Mirabai Starr – The Way of the Feminine Mystic

Throughout the journey, you will experience a profound deepening into your very own nature as a Feminine Mystic. You will learn to open your heart to your Divine essence – remembering who you truly are, and discovering your most sacred form of service to the world.
 

Mirabai Starr – The Way of the Feminine Mystic

 

A rare opportunity to deeply explore the feminine path of awakening, in which a profound alchemy of body, mind and soul leads you to embrace the world in a sacred, whole and celebratory way.
Have you ever felt that the religious traditions we’ve inherited are deeply imbalanced, relegating feminine mystics and their perspectives to marginal, undervalued, and even submissive roles – much to our great loss?
The truth is that some of history’s most sublime mystics and societal change agents have been women, and they often walk a very different pathway to their realization – using their longing for union as a portal into the infinite, and their profound compassion as a vehicle to repair the world.
The “way” of the feminine mystic is simultaneously more tender – allowing our heartbreak to guide us into our service, while also more untamed – embracing the juicy wildness of our bodies and nature.
A feminine mystic is full-spectrum, moving from pools of stillness into the whirling dance, embracing the sweetness of caring for others and the fierce truth-telling that sets us free. More than anything, the feminine mystic is grounded in love – love for one’s self, love for the other, love for the world and love for the Divine. The feminine mystic envelops the world in her arms, kissing the tears away with the limitless love of the Mother.
This love force changes everything – inviting you into a powerful new relationship with life in which you see everything with the eyes of reverence – and engage in a truly sacred dance with all that is.
As so many mystics have said, “God IS love,” and when you enter into full communion with God, you experience yourself AS love – without limits or conditions.
When you join the Way of the Feminine Mystic Immersion, you will be initiated into a profound, multidimensional field of love that is at the foundation of a sacred relationship with life.
You’ll reclaim long-buried aspects of the feminine soul by hearing the stories of the great female mystics, reveling in their poetry and rejoicing in their wisdom. You’ll heal from millennia of religious programming that denies the body and sexuality.
You’ll enter a holy communion with your Self – remembering that the feminine Divine is equally important and complementary to the masculine Divine – both in the world and in your body.
You will be immersed in practices, prayers, readings and dialogues that help resurrect long dormant parts of your being.
And you will remember who you truly are by seeing yourself through the eyes of these mystics, and learn mystical rituals that help you incarnate the Divine in ever-more-beautiful ways each day.
Perhaps, best of all, you will enter into a global community of spiritual practitioners who are committed to deep levels of ecstatic surrender into the arms of the Beloved.
Your teacher, guide and heart-friend for this “feminine mystical love immersion” is one of the most beloved teachers of interspirituality, Mirabai Starr. Mirabai has written many acclaimed books on women like St. Teresa of Avila, as well as walked a path that includes Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Buddhist practices – all woven together in a deeply honoring way.
She’s a profound scholar with a mystic’s heart, a lover of God who also delights in people, a committed pioneer of a new sacred path that honors the deeper truth in every lineage – illumining the way to a truly unified sacred world.
And this immersion is her offering to your heart, promising a profound shift at the core of your being where your feminine mystic qualities are seen, celebrated and empowered, while you are also called into your most sacred forms of service and action in the world.
Get immediately download Mirabai Starr – The Way of the Feminine Mystic
During this powerful journey, you’ll:

Gain a new understanding of what mysticism really is
Expand your ability to befriend your heartache, pain and longing as allies on the path
Open to a vision of God that is masculine-feminine balanced, and a path that includes ecstatic surrender
Practice yielding to heartbreak as an opening to the Infinite
Learn how to dissolve the separate self and reunite with the Beloved
Expand your creativity, and link it with your spiritual practices
Create a relationship with the Divine Mother as a resource for mercy, forgiveness and reckless adoration

It’s time to evolve a new kind of wholeness at the heart of the lineages we’ve inherited – by learning from the inspired women mystics who have pioneered a more earthy, loving, holistic, and even wild, vision of spiritual life.
This feminine mystical pathway supports the great healing of our times by repairing the wounds in our hearts, minds and bodies, and addressing the real suffering in the world.
It’s time to live as truly empowered, radically-alive and deeply-reverential feminine mystics who are here to change the world!

What You’ll Discover in This Advanced Immersion:
Throughout the journey, you will experience a profound deepening into your very own nature as a Feminine Mystic. You will learn to open your heart to your Divine essence – remembering who you truly are, and discovering your most sacred form of service to the world.
Each training session will build harmoniously upon the next, so that you’ll develop a complete, holistic understanding of the practices and principles you’ll need to live as a feminine mystic.
This advanced training is a rare opportunity to work with a renowned mystic and scholar at a much deeper level, as she lovingly guides you in remembering and reclaiming your feminine mysticism.
One of Mirabai’s gifts is her own authentic embodiment of her feminine mystic qualities. She lives a life grounded in love and you will feel truly held in a safe and compassionate container as you experience this profound inner journey with her by your side.
If you are truly ready to dive into reclaiming the long-buried aspects of your feminine soul and remembering who you truly are, this advanced intensive with Mirabai Starr is the perfect training for you.
Each of the 9 modules are composed of 4 classes led by Mirabai (90-minutes each).

