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MINDFUL SOUL CENTER bi-monthly magazine
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GRL PWR WHAT IS THAT?
ART ACTIVIST BARBIE
FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE
JUST BE MEDITATION
GODDESS A R T & A S A N A BABY O' BABY
GUNAS FOR GAIA
NOT THAT BABY FOOD FOR YOUR WELLBEING
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Mindful Soul Center VOLUME TWO, ISSUE TWO | MARCH APRIL 2021
Mindful news
Soul
and
health, healing,
Center
information
wellness
and
self-care,
magazine on
all
your
spiritual yoga,
features favorite
topics
like
meditation,
gardening and even food.
Editor: Amy Adams Editorial Assistant: Ruxandra Badulescu Mascot: Princess Kiki
Contributors: Deja Osbourne of Deja Drewit Christine Boyd Miller, PhD Helen Sanchez of Tanagui
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Cover art by Sandro Botticelli, a detail from the Birth of Venus
Editor's Letter Dear Readers,
It's tiring to have only a single month to celebrate women and women's history and the same with black history month too in February. But it's what we got, so I am embracing it. This issue of the magazine celebrates women stepping into their power, and we take a moment to consider some of the atrocities against them. There is mention of the imbalances that create deadly circumstances for women and their defining characteristics. The problems won't be solved here, but a glimmer of light will be shone upon the darkness through awareness.
There are inspirational passages and quotes shared for contemplation, there are vagina pants and vulvas, and the iconic Barbie takes us on an adventure in art. The aged goddess in art shows us her sagging breasts and wrinkles. Goddess pose is examined and twisted into a spider.
Plus,
our contributors share their expertise and continue to inspire us. Deja Osbourne the self-care expert and artist shares her picks for us from her Personal Power card deck. We peer into the isms with Helen Sanchez, and Christine Boyd Miller takes us on a journey with her experience in The Yoga Diaries. There's a lot to take in and explore in this issue.
Thanks for being here and, thank you to all the people, including you Dear Reader,
for
making
this
magazine
possible.
Send
me
your
comments,
letters, opinions, and corrections to amy@themindfulsoulcenter.com. You can also send voicemail messages to me from the website.
Here's a final thought: Humans are ugly, weird, and beautiful. They are simple and complex and often resistant to change. Most of us harbour some
fear
that
makes
change
hard.
But
change
comes.
The
winds
of
change are always blowing. Let's help direct them towards a world where we can transcend labels by practising tolerance, compassion, kindness, and empathy.
Namaste!
Amy Adams Founder & Editor,
Mindful Soul Center
@themindfulsoulcenter 5
CONTENTS March/April 2021 | Volume 2, Issue 2
SPINNING THE GODDESS A spider was a goddess or a goddess was a horse? A look at goddess pose and how it can transform into a spider or be a horse.
O' BABY BABY! NO, NOT THAT ONE! Helen Sanchez addresses the proverbial elephant in the room with a look at how women's careers are impacted by the very fact that women have the 'ability' to have babies.
SELF-CARE CORNER WITH DEJA Artist Deja Osbourne of Dejadrewit shares her monthly picks from her empowering card decks. Get inspired!
AGED & OTHER GODDESSES In this piece we look at goddesses from around the world, including aged goddesses! Part one of an ongoing series.
GUNAS FOR GAIA
GRL PWR WOMEN FIGHTING FOR THEIR LIVES
Christine Boyd Miller walks us through the interplay of the Gunas, a Sanskrit term that describe the 3 attributes that emerge from the matter principle (Prakriti.)
Why should any of this be happening in the first place - women are fighting for their lives.
ART ACTIVIST BARBIE
INCREASE YOUR WELLBEING
This Barbie isn't just boobs and a body that can't support itself. No! Art activist Barbie makes her own statements in this piece on women and art.
Feed your body and your mind when you learn about foods to increase your psychological well being.
JANELLE MONAE’S VAGINA TROUSERS
WHY WOMEN SHOULD NOT... A look back at an old publication. 6
Embracing womenhood and vaginas, singer Janelle Monae let's it all hand out.
MASTHEAD, EDITOR'S LETTER, AND CONTENTS INSPIRATION & CONTEMPLATION
4, 5, 6, 7
15, 27, 35, 37, 41, 49, 58, 77, 82
MEDITATION: JUST BE
51
MSC RECOMMENDS
POETRY: UNSATISFIED
46
WHAT IS THAT?
FUNDRAISING: FOR DOGS
12
a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox FEATURES CONTRIBUTORS 07
56-57
24
FEATURES CONTRIBUTORS Christine Boyd Miller, PhD Christine is a California mountain mama transplanted from the East coast. In The Yoga Diaries
she explores the obstacles & challenges she
faces as she learns new yoga poses, explores new ideas and attempts to maintain benefits
a &
regular joys
practice.
too!
When
Needless
she's
not
to
say
writing
that
or
she
spends her time frolicking in the redwoods with her son,
The Yoga Diaries
shares
practicing
yoga,
the she
hula hooping,
cooking, and helping her husband tend to their garden and bees.
Visit her website: https://happyhippyhoops.com
Deja Osbourne Deja is an artist, an oracle deck creator and owner of DejaDrewit. Born in Russia and raised in NY, she now lives in California. As a young girl, Deja experienced bullying and as a result developed social anxiety. Drawing was her escape. As she healed she knew that she wanted to inspire and help people through her art but wasn't quite sure how. From 2005 until 2013, she worked as a graphic artist and designer in the fashion industry.
Deja's Self-Care Corner
She left to raise a new baby and discovered a way to use her art to help others
and
started
to
create
oracle
decks.
Check
out
her
Self-Care
Corner.
Visit her website: https://dejadrewit.com
Helen Sanchez Helen Sanchez is the founder of Tanagui LLC, a career consultancy that helps women over 40 find valuable meaningful work. She is a graduate of the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC). With over forty years of experience working in recruiting, she continues her studies at the College of New Jersey with a double major in Women and Gender Studies and African American Studies. She received the Alice Paul Award
Peering into the 'isms'
for Activism and is a member of the Honor Society in Women & Gender Studies.
Visit her website: https://tanagui.com
7
MEET ARTACTIVISTBARBIE
In praise of Artemisia Gentileschi. Author provided
THE FEARLESS FUNNY FEMINIST TAKING ON A WHITE MALE ART WORLD By Sarah Williamson 8
You
may
be
surprised
to
learn
that
Barbie
–
lollipop-headed cultural icon and instrument of female shackles blonde
oppression of to
the
–
has
thrown
patriarchy’s
become
a
off
archetypal
feminist
art
the
dumb
warrior
blasting the hallowed halls of the world’s great art institutions. But it’s true.
Say
hello
to
ArtActivistBarbie
(AAB),
whose
modus operandi is small signs, big questions and a fabulous wardrobe. With her inviting call to arms, “Refuse to be the muse!” this fierce
continued on next page
new incarnation of Barbie is helping to challenge
art
worldwide women
galleries
about
and
and
their
other
museums
woeful
minorities
lack in
of
their
collections, and reluctance to consider the female gaze.
Thousands enjoying
follow
her
creative
art
playful
and
and
did
she
she
issues
So,
find
ask about
in
many
where
did
from
and
come
those
carries
and
which
inequalities
ArtActivistBarbie
creations
Twitter,
disruption
raise
the
collections.
where
on
interventions
questions gender
her
off
couture
with
such
panache?
I
use
the
arts
to
inequality
and
social
research
the
use
explore
of
issues
injustice,
objects
and
of
and the
potential of museums and galleries to be
places
which
can
educate
for
change. In 2018, I decided to do this using the most famous doll in Western culture:
Barbie.
I
took
a
group
of
students to my local art gallery, gave them all a Barbie doll and asked them to
“hack”
the
gallery
by
intervening
and posing their doll with commentary
In praise of Artemisia Gentileschi. Author provided
on a placard.
By subverting Barbie’s bland stereo-type of femininity and employing her idealised beauty and unrealistic figure, we were able to draw attention lightly to serious gender issues in a way that was both humourous and thought-provoking. It was a great success and had a big impact on both my students and gallery visitors. Afterwards, I realised I had found the perfect way to engage a wide range of people in gender politics. And so, ArtActivistBarbie was born.
