Cree Grandmother's Tea

This week I stepped way, way out of my conservative, judgemental comfort zone (the place where mushrooms dwell!) and attended a ceremonial ladies tea. It was facilitated by a warm, beautiful, professional Psychologist. She learned the ceremony to honour women from her Cree grandmother.
23 women and 3 children donned long skirts and sat on handmade blankets. The hostess then explained the elements of the ceremony and their significance. This tea involved New Year elements as well. The leaving behind of the past and the prayers/intentions for the coming year.
I came away from the ceremony feeling very blessed - overwhelmed by my priviledge as a women in this day and age. Grateful for the sacrifices of my grandmothers - to bring the family to this free country - the sacrifices of my mother - to bring me to a place of being able to afford such opportunity. I came to realize that I do myself a favour by surrounding myself with a tribe of women. We support/nurture in a way that no other being can. We give so much away and l0vingly so, but do not take the time to be renewed in the same way.
I was significantly empowered to trust in my voice and use it.
I was also educated by this wonderful facilitator. Because she works in the field of human pyschology she passed on this nugget of information:
"Only 20% of the entire population of the world see the world the way the leaders and systems are that control this world. Those 20% are considered normal. Another 60% do not see the world or systems the same way but have learned to adapt and cope in order to survive without being labeled. These are the people who can change the systems and world view because they have learned to live in two worlds. Then there are 20% of people who do not agree with the world and will not conform. These people are seen as deviant and are supposedly the ones that we offer programs and services to try to help them conform. When you think that only 20% actually truly believe in how the world is truly organized and 80 % who do not, you see that the minority actually believe they are normal when in reality it is the majority who are normal ."

I am so glad my mushroom self attended this ceremony. The whole experience was great fertilizer for a Sunflower!

Can a Mushroom Become A Sunflower?

This question has prompted my search to begin a new life, my real life. Like many, many women I took on all the expected roles and duties and happily and sometimes not so happily cared for and served others. Not really having any needs, I thought, other than being happy only when every one else around me was happy.
One day, last year, and it was on a specific day, I woke up. I had an actual "Road to Damascus" experience. (only mine was the 'road to Panorama...') and I realized that I had been in the dark for most of my female life, kept sheltered, isolated even and fed a lot of B.S. aka nutrient rich fertilizer... but now, now I want height, light, warmth, exposure and a complete re-do.
There are no mushrooms that change/evolve into flowers... that I can find in my shallow research. And.. the caterpiller into a butterfly and phoenix from ashes has been done, alot... I actually 'pictured' a mushroom and a sunflower in my mind when I was grappling with what was going on with me and what was it that I wanted. Hence, the mushroom to sunflower evolutionary proposal.
I'll let you know how it's going...