Rachael Wooten, Ph.D. // Author of Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha

I stumbled upon the book Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha in April and, since that time, my life and spiritual practice has expanded before my eyes. After absorbing the teachings and wisdom of the female Buddha, Green Tara, I couldn't help but reach out to the author of such an amazing work. 

Rachael Wooten, Ph.D., is a Zürich-trained Jungian analyst and psychologist who has been in private practice as a therapist for more than forty years. This was her first book - ever! And what a book it is. 

In this episode, Rachael and I talk about the basic Buddhist principle in which we can all come together at points of intersection across different spiritual and religious practices. Rachael guides us through what Tara and her practices can do in our journey to healing the collective by healing ourselves. 

She also discusses another pandemic of Western civilization - our penchant for feeling bad about ourselves. If you've listened to this podcast, you know that I talk about taking care of ourselves first and healing the world from that place. Rachael explains how we need both traditional means of healing trauma such as therapy and good friends, as well as spiritual practices to truly transcend and become who we are meant to be. 

It is my honor to speak with Rachael about her experience with the Tara practice, her thoughts around the collective mother wound and the divine feminine. From tantra to Hinduism to Judaism to Shamanism to Tibetan Buddhism, we cover the origins of these practices that have shaped our world and continue to affect the way we interact with each other and the divine. 

Rachael’s love for her children and all creatures on Earth is one motivation for making Tara practice widely available. Her hope is that readers use these methods to nurture themselves in meaningful ways, awakening a loving relationship to all life and empowering wise and heartful responses to current global challenges so that all beings have a future in which they may thrive.

​Connect with Rachael on her website and find the book, Tara: The Liberating Power of the Female Buddha here. ​

If you need more meditation material during this time, check out my recent inner child meditation on Insight Timer. Follow along for more on Instagram at @brightsideofthemoonpod and @paigepichler. Check out The Safest Space and join for free with code LOVEYOURBODY. As always, please rate, review, subscribe and share with anyone who needs this message. Thank you for being you.