by Wendy Silvers | Oct 15, 2013 | Conscious Parenting, Uncategorized, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
One of our Million Mamas, Monique Ruffin, wrote a series for the Huffington Post called Moms Change the World. I had the honor of being interviewed by her. Enjoy the article, below.
Moms Change the World: Wendy Silvers
“I’m on a personal mission to tell the stories of moms who know their power and use it to transform the world within and around them. I’m convinced that empowered, knowing, self-embodied mothers can move mountains. It doesn’t matter what type of work these moms do. What matters is that they do it from their hearts and souls, knowing they can create change.
Wendy Silvers is one of these mothers. Her soothing voice, and the way she gently sways as she walks have a power as soft as water. She’s both a sensual, nurturing mom, and a woman determined to uplift humanity, to empower and inspire mothers to harness their power for good, and to bring compassionate parenting to every family around the globe. With this goal in mind, she started the Million Mamas Movement. “I would like to see women and children being well taken care of. Health care for everyone is important. And I’d like to see the educational system be revamped, developing our children’s emotional intelligence as well as their academic abilities. To have a world that works for everyone; where people’s needs are recognized and met to the best of our ability as a society.”
Truly Wendy lives and works between the secular and spiritual worlds. The ground is surely shifting beneath her feet as she works to be a good steward of her daughter, Joie- May, and to teach others to follow an empowering parenting path. Through her Compassionate Parenting Classes, Wendy is intent on opening the doors for a generation of parents who create safe spaces in which children can think for themselves and participate in family life — even before birth. Her vision reminds me of the practices of a certain African tribe in which a child’s birthday is counted from the time the mother has her first thought of the child. This mother-to-be then goes into solitude to listen within and hear the song of the child, which she then teaches to the father and the community. When the child is conceived and throughout his or her life, the song is sung to the child, serving as a reminder of who he or she is. Wendy’s movement was founded to bring this level of connection to all parents and children.
When I asked Wendy how she thought she changed the world, she said “I change the world by healing myself and by knowing that I have a right to be here and to share my voice on the planet. I change the world by raising a child who is aware of her power and who I honor at the deepest level of her being.” Wendy believes that our planet will change with the nurturance of children who are recognized as complete human beings and are treated accordingly. These children will then become, like Wendy and her Million Mamas, the visionary parents who demand clean air, food, and water for themselves and their children.
Before we parted, Wendy and I talked about her daughter, who she loves like none other. “Joie-May is becoming a beautiful woman,” she said. “Her body is changing from a girl’s to a young woman’s, and she’s so beautiful.” My heart flung open as I watched this lovely, sensual woman open to create space for her daughter to blossom. We embraced with a strong but loving hug. She held me tight like someone who knows how to nurture does, and I could feel the strength of her love, which is expansive enough to carry and cure us all.”
by Wendy Silvers | Oct 7, 2013 | Compassionate Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Leadership & Empowerment, Soul Alchemy, Universal Peace Principles, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
Creating a Culture of Peace, One Child, One Parent, One Heart at a Time
- Do you sometimes lose it with your children and then judge yourself as “not a good enough parent?”
- Would you like to raise confident, compassionate, empowered children?
- Would you like your children to grow up in a kind and just world where bullying and violence toward one another has no place? Do you see parenting as part of your sacred practice or just something to get through?
REGISTER HERE: http://agapelive.com/event/parenting-as-spiritual-practice/
If you answered YES to any of these questions, Parenting As a Spiritual Practice, lead by Million Mamas Movement founder, Wendy Silvers, ALSP, is for you. Echo Parenting inspired, this dynamic and experiential 6-week class offers compassionate, empathy-led parenting through the lens of non-violence combined with the application of spiritual principles and practices. This is not to be confused with permissive parenting.
We will explore:
- compassion
- compassionate parenting and communication
- meditation
- forgiveness
- emotional intelligence
- visioning
- anger—yours and your child’s
- limit-setting
- the power of play
- self-care and more, in a non-judgmental and nurturing environment.
REGISTER HERE: http://agapelive.com/event/parenting-as-spiritual-practice/
Mornings: Saturdays 9:30am – 11:30am
First class: October 12th, Last class: November 23rd, 2013
No class October 26th
Location: Spirit of Wisdom (second floor)
Child care will be provided for a nominal fee. You will leave this series illuminated, transformed and equipped to parent and live with greater compassion.
REGISTER HERE: http://agapelive.com/event/parenting-as-spiritual-practice/
If you can’t make the first class, and still want to attend, please join us.
by Wendy Silvers | Dec 25, 2012 | Compassionate Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Leadership & Empowerment, Universal Peace Principles, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
After the shooting occurred in Newtown, Ct., I felt moved to write this piece, which originally appeared on the Huffington Post. We may never know the why something like this happens. All we may have are strands of information and snippets of truth. We never know another souls’ journey really.
