways in the contributions on this site.
We trust you will enjoy the variety of contributions.
*The Livingness – to live soul-fully as a human being (Serge Benhayon)
by Rebecca Baldwin
Women in Livingness Blog 
“ Living by the knowing of the body and developing an honesty with the body allows a way of living or a ‘livingness’* to develop that is informed from within us as women rather than through the impositions of societal ideals and expectations.” It’s a beautifully expressed piece of writing, thank you Rebecca. With the support of Universal Medicine and Esoteric Women’s Health I am learning to connect to my body and truly honour how I feel and how to nurture myself. I find it is in the small moments as much as the big situations. What’s beautiful within the Universal Medicine student body is that people are at varying degrees of livingness, many well ahead of me, and they are a tremendous resource and support to call on.
We all like to read things now-a-days, news, stories, how to improve your life, self-help books etc. This blog site is full of gold – simple, everyday pondering of women from all around the world. It looks into women’s health, our role in society and everything and anything that a woman today can go through. It’s worth a visit, even by men who are curious to find out more about women 😉
How powerful is a woman who needs to show her authority with force? How powerful is a woman who in complete disregard of her natural way of being leads a multi-million dollar business?
I know that the warmer and tenderer I am with myself the warmer and tenderer I am with others. This feels great and brings much sense to the way I choose to live.
And you are so very warm and tender. Your kindness is felt miles away, your depth of care is out of this world so perhaps the way you live your life has something in it 😉
“This site explores the possibility that there is actually a great power in being tender, and a great strength in being delicate.” What has happened to make some women feel that power and strength rests in the number of triathlons and long cycle rides they’ve completed. This site is exceptional in that it shows that answers are often much more simple and don’t require us to put our bodies through gruelling physical challenges to confirm our worth.
There are not many women today who first develop a deeply tender relationship with themselves but when they do they stand out a mile – These ladies are scrumptious.
And the more that do the more that will. I am definitely inspired to develop tenderness in my life when I see it in others. It is like a thaw.
This site is super supportive for any woman who chooses to explore what it is to live as a true woman in today’s society. Whilst we are constantly being fed pictures of what we should aspire to if we let go of all the outside stuff that tries to pull us away from our inner knowing we can gradually build up our ability to honour ourselves as women and support each other on our paths of return.
Women in Livingness encourages real and true role models.
In a world where many women feel lost Women in Livingness offers something different, i find it so very inspiring to remind me of the amazing, beautiful, sexy and sassy lady I am.
In loosing touch with our inner-most, the innate woman within, we have made life very complicated for ourselves, and so reading the many blogs on this website and your introduction Rebecca, Women in Livingness and Esoteric Women’s Health offer amazing support to re-discover the simplicity and inner knowing that we left behind long ago, to become a modern day woman, a product of our society, and no longer a product of our innate womanly knowing.
There are still many beliefs around as to how a woman should be and instead of connecting more deeply to our own truth we often accept these beliefs and do what what think will get us the recognition or acceptance that we do not give ourselves. We seem to have made a society that is dependent on what or who is around us rather than focusing on how we feel within and allowing for the possibility that there is more to life than us human beings and that there are standards that we can set for ourselves that may not fit the norm but fit what we know is true.
I am still way off developing a deeply tender loving relationship with myself, yet I am patient, I know these things can takes time, and years of self critique and hardness can take a while to heal.
What I am absolute certain about is the support I have felt from reading blogs such as this, blog that inspire me and remind me of the deeply loving lady I am.
Thank you Sam. I love the understanding and gift of patience that you offer here.
Living with out ideals and beliefs and simply living from our bodies in connection feeling and listening to it allows our natural innate knowingness of how to be a women and live it in our daily lives and it is
inspirational and deeply joyful inside to feel.
A great platform to come together as women and start to share about important matters for us and so for all around us.
I have definitely attempted to feel good about myself by helping others, family, friends, work, every part of my life was involved in doing things and finding solutions for other but not really caring for myself…“Many women care for all those around them but stop short of truly caring for and nurturing themselves.” I understand now I offer a depleted woman if I do not care and nurture myself first, I am of much more support when I put me first, the me is caring and loving my body and being emotionally and energetically responsible.
This site is a treasure trove of wisdom and learning. I’ve yet to come across anywhere else a collection of experiences written by women of all ages and backgrounds and all around the world that is so open and honest. It’s like reading other women’s personal diaries that they’re prepared to share with the world, and with that, we all learn.
I agree, so much wisdom, if I have a tricky day, I can come to this resource and it pretty much covers most areas of life and offers inspiration, lived experiences and support.
Yes it is the intimacy of the blogs and the willingness with which so many women have shared their experiences that is so supportive and inspiring.
No tick list of self development goals will ever substitute us living from our true essence and sacredness.
I have found that any ideal or belief I experienced or adhered to has limited my ability to see truth or be truthful. Modern women may be an ideal or belief as well.
