Conscious Choice Seattle: Women, Wisdom and Leadership

February 2004 | Focus

Women, Wisdom and Leadership

By BOB CONDOR

Some of life’s most extraordinary moments come when we are performing mundane tasks. Just ask Kris Steinnes, founder of the Seattle-based Women of Wisdom conference that marks its 12th annual event this month.

“I was driving on Aurora [Avenue] one night after seeing Patricia Hopkins and Sherry Ruth Anderson give a talk,” recalls Steinnes. “They were co-authors of the book, ‘The Feminine Face of God.’ I was driving and thinking it would be great to gather women to talk about this book. I thought it could be a conference where women could share their stories.”

As a board member at Seattle Unity Church, Steinnes got the support she needed to put the idea into action. It has fully blossomed into a week-long event for nearly a thousand women in the Puget Sound area.

During the introductory speech of that initial Women of Wisdom or WOW conference, Steinnes, without thinking, welcomed everyone to the “first annual” meeting.

“It just popped out of my mouth,” says Steinnes, smiling during a recent vegetarian lunch at Café Flora in Seattle’s Madison Valley neighborhood. “I thought, ‘Oh, I guess I’m going to be doing this every year.”

Steinnes has indeed been planning the conference since 1992. She says she feels just as committed to the idea of women “creating a safe place to share.”

Fittingly enough, the feminine face of God concept hasn’t waned either if you consider the success of runaway bestseller novel, “The Da Vinchi Code.” Author Dan Brown has written a plot suggesting, among other things, Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ wife and the early Roman Catholic church launched a smear campaign against goddess symbols.

“We’ve got Margaret Starbird [who has authored books about Magdalene] speaking on Sunday [Feb. 15] during our first weekend,” says Steinnes.

The conference offers many more diverse choices. There is a special focus this February on calling women to become leaders, particularly in their communities. Nicki Scully and Brooke Medicine Eagle will share the stage and their different traditions (shamanism and alchemy from Scully and Native American culture from Medicine Eagle) on the “A Call to Community” presentation on opening night Feb. 13.

Brigitte Secard, a 28-year-old new voice, will present her new definition of leadership Feb. 17 in an evening talk and a more detailed workshop Feb. 18. She is author of a new book, “Soulfire: The Birth of Wild Aliveness” and makes it clear the time for self-help has passed to be replaced with “self-truth.”

What’s more, Secard will discuss her take on the future of the women’s movement.
It will shift from feminism to “womanism,” she says.

“Being a woman is about finding the truth of what a woman is: Grounded, sexy, fierce, free, loving, wise, joyful, socially-politically aware, soul-centered, beautiful, a creative force, powerful, at peace and wildly alive.

There will be selected workshops and concerts open to men too. More than a few women brought their husbands or significant others last year. The feedback was positive, though Steinnes emphasizes the conference remains the safe haven for women’s stories and empowerment as first intended.

“Men have told me how they want women to be the new leaders now,” says Steinnes. “They are recognizing how important it is to include women in this process to create the paradigm shift for change in our world. We are for peace, truth and change.”

Steinnes herself conducts workshops on feminine energy and will speaking about “harnessing the power of feminine consciousness” Feb. 20 at the conference. She says women “squash their voices” all too often in conversation with men.

One prime example: It seems men tend to interrupt women more than vice versa. There is a direct correlation to who is listening more. You can’t fully listen—what some researchers call emphatic listening—if you are forming thoughts to interrupt the other person.

An annual highlight at the WOW conference is the music, which is both diverse and personally relevant. This year’s program won’t disappoint. There is a special Valentine Day’s concert featuring Jennifer Berezan, Ubaka Hill, Lorraine Bayes, Shawna Carol, Nicki and Ann Medlock. On Feb. 20, singer Rhiannon, a long-time Seattle area favorite returns for a performance with Jami Sieber and Frank Martin.

About six years ago, Steinnes converted WOW into a foundation that operates year-round and beyond the conference. This calendar year WOW will be carrying out a campaign to get more women to vote in the general election. It is all part of an overall plan to encourage female leadership.

“WOW views women as future leaders and want to provide that platform where women can explore what that means,” writes Steinnes in her open letter to this year’s conference participants, who can mix and match events such as workshops, talks and concerts over nine days. “We see women visible in the community, speaking up for what is right and what needs to change. Women are the nurturers, and they support the need for all voices to be heard.”

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: