The Woman Within International Ltd (WWIL) Presidential Necklace ...

created in 2008, was given to the current president at the Wisdom Gathering in August to hold as a symbol of her office.  It will be passed from president to president.

The shorter inner strand represents the core of the Woman Within organization …

… the rose as the central focus, and all it symbolizes for WWIL – the program itself and the healing that unfolds – and it can also represent the presidential position as the official spokesperson for the organization

… the blue beads represent the thorns that the rose may need for protection at times

… the silver roses on either side represent the Executive Committee

… the clear beads represent the clarity the leadership needs to guide the organization

The second strand represents the current full WWIL board of nine women, each different, each bringing their own unique gifts, talents, expertise, love of the organization into their leadership position.  These “dancing women” are modeled after the dancing woman on our brochure.  These “dancing women” dance beautifully together in their service, sometimes going in different directions, all with the best intentions of WWIL in mind and heart.  Again, the clear beads on either side represent the clarity each woman needs to guide her committee / group / mandate forward.

The third strand represents the regions and the Weekend Leaders …

… again the clear beads representing clarity for each

… the larger butterflies represent each of the five regions as well as one for Outreach.  Each butterfly is different just as each region is different with varying needs, geographies, cultures, etc.   The larger butterflies represent that the regional centers play an important role in actual service to the communities of women. 

… the pink crystal butterflies represent the Weekend Leaders.   They are the uniform link between regions, the quality control for the program from one region to the next – the “sameness” that crosses all boundaries in the healing of women.  And of course, the pink symbolizes the main colour used by WWIL in our marketing, our supplies, etc. 

Butterflies were chosen for both the regions and the Weekend Leaders because the butterfly is another key symbol for the work we do … remember the cards on each dining room table at your weekend?

How does one

become a butterfly?

You must want to fly so much …

That you are willing to

give up being a caterpillar!!!

The butterfly was also chosen because this organization becomes a caterpillar, then a butterfly, then a caterpillar, then a butterfly each time it experiences a metamorphosis due to personnel changes on boards, programming changes, new outreach projects, etc.  

The fourth and final strand represents the entire WW community …

… the multi colored beads of varying sizes and shapes represent the diversity of the women we serve, gather together, walk beside, heal.

… the roses and leaves among these diversified beads represent the women who will step forward from this group and become the next leaders of the organization, moving from the outer strand to the inner strands.

… our website and our brochure both have falling leaves throughout and this theme was woven into our presidential necklace as well.

… in the center of the final strand is the Executive Administrator position … a woman who serves both the community and the leadership … a liaison between both …. she is not “the” heart and soul of the organization … she is only one of thousands … she is a woman who can touch the hearts of many. 

… and who better to pull it all together than mother earth? … the wooden beads represent our connection to her … her strength, her beauty, her roots, her endurance. 

It is a custom that beads are given to the attendees of every Woman Within workshop or gathering.  For the 2008 Wisdom Gathering, the beads given to each attendee have a connection to this necklace.  The beads for the “general” attendees are butterflies similar to the regional beads, not quite as large.  The beads given to the WWIL board have a connection also … they are butterfly on one side and rose on the other.