“For while the tools are everyday and practical it is at times surprising to see how rare it is to find such simplicity presented in our rather complex current times…” This true simplicity is like a breath of fresh air, and brings with it a depth of quality that is genuinely nurturing.
The modern woman is one and the same as the very ancient woman who looks every bit her true self and not a shade of the bits that mask this. Until we accept this as our standard we will continue to accept all that denigrates this expression.
There was ‘Modern Woman’ in the 1950s, a different version each in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s etc and they all feel like a reduced form of woman – conforming to a particular image.
What I love about the Livingness is that it makes super sense; the way we move, talk, think, dress, eat, drive, touch, work… has an impact on how our lives are. The more we accept this obvious fact the more we can understand the very beautiful nature of our responsibility and choice.
Yes, and the next step is noticing how big the impact can be, changing how we feel in seconds.
true Matilda, and the more we allow these aspects of our lives to align to who we truly are the more the natural expression of the women we are will surface.
I agree – we now have complications and inequalities we didn’t before, and the inequities between women also growing as some seem to slip further into deeply abusive and obvious torment of rape and physical abuse, whilst others battle to become harder and more masculine to make it right at the top – it can feel like nothing will be able to breach all these different gaps and issues. But I know that the more we can support women to just be themselves, they will be able to bridge their own gaps, set their own standards and claim their true selves back
The more self-accepting and self-loving I am as a woman supports me to appreciate more and more the amazing qualities that women bring, especially in a group. In the past whilst I had a large number of female friends there was a cap on the intimacy we enjoyed – when we are truly ourselves there is nothing guarded, held back or hard about us but sweetly supportive, open and powerful.
This is such an important thing Michelle – the more we appreciate ourselves the more space we have to not be intimidated or jealous or self conscious, and instead love other women for the equally amazing people they are
Absolutely Rebecca and how liberating to let go of all those insecurities and find in their place a solid foundation that just lets yourself and others be, whilst at the same time understanding and feeling the gold in us all.
There is nothing quite as sexy as a woman moving in her grace.
A man moving in his grace is just as sexy 🙂
I agree Nikki. To observe and feel grace in someone is properly inspiring. The space and stillness offered is tangible.
Isn’t it strange how we can go to the moon, follow Google maps to pretty much anywhere on the planet and yet very often have not discovered our own bodies which actually hold the key to the Universe.
Maybe we wouldn’t have any desire to visit the moon, conquer Mars or climb Mt Everest if we first discovered our own bodies.
ha ha very true – spoken as a woman who must have discovered her own body!
Strange but true :).
Thank you Rebecca for this wonderful introduction. Felt it to the bone. What a blessing this blog site is that is one of the first websites that actually offer us the opportunity to speak the truth that we feel as women!
So many of us are living to visions of boxes we want to ‘fit in’ whilst fighting our body and what’s within. If we can wrestle it into doing what we want, we call that a good day. Imagine what our world would look like if we actually embraced and encouraged what we felt and listened to our cells as the most excellent guide? We can all live this today – for it’s clear as you show Rebecca we need to find another way.
As a ‘modern woman’, I have found myself exploring how I have been living, how I have been with my body, how I have pushed myself to exhaustion, how I have moulded and fitted into what I thought the expectations were, all to the detriment of my own body. I know I was not alone in this. Being all things to all people all of the time does not have to be the way of the modern woman. We can change this significantly and still be caring partners and parents, serving our societies through our employment and community activities. It’s not so much about the what, but the how we move through life and how we do all that we do.
“But what would ‘living as a woman’ look like in today’s society if we were to first develop a deeply tender and nurturing relationship with our bodies and our selves”
Spending time recently with an amazing 3 year old girl I am super inspired to see in her a love for herself and an absolute knowing of what she feels is true for her, iif she does not like something then we all know about it – I find this so refreshing we are so often brought up to hide our true feelings – of course suppressing what we feel will always eventually lead to illness and disease – hence why in society we have so much of it.
” This site explores the possibility that there is actually a great power in being tender, and a great strength in being delicate. ”
This possibility is true and this is why there is great power , for living true does not waste energy, for living un-naturaly takes alot of energy and therefore a huge lack of power.
We hold so many pictures of what each and every single one of us is to be in society – all the pictures that we see that we are supposed to match up to, are pictures we ourselves have created or subscribe to. How wonderful is it to realise that it is entirely up to us to break these pictures and live life as it comes.
Ground breaking…”But what would ‘living as a woman’ look like in today’s society if we were to first develop a deeply tender and nurturing relationship with our bodies and our selves?” It would say no to abuse, would say we that we are worth loving, that we can shine and support one another to live all that we are….it would transform society.
And just for fun I will add, ‘It will transform society’… more and more people are waking up to this awareness that living from a foundational relationship of tender, nurturing, respect and love for ourselves has a profound impact on life all around us.
