Last week four of us from my women's group (see - women's culture) went on an outing. As we drove up the coast we marveled at the fact that we had been meeting most weeks for over four years, had laughed, cried, danced, meditated and shared our deepest hearts with one another - but we had never indulged in the quintessential feminine spiritual practice of shopping!
It was time to turn that one around!
Just the presence of four women dedicated to shopping seemed to make people happy. 'Are you girls all shopping together?' asked the angel at the checkout of the first store delightedly, and with very little prompting proceeded to give us fabulous advice on the best places to visit next.
Her suggestions were spot on. If there is one thing that makes women happier than great new clothes - it's great new clothes at bargain prices. When we hit the factory outlet stores unkind observers might have described it as a feeding frenzy. But the astute on-looker would have been able to see that they were witnessing a religious experience. Great joy was all around.
The best part about shopping with girlfriends is that the sisterhood is greater than the sum of the parts. We all returned with at least one item we would never have found or tried on, let alone bought if it hadn't been for the others. My enduring memory will be the expression on my friend's faces as I put on a particular cream lace jacket. Before I turned to look in the mirror I new I would have to buy this item.
Mirrors can distort, my own perception can be very critical ..... but the eyes of my sisters don't lie.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Wednesday, July 20, 2005
Aging gracefully?
I think humour is the answer - especially the ability to laugh at yourself!
Inside every older person is a younger person -- wondering what the hell happened.
-Cora Harvey Armstrong
The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.
-Helen Hayes (at 73)
I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows.
-Janette Barber
Old age ain't no place for sissies.
-Bette Davis
Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
-Caryn Leschen
I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.
-Jennifer Unlimited
Inside every older person is a younger person -- wondering what the hell happened.
-Cora Harvey Armstrong
The hardest years in life are those between ten and seventy.
-Helen Hayes (at 73)
I refuse to think of them as chin hairs. I think of them as stray eyebrows.
-Janette Barber
Old age ain't no place for sissies.
-Bette Davis
Thirty-five is when you finally get your head together and your body starts falling apart.
-Caryn Leschen
I try to take one day at a time -- but sometimes several days attack me at once.
-Jennifer Unlimited
Monday, July 18, 2005
Holiday fun with a young scientist
It has been school holidays here in australia and I have been enjoying some quality time with my son. One of our favorite holiday activities has been carrying out experiments from a science experiment booklet that I downloaded from the net.
Our best experiment so far was one in which we used a piece of ordinary paper to seal the top of a full bottle of water and then were able to turn the bottle upside down without spilling a drop! The mileage we gained impressing friends and family from that experiment alone was easily worth the $9.95 and there are 99 other experiments in the book.
More information for budding scientists.
A self portrait of my young scientist!
Our best experiment so far was one in which we used a piece of ordinary paper to seal the top of a full bottle of water and then were able to turn the bottle upside down without spilling a drop! The mileage we gained impressing friends and family from that experiment alone was easily worth the $9.95 and there are 99 other experiments in the book.
More information for budding scientists.A self portrait of my young scientist!
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Cooking by osmosis
Do you ever come out of a movie and still feel as if you are in the story? Yesterday I went to see Mr & Mrs for a bit of eye candy and some light relief and found myself wondering if the car would blow up when I put the key in the lock to go home! I even get it with good books.
Actually it can happen whenever I immerse myself in something. Recently I have been working on a web site for vegetarian chef and recipe book author, Nadine Abensur. I have been so absorbed in Nadine's world, and in particular her recipes and lifestyle, that I swear my cooking has improved. I whizz around the kitchen being a gourmet vegetarian chef with delectable results. Maybe it all comes down to attitude.
I am also totally in love with the way Nadine writes. She lent me a copy of one of her books "The Cranks Bible" and I keep "forgetting" to give it back. How can you resist someone who talks about onions with this sort of passion ...
"White onions have an almost unbelievable sweetness to them and so are not as sharp as regular onions, though still unmistakably, tear-jerkingly pure onion."
White onion tart with parmesan
or confesses ...
"I have an unending passion for fennel. Even here, where it is covered in cream, I feel sure that its digestive properties shine through. "
Braised Fennel Gratin
and lays it on the line ...
"There is a mantra that those of us who ever did home economics (was there ever a more alienating name for the art of cooking?) at school were taught - pastry equals half fat to flour. Mediocre pastry perhaps. Good pastry equals at least 60 per cent fat to flour. Now that's worth getting your fingers sticky for."