The problem with art Many famous art galleries and museums, particularly those with historical collections, offer a very singular, male-dominated view of the art world. The artworks regarded as historically most important present the world through a male perspective – the “male gaze." In the 1980s art activists, Guerrilla Girls started to draw attention to this extreme male bias and gender discrimination in the art world, successfully protesting in the US. With smart, cutting messages delivered via large-scale billboard works, the Guerilla Girls sought to name
and
shame
the
art
world
for
its
unapologetic
disregard
for
women
and
other
minorities in art.
continued on next page 9
Now, ArtActivistBarbie is, in turn, revealing the practices of galleries and museums and their
displays
of
male-commissioned,
male-produced
and
male-collected
works
of
art
which represent centuries of male power, privilege and domination. It’s important and necessary work because art galleries and museums are trusted and influential places that play a part in shaping our identities, our sense of self and our sense of possibility. It is only right that they demonstrate more balance by reflecting the lives and experience of women, ethnic minorities and other under-represented groups.
ArtActivistBarbie’s motto. Author provided
This is how we do it ArtActivistBarbie reports on her activism through Twitter. In April 2020 alone, the account reached
1.9
million
impressions.
Her
main
line
of
enquiry,
“Where
are
all
the
female
artists?” is highlighted through a series of staged “events”. One of AAB’s first public interventions was to point out the 2,300 works by men and 21 works by women in the National Gallery in London. AAB aims not only to highlight such gender gap statistics but also their societal and historical context, challenging the reasons, biases and prejudices behind them.
The
Barbies
are
artfully
arranged
to
echo
artworks,
sometimes
in
parody
but
also
in
homage to female artists or to celebrate the positive representation of women. Curatorial labels, wall texts and statements are questioned, challenged and often mocked.
10
The visual aesthetic of the work is important and AAB’s wardrobe is much admired on Twitter. She wears vintage pieces lovingly made for my own Barbie in the 1970s by my mother. At 93 she can longer make the pieces, so my sister has taken up the couture mantle for AAB. Drawing on the perceived Barbie glamour aesthetic, the clothes declare that interest in style does not preclude feminism or activism.
The reaction of gallery visitors has been
hugely
encouraging.
positive
Young
and
women
spot
her in a crowded room, delighted by
the
always heard
feminist take
messages
photographs.
groups
discussing
I
and have
gender
issues not only in art but also in wider talk
society.
about
the
Sometimes work
to
people
complete
strangers next to them. Many are surprised, shocked even, by AAB’s placards.
Some
express
their
thanks. There are varied reactions from
gallery
observe
staff
approvingly,
too.
Some
some
call
security.
Keeping up pressure
Not amused, but 45,000+ responses on Twitter and looking fabulous. Author provided
There are promising signs of change. In March 2019, the National Gallery in London posted a video on its website stating it had become increas-ingly concerned about the gender gap in art history and wanted to respond to growing pressure from social media about women and their collection.
In April, art critic Waldemar Januszczak tweeted that ArtActivistBarbie had been filling his timeline with complaints that his Sunday Times History of Art poster (which AAB tweeted as “His Story of Art”) did not include enough women artists. “Mea culpa. It’s a fair point,” he replied, and profiled ten women artists “as partial recompense”.
In early May, the London’s National Portrait Gallery announced the creation of a new post titled, Curator: Missing Narratives on Women, to fill the gaps in their collection. And now, ArtActivistBarbie has been asked to guest curate an exhibition in the north of England. The voices are growing and big art institutions are realising they can no longer blame history. It’s time to redress the balance. Stylishly, of course.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Williamson is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education and Professional Development at the University of Huddersfield, specialising in arts-based pedagogy and arts-based enquiry. Sarah researches the aesthetic construction of knowledge and the transformative value and impact of the arts in professional education. She publishes, presents and exhibits in the field of arts, society and education. Find ArtActivistBarbie on Twitter @BarbieReports is feminist activist work created by Sarah to explore the potential of social media for gender social justice. This article was originally published on-line by The Conversation and is available here under a Creative Commons license
11
$10 USD from item sold will go towards the purchase of items listed below to help 16 rescued dogs to be cared and provided for the rest of their lives. When you support this effort you get something in return knowing you are helping the dogs and a cozy t-shirt or cute tote bag. 15 of the 16 dogs are over 8 years old. One is only 3 and was dumped on the side of the road with 2 other pups. Because this shelter exists they have shelter, food, volunteers who pet them and visit
them
daily.
This
is
privately
funded.
All
Fundra ising E ffort For ev ery tsh tote y ou pu irt or $10 g oes to rchase aid th e dog sh elter
dogs
were rescued from the street or dire situations.
Current needs for the shelter at this time: Due to COVID, we no longer receive the leftovers from a school that donated uneaten scraps of food from student's lunch plates. We need food for all the dogs. A water pump to bring water onto the property.
If we can get the pump installed we will be able to have fresh water for the dogs year round and we will no longer need to refill the plastic water bins that freeze during the winter so they are only good for approximately 8 months per year.
Special food Lourde is allergic to most dog foods. He cannot eat the same foods that are given to all the other dogs. New roofing is needed over some of the dogs compartments. Some Medication for Big Rex who has a skin condition and Tigruta who is very old.
A solar powered motion detector light to help protect the premises (no electricity on the property)
12
leak and need immediate repair.
The Mindful Soul Center Fundraising Effort for dogs When you buy a t-shirt or tote $10 from each sale goes to help the rescued dogs.
MAKES A GREAT GIFT & SUPPORTS RESCUED DOGS
Women's Tank
Tote Bag 13" $20 16" $25
$28 Extra Soft T
$22
$20
$25
Toddler T-Shirt 18" $28
$30 Triblend T
$28 Heavyweight T
Click on any of the images below to visit the site and purchase a cozy t-shirt, tank-top or tote bag.
13
QUIT TORMENTING YOURSELF WITH THE IDEA THAT YOU'RE NOT ENOUGH YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL 15
women have been fighting for their lives all around the world in more ways than one
17
Six deaths every hour: The report of the Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability notes that around the world, every hour, six women are killed by men they know. Femicide, or the killing of women because they are women, is underpinned by patriarchal ideologies that define how women should comport themselves. This ideology, grounded in the belief that men own women and that women need to be controlled, is also at the heart of gender inequities. SOURCE: theconversation.com Remembering everyday violence against women and girls on Dec. 6 an article by Yasmin Jiwani published in theconversation
According to the results of the National Survey of Adolescents, 8% of the sample (n=4,023) reported having been victims of sexual assault. 74% of these sexual assault victims indicated that they had been assaulted by someone they knew well, 32% were friends, 21% were family members, 23% were strangers. Nearly 31% of these sexual assaults occurred in the victim’s home or in the victim’s neighborhood (24%), another 15% occurred at the victim’s school. SOURCE: SAFEBAE.ORG Kilpatrick, D.G., Saunders, B.E., and Smith, D.W. (2003). Youth Victimization: Prevalence and Implications. Washington, D.C.: National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
Every year thousands of women in Pakistan face some form of violence, ranging from acid attacks, to sexual assault, to kidnapping, rape or murder, often in the name of honour. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, an independent watchdog, stated in its annual report of 2019 that “despite legislation enacted to protect and promote women’s rights in recent years, violence against women has escalated. SOURCE: reuters Reuters information published in Dawn.com's article Child bride to elite police, the film focusing on women pioneers
Even though child marriage is declining globally, there are still 12 million girls married in childhood each year, and the global number of women alive today who were married before 18 is estimated at 650 million. SOURCE: https://www.letgirlsdream.org/ 18
Femicide or feminicide
The intentional killing of women or girls because they are female.
19
Qandeel Baloch Deepshika Godara Saba Qaiser Rekia Boyd Tanisha Anderson Daisy Coleman Audrie Pott Chanel Miller and thousands more It's true, not all the women's stories are of women being murdered by men because they are women. We don't need to put everyone in neat little categories - we need to stop labeling people and besides, you don't need to pull the trigger or plunge a knife into someone to kill their soul. There is not always justice and some survived too.
20
Fouzia Azeem1
aka Qandeel Baloch
Born: March 1990 and Died: 15 July 2016 (aged 26) Cause of death: Homicide by asphyxia Fouzia Azeeml was popularly known as Qandeel Baloch. She was an independent woman who modelled and acted during the period of 2013–2016 and is known as Pakistan's first female social media celebrity influencer. She was murdered by her brother who proclaimed that he did it out of honour. Her parents wanted their son held accountable.
Deepshika Godara
Born: 1982 and Died: 13 December 2014 (aged 32) Cause of death: Homicide by asphyxia and stabbing Deepshika Godara was a career woman and mother that married through an arrangement. She suffered abuse from her husband and was ultimately murdered by him even though they were apart. Her attacker committed suicide, leaving their only child without parents.