It seems what society hold as the ideal of a modern woman, and which is promoted through every kind of media, actually wears women out. Another “the world is flat” belief that this site is cracking.
This site explores what it looks like to live a women’s true power, as well as how many ways women have chosen to live in the past. Exploring how this has left no room for nurturing the divine beauty and power within every women.
‘And how many of us know how to make ourselves look ‘pretty’ but do not truly and deeply feel a sense of our own beauty?’ A far-reaching question that supports us to look at our sense of self-worth and connect to ourselves more deeply. The difference you share is the difference between existing and getting by as a normal and then being in joyful celebration of everything we are and bring.
‘what would ‘living as a woman’ look like in today’s society if we were to first develop a deeply tender and nurturing relationship with our bodies and our selves?’ A great question and beautiful pondering Rebecca, one that I can bring to myself every day.
To consider the potential of self-love…life changing yes, this blog site shares so many experiences of women who are living the love from within…a complete change in focus, how we live life and express ourselves. I love that this is on the internet and is continuing to develop and build.
As a woman to live life caring for myself is one of the most important turning points. It marked the beginning of what is the truth of Love from my body, starting from self, and deeply felt, changed what love is for me forever.
‘… to live life caring for myself…’ a super strong foundation to take care in and with life and everyone.
Be the “super-mum-career-woman-great-daughter-athlete-sex-kitten combo” and more not under society’s standards but from how we know from our hearts and body, re-imprint what we know is true, that who we are is not only from what we see on the outside or what our roles are, but it is from first an energy that impulses us. Know what this energy is, if it is love, go for whatever role we need to be in, and be that unreservedly .
‘The Livingness is about living the love that we are from the inside out – this is what it means to live from and with the soul, to live soul-fully in our daily lives. ‘ Yes Rebecca ,and how natural that is when we let it be.
We call it equally but what are we as women seeking, to fight, rage, dismiss men in the process is a sign concerning the quality of the outcome we encounter. Hold ourselves with love, hold others with and in that love then we have a recipe for real change. Love is powerful, steady and resilient because of its consistency and healing natural way.
When a woman lives from the beauty that lives and breathes within her, such grace inspires others to also live from this place, instead of relying on the constructs of the outer world we have created to inform how we should live.
And this inner relationship with ourselves can be such a strong, unwavering, sure and beholding foundation to face life’s challenges and forever opportunities to learn.
Living by knowing ourselves who we are from inside out is a beautiful description of a woman living in her livingness Rebecca. When we know our grace and beauty on the inside, ageing and changes of the physical body do not worry us because we know our essence within is constantly and consistently Love.
Is ‘modern woman’ an idea? The concept also existed in the 1920s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s etc. It was slightly different each time but it always felt like an idea that was supposed to be followed for social acceptance.
This site supports me to feel deeply my body, which loosen after reading the amazing stories of women who changed their lifes thanks to connect deeper with themselves. Thanks to their living experience they are showing that this is available for all equally. We all can live a life in full regard with our body, accepting and embracing ourselves for the natural beauty that already is – and always have been – within us.
Thanks for sharing because you all are a daily support and an inspiration for me.
At the moment, in my country there is a lot of exposure about how women are being treated in some of the large organisations that we have. And what is being shown is a kind of sexual dis-respect towards women that has gone on for way too long. But what is really beautiful to observe, is how many of the women who have experienced such horrendous things, are not angrily storming the streets or engaging in tabloid gossip, they are simply standing up and talking about what has happened to them and then letting the governing systems that are already in place take care of what needs to be done to address the issue. It is an amazing and inspiring event to have unfold in our country.
Rebecca, I have found this website deeply inspiring and supportive for me as a woman, there is much wisdom on offer here and it is very beautiful that there is a site where women can openly share about their lives and what they are experiencing.
I was listening to an interview today of a prominent politician who was also a woman. She has certainly been through a lot in life and a lot in the public eye. But I definitely got the feeling that she was a product and a result of what she has faced. Really that is the vast majority of us. I myself made judgements and decisions in life that I can clearly see have placed me on a certain path. A lot of these have been judgments about myself and who I am or that I had to be someone. Its rare for us to grow up knowing that we are already everything we need, everything is already within and its simply needs to be fostered. We don’t need to turn ourselves into something to be recognised, to see our worth or to think we are better or less than another.
“Many women care for all those around them but stop short of truly caring for and nurturing themselves.” It seems that even the idea of caring for and nurturing oursleves is not even an option for many women, and when suggested gets passed off as being a crazy notion. We have been so engrained with the belief that we are only worth our value if we dediacte our lives to giving to others at our own expense that it can and often is a hard nut to crack, but my goodness we are so worth it.
The question asked in the title of this article is our everyday choice. Do we want to be governed by external requirements and expectation or impulsed and inspired by what we feel and know to be our true qualities and purpose?
How amazing it is to have access to a blog that shares the lived and often shared experiences of many women worldwide that then supports and celebrates all women at their very essence. Simply stunning.