28. Exploring the Impact of Religion on Our Wombs

Today we bring together 5 women with all different religious backgrounds, to discuss how these religions and cultures (or lack of) have shaped and impacted our relationship with ourselves as women, with our wombs, and with our sexuality. 

Some had a positive experience, most had a negative experience and left their religion, going on a quest to discover their own values and connection to their bodies. 

Tune in to hear how these women have grappled with unwinding the modesty and purity brainwashing, left everything and everyone they know behind to live life on their terms, reconnected with their indigenous roots to find a true sense of self and interconnectedness, and reclaimed the beauty of their wombs and menstrual cycles.

Our panelists today:

Dana Drahos, your host, was raised atheist, and in her household, religion and religious people were thought of as "dumb". As she got older, she felt a longing to be more connected to others, to something greater than herself, and to have rituals, but didn't want everything that came along with organized patriarchal religion. She now connects though womb work, menstruation rituals, yoni steaming, and nature.

Clarissa Gonzalez was raised by a Mexican Jehovah’s Witness and Mexican Catholic, and she denounced Christianity by age 13. She explored spiritualities and religions all around the world until she found the right fit coming back to her Mexican roots, the Toltekati indigenous based practices, which deeply honors the feminine cycles and archetypes. 

Zoe Neauchatz was raised in a "hippie" reformed Jewish community in San Francisco, where she actually was taught to explore various belief systems, encouraged to bleed into the earth and ritualize her menstruation, and connect with nature.

Aeryn O'Halloran was raised in a cult called the Quiverfull Movement, and moved cross-country to San Diego with her daughter to distance herself and heal from the brainwashing. She is now curious about connecting with her Celtic roots which share many similarities to Native American traditions.

Elizabeth Tidwell was raised Mormon, and left the church 5 years ago with her husband and young daughter. Elizabeth continues to release the brainwashing that female bodies are inherently "sinful" and a woman's only purpose is to be a selfless mother, by reclaiming her menstrual cycle and practicing self love.

Connect with the panelists:

Connect with Clarissa: @bloodmoonhealing

Connect with Elizabeth: @myclubred

Connect with Zoe: @zo.neu

Connect with Aeryn: @wild_hope_holistics  

Books mentioned:

When God was a Woman

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