Tag: puberty

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Coming of Age Ceremony for Girls Filmed

Under the light of the Full Moon, I am trembling to share my enormous gratitude to everyone I have ever circled with.  It is thanks to my friends, students, colleagues, teachers and family that I stand here with the capacity to celebrate and share with you that there is a practical path toward toward the vision that every girl on the planet can be mentored in the lore of womanhood.

Fort Collins Coming of Age  Ceremony Filmed 

Most especially I wish to thank the women and girls of Maiden Discovery Circle, Fort Collins, Colorado, who invited Journey of Young Women and Warrior Films to their Coming of Age Ceremony for Girls last weekend.  We captured some amazing video footage of ceremony under the open sky as well as interviews with moms, mentors, and the girls.

Coming of Age Ceremony

Coming of Age Ceremony, Fort Collins, CO, 11-21-15. Photo by Lillian Krueger

It took my breath away when this community agreed to open up their coming of age ceremony to be filmed - a courageous act of vulnerability in service to vision. These woman and girls are on fire to show the world what it looks, sounds and feels like to usher girls into womanhood with intentionality, joy and mentorship. To show moms what is possible for their daughters, and for themselves. To remind everyone that girls thirst for mentorship and for circling with women and girls....and that every woman has gifts to offer girls on their journey to womanhood.

Co-led by Gina Loughrige, a graduate of the JOYW Mentoring Girls Certificate Training, this Girls' Circle has been meeting every other week for two years.  I cannot wait to share some of the video footage of this coming of age ceremony with you and to tell you more about their story.

Warrior Films

I am delighted and grateful beyond measure to be working in collaboration with Frederick Marx and Warrior Films whose pioneering work in mentorship and rites of passage is already shaking the world and on whose Board I am proud to serve. 

Frederick will use the footage from this Coming of Age Ceremony as well as the interviews of participants to support his World Wisdom Library on the subject of youth rites of passage and mentorship. He may also use it in his long form film on the same subject.

Opening a Flow of Resources into Girls' Mentorship 

What's next?  How can we bring coming of age ceremonies, mentorship, and girls' circles to every girls on the planet?  How can we make this happen NOW rather than in some hazy future?

We are going to gather the women. We are going to welcome all ages and all genders. We are going to work together collaboratively to spread the good news about rites of passage and mentorship for girls, and to empower women locally, globally and online to mentor girls, lead Girls' Circles, and offer Coming of Age to Girls. 

We are going to open a flow of resources into Girls Mentorship!

A Collaborative Process 

We'll create this together in collaborative process that is also online, global and local and that empowers and nourishes everyone as we move forward.  Once the collaborative process begins, much practical inspiration and resources will emerge, which we'll translate into do-able actions steps in the real world and online. We are moving toward the truly possible future of impacting the lives of ten million girls over the next five years.

This process will be bigger than Journey of Young Women, and we'll be partnering with and supporting others to fulfill their own complementary visions. We will be giving away power and empowerment and resources as fast as we can. 

Please stay tuned for news about how you can freely participate in the powerful process that is about to unfold.  If you can't wait, simply contact me to let me know you want information about how you can participate, locally or online, as our project moves forward.  We'll be in touch with you!

Full Moon Gratitude

So, community, now you know why I am trembling with gratitude. Look what is before us!  One short video (and more to come) that tells the simple but powerful truth that women can work together to help girls step forward as strong leaders and wise women - and in so doing create massive beauty, deep healing and vibrant community. In these troubled times, we can change the world and we will.

That is something to celebrate. We can sing, dance and weep to sky and earth with joy and gratitude.  

We are enough and we have enough to co-create this! 

If you're not feeling it yet, stay tuned! This is going to happen.

Look for more news with the next New Moon.

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Should My Daughter Be Wearing A Bra?

"Should my daughter be wearing a bra?" is a question that some parents never pose to themselves.  Other parents are unsure. "Listen to your daughter" and "Let go of the idea that breasts are something that need to be hidden" suggests Meagan Murphy in this pithy, powerful guest post.  ~ Katharine

Does my daughter need a bra?

The decision to wear a bra or not wear a bra, or in the mother’s case, whether to buy a bra for your daughter, is one that merits careful consideration.

Breasts are emblems of nature, little buds that grow into unique flowers. These flowers are part of a woman’s body for the rest of her life, and will change as she gets older.

The impulse that these flowers should be tamped down, that breasts should be hidden by bras from a young age, is the same impulse that drives humans to disconnect from nature.