Saba Qaiser
Born: March 1990 she did not die, she survived (aged 19), Cause of near-death: Shot in the head for "honour" Saba Qaiser is one of two on this list who is alive today. Her father and uncle kidnapped her and shot her in the head before dumping her body in the river. They claimed their actions were out of honour. She survived. Her father and uncle were released from prison. for marrying for love without family consent. A Girl in a River is a documentary that tells her story.
Rekia Boyd
Born 1990 and Died 21 March 2012 (aged 22) Cause of death: Shot in the head. Rekia Boyd was shot in the back of the head by police officer Dante Servin who intentionally shot at her and her friends. Even though the judge acknowledged that he committed first-degree murder, he remains free. Visit this page where you'll find some of the stories available as podcasts or links https://bit.ly/women-fighting-for-their-lives
21
Tanisha Anderson
Born: 1977 and Died: 13 November 2014 (aged 37) Cause of death: Homicide by restraint Tanisha Anderson was violently restrained by police near her home, whilst her brother watched. She died. According to the coroner's report, this was an act of homicide - “sudden death in association with physical restraint in a prone position in association with ischemic heart disease and bipolar disorder with agitation.”
Daisy Coleman
Born 30 March 1997 and Died 4 August 2020 (aged 23) Cause of death: Suicide Daisy Coleman after being raped in high school, shamed publicly, and victim-blamed her life was a living hell. Her house was burnt down to the ground for speaking up. She founded SAFEBAE to help others. In August of 2020, she ended her own life by suicide. Her work continues. Like Audrie who's story is below, her story was a part of the documentary, Audrie and Daisy.
Audrie Pott
Born 27 May 1997 and Died 12 September 2012 (15 years old) Cause of death: Suicide by hanging Audrie Pott was raped by three boys that she knew, who also shared photos of her marked nude body. Nude pictures of her were posted online with accompanying bullying. She ended her own life by suicide eight days later. Her story became known worldwide through the documentary, Audrie and Daisy.
Chanel Miller
Born 12 June 1992 and survived her rapist was caught in the act and chased off by two passerbys, attacked in 2015 and survived (aged 22) Chanel Miller was raped near a dumpster and her attacker was caught by two grad students who were passing by. Although the rapist was found guilty of the crime - his time was minimal. He wasn't a body in this, he was an identity with a "future." Chanel Miller wrote a memoir about this story because she wants you to know her name. Visit this page where you'll find some of the stories available as podcasts or links
22
https://bit.ly/women-fighting-for-their-lives
Misogyny Moral philosophy professor Kate Manne in her book Down Girl, argues that the definition of misogyny goes deeper than the hate or hostility that misogynist men feel towards most women. Misogyny is instead about controlling, policing, punishing, and exiling the bad women who challenge male dominance. It rewards the status quo, singling out other women to serve as warnings punishing those who are out of order. It also includes the whole of "social systems or environments where women face hostility and hatred because they are women in a man's world — a historical patriarchy." Read an interview with Kate Manne on Vox here: http://bit.ly/misogyny-kate-manne
Patriarchy Patriarchy is a social system where men take and hold primary power in leadership roles, control property, and predominate in roles of social privilege; entitlement used to one's personal benefit or the detriment of others with groups advantaged based on a variety of factors and, in this case, gender. Patriarchy has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, religious, and economic systems and organizations across cultures worldwide. Most contemporary societies are patriarchal even through their constitutions and, laws do not always explicitly define themselves to be so.
The Wounded Male Ego Dr Vijay Nagaswami, author, psychiatrist and relationship consultant brings the male wounded ego into focus in an article in The Hindu. He tells us that in a patriarchal society, unwarranted attention given to the male child creates challenges in relationships even in the 21st century. When asked, Why are male egos fragile? he says: “Any ego that derives itself from the perceived superiority of one gender over the other is bound to be incomplete and fragile. The mere fact of being born a male cannot be the primary parameter to derive one’s sense of self-worth. Also, the object of the male ego is to establish dominance over the female ego. When masculinity alone is used to establish dominance and control, it’s bound to be fragile, since it’s incomplete." https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/society/The-big-fat-male-ego/article16876419.ece
MEN HELPING WOMEN RESOURCES FOR MEN Share these resources with the men in your life. National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS) 1-720-466-3882 www.nomas.org A Call to Men 1-917-922-6738 www.acalltomen.org Men Can Stop Rape 1-202-265-6530 www.mencanstoprape.org Men Stopping Violence1-866-717-9317 www.menstoppingviolence.org SOURCE: https://womencountusa.org/resources
23
What is that? Honour Killing aka Shame Killing Honour killing is also known as Shame killing. It is a global phenomenon and is not restricted to narrow religious
beliefs
aggression
and
as
some
violence
suspected.
towards
This
women
act
and
of
girls
crosses all races, creeds and cultures. At the root of this
practice
egos,
and
are
misogyny,
misguided
patriarchy,
notions,
wounded
particularly
the
objectification and perceived ownership of women.
Murder is not the only form of honour crime, other crimes such as acid attacks, abduction, mutilations, and beatings occur; in 2010 the UK police recorded at least not
2,823
such
allowed
to
crimes.
(source: BBC)
defend
themselves
Women even
are
when
suspicion is cast upon them.
Women's advocacy groups
Honour killings are sometimes public to warn others
suspect
that
more
than
and are often very vicious; Known methods include stoning,
stabbing,
hanging,
throat
shooting,
and
beating,
slashing,
strangulation.
burning, lethal They
beheading,
acid
can
attacks,
also
20,000
women
are
killed
worldwide each year.
include
forced suicides so no one can be held accountable and prosecuted for murder.
There are loopholes in the laws in some countries
Shame or honour killings
that make it easier to get away with murder but not in all. In 2016, Pakistan repealed the loophole which allowed the perpetrators of honour killings to avoid punishment from
by
another
seeking
family
forgiveness
member
and
for
thus
the be
crime legally
pardoned. Whilst it hasn't stopped these killings, it is easier to convict the perpetrators of these crimes. However, not all countries have laws on the books to convict these murderers or existing laws do little to deter this behaviour.
Although the United Nations estimates that 5,000 women and girls are murdered each year in honour killings, women's advocacy groups suspect that more than 20,000 women are killed worldwide each year. Shame or honour killings are reported worldwide with most in Middle Eastern and South Asian countries. However, you can add countries like Australia, Brazil, Canada,
Italy,
Sweden,
Syria,
Uganda,
the
United
Kingdom, and the United States, to the list of places these crimes occur.
24
are reported worldwide.
WHAT IS THAT? HONOUR KILLING AKA SHAME KILLING (CONTINUED) Here is what is listed as the reasons or sometimes reported as the causes:
divorce or separation refusal to enter an arranged, child, or forced marriage
Another
being in a relationship outside of
woman - the victim of rape - is when a family may
religious or culturally accepted norms
attempt
premarital sex - even between two
woman or girl to marry their rapist. If this is not
consenting adults
possible, they will force her to marry another man
extramarital sex
who is part of the extended family of the rapist.
being a victim of rape or sexual
The woman or girl has no choice but to accept the
assault - see note below.
marriage
wearing 'inappropriate' clothing
perpetrator is expected to cooperate and provide
engaging in non-heterosexual
a groom for the woman.
vicious
to
way
restore
or
be
to
its
levy
punishment
'honour'
killed.
The
by
on
forcing
family
of
a
a
the
relations inappropriate gender expression
Even our language is problematic when we say that the reasons or cause of honour killings is divorce, unfaithfulness, etc. The triggers are not reasons and they stem from a complex ideology embedded in male privilege and culture. It is NOT any of the items on the list. It begins with people that hold hate in their hearts, and an idea embedded in the culture that has outlived its usefulness patriarchy.
Final Notes: We could probably include many of the thousands of women who are murdered by men they know in Europe and the United States each year in these numbers even though that don't fall into the strictest definition of honour killings. Still, the core reasons are similar enough the murders are the result of societal attitudes that see women’s lives as the property of men. Women are murdered because
of
jealousy,
control,
'inappropriate'
attire,
etc.
The
only
primary
difference
is
that
in
Western culture it is often referred to as intimate partner homicide.
Big systemic problems. These are big topics, big systemic problems across cultures around the world that need awareness and action.
We have to be aware of the unconscious biases and cultural norms that sustain these
behaviours and attitudes. Today, we are aware.
We the women. Let us not become overburdened with despair - with crippling sadness and hopelessness by our own compassionate hearts when we listen to and read these stories of flesh and blood women. The women who had or still have their own sense of themselves embodying their dreams, goals, desires, and sense of purpose. They are us, and we are them.
