Feminine Genius: The Provocative Path to Waking Up and Turning On the Wisdom of Being a Woman

by LiYana Silver

Overview

There is a particular kind of insanity running rampant in the world that compels most women to stuff down, ignore, or hide parts of ourselves in order to be acceptable, attractive, or taken seriously.

Which doesn’t work. It actually ensures we remain unfulfilled, miserable, and at war with ourselves—and that is a war no woman can win.

So now comes the good news: There is a path to help you become the woman you are aching to become.

This path is unruly, messy, a wee bit naughty, and audaciously asks you trust the very parts of you that you previously warred against. While this path has no script, map, or blueprint, you’ll learn to use your sensuous, desirous, wildly feeling female body as a steadfast and trustworthy compass.

This is the path of Feminine Genius.

To get you started, you’ll have the best of guides: women’s life coach LiYana Silver. "One of the most enduringly inspiring things in my life," says LiYana, "is to watch a woman slip the Gordian knot of self-loathing, people-pleasing, and over-achieving and become simply and fully herself."

Partly an irreverently reverent feminist treatise and partly a non-denominational devotional hymnal to the Sacred Feminine, Feminine Genius just might change forever what you know about your body, soul, sexuality, intuition, and power. In these pages, LiYana invites you to:

Go deep and reconnect with the powerful parts of yourself you’ve hidden away
• Meet your innate genius: the wild, creative, and infallible wisdom of your body
• Brighten your everyday with hands-on practices
• Tap into your inner knowing so you can stop second-guessing yourself and get clear about your next steps
• Learn how to embrace your sexuality, emotions, desires, and cycles so you can achieve enormous effectiveness and fulfillment in life
• Navigate your "dark" and work with painful, difficult experiences in healthy ways
• Learn how you overuse your "masculine" strengths to the point of personal, cultural, and global breakdown
• Discover why your "feminine" isn’t weak, but is one of the strongest and most trustworthy parts of you
• Explore the history, physics, and biology of a universe built for harmony between "masculine" and "feminine"
• Look in the mirror and see the face of the Goddess gazing back at you
If you found a dusty bottle on a shelf of your cellar, there would be only one way to know if it contained an all-knowing genie with the power to actualize your deepest desires: open, and look inside.

Feminine Genius is a provocative wake-up call, nudging you to uncork that fabulous flask and find out just how much magic you’ve been hiding. Because you do have a genie in your bottle—and genius in your body.

Are you ready to open, and look inside?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781622038299
Publisher:	Sounds True, Incorporated
Publication date:	06/01/2017
Pages:	296
Sales rank:	720,705
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

LiYana Silver
LiYana Silver is a coach, teacher, and speaker who helps women find the full expression of their feminine strength in work and life. Her offerings include her mentorship program Woman: The Embodiment Experience and her online course Ignite Your Feminine Genius. She lives in Asheville, NC. For more, visit liyanasilver.com.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Going to the Source

1 You Are Not Crazy 3

The World Is Off Its Rocker

2 The Provocative Path 13

Where I'm Leading You

3 My Story. Our Story 23

Where, Oh Where, Did Our Power Go?

4 Hello, Feminine Genius 37

Time to Meet Your Maker

Part 2 Navigating Your Dark

5 Dying to Live 55

All Great journeys Begin in the Dark

6 Living with Your Cycles 63

The Tourney from Death to Rebirth

Cycles Practice: Track It

7 Feel It, All of It 79

The Wisdom of Emotions-And How to Not Die from Them

Feeling practice: Feel It, All of It

8 Going Down 95

Mining for Gold in a Dark Night of the Soul

Going Down Practice: Mining for Gold in a Dark Night

9 Navigating Storms 111

A Cheat Sheet

Part 3 Embodying Your Genius

10 As Above, So Below 117

How a Goddess Pulls Herself Together

11 Sex Re-Education 129

The Birds and the Bees Get a Do-Over

12 An Oracle of One's Own 143

Your Direct Line to the Divine

Oracle Practice #1: Oracle Meditation

Oracle Practice #2: Finding Your Oracle's Yes and No

13 Trusting Your Oracle 159

Distinguishing the Voices of Doubt, Delusion, Reason, and Intuition

14 Your Very Own Pandora's Box 171

Unearthing Your Desires

Desire Practice: sorting Surface from Deep Desires

15 Calling Your Oracle 181

All Roads Lead You Home

Oracle Practice #3: Calling Your Oracle

Oracle Practice #4: conversations with Your Oracle

16 Your Body Is the Temple (and Other Heresies) 191

Another Cheat Sheet

Part 4 Cultivating Your Light

17 What You Appreciate, Appreciates 197

Creating a Field of Light

Appreciation Practice #1: When in Doubt Appreciate

Appreciation Practice #2: Shake it

Enjoyment Practice: opening up with Flirtation

18 Turning On Your Feminine Genius 213

Getting Lit Up with Pleasure and Presence

Pleasure Practice #1: The Pleasure Question

Pleasure Practice #2: The Pleasure Question-in Bed

Plesence Practice: The Grounding Rod

19 Activating Your Receiver 231

Are You Pickin' Up What the Divine Is Puttin' Down?

