Haiku

September crickets
Singing loudly their lament
For summer's passing

Love your Body Campaign

I would not usually be endorsing a company such as Victoria's Secret, but my good friend Michelle Maniaci of Nurturing Moves has entered a "Love your body"contest being sponsored by the company.

The invitation to the contest asks: What makes you feel beautiful? Tell us why you love your body and upload a photo...


I just LOVE Michelle's photo and words. She says:

I love my body because it is a sacred vessel that carries my spirit with every breath. My body is a temple that loves, creates, hugs and smiles. I love my body because it co created and birthed my baby girl. I love my body because it is an expression of my Divine Feminine Essence and wsidom.

If you love this as much as I do, you can vote for Michelle here: http://www.bodybyvictoria.com/#/Gallery/3990

If she gets the winning number of votes, she could win a spa vacation!

Birth Goddess

I have discovered a birth goddess that I was previously unaware of... I came across her while reading "Birth: An Anthology of Ancient Texts, Songs, Prayers, and Stories" edited by David Meltzer

Eileithyia comes from the Greek Pantheon and she is the goddess of childbirth and labor pain. She was called upon to help the laboring woman endure the pain, and to help move the labor along... but she could also slow things down causing a protracted labor.

Here she is depicted attending Zeus as he gives birth to Athena (emerging from his head fully grown and in full armor). Eileithyia is the one on the left.

When I was dancing with The Goddess Dancing, I created a dance called MotherBirth in which I danced the part of Artemis in her midwife role. Karen danced the part of a veiled wise woman whose job it was to protect the birthing - and I now realize that she was Eileithyia! According to David Meltzer, Eileithyia was usually depicted as being veiled from head to foot.

Father's Day 2009

On the first Father's Day since my Dad's passing. This photo of him holding me on his lap has a ghostly double exposure...

FREECYCLING

After 22 years of living in the first house that my husband and I bought together, we are moving! As you might imagine, we have accumulated a lot of stuff in those 22 years. And so this is an opportunity to cull some of our "stuff" and pass on what we are not using.

Being long-time environmentalists, we are loathe to just pitch everything into a dumpster. In my search for what to do with the "stuff", I discovered FREECYCLING.

Here's how it works: Use the link above or search on YahooGroups to find a freecycling group in your locale. Once you find a group, join and start posting the items you want to give away, and in a short time you are getting emails from people interested in your stuff!

Here's an example of one of the groups I joined: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GrotonFreeStuff/

We spent the whole weekend packing and freecycling. I set my computer up in an area I dubbed "freecycling central" and I would check my email every few hours for updates.

The most fun has been actually meeting the people who come to pick-up the "stuff" and learning a little bit about them. I love this!

Mother's Day

On this Mother's Day I bring you more Belly Dancing Mamas!

Doesn't this look like fun!?!

The next session of Prenatal Belly Dance for Pregnancy & Birth starts June 1, 2009.

Details at www.InTheBellyOfTheGoddess.com

Root Chakra Mandala

Here is the top cover of my drum carrying case on which I embroidered a mandala dedicated to the root chakra. My design was based loosely on Mendhi (henna tatoo) designs, and the colors I chose are earthy reds & browns. The actual work of embroidering was a very Zen experience - and a nice surprising memory of how much I like doing it. I had done a lot of embroidery in my late teens, but it had been years since I picked up a needle and floss.

At the center of my design is the Sanskrit symbol - Muldahara - which represents the chakra .


The root chakra is all about grounding and our connection to earth. I am relatively new to drumming - I am studying doumbek - middle eastern hand drumming. It is a very grounding activity!

Located at the base of the spine, the Root Chakra is associated with the color red and is the grounding force that allows us to connect to the earth energies and empower our beings. This Chakra is related to survival, our body and identity as an individual.

