Hi Reader!

When I was deep in my mothering crisis (questioning why I felt like my work had no value, why I felt so invisible in the world, and why motherhood was so freaking hard), I knew that in order to go forward, I had to start by looking back. I wanted to look back at all the unconscious lessons I had learned while growing up, recognize the conditioning I had absorbed about what it meant to be a woman and mother, and uncover deeply held biases.

(Sometimes I wish I had just taken up gardening.)

This work started with exploring the stories of my motherline - talking to my mom about her experiences as a mother, listening to her tell stories of my grandmothers, and my great-grandmothers. I did research on Ancestry.com, looked up old yearbooks to find pictures of my grandmothers, had imaginary conversations with my female ancestors during long walks, drove out to visit my great-grandparents' gravestone.

And it really helped. I was able to discover patterns and similarities in our lives, which made me feel less alone and also made me feel like I understood myself a little better. I was able to give myself some grace with decisions I had made in my life, and hold my mom and grandma more tenderly in my heart.

All this to say, learning how to recover the stories of your motherline can be a powerful practice in self-actualization; learning about your past helps you have a clearer idea of where you are in the present.

Rebel Mothers Podcast

This is the topic of the most recent podcast episode that was released, Ep. 13 - Motherline: Reclaiming Women's Stories on the Rebel Mothers podcast.

Susie discusses the motherline (matrilineal ancestry) and the importance of women’s stories. Navigating through historical struggles, ancient goddess cultures, and societal shifts, Susie invites listeners to reclaim the stories of women that have been obscured, stolen, or silenced.    Join the journey of exploration and empowerment as we reimagine narratives and contribute to a paradigm shift in the broader motherhood revolution. 

Topics: 

• Historical Struggles of Women's Voices
• Impact of Narratives like the Story of Eve
• Ancient Goddess Cultures: Catalhoyuk and Marija Gimbutas
• Transition from Matrilineal to Patrilineal Societies

3 Steps for Reclaiming Personal the Motherline

• Step 1: Reflect on your own narrative
• Step 2: Motherline Meditation: A Tool for Intuitive Connection
• Step 3: Telling Our Own Stories as a Revolutionary Act

Resources:

• ​Cassandra Speaks: When Women are the Storytellers, the Human Story Changes by Elizabeth Lesser
• ​Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici
• ​When the Drummers were Women by Layne Redmond
• ​Of Woman Born by Adrienne Rich
• ​Archeologist suggests much of Paleolithic cave art was done by women​
• Historical Sites: Catalhoyuk - Archaeological Evidence of Goddess Worship
• Scholar: Marija Gimbutas - Pioneer in Archaeomythology
• ​Is this helping me become the good ancestor I want to become?​

In mothering solidarity,

Susie Fishleder | She/Her | www.susiefishleder.com​

Learn more with MotherBLOOM coaching & workshops and the Rebel Mothers podcast

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