By Jennifer Reyes Lay
At Sophia Rising’s May Mother Mass this past weekend we prayed and reflected on the theme: The Mother Rises. The Divine Mother, the Divine Feminine, is rising all around us in this springtime season as flowers bloom and plants grow. She is also rising within us as we continue to heal from generational trauma, systemic oppression, and re-member our connections to one another, the more than human world, and God/dess herself. She is rising as we gather together to protect and defend the most vulnerable in our communities. We honor and celebrate her many faces and many energies ranging from creator and nurturer, to fierce protector and freedom fighter. Despite millennia of oppression, the gifts and wisdom of the Divine Feminine, the presence of our Divine Mother, continue to persist and rise.
During our Mother Mass we had a time for creative response to our readings and songs, feeling into this rising within us and around us. One of the readings we heard was Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise.” The poem below is what came through me during this time of creative response, inspired by that poem and our theme.
“The Mother Rises”
Still I Rise
through millennia of patriarchy
and oppression
Still I Rise
through violence and conquest
through burnings and exiles
Still I Rise
though they seek to destroy
my sacred art
my songs and dances
my rituals
Still I Rise
I Rise
in the medicine growing
all around you
I Rise
in the wisdom passed
from generation to generation
around the sacred fires
or behind closed doors
I Rise
as you re-member
break down and piece back together
that I still live in you
and all around you
I Rise
as new songs are written
new art is made
new rituals are created
I Rise
as community comes together
to protect and defend
to heal and create
I Rise
in You
You Rise
in Me
Together We Rise
We Rise
Sophia Rising 