Exploring Spirituality and Feminine Leadership
With great joy and excitement, the Curvature Collective held its first retreat, entitled Reclaiming Curvature, on June 22 and 23rd at New Life Retreat Centre in Lanark County, ON. Fourteen amazing women relaxed and engaged their mind, body and soul throughout a sun-filled weekend. We stimulated our minds by connecting with concepts of Curvaceous Intelligence, Feminine Leadership, and the Science of Nature, Intuition and Soul. We got our bodies moving through Yin-Yang Yoga, Ecstatic Dance and Qi Gong. We nurtured our spirits and celebrated the summer solstice. Participants were also invited to share in the co-creation of an art piece that captured the essence and spirit of Curvature.
Where did all of this begin? At the end of my career as a change management and organizational development consultant, I began to notice a deep hunger from individuals and groups to have genuine conversations and to be part of collaborative and co-creative initiatives that honour who they are and who they want to become. I began seeing an important and essential shift in individuals, groups and organizations in search for meaning. As well, my work as an ordained Inter-spiritual Minister and Spirit Worker, was giving me a different lens on the nature of change and healing. My clients yearned for deeper connection, without the dogma and structure of the institutions that no longer resonated with them. With this in mind, I began to host gatherings in my home for like-hearted people who wanted to chat, share and connect in an open, non-judgmental and compassionate space. At one of those gatherings, several women started exploring the idea of co-creating a collective.
And so, the journey began. Seven like-hearted women started to meet with the intent of creating a vessel that would be a well-source of healing waters for ourselves, each other and our community, recognizing that we all have our own beliefs and paths, and our uniqueness is what makes the strength of our circle. Our gatherings are meant to be a starting point for initiating acts of compassion and kindness in our own lives. As we further explored this notion, one of our members introduced us to the concept of Curvature Theory and Curvaceous Intelligence, which represented beautifully what we were trying to achieve. The Curvature Collective was born.
What is the Curvature Collective? It is a space (virtual and real) that embraces non-linear, organic, self-organizing processes. It is not meant to replace masculine leadership, but rather to re-create balance by exploring what feminine leadership can look like. How do we do this? By deep diving into creating something that is open and not attached to outcome, by finding and offering spaces, offerings, events, resources that allow a deeper connection with self, others, our community and our universe. Our Collective is allowing us to ride a wave where the journey is more impactful and meaningful than the destination.
We are very grateful to the Clergy Support Memorial Church for its generous grant, which allowed us to launch our website and to offer our first retreat. Our members are eagerly planning Curvaceous offerings for the next twelve months.
To find out more about the Curvature Collective visit our website: www.curvaturecollective.com or contact me at celestecharland21@gmail.com
Francine Charland