Nadine's Pecan Pie
Actually it can happen whenever I immerse myself in something. Recently I have been working on a web site for vegetarian chef and recipe book author, Nadine Abensur. I have been so absorbed in Nadine's world, and in particular her recipes and lifestyle, that I swear my cooking has improved. I whizz around the kitchen being a gourmet vegetarian chef with delectable results. Maybe it all comes down to attitude.
I am also totally in love with the way Nadine writes. She lent me a copy of one of her books "The Cranks Bible" and I keep "forgetting" to give it back. How can you resist someone who talks about onions with this sort of passion ...
"White onions have an almost unbelievable sweetness to them and so are not as sharp as regular onions, though still unmistakably, tear-jerkingly pure onion."
White onion tart with parmesan
or confesses ...
"I have an unending passion for fennel. Even here, where it is covered in cream, I feel sure that its digestive properties shine through. "
Braised Fennel Gratin
and lays it on the line ...
"There is a mantra that those of us who ever did home economics (was there ever a more alienating name for the art of cooking?) at school were taught - pastry equals half fat to flour. Mediocre pastry perhaps. Good pastry equals at least 60 per cent fat to flour. Now that's worth getting your fingers sticky for."
Nadine's Pecan Pie
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Different views on menopause
I adore this article - Black Women's Views on Menopause Different
by Daniel J. DeNoon.
In a study of 43 black women in two cities experiencing menopause symptoms most of them said their best sources of information about menopause didn't come from doctors or nurses.
They put great stock in how their mothers or other older women in their communities had managed menopause symptoms.
It's not that the women didn't trust doctors. The doctors, it seems, simply weren't on the same page.
Is it a page or a paradigm baby?
What a blessing that these women have still got (some) women's culture.
The researchers go on to talk about a symptom of menopause that the women in the study described as a 'rage'
"The women said they had taken enough and had earned the right to be respected and treated well and not have to take 'crap' from others anymore," Alexander and Ruff note. "But frequently rude or irreverent treatment by others was experienced, and this produced a 'rage' in the women."
Go Grumpy Old Women!
The black women in the study were very reluctant to treat their menopause symptoms with hormone therapy. Instead, the women seemed to prefer nondrug menopause treatments such as changes in clothing, diet, and exercise; alternative/complementary therapies; and prayer and spirituality.
Why now sista's - them's some darn sensible ideas!
by Daniel J. DeNoon.
In a study of 43 black women in two cities experiencing menopause symptoms most of them said their best sources of information about menopause didn't come from doctors or nurses.
They put great stock in how their mothers or other older women in their communities had managed menopause symptoms.
It's not that the women didn't trust doctors. The doctors, it seems, simply weren't on the same page.
Is it a page or a paradigm baby?
What a blessing that these women have still got (some) women's culture.
The researchers go on to talk about a symptom of menopause that the women in the study described as a 'rage'
"The women said they had taken enough and had earned the right to be respected and treated well and not have to take 'crap' from others anymore," Alexander and Ruff note. "But frequently rude or irreverent treatment by others was experienced, and this produced a 'rage' in the women."
Go Grumpy Old Women!
The black women in the study were very reluctant to treat their menopause symptoms with hormone therapy. Instead, the women seemed to prefer nondrug menopause treatments such as changes in clothing, diet, and exercise; alternative/complementary therapies; and prayer and spirituality.
Why now sista's - them's some darn sensible ideas!
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Herbal commentary from wise woman Susan Weed
In view of the threat posed by Codex Alimentarius on our access to natural healing resources I believe it is wise to inform ourselves as much as possible about herbal lore and wisdom. Susun Weed is an excellent authority in this area. Here are some tips from her newsletter. If you live nearby you could even drop in.
"With summer solstice in the past, the days grow shorter, though the heat increases. I enjoyed some purslane -- one of my favorite wild greens -- this morning with my eggs. Which made me remember my daughter's delight in
growing and eating purslane when she was young. Lots of you eat your purslane, but have you ever used it to soothe bee stings, bug bites, and sunburned skin. It works great.
The cronewort (Artemisia vulgaris) is getting out of hand in my garden, just like she does every year, that wild old woman. Join me on Saturday July 23 for Amazing Artemisias, a class devoted to her and her amazing sisters: wormwood, tarragon, sagebrush, sweet annie, and southernwood. I'll even send you home with your choice of some dried cronewort (to use as smudge or in a dreampillow), or a cronewort root to take home and plant in your garden.
Our moonlodge this month is on July 22, the day after the full moon. How special that will be. Come sing and dance and share women's power with me and the apprentices. We'll be the ones on our knees harvesting purslane and smiling."
