A Warrior Weekend For Women? Why Not? by Leslie Recht

In the wilds of Malibu, California, dedicated MKP and Woman Within graduates are offering a Warrior Weekend for women, staffed by both men and women. The weekend is modeled on the MKP weekend www.herweekend.org. I have attended many weekends for women staffed by men and women, from Path to Spirit, to Warrior Monk, to Leaving your Father’s House. However, I have always had a great curiosity about the Warrior weekend. I wanted to “know” what the men got, firsthand, and experience my warrior energy in a safe place. So, this April, I set off to see what "herweekend"had in store for me.

I admit I was nervous, fantasizing about how tough it would be, why was I really doing this?

The physical reality was not so much different from the Woman Within weekend. We were in a camp, with the usual bunk beds, not enough showers or hot water, lots of trees, and it was cold, rainy and 45 degrees at night. Not quite my California dream. I won’t reveal the details of the processes, but for me, the weekend was a deep and important experience. Men and women staff this weekend together, and facilitate on the carpet together. That was crucial for me, providing me with a space to do work I have never done before, lead by some magicians on the carpet. Many couples staff this weekend, and seeing them work so well together was one of the blessings for me.

I went on this weekend with Diane Siegman (previously Berger), one of my original e-circle mates who has moved to California. We know each other well, and supported each other throughout the weekend. That was an important aspect for me, to have someone to share not only the weekend but the aftermath, the ripples that keep coming, for both of us.

I do have some concerns about the weekend. I believe that the male staff had more experience in facilitating than most of the women, and that affected some of the processes. I did not see the toughness I had expected, and I was looking forward to receiving more teaching about accountability and integrity, two areas that I believe are not sufficiently addressed in the Woman Within weekend. There were some glitches on the weekend, and I would be happy to discuss it privately if anyone has questions or is thinking about attending. (e-mail me at LRecht@defrees.com) The learning for me was again the power of the processes, and the additional freedom and safety that I felt having both men and women with experience on the carpet. I opened myself up to the experience, and trusted. That opened up the doors for me, again.

Leslie Penelope Recht
(WWTW August 1992 Delevan WI)
LRecht@defrees.com