At the Solstice Table
What one woman’s urban farm reveals about matriarchy, patriarchy, and a different kind of leadership
• April 2026 •
The Meeting of a Matriarch
This month, I took a trip to Portland, Oregon where I met my first Modern Matriarch.
I’d never visited Portland before, which is kind of a problem when you’re planning a cross-country move to the city in Julie!
After spending many hours stalking Apartments.com in search for housing, I decided it would be better to visit the city to find housing and get a lay of the land.
But then I had another idea.
I’ve come to realize that, while society puts a lot of stock in money being the key resource to insulate us from the Great Unknowns of life, there is an equally (if not more) potent and reliable source of insurance: community.
So, I reached out to my dearest friends asking if they had any connections for me in Portland.
Wouldn’t you know it, Chelsea Henderson, my best friend, business partner and co-founder of Modern Sacred had a deep, lifelong connection for me in my new city.
Hence how I met Julie.
The Renaissance Woman
Julie is what I would call a Renaissance Woman — a play on the term of Renaissance Man — meaning, “A person who has a wide array of interests, is knowledgeable and accomplished in many fields”.
Julie not only has advanced degrees in civil engineering, but is also a highly skilled massage therapist and has been a registered nurse specializing in wound care for over 25 years.
She summits Mount St. Helens every year on her birthday — even now, into her mid 60’s.
She builds tree houses and zip-lines for her grandchildren, without putting single nail into the tree itself…still can’t wrap my head around that one!
Julie routinely scales the exterior walls of her 1940’s chimney, using nothing but the rustic clinker bricks as handholds.
She sings in a local choir, wields a chainsaw and makes little gnome fairy villages with her grandchildren.
She knows how to brew beer, ferment wine and has been making her own kombucha since before it was cool.
So, yeah, I’m obsessed.
On top of all this, Julie lives on an acre of land outside of Portland where she tends to her urban farm in her free time.
The Multiverse of Julie’s Urban Farm
Stepping upon the rich, dark soil of Julie’s backyard urban farm was like stepping into another dimension.
A dimension where the heaviness, fear and scarcity running rampant on social media and the world at large seemed to melt away into an oasis of abundance and reciprocity with the land.
My feet danced along paths of burlap bags five layers deep, laid down over many years and absorbed into the damp earth of the Pacific Northwest.
My ankles wove through fig, kiwi, pear, and apple trees as my calves grazed the tender April buds of blueberry, blackberry, serviceberry and kiwi berry scrubs.
My lips sipped on tart homemade plum wine — harvested, mashed and fermented in the cellar just a few yards from the plum tree who mothered the fruit.
My fingertips grazed the multi-year layers of bees wax spilled on her Great Table, where countless Solstice ceremonial candles had been poured to commemorate the change of seasons.
I sat, sipped and bathed myself in Julie’s stories of mountains climbed, ‘wusbands’ loved and left, and of children reared on watercolors, natural fibers and Greek plays enacted purely on memorization.
And the best part? Julie’s is far from finished building her life.
My spirit danced in the visions of Julie’s urban retreat center — of expanded gardens, simple lodgings, an added sweat lodge (designed and drawn by herself, of course) and of a large gathering table made from the reclaimed wood of the original barn doors found on her property — so that all might sit at the same table and share a meal under the Cedar trees.
I felt so deeply mothered, protected, invited and inspired— plus a strong pull to pledge my sweat and support to the dreams and direction of this 60-something woman I’d only just met.
This is the wonderful world of Matriarchy.
Where do I sign?
What is Matriarchy?
A matriarchy is not just a female leader, it is a completely different way of leading that embodies feminine, mother-centered and collective values:
A matriarchy is a social structure with mothers and children at the center.
The reality that every human being originates from a mother, that everyone was once a child, is reflected in the cultural norms of a matriarchal society.
The Greek word -arche has a second meaning: “beginning”, as in “archeology” or “archetype”. Matriarchy literally translates to “mother beginning”.
In a matriarchy, there is no top or hierarchy, only an inclusive circle where everyone’s needs are met. Matriarchal systems create matriarchal values, which are at the root of all liberated systems.
It’s not everyday that you run into a Modern Matriarch like Julie, and I feel so blessed to have an abundance of friends and connections that continue to grow and weave a web of safety, connection and meaning into my life.
This is also a mark of matriarchy.
Matriarchy is about collaboration, not competition.
Matriarchy reflects the essence of Mother Earth: interdependence and abundance. Here at Modern Sacred, we are building a place for the modern woman to rest in the sacred structure of a collaborative, noncompetitive matriarchal community. Not a triangulated space of hierarchal competition or comparison, but a circular space of generosity, reciprocity and community.
Ways to Engage with Modern Matriarchy
1. Join the Modern Sacred Membership!
We are thrilled to announce the official launch of our Modern Sacred Membership!
What’s included:
The Resource Library: A curated collection of embodiment resources for the Modern Woman.
Grounding meditations to soothe and regulate your nervous system
Waking meditations to accompany your grocery shopping, commuting and other daily tasks with presence
e-Books, Spotify Playlists, PDF downloads, guidebooks and journal prompts
And more on its way!
Modern Sacred Live Events
Members get access to our monthly WITNESSED Circle — a space to see and be seen without fixing, advising or coaching.
Discounts on special workshops with guests on a range of topics from Perimenopause, Ayurveda for Women and AI use as embodied women.
Ability to download the Modern Sacred Google Calendar to see special events in your native calendar app.
2. Join an Upcoming Events!
Join us for another Modern Sacred Supper Club!
$52.00
This season we will be hosting our Goddess Dinner Supper Club Pool Party - style!
The menu will be a seasonal offering of fresh vegetarian delights and is included in your registration. We will party like only women can, while also engaging in ritual and embodiment practices throughout the evening — all POOLSIDE!
July 25th, from 3p-7p
This event will be hosted in Broomfield, CO. Space is limited.
Join Modern Sacred and Purposely Digital as we collaborate and learn from AI ethics expert Sarah E. Carter, PhD.
Learn how to use technology with intention in our modern age and build a toolkit with practical tips for living safe and well in an increasingly technological world.
June 11th, from 10-11:30am MST
This event will be hosted virtually.
3. Listen to the Modern Sacred Podcast
This month, we released two bangers of episodes — click on the images below to be taken to the episode or you can listen to the Modern Sacred Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube.
We hope to see you soon!
With love and abundance,
Abby
What a great experience for you with Julie....life on the west coast.....offers so much. If you need a place to stay I can connect you with my sister in law that owns several properties and she may have an opening that works. Just let me know.