FemCentral

In early August of 2009, I was laid off from my job as the Manager of Education and Outreach for a research institute at a local university. On August 23, 2009, I saw the cover of the New York Times Magazine – Why Women’s Rights are the Issue of Our Time. I have a long time interest in human rights and decided this lay-off was the perfect opportunity to match my professional skills with my passion. I launched FemCentral in January, 2010.

FemCentral is a website dedicated to bringing back the natural balance between the feminine and the masculine, the Yin and the Yang. It has evolved from being mostly a resource site to a place where women (and men) gather to explore and change our collective consciousness about the Feminine.

Our personal thoughts create our personal reality, and the thoughts of the collective create our society’s reality. We can’t change society, the way we treat other human beings, without changing our thoughts.

We can certainly enact laws to protect the weak and disenfranchised, to keep them from being abused. We’ve largely done this in the West. It’s the reason I’m frequently told that the “women’s issue” is solved, or that “race” is no longer a problem. But, these laws affect behavior only inasmuch as people are afraid of being punished. You know many people who are still sexist, yes? If we are going to change the way people behave towards each other, we must pull out our own beliefs, examine them, and start consciously creating our own world. Then, we encourage others to do the same.

Thanks to those who’ve fought before us, we now have the luxury of spending the time necessary to examine and change our beliefs. Many in the world still do not have this luxury. And, I encourage all of us to do what we can to alleviate their pain (Kiva.org and Care.org are two of my favorite charities). But, to create real and lasting change, we must be prepared to go deep inside ourselves.

Thus, my unique perspective, with FemCentral, is to delve deep into the assumptions of society and of our own automated lives. I do this not to disagree (although, I will do that, too, at times) but to make us more aware. I will do my best to help both you, and myself, to “lay bare the contradictions and evasions and self-deceptions that pass for empowerment.” To bring the feminine back in balance with the masculine, we must discuss and uncover and expose the beliefs that have kept Her silent. This goes for men as well as women.

How does FemCentral do this?

• I focus on a theme or topic per week, going deep on a topic, exploring it from many angles and providing suggestions and guidance for exploring it in your personal life. I feature excerpts from books, meditations, personal experiences, guest experts, and writing exercises. We engage in discussions both in the comment fields of the posts and on the FemCentral facebook page.

• There are several content experts who write columns for FemCentral, and their posts appear on Sundays. Some have regular monthly columns and others post every 2-3 months. These columnists are there to answer YOUR QUESTIONS, so feel free to ask by either leaving a comment to their posts or by emailing me at jennifer@jenniferlshelton.com

• Writing prompts give the FemCentral community the opportunity to use the powerful tool of “free writing” to explore, and expose, personal beliefs and share them collectively. I feature one prompt per month and towards the end of each month, post all the responses as submitted to me. (And am happy to post the responses anonymously.)

• I also welcome, and frequently feature, content experts who wish to guest blog on a topic or theme (one post or a full week). If interested, please contact me at Jennifer@jenniferlshelton.com

• To highlight female role models, every Thursday is Woman of the Week, where I feature an “undeservedly obscure” contemporary or historic female.

• A few years ago, I unexpectedly discovered a gift for astrology. Highly skeptical at first, I have come to embrace the perspective the Zodiac provides. Most Fridays are AstroFriday, where I approach the week’s theme from the viewpoint of astrology. (For instance, when I spent a week on the topic of “fear,” AstroFriday was about the planet Saturn, which indicates, in your birthchart, what you fear the most.) I also provide individualized astrological services in the form of chart readings, birthday readings, intuitive coaching and a “life purpose” email subscription service.

Different people learn in different ways. Some visit the site daily. Some keep up through the FemCentral facebook page or Twitter. Some subscribe to the free, weekly, condensed version of the theme (see sidebar). Many do all four!

This Institute is for you, and it is constantly evolving. Email me anytime at jennifer@jenniferlshelton.com with suggestions, recommendations and requests.

Blessings,

Jennifer