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 Edition 10 * March 9, 2001
Welcome back! And Happy St. Patricks Day to all!!! by Vicki Leon
Often described as short and dark, Sappho the poet had incredible stature both in her time and ours,
2,600 years later. Not only was her work sung, taught, and quoted, but the very phrases she coined,
from ''love, that loosener of limbs'' to ''more golden than gold,'' entered the Greek language and were
used so much they eventually became cliches.
Besides writing poetry as blood hot and immediate as a heartbeat, burning Sappho (one of her
nicknames) gave life to a whole poetic and musical movement. By creating a nurturing ambience for
accomplished women from Greece and Asia Minor on her home island of Lesbos, Sappho
encouraged the creative careers of dozens of celebrated women and myriad uncelebrated ones. Her
example spawned numerous imitators-her protege, Damophila, for instance, who wrote and taught
the young women of Pamphylia, five hundred miles east in Asia Minor.
In Sappho's day, becoming a poet meant learning to compose lyrics and melodies, singing, lyre
playing, and dancing; poetry was often an after dinner treat performed for guests. Sappho's own work
echoes her belief that the divine shares human delight in beauty and sensual pleasure. Was this most
famous of Lesbians gay? We'll never know definitively. The shards and fragments that remain from her
nine books of poetry certainly give the impression she was a dedicated admirer of women and a
chronicler of intimate human emotions. In Sappho's day perhaps 610 to 560 B.c. the island of Lesbos
wasn't so much a hotbed of female love as of political intrigue. Not once, but twice, Sappho was
banished to Sicily or had to flee Lesbos for unknown causes; in all likelihood, she and her aristocratic,
high-visibility family ended up on the wrong side of the political fence. Alcaeus, her Lesbian fellow poet
and admirer, had the same problem.
Another mark of Sappho's stature was her appearance on coinage. Mytilene, the capital of
Lesbos, proudly issued Sappho coins; some have been found that date to the third century A.D, nine
hundred years after the poet's death. Sappho (or rather, her fame) cornered the ancient equivalent of
the T-shirt concession too: her portrait and name appear on vases, bronzes, and, later, much Roman
art.
Although her poetry revolved around the personal, her private life was low key and not always lucky.
Her father died when she was six; later, one of her three brothers sucked the family coffers nearly dry.
(Those commissions Sappho got for wedding songs may have come in handy.) Sappho married a
man named Cercolas, who left her a widow in her forties. She also had a daughter, Kleis, about whom
she brags lovingly. The love affairs with the women to whom she was closest seem to have been
transitory. Like many a great poet or blues singer, Sappho took the personal pain in her life and
transformed it into beauty. Perhaps she was thinking of Kleis when she described her own songs as
''her immortal daughters.''
Copyright 1995, Excerpt from the book "Uppity Women of Ancient Times" by Vicki Leon
For people who can't think for themselves... Just... Ask... Jacki Dear Jacki: I am so sorry that last month I tried to hide behind "Anonymous". I was just afraid to let people know that I was so uninformed. Please, let me start again. Do ducks get cramps if they eat and then go swimming? Embarassed in Evansville Dear Embarassed: How should I know? What do I look like...the local duck doctor or something? Don't come back until you have an intelligent question. And quit groveling. No wonder you're embarassed. Dear Jacki: How would you suggest approaching a new relationship with a new womon after the luck I have had over the past several years? All the ones I have fallen for have turned out to be bisexual, anti-committment, partner swapping, baggage dragging, psychotic b****** (that I seem to be some sort of magnet for). How do I get into a new relationship without taking out old bitterness and mistrust on my new girlfriend? Jaded in Jacksonville Dear Jaded: Just what makes you think THIS one will be any different? Look at your track record, for goodness sakes! Hang on to the old bitterness and mistrust. You're probably going to need them. Besides, you might want to look on the positive side for a change. You are 100% SUCCESSFUL in attracting bisexual, anti-committment, partner swapping, baggage dragging, psychotic b******. There are those who would give anything to have your magnetic personality. Dear Jacki: I have recently been spending quite a bit of time fantasizing and....well, you know. I just wondered if you think that is healthy? How much is too much? How often is too often? I love me in Idaho Dear Sickie: Check your palms. They never lie. Anyway, have you thought of getting a life? Dear Jacki: I seem to be having an un-funny spell....everything seems so lame. Can you help me be funny again??? Dull in Denver Dear Dull: Is this some kind of joke or what? Ah, where does the time go? That's it for now. Don't forget...keep those letters comin'. Without you, I'm nuthin'. But without me....you're clueless! See ya next month, darlin'. Laughter Is The Best Medicine by HexAngyl
Over the past few months, many of us at AmaranthWomyn
have had our fair share of worries and stress. In my
opinion, it is so important for our emotional
well-being as well as our physical health, for us to
find ways to reduce stress in our lives.
