Conversations with Laurie Benson

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laurie Benson.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Much of my current journey started in 2012 when I was with Indigenous Peoples from across Central and South America and learned of the Prophecy of the Eagle and the Condor. The wisdom and gift of this prophecy truly shifted my trajectory.

This prophecy shares that the eagle and the condor used to fly together in harmony and balance. The eagle is the masculine, the industrial, the mind and the condor is the intuitive, the feminine, the heart. In 1490, we entered a 500-year period where the eagle would overtake the condor, almost to the point of the extinction of both. So, in 1990 we entered a time of possibility and the potential for all of life to again move back into that place of harmony and balance.

While it feels like we are still at the extreme points of this prophecy, I believe we are actually incredibly close to the point of reconnection and remembering. And I want to point out that this prophecy is not about men and women. It is about the masculine and feminine that lives within us all, and honoring both.

This prophecy has become a personal beacon and reminder of how I chose to move through the world. I call this time we are currently in the time of the Condor Rising. Are my actions, and reactions, honoring the condor wisdom within me? Am I working to find the balance of the masculine and feminine within myself, and honoring it in all of life?

These are the questions, and the work, that have occupied my time for the past 10 years. I share my personal journey and the lessons I have learned along the way in my book, Leading From the Feminine. I host an online community for women called Inward Bound Community, and I share regularly on podcasts and at live events.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I believe that true growth comes with bumps – and maybe some internal bruises as well. We bump up against our shadow selves when we really start to dig into who we are and who we want to become. So I don’t know that this road is ever smooth – and wouldn’t it be boring if it was?!

There have certainly been plenty of instances where I have realized that an issue I had with someone else, or a reaction I had to a situation, was all about me and not who or what I was experiencing.

Somatic Awareness and learning to listen to the wisdom coming from my heart continue to be my greatest allies on this journey. I continue to learn that each challenge is a lesson and a teacher.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Embodiment, somatic awareness, and heart-brain cohesion have been my life focus for the past 10 years. I truly believe that understanding where we feel things within our bodies opens the door to profound awareness and great shifts. When we understand how we experience the world, and how the world experiences us, we stand stronger in the space of the Condor.

I love sharing everything I have learned with everyone who wants to listen! I believe that finding our own embodied wisdom opens the door to our greatest gifts. We are all here to share something unique and important, my work (and greatest joy) is helping people find this door within themselves.

How do you define success?
I love this question and talk about this in Leading From the Feminine. For me, the definition of success is a moving target. Our current, societal definition was created under the Eagle paradigm and no longer honors where we are headed.

At this moment, success for me is walking my talk. I feel successful at the end of the day when I have shown up as the best possible version of myself and honored myself and others in my choices and interactions.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.inwardboundwomen.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inwardboundwomen/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InwardBoundWomen
• Youtube: @ahundredvoices