Spirituality for women is not essentially different from that for men, because in our essence we are neither men nor women, we are the soul. However, being born in a female or male body influences our consciousness and the approach we take to the spiritual life.

By and large, women are guided more by feeling, and men are guided more by reason. Women are by nature better able to serve others, while men tend to be better at dealing with impersonal, objective realities.

Yet, while feeling is a unique spiritual strength of women, it can be a weakness as well. Feeling can go toward high aspiration and devotion to God or toward petty, personal likes and dislikes. In order to experience a state of union with God, we need to still the feelings, quiet the reactive process that attracts us toward some things and repels us from others. Because feelings are stronger in women, they need to be especially mindful of this. Their reactions need to be tempered with impersonal objectivity.

In the roles of mother, wife, companion, or in the arena of work, 3 areas of self-improvement have great enhancing power:

• First, healing the body gives women the energy to accomplish. Having an open, compassionate and calm heart helps them in their relationships to be a source of strength and loving support for others.
  
• In their jobs, whether running a household or in business, they need mental clarity, because the modern business world simply demands it.
  
• Finally, developing their inner nature gives them the expanded awareness and joy in which they can see that whatever they are doing in their lives, the essence, the most important thing of all, is to experience God’s inner joy and love.

The challenge for us as individuals is to find out where our strengths lie as women, going within ourselves and asking “How does the Divine Mother want to express through me?” And when you feel it, when you understand it, it brings tremendous growth and fulfilment to express it in your life.

Source: www.anandaindia.org

Photo: Ivan Vicencio