Blessings to all who were involved in this tragic event.
When tragic, almost unbelievable events like the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, the shooting of 14-year old Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan and the shooting in Aurora, Colorado occur, a collective outpouring of grief and outrage unfolds.
Early Friday morning, after saying a final goodbye to two young African girls that my family had hosted for two nights, I called up a friend weeping at the probability that I may never see these precious girls again. In two short days, I had fallen in love with the girls, who were touring with the Assante choir. As I cried into the phone because I couldn’t imagine not ever seeing Divine and Arlene again, Adam Lanza was at the Newtown elementary school.
As a mother, my heart broke open for the parents and families whose loved ones died in the shooting in Newtown. I cannot imagine the inconsolable grief the parents of the young children must be feeling as well as the families of the teachers, principal, school psychologist, the gunman and his mother. As a spiritual therapist, parenting educator and the founder of the Million Mamas Movement, an organization dedicated to the thriving of women and children throughout the world, I have been speaking to concerned parents and lead several prayer circles since Friday’s shooting.
There are so many victims in this tragic event. Adam Lanza killed his mother with a gun she had in her home. What prompts a child to kill a parent? The whole community grieves and, as bystanders, we grieve with them. All parents entrust their school-age children to the school they attend believing that they will be safe while away from home. I received many calls from parents experiencing mounting anxiety as this past Monday morning rolled around. To provide support, I spoke a centering prayer.
While it is the human condition to point the finger at Adam Lanza for his violent spree and say it is because of lax gun controls, my mind has been entertaining other thoughts. The goals of the Million Mamas Movement include the teaching of peace principles and providing compassionate parenting programs to parents and educators. I feel moved to go to the root of what would cause a young man to shoot his mother and so many others. It occurs to me that we would find greater solace and solutions by integrating emotional/social intelligence into education and providing greater mental health options rather than displacing our grief and horror by focusing on gun control. This and other unfathomable acts of violence are a symptom of something deeper needing our care and attention.
In this high tech, fast moving global society, it can be easy to lose sight of how important it is to connect the old fashioned way.
Here are 7 tools I believe will help us heal as a society:
1. Cultivate a practice of having quiet time with your family, whether it is meditation, being in nature, talking about uplifting and inspiring things or just sitting together listening to music.
2. Turn OFF the news that has this and other horrible events on a loop.
3. Be conscious and selective about the media you watch and expose your children to, especially related to the content of video games, such as the popular Call of Duty.
Continue Reading–>
by Wendy Silvers | Apr 11, 2012 | Compassionate Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Leadership & Empowerment, Universal Peace Principles, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
When I first heard about the Trayvon Martin/George Zimmerman incident, I knew I had to write something about it. I felt that it spoke to the inherent goals of the Million Mamas Movement. Please read.
Million Mamas Movement – Every child safe …
by Wendy Silvers | Feb 6, 2012 | Compassionate Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Leadership & Empowerment, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
My beloved girl
There’s something sweeping our world and it is the collective activation that we honor and care for the mamas and the children in a new and evolved way. I celebrate this evolution.
I am so grateful to see so many people and organizations devoted to the care of mothers, children and families. When I started leading workshops in 2004 on compassionate parenting practices, there were some others doing this work but very few.
What uplifts me is to see how far things have come – the CNN 2011 Hero of the Year, I call her a she-ro, is midwife Ibu Robin Lim, a beautiful, self-less, wise woman who answered the call to help women in Bali birth gently. Midwives are more widely recognized than ever in modern culture. Many organizations have been created to champion maternal health care and well-being. Among them supermodel and mom Christy Turlington founded an organization called Every Mother Counts.org. that addresses maternal well-being globally and ABC has been doing a promotion called, Million Moms Challenge. Mothering is on our minds and in our hearts.
I recently had a piece published in Huffington Post called “Every Mother Counts.” Please take a moment to read it and leave me your comments.
by Wendy Silvers | Jan 23, 2012 | Compassionate Parenting, Conscious Parenting, Leadership & Empowerment, Universal Peace Principles, Wendy's Wisdom Notes
A miracle worker is one who can experience people, places and things that seem displeasing and know it’s a call for deeper love and compassion and bring that.
Imagine if we all walked this walk – what would the world our children inherit be like?
Imagine a Million Mamas March – mothers and others gathering together on Mother’s Day, May 13, 2012, in Washington, DC at the Washington Monument. This peace, information gathering celebration will honor the sacred path of mothering as we join together in unity and harmony to birth a global movement of peace, the Million Mamas Movement.