Check out more in the July edition of Susan's ezine Weed Wanderings
Contents include
Healing Wise: Plantain: First Aid in Your Backyard by Corinna Wood
Mother & Child: Shamanic Midwifery part 2 by Jeannine Parvati Baker
Your Intuitive Dreams: The Color Orange by sHEALy
Empower Yourself: Traditional Diets part 2 by Sally Fallon
Wise Woman Wisdom: An Herbalist’s Notebook part 1 by Robin Rose Bennett
Anti-Cancer Lifestyle: Splenda (Sucralose) by Dr. Carolyn Dean
Goddess Speaks: What is Sacred by Waynonaha
"With summer solstice in the past, the days grow shorter, though the heat increases. I enjoyed some purslane -- one of my favorite wild greens -- this morning with my eggs. Which made me remember my daughter's delight in
growing and eating purslane when she was young. Lots of you eat your purslane, but have you ever used it to soothe bee stings, bug bites, and sunburned skin. It works great.
The cronewort (Artemisia vulgaris) is getting out of hand in my garden, just like she does every year, that wild old woman. Join me on Saturday July 23 for Amazing Artemisias, a class devoted to her and her amazing sisters: wormwood, tarragon, sagebrush, sweet annie, and southernwood. I'll even send you home with your choice of some dried cronewort (to use as smudge or in a dreampillow), or a cronewort root to take home and plant in your garden.
Our moonlodge this month is on July 22, the day after the full moon. How special that will be. Come sing and dance and share women's power with me and the apprentices. We'll be the ones on our knees harvesting purslane and smiling."
Check out more in the July edition of Susan's ezine Weed Wanderings
Contents include
Healing Wise: Plantain: First Aid in Your Backyard by Corinna Wood
Mother & Child: Shamanic Midwifery part 2 by Jeannine Parvati Baker
Your Intuitive Dreams: The Color Orange by sHEALy
Empower Yourself: Traditional Diets part 2 by Sally Fallon
Wise Woman Wisdom: An Herbalist’s Notebook part 1 by Robin Rose Bennett
Anti-Cancer Lifestyle: Splenda (Sucralose) by Dr. Carolyn Dean
Goddess Speaks: What is Sacred by Waynonaha
Friday, July 01, 2005
Lost in translation
Just for a bit of light relief (which I need it after wading through thigh high water yesterday!!) check out Lost in translation which uses the Altavista translation software to translate your phrase back and forth between five languages.
I tried it with "I love you" and it returned me "Master to him"!?
I tried it with "I love you" and it returned me "Master to him"!?
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Flood!
Yikes - flood water has reached the second step at my back door. I might have to head for higher ground.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Environmental responsibility - you can do something right now!
Using calculators designed by former CSIRO scientist Joel Fleming, a new Australian company, Climate Friendly, measures how much greenhouse gas an individual or a business emits every year and invests in clean energy projects on their behalf. The green investments – including wind farms and shower head exchange programs – save as much
greenhouse gas as the sponsor is emitting, effectively neutralising any overall damage to the climate.
“Carbon dioxide emissions from our homes, businesses, flying and cars are slowly raising the world’s temperature,” says climate friendly director Madeleine Lyons. “Global warming has led to more floods, droughts and other extreme weather events, and the endangering of species including polar bears, coral reefs and butterflies.”
More information
Global warming - Early warning signs
World wildlife fund
A lot of people say they care about climate change, but they don’t know what to do about it. Instead of waiting for governments to cut growing greenhouse emissions we can now take the matter into our own hands. Even if you don't live in Australia (where Climate Friendly are based) you can still take part, and support our planet by making your home and your business carbon neutral.
via Mitra
greenhouse gas as the sponsor is emitting, effectively neutralising any overall damage to the climate.
“Carbon dioxide emissions from our homes, businesses, flying and cars are slowly raising the world’s temperature,” says climate friendly director Madeleine Lyons. “Global warming has led to more floods, droughts and other extreme weather events, and the endangering of species including polar bears, coral reefs and butterflies.”
More information
Global warming - Early warning signs
World wildlife fund
A lot of people say they care about climate change, but they don’t know what to do about it. Instead of waiting for governments to cut growing greenhouse emissions we can now take the matter into our own hands. Even if you don't live in Australia (where Climate Friendly are based) you can still take part, and support our planet by making your home and your business carbon neutral.
via Mitra
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Turn your brain off to orgasm
Women may be able to fool their partners by faking an orgasm but a brain scanner will catch them out every time, according to a report presented to the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology. Researchers analyzed the different parts of the male and female brain that are activated and deactivated during sexual stimulation.
When women genuinely achieved an orgasm, areas of the brain involved in fear and emotion were deactivated. Those areas stayed alert however when women were faking it. The researchers also found that the cortex, which is linked with consciousness, is active during a fake orgasm but not during the real thing.
