International Women’s Day was celebrated on March 8, a celebration of the Divine Feminine and Her magic . . . the Divine Mother.
Across cultures and centuries, the image of the Divine Mother rises again and again—not as a relic of mythology, but as a living intuition within the human soul. She is not merely a figure to be worshipped, but a presence to be remembered. Before language divided the world into subjects and objects, before belief systems created divisions, there was a felt sense of life as something that holds, nourishes, and births itself continuously. This is the essence of the Mother: not separate from creation, but the very field in which all creation appears.
We speak of the Earth as feminine not only because she gives life, but because she embodies a deeper principle of being—one that receives, transforms, and sustains. The ancient name Gaia doesn’t simply refer to a Goddess among others, but to the living intelligence of the Earth itself. To call the planet “Mother” isn’t a metaphor alone; it is recognition and even an innate remembrance buried deep within us, regardless of what sexual orientation we most identify with. Every breath, every cell, every drop of water in our bodies has passed through her vast and patient cycles. She is not beneath us. She is not outside us. She is the ground of our becoming.
In a non-dual understanding, the Divine Mother is not separate from the Divine Father, nor from the Source beyond all naming. She is the aspect of the One that expresses as form, as matter, as the tangible world we can touch and taste. Where the unmanifest becomes manifest, where the invisible takes shape—there she is. Not as the “other,” but as the unfolding of the same indivisible reality. To honor her is to honor the sacredness of embodiment itself, to see that spirit has never been absent from matter.
This is why, btw, Anthony and I focus so much on the importance of embodiment in our teachings, for with embodiment, you have a felt-sense of knowing something deep in your bones. You can feel it in your being, your soul.
From a Gnostic perspective, this presence finds a powerful echo in Sophia, the embodiment of divine wisdom who descends into the material world. Her story has often been interpreted as a fall, but it can also be seen as a profound act of participation: the divine entering into its own creation, not as punishment, but as intimacy. Sophia never abandons the world, since She becomes woven into it, hidden within it, awaiting recognition. In this sense, the Divine Mother isn’t lost but veiled within every aspect of existence, including within us.
This remembering has never been easy to carry. Throughout history, those who have spoken from this deeper knowing—especially women—have often stood at the edge of acceptance. Hypatia, a brilliant thinker in ancient Alexandria, lived and taught a philosophy that honored both reason and the sacred nature of existence. Her life was taken by those who feared what her voice represented. Joan of Arc, guided by an inner certainty she could not deny, followed her truth even when it led her to the stake. Harriet Tubman moved through unimaginable danger, guided by an inner knowing she described as divine, leading others to freedom.
Rosa Parks didn’t raise her voice in anger, yet her stillness carried the weight of generations. In choosing not to surrender her seat, she revealed a deeper truth—that dignity is not granted by systems but lived from within. An innate knowing that you must speak up and out for equality, freedom and belonging. Her act became more than resistance; it was a moment of alignment with something timeless, a reminder that courage doesn’t always roar. In her refusal on that pivotal day, her decision awakened humanity’s conscience. Perhaps not for everyone, but enough to ignite something deep within us and of course, her resolve shaped history.
Jane Goodall stepped into the forests and chose to listen rather than dominate. She redefined our understanding of intelligence, connection, and kinship by recognizing the profound emotional lives of animals. In doing so, she softened the boundary we had drawn between ourselves and the natural world. Her work is a living expression of the Divine Mother’s wisdom—an honoring of life not as hierarchy, but as relationship. Through her presence, we are reminded that reverence is a form of knowledge, and that to truly see another being is an act of quiet transformation.
Having personally walked through the same forests in Uganda where she undertook some of her work, I was blown away when I came face-to-face with the gorillas in the region. BTW, this was not some official tour, but three of us (strangers before we set off) were guided by a local who led us to spaces where we could see, hear and feel their presence. I had stepped into the landscape of Gorillas in the Mist and was forever changed, just as she was and shared with the world one word at a time.
And then there was Mary Magdalene, whose story has moved through centuries both obscured and rediscovered. Often misunderstood, she is now being remembered by many as a bearer of deep spiritual insight, a woman who stood close to the heart of sacred mystery. In some traditions, she represents the union of devotion and wisdom—the capacity to know through love rather than through authority alone. Her legacy invites us to reconsider the voices that history has softened or silenced, and to recognize that truth has always found ways to endure, carried into the hearts of those willing to live it. History through her eyes and ears was the foundation of our award-winning book Magdalene’s Journey.
