Gather the Women:
One Woman's Experience and Perspective

By Sandy Gasser

A stirring and uncomfortable presence began years ago....with a sense that “something” lay out there, beyond my reach. I felt a longing that was deeper than the parameters of my known world, a tugging at my consciousness. In the early days of this querry, I remember feeling as though I could sit alone on the beach for days, waiting for answers to questions that I couldn’t even ask. And I wrote about this sense of hanging between two worlds, peppered with metaphors of a wall that I felt barricaded behind, and feeling as though parts of me were scattered about like leaves. Then a period of inquiry arrived....books and more books - reading voraciously and watching, as if from afar, the links that stretched out to coil around events and circumstances and draw them into my life. I toiled over thoughts that came to sit in my anxious mind, spilling over into writing for hours.....and days. I felt an aching desire for clarity that would not come, and a continuing disjointed sense of self. And, always the “wall” - feeling left outside another reality. In time, a part of me came to accept that I was on a path and this struggle was my life......feeling lonely often, in this awkwardness.

Then, in early March of this year, on a tip from an acquaintance, I witnessed the birth of a virtual, international community of spiritual insight and social/political activism. I joined Gather The Women. The spirit of connection and hope that arose from this initial encounter was monumental, as members bonded through exchange of philosophies, spiritual insight, book reviews, website addresses, personal stories and wisdom, in a non-hierarchial setting. Their spiritual lives rooted in myriad traditions, and their politics non-partisan. I found soulmates in this circle of women, whose spirit stretched out to include ALL in reference to our world, and international connections have challenged us beyond our limited perspectives.

An amazing process takes place as Gather The Women participants exchange thoughts and ideas, challenge each other and create "possibilities" in a virtual theater, with a level of cooperation and respect that I've rarely seen in groups. An open, non-editorial atmosphere has spawned unconventional and extraordinary thinkers, as the members launch theories for positive social and political change.

Topics for discussion range from universal consciousness, evolutionary politics, the Cultural Creatives, changing paradigms, the Hundredth Monkey Theory, etc., and we believe that the exchange of ideas and wisdom has opened a crack in the "way things are" that will only widen. A space is held open where discussions take the form of old habits at times, and old patterns are acknowledged. But, on occasion we enter realms of creative dialogue where you can almost “feel” the change. It’s in the fire of these times that transition takes root and paradigms can shift.

In the space of these few months, I’ve learned to be comfortable with uncertainty, to be still and quiet at times, that I may “hear” the direction, the part that I’m supposed to play in this web/network. The most difficult aspect of this journey through social/political change is “not knowing” what’s next. In the dark, late at night, or even at midday, I grope with knowledge, with intuition and faith, until I can feel the next step. And though wobbly and howling with uncertainty, I go back to the books and articles, the websites and comunication with Gather The Women members. My spirit/mind is teaching me to trust and accept that nothing is the final word, there are no absolutes because we are evolving.....in this process of cultural transformation. I’ve learned that openness is a most useful characteristic in these times of change, and flexibility to review and review again my perceptions.

A future is certain for Gather The Women; we carry within ourselves the essence of hope for unity in the world, the determination to assault barriers that separate us, and the spirit of loving kindness and acceptance that is wanting in every culture. I walked, virtually, into a connection with women who believe that a new dimension of humanity will rise out of collective wisdom. And, they risk leaving the conformity of safe havens, established beliefs and dominant paradigms, to create this change. Joseph Campbell wrote about those who would take us into uncharted territory, “They have moved out of the society that would have protected them.....into the world of fire, or original experience....They have the courage to face the trials and to bring a whole new body of possibilities into the field of interpreted experience.” THEY are Gather The Women.