Reclaiming Sophia

Do I have friends who work or have experience in (prisoner) re-entry programs? I am working on putting together a program that uses literature, psychology, and arts that could be successfully pitched to re-entry programs, likely as part of a job skills course. I have some experience in developing job skills programs and re-entry, but I could really use some stronger insight to help me tighten this up. Thank you!

The patron god of Mexico was named Huitzilopochtli or “Hummingbird on the Left.” People today often think this god’s legacy is simply as a fierce warrior. The truth is that Huitzilopochtli would more easily be classified as a messenger god (like Hermes from the Greek tradition), and in particular his mastery was in his hummingbird-like quality to move with agility in the darkness and back into the light, symbolically also weaving together the masculine and feminine.

In Mesoamerican traditions, it was said that the gods created hummingbirds after humans and other and then they realized that of all the animals they created, none could quickly traverse between the earth, sky, and underworld realms. They realized the cosmos would fall apart if their interconnection broke down, so the hummingbird was made and tasked with the job of keeping the worlds connected.

This time of year, as Christians celebrate the birth of Christ, traditional Aztecs celebrate the birth of Huitzilopochtli with feasts and rituals that celebrate his hummingbird-like ability to descend deep into darkness, acquire the critical messages, and return them to the light, hoping to reintegrate the two into each other in a way that reminds the sun it is his turn to perform for awhile.

Individually, these rituals are meant to foster mental and emotional health by collectively reminding participants that this is the time to flitter into your own deep darkness without fear and with less dwelling, finding the gems of information that have been revealed by our unconscious and shadow (inner darkness), and bring them back into foster their growth in the coming light.

Mythologies and age old rituals remind us that it is our job to participate in the return of the sun. Solstice is a moment in time where the sun appears to “stand still” (sol=sun+sistere=stand still), and we are called to reunite and prepare to slowly light up our world with candles and with kindness to wake the sun and slowly call it back.

The Aila Project has been reborn! After a few years of deep feeling, thinking, and connecting, we are finally breaking out of our cocoon full of ideas and initiatives that we believe will even more effectively serve women, nurture diverse expressions of femininity, and ultimately help our culture to evolve in needed and unaddressed ways. So, please join us in welcoming Reclaiming Sophia to the world. She is a project unlike any other, and we can't wait to unfold our offerings and grow alongside our steadfast and growing community.

Thank you to everyone who supported this project in its earlier form as The Aila Project - you truly made it possible to bring cutting-edge archetype-based work to that helped women in diverse communities find new and empowered aspects of their femininity. The Aila Project was a very successful, unique community project that truly laid the ground for the next era of supporting and building deep, lasting, political and spiritually effective women-led work.

Stay-tuned.

Friends! Aila Project is climbing out of hiding I’m ready to get back to work with a new emphasis in the Boise area! Followed for updates on projects! 😘

Hello friends, welcome to Aila Project! We are a nonprofit dedicated to developing a greater understanding of femininity to help individuals express themselves more authentically and relate to others more compassionately. We use archetypes - universal themes - to activate the greater untapped narratives within ourselves and in our culture.

Our main website is under construction, so for the moment please just follow us here to get unique resources and insights and to track our projects. Thank you for your support!

Reclaiming Sophia updated their phone number.

Reclaiming Sophia updated their business hours.