Humor and play in our lives can lighten the burdens
and help us keep things in perspective. It helps
reduce stress by reducing tension.
Learn to Laugh at Yourself
Laugh Together
Use Humor Wisely
Add Humor To Your Everyday Life by Colleen Moulding
Originally found in the Mediterranean countries, the perennial herb lavender, has long been prized for it's
perfume and medicinal qualities. Used by the ancient Romans for it's healing and antiseptic qualities the
name itself comes from the Latin "lavare" to wash.
As a garden flower lavender is hard to beat, having fragrance, beauty and a harvest of sweet smelling blooms.
Old English Lavender, a must for any cottage garden, will grow two to three feet high given a sunny spot in
well drained soil, producing fragrant greyish leaves and blue/purple flowers. It is hardy and drought tolerant
too.
The more compact variety Hidcote, has darker blue flowers, grows to around a foot high and is pretty in the
flower or herb garden but stunning as a low hedge that will attract bees and butterflies all Summer long.
It adapts well to growing in containers so if you place some on your patio, deck or sitting out area you will be
able to enjoy it's heady fragrance as you relax.
The easiest way to propogate lavender is to take softwood cuttings in the Spring. However, as lavender benefits
from a light pruning in early Autumn these clippings make excellent new plants too as long as you protect
them from frosts.
Lavender's spiky form is always useful in Summer flower arranging. Can you imagine a more welcoming
posy for a guest room than lavender freshly picked from the garden mixed with pretty pastel coloured sweet
peas and a couple of old fashioned roses?
To dry your lavender, strip the leaves or the just opening flowers from the stalk and spread out in a warm
place before using in pot pourris to fragrance your rooms, in cotton sprigged sachets to scent and deter moths
from drawers and closets or to tuck between your bed pillows for their sleep inducing qualities.
You can also scent a relaxing and antiseptic bath by tying sprigs of lavender into a piece of muslin and letting
the bath water run over it as it fills your bath. If you don't have fresh lavender try adding a couple of drops of
the essential oil.
Essential oil of lavender is used in aromatherapy to lift depression, combat tiredness and help relaxation. It
has strong disinfectant properties and was even used on the battle fields of World Wars 1 and 11 to prevent
infection and relieve pain when other medical supplies were low. A drop of lavender oil mixed with a teaspoon
of carrier oil such as grapeseed and massaged into the temples and back of the neck will soothe away
headaches. Mixed with a massage oil it is also thought to help relieve the pain of arthritis or aching muscles.
Around the home dried lavender stalks can be burned like incense sticks or burned on the fire for their
wonderful fragrance.
Dried lavender can also be tied into wands, wired on to vine wreaths or used in floral art, candlemaking and
many other crafts.
In the garden, in the bath or anywhere around the home lavender really is a wonderful treat for the senses!
© Colleen Moulding 2001 by Louise LeBrun
Living in Canada's capital, it's tough
to avoid outdoor activity! With the world's longest
skating
rink but a short drive away; and with
ski hills, toboggan runs and cross-country trails in
abundance and close enough to deprive
even the biggest Couch Potato of any legitimate
excuse,
spending time outside is inviting,
accessible and proven to be good for your health.
We are encouraged at every turn of the
page and flick of the dial to be more conscious more
mindful of our need to move; to
connect ourselves in some way to the forces that
surround us
and find ways to move with them and
through them; to be in flow. Good for your heart, good
for the Soul and good for whatever ails
you. It's becoming impossible to deny that what you're
avoiding may be what you're missing for
a longer and more joyous life.
This doesn't just apply to the outside.
The same can be said for spending time inside but
inside
of you. Like coming in from the cold
into warm and inviting spaces, allowing the comfort
that
comes from the smell of logs burning on
the fire and the feel of the blanket of heat to wrap
itself around you. So too can the inner
spaces of your mind the sacred housing of your
spirit
and your soul unfold and enfold you
in its life-sustaining waves of peace, vitality and
authenticity.
Spending time inside in quiet and
solitude brings its own experience of movement,
warmth
and flow. Like finding yourself in the
vast expanses of the Alaska wilderness, you don't seek
out
.it finds you. And it comes to you
in the cry of the wolves piercing the stillness or the
feel
of the wind as it sweeps across your
skin.
Truth happens like this, too. Raising
your awareness of its presence with a sharp point,
penetrating the fragile boundaries of
your illusions. Or sometimes, in gentle but
ever-increasing
pulsations of awareness, leaving you
incapable of maintaining the faηade.
Like being outside renews and
revitalizes, with the cold, crisp air of a January day
making it
impossible not to notice 100%! your
connection to the elements, so the inside of us draws
our
attention, leaving an undeniable
recognition of the vast inner landscapes that make us
who we
are.
Like anything else in life, use it or
lose it! Perhaps our sense of familiarity would be
greatly
enhanced by an increase in the
frequency of our visits. And, as we acclimatize, the
length of
our stays begin to extend until soon,
without ever having noticed the moment of its turning,
we
begin to long for a return to our inner
sanctum; to that vast, expansive place inside us,
where
only we can go.
