Meet Anodea Judith

We were lucky to catch up with Anodea Judith recently and have shared our conversation below.

Anodea, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I was lucky to have an important realization relatively early in life — at about sixteen, actually. Somewhat insecure at the time, and wanting to be liked, as is typical for that age, I knew that everyone else wanted to be liked also. That meant they were more concerned with themselves than with me.

That gave me a great freedom to be who I am. I simply put my attention on others to make them feel comfortable and valued, rather than myself. I no longer was concerned with other people’s judgments.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I discovered yoga back in the early 70’s, when classes took place in people’s living rooms. We practiced on towels because sticky mats hadn’t been invented. I had also been initiated into Transcendental Meditation in 1972, so yoga fit right in, and together the two practices transformed my life.

I was making my living as a massage therapist at the time, but when a bout of undiagnosed Lyme disease rendered my hands too painful to work, I went back to graduate school to got my Masters in Counseling and later a PhD.

I sat with clients, holding the tissue box, for two decades, but was frustrated working one on one. With a few books out that were doing well, I took to the road, teaching workshops on the circuit of retreat centers, and wrote what is now nearly a dozen books on chakras, yoga, psychology, social change, and women’s leadership. At this point, my workshops have reached over 160 countries, and my books are in 29 languages.

My passion is cultural evolution and this incredible moment we are living in, perched on the precipice between potential annihilation and epic creation. I believe we are here to create heaven on earth, and to awaken to the divine that resides within everything. Our present moment is an initiation into our planetary adulthood, and like most initiations, it will not be easy.

Most of my books focus on the chakra system as a model for personal and planetary transformation. But along the way in my travels I learned about the Goddess and was ordained as Priestess in 1985. Nearly 40 years later I wrote a book about her called GODDESS, and designed a set of archetype cards for feminine leadership, called SHE RISES. I continue to co-facilitate a podcast called VOICES FOR THE FUTURE (www.voicesforthefuture,com) and work with the Evolutionary Leaders Council in the Source of Synergy Foundation.

But my love of the chakra system and its awesome potential is still the subject of most of my teachings. You can find my offerings, both in person and online at www.AnodeaJudith..com and www.SheRisesMovement.com.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I learned something valuable from an art teacher in college. He said, “There are not good artists or bad artists. There are just those who really do it.” By that he meant, drawing a hand that really goes into the details, studying the anatomy, really looking at your subject, studying other drawings of hands.

I realized that applies to everything: writing, teaching, parenting, running a business, you name it. It’s not about innate talent, though that always helps. It’s about really applying yourself, doing whatever it takes to do it well.

I also realized that perfection is a myth. You don’t have to be perfect, just strive for excellence. If you are excellent in what you do — because you really do it — then you will succeed. And if we are excellent to each other, the world would be a better place. It’s pretty simple, actually.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

Back when I was writing my first book, Wheels of Life, I was a single mother, living out in the country, hiring a babysitter while I wrote. I didn’t know if anyone would read my book, let alone publish it, and wondered if I was wasting my time.

I can’t even remember the title of the book, it was so long ago now, and probably not even in print anymore. But it was about truly believing in what you are doing, and not letting anything stop you.

AT the moment I was most doubtful, that book propelled me forward.

I later took that concept into my book on manifestation, called Creating on Purpose, that has helped thousands of people achieve their goals.

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Image Credits

Gina Logan

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