Category: women’s safety

This is an image of a palm radiating light in an article on surrendering to the divine, women's safety by Haripriya Suraj, Reiki master
safe world, women's safety

When All You Can Do Is Surrender To The Divine

Haripriya Suraj

Every time I pass by a construction site, I see a couple of four-year-old girls and a one year old baby girl playing together. As is a common scene on Indian construction sites, the parents work at the site and are mostly indoors, while their children are most often outdoors by themselves.

These little girls smile and greet me whenever I walk past. I feel really happy when I see their smiling faces, yet a part of me feels anxious.

The hard truth is that it is not always a safe world out there. Even children as young as one and four are not spared at times.

Every time I see these little girls, I say a silent prayer, ” Dear God, please let these little ones be safe. They are so trusting and innocent. I don’t want any predator male to lay his ugly eyes or hands on their tender innocent beings.”

I don’t usually prefer to use strong words like ‘ugly.’ But, sometimes, the human in me feels the pain of the Collective Feminine that has been violated over centuries and wants to have a voice. So, I give in and let it be. After allowing her to express her anger, I switch back to neutral.

Women’s safety in this world has become a concern for me, more so after becoming a mother to a daughter.

And there is a constant tug of war between the Human Me and the Soul Me.

The Human Me is shocked, pained, and disgusted every time I hear of a woman or child that was sexually violated.

And the Soul Me is more neutral, knowing that both light and darkness are part of this world at the moment. And while things are certainly getting better, we still have a long way to go as a species. The Soul Me reminds the Human Me that drowning in pain and worry does nothing constructive to help make the world a better place.

So, then I say, ” Alright. So, show me what I must do so I can be more constructive in bringing about positive change.”

Sure, I can write more on this topic and hope it will help contribute in some way towards greater sensitisation.

But will it reach those who most need to be sensitised – the perpetrators of sexual crimes?

Followed by those who may not engage in crime yet have perverted tendencies that can be damaging in less brutal ways?

And even if it does reach them, will it have any impact at all?

What should I do?

What should I do?

What should I do?

I have often been plagued by this question.

I am at a point where I feel called to do something yet don’t know what exactly I must do.

Hence, I have decided to surrender my struggle to the Divine, trusting that if I am meant to effect positive change in this area, I will be shown the right avenues.

And today, my prayer is just this-

Dear Divine,

Please use me as an instrument of Light and help me serve this cause in whatever way may be best.

Please help me stay neutral so I can channel more energy into positive action rather than let it all dissipate in negativity.

Lead me to the right avenues.

Open some big doors.

You know what my strengths and talents are. Please help me put them to the best use in service to the Divine Feminine.

Please help me channel my energy to bring in higher consciousness, which appears to be the best solution to many problems we face as a society.

I surrender and let go of all the anxiety and struggle.

I trust that when the inner calling is strong enough, I will be shown the way and the Light in perfect timing.

In deep gratitude

This image shows the birth of a safe world form girls and women in a blog post by Haripriya Suraj in When Spirit Meets Science
healthy sexuality, personal, safe world, when spirit meets science, women's safety

Healthy Sexuality, Safe World

Haripriya Suraj

Becoming a mother to a little daughter last year made me very joyful. At the same time, it also brought in a tremendous amount of fear and paranoia. Being a woman myself, I have never been as concerned about my safety in this world as much as I feel for my daughter. These feelings of concern for my baby girl soon extended to include the entire female population.

Every time I picked up my daughter and saw the innocence in her eyes, it began to remind me of the atrocities that have been committed against the female, primary among them, being sexual abuse and assault. Old stories of sexual violence against women reported in the media began to haunt me day and night. I began to feel bitter and resentful and asked questions like-

  1. What kind of an ugly world are we living in?
  2. Is the female an object of pleasure to be used by a male?
  3. What kind of beastly people are the men who have abused and tortured women to satisfy their own primal urges?

Being on the spiritual path, I have always found solace in the philosophy that we create our own reality. However, applying the same philosophy after the arrival of my daughter, particularly to the issue of women’s safety, has been challenging. I still believe we create our own reality. But that doesn’t mean we should be blind to the darkness in the world. On the path of spiritual healing, when something begins to bother us more than it should, it is viewed as a sign that

Something related to the problem needs to be healed within our consciousness – meaning we need to view the situation from a higher perspective and make peace with it in body, mind and spirit.

OR

We have a practical role to play in doing something about the situation rather than waste time and energy in endless worry and anxiety.

While the former was my insight, the latter was shared by my husband Suraj. This was indeed an aha moment for me! I believe both these insights hold valid in my case. Often, we get so caught up in our own thinking, we fail to see problems from other perspectives. In such moments, our family and friends play the role of wisdom bearers and step in to show us the light.

The questions I am now asking have shifted to –

  1. Can I accept that good, bad and ugly coexist in the current world?
  2. How can I do my bit to make the world a safer place for women and also for men?
  3. Can I start by sensitising my own son and help him understand the meaning of healthy sexuality in age appropriate ways?
  4. How can I help create more awareness around matters of healthy sexuality and respectful partnerships between men and women?

While I often dream of a world that is beautiful and peaceful in all ways, I understand we also need to be practical and deal with the reality that is currently in front of us.

Rather than drowning in darkness, I now choose to bring in the Light in little ways and thereafter surrender my efforts to the Universe. I trust the world is becoming a safer place and that the future will certainly see the birth of a new paradigm where healthy, respectful and sacred partnerships are the norm.