The next time you're outside, allow
yourself to go inside and connect to what keeps
calling to
you. As you roam through those
snow-covered places, so too allow yourself to know the
movement through those places inside
you. And when the two become one, when who you are
on the outside begins to match who you
are on the inside, the surge of energy that moves
through space and time will be greater
than you had ever dreamed possible. To continue to
live
life with only one, when both are your
birthright, will only leave you searching for the
missing
piece. Like the inside and the outside
of what you already know, they've always been there.
All
you have to do is step in.
Louise LeBrun is the Managing
Partner of Partners in Renewal Inc.
(http://www.partnersinrenewal.com), a company
providing education, facilitation
and public speaking services in
organizational change and career / life transition
using the latest methodologies,
including NLP and Quantum TLC(TM). She is a
world-class educator, speaker and
facilitator; as well as a published author (Fully
Alive From 9 to 5!) and creator of
the Women and Power audiotape series. She can
be reached at
wel-systems@canada.com
Whether you're just starting your business, or celebrating your 5th, or 25th anniversary, writing down
your goals is probably the single most important thing you can do. Think that sounds far fetched? Think
again. Without goals, we don't know where we are going. If we don't know where we are going, how
we will ever get there?
"Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." -
Fizhugh Dodson
If you were going to drive to another state to visit your Aunt Betty, wouldn't you have a plan? Wouldn't
you bring a map? Surely you would! Otherwise you could end up in Georgia instead of Colorado! Both
places are nice, but Aunt Betty would be disappointed if you ended up in Colorado and missed that
delicious apple pie she spent all day preparing! Writing down your goals is like deciding your
destination. From there you can draw your own 'map'.
"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." - Laurence J.
Peter
So, how do we go about setting goals? Write them down! Whether it's on your computer or a napkin
from your local deli or a sticky note - get it down. It's not important where you write them, just that you
do. The act of writing your goals down (or typing them out) helps you visualize your goals, and gets you
thinking about how you will reach them.
"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar
Need a lesson in goal setting? It's easy... Get your pen and paper, or computer and keyboard, in front
of you and remember these key ideas;
Begin with the end in mind - Your goal shouldn't be something so huge it seems unattainable. Small
goals to reach a larger one are often a more effective way of reaching them.
"Without a goal to work toward, we will not get there." - Natasha Josefowitz
Write down at least 5 goals you have for this month. Make them as simple as "Work for at least five
hours each day" to "Pay all my bills early" or "Make sure I market my business in some way - every
single day." Then you can work on your long term goals - For next year, 3 years from now, 5 years
from now, and longer.
"Happiness, wealth, and success are the by-products of goal-setting; they cannot be the goal
themselves." - John Condry
Prioritize your goals. Each goal is important, but some need to be reached sooner than others, and
some will take more effort. What is your most important goal? Visualize yourself reaching that goal each
day. Figure out what smaller goals you will need to reach in order to reach the most important.
"Set your goals high, and don't stop till you get there." - Bo Jackson
Sometimes we wonder why we've had mediocre results in the past... Where did we go wrong? Many
times you can attribute this to lack of goal setting. Simply wishing for things to happen won't make them
happen. Writing down you goals, and in turn figuring out how you will reach them will make them
happen.
"Those who cannot tell what they desire or expect, still sigh and struggle with indefinite thoughts and
vast wishes." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Whatever you do, don't take your eyes off the goal. When you are driving to Aunt Betty's, you may
come across a closed road - But you won't fret, because you have a map, and you will simply take
another route. Many times you may have to change your path, but your focus should remain on the goal
and how you will reach it.
"Obstacles are those frightful things when you take your eyes of your goals." - Hannah Moore
I believe in the power of thoughts. Whether you want to call it prayer, meditation, visualization, or
anything else, there is power in it! If your having trouble reaching your goals, by all means, think about
how you will reach them, step by step, until you have attained them! These thoughts will bring action.
You create your own destiny, why not visualize the destiny you want?
"Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things
you'll be doing when you've reached your goal." - Earl Nightingale
Start a goal journal today!
Julie Tillman-Frost is co-owner, webmaster, writer, editor, publisher, and head trash
taker-outer of YourHomeBiz.com, the ezine that helps you realize your home based business
dreams. If you are looking to start, grow, and succeed in home based business, please stop by
www.yourhomebiz.com/ You can also subscribe to her Free weekly enewsletter,
YHBWeekly, delivered straight to your email box every Friday, by sending any
e-mailto: subscribeyhbw@yourhomebiz.com
Once upon a time I had a dream ... a hope.
Untitled by LaughingRiver
To awaken in your arms
To hear your first breaths of morning
To peer into your eyes
To tenderly kiss your lips
am I wrong to want this paradise
Pearls by Quiddity
Someday you will understand |
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