"The deactivation of these very important parts of the brain might be the most important thing necessary to have an orgasm," said Holstege. "It means that if you are fearful or at a very high level of anxiety, then it is very difficult to have sex because you really have to let yourself go," he added.
The researchers found less deactivation in the males in the areas of the brain linked to emotion and fear when they were sexually stimulated.
Complete article by Patricia Reaney
When women genuinely achieved an orgasm, areas of the brain involved in fear and emotion were deactivated. Those areas stayed alert however when women were faking it. The researchers also found that the cortex, which is linked with consciousness, is active during a fake orgasm but not during the real thing.
"The deactivation of these very important parts of the brain might be the most important thing necessary to have an orgasm," said Holstege. "It means that if you are fearful or at a very high level of anxiety, then it is very difficult to have sex because you really have to let yourself go," he added.
The researchers found less deactivation in the males in the areas of the brain linked to emotion and fear when they were sexually stimulated.
Complete article by Patricia Reaney
The Goddess Test
According to the The Mythological Goddess Test that I found on my surf for all things feminine, goddess-like and generally woman related,
I am
66% erudite, 87% sensual, 58% martial, and 33% saturnine.
(I thought percentages were supposed to add up to 100?)
and therefore have the attributes of the goddess Isis
"This Egyptian supreme Goddess is certainly the most influential deity on subsequent cultures. She was the ideal figure of womanhood, usually compared with the Greek Goddess Demeter or her Roman version, Ceres.
Isis was one element of a Holy Trinity, the remaining two figures being her brother and husband Osiris and their heroic son Horus. She was the Goddess of Magic for her brilliance, as well as the Goddess of Love because of her tenacious devotion.
She is often shown with wings, curving to caress coffins and sarcophagi of many a king. In certain papyri she is shown with her falcon wing headdress, covering her ears. One of her sacred symbols is the sistrum, a musical instrument that was believed to ward off evil spirits. Isis' sistrum was carved bearing the image of a cat and was representative of the Moon.
Isis was the High Priestess and an omnipotent magician as well as the only being ever to discover the secret name of Ra. She invariably carries the ankh, the symbol for eternal life. Her name is, by the rules of numerology, adding up to the number “2” and she just so happens to be depicted on the tarot card “Key 2 – The High Priestess”.
Mmmm?!
Rather flattering.
I might take that on!
I am
66% erudite, 87% sensual, 58% martial, and 33% saturnine.
(I thought percentages were supposed to add up to 100?)
and therefore have the attributes of the goddess Isis
"This Egyptian supreme Goddess is certainly the most influential deity on subsequent cultures. She was the ideal figure of womanhood, usually compared with the Greek Goddess Demeter or her Roman version, Ceres.
Isis was one element of a Holy Trinity, the remaining two figures being her brother and husband Osiris and their heroic son Horus. She was the Goddess of Magic for her brilliance, as well as the Goddess of Love because of her tenacious devotion.
She is often shown with wings, curving to caress coffins and sarcophagi of many a king. In certain papyri she is shown with her falcon wing headdress, covering her ears. One of her sacred symbols is the sistrum, a musical instrument that was believed to ward off evil spirits. Isis' sistrum was carved bearing the image of a cat and was representative of the Moon.
Isis was the High Priestess and an omnipotent magician as well as the only being ever to discover the secret name of Ra. She invariably carries the ankh, the symbol for eternal life. Her name is, by the rules of numerology, adding up to the number “2” and she just so happens to be depicted on the tarot card “Key 2 – The High Priestess”.
Mmmm?!
Rather flattering.
I might take that on!
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Coughing and Kegeling
I'm finally out of quarantine - yeah - but still coughing - boo!
Apparently even after the main bug (Bordella Pertussis) has died the little neuron-toxins that it has released stay hooked in your trachea and continue to irritate for some weeks. I'm taking demulcent herbs and all things smooth and slippery to help unhook the little nasties.
Meanwhile the coughing has given me a great opportunity to check how effective my Kegeling efforts have been since last winter.
I am one of the 1 in 3 women who experience urinary stress incontinence post child birth.
Urinary what?
Urinary stress incontinence
incontinence = not being able to contain or hold on to
urinary = pee
stress = well you know what stress is .. not the psychological kind but the physical kind e.g. pressure
Coughing does a great job of putting stress on the bladder.
And for us one in three that results, as often as not, in an annoying and potentially embarrassing 'loss'.
Which is where the Kegels come into it.
In the 1940's, gynecologist Arnold Kegel discovered that stronger pelvic floor muscles (PC or Pubococcygeus muscle) meant better bladder control for women.
He recommended exercising these muscles, hence contractions of the PC muscle are often called Kegels. One of the great side effects that women who did these exercises regularly discovered was an increase in pleasure during intercourse and for some their first orgasm.
Bonus!
I've been kegeling on and off for eight years since my son was born and it certainly takes more stress than it used to for me to lose control of my bladder. This latest bout of coughing has been fairly pee-free although I have had to resort to wearing my lovely planet friendly cloth pads on a few occasions.
Mmm. I can also report that my sexual pleasure has been steadily on the up although I haven't particularly thought until now to attribute that to my Kegeling efforts.
Recently I discovered a whole new take on Kegels ... but I'm afraid that is going to have to wait until another blog/day.
For more info see (among other places) http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/treatmentsuiwomen/
Also my new song Do The Kegel
Apparently even after the main bug (Bordella Pertussis) has died the little neuron-toxins that it has released stay hooked in your trachea and continue to irritate for some weeks. I'm taking demulcent herbs and all things smooth and slippery to help unhook the little nasties.
Meanwhile the coughing has given me a great opportunity to check how effective my Kegeling efforts have been since last winter.
I am one of the 1 in 3 women who experience urinary stress incontinence post child birth.
Urinary what?
Urinary stress incontinence
incontinence = not being able to contain or hold on to
urinary = pee
stress = well you know what stress is .. not the psychological kind but the physical kind e.g. pressure
Coughing does a great job of putting stress on the bladder.
And for us one in three that results, as often as not, in an annoying and potentially embarrassing 'loss'.
Which is where the Kegels come into it.
In the 1940's, gynecologist Arnold Kegel discovered that stronger pelvic floor muscles (PC or Pubococcygeus muscle) meant better bladder control for women.
He recommended exercising these muscles, hence contractions of the PC muscle are often called Kegels. One of the great side effects that women who did these exercises regularly discovered was an increase in pleasure during intercourse and for some their first orgasm.
Bonus!
I've been kegeling on and off for eight years since my son was born and it certainly takes more stress than it used to for me to lose control of my bladder. This latest bout of coughing has been fairly pee-free although I have had to resort to wearing my lovely planet friendly cloth pads on a few occasions.
Mmm. I can also report that my sexual pleasure has been steadily on the up although I haven't particularly thought until now to attribute that to my Kegeling efforts.
Recently I discovered a whole new take on Kegels ... but I'm afraid that is going to have to wait until another blog/day.
For more info see (among other places) http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/treatmentsuiwomen/
Also my new song Do The Kegel
Friday, June 17, 2005
The Minangkabau - a matrilineal culture
The Minangkabau ethnic group is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia.
According to wikipedia their culture is matrilineal, with property and land passing down from mother to daughter. Religious and political affairs however are the province of men!
Now that makes real sense to me.
Think about it. If you were creating your own society and you had to choose whether to base inheritance on masculine or feminine progeny (and you wanted a system with the least likelihood of arguments and difficulty), would you choose to try and identify the offspring of men or of women?
No, no, no - this woman is my mother not that woman!
Oops I made a mistake - actually I gave birth to that child but never realised it!
I don't think so!
We have adopted an old joke in the area where I live.
How do you define confusion?
Fathers day
in Mullumbimby.
According to wikipedia their culture is matrilineal, with property and land passing down from mother to daughter. Religious and political affairs however are the province of men!
Now that makes real sense to me.
Think about it. If you were creating your own society and you had to choose whether to base inheritance on masculine or feminine progeny (and you wanted a system with the least likelihood of arguments and difficulty), would you choose to try and identify the offspring of men or of women?
No, no, no - this woman is my mother not that woman!
Oops I made a mistake - actually I gave birth to that child but never realised it!
I don't think so!
We have adopted an old joke in the area where I live.
How do you define confusion?
Fathers day
in Mullumbimby.
Codex alimentarius - Still hunting witches?
Codex Alimentarius Commission?
Never heard of it?
You and most of the rest of the world.
It's worth starting to listen out.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in the early 1960s to set standards for food safety and to "harmonize" the laws of member nations.
"It was created to promote food safety in international trade. It is on the brink of becoming an Orwellian bureaucracy - far worse than the worst fantasies of the one-world conspiracy theories." Article by Henry Lamb
"Currently, compliance with the complicated and destructive regulations of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS is voluntary but can be enforced by trade sanctions imposed on the World Trade Organization. In July, 2005, these regulations will become mandatory for all WTO members ... once it gets here, it will be illegalto buy, sell, recommend or use any but 28 ultra-low dose nutrients, natural supplements, herbs, enzymes or other natural treatments whether you are a licensed health professional or not. The only legal health option left will be the pharmaceutical one." Health Warning: Codex Alimentarus is Coming
These regulations, which have been passed quietly and without effective public notice, have grave and devastating impact on health freedom. Here in Australia they have already been approved. Many valuable healing herbs are now restricted or illegal. A sinister subtle takeover.
