"Jennifer embraces the re-emergence of the feminine divine as the siren-call for conscious living. This book is the new Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for our times. It's a simple process and a light-hearted adventure; a motocyclist's litany of how to get on and out into your personal open road." Steve Simon, renowned clinical psychologist & motorcycle enthusiast "When you're ready to toss your GPS out the window, pick up Bair's book. Raw road wisdom for the wman who dares to dive deep, it's soul geography from the biker's eye view. Don your chaps and helmet, pack lightly, and prepare for the ride of your life." Amara Rose, author of What Shines: Practical Wisdom for Unleashing Your Inner Brilliance, and LiveYourLight.com Please try the companion Audio CD or MP3 download OPEN ROAD SERIES Presents The Goddess Sings: An Audio Workbook & Music Available through www.jenniferbairpresents.com ask for it in fine book/CD sellers in the USA, Canada & UK Join the conversation www.facebook.com/openroadseries

Open Road: A Goddess-Biker Guidebook

Find Your True Self, Create a Bold & Soulful LifeBy Jennifer Bair

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2010 Jennifer Bair
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4520-2158-4

Contents

Part One: Know Your Bike Message of The Spiritual Age.........................................Page 1Part Two: Learning To Ride - Becoming A Seeker of Personal Truth..............................Page 37Part Three: On The Road - Holding The New Vision..............................................Page 59Part Four: The Swap Meet - Shadow Journey with Your Spirit Animal Helpers.....................Page 89Part Five: The Women's-Only Run - Discoveries At The Fork In The Road.........................Page 137

Chapter One

PART ONE

Know Your Bike - Message of the Spiritual Age

"We're seeing an accelerating change in our collective consciousness that will change the way we walk on the earth." Ram Dass

You are curious. You are in pursuit of happiness. You like motorcycles. You may even be obsessed, overwhelmed by the nuances of biker-babedom and the longings that seem fulfilled and carried like the plethora of dirty patches sewn onto these men and women's leather and denim. Perhaps you ride your own bike, after years of waiting on the sidelines, at the curb-waiting for some guy's eye to fall upon you and give the signal for entrance into this clich-demonized testosterone-driven domain of motorcycle mamma lifestyle. You stand on the sidewalk, secretly hoping to straddle your own steaming, revving, shiny icon of power and lust and freedom of the road and every tight-assed convention you've ever had the pain and pleasure of breaking.

Even if you've never ridden, never had a motorcycle in your family, you'll dig this adventure of self-discovery dressed in sexy chrome and leather. Let go of all the preconceived notions about truth and enlightenment and who the hell you want to be after you've impressed the guru of the month. And, get down to the question that haunts us all. How do we recognize and nurture our true nature without catching the flue of convention and closed-mindedness of a tried and true new age chick! Don't get me wrong, I like the fact that you may have already found your inner Goddess and swell with pride at every women's group meeting and new book signing at the local feminist mysticism and Wicca shoppe. But this book is about riding over all this with the pedal down, stroking through the hard surfaces of scientism and believing that you too can take on this chrome and leather beast, strap it on and ride, baby, ride.

Like any good rider of life, you want to be prepared. Part of that preparation is paying attention to your journey inside. Then you can check out what people are riding and saying about choosing the right bike. Your journey inside begins with a brief history of how spirituality has been part of humanity's journey. So, have a seat, open your heart, and begin!

Every age is the spiritual age. Humankind has revealed to each other the idea of our interconnectiveness to something bigger than ourselves from the first cave paintings dating from the early Paleolithic era to present day. Spirit can be defined simply has the breath, the thinking, motivating part of human courage, vigor and purpose. It also implies an energetic life force that is distinguishable from the body or material matters. This is referred to in all major religions as the soul, the inner body, spiritual path above the survival instincts of life sustenance and procreation. In a nutshell, the soul moves us from inanimate to animate and beyond.

SNAPSHOT Meet an Old-School Goddess-Biker

SUNSHINE

Two hundred shiny big-ass motorcycles were now gathered in the dealership parking lot and even more kept thundering down the street to join the Harley dealer sponsored mystery run. The quarter-acre parking lot now had twenty thousand-dollar motorcycles parked three rows deep, an army of kindred spirits in black leather jackets. My riding partner saw Sunshine drive her Harley into the lot, nudged me in the ribs and said that if I didn't interview her, I was a dumb-ass. Then he walked away laughing about how he writes novels, doesn't have to interview any damn body, and I was the writer on assignment here so get to it.

People stood still, some just staring, others waving hello and a nod of approval as Sunshine pulled into the parking lot and swiftly, skillfully, backed her steel steed into a tight slot between the other bikes. The vanilla and red striped paint job on her bodacious, full-dressed Harley wasn't the only thing of unique beauty and wild biker essence about her. The bike was decorated like a single woman's boudoir: A teddy bear wearing a tattered black lace top, Mardi Gras beads of green, yellow, red and silver, bailing twine and time straddled the tombstone taillight. More beads, hair accessories and clothing wound around the handlebars and hanging out from the saddlebags, like a typical messy bedroom.

The crowd around her bike thickened as she took off the tiniest peapod helmet I had ever seen, her flowing silver hair dashing like a waving mane onto the seat of the bike as the ox blood fringes mingled with strays from her handlebars and saddlebags. She smiled with an air of confidence and danger tasted and spit out like a cheap cigar.

Everyone had to either respect her trip or get out of her way as Sunshine dismounted in her silver lame cardigan jacket, purple leather pants that ended with matching purple boots adorned with silver and once black ankle bracelets and a harness strap with a gleaming silver spur on her right side. Other women made a path around her and men looked with a mixture of pride, respect and a little fear as she barreled her way down the middle of the lot, waving to familiar waves, a walk of someone on a mission with a wildness of spirit assured with time and experience. She took off the jacket and threw it carelessly over the seat, helmet on top. She had neither sunglasses nor gloves on. Her bare arms were stories in faded colored ink tattoos that barely registered but told a powerful history nonetheless.

I thought to myself, I will never be able to get an interview-she's intimidating. She's a queen of the road and I'm just another wanna-be. But my passion for the story untold was bigger than my petty insecurities about my own shit. Unwavering belief and bravado turned her eye. I caught up with her and continued to walk side by side as I spoke. "Hey, how's it going? How long have you been riding?"

"57 years" she said in a loud voice, stopping in the middle of her mission, legs spread, hands on hips. "Who are you? I've seen you taking pictures and asking questions. You a cop or something?"

I had my legs planted as firmly as possible as I replied, "I'm writing a book about women and bikes and life experience. It's called OPEN ROAD: A Biker Goddess Guidebook."

I felt the moment turn from suspicion to acceptance. With a grin, she threw her head back, swishing her long mane from side to side. She motioned for me to continue walking with her. We did. No one interrupted us. She looked sideways at me with an accustomed squint. Then this leathery mistress broke into a raucous laugh, revealing two rows of brown weathered choppers-not quite up to the massive tri-tip barbecue planned for the crowd today. But her story, now that was the main course!

"40 years...