I (Sjanie) was in the chaos of early motherhood when we were invited by Hay House to write Wild Power. And although we didn’t know how we would pull it off, we followed the calling within and said yes to what eventually became one of the most fulfilling creative journeys of our lives.
Until that point, I had been in a kind of apprenticeship with Alexandra, who had been holding this work for a couple of decades before we met. Although we were writing workshops and creating courses together there was a different dynamic to the co-creative partnership we have now.
As we wrote the book, we really shifted gears and came together as collaborators - two unique perspectives following the same river. Through the book writing I grew up a lot - it was my graduation moment from apprentice to co-conspirator.
It also matured my experience of my inner seasons…
In my inner spring I had to dig deep to champion myself, covered as I was in baby sick, knee-deep in laundry, and surrounded by a home that looked like a bomb site.
In my inner summer, I discovered how to harness my capacity to create uninhibitedly, letting the free flow of words pour forth.
In my inner autumn, I learned to channel my strong inner critic away from myself, my self-doubts, and towards the work. This became a holy moment of the cycle, where I could feel subtle incoherences, and force us to unpick things and re-form them until they were right. There isn't a sentence in that book that hasn't been wrestled with by what Alexandra came to call the world's fiercest critic!
In my inner winter, I learned how to walk away, even in the most exquisite or painful creative moment. This space - even if it was only an hour lying in the dark - always allowed for a new wave of inspiration and renewal to carry me. It's why I can get behind our cycle work with all my being. I've seen what this work can do first hand, and now I want every single woman and menstruator in the world to have it.
The book-writing process also honed our inner winter power of intension-setting. We began each writing session by opening up sacred space, connecting with the spirit of the book, and then reading a prayer…
Our prayer for Wild Power
May this book catalyse an awakening that breaks through the hardened shell of patriarchy.
May this book bring light to the wounding, may it de-robe shame and restore a feeling of rightness in us all.
May this book liberate the forces within us that have to date been seen and experienced as debilitating, shameful, dirty, limiting, weak and wrong, and may these forces be fully reclaimed and reconsecrated as holy power by all.
May this book become a personal friend and a professional resource to all who work in the field of psychology, health, leadership and coaching, education, spirituality and more.
May this book help us all to know and love ourselves and feel a deep intimacy with who we are. May this book support every reader to experience the embodied liberation and fulfillment of their wild power.
Now, ten years later, and we are overjoyed by all the ways that this vision has taken root and been cherished and fulfilled in the world. We continue to hold this vision for the global community that has gathered around this work, and we’re holding a similar prayer for the brilliant circle that is gathering for our Menstruality Leadership Programme this year. The doors are closing on Saturday and there’s a seat for you if you’re feeling called to join us.
We loved feeling the wild power flowing in this message we received from Emma, one of our recent graduates,
”The Menstruality Leadership Programme was utterly transformative. Menstruality is medicine, and the MLP serves up a large dose! The experience I gained through the program provided me with an embodied confidence to bring my work out into the world. Through deepening my own Menstrual Cycle Awareness practice and connecting with others in our beloved community, the MLP gave me clarity, insight, and a deep respect for my unique Calling.”
You can find more information on our Menstruaity Leadership Programme here.
