Corpora Amaroso

During the Holiday shopping season, I was perusing many of the catalogs that arrived at my home via the mail. I am on the mailing lists for several "women's" catalogs, such as Isabella and Femail Creations

Are you familiar with these? Among their wares are many lovely gifts of music, books, cards and jewelry - many with inspiring words such as "there is no way to peace - peace is the way" and "contentment is not the fullfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have." All very appealing to me...

Why is it then, that Isabella also carries NUMEROUS "beauty" products designed to counter the "signs of aging", or from which "you can expect 60% more firmness and a 40% reduction in the appearance of fine lines and pore size" or that promise to give you "that I-just-got-back-from-the-best-vacation-of-my-life look". These are direct quotes lifted from product descriptions.

The ubiquitous messages of you are not good enough, young enough, slim enough, bright enough, beautiful and desirable enough are everywhere!

I found myself needing to call upon Corpora Amaroso - the goddess I created for the Goddess Gift create a goddess contest last year. She tells me that I am perfect just the way I am! WHEW - thank goddess I came to that realization before I purchased that anti-aging serum...

Winter Solstice

Merry Yule & welcome the return of the light!

I must direct to to Kerrdelune's beautiful post for today. Her winter images are the most moving to me...

Hail to the Chief

I was on my way to a belly dance rehearsal in Cambridge when I noticed this window display. It is the front window of Hubba Hubba on Mass Ave in Central Square. I just love it and had to share!

Take a good look at all of the characters looking to Obama to bring us all together - Jesus Christ, King Kong, Pee Wee Herman, Miss Liberty, Kachina Dancer, angels, skeletons and many more. Can he do it? Who do you see in the crowd?

Very clever indeed...

Flax Pax

Flax Pax Body Warmers.

What are Flax Pax? They are a 30" long baffled sack of flax seeds with an outside case which can be removed and laundered. Warm for 2-3 minutes in microwave (or in the top of a large double boiler). Made from many choices of very beautiful 100% cotton fabrics

Made in Maine by my friend Mariah.

Comforting, beautiful, useful, biodegradable...

What do they do? Pax wrap gracefully, warming neck and shoulders, back, and/or legs and feet. They warm you up in cars, cool rooms, and in your bed on cold winter nights. Comfort for those who live alone, and those who are ill or bereaved. Soothe aches and pains, congestion, etc. Wonderful for menstrual cramps or early labor cramps!

I have several in my home - the flax seed smells so nice when warmed.

Flax Pax Pricing: $25 each, including shipping east of the Mississippi. $22 each for orders of multiples of four to the same address, US shipping included. $20 each if picked up in Liberty or Belfast, ME

Why not support a wonderful cottage industry? Contact Mariah at Mariah@midcoast.com or phone (207)589-6006

A belly dancing birth!

Wow! I had the wonderful privilege of attending the birth of one of the women who was in the mini belly dance class that I described in my 11/2 post.

I was just coming on duty and walked into the room. The dad-to-be recognized me immediately and cried out "the bellydancer!" The laboring woman was just recently fully dilated, and her baby was having decelerations when she pushed, so the midwife who I was relieving had helped her to get into a hands & knees position. (She had an epidural, but was able to move well...) From this position, she began to shimmy her hips - the baby rotated - and was crowning with-in 5 minutes - and I got to catch her!

Sweet!

A Stay of Execution... More on the North Shore Birth Center

The board of the Beverly hospital, in response to public outcry, has decided to reconsider the proposal to close the North Shore Birth Center to births.

I saw the coverage on the TV news last night. It was quite an impressive show of support coming primarily from the families who have given birth there - and the hospital board took notice. Yay for birth activism!

A small victory. There is still work to do...

Get your updates here:
http://savethenorthshorebirthcenter.wordpress.com/

Curious about home birth?

The NY Times just published a really nice, fairly thorough and balanced, non-sensational article on home birth, describing both the benefits and the risks.

Check it out here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/13/garden/13birth.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp

Interest in this option seems to be on the rise since the release of Ricki Lake's movie "The Business of Being Born". See my post dated 12/18/07. If you have not yet seen the movie, you really should. It is now available on DVD. You can purchase it or add it on your NetFlix queue.