A further attack on ... well ... nature.
And you thought witch hunting was over.
Health Supreme
www.evehillary.org
Never heard of it?
You and most of the rest of the world.
It's worth starting to listen out.
The Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization created the Codex Alimentarius Commission in the early 1960s to set standards for food safety and to "harmonize" the laws of member nations.
"It was created to promote food safety in international trade. It is on the brink of becoming an Orwellian bureaucracy - far worse than the worst fantasies of the one-world conspiracy theories." Article by Henry Lamb
"Currently, compliance with the complicated and destructive regulations of CODEX ALIMENTARIUS is voluntary but can be enforced by trade sanctions imposed on the World Trade Organization. In July, 2005, these regulations will become mandatory for all WTO members ... once it gets here, it will be illegalto buy, sell, recommend or use any but 28 ultra-low dose nutrients, natural supplements, herbs, enzymes or other natural treatments whether you are a licensed health professional or not. The only legal health option left will be the pharmaceutical one." Health Warning: Codex Alimentarus is Coming
These regulations, which have been passed quietly and without effective public notice, have grave and devastating impact on health freedom. Here in Australia they have already been approved. Many valuable healing herbs are now restricted or illegal. A sinister subtle takeover.
A further attack on ... well ... nature.
And you thought witch hunting was over.
Now the earth is a witch and we still burn her
Stripping her down with mining and the poisons of our wars
Still to us the earth is a healer, our teacher, our mother
She's the weaver of the web of life who keeps us all alive
She gives us the vision to see through the chaos
She gives us the courage
It is our will to survive
From Burning Times by Charlie Murphy
Full lyrics here
Health Supreme
www.evehillary.org
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Women's culture
Have we forgotten something?
In our struggle for equality with men.
Have we missed a crucial part of the picture
... a whole flip side of the coin?
Western "civilization" is a man’s world.
Women have struggled and in many areas succeeded in developing their masculine skills in order to successfully, survive, compete and excel in this masculine oriented culture. All credit to us.
But does it make us happy? Do we offer our greatest gifts? Does it serve the bigger picture?
And where is the world, the way of living, that is designed to support the feminine, that is home, nurturing, supportive, safe, natural for women? That acknowledges our unique (and very different from the masculine) qualities.
What of our cycles? The stages of a woman's life, maiden, mother, crone. During our fertile years, what of the monthly ebb and flow of our womb’s life nurturing lining. How could we imagine that we can stay full and nourished in a world that ignores these vital changes in a women's body and feeling nature. Our conditioning has been so compelling that we manage to believe that we have to squeeze our flowing, rhythmic nature into a narrow uniformity of weeks and weekends.
No wonder there is such an abnormally high ratio of disease in our feminine organs. Did you know that 12 hysterectomies are performed every 10 minutes in the USA? That hysterectomy is the second most common major operation performed in the United States (and many other countries) today, second only to .. you guessed it ... cesarian section!
Where is our women’s culture?
Are we missing a huge and vital portion ?
Are we missing the fact that we have lost all sight, all knowledge and even the sense that there should exist a women’s world to complement this man’s world?
If we have, then where it was lost/forgotten historically?
Did it start in the slow, subtle transference of allegiance from mother goddess to the one (masculine) God? .... alluded to (among other places) in Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" , described in Susan Weed's article - The Goddess is Alive
Was it confirmed in the burning of the witches - the complete eradication of huge bodies of knowledge about birth, herbs and healing?
Was it compounded in the break up of the extended family during the industrial revolution?
Many traditional cultures retain their women's culture. But we are much smarter, more civilized, more modern then they. Aren't we?
What did you learn from your mother , your grandmother, your aunties and cousin's, your female lineage?
What women's culture is not (although it could be)
Knitting circles
Coffee mornings
CWA
Alone keeping house
Mothering in isolation
What might it be, then?
I’m not advocating that we turn the clock back and deny all the successes of the (civilized) masculine world (!@$)
But women urgently need to find a way home, a way to nurture our essential selves to revitalize and regenerate, to relax, to feel known and understood, recognized and deeply honored, to regain our self worth, our sense of beauty and dignity no matter what age or shape our body’s form might be, to share and to hear and to learn from women’s story, her-story, myths and mysteries, to sing and to weave, to create and to give birth, to laugh and to dance, to grieve and to celebrate, to delight in our bodies sensual feeling nature, to recognize that here are a myriad of facets to the diamond of women’s culture and these jewels can only be gained in the company of other women.
