Maya Angelou, in all of her many artistic & Soulful expressions, was as radiant as the Sun. To read her poetry acts as a kind of light transfusion. One walks away, no matter what the subject of the poem, walking just a little taller, burning just a little brighter.
 
Two weeks ago, on the New Moon, we reveled in her poem of self-love & self-celebration, Phenomenal Woman. Now, on this Full Moon, I lay before you a poem which articulates the other side, I think, of the very same coin, Prayer, which articulates her bone-deep love of the World and of the Spirit which runs through it all.
 
It goes like this:
 
Father, Mother, God, thank You for Your presence during the hard and mean days. For then we have You to lean upon.
 
Thank You for Your presence during the bright and sunny days, for then we can share that which we have with those who have less.
 
And thank You for Your presence during the Holy Days, for then we are able to celebrate You and our families and our friends.
 
For those who have no voice, we ask You to speak.
 
For those who feel unworthy, we ask You to pour Your love out in waterfalls of tenderness.
 
For those who live in pain, we ask you to bathe them in the river of Your healing.
 
For those who are lonely, we ask You to keep them company.
 
For those who are depressed, we ask You to shower upon them the light of hope.
 
Dear Creator, You, the borderless sea of substance, we ask You to give to all the world that which we need most—Peace.
 
Amen.
Love the Self in one hand, love of the World in the other, perhaps Maya Angelou’s radiance & abundant creativity have something to do with the balance she held between these two great loves.
 
Perhaps we can ask, in our journals, or simply in the privacy of our own hearts:
Can there be true self-love without a love of the world?
Can I truly love the World if I don’t sincerely love myself?
 
I wonder…
 
So, on this, the Full Moon, perhaps you can call upon your love of the World, and make a Prayer poem of your own.
 
Ms. Angelou finds many names for the sacred in her poem: Mother, Father, God, Creator. Feel very free to find your language to name that which is, perhaps, unnamable. We don’t have to let that stop us from trying!
 
Here is mine, which I will Speak to the Moon tonight:
 
Today I walk my bare feet on the cold soil that I may Kiss you, my Mother, and offer a little warmth to your body which sustains us.
 
Today I turn my heart and palms toward the Sun that I may thank you, dear Father, for the light on which we live.
 
Great creative intelligence, please guide us in mending the space between us, please allow truth to rise for all to see. Please pour your love through every moment we are gifted to breathe together on this tiny blue and green planet, in this unknowable mystery.
 
Your Turn
In the comments below, and/or in your journal, please write your own Prayer Poem for the World.
We need all the prayers we can muster.
 
 
Please join me in speaking Maya’s Prayer & your own to the Moon tonight – may the intention underneath the prayers ride on the Moon beams as a blessing for all.
 
Love Always,
Chris
 
P.s ~ If you missed the last Wild Woman School all about the practice of Journaling, you can download the recording right here. And claim your seat for the next one, Creativity as a Spiritual Practice, right here.
 

On the Horizon

Circle Leader Training
 
Join us online, from anywhere, for a 7-Week adventure.
 
“This was the best experience I’ve ever had with an online training! I felt seen, connected, and present.” ~ Gretchen Fellon, Graduate
 
Part part skill-building, part wildish personal-development, this course is sure to give you a deeper look into the Wild Woman Archetype, Moon Wisdom, Intuition and Inner Guidance, Circle Facilitation, and community building. With hundreds of graduates in 26 countries around the world, this course has been cultivated over 13 years to be our very best in Feminine Leadership Training.
 
We begin on May 6th.
 
 
Wild Woman Underground Logo for the online Wild Woman Project community

Join an international, intergeneration group of weird and wonderful wild-hearted Women in our online Cave (which lives on an app)!

We meet weekly in Circles, Workshops, Practices to keep our wild spirits lit!

Upcoming Weekly Gatherings:  

Waning Moon Circle with Chris Maddox
New Moon Meditation Adventure with Chris Maddox
Story Circle with Danielle Dulsky
5th Chakra Circle with Sara Goff
 

Join us for an hour-long New Moon Meditation Adventure on May 7th!

Online, from anywhere.

Using a dynamic meditation journey, we will tune into the New Moon, to your own Inner Guidance, synced up with wild-hearted women from around the world. This offering will include music, storytelling, meditation, journaling prompts & intention-setting.

Can’t make it live? No worries. All participants will receive a copy of the recording with 24 hours of the session.

Claim Your Seat!

We have Wild Woman Project-trained Circle facilitators is 26 countries, and 44 out of the 50 United States.

Find a Circle Near You. 

Wild Woman Fest '24 sold out in record time. 
 
We look forward 4 Days & 3 Nights of rituals & ceremony, yoga, circles, experiential workshops, meditation, music & art making, dance, connecting to the natural world, laughter, discovery, divination, wandering, swimming, hiking, bonfires, howling, and dreaming!