We must remember this -
Do not be dismayed by the brokenness of the world … the broken world waits in darkness for the light that is you. - L.R. Knost
Click here to listen to and watch some of the women's stories. If you are reading this visit https://bit.ly/women-fighting-for-their-lives
25
India’s top judge is facing calls to resign after asking an accused rapist whether he would marry his schoolgirl victim to avoid jail. Chief Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde told an accused rapist at a hearing: “If you want to marry (her), we can help you. If not, you lose your job and go to jail.”
Bobde’s comments sparked a furore and prompted women’s rights activists to circulate an open letter calling for his resignation, which has secured more than 5,200 signatures, campaigner Vani Subramanian said on Wednesday. According to the letter, the man is accused of stalking, tying up, gagging and repeatedly raping the girl four years ago before threatening to douse her in petrol, set her alight and have her brother killed.
“By suggesting that this rapist marry the victim-survivor, you, the Chief Justice of India, sought to condemn the victim-survivor to a lifetime of rape at the hands of the tormentor who drove her to attempt suicide,” the letter said.
(source: Aljazeera.com)
March 3rd 2021
Girl’s beheading in India spurs calls for ‘honour killings’ law. Man in Uttar Pradesh beheads 17-year old teenage daughter and carries severed head to police station, in yet another case of so-called ‘honour killing’.
Justice is a goddess, a feminine energy, a protector goddess in a world still dominated with male energy.
“He
said
he
saw
his
daughter
in
a
compromising position with a man and he beheaded
her
in
a
fit
of
rage,”
Anurag
Vats, the police superintendent of Hardoi district
in
northern
Uttar
Pradesh
state,
told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Thursday. “He has confessed to his crime,” he said. Images of the man carrying the girl’s head were
shared
reigniting campaigners honour
widely
on
demands for
killings
to
a
social
from
specific
help
law
protect
media,
women’s against
potential
victims and improve police investigations.
(source: Aljazeera.com)
March 5th 2021
26
I stand in my own power now, the questions of permission that I used to choke on for my every meal now dead in a fallen heap, and when they tell me that I will fall, I nod. I will fall, I reply, and my words are a whisper my words are a howl I will fall , I say, and the tumbling will be all my own. The skinned palms and oozing knees are holy wounds, stigmata of my She. I will catch my own spilled blood, and not a drop will be wasted.
an excerpt fromBeth Morey's Night Cycles: Poetry for a Dark Night of the Soul
27
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K HI A E
F
Y L H O G MARCH'S MESSAGE
We
don’t
about
We
do
it
notice but,
out
how
we
loud
we
do
it
and,
speak all
we
the
do
MY S E
time.
always
ourselves
it
silently in our minds when we look in the mirror. Pay attention to how you speak about
yourself.
yourself? Choose
Are to
Are
you
you
judging
compliment
criticizing
yourself?
yourself
and
speak highly of yourself. If you made a
mistake, give yourself credit for trying. Start speaking to yourself the way you would speak to someone you love.
LF
.I S P
Cards and messages by DejaDrewit 32
APRIL'S MESSAGE
I SURRENDER We cannot control everything. In fact, there is very little we can control. Learning to surrender and detach is not easy but, it is powerful. When things don’t seem to go the way we want, sometimes the best thing we can do is just let go and surrender. Take the day off, meditate, go do something fun. Allow the Universe to help you. Sometimes we just need time off before we get clarity. We are not meant to constantly do do do and work work work. Our bodies are designed to have periods of rest when we are open to receive information or help from others.
Deja creates cards to inspire and help women overcome their daily obstacles and fears.
33
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The Seven Chakras Workbook is a full-color compact print workbook designed to accompany the Mindful Soul Center's 7 Chakra Workshops. This workbook can help you to reconnect with you, with your inner knowing, with your personal power, through your bodies - energetic and physical. Using practical tools you can balance and clear your chakras. This workbook not only introduces you to the Chakras it goes further and talks about the causes and issues that may block your energetic body.
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sav e
s
i r p sih
T
!f h e lesr
n
c
e
ss
35
36
I personally have a cunt. Sometimes it's 'flaps' or 'twat', but most of the time, it's my cunt. Cunt is a proper, old, historic, strong word. I like that my fire escape also doubles up as the most potent swearword in the English language. Yeah. That's how powerful it is, guys. If I tell you what I've got down there, old ladies and clerics might faint. I like how shocked people are when you say 'cunt'. It's like I have a nuclear bomb in my pants, or a tiger, or a gun.
Caitlin Moran
How to Be a Woman 37
BLACK
K N IS Y P
W
E NE H T
By Victoria Anderson
JANELLE MONAE’S VAGINA TROUSERS When I settled down to write this article about Janelle Monae’s
music
video
“Pynk”
and
her
famous
vagina
trousers, I was in a cafe – seated next to a collection of board games, some tired pot plants, and an art history book I’d never seen before. It was Feminine Beauty, by Kenneth Clarke.
Back in the early nineties, when I was a student of fine art, I
was
lucky
enough
to
be
taught
by
the
feminist
art
historian Griselda Pollock. Take it from me that Clarke’s writing was not held up as an example for us students to follow. In fact, his work could justly be described as the anti-text of my visual arts education. So I’d never seen
38
continued on next page
Feminine Beauty. Predictably, it’s a gushing rhapsody on what Clarke thinks
is
women’s
primary
function
–
that
is,
to
be
beautiful
–
alongside a collection of plates of peachy-looking white women as painted/sculpted/photographed by white men. (Okay, there are one or two ancient Egyptians in there too.)
By contrast, “Pynk” is emphatically not a peachy re-rendering of Western
conceptions
of
white
female
beauty,
or
even
“the
male
gaze” – a phrase I would happily never hear again. It is four minutes of Monae and a group of black female dancers (including actress Tessa Thompson) frolicking in the desert wearing enormous, pink, apparently vulva-shaped trousers designed by Duran Lantink.
While the lyrics peel off a list of all the reasons why pink is the new black, the video constructs for us an unusually rich, feminine paradigm. It reclaims, among other things: the colour pink as a deeply powerful feminine symbol; the vagina as a universal place of origin (we see underpants with the words “Great Cosmic Mother” printed on the front).
Pynk is where all of it starts The
dominant
narrative
in
modern
Western
society
has
been
the
same
as
that
illustrated by Clarke’s book on Feminine Beauty. Women exist as objects to be seen and done to, rather than active agents in their own right. In popular culture, the black woman’s backside has been fetishised as an object of mute and even contemptible spectacle, certainly since the rise of commercial hip hop in the 1980s, and dating at least as far back as Sarah Baartman – aka The Hottentot Venus – in the early 1800s. More recently, the “black bottom” has been weirdly appropriated by Kim Kardashian at one extreme and Miley Cyrus at the other. In Monae’s video, black women’s bottoms are presented playfully as something both for and about black women, as she and Thompson alternately rise from an undulating sea of upturned backsides.
https://janellemonae.lnk.to/dirtycomputer
continued on next page
https://youtu.be/PaYvlVR_BEc
39
For Sigmund Freud (whom I love, by the way), the female sex organs are a space of absence, a hole – even a wound. According to patriarchal models, symbolic female power is alarming – not because of the fear that women might take over the world (although, yes, that too) – but because the hole of a woman’s sex challenges the male with symbolic loss of the penis. For Freud, fear of castration was the cornerstone of human neurosis. But, somewhat as Courtney
Love’s
band
Hole
did
25
years
ago,
Monae’s
Pynk
explores
the
question of the hole not as a lack or a wound, but as a locus of profound depth, mystery and origin. More of a whole, than a hole. In the song’s lyrics, “pynk” is “the holes of your heart”, “the folds of your brain”, “beyond forest and thighs” as well as “the secrets you hide”. At one point, Thompson’s head appears in the gap between Monae’s voluminous trouser legs.
Pynk and black If I had a criticism of the #MeToo agenda, it is that it repeats the narrative it seeks to disrupt, by casting women as perpetual victims and men as irredeemable predators. What is unexpectedly powerful about Pynk is that it claims archetypal feminine energy as one that is not defined by victimhood -– or, indeed, by any relationship to men.
The opening sequence shows Monae’s pink cadillac pulling into view on a desert background, surely a reference
to
Russ
Meyer’s
1965
cult
film
Faster
Pussycat, Kill, Kill – a surreal tale of Cadillac-driving, homicidal women in the desert. While Monae’s video does not endorse man-slaying as a matter of course, it does subtly reclaim the iconography of powerful women
from
Meyer’s
sexploitation
genre,
where
torpedo-breasted superwomen serve as mascots of patriarchal fear and fantasy. In Pynk, nobody needs to
die;
but
we
do
see
Monae
kickboxing
a
giant
phallic punchbag into submission.