Module 1: Answering the Prophetic Call

Becoming a Voice for the Divine in the World

The time of the singular prophet is giving way to a collective call to rise up in response to suffering. The word “prophet” means “mouthpiece of God.” We are all worthy of receiving and transmitting the divine voice. And we can no longer justify turning away. The world is in dire need of our wisdom, our love, our willingness to set aside our opinions and our desires to be comfortable and acceptable. What is the voice of Truth speaking through you?

Identify the burning issues in your heart, with regard to the needs of the planet and all who dwell here
Develop the ability to access and contain the suffering in the world
Cultivate the mindfulness skills to help you sit with what is and not be overwhelmed
Build your courage to speak truth
Learn techniques to energize your body and soften your heart, so that you can be of service joyfully – without burning out
Recognize that you have enough and are enough, exactly as you are

Module 2: Surrendering to Heartbreak

Longing as a Portal to the Infinite

At the heart of the spiritual journey is a yearning for union with the Divine. This is often (but not always) experienced as a burning longing for the Beloved. When we access that soul-desire, it can feel like heartbreak. Life’s losses – both small and profound – strip us of extraneous concerns and bring us into a sacred field that resembles grief. What is the connection between your losses and your urge to merge with the Divine?

Read the poetry of the mystics of multiple traditions who express the soul’s yearning for God
Explore the connection between missing your loved ones who have died and spiritual longing
Affirm the validity of an entire spectrum of losses you carry – from loss of innocence to the death of a loved one
Study the classic spiritual teaching of The Dark Night of the Soul, for guidance on navigating spiritual emptiness and resting in not knowing
Become familiar and comfortable with desert spirituality by drawing on the teachings of the Desert Fathers and Mothers

Module 3: Reuniting with the Beloved

Dissolving the Separate Self

Every spiritual tradition borrows the language of romantic love to evoke the experience of spiritual awakening. These wisdom teachings usually involve the mystical paradox of annihilation. That is, lover dissolves into Beloved, and only love remains. Separation from our divine source turns out to be an illusion, and we discover that not only were we connected to the Beloved all along, but we are that which we have been desiring.

Explore classic mystical texts on the lover/Beloved story from Jewish, Christian, Hindu and Sufi wisdom literature
Practice meditation techniques for loosening self-identification
Express your soul’s passion for union with the Beloved, through writing, chanting, art and deep dialog
Learn to integrate your spiritual passion with your life, allowing that sublime love to permeate every aspect of what you do and who you are
Understand the difference between “becoming nothing” and “being unworthy”
Embrace the fire and allow it to transfigure you

Module 4: Revitalizing Your Creativity

Unleashing Your Voice

Creative self-expression is an overflowing of the sacred into the world. What are the ways in which you may have suppressed the divine voice that wants to be shared through you? There are, as Rumi says, “a hundred ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” Become a conduit for spirit by creating space in your life for visual arts, music, writing, dance – or simply recognizing and creating beauty wherever you go. Saying “YES” to beauty is saying “YES” to the indwelling presence of the Divine.

Identify the way (or ways) that your own soul craves beauty
(Re)commit to at least one form of creative self-expression
Discover the power of mystical poetry for evoking spiritual realities
Become comfortable with the wild, untamed, unplanned and not-always-practical experience of creativity
Generate a work of art to share with others

Get immediately download Mirabai Starr – The Way of the Feminine Mystic

Module 5: Standing Up for Mother Earth

Renewing Your Stewardship Vow

The Abrahamic teaching of humanity being given power over the rest of creation is a fundamental misunderstanding of the sacred trust. Instead of dominion, we are called to stewardship of the earth and all her creatures – plant, animal, water, air. Both Buddhism and indigenous wisdom teachings affirm that everything is connected, and that our highest task is to recognize our interdependence with all of creation and do our best to support the web of life.

Make connections between the world’s spiritual texts on the wisdom of the natural world: Taoism, Islam, Judaism, Christianity, and Hopi
Identify a particular issue of personal concern regarding the plight of the planet, and make a commitment to action on behalf of the earth
Develop a personal relationship with Earth as Mother, and address her as a cherished relative
Recommit to spending regular time connecting with nature as part of your regular spiritual practice
Practice voluntary simplicity and lightening your footprint, and be an example to others for walking lightly on this earth

Module 6: Embracing the Path of Peacemaker

Ministering to Those on the Margins

The mystics are the beings of every spiritual tradition who have experienced a direct encounter with the Divine. This often takes the form of lover merging into Beloved. Most mystics proclaim that the true value of such a divine gift lies in offering the fruits of that love to the world. How do we balance our commitment to cultivating a personal inner life with the desire to alleviate suffering in the world? Our love for God (says every single religion on the planet) is most truly expressed by the way we treat one another. We encounter the face of the Holy One in the faces of those in greatest need.