What can we do?
Rome wasn’t built in a day
We can start by taking time out on a regular basis to connect deeply with other women.
I don’t mean a coffee and a chat about the kids or even a d&m with a girlfriend about our problems or our love life, although those are good things to do. I mean a space and time set aside (and with intention made sacred) for women to gather and nurture one another with touch, acknowledgment and loving reflection. A time for body oriented expression, dancing, massage, sensuality, rage and delight. A place where it is OK to be exactly who we are.
I have had the privilege of being part of such a group that has met weekly for the past four years. It is the well that I drink from that nourishes and revitalizes me and gives me the strength to carry on. I have felt sick when I arrived and left feeling well. It is the place that I can come happy or sad, ebullient or broken-hearted and I will be seen and loved and leave refreshed. It is place where every facet of my woman-self is welcome. It is my place, my women's culture.
I will write more about this and other things and if this blog could support women to start to reconnect with one another and themselves in this or any other way then I would be a very happy camper. That is my intention and my heartfelt wish. So may it be.
In our struggle for equality with men.
Have we missed a crucial part of the picture
... a whole flip side of the coin?
Western "civilization" is a man’s world.
Women have struggled and in many areas succeeded in developing their masculine skills in order to successfully, survive, compete and excel in this masculine oriented culture. All credit to us.
But does it make us happy? Do we offer our greatest gifts? Does it serve the bigger picture?
And where is the world, the way of living, that is designed to support the feminine, that is home, nurturing, supportive, safe, natural for women? That acknowledges our unique (and very different from the masculine) qualities.
What of our cycles? The stages of a woman's life, maiden, mother, crone. During our fertile years, what of the monthly ebb and flow of our womb’s life nurturing lining. How could we imagine that we can stay full and nourished in a world that ignores these vital changes in a women's body and feeling nature. Our conditioning has been so compelling that we manage to believe that we have to squeeze our flowing, rhythmic nature into a narrow uniformity of weeks and weekends.
No wonder there is such an abnormally high ratio of disease in our feminine organs. Did you know that 12 hysterectomies are performed every 10 minutes in the USA? That hysterectomy is the second most common major operation performed in the United States (and many other countries) today, second only to .. you guessed it ... cesarian section!
Where is our women’s culture?
Are we missing a huge and vital portion ?
Are we missing the fact that we have lost all sight, all knowledge and even the sense that there should exist a women’s world to complement this man’s world?
If we have, then where it was lost/forgotten historically?
Did it start in the slow, subtle transference of allegiance from mother goddess to the one (masculine) God? .... alluded to (among other places) in Anita Diamant's "The Red Tent" , described in Susan Weed's article - The Goddess is AliveWas it confirmed in the burning of the witches - the complete eradication of huge bodies of knowledge about birth, herbs and healing?
Was it compounded in the break up of the extended family during the industrial revolution?
Many traditional cultures retain their women's culture. But we are much smarter, more civilized, more modern then they. Aren't we?
What did you learn from your mother , your grandmother, your aunties and cousin's, your female lineage?
What women's culture is not (although it could be)
Knitting circles
Coffee mornings
CWA
Alone keeping house
Mothering in isolation
What might it be, then?
I’m not advocating that we turn the clock back and deny all the successes of the (civilized) masculine world (!@$)
But women urgently need to find a way home, a way to nurture our essential selves to revitalize and regenerate, to relax, to feel known and understood, recognized and deeply honored, to regain our self worth, our sense of beauty and dignity no matter what age or shape our body’s form might be, to share and to hear and to learn from women’s story, her-story, myths and mysteries, to sing and to weave, to create and to give birth, to laugh and to dance, to grieve and to celebrate, to delight in our bodies sensual feeling nature, to recognize that here are a myriad of facets to the diamond of women’s culture and these jewels can only be gained in the company of other women.
What can we do?
Rome wasn’t built in a day
We can start by taking time out on a regular basis to connect deeply with other women.
I don’t mean a coffee and a chat about the kids or even a d&m with a girlfriend about our problems or our love life, although those are good things to do. I mean a space and time set aside (and with intention made sacred) for women to gather and nurture one another with touch, acknowledgment and loving reflection. A time for body oriented expression, dancing, massage, sensuality, rage and delight. A place where it is OK to be exactly who we are.