This
week
I
am
mindful
of
Beyoncé’s
Coachella
performance,
which
has
been
widely
praised. Maybe it’s just me, but I can never get past the fact that Beyoncé seemingly uses signifiers of whiteness – specifically that long blonde hair, like a Botticelli Venus – to elevate herself by comparison with her dancers (and before that, her fellow band members in Destiny’s Child). In 1992, well before Destiny’s Child was even an embryo, bell hooks pointed out in her essay Selling Hot Pussy that black female performers frequently need to go blonde and leonine in order to crossover into the mainstream. The happy ending to this story, however, is that Monae’s hair is both voluminous and black……and I don’t just mean the stuff on her head.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Victoria Anderson Interests in digital cultures, psychoanalysis, narrative (especially, but not only, folklore and myth) and the intersections between all of these things; race, class, gender and other questions of disenfranchisement. Increasingly involved with prison reform and rehabilitation, prisoner stories and use of/access to digital media. Coauthor of WINGS - a prison odyssey (www.cellmemory.org/wings) and founder of Cell Memory. This article was originally published on-line by The Conversation and is available here under a Creative Commons license.
40
If a woman loves her own body, she doesn't grudge what other women do with theirs; if she loves femaleness, she champions its rights...
The force of female desire would be so great that society would truly have to reckon with what women want, in bed and in the world. - Naomi Wolf 41
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O BABY BABY.... NOT THAT BABY Written by Helen Sanchez
A young woman who is building her professional career and knocking-it-out-of-the-park day after day still has one hurdle to overcome that is both irrelevant to her professionally and unacceptable personally, and it is hers alone. Scrutiny and bias exist simply because she can become a mother.Statistics from a 2018 Equality and Human Rights Commission S report
show
that
women
are
judged
and
evaluated
based
on
their
potential
role
as
mothers. The report shows that:
36% of private-sector employers agree that it is acceptable to ask women about plans to have children in the future during the recruitment process 59% of employers agree that a woman should have to disclose whether she is pregnant 46% of employers agree that it is reasonable to ask women if they have young children 44% agree that women should work for an organization for at least a year before deciding to start a family One-third believe that women who become pregnant and new mothers in work are generally less interested in career progression as compared to other employees
43
As a mother who returned to work shortly
attitudes by making false assumptions that
after each of my children were born and as a
by becoming mothers women are distracted
woman who was always interested in career
and less committed to their careers. These
progression,
are
I
find
the
report
results
just
that,
appalling and so incredibly discriminatory.
assumptions
MEN AND FATHERHOOD
constructed
recruited for a position was questioned on whether he intended to start a family? I am confident the answer would be never. When the
being
at
having fact,
last an
a
time age
young
according
published
a
man
of
a
by
judged
on
a
family
or
Again,
never.
In
starting
family? to
was
fifteen-year
the
study
University
of
Massachusetts, when men become fathers, their
earnings
increase
by
an
average
of
6%, and women's hourly wages are reduced by
4%.
So
enhance
starting
their
a
family
for
consideration
are
based
on
stereotypes
These
old
socially
about
women's
and men’s roles in child-rearing. Women in
When is the last time you think a man being
was
assumptions.
men
for
can
higher
compensation and the promotion track in
all careers have proven that they continue to
be
committed
their
work
and
are
perfectly capable of being both successful moms and successful career women at the same time.
Recently, the pandemic has brought to light how
imbalanced
domestic
are in two-parent homes.
responsibilities For women now
working from home, the burden has become immense become
as
a
attending location. forced
their
part
of
school
career home in
Although
to
working
their work..
to
adjust
model,
to
responsibilities
life
the
with
same
businesses the
they
idea
have
physical
have
of
not
children
a
been
remote
made
any
major effort to understand what this means
ONLY WOMEN ARE RESPONSIBLE
to female employees with children. .
How
As shown in a 2020 Gallup poll, the division
do
businesses
penalizing
44
women,
justify
not
just
their for
behavior becoming
of
labor
in
the
United
traditional
States
still
stereotypes
leans
mothers but also for the fact that they can
toward
become mothers? Employers justify these
women are more likely than men to take
where
care of the household and the children. Flexibility has always been a key component that allows
women
to
be
successful
both
professionally
and
personally.
And
women
have
stepped up when necessary. Despite a woman's ability to get a job done and do it well, there have often been just too many areas of pandemic life that are pulling her apart. So as a result, are women going backwards in the workplace? When this is over will women find it hard to come back? If history is evidence then yes, women will continue to struggle and be denied a level playing field.
WORKING ON YOUR OWN BEHALF So, what can women do on their own behalf? As always, the burden lies with women to take control as best they can. Following are steps that you can take to address motherhood and address the motherhood penalty all women experience. Always keep abreast of current trends in your industry. Attend webinars or take online training
as
much
as
possible.
And
always
keep
your
resume
updated
with
current
information on your training and skills. Whether you are returning to the workforce or seeking a new opportunity you must represent yourself in the best possible light on your resume. If you are returning to the workforce address any time away from your career openly and honestly and remember to focus on the transferable skills you acquired while away. Look for professional womens' groups in your field where you can find support and mentors. Research companies to ensure any positions you are considering are with organizations that support women. If you are currently employed and being considered for promotion be sure to document your achievements, evaluate what type of flexibility you may need if you accept the position, and present this to your boss. If you are a young woman who has not started a family as yet always be proactive and map out your professional plans and goals. Although this is not something that men need to do, be prepared to make clear how strong your commitment to your career is and how much thought you have put into your career.
As history has shown us and as seen today, women must always work harder and longer to be
successful.
Where
men
benefit
from
so
many
workplace
attitudes,
women
have
to
overcome them. By being aware of all we have individually achieved and by being honest about our individual needs, we can work toward proving that motherhood itself or the possibility of motherhood does not impede women from making significant professional contributions and being very successful in their careers.
Helen helps women over 40 find valuable meaningful work. Visit her website: tanagui.com
45
The bird flies home to its young; The flower folds its leaves about an opening bud; And in my neighbour's house there is the cry of a child. I close my window that I need not hear. She is mine, and she is very beautiful: And in her heart there is no evil thought. There is even love in her heart Love of life, love of joy, love of this fair world, And love of me (or love of my love for her); Yet she will never consent to bear me a child. And when I speak of it she weeps, Always she weeps, saying: 'Do I not bring joy enough into your life? Are you not satisfied with me and my love, As I am satisfied with you? Never would I urge you to some great peril To please my whim; yet ever so you urge me, Urge me to risk my happiness - yea, life itself So lightly do you hold me.' And then she weeps, Always she weeps, until I kiss away her tears And soothe her with sweet lies, saying I am content. Then she goes singing through the house like some bright bird Preening her wings, making herself all beautiful, Perching upon my knee, and pecking at my lips With little kisses. So again love's ship The years Goes sailing forth upon a portless sea, From nowhere unto nowhere; and it takes Are passing by us. We will yet be old Who now are young. And all the man in me Or brings no cargoes to enrich the world. Cries for the reproduction of myself Through her I love. Why, love and youth like ours Could populate with gods and goddesses This great, green earth, and give the race new types Were it made fruitful! Often I can see, As in a vision, desolate old age And loneliness descending on us two, And nowhere in the world, nowhere beyond the Earth, An American author Fruit of my loins and of her womb to feed and poet. Her best Our hungry hearts. To me it seems known work was More sorrowful than sitting by small graves Poems of Passion. Her And wetting sad-eyed pansies with our tears. most enduring work was Solitude which contains the lines: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone." Her auto-biography, The Worlds and I, was published in 1918, a year before her death.
46
The bird flies home to its young; The flower folds its leaves about an opening bud; And in my neighbour's house there is the cry of a child. I close my window that I need not hear.
47
Why Women Should Not Vote (c. 1917) From the National Woman Suffrage Publishing Company
All the books pages are blank.
48
Some days I am more wolf than woman, and I am still learning how to stop apologizing for my wild. a quotation by author and poet Nikita Gill
49
50
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GUNAS FOR GAIA written by Christine Boyd Miller, PhD
In yoga philosophy, the gunas are constantly fluctuating energies existent throughout the universe and therefore in each of us. These energies flow through all of nature and are inherent to our very state of being, influencing our reactions to everything and everyone around us. There are three constantly intertwining and changing components of the Gunas: tamas (inert), rajas (active), and sattva (harmony). These three parts work together confluently and drift back and forth, together and apart. How we react to any stimuli or experience depends on which energy force is more profound at that moment.