Receiving Practice #1: Taking it in

Receiving Practice #2: Thank you, But No

Receiving Practice #3: To Receive or Not to Receive?

20 Un-Damming Your Power 243

Letting Your Voice Out and Other Women In

Speaking-up Practice: Know What I Would Love?

Sisterhood Practice #1: Getting Lit off mother Woman's Brilliance

Sisterhood Practice #2: Letting Another woman in

21 Bringing Your Feminine Genius to Life 263

Coming Home and Becoming Home

Thank You 269

Notes 271

About the Author 275

Editorial Reviews

Feminine Genius is insightful, well written, and well organized. The author draws on multiple philosophical and religious traditions and presents a perspective on female energy and potential that is truly enlightening. The activities included offer a great opportunity for exploring one’s true identity and the scripts that each person subconsciously lives by. It is an unapologetically empowering book and will be useful to women from all walks of life who are searching for their passion. ” —Foreword Reviews

“Silver guides women into learning how to listen to and trust that innate wisdom and profound instinct deep inside all women. Filled with advice, inspiration, and even some helpful exercises, Feminine Genius is all about connecting the knowledge of your body to the wisdom of your spirit in order to find empowerment, balance, fulfillment, and adventure — no matter where your feminism might take you.” —Bustle

“LiYana Silver could be writing about anything—from mushroom collecting to the stock market—and my heart would sing. Her writing is gorgeous, and this praise comes from a passionate lover of language. But it happens that LiYana Silver is writing about the blazing heart of the human experience. Her description of and loving guidance into the fruitful darkness is among the very wisest and most lyrical I have encountered. I will return to that section again and again. This book unraveled and rewove the fabric of my femininity, and hence my humanity. Deep bow.” —Mirabai Starr, author of Caravan of No Despair: A Memoir of Loss and Transformation and Teresa of Avila: Passionate Mystic

“LiYana's book is a powerful invitation for women to step into their biggest, brightest, truest, most powerful selves. I was truly blown away by the wisdom and inspiration on each page. If you're a woman ready to embrace her feminine power, this book is a must read.” —Alexandra Jamieson, functional nutrition coach, co-creator of Super Size Me, and author of Women, Food, and Desire: Embrace Your Cravings, Make Peace with Food, Reclaim Your Body

“LiYana Silver’s Feminine Genius is a courageous, wise, juicy book that redefines the genre of women’s empowerment. This timely work is a lively love letter to women to tap into their feminine brilliance. With a fresh, readable style, Silver guides us with stories, practices, and heartfelt insights that are meaningful and potent. This bold book asks women to step into their special birthright, and it provides just the right mix of spirituality, smarts, and sassiness to get the job done. Brava. Highly recommended!” —Marc David, author of The Slow Down Diet: Eating for Pleasure, Energy, and Weight Loss and Nourishing Wisdom: A Mind-Body Approach to Nutrition and Well-Being; founder of Institute for the Psychology of Eating

“LiYana Silver’s brand-new book lofts her and her readers right up to the stratosphere of feminine genius that she so accurately describes. It’s impossible to dive into these pages without coming out restored, refreshed, renewed, and connected to a power that has always been each of ours to own. Feminine Genius is a down-to-earth, deeply useful guide; a must-read for every woman!” —Regena Thomashauer, New York Times bestselling author of Pussy: A Reclamation and founder of Mama Gena’s School of Womanly Arts (mamagenas.com)

“For any woman doubting herself, her body, her value, her potential, her sexuality, or her femininity, Feminine Genius is a needed re-education and a bold proclamation. If you wish to lead a more boundless, joyful life, I wish this book for you.” —Amanda Steinberg, founder of DailyWorth and author of Worth It

“For several thousand years, the world has rewarded masculine ways of being and punished feminine ways. But that world is changing rapidly; the patriarchy is in its end times. LiYana Silver’s new book shows the way forward to a future in which feminine wisdom is appreciated, respected, and rewarded just as much as masculine wisdom. Feminine Genius is an important roadmap towards success in a post-patriarchal world.” —Michael Ellsberg, author of The Education of Millionaires and coauthor of The Last Safe Investment

“LiYana Silver's words are not just another theory or rote neo-goddess dogma. Feminine Genius is a living, authentic, embodied oracle for any woman who truly desires to live her fullest, most sovereign self.” —Dr. Saida Désilets, women’s empowerment coach and author of Emergence of the Sensual Woman (SaidaDesilets.com)

