One Woman One Voice Project

During this time of contemplation, of isolation, of what is meaningful to us in this social uprising, I have connected with the dreams that are inside of me and that gives me peace. Follow your heart, Lovely Women! This is the calling of the time.

“I could hear my abandoned dreams making a racket in my soul.”
― Joy Harjo, Crazy Brave

The worlds "I love you" hold the power to heal. The words, "I forgive you," can alter relationships. The words, "I forgive myself," can define a life.

"We die. That may be the meaning of life. We do language. That might be the measure of life." Toni Morrison

Happy Monday, Beautiful Women! During this ongoing struggle with isolation and uncertainty, I have been contemplating what it means to be human. What I know is that we move through this life sometimes in sync with what is right and moral and good and sometimes not.

Forgive yourselves! Hold the intention this week to accept every part of your being to grow better, to love better, to see the divine within you.

Peace and Love! Have a wonderful week!

Ladies, say YES to the desires of your heart. We are powerful beyond measure. The love, resolve, and determination that lives inside the feminine has changed the world.

“We have been raised to fear the yes within ourselves, our deepest cravings.” ― Audre Lorde

Artwork by Alessia Iannetti

Holding the spirit of ancestry lives in the womb of the woman. We are a mighty presence on this Earth. We hold the secrets of the land in our bodies.

Happy Sunday, Lovely Ladies and Beautiful Brothers! Find a quiet space to hear and then head the yearnings of your heart this week. Remember to breathe and love and listen to the wisdom within you.

This week I set the intention to serve with love and gratitude. Within the smallest act of love, kindness, service--a giving of oneself--we see our value and that is an act of self-love.

"Learn to be quiet enough to hear the genuine within yourself so that you can hear it in others." Marian Wright Edelman"

Artwork by Tamara Natalie Madden

An affirmation for the day: Love is the way of peace. Love is the way of justice. Love is the way of healing.

I am inspired this morning by three of my peace loving, freedom loving, and self-loving heroes: Thich Nhat Hanh, Martin Luther King,Jr., and bell hooks.

Affirmation for the week: Your mind is a beautiful garden. Sow the seeds of love, forgiveness, and hopefulness.

"Our mind is like the soil. There are many good seeds that are already in it...Water the good seeds and help them to sprout." -Thich Nhat Hanh

Live purposefully this week, lovely Ladies. I love you and honor your gifts.

Artwork by Alice Mason

This is a repost from 2015. As women, it is imperative that we stay true to our hearts and souls.

Affirmation for the day: When I try to be anything other than who I am, I suffer.

“I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is...I can't apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to.” ~ Alice Walker

Artwork by Annelie Solis

Deep within you there is a knowing. Trust it! Remember, you hold the answers.

Live with intention this week!

Photo credit: Mihaela Noroc

What a seductive thought that one can be new in a coming week, a coming day, a coming hour. By simply choosing conscientiously and deliberately to color our experiences however we see fit we can create for ourselves a beautiful existence.

Have a beautiful week, ladies.

Photo credit: Mihaela Noroc

A peaceful mind and heart makes for a more peaceful world. When we love and accept ourselves and are compassionate and are truthful to our stories, we reflect that in our families and in our communities. A self-loving heart makes for a brighter world.

Tip for honoring your divine feminine this week - Connect to the intuitive voice that is centered in the heart. The intuitive voice is subtle and reassuring. As a gift to you follow the link to a short guide to move into the heart-focused breathing to connect to your intuition. https://stephaniereneepayne.org/heart-focused-breathing

Lovely ladies, set a powerful intention this week. Step into your divine feminine energy, which is heart and soul wisdom, to help heal this world.

One wonderful way to step into your divine feminine is to create a sacred space and ritual to combat the energies of fear that are so present in our world today. Simply lighting a candle in the bathroom before a bath or shower, or a quiet meditation on your patio touching Mother Earth in some way can create a space to reclaim your beauty, power, and wisdom.

Love yourself fiercely this week. The power of the divine feminine is the power to heal. Men can step into this space, too. I love you all and send light, love, and strength to you this week. - Stephanie

Artwork by Alice Mason

When we step into our divine feminine, the flow of love, we empower ourselves and empower the world. The world needs this power now more than ever.

Set a powerful intention this week, ladies, to love, and to love fiercely during this time of awakening.

“Love is as love does. Love is an act of will–namely, both an intention and an action.” - bell hooks

We can love our way out of anything.

“This sky
Where we live
Is no place to lose your wings
So love, love
Love.” ― Hafez

3 Easy Steps to Magically Turn Struggle Into Joy — Stephanie Renee Payne "What happens in our life is either a lesson or a blessing." - Michael Bernard Beckwith In these challenges times, a shift in perception can change our feelings of being in a struggle to being blessed with something wonderful. As women, we put our attention on everything but our

During this time of uncertainty, there is no greater truth than the voice of your heart.

What a beautiful invitation this moment presents to recognize the humanity we all hold if we chose love.

“What happens when people open their hearts?"
"They get better.”― Haruki Murakami

The winds of change come when compassion is mixed with self-examination. Examining, with compassion, our fears and our hearts can bring about change one voice at a time.

Dear Beautiful Community, please forgive my silence. I have taken time to absorb the current moment here in the United States as a black woman who came of age in the post-Civil Rights era. My generation began the integration of schools in Los Angeles. I was "bused" to schools in predominately white neighborhoods. As a little girl playing on the playground in my new school, I was called the N-word by a man in truck who passed by the school. In high school, I was ostracized by the local girls. Those words and those deeds still sting, as I am now a woman in my 50s.

What I know is that sinking into racism is to turn away from the heart. The construct of race in the U.S. is based on economics, forced free labor, and nothing more. It is a man-made construct. We are all in the human family. What connects us is our heart--the capacity to love, to feel, to share, to hold deep compassion. What will save us is a deeper heart connection.

I will be hosting a series of Zoom talks on this space on the subject of the heart and how to heal a broken heart due to racism, severed relationships, career disappointments, or whatever plagues you.

For my sisters of color, I see you, I hear you, and I am you. I am all of the beautiful women on the platform and universally. We are all one. We are connected through love.

Love and peace, Stephanie

You are the You are the light you seek when times feel dark. you seek when times feel dark.

You are never without grace, even in a time of crisis.

“Bone by bone, hair by hair, Wild Woman comes back. Through night dreams, through events half understood and half remembered.” - Clarissa Pinkola Estes, "Women Who Run With Wolves"

Use this time of isolation and contemplation to invite the Wild Woman, your true essence, to emerge.

Covid-19 Care for the Soul

Keep your thoughts cleansed. When you find yourself sinking into darker thoughts, it is a ripe time to mediate on your fears to find the light on the other side.

“How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also If I am to be whole.”

― C.G. Jung

"We are born of love; love is our mother."- Rumi

Mothers are the container of that love. Happy Mother's Day!

Gratitude has been my powerful friend during this time. I am now grateful for things I never took the time to see.

On this Earth Day, I celebrate the ability to feel gratitude, which is the miracle of finding joy in any circumstance.

I am grateful for being here on this Earth in this moment of time and with the family I was born into and the lessons I have learned. What a gift to grow into the woman I am today.

In gratitude,
Stephanie

Happy Earth Day!

"The conscious feminine gives us the courage to love an acorn without knowing what an oak tree is." —Marion Woodman

Take this time to find your inner oak tree.