Tamas is the heavy, thick, grounded energy within us. It is a slow vibration. We react to stimuli with stillness, lethargy, and depression on the darker side of the spectrum. On the lighter side, tamas is where we find stability, deep reflection, and rest. In nature, the tamas would be organic matter decomposing as it settles back into the Earth, resting and slowly nourishing the soil to prepare it for new life. Tamas is the soft lullaby of the moon.
Rajas is the frenetic, passionate, fiery energy we carry. It moves at a fast vibration. This is the energy that feeds anxiety, agitation, multitasking, and overexertion. It also feeds motivation, enthusiasm, creativity, and movement. An example of rajas in nature would be the inertia of seeds germinating and springing forth from the soil, reaching for the bright morning sun.
Sattva is the calm, conscious space that balances the tamas and rajas. It is the space where we find truth and harmony in ourselves. Sattva is where our slow and fast energies meet in complement to each other. We need this balance in ourselves the same way the Earth needs the slow decomposing matter to nourish the soil so that very soil can bring forth new life, which will again become the soil. Sattva is the sun and the moon dancing in tandem, shrinking the winter days and stretching them out in the summertime, meeting reliably at equinox again and again. 53
It helps me to visualize the gunas as a seesaw with tamas and rajas sitting on either side. Sattva is the fulcrum or the centered balance point. The goal is to keep the seesaw flat but, maybe allow tamas and rajas to reach in and hold hands, play, and interact in a gentle fluid dance. The rise and fall of each side of the seesaw depend on the strength or weight of each energy and the forces that exhaust or enliven those energies. Sometimes the seesaw moves slowly and peacefully. Other times, tamas or rajas compete for control and push too hard off the ground. One energy might gain more strength than the other so, the seesaw stays at full tilt. Fortunately, the fulcrum can only accommodate this movement so far, as it stops one side before the other can go flying infinitely, out to space.
I’ve been exploring different ways to slow my seesaw and bring its balance closer to the center. Stretching, diet, sleep, and self-care all help maintain a sattvic balance. That can feel like an overwhelming list sometimes though. My yoga therapist suggested I begin simply with breathing. The yogic practice of regulating one’s breath is called pranayama. Prana, in Sanskrit, means life energy and, Yama means control. Focusing on the movement of one’s breath and practicing intentional inhales and exhales can be equally calming or energizing.
A series of slow, soothing breaths helps balance the rajas. My personal favorite is alternate nostril breathing when I’m anxious, unfocused, or in a hurry. I close my right nostril gently with my right thumb as I breathe out and back in through my left nostril. Then, with either my middle or ring finger of the same hand, I close the left nostril as I release my thumb to breathe out and in with the right nostril. I take turns breathing out and in on each side. Even just a few breaths slowly bring my insides to a calm place.
54
Likewise, when I feel overwhelmed by grief or heaviness I might try a Kapalabhati - skullshining breath - which includes inhaling slowly and deeply and then letting out the exhale in short rapid pulses. This is a vitalizing, energizing breath that helps to balance the heavy, slow tamas energy. Breathing doesn’t resolve grief or sadness, but it does help me find space around these feelings and release their control.
With physical yoga practice, also called Asana, one finds balance through focused posture and movement. This doesn’t necessarily mean I have to attend an entire yoga class to benefit from asana practice. Asana can be as simple as stopping where I am, at the moment, and doing a Sun Salutation to wake up my rajas a bit or curling into a Child’s Pose to calm it down.
Meditation is another useful tool for balancing the gunas. I’ve been practicing metta or lovingkindness, meditation lately, meaning that I meditate on my own worthiness of love, kindness, health, and happiness. Then I focus my intentions on that same benevolence toward other people, some who I love purely and others against whom I harbor resentment. Using this incredible meditative tool, I can see myself as a complete being, every bit as deserving of love as I believe anybody else is; as the very earth is worthy. If I love and cherish the Earth, then I have to love and cherish myself because I am of the Earth just as any part of my body is of me. This knowledge is centering and encourages sattva because it is realized in purity and truth. These energetic forces constantly function and fluctuate within us and in the context of our relationships with other people and nature. I’m finding that the better I understand and acknowledge the truth, love, and light in me, the more I can control my seesaw and connection with the Earth. I envision my tamas and rajas, each having both feet on the ground, swaying up and down ever so gently from tip-toe back to heel, up to tip-toe, back down, never leaving the Earth of which I am part.
Finding my own balance, sattva is an offering of peace to the Earth. The turbulent energetic forces of imbalance are not mine alone to carry. I am in mother nature. She is in me. She is the cycle of life and I am part of that cycle. Inward and outward I breathe; balance in me, balance in all beings, balance in mother nature. 55
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Old
school style Boston grooves are new again.
JORDEN REYNES MOTHER MAIDEN [CRONE] EP HTTPS://BIT.LY/MOTHER-MAIDEN-CRONE
Jorden Reynes is a storyteller and musician. Click on the
EP
name
above
to
listen
to
her
music
and
support her work. You can hear her commentary on one aspect of her Mother Maiden Crone project on our website here.
PODCASTS
INVISIBILIA Unseeable forces control human behavior and shape
our
ideas,
beliefs,
and
assumptions.
Invisibilia — Latin for invisible things — fuses narrative
storytelling
with
science
that
will
make you see your own life differently.
TERRIBLE THANKS FOR ASKING Terrible,
thanks
for
asking,
hosted
by
Nora
McInerney, gets real and talks about life - in all its ugly and beautiful glory.
GUIDED MEDITATION 21 BLESSING FROM THE DIVINE FEMININE HTTPS://BIT.LY/DIVINE-FEMININE-MEDITATION
Glenda Cedarleaf guides you on this meditative journey with 21 blessings of the Divine Feminine. It is a gentle reminder that this nurturing presence is
always
healing.
56
available.
Embody
this
compassionate
presence
for
growth
&
THE WILD UNKNOWN ANIMAL SPIRIT DECK WITH
GUIDEBOOK & OFFICIAL KEEPSAKE BOX
Kim Krans
BOOKS & CARDS
https://amzn.to/3uTcz3U
https://amzn.to/30bZ0yj
THE LONGEVITY BOOK THE SCIENCE OF AGING, THE BIOLOGY OF STRENGTH, AND THE PRIVILEGE OF TIME
Sandra Bark & Cameron Diaz
When you purchase these products using the links on this page, you are supporting the Mindful Soul Center. Amazon gives us a small referral fee with no cost to you.
57
THE
AGELESS
WOMAN
This compilation of information is for the ageless woman; maiden, mother, crone. You'll find a variety
of
resources
including
sections
on
aging
which
include
becoming
a
crone
and
my
own
experience of menopause (menopause infographic download), several podcast episodes, and videos - a mini-hub of information for the ageless woman. Some of the things you'll find in this 'hub' are:
A
two-part
interview
with
Rachel
Dutton
a
women's
health
expert.
She
shares
a
depth
of
information that was so vast the interview was broken into 2 parts. We discuss PMS, PCOS, infertility, postpartum depression, what's "normal" for a woman, oestrogen dominance, hormone balancing, the 4th trimester of pregnancy, charting your period and its benefits. A video of spoken word poet & visual artist Robin Reynolds, speaking her poem: Middle-Aged White Women Goddess Energy Standing In Your Power, Persephone And Demeter An interview with Susan Rodway-Hall on Happy Hormones, Yoga, Menopause and Perimenopause A Ted-ed Video on the changes that happen physically to the body during pregnancy.
