a restorative revolution
There is a restorative revolution underway in places all over the world. It is being led by women and girls, some whom you have heard of like, Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Jacinda Arden, and Droupadi Murmu, and some whom you may never have heard of, who might be working somewhere in your neighborhood.
How are these women doing this work? What is the inner subtle source from which they draw their courage, strength, and resilience? They are doing it by deepening their inner awareness, connecting to their innate principles and strength, and overcoming a limited consciousness of acquired identity – something that is beyond gender.
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A model in this restorative movement is the Brahma Kumaris, led by women, partnering with men and focused on transformation of the self and the world they live in. What originally ignited the Brahma Kumaris movement was its recognition of the transformative power of the light of the soul when connected to the Source of Divine Light.
In the UN environment it is best expressed through the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, which seeks to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. As such, the equality and empowerment of women and girls has been one of the primary areas of interest for the Brahma Kumaris.
Participation in UN World Conferences on Women
They were present at the UN World Conferences on Women in Nairobi (1985) and Beijing (1995) and since 2007 have consistently participated in the annual two-week session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) at UN Headquarters in New York.
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW)
The CSW is an intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. It is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.
The Brahma Kumaris have offered their spiritual core competence through the many different annual themes of the CSW, by presenting position papers, holding parallel events at UN headquarters, and community events in New York.
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The BK delegation constitutes people from different countries and cultures.
They have partnered with other organizations, from diverse backgrounds and cultures; including faith-based organizations and have invited speakers from Civil Society, UN Agencies and Governments.
Examples of Parallel Events
- Women’s Empowerment: Exploring Inner Resource and the Way to ‘Finance’ them through Spiritual Development (2008)
- Exploring Inner Resources in the Context of Equal Participation and Shared Responsibility Between Women and Men (2009)
- Rural Grassroot Girls and Women as Agents of Change in Climate Justice: Living Testimonies of Wangari Maathai’s Legacy (2012)
- Both Men and Women Using their Inner Resources to Bring Change: Relearning Peace (2013)
- RE-SOURCING PEACE: The challenge of measuring real indicators of change. (2014)
- Beyond Fear and Violence: Exploring Spiritual Power and the Process of Change (2015)
- Spiritual Empowerment of Women through Yoga (2016)
- Decent Work: Creating Safe Spaces and Self-care Mechanisms (2017)
- Awareness to Action: Nurturing the Seeds of Change (2018)
- Shakti Leadership: Collaborative, Compassionate & Empowered (2021)
- The Role of Consciousness in Transformation: Women Leading the Way (2022)
- Women’s Transformative Leadership in a Digital Age (2023)
- Acting from Love and Courage: Transformative Strength in Critical Times (2024)
Examples of Community Events:
- My Courage, Your Courage (2010)
- A Night of Healing: Discovering Our Inner Strength and Courage (2013)
- “Shakti”: The feminine Form of Spiritual Power” (2014)
- Personal Passion Social Impact: Honoring those who Serve (2014)
- Women in the Changing World of Work: The Caring Economy (2017
- Feminine Principle of Shakti for Transformative Leadership (2023)
- Time “Out” to go “In” (2024)
Transformative Women’s Leadership
The Shiv Shakti Leadership Approach (SSLA)
A growing climate of instability, calls for an emergence of a power that is beyond gender, position, race or economic privilege. It calls for spiritual power. This innate spiritual strength is referred to as ‘Shakti’. The word Shakti is translated as “power” or “life force.” Shakti is a sacred ‘feminine’ power originating from Divinity and translated into practical implementation. Connecting with Shakti helps to emerge love as a power. The power of love is needed now to influence the way we see the world. It needs to be the motivation for our actions, because in doing so, we increase the ability to lead from a place of compassionate strength, both in personal and public spaces.
Now more than ever, it is time for women to be the visible agents of this transformation. Shakti will facilitate an enabling, collaborative and compassionate leadership, and open an, as yet, invisible door leading to the pathway to the upliftment of all. The Brahma Kumaris have been exploring the emergence and nurture of Shakti as a new approach to collaborative and co-creative leadership. We invite women to join us in this (global) learning space.