Tips to help you and your daughter make a choice about bras:

  • Decide whether or not bras are something that make you feel comfortable by either trying one on or letting your breasts be free.
  • Listen to your daughter as she discovers how she wants to cultivate her own “flowers” (breasts). Young girls hold a wisdom that has yet to be touched by societal influences.
  • Interact with nature.
  • Interact with your breasts 

The culture says we need bras to disguise our breasts

Let go of the idea that breasts are something that need to be hidden. These thoughts are one imposed by our culture, and while it is necessary to work within societal norms in some contexts, the home you share with your family can be a place of growth and comfortability.

~ Meagan Murphy 

Meagan Murphy is the producer of The Breast Archives (to be released this fall). She brings 20+ years of experience in film and broadcast, including 12 years with PBS. Meagan earned a Communicator’s Award for her work with teens and a Medical Journalism Fellowship. She also completed a 2-year women’s mystery school and Journey of Young Women's Mentoring Girls Certificate Training.

Find The Breast Archives on Facebook. Watch the trailer.

Art by Emilano Ponzi and Daniela Uhlig

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Tell Her About Her Body

Tell her about her body.

To be grounded and confident in her Whole Self, every girl needs to know her Whole Self, and that starts with her body.

Everything begins with the body.

When a girl lives in her body, understands her body, honors her body, she is able to stand up for herself, love herself, tune into her emotions, listen to her intuition, and connect with Spirit.

She's never too young to hear you naming all her body parts, including vulva, labia and anus. They are all sacred.

She's never too young for you to affirm that self-pleasure is good - and that it's private (e.g., bedroom or bathroom with door closed).

She's never too young to know that she is a sovereign being and that her body belongs to her. For example: She gets to choose who touches her and how and when. That includes tickling from Uncle Jorge and hugs from Aunt Ethel.

She's never to young to observe you practicing self-care, including honoring and taking care of your menstrual cycle, if you bleed.

Demonstrate honor and respect for your body and hers.

Over time, tell her the story of a woman's sexuality and fertility and the changes of puberty.

From these, all good things arise. 

Digital art by Kelly Tan.  Photo by Quim Fàbregas


I want to teach girls to understand and honor their bodies
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Breast Care and the Sensual Self

Here's a wonderful post on breast care by Meagan Murphy, my former student and producer of the upcoming documentary The Breast Archives.

So often, adults assume that girls’ breasts are sexual breasts.

Not true! The breasts and nipples of teens aren’t as sensitive as those of an adult.  Puberty is a great time for girls to begin caring for and exploring the body’s landscape.

Breast self-care is actually an ideal introduction to the sensual self, and the beginnings of a long and healthy relationship with one’s entire body!

If a breast-massage practice feels unnatural or awkward at first, that’s OK. Stick with it, and imagine your breasts as the face of your heart. Your routine could even feel meditative or spiritual.

Try some of these ideas to build your process: 

  • Find a calm, safe place away from a mirror. 
  • Take a few moments to breathe deeply and get comfortable.
  • Put on some calming music or light a candle if that works for you. 
  • Listen to what your heart is telling you through your breasts.

At every stage in our lives, from puberty on, our breasts are with us. Caring for them should feel good, mentally and physically.

~ Meagan Murphy

Ms. Murphy is the producer of The Breast Archives (to be released this fall). She brings 20+ years of experience in film and broadcast, including 12 years with PBS. Meagan earned a Communicator’s Award for her work with teens and a Medical Journalism Fellowship. She also completed a 2-year women’s mystery school.

"I believe lasting social change can be generated through storytelling and film. When we share our stories with courage and daring we help create a world where everyone is seen. My journey with The Breast Archives documentary project has awakened and inspired me to develop a concept called 'sensual feminism,' which is empowerment that’s derived from the integration of the sensual self with our day-to-day psyche.

Connect with Meagan on Facebook at The Breast Archives. Watch some clips from the documentary here.

Ms. Murphy is the producer of The Breast Archives (to be released this fall). She brings 20+ years of experience in film and broadcast, including 12 years with PBS. Meagan earned a Communicator’s Award for her work with teens and a Medical Journalism Fellowship. She also completed a 2-year women’s mystery school.

"I believe lasting social change can be generated through storytelling and film. When we share our stories with courage and daring we help create a world where everyone is seen. My journey with The Breast Archives documentary project has awakened and inspired me to develop a concept called 'sensual feminism,' which is empowerment that’s derived from the integration of the sensual self with our day-to-day psyche.

Connect with Meagan on Facebook at The Breast Archives. Watch some clips from the documentary here.

Art by Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Night Sky Riders is my new Women Who Run with the Wolves Online Study Group for women, launching Wednesday, September 9.  Sign up for the free preview on August 26 here.