You can access all of these in one place simply visit our 'Vault" here:
https://bit.ly/the-ageless-woman
58
FASCINATING SOMETIMES AGED FEMALE ANCESTORAL FIGURES
Our entire history is filled with gods and goddesses that populate our myths and stories to help us make sense of life. Exploring goddesses and telling their stories of course can't simply be done in an article in a magazine. But we can at least get acquainted with some of them here as a jumping off point for more specific in-depth explorations. In fact you can read the story of Persephone aka Kore in a previous issue or listen to a podcast on the story here. 59
’otua fefine
Female figure known as ’otua fefine Early 19th century Ivory figures were venerated as sacred objects in the Ha’apai Islands of Tonga. This whale ivory figurine sculpture is one of sixteen female figures surviving in the world from this time (1868) and place. Almost exclusively female, the figurines are referred to as known as ’otua fefine, a term used to describe prominent female ancestors who were venerated as divine beings. Although the ivory used is from whales, Polynesian islanders did not hunt whales. Instead, when there were strandings on the reef. Sacred objects were kept with other sacred objects in specially constructed fiber god houses which acted as small shrines and taken out to be used in ceremonies. They served as the 'hollow bone' or channels a vessel or vaka through which the spirits of the ancestral gods could pass. Worn on ceremonial occasions chiefly by women as either as single pendants or as an element of a larger necklace. Background image of the Humpback whales of Tonga with Roderick Eime from Australia - Majestic Whale Encounters, photo credit: Brandon Cole (CC2.0) courtesy of www.majesticwhaleencounters.com 60
61
Gr e e n
a r a T
From a Ashtasahasrika Prajnaparamita, a Perfection of Wisdom Manuscript
early 12th century, India (Bengal) or Bangladesh
A sacred image of Green Tara, holding a blue lotus, making the gesture of granting boons. Two female attendants are shown on either side of her. One attendant holds a ritual weapon known as a vajra. A vajra is also known as a Dorje and symbolizes a diamond's indestructibility and the irresistible force of a thunderbolt. The other attendant is Mahakali, and she holds a flaying knife and a ritual bowl known as a kapala or an adorned skullcup.
62
Mahadevi the Great Goddess ca. 1725 Bikaner, Rajasthan, India Background photo is by Dev Ubc of The Laxmi Niwas Palace, Bikaner, Rajasthan (cc4) In this twenty-armed form, Mahadevi - the mother goddess, holds an array of weapons affiliating her with all the male gods. This iconography also associates her with Durga, the slayer of the buffalo demon Mahisha. Ultimately powerful and creative, Mahadevi is understood by her devotees as the true reality in the universe. As she was the protector deity of the ruling household of Bikaner, this representation would have had special significance for the court.Bikaner is a city in the north Indian state of Rajasthan, east of the border with Pakistan. Surrounded by the Thar Desert, the city is known for the 16th-century Junagarh Fort, a large complex of ornate buildings and halls. Nearby, the Karni Mata Temple is home to many rats considered sacred by Hindu devotees. 63
64
Dhumavati
Lithograph of an aged goddess c. 1875–80, India, Calcutta A Mahavidya, Dhumavati is one from a group of ten Tantric goddesses of Hinduism. Portrayed as an aged woman of profound wisdom her long hair frames her face, and the all-seeing third eye is prominent on her forehead. She represents the fearsome aspect of Devi, the Supreme Goddess, she holds and can reveal the ultimate knowledge of the universe which is beyond the illusory realms of the material world. She is associated with the crows shown here with her and funerary grounds.
65
Mami Wata Mami Wata's name has more than one meaning and she adapts to a regions local beliefs and evolves with the time. Commonly thought to be a single entity, the name Mami Wata has been applied to several African water deity traditions across various cultures and can be gender fluid. Although "Mami Wata" can refer to both male and female deities, mostly they are thought of as feminine and usually take on a female form in artistic representations. The existence and spiritual importance of Mami Wata is deeply rooted in the ancient tradition and mythology of the coastal southeastern Nigerians (Efik, Ibibio, Igbo, Bahumono and Annang people). Mami Wata often carries expensive baubles such as combs, mirrors, and watches. Mami Wata is often described as a mermaid-like figure, with a woman's upper body (often nude) and the hindquarters of a fish or serpent. In other tales, Mami Wata is fully human in appearance - though never human. A large snake as a symbol of divination and divinity often accompanies her, wrapping itself around her and laying its head between her breasts. Other times, she may try to pass as completely human, wandering busy markets or patronising bars. The complexities are too great for this brief introduction to Mami Wata here, but if you haven't met her before then I'm glad you were introduced to her here.
Sculpture of the African water deity Mami Wata 1950s. Nigeria (Igbo) Minneapolis Institute of Art 66
Aged Goddess Aged woman, probably a goddess 664–30 B.C., Late Period–Ptolemaic Period Represented as an aged woman with sagging breasts the figure is stooping and uses a cane for support. She was probably a goddess since the broken surface on the top of the head indicates this figure wore a crown.
67
Goddess Taweret Statuette of the Goddess Taweret 332–30 B.C.,Ptolemaic Period The goddess Taweret is known as to protect pregnant women, especially during childbirth. An ominous figure she is meant to frighten away demons and other deadly creatures. Her features combine the attributes of four different species: human, hippopotamus, crocodile, and lion. Her hand rests on the sa sign, a hieroglyph that means protection. The sun god Amun-Re was conceived of as having multiple divine mothers, and by this later period in Egyptian history, Taweret and the other hippopotamus goddesses were included in this body of solar mothers. Taweret was worshipped in both secular and sacred settings.
68
Astarte Goddess: Astarte Greek: Aphrodite Roman: Venus Etruscan: Turan Mesopotamian: Ishtar Sumerian: Inanna
Greek: Aphrodite Faience statuette 334–30 B.C. Egyptian, Ptolemaic
Furniture plaque carved in relief with a “woman at the window” ca. 9th–8th century B.C., Assyrian Furniture plaque carved in relief with a “woman at the window,” ca. 9th–8th century B.C., AssyrianFound in Arslan Tash and other sites in Mesopotamia and the Levant, this rectangular plaque is one of several variations of the “woman at the window” theme. The head of a female wears a cloth headband, sometimes adorned with jewels known as a diadem and loop earrings. She is surrounded on three sides by a frame and below her four columns. This plaque can be attributed to the South Syrian style which is a combination of North Syrian [the woman’s large, round face, large ears, small mouth and receding chin] and Phoenician [the short Egyptian-style wig] elements. There is no conclusive interpretation of whom these plaques were meant to represent, however, some scholars associate them with the Levantine goddess Astarte. 69
Isis-Aphrodite
Figure of Isis-Aphrodite 2nd century A.D., Roman Period Isis-Aphrodite, a form of the great goddess Isis highlights the fertility aspects associated with Aphrodite who was concerned with marriage, childbirth and with rebirth. Shown here with intricate accessories that include the calathos a the crown of Egyptian Greco-Roman divinities. Dating technology puts this piece in the Roman period, estimated at AD 150.
Aphrodite Terracotta disk with Aphrodite riding on a swan 4th century B.C. , Greek Aphrodite was sometimes depicted with a swan, a symbol of good health, music, divination, and grace. In Roman times, Ovid and Horace in their works referred to the goddess in her chariot drawn through the air by swans. 70
71
SPINNING THE GODDESS INTO A SPIDER written by Amy Adams
Goddess pose aka Utkata Konasana is a standing pose. It is a pose of confidence, strength, and power. In it, we are forced to take up space. Taking up space is something often contrary to what is expected from girls and women. We spread our legs and squat, our legs grounded and strong. The shape and position remind me of fertility, the act of birth and even primitive figures in art. At the same time, as we embody the goddess and practice this pose, we open our hearts with our arms spread and muscles of the back engaged. These things together are a kind of juxtaposition of strength and vulnerability. You can enter into the pose in a variety of ways; following a standing wide-legged forward fold turning your feet or from a mountain pose widening your stance by stepping one leg to the side and turning your feet outwards. It’s a pose that is part of the moon salutation sequence too. There are several hand variations too, such as cactus arms, Anjali mudra (prayer hands), extended arms with the hasta mudra, etc. You can also revolve the pose. There are a lot of possibilities and, some are shown here in images. Your yoga teacher can guide you with specifics on them as well. One variation that isn’t too common is the spider pose and, that’s what we’ll focus on here.
SPIDER POSE Spider pose is one way to challenge yourself and try new things since variation moves the pose from beginner to intermediate level. Spider pose doesn’t have a formal name in Sanskrit, but just like other yoga poses, it has impact and benefits to various muscles and can be included in yoga sequences. The spider itself has a deep symbolic meaning. One of the most common themes is the grandmother spider celebrated in indigenous cultures in North America and elsewhere. Spiders weave intricate webs, spinning and creating something from seemingly nothing. Weaving is traditionally considered women’s work and, we see this metaphor in play in the stories of the Fates in Greek mythology - weaving and cutting the threads to life. As the guardian of languages and the alphabet, the spider communicates with us sharing her knowledge and wisdom, spider - a female energy teaches the younger generations how to weave their way through life.