“Articulate, insightful, and compassionate, LiYana’s deep feminine wisdom will illuminate your path to living a turned-on life. She’s a wise guide who will inspire and encourage you to discover your own Feminine Genius.” —Sheri Winston, Wholistic Sexuality™ teacher and author of Women's Anatomy of Arousal and Succulent SexCraft (IntimateArtsCenter.com)

“Feminine Genius is a delectable treat with an extra helping of smart sauce in a flambé of raw truth. It delivers the deep nourishment our collective feminine spirit is so hungry for. It’s been my privilege to see firsthand how LiYana walks her talk with the utmost integrity. This book is a reflection of her capacity to shine that light—vibrating with Shakti, sensuality, unflinching honesty, and fierce love.” —Lisa Schrader, women’s sacred sensuality coach, author of Kama Sutra 52: A Year’s Worth of the Best Positions for Passion and Pleasure, and founder of AwakeningShakti.com

“Read the book Feminine Genius and you'll discover that LiYana Silver has been quietly living the all-too-common and frequently painful experience of woman so she could write the words we each need to hear and lay down the truth with such elegance and artistry that all who read it will blossom into the women we are longing to become. It's rare to say about a ‘self-help’ style book, but it's truly breathtaking.” —Alexis Neely, family wealth lawyer, mom, and founder of New Law Business Model & Eyes Wide Open Life

“From shadow to light, LiYana navigates the complexity of modern, patriarchal life to make room for the Sacred Feminine in us all—a genius the world cannot survive without. Jump on this train and let the spiral begin!” —Chantal Pierrat, founder of Emerging Women

“This book is exactly what women need to remember who we are and how to access our unique genius. And this unique brand of genius is exactly what the world needs right now, too. This book is brilliant and right on time.” —Kate Northrup, bestselling author of Money: A Love Story

“This book is a must for anyone (men, too) on a path to wake up, be fully human, and find the magic of being fully alive. LiYana offers a clear path—with joy, pleasure, and juiciness—to remembering the Divine Feminine in all of us. She offers us stories, exercises, humor, and a bright shiny mirror into the depths of our feminine souls aching to be seen and loved. What a loving gift LiYana has given us in this radical, articulate, wise, and boldly true practice of cultivating our Feminine Genius. I know that as more of us embrace the deep wisdom in this book, the more our species will heal and the more our culture will be in balance.” —Mary Waldner, LMFT, cofounder and Chief Consciousness Officer at Mary’s Gone Crackers®

“Feminine Genius is one of the most potent books I’ve ever read. LiYana Silver is a master of metaphor and teaches women the lessons we critically need to learn to feel healthy and whole in an unforgettable, soul-wrenching way. Her writing is a soothing and energizing antidote to the toxic conditioning of our patriarchal culture. All I wanted to do was stay home and read it from cover to cover! I recommend every woman do the same.” —Jena la Flamme, author of Pleasurable Weight Loss: The Secrets to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Loving Your Life Today (jenalaflamme.com)

“Feminine Genius is a wake-up call for women. It touches upon our deepest places of shame and hope—our bodies, feelings, sexuality, intuition, spirituality, and womanhood—and shows us how what we thought were our greatest liabilities are actually some of our greatest strengths.

We as women still need help to feel less crazy as we walk the path of the messiness and the magic of life. Feminine Genius gives us useful tools to change what is no longer working. It also shows us how to give up the Inner Mean Girl crazy-making of constant self-improvement and simply become truly happy and fully ourselves right now.

Devour its pages and feel yourself shine brighter. And then, as quickly as you can, introduce this book to all the women you love.” —Amy Ahlers, founder of Mama Truth Circle, author of Big Fat Lies Women Tell Themselves, and coauthor of Reform Your Inner Mean Girl

“What LiYana has created here is a path back to your feminine identity. Reading each chapter, you will be able to name and claim a piece of yourself that may have gotten lost in masculine culture. Doing this process will put you back in your body so you can navigate through your life with your voice, your soul, your desire, and your joy as your compass. An important spiritual feminist read.” —Alisa Vitti, author of WomanCode: Perfect Your Cycle, Amplify Your Fertility, Supercharge Your Sex Drive, and Become a Power Source and founder of FLOliving.com

“With delicious candor and well-earned womanly wisdom, LiYana Silver will guide you home to your Feminine Genius. Like a sage and sassy girlfriend, she'll help you navigate both the darkest and the brightest corners of your inner landscape. If you're wondering how to embrace the unique twists and turns of your own initiation into Womanhood, Feminine Genius offers invaluable support.” —Sara Avant Stover, author of The Way of the Happy Woman and The Book of SHE: Your Heroine's Journey into the Heart of Feminine Power

From the Publisher