Sophie Bashford - You Are a Goddess: Working with the Sacred Feminine to Awaken, Heal and Transform

First published and distributed in the United Kingdom by:

Hay House UK Ltd, Astley House, 33 Notting Hill Gate, London W11 3JQ

Tel: +44 (0)20 3675 2450; Fax: +44 (0)20 3675 2451; www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published and distributed in the United States of America by:

Hay House Inc., PO Box 5100, Carlsbad, CA 92018-5100

Tel: (1) 760 431 7695 or (800) 654 5126

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Published and distributed in Australia by:

Hay House Australia Ltd, 18/36 Ralph St, Alexandria NSW 2015

Tel: (61) 2 9669 4299; Fax: (61) 2 9669 4144; www.hayhouse.com.au

Published and distributed in India by:

Hay House Publishers India, Muskaan Complex, Plot No.3, B-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi 110 070

Tel: (91) 11 4176 1620; Fax: (91) 11 4176 1630; www.hayhouse.co.in

Text Sophie Bashford, 2018

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted or otherwise be copied for public or private use, other than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews, without prior written permission of the publisher.

The information given in this book should not be treated as a substitute for professional medical advice; always consult a medical practitioner. Any use of information in this book is at the readers discretion and risk. Neither the author nor the publisher can be held responsible for any loss, claim or damage arising out of the use, or misuse, of the suggestions made, the failure to take medical advice or for any material on third party websites.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-78817-177-9

E-book ISBN: 978-1-78817-178-6

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-78817-309-4

Interior images: Lily Moses

For Ruby and Indigo

Look upon a woman as a Goddess
Whose special energy she is
And honour her in that state
Uttara Tantra
All the pilgrimage centres exist in a womans body.
Purascharanollasa Tantra

AJIT MOOKERJEE, KALI, THE FEMININE FORCE

The birthing of this book has taken patient, wise and skilled midwifery and has been guided into earthly life through the influence, support, magic, healing, wisdom and love of many precious individuals.

The people mentioned here have supported me unwaveringly, and have been my lifeline at times when I was required to dig extremely deep.

They have all made it possible for me to create this work.

This is my deep gratitude to those who have immeasurably touched my life, make all the difference in the world to me and are mostly the reason that you have this book in your hands.

Thank you to Hay House UK for giving me this precious opportunity, and being so welcoming, warm and supportive. My special thanks and love to Amy Kiberd for her brilliant feedback and help with an intensive writing process, and to Sandy Draper for her sensitive, skilled editing of a long manuscript!

The cover artwork for this book brings me overflowing joy, and I am so grateful to Lily Moses and her rare, intuitive gift.

These healing Earth Angels arrived at the perfect time and I am so thankful for Pat Bennaceur, Karel Ironside, Kathy Whitestone, Elaine Gibbons, Debbie Clayton, Jabeen Jafferji, Iren Vedadi, Michele Winter, Vicki Bryceson and Corinne Taylor for nurturing me.

My friends are the glue that keeps me together, and give me the guts to write. My deepest love flows to:

Nemone Metaxas, Jodie Stacey, Heather Hawthorn and Anne Greenwood for being there in ways that defy the term sisterhood: your love, loyalty and generosity is staggering. Leigh Fergus, your immense love and encouragement blows me to pieces; thank you for holding this mission resolutely in your warrior arms and never giving up on me. Karen Godfrey, you are a diamond: thank you for making it possible for me to do my work, and for going above and beyond in service to the Goddess. Bilge Inal, thank you for your fierce compassion and patience with healing my heart. Jack Cryer, Saskia Harding, Caitlin Easterby and Nadia Strahan, thank you for compassionately witnessing me, for laughing, crying, listening and being such inspirations.

And to Jonathan Glenn Cowan, Oliver Gray and Xenjhi Akruhm Kumara, thank you for being men who love the Goddess.

Thank you Stu, for being the best father and ex-husband and for believing in the power and beauty of the carefully written word.

Its difficult to express the depth of my gratitude to my Dad and Sandra for your bottomless love, support and care, but I hope you feel it.

To Ruby and Indigo, you are the loves of my life, and bear witness to everything that it takes for me to give my gifts. Its not always easy, and I thank you for your very beings.

And to those in the other realms of existence the Goddesses, Angels, Spirit Guardians and Magic-Makers thank you for waking me up, showing me my divine power, consistently stretching me and reminding me that Life is a miracle.

If you choose to love an awakened woman, understand that you are entering into radical and challenging territory.

If you choose to love an awakened woman, you cannot stay asleep.

If you choose to love an awakened woman, every part of your soul will be aroused, not just your sexual organs or even your heart.

Frankly, if you prefer a normal life, stick with a normal girl.

If you want a tame life, seek only a woman who has allowed herself to be tamed.

If you only want to dip your toe into the flowing waters of Shakti, stay with the safe, tamed woman who has not yet plunged into the wildness of the sacred feminine ocean.

It is comfortable to love a woman who has not yet activated her inner sacred powers, because she does not push your buttons.

She will not challenge you.

She will not press you into becoming your Highest Self.

She will not awaken the forgotten and numbed-out parts of your spirit that urge you to remember that there is more to your life here than this.

She will not look into your weary eyes and send a lightning bolt of truth through your body, jolting you awake and stirring long-lost desires for soul love within you.

A safe, unawakened woman will be wonderfully satisfying and soothing to your ego, heart and body. She will walk quietly beside you and make you feel needed, responsible, like you are fulfilling your masculine role.

If this is enough for you, accept it: love her with all your heart, remain faithful to her and thank her daily for the gift of her mild, unthreatening feminine presence in your life.

If this is not enough for you if your heart, body and spirit are only craving the other kind of woman, the Wild One then know that you are on the cusp of soul-shifting transformation.

Know that you are making a choice with karmic consequences.

If you choose to step into the aura and body of a woman whose spiritual fires are blazing, you are accepting that you need a certain level of danger and risk in order to grow.

Once you begin to love a woman of this nature, you must accept total responsibility for the life changes that will then ensue.