Root Chakra Visualization

The roots of a large tree spread deep underground, anchoring the tree into the
earth, use your creative visualisation to imagine roots, going down from your
body plunging into the depths of the planet and spreading out, just like the
roots of that tree. Envision the prominent bulky roots extending downwards below
the surface, broadening from the base of your spine. These roots are the essence
that will, enable you to draw into your body the positive frequency of the
mother earth. You are now beginning to feel the awareness of a reaction from the
planet deep below the surface coursing into your space. As this occurs, you
visualise the bulky roots that are beginning to entwine with the waters inside
the planet's core, these waters represent the unconditional love, healing the
rarefied energy of the Earth. As your roots entwine with the Earth energy use
your senses to experience the awareness of unconditional love.

From Spiritual Chakra Meditations

Squannacook River Goddess

On the gorgeous day that was yesterday, I had the opportunity to go canoeing with Dean and Pumpernickel on my lovely Squannacook River. She is a winding and slow moving river in North Central, MA whom I have claimed as my personal goddess...

She has so much to teach me...

• Go with the flow.
• Take your time, and carve your own path through this earthly plane.
• Pick up new things on your journey, and leave behind what is no longer needed.
• Give freely of your abundance and support a diversity of life.
• When faced with an obstacle, you have many options: you can go around it, or you can go under it, or you can go over it. With enough determination and force, you can move it. And with patience, you can slowly wear it away.
• There are times and places to run shallow, and times and places to run very deep.
• There are times to move slowly and calmly, there are times to move with exuberance - skipping and hopping and making a little song as you go, and there are times to be very still and silent.

I would love to live like a river flows, carried along by the surprise of its own unfolding...

~ John O'Donohue 1956 - 2008

But I also know that in places, the river still runs deep, and though I've floated in these places, it hasn't revealed itself in such obvious ways. I know that it might be months - years, even - before I understand what it has to teach me. I still need to give myself over to the flow and pattern and rhythm of it to learn its lessons and hear its messages. The river is inside me now, I know, and I need only wait and see where the current takes me, and what lies beneath it

~ Jeff Wallach, What the River Says

My Squannacook River is a very wise goddess indeed!

In Memory of My Dad

Dad sitting in the sand at Salisbury Beach


Normand Joseph Bernier
Jan 6, 1934 - Mar 29, 2009

I did not have the closest, warmest relationship with my Dad. In fact, I knew very little about him and I am sure that he did not really know very much of anything about me other than the most superficial facts about my life.

I do know that just about more than anything, he liked to be home. He did not care for travel, and on the rare occasion that he was away from home for more than a day, he was always restless to get back.

In the last year of his life, he spent a lot of time away from home. He was very unwell with a multitude of chronic health problems including diabetes, that resulted in a leg amputation followed by complications that left him in and out of hospitals, ICUs, rehabs, and nursing homes. We (my Mom and siblings) finally managed to get him home with hospice and take care of him for the last few days of his life. I am very grateful that we were able to give him this gift of care and comfort.

He had a few good days at home before making his final descent.

On one of the last days that he was alert and able to speak, he told me that he liked the beach - that he liked the feeling of the wind that he got there... And so, that is where I will try to remember him...

Noruz ~ Spring Equinox

I was introduced to Noruz by my mother-in-law who was born in Iran. I have been celebrating the Persian New Year - Noruz - for over 20 years now with my husband's family. I have come to love it and have adopted & adapted it to my own aesthetic.

The traditional altar set for Noruz must include seven things that start with the letter "S". For my altar, I use some items that start with the "S" sound in Farci, and some items that start with "S" in english...

Here are my seven S's:
Sebze - sprouted lentils
Serkeh - vinegar
Seer - garlic
Saffron - used often in Persian cooking
Sumac - a spice used in Persian cooking
Salt - my addition
Seeds - my addition

The altar always includes some spring flowers such as hyacinth, tulips or jonquils. I like to add a bowl of eggs as well.


It makes perfect sense to me to welcome a new year with the beginning of spring.

Aidee shomo mobarack!

Beautiful Belly Dancing Mamas!

These are some of the lovely goddesses participating in my March 2009 Prenatal Belly Dance class.