I have had the privilege of being part of such a group that has met weekly for the past four years. It is the well that I drink from that nourishes and revitalizes me and gives me the strength to carry on. I have felt sick when I arrived and left feeling well. It is the place that I can come happy or sad, ebullient or broken-hearted and I will be seen and loved and leave refreshed. It is place where every facet of my woman-self is welcome. It is my place, my women's culture.
I will write more about this and other things and if this blog could support women to start to reconnect with one another and themselves in this or any other way then I would be a very happy camper. That is my intention and my heartfelt wish. So may it be.
Monday, June 13, 2005
Whooping cough - why I didn't vaccinate
"How come you have whooping cough?" I hear you ask.
"From your son? Why didn't you vaccinate him? How irresponsibe!"
In my view it was the responsible choice not to vaccinate.
It was an informed decision. I spent many hours researching vaccination while I was pregnant and talking to a variety of people about it. I decided that the potential damage to my child's health from vaccination outweighed the potential benefits. I committed to informing myself about the symptoms and treatment options for the relevant illnesses so that I could identify them if they showed up in my family.
Overall I felt that I trusted the information collected by tireless dedicated individuals struggling to make sense of adverse reactions that their children had had from vaccines, over the slick promotional material fed to doctors by extremely wealthy pharmecutical companies. I also felt an intuitive affinity to the idea that many homeopaths and chiropracters hold that the classic childhood diseases provide important stepping stomes in the development of a healthy immune system.
There is a lot of detailed information for parents wishing to inform themeselves about vaccination choices available from the www.vaccination.co.uk, Australian Vaccination Awareness Network and others that you can reach from these.
It strikes me as bizarre that no-one has taken on Jock Doubleday's offer of $20,000.00 (U.S.) to the first medical doctor or pharmaceutical company CEO who publicly drinks a mixture of standard vaccine additive ingredients in the same amount as a six-year-old child is recommended to receive under the year-2000 guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See the full details I guess there was more money in selling the vaccines!
And regarding the strengthening of children's immune system check this out.
"There is increasing evidence that having an acute infectious disease of childhood strengthens and matures the child's immune system and that having acute diseases in childhood is protective again chronic disease including cancer, asthma, certain skin conditions and auto-immune disorders." Full article here
"From your son? Why didn't you vaccinate him? How irresponsibe!"
In my view it was the responsible choice not to vaccinate.
It was an informed decision. I spent many hours researching vaccination while I was pregnant and talking to a variety of people about it. I decided that the potential damage to my child's health from vaccination outweighed the potential benefits. I committed to informing myself about the symptoms and treatment options for the relevant illnesses so that I could identify them if they showed up in my family.
Overall I felt that I trusted the information collected by tireless dedicated individuals struggling to make sense of adverse reactions that their children had had from vaccines, over the slick promotional material fed to doctors by extremely wealthy pharmecutical companies. I also felt an intuitive affinity to the idea that many homeopaths and chiropracters hold that the classic childhood diseases provide important stepping stomes in the development of a healthy immune system.
There is a lot of detailed information for parents wishing to inform themeselves about vaccination choices available from the www.vaccination.co.uk, Australian Vaccination Awareness Network and others that you can reach from these.
It strikes me as bizarre that no-one has taken on Jock Doubleday's offer of $20,000.00 (U.S.) to the first medical doctor or pharmaceutical company CEO who publicly drinks a mixture of standard vaccine additive ingredients in the same amount as a six-year-old child is recommended to receive under the year-2000 guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. See the full details I guess there was more money in selling the vaccines!
And regarding the strengthening of children's immune system check this out.
"There is increasing evidence that having an acute infectious disease of childhood strengthens and matures the child's immune system and that having acute diseases in childhood is protective again chronic disease including cancer, asthma, certain skin conditions and auto-immune disorders." Full article here
When in doubt - look for the positive
I'm in quarantine.
Two weeks nursing my eight-year old through whooping cough...
.... and now I've got it myself.
It's a choice between antibiotics (which apparently won't alter the course of the illness but stop me from being infectious) or two weeks in isolation - Yikes! - my worst nightmare.
I chose the nightmare.
Bummer!
Or is it?
The upside is - I finally get around to starting my blog.
When in doubt - look for the positive.
I'm working on making that my motto.
Two weeks nursing my eight-year old through whooping cough...
.... and now I've got it myself.
It's a choice between antibiotics (which apparently won't alter the course of the illness but stop me from being infectious) or two weeks in isolation - Yikes! - my worst nightmare.
I chose the nightmare.
Bummer!
Or is it?
The upside is - I finally get around to starting my blog.
When in doubt - look for the positive.
I'm working on making that my motto.
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