In Conversation with Stephanie Raffelock
7 Questions on Writing About the Divine Feminine and Spirituality
Hello beloved reader,
Further to the introduction in last week’s post to
’s beautiful work, including her phenomenal Substack:
I’m thrilled to present to you Stephanie’s responses to the following 7 questions.
1. Why are you drawn to writing about spirituality and/or the Divine Feminine?
With age, my priorities have sharpened, and themes like spirituality and the Divine Feminine have become a source of ongoing learning, discovery, and reflection. These themes help to guide me to the deeper meaning in this life journey.
In contrast, much of what passes for spirituality in America feels hollow to me—dominated by male-centric institutions, consumerism, and recycled platitudes that fail to nourish my soul. I’m drawn to the Divine Feminine and the natural world as a starting place – it’s not a specific spiritual path that I embrace, but the one that unfolds naturally in me as a result of seeing and feeling the Divine in nature and in creativity.
Sadly, religion in America often serves as a tool of control. You don’t have to look too far to see that there’s a punitive faction of American Christianity that is out to strip the sovereignty of those who don’t view the world as they do. This is a deeply painful reality, which compels me to seek solace in the natural world.
2. How does writing about spirituality affect you, in your work and/or personal life?
There’s an increasing hunger among us for what I call “soul language”—a spiritual vocabulary that honors the feminine and acknowledges women’s rightful place at the table; a language that holds the natural world as sacred. It’s the connection to the earth mother which feels both grounding and ethereal at the same time.
In 2022, I published Creatrix Rising: Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women, (She Writes Press) a book that delves into my connection with the archetype of the Crone—a term I initially rejected because of its negative connotations. Instead, I embraced and substituted the word "Creatrix," in the book, meaning “a woman who makes things.” The word resonated with me, especially for midlife women, who I see as the makers of the art, politics, beauty, and philosophy that will guide us into the future.
Over time, I reclaimed the term Crone, seeing it not as a relic of disdain but as a powerful and positive identity. Crone contains a history of disdain for women because they age, and are then seen as useless. In reclaiming the word Crone, I can be part of writing a new history of women aging which show the gifts and grace of becoming an old wise woman who lives in concert with the natural world. To that end, there may have to be a follow-up to Creatrix Rising to underscore these newer realizations. I remain a student, humbly exploring this vast, and holy landscape.
3. What is an experience you have had that is perhaps the most mystical and unexplainable in the rational/material realm?
There’s an old joke: What did the monk say to the pizza man? “Make me one with everything.”
Mystical experiences are deeply personal and often defy explanation. For me, mysticism is a heart sensation—a profound oneness with all things. I feel it most acutely when I am alone in a forest. In those moments, I’m no longer separate from the world, but of it, and that gives me peace. The mystical experience is the sacrament of awe that happens when we brush up against the Divine.
One passage that anchors me in this regard is from Psalm 46:10: Be still and know I am God. I often meditate on this line:
Be still and know I am God. In the rustling leaves of grandmother oaks; in the songs of rushing creeks; this truth echoes through nature’s temple.
Be still and know I am. In the pause between inhale and exhale, I touch the stillness within and feel my connection to earth and sky.
Be still and know. Let breath remind me to embrace wonder and gratitude.
Be still. In silence, I discover and practice the Presence that never abandons me.
Be. To simply be is to belong—to feel one with the joy and suffering of life. Oneness.
This is where I glimpse the holy, where I feel held by a loving universe.
4. What is the first memory you have that there was something else besides the material realm?
When I was a child, my grandma Julia would sometimes take me to church on Wednesdays to pray the rosary. I remember the soft murmur of old women chanting, heads covered in babushkas, rocking gently as they counted their beads. The voices had a rhythm and cadence that lulled me into a peaceful, floating-like state. I felt protected and cradled, as if being gently caressed by everything around me.
My grandma carried an otherworldly quality. When tending her garden, she whispered prayers as she picked peas or beans. She embodied a devotion to the land and to something far beyond it. Those early experiences gave me an awareness of something greater than what I could see with my eyes.
5. What do you hope for, for your writing?
I hope my writing continues to evolve—to grow more truthful, and resonant. Writing is both a process of creation and a journey of self-discovery.
Also, I like the element of “play” in writing. In the past couple of years, I’ve written two suspense novels with strong, conflicted women characters at their center. That kind of writing balances the light and love with dark and shadow. Writing suspense/thrillers gives me a way to work through and better understand my own shadow qualities.
6. Who is a writer or other creative artist who makes you feel inspired, helps you to remember we’re spiritual beings having a human experience, and perhaps makes you cherish Mother Earth just a little bit more?
Camilla, I admire your writing and your dedication to uplifting women’s longing for connection with the Divine Feminine through earth love. Your work inspires me.
Recently I’m inspired by another Substack writer,
. Her affinity for the earth and its creatures makes me want to look beyond the surface of nature and sense the Divinity everywhere that is breathing life into all that is.I’ve been deeply influenced by the writings of Cynthia Bourgeault, Mirabai Starr, and Joan Chittister. These women bring profound wisdom from traditional spiritual paths, reshaping them to honor the Divine Feminine, the earth and their values around such. I’ve also been inspired by Rick Rubin (the guy in the mix) who wrote The Creative Act. All of these people help me in my quest to keep exploring what it means to live a spiritual life that loves the Divine, the earth, and the soul self.
7. What are the words of wisdom and/or spiritual principles that you come back to time and time again that give you solace and uplift your heart?
I try, fail, and succeed every day to live by simple and profound truths:
Everything will change, and everything will end.
Practice kindness and gratitude.
Look to nature for the lessons of cycles and for meaning.
Open yourself to hear nature’s whispers of wisdom. She does speak to us.
Embrace both loss and love as powerful forces of transformation.
And always, keep a sense of humor.
These are guiding principles that teach me to be more curious and open; to wander and wonder; to care about and listen to others; to forgive myself and others; and to strive to live a good life. In the end, we are all playing a part the big collective story of what it means to be human.
BIO:
Stephanie Raffelock is the author of Creatrix Rising, Unlocking the Power of Midlife Women. She also penned the award winning book, A Delightful Little Book on Aging and is the editor of the anthology, Art In The Time of Unbearable Crisis. A graduate of Naropa University’s program in Writing and Poetics, Stephanie has worked as a freelancer for The Aspen Times and The Rogue Valley Messenger. She has written and blogged for numerous publications and currently writes a weekly Substack, Creative Eldering.
Stephanie enjoys an active life in Austin, Texas with her husband, Dean and their Labrador retriever, Mickey.
You may read more at her website here.
Please also note: this series of interviews will live under the tab labeled “Alchemical Conversations” on this Substack, with the intention that the space will become a kind of resource of writers collaborating in reclaiming the Divine Feminine. Perhaps each string of words each of us writes is a thread in a vast, intricate, and beautiful tapestry we are collectively weaving—each row of this evolving fabric moving us toward an evolution of consciousness, a deeper awareness of the spiritual dimensions of our ecological crisis, and the healing needed to restore a harmonic balance with Mother Earth.
And next week, I’m also thrilled to bring you
’s responses to these 7 questions.
A wonderful read and I’m so grateful to discover Stephanie Raffelock, thank you both x
Thanks Camilla for this interview - looking forward to the others.