Mother Gaia's Healing Chicken Soup

I have been seeing a lot of patients with GI viral illnesses lately, so it seems a good time to share my recipe for Healing Chicken Soup.

In recent years, there have been some studies that have examined the properties of chicken soup as a healing modality for viral illnesses, and there is some science showing the effects of hot soup on white blood cell activity in the body, among other things.

My recipe makes use of body/mind medicine as well as herbal medicine.

The body/mind part of the recipe comes from preparing the soup with a healing, loving, and nurturing intention. Can you imagine how comforted you would feel if your loved one brewed up a big pot of soup just for you? Do not under-estimate the healing power of such a nurturing gesture!

The herbal medicine comes from the use of several herbs known for their antiseptic properties - lemon, oregano, onion and the queen of herbs - GARLIC!

Ingredient list:

• 3-4 pieces of chicken (with bone and skin) or a whole chicken


• 8 cloves fresh garlic (or more if you like...) chopped


• 1 medium onion chopped


• zest and juice of 2-3 lemons


• 3-4 TBS dried oregano


• Water


• 2-3 carrots chopped (may substitute parsnips, turnip or any other veg that you prefer)


• 2-3 ribs of celery chopped


• Other optional additions include rice or noodles

Put the chicken into a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 1hour.

While the chicken is cooking, peel and chop the garlic and set aside. Letting the chopped garlic rest for 20-30 minutes before adding it, helps to bring out the potency of the anti-viral and anti-bacterial effects.



Remove chicken and let cool. When cool enough to handle, seperate meat from bone and skin and chop coarsely, and return to pot.



Add chopped onion, lemon zest, oregano, garlic and veggies, and rice or noodles if using and lower heat to simmer. Cook for another 30 minutes, and add lemon juice at the end.

It is now ready to serve!

The soup freezes well. I often make a double batch to put some up in the freezer for when I really need it!

Healing Properties of Belly Dance

There are many of us who have known for a long time that practicing belly dance can be very healing to body, mind and spirit. For myself, learning and practicing it, and now teaching belly dance, has been a wonderful healer of my body image, my sense of self, my confidence, my mood and my femininity...

Recently, in an on-line radio program which aired on Voice of America, Christy Cuellar-Wentz of Mommy-Muse, focused on this assertion. The program was developed in part to promote the Christy's new eBook "The Belly Dance Prescription: Shake your Hips and Depression".

Among the experts interviewed for the program were my good friend Michelle Maniaci of Nurturing Moves. Also included in the program were Delilah of Visionary Dance Productions, and Lisa Sarasohn - author of "The Woman's Belly Book". What a great line-up of guests, each who thoughtfully shared her wisdom about the benefits of belly dance.

You can listen to the podcast of this program here:
http://www.modavox.com/voiceamericacms/WebModules/HostModaview.aspx?ScheduleTime=12&BroadcastId=42698&ShowId=927&Flag=1

The quickening

Imbolc has been one of my favorite sabbats for a long time now. It holds so much promise for the return of spring and warmth and the re-greening of the earth.

Persephone is making ready for her return from the underworld, and her mother Demeter is stirring from her long winter's sleep.

It reminds me of the quickening - the time in a pregnancy when a woman feels the fluttery movements of her baby for the first time - usually between 16 - 18 weeks gestation. Long ago, this was thought to be the time when the baby came to life. We now know, via ultrasound, that the baby has been moving for many weeks before that movement is percieved by the mother.

Even though the earth is still covered with thick layers of snow (and more coming today) here in the northeast USA, things are beginning to stir and awaken deep in the earth. If you look closely, you might find some of the trees are already forming their buds...

Momifesto

I came across this "momifesto" recently in surfing the web and wanted to share it...

The author voices many of the wishes, suggestions and goals for good care that I hope are given to the women I serve during pregnancy, birth and postpartum.

Here is an excerpt. "Encourage me to listen to the needs of my body and the baby within. Have faith in this natural process, and help me keep my faith in it. "

Read the entire entry here: http://blog.lkbaby.com/?p=47

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!