sisterhood
ALL PHOTOS TAKEN BY VIVIEN BENDLIN
& Sisterhood Retreat hosted by her (you can find her retreats & gatherings HERE)
Two weeks ago i attended a sisterhood retreat for a weekend in Austria and it has fundamentally changed my life in many ways. I know for a fact that i was led there for a reason. I found the information about the retreat too late since i rarely spend time on Instagram and it was fully booked by the time i applied, but something inside of me told me that a spot would open up. And it did.
So i ended up spending a weekend in the beautiful countryside, in the most beautiful cottage house, with eleven other women. We ate incredible food, sat in circles, spent time in nature and truly connected on a deep wholesome level. On Saturday, we spent our time climbing mountains and creating magical photography with Vivien as the photographer. You can find the images down below, they truly turned out beautiful and whenever i look at them i just get an immense feeling of freedom, expansion, femininity and the feeling of being held.
Standing on top of the mountain, with other women, feeling the wind on my body and in my hair with music playing in the background, gave me an immense feeling of freedom. It’s something i will remember for a long time, to simply feel free in nature. To feel poetic in nature. To feel safe in the world. To feel like a woman.
This weekend led to a lot of transformation and inspiration in my life.
Here are some mind notes & reflections:
I’ve learned that i do not have to heal or go through life alone. I acknowledged the fact that i can ask for help, that i do not have to be hyper-independent in all that i do.
There is a deep sisterhood wound within many of us, a fear of women being backstabbing, deceiving or cruel to one another. It is something that is, for some, deeply ingrained in generational trauma and often given to us as ‘‘advice’’ from elders or other people in the world. If you have felt this wound, know that you will find your people, your group of women. Allow yourself to open up to the possibility of women gathering or women connecting in circles. When women gather and allow themselves to be authentic, vulnerable and create a space with love and pure intentions, magic happens.
You don’t have to make sense as an introvert. I go through phases of deeply craving many people around me, circles of connection and groups of women. Then i find myself wanting to retreat from time to time, sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for hours or sometimes for a few weeks. I spent time at the retreat just by myself, sitting by the stream in the picture below for an hour to reflect on all of the magical changes that were occuring within me at that time.
You are not alone. You never are. Everyone is going through something and we’d never be able to guess just by looking at someone’s feed or face. Sitting in circles, sharing our stories and our thoughts and emotions, letting go of who we think we need to be, is deeply healing. Not only for the person speaking, but for every person within the group. Sitting in those circles i felt so connected to everyone around me. It felt safe for me to be me, to be vulnerable and authentic and to share all of who i am.
Now as the world becomes more digital, we need people to gather in real life. This is something i’m immensely passionate about. I used to pay for a monthly community membership only for Women and it was awesome, don’t get me wrong, but i don’t think i could go back after experiencing gatherings OFFLINE. I will now, forever, prioritize community offline. Of course i still recognize the online world for all of it’s perks, but it’s simply not the same.
Sometimes you have to create what you want to be a part of.
Another random mind note: I LOVE PEOPLE. I love hearing about people and the universes they hold within them.
I feel beautiful & strong and powerful in my body in these photos.
I feel the magic, the power and the divinity we as women hold in these photographs.
I feel deeply inspired by Vivien’s approach to photography and her inner visions and the way she captures her passion. It deeply inspired me in on my creative journey.