Expand our conception of what it means to be of service
Discern between charity dispensed to those we perceive as having (or being) less, and compassion based on the realization of our essential unity with those who suffer
Find a healthy balance between personal spiritual practice and loving service
Explore classic wisdom teachings, such as the Sermon on the Mount and the Bhagavad Gita, as resources for engaging service as an act of prayer
Develop the courage necessary to speak for the voiceless, even when it is neither convenient nor socially acceptable

Module 7: Unveiling the Mystery Through Sacred Study

Knowing by Unknowing

Certain spiritual teachings suggest that the mind is an impediment on the journey home to Truth. This can be misleading. We may be throwing out the baby of wisdom with the bathwater of concepts. How do we engage the paradox of harnessing the power of the mind to transcend the mind? The sacred texts of every tradition are repositories of transformational wisdom that are designed to knock on the doors of the heart and activate radical opening.

Practice Lectio Divina (sacred reading) and discover the heart-truths within sacred writings
Explore the path of Jnana Yoga in Hinduism as a means for attaining divine union
Learn to understand a particular wisdom text and be able to express it with clarity and power in your own words
Discover the relevance of ancient spiritual teachings to your own life, and to the lives of those you touch
Notice where you may be imbalanced between heart and mind, and find a healthy integration of intellectual rigor and dwelling in the mystery of love

Module 8: Reconciling with Your Life Story

Forgiveness and Healing

We carry the wounds of our lives in the cells of our bodies, and this can be a heavy burden. We may become paralyzed by our self-identification as victim. Anger about what has happened to us in the past can become an impediment to finding joy in the present. We can also feel overwhelmed by shame for the harm we have caused (or mistakenly believe we have inflicted on others). How do we take an honest look at the events of our lives that cause us pain and allow these stories to find their rightful place in the vast tapestry of the human condition? Can we enable our particular version of suffering to reconnect us with the human family and serve as fuel for our journey to wholeness?

Disengage from the syndrome of shame and blame
Cultivate mindfulness practice as a means for being present with what is, rather than regretting the past and feeling anxious about the future
Explore the teachings of unconditional love found at the heart of all traditions
Create a relationship with the Divine Mother as a resource for mercy, forgiveness and reckless adoration
Develop a healing ritual that enables you to release a particular burden of pain, and invite at least one trusted person to bear witness

Module 9: Savoring the Silence

Cultivating Contemplative Practice

“God spoke one primordial word and he spoke it in silence,” says Fr. Thomas Keating (quoting St. John of the Cross), “and it is only in the silence that we can hear it.” It is easy to get so swept up in the demands of daily life that we cannot even imagine taking time for meditation. We convince ourselves that if we can just check off the next three items on our to-do list we will be able to abide in stillness for a few minutes. But doing almost always seems to take precedence over being. What if we reframe this equation: Instead of thinking we can’t afford to cultivate a contemplative practice, we realize that we cannot afford not to. There is too much at stake. Our ability to make peace in this world is predicated on our placing priority on creating peace within.

Recognize that meditation is not about not thinking – it’s about being present to what is, allowing a spaciousness to open around our thoughts and feelings, an ability to bear witness to our own experience, and “not believe everything we think”
Make a commitment to sit in silence and stillness on a regular basis, whether half an hour every morning or ten minutes three times a week
Consider joining a meditation group to support your practice and investigate the possibilities for attending a meditation retreat
Learn what it means to be a contemplative, and apply those values to your daily life, not limited to formal meditation practice
Experience the infusion of the sacred into the ordinary when you commit to a contemplative path

The Way of the Feminine Mystic Bonus Collection
In addition to Mirabai Starr’s transformative Advanced Immersion, you’ll also receive these powerful bonus trainings with some of the world’s leading teachers and mystics – to complement your journey and deepen your understanding and transformation.

Feminine Mysticism as Sacred Activism
Audio Session with Andrew Harvey

In this special session, Andrew and Mirabai share the ecstatic sensibilities of the poet mystics they adore, combined with a ferocious commitment to activating personal spiritual practice on behalf of the world. In teaching together over the years, they have discovered a beautiful balance between Andrew’s fire and Mirabai’s tenderness that will come through in this special dialogue.
Andrew Harvey is an author, speaker and founder/director of the Institute of Sacred Activism, an international organization focused on inviting concerned people to take up the challenge of our contemporary global crises by becoming inspired, effective and practical agents of institutional and systemic change, in order to create peace and sustainability. He has written and edited over 30 books and received many awards, including the Benjamin Franklin Award and the Mind Body Spirit Award.

