What is liberation for women today? In our landmark issue on women, we asked this simple question to twenty-four extraordinary women, from feminists and social critics to scholars and cultural philosophers, in an attempt to gauge the pulse of women’s consciousness. We also spoke to two well-known spiritual teachers, and this week’s featured audio includes their inspired pleas—addressed especially to women but ultimately of universal relevance—about the urgency of awakening to our deepest and highest potential.

Ma Jaya Sati Bhagavati is an American-born guru and global humanitarian committed to helping the homeless, the poor, and people with AIDS. As Ma Jaya explains to WIE editor Jessica Roemischer, in her teaching, service is central to the spiritual life, and it is through liberating another human being from pain that one can achieve liberation for oneself.

Mirabai Devi is a passionate voice on behalf of the divine feminine and a mentor to thousands of spiritual seekers. Her message of empowerment calls women to acknowledge a deeper source of spiritual strength within themselves and to step forward as leaders in a world in desperate need of change.

Listen to more women’s voices in Part Two of this series.

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