The Sacred Art of Being: Divine Femininity and Embodied Alignment
Written by Cheri Stirling
The concept of being can feel increasingly foreign in our modern world. We are taught to do, to achieve, to prove. But in the language of the soul—especially in the feminine spiritual journey—being is not just restful; it is revelatory.
Divine femininity calls us to remember who we are beneath the noise. It invites a return to stillness, embodiment, receptivity, and sacred rhythm. To be is not to pause progress—it is to align ourselves with heaven’s pace, and perhaps most importantly, with the divine design of the female body.
Divine Femininity in Theology
Our understanding of divine femininity rests on the eternal truth that we are children of Heavenly Parents. Though references to our Heavenly Mother are often veiled, prophets and modern-day scholars have acknowledged her presence. President Harold B. Lee taught, “We forget that we have a Heavenly Mother as well as a Heavenly Father… Certainly we should not forget our divine Mother, the Eternal Feminine, who was given to us as an ideal.”
She is not absent. She is sacred. Hidden in plain sight, waiting for us to part the veil.
Scholar Margaret Barker sheds light on this sacred feminine through her study of ancient temple theology. She identifies the Divine Wisdom or Chokmah in Hebrew scripture as the feminine face of God. In Proverbs 8, Wisdom declares, “I was with Him in the beginning… I was daily His delight.” In ancient Israelite worship, Barker argues, ‘Wisdom was worshipped in the temple alongside Yahweh—until reforms removed her from public religion.’
Her removal from the temple mirrors what many women have experienced: a forgetting of the sacred power of being.
Women worldwide are now beginning to reclaim these ancient truths, guided by the Spirit and by faithful voices. They are discovering that the female body is not a barrier to spirituality, but a vessel for it. Women’s bodies carry the blueprint of divine rhythm, sacred timing, and embodied revelation.
What Does It Mean to “Be”?
To be is not to resign from life—it is to live more fully. It is to dwell in alignment with the truths God has inscribed into your very cells. In divine femininity, being means honoring what is unseen: the emotional, the intuitive, the cyclical, the sacred.
1. Being Is Receptive
Unlike the outward force of masculine energy that often builds and conquers, feminine energy receives and nurtures. This is not weakness; it is powerful stillness. Think of Mary, the mother of Jesus, who declared: “Be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38). In that moment of surrender, she became the vessel of salvation.
Receptivity in divine femininity means being open to the Spirit, to inspiration, to guidance. It also means being open to your own needs, to your body’s cues, to emotion, rest, and care.
2. Being Is Rhythmic
The female body does not follow a linear path. It is cyclical—monthly, seasonally, and spiritually. The menstrual cycle is not just a biological inconvenience; it is a sacred map. Ancient temple worship mirrored the cycles of creation, and so does your body.
There four phases of the female cycle and how each phase invites a different form of being:
- Menstrual (Winter): A time of reflection, rest, and revelation.
- Follicular (Spring): A season for planning, dreaming, beginning.
- Ovulatory (Summer): A time for expression, connection, creation.
- Luteal (Autumn): A time for discernment, preparation, and inward focus.
Aligning your life to these rhythms is not indulgent—it’s divine. God designed it this way. Rest is not rebellion. Rest is restoration.
3. Being Is Embodied
Our bodies are temples—not just symbolically, but literally (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Spirit communicates through the body, yet many women have learned to ignore or mistrust it. Divine femininity calls us to come home to the body—to trust its wisdom.
This might look like:
- Moving intuitively instead of pushing through rigid workouts. There are many new resources that are out there that teach how to plan your workouts more around your personal cycle, offering more variation and options to feel what your body needs.
- Eating foods that nourish instead of punishing yourself. So many health plans are restrictive, and are built in a more masculine format. Look for support to learn to eat in a way that honors your body, and it’s changing needs.
- Listening to your fatigue instead of shaming it. So many women are experiencing burnout due to a constant pace of work, mothering, church responsibilities
- Noticing what brings pleasure and letting it be holy.
The Savior Himself honored the body. He healed through touch. He wept. He rested. He fed the hungry. He invited others to “come and see” by encountering Him in flesh. To be like Christ includes honoring our own embodiment.
Scriptural Echoes of Feminine “Being”
Throughout scripture, moments of divine feminine “being” shine like stars in a dark sky:
- Eve, the mother of all living, was not just a passive recipient of commandments—she actively chose mortality. Her choice was one of being: she embraced a world of experience, sorrow, and joy in order to fulfill her divine mission.
- The Woman at the Well (John 4) encountered Christ because she was present—not rushing, not performing, just drawing water. Her honest, embodied moment became the foundation for her transformation.
- The daughters of Ishmael, Hannah, Elisabeth, and Mary Magdalene—each reveal the holiness of presence, receptivity, endurance, and witness.
And in Doctrine & Covenants 93:33, we are reminded:
“For man is spirit. The elements are eternal, and spirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy.”
Women, too, receive a fulness of joy when they become whole—not by transcending their physical nature, but by fully embodying it.
How to Practice Divine “Being” in Daily Life
Here are practices to help realign with the sacred feminine design of being:
1. Cycle Syncing
Track your menstrual cycle and begin to observe how your energy, mood, and intuition shift in each phase. Schedule rest days, creative time, or social events accordingly. Use it as a guide—not a burden. This is how you return to your divine blueprint.
2. Sabbath as Sacred Being
Use Sundays not just for rest, but for reconnection with the divine feminine. Create rituals of stillness: a candlelit bath, reflective journaling, slow reading of scripture. Let the Sabbath become a temple in time—where doing ceases and presence begins.
3. Reverence for Beauty
Beauty is not vain; it is sacred. Heavenly Mother is clothed in glory and light. Her daughters reflect Her when they honor beauty—whether in home, self, or nature. Dress in a way that feels like worship. Create spaces that nurture the soul. Arrange flowers. Speak gently.
4. Be with Other Women
Feminine spirituality is communal. Host a circle. Share experiences. Mourn together. Celebrate together. As Margaret Barker notes, the early temple was tended by women—keepers of sacred knowledge. We are still called to be keepers of each other.
5. Return to the Garden
Create quiet, tech-free moments in nature. Listen. Let your feet touch the earth. Let sunlight warm your skin. Eden is not lost—it is remembered in moments of still, sacred presence.
Reclaiming Our Birthright
To be is to reclaim your eternal identity as a daughter of God. It is to stop measuring your worth by productivity and begin dwelling in your divine presence. It is a return to wisdom, to stillness, to knowing. To be is to reflect Heavenly Mother—quietly, powerfully, wholly.
This is the path of divine femininity. It does not demand. It invites. It flows, not forces. It nourishes, not depletes. It creates, not through striving, but through surrender.
“Be still, and know that I am God.” —Psalm 46:10
Be still. And know that you are Her daughter.
Resources:
Sources Referenced:
- Margaret Barker, “The Mother of the Lord: Volume 1: The Lady in the Temple
- Holy Bible, King James Version
- Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants
- Harold B. Lee, Relief Society Address, 1964,
- LDS General Conference Talks (e.g., Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, President Hinckley)
Prepare with Us
The Honey and Lilies Blog is dedicated to helping your prepare spiritually, mentally and emotionally, physically, and temporally.
Tune In
Join Meghan each week for inspiring messages, and diving into the scriptures to help you live the gospel, seek truth, and become a true disciple of Christ.
Dive Deeper
We are excited to offer online, self-paced courses to help you deepen your faith and understanding of the gospel and your covenants.