St. Teresa of Avila: Ecstasy &

Common SenseAudio session with Tessa Bielecki

Tessa and Mirabai met over ten years ago, when Mirabai read Tessa’s groundbreaking work on St. Teresa of Avila, Ecstasy & Common Sense, and tracked her down. They have been soul sisters ever since – teaching and writing together, weathering transformational losses, and celebrating the sacred every chance they get. Listen in on their love song.
Tessa Bielecki was a Carmelite monk for almost 40 years, co-founded the Spiritual Life Institute, and served as Mother Abbess of the contemplative community until 2005. She teaches at Colorado College, gives lectures and retreats, participates in East-West dialogues, and writes. She is the author of three books on St. Teresa of Avila and recently recorded “Teresa of Avila: The Book of My Life” for Shambhala Audio and “Wild at Heart: Radical Teachings of the Christian Mystics” for Sounds True

Sera and her Red Lady
Audio session with Sera Beak

Sera is a dynamic emerging voice in feminine spirituality. Harvard educated with a heretic’s holiness, she lights the world on fire with her “revolutionary” approach to living an authentic life. In this dialog, Sera will share her intimate relationship with The One she calls “My Lady.”
Sera Beak is a Harvard trained scholar of comparative world religions who spent years traveling the world studying spirituality with Sufi dervishes, Tibetan monks, Croatian mystics, shamans, and more. She is a workshop facilitator and speaker. She is also the renowned author of The Red Book: A Deliciously Unorthodox Approach to Igniting Your Divine Spark and Red Hot and Holy: A Heretic’s Love Story.
Here’s What You’ll Receive

90-Minute Teaching Sessions with Mirabai Starr
Experience a rare opportunity to be mentored by and learn with one of the world’s most renowned mystic scholars from the comfort of your own home. Each session helps you create the specific practices and abilities to remember and reclaim your feminine mystic qualities.

PDF Transcripts of Each Class Session
In addition to the high quality MP3 audios, you’ll also receive the entire class transcription in PDF format after each session is completed. This way you can review, print and highlight the most important insights and practices that you’ll learn.

The Way of the Feminine Mystic with Mirabai Starr Bonus Collection

Feminine Mysticism as Sacred Activism

Audio Session with Andrew Harvey
St. Teresa of Avila: Ecstasy & Common Sense

Audio session with Tessa Bielecki
Sera and her Red Lady

Audio session with Sera Beak

Get immediately download Mirabai Starr – The Way of the Feminine Mystic

An Unprecedented Opportunity to Embrace the Feminine Mystic Within
We at The Shift Network feel deeply honored that Mirabai has chosen to partner with us on her first online program. As you may know, this is a rare opportunity to learn directly from a renowned mystic-scholar and connect with a global community of like minds and hearts who are doing this important and transformative inner work.
Through this powerful format, you’ll not only save time and money on retreat costs (plus travel, accommodations and meals – which would cost thousands of dollars). But you’ll also benefit from Mirabai’s incredible teachings and transmission from the comfort of your home – at your own pace!
If you are serious about living a life grounded in love and that celebrates who you truly are – you owe it to yourself, your loved ones and our world to take this one-of-a-kind training with Mirabai Starr.
About Mirabai Starr…
Author of critically acclaimed new translations of the Spanish mystics and reflections on the unifying teachings at the heart of all spiritual paths, Mirabai Starr uses fresh, lyrical language to help make timeless wisdom accessible to a contemporary circle of seekers. Her books include The Showings: Julian of Norwich,Passionate Mystic: Teresa of Avila and GOD OF LOVE: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the winner of the 2013 New Mexico/Arizona Book Award.
Daughter of the counter-culture, Mirabai was born in New York in 1961 to secular Jewish parents who rejected the patriarchy of institutionalized religion. Intellectual artists and social justice activists, they were active in the anti-war protest movement of the Vietnam era.
In 1972, Mirabai’s mother, father and her younger brother and sister uprooted from their suburban life and embarked on an extended road trip that led them through the jungles of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, where they lived for many months on an isolated Caribbean beach, and ended in the mountains of Taos, New Mexico. There, the family embraced an alternative, “back-to-the-land” lifestyle, in a communal effort to live simply and sustainably – values that remain important to Mirabai to this day.
As a teenager, Mirabai lived at the Lama Foundation, an intentional spiritual community that has honored all the world’s faith traditions since its inception in 1967. This ecumenical experience became formative in the universal quality that has infused Mirabai’s work ever since.
Mirabai has been an adjunct professor of Philosophy and World Religions at the University of New Mexico, Taos since 1993. Her emphasis is on making connections between the perennial teachings found at the heart of all the world’s spiritual paths, in an effort to promote peace and justice.