I recently attended a presentation by Natalie Benhayon on “A Sacred Relationship with Self.” This subject has been in my conscious awareness for a few years as I have been learning about and developing more self-love and more self-nurturing which has led to more self-esteem. When I received the notice of the presentation being given by Natalie, I suspected there would be a slant on how to be in relationship with my self as a woman. I’ve been a late bloomer so to speak, in the sense of realising what my true expression as a woman means for me. I was eager to attend, yet still a little apprehensive. The apprehension had to do with not being confident about ‘how to be a woman’. As the presentation began, I quickly learned that the evening would be about a relationship with my sacred self.

If we look at Natalie Benhayon, we see a young woman who is amazing. She is beautiful, sexy, cheeky, fun and a full time complementary healing practitioner. She is seeing people in clinic many days of the week, founder of Our Cycles App, editor of a magazine called Women in Livingness, designer of websites, director of the Esoteric Practitioners Association (EPA)*, Founder and Director of Esoteric Women’s Health and on the board of the College of Universal Medicine (a charitable institution) and constantly pushing the edges, not to mention a few buttons! How can one woman do all of that? Some of us admire her. Some of us might envy her. Some might even be jealous. Some don’t like what they see. What they don’t like is they know that they too could be all of that but are choosing not to. That isn’t a comfortable reflection.

For many of us who have the privilege of attending the sacred movement groups which were initiated by Natalie, we can easily feel what it means to be in our sacredness because the movements allow us to connect to that most holy of places. But how many of us retain that sense of sacredness as we put on our boots, gather our bags and scarves and head out the door? I’m going to guess not many.

Being in sacredness is about a sacred relationship with self and being fully present and connected with yourself…. and more.

We have had Natalie Benhayon and her family as well as other esoteric practitioners demonstrating what “being with yourself” looks and feels like and I, along with many other women I know, have been inspired to develop our own rhythm and beingness. I have an increasing awareness of when I am with myself and when I have dropped the ball and lost the plot. I am spending more time with myself nowadays so I know what that feels like and I still go in and out of being present with myself.

When I’m showering, I am aware of tipping the shampoo into my hand, aware of how I apply it to my scalp, of how gently (or not) I massage it in. When I’m pouring my cup of tea, I am aware of how I connect (or grab) the kettle. When I’m choosing my clothes I consider why I have reached for that blouse. Is it the colour, the fabric, the style? It’s a rare occasion now that I drive somewhere and arrive realising I was on automatic pilot all the way there. I’ve incorporated little check in points during the drive to make sure I am present in my body. How are my hands placed on the wheel? Does my mirror need adjusting? I am mostly spending time “being with myself” so when I do fall away from that position, I recognise it and can choose to bring myself back home to myself.

At Natalie’s presentation on ‘A Sacred Relationship with Self’, I felt that to be in sacredness as a woman is something even more profound. It isn’t just about being with myself, or being present or being fully present or being consciously present. It is about being all those things – as a woman.

As a woman, I’m learning to start with my stillness and anything I ‘do’ must come from that stillness. For me, the biggest distraction to my stillness is nervous energy. If I am anxious or worrying there is a ‘busyness’ in me that disrupts my inner stillness. If I am thinking about things I have to do, and it is not yet time to do these things, this also creates a ‘sense of work or activity’ that is not real or productive. When it is time to do this activity, whatever it may be, I can do it with a sense of my sacred self, knowing there is no right or wrong if I am in activity as my sacred self.

If I am not coming from stillness first I have left my true essence and entered into the male essence of action, the male essence of ‘doing’. This can be a tricky business in a world that acknowledges and rewards those who do and those who produce. But thank God, there are people like Natalie Benhayon who are presenting and demonstrating how to be role models for this profound way of living from their sacredness so that we have a reflection of what it looks like and what it feels like. I feel very fortunate indeed to be able to attend these presentations in person but I feel even more fortunate to be a woman, in a large group of women, who are helping pioneer the return to our true essence; that of living in a sacred relationship with self and in the sacredness of being a woman.

By Gayle Cue, Office Manager, Bangalow NSW Australia

* The EPA (Esoteric Practitioners Association) is the internal accreditation arm of Universal Medicine. It was instigated by Universal Medicine to monitor and accredit the modalities that were founded by Universal Medicine.