72
The spider’s body is unlike an insect’s - having a two-section body instead of three like an insect. The double circles take on mystical symbolism. Together the body forms the shape of the number 8 from which represents the two-dimensional symbol of infinity. The past and the future, the physical and the spiritual are all woven together. The artist Louise Bourgeois, explored the theme of the spider mother in her later life with her work called Maman. Like the spider stories of the past, Maman symbolizes the strength of her own mother, mixed with the metaphors of spinning, weaving, nurture and protection - something we all need in a complex and uncertain world. Maman was birthed from her imagination during the late 90s when she was in her 80s. The original sculpture is more than nine metres or thirty feet high and made from steel and marble. Six bronze sculptures were cast from it and are installed at various locations around the world. She says this about the spider: The Spider is an ode to my mother. She was my best friend. Like a spider, my mother was a weaver. My family was in the business of tapestry restoration, and my mother was in charge of the workshop. Like spiders, my mother was very clever. Spiders are friendly presences that eat mosquitoes. We know that mosquitoes spread diseases and are therefore unwanted. So, spiders are helpful and protective, just like my mother. — Louise Bourgeois
73
GODDESS POSE: HOW TO AND ITS BENEFITS From Tadasana aka mountain pose, turn your whole body right to face the long edge of the mat. Come into a wide leg stance, pointing your toes outward from 45 to 60 degrees and towards the corners of the long edge of the mat. Bend your knees squat down, dropping your hips to knee height. Keep the thighs parallel to the ground, your spine erect slightly tucking in the tailbone. Gaze forward. Keep the crown of the head lengthening upwards as you extend your arms out to the sides at shoulder-height with your palms facing down. Then, spiral your thumbs up toward the ceiling, so your palms face forward. Bend your elbows and point your fingertips toward the ceiling; your upper arms and forearms should be at a 90-degree angle. Keep your knees in line with your toes. Soften your shoulders. Hold for 3 to 10 breaths. Send the breath to the lower abdomen, contract the abdominal muscles and release, do this at your own pace. Frequently practised in hip opening sequences, this pose helps boost energy in the body and builds confidence. The practice of goddess pose as part of a prenatal yoga sequence helps to widen the uterus and prepare for delivery during pregnancy. Goddess pose benefits the following muscles: Lower back, hamstrings, hips, knees, pelvic floor and quadriceps.
74
MOVING INTO SPIDER POSE FROM GODDESS POSE From goddess pose, fold forward. Allow your arms to drop down to the ground and raise your heels from the ground. Cross your arms in front of you letting the backs of your hands rest on the ground, with your palms facing upward. Touch the tips of your forefingers and thumbs together. Hold for 3-10 breaths. Spider pose benefits the following muscle groups: Arms and Shoulders Lower Back Middle Back Upper Back Core (Abs) Feet and Ankles Hamstrings Hips Knees Neck Pelvic Quadriceps
FINAL THOUGHTS Spiders are associated with the feminine principle, so this variation of the pose seems apropos. Spiders are associated with the waxing and waning of the moon a feminine symbol. They are very agile, and even though they instil fear in many, most are timid, their bodies delicate and fragile. How will you embrace your inner goddess and express it outwardly? What might you consider as you wrap and twist your body into a spider pose?
75
76
She did not know yet how sometimes people keep parts of themselves hidden and secret, sometimes wicked and unkind parts, but often brave or wild or colorful parts, cunning or powerful or even marvelous, beautiful parts, just locked up away at the bottom of their hearts. They do this because they are afraid of the world and of being stared at, or relied upon to do feats of bravery or boldness. And all of those brave and wild and cunning and marvelous and beautiful parts they hid away and left in the dark to grow strange mushrooms— and yes, sometimes those wicked and unkind parts, too—end up in their shadow. an excerpt from Catherynne M. Valente's The Girl Who Fell Beneath Fairyland & Led the Revels There 77
FIVE TYPES OF FOOD TO INCREASE YOUR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING by: Megan Lee and Joanne Bradbury
We
all
good
know
for
eating
our
decrease
physical
our
diabetes,
“healthy”
risk
cancer,
health of
food and
is
can
developing
obesity
and
heart
disease. What is not as well known is that eating healthy food is also good for
our
decrease
mental our
health
risk
of
and
can
depression
and
anxiety.
at an alarming rate and therapies and medications
cost
$US2.5
trillion
dollars a year globally.
There is now evidence dietary changes decrease
the
development
of
mental health issues and alleviate this growing
burden.
guidelines
Australia’s
recommend
clinical
addressing
diet when treating depression.
Recently
there
advances
addressing
certain
foods
have
have
on
been the
major
influence
psychological
well-being. Increasing these nutrients could not only increase personal wellbeing but could also decrease the cost of mental health issues all around the world.
78
One way to increase psychological well-being is by fuelling
brain
cells
correctly
through
the
carbohydrates in our food. Complex carbohydrates are
sugars
within
made
fibre
and
up
of
large
starch.
molecules
They
are
contained
found
in
fruit,
vegetables, and whole grains and are beneficial for brain health as they release glucose slowly into our system. This helps stabilise our mood.
Mental health disorders are increasing
can
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES (CONTINUED) Simple
carbohydrates
rapidly
increase
and
found
in
decrease
sugary feelings
snacks of
and
drinks
happiness
and
create
sugar
produce
a
highs
negative
and
lows
effect
on
that our
psychological well-being. We often use these types of sugary foods to comfort us when we’re feeling down. But this can create an addiction-like response in the brain, similar to illicit drugs that increase mood for the short term but have negative long-term effects. Increasing intake of complex carbohydrates and decreasing sugary drinks and snacks could be the first step in increased happiness and well-being.
ANTIOXIDANTS Oxidation
is
a
normal
process
our
cells
carry out to function. Oxidation produces energy
for
Unfortunately,
our
body
and
brain.
this
process
also
creates
oxidative stress and more of this happens in the brain than in any other part of the body.
Chemicals that promote happiness in the brain such as dopamine and serotonin are reduced
due
to
oxidation
and
this
can
contribute to a decrease in mental health. Antioxidants
found
in
brightly
coloured
foods such as fruit and vegetables act as a
defence
against
oxidative
stress
and
inflammation in the brain and body. Antioxidants damage cause
also,
and
cell
repair
scavenge
damage
free
in
the
oxidative
radicals brain.
that
Eating
more antioxidant-rich foods can increase the feel-good chemicals in our brain and heighten mood.
OMEGA 3 Omega
3
are
polyunsaturated
fatty
acids that are involved in the process of converting food into energy. They are
important
brain
and
the
feel-good
for
the
health
communication
chemicals
of
the
of
its
dopamine,
serotonin and norepinephrine.
Omega
3
fatty
acids
are
commonly
found in oily fish, nuts, seeds, leafy vegetables,
eggs,
and
in
grass-fed
meats. Omega 3 has been found to increase brain functioning, can slow down and
the
progression
may
improve
of
dementia
symptoms
of
depression.
continued
79
OMEGA-3 (CONTINUED) Omega 3 are essential nutrients that are not readily produced by the body and can only be found in the foods we eat, so it’s imperative we include more foods high in omega 3 in our everyday diet.
B VITAMINS B
vitamins
play
production chemicals
of
a
large
our
role
brain’s
serotonin
and
in
the
happiness
dopamine
and
can be found in green vegetables, beans, bananas,
and
vitamins
B6,
have
beetroot. B12
been
and
known
depression
and
High
amounts
folate
to
too
in
the
protect low
of
diet
against
amounts
to
increase the severity of symptoms.
Vitamin
B
reduced
deficiency production
can
result
of
happiness
in
chemicals in our brain and can lead to the onset mental
of
low
health
Increasing
B
mood
that
could
issues
over
a
vitamins
in
long
our
lead
to
period.
diet
could
increase the production of the feel-good chemicals
in
our
brain
which
promotes
happiness and well-being.
PREBIOTICS AND PROBIOTICS The
trillions
of
good
and
bad bacteria living in our tummies our
mood,
brain
also
influence
behaviour
health.
messengers
and
Chemical
produced
in
our stomach influence our emotions, our
appetite
reactions
to
and
stressful
situations.
Prebiotics and probiotics found in yoghurt, cheese and fermented foods such as kombucha, sauerkraut and kimchi work on the same pathways in the brain as antidepressant medications and studies have found they might have similar effects.
Prebiotics and Probiotics have been found to suppress immune reactions in the body, reduce inflammation in the brain, decrease depressed and anxious states and elevate happy emotions.
Incorporating these foods into our diet will not only increase our physical health but will have beneficial
effects
on
our
mental
health,
including
reducing
our
risk
of
disorders
such
as
depression and anxiety.
Written by: Megan Lee, Academic Tutor and Lecturer, Southern Cross University and Joanne Bradbury Lecturer in Evidence Based Health Care, Southern Cross University This article was originally published on-line by The Conversation and is available here under a Creative Commons license
80
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine...And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson -
[the] MINDFUL SOUL CENTER
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