And then there was Simone Weil, who spoke of attention and presence as sacred acts, even as her insights placed her outside the comfort of established norms.
These women did not merely challenge external systems; they embodied a deeper remembrance of truth that could not be contained. In their courage, we see an expression of the Divine Mother—not as gentleness alone, but as fierce clarity, as unwavering devotion to what is real. The Mother is not only the one who nurtures; she is also the one who births transformation, who breaks open what has become rigid, who insists that truth be lived, not merely believed.
To awaken to the Divine Mother, then, is not to adopt a new belief, but to soften into a recognition that has always been present. It is to feel the intelligence moving through the body, the quiet wisdom in the rhythms of nature, the subtle knowing that life is not happening to us, but as us. It is to see that what we call “Earth,” “Gaia,” or “Sophia” is not separate from the awareness of reading these words right now.
And in that recognition, something shifts with us, for we suddenly realize that we no longer need to search out there for answers. The distance between seeker and sought grows thin. We begin to sense that the same presence that births galaxies is breathing through our lungs, that the same intelligence that shapes mountains is alive in our own awareness. The Mother is no longer an idea or an archetype—she is the living reality of oneness itself, endlessly creating, endlessly holding, endlessly becoming.
Let this understanding not remain only as insight, but become something lived. Take a moment to honor the women who have shaped your life—the ones who nurtured you, challenged you, stood beside you, or quietly held space for your becoming. Speak their names. Thank them, if you can. Remember them, if they are no longer here. And extend that same reverence to the subtle feminine presence within yourself—the part that listens, feels, creates, and knows without needing to prove.
The rise of the Divine Mother isn’t a return to the past, but a re-remembering that calls us forward. And as we answer it, even in the smallest ways, we participate in the quiet rebalancing of the world—where wisdom and compassion, strength and tenderness, once again move as one.
What are some of the ways you have felt connected or even one with Gaia?
Renee Blodgett is the Founder and Managing Editor of We Blog the World, a global travel, culture and lifestyle publication exploring the world through the lens of meaningful experiences, human connection and cultural depth. Having lived in 10 countries and traveled to 95, Renee has spent much of her life immersed in the people, traditions, landscapes and ideas that shape how we experience the world.
Since launching We Blog the World in 2007, she has written and produced extensive editorial coverage spanning boutique and luxury travel, culinary experiences, arts and culture, wellness, adventure, technology, spiritual traditions and transformative travel. Her work is rooted in the belief that travel is about more than where we go—it is also about what a place, culture or encounter awakens within us.
Renee brings more than three decades of experience across journalism, photography, media, brand strategy, technology, wellness and global storytelling. She has worked with companies and organizations around the world on brand positioning, communications, product launches, media strategy, speaker positioning and storytelling. Through Blue Soul Media, she works with authors, entrepreneurs, thought leaders and purpose-driven brands to clarify their message and expand their impact, which includes speaker coaching/training for high-profile stages such as TED and bringing authors’ work to market while retaining authors rights.
She is also the co-founder of Blue Soul Earth, an educational platform exploring consciousness, ancient wisdom, spirituality, healing and the intersection between science and the nature of reality. Renee is the producer and host of the award-winning Blue Soul CHATS, a conversational series bringing together leading voices in science, technology, consciousness, wellness and spirituality.
Her growing body of work also includes Blue Soul Living, which extends her interest in consciousness and well-being into the spaces we inhabit, exploring how intentional design, energy and environment can support greater harmony and connection.
Renee is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling Magdalene’s Journey and founder of the Magdalene Collection, inspired by women’s voices, stories and wisdom across cultures and generations.
A longtime photographer and storyteller, Renee has documented people, places and cultures around the world and produced photographic collections focused on destinations including the Galápagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome and Ecuador. She also co-founded Traveling Geeks, an international initiative that brought entrepreneurs, journalists, creators and technology leaders together with their counterparts in other countries to exchange ideas and explore innovation across cultures.
Renee’s work has been recognized by Forbes, the United Nations and others for her influence in media and social storytelling. Across her work in travel, media, consciousness and culture, a common thread remains: curiosity about the world, the stories that connect us and the ways meaningful experiences can change how we see ourselves and one another.