Save North Shore Birth Center

I have just learned about a very serious threat to close North Shore Birth Center in Beverly, MA.

Birth centers offer women a safe and satisfying alternative to hospital birth, and home birth. North Shore Birth Center was the first in New England, and over its 28 year history, has had 7000 babies born under its roof. It is currently one of only 2 birth centers in all of Massachusetts. The births are attended by midwives.

On November 18th, Northeast Health Corporation's board of trustees will vote on a proposal to disallow births to continue at the birth center. The proposal is motivated by concern over escalting costs of operation...

SOME THINGS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY! Don't you think?

Women deserve to choose the birth experience that is right for them and their families.

A grassroots organization "The Campaign to Save the North ShoreBirth Center" is forming under the guidance of MFOM (MA Friends of Miwives).

Here are some links to learn more about how you can help in the effort to stop this closure:

• LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN http://savethenorthshorebirthcenter.wordpress.com/letter-writing-campaign/
• UPCOMING MEETINGS: http://savethenorthshorebirthcenter.wordpress.com/brainstorming-meeting-this-sunday/
• MEDIA COVERAGE: http://savethenorthshorebirthcenter.wordpress.com/in-the-news/

Sisters Singing

Sisters Singing: Blessings, Prayers, Art, Songs, Poetry & Sacred Stories By Women

A while back I submitted a bit of writing to be included in this anthology edited by Carolyn Bright Flynn.

My contribution is titled "A Midwife's Invocation". It was originally a prayer that I wrote for myself during Midwifery school - I would use it before attending a birth. Later, I sort of fleshed it out with the intention of creating a peformance art piece comprised of music, belly dance and spoken word. (This project is still on the back burner...) But the written prayer was accepted and is included in this beautifual book. The book is now being released!

"This magical book is a well of blessings. Sit beside it, let down your bucket. Open it anywhere and you will hear their voices. Your sisters are singing, praying, murmuring stories, telling us, in a thousand ways, what we most need to know: that we belong to each other and to the living Earth.” --Joanna Macy, author World as Lover, World as Self

A Book launching celebration is taking place on November 8th in Santa Cruz, CA.

Learn more at SistersSinging or at WildGirlPublishing

Illuminated belly

I came across this in my internet wanderings... I think this is so cute - and imaginative! What a fun way to accesorize your pregnant belly!

The photographer tells me it was taken at a belly dance performance in Eugene Oregon. The dance troupe is called "Luminessah".

A tough crowd...

I recently had the opportunity to teach belly dance to a group of pregnant teens.

For almost a year now, I had been having a conversation with Eileen - the childbirth educator who works with the teens in the hospital's Adolescent Reproductive Health Service - about wanting to offer my belly dance for pregnancy and birth classes to this group. Well, I finally had the chance to try it out! The opportunity was prompted by one of the FOBs in the class saying that he had seen something on TV about belly dancing being helpful for birth - and so we took the bait!

This was a group of about 7 , nearly full term young women, some with their male partners, one with her mom and aunt, one by herself, and all African American.

Teens are such a tough crowd! With my strong urging, I got them to stand up and get out of their chairs and to each tie on a coined hip sash. I was unable to convince any of the guys to put on a hip sash - usually in adult groups at least a few of the men are willing... I did a very limited instruction in hip movements, snake arms and shimmies. The shimmies brought out a lot of giggling!

They are so self-conscious. No one wants to stand out or indicate that they are actually having fun, or appreciating it, or getting it...

I gratefully got some feedback from Eileen the next day:

"I saw one of the young women, Janiel with her sister Trisha, this morning when she came in for her appointment in the clinic. For you: Janiel sat through some of it, she was in the corner away from the door, Trisha was getting into to it too......well, both of them were still beaming smiling when I saw them this morning, said that they were talking about it all night, laughing."

Yay! I can't wait to do it again!

Belly Dance for Pregnancy & Birth

I'm back! After not posting for a long time...

Over the summer I resigned from The Goddess Dancing. I am now starting my new venture - In The Belly Of The Goddess - dedicated to applying the benefits of belly dance as a prenatal exercise and childbirth preparation activity.

Visit my new website - www.InTheBellyOfTheGoddess.com - for details on classes, articles, and a great resource page with links to more articles and video clips.