Ep 32: Being a Wise Woman

Journey back to Dallas with Gretchen Martens

Gretchen Martens is the book editor for Retreat House’s House of book series as well as the leader for our online monthly writer’s gathering. She’s also an energy healer and owns a small publishing company Village of Care Press. In this episode, she takes us into the sacred story of this season of her life. After three years away from Dallas, first living in Belize and most recently in a farmhouse in rural Pennsylvania, Gretchen is returning to Dallas.

She wasn’t planning a move, but in what she describes as a “God moment,” her heart sort of aligned with her head, and Gretchen knew it was time to come back to Dallas, to the community that she considers family – her friends and the people here at Retreat House.

In this conversation, Gretchen talks some of what it means to live into the archetype of the wise woman (or man), a way of living that she believes embodies characteristics like health, happiness and wholeness.  A way of being that honors being present to Self and listening to our inner voice – something that isn’t necessarily celebrated or encouraged in the broader culture. 

She talks of the significance of internally driven journeys where we want to learn about ourselves and our relationship to God so that one might go out and contribute more fully and vibrantly, or perhaps it looks like going inward to tend to Self or even to family members. While it can be noticed externally, it is internally-driven, many times with less fan-fare.