How might your life have been different if there had been a place for you … a place of women, where you were received and affirmed? A place where other women, perhaps somewhat older, had been affirmed before you, each in her time, affirmed, as she struggled to become more truly herself.—Judith Duerk

Judith Duerk; photo by Joslyn Smith.

Today is the first day of the AROHO Retreat for women. In honor of this transformative gathering, the focus of my posts all week will be on the feminine, beginning with this quote from psychotherapist Judith Duerk’s reflective guide, Circle of Stones, which helps women explore the personal and archetypal feminine.

See more quotes about writing here.

I shot this photo last year on Moonstone Beach during a weekend getaway with some women writers who have become good friends. This message appeared in a circle of stones on the beach, and I’m posting it here for those women—you know who you are—to let you know that I’m thinking of you … and of the ocean!