WHO Says So

"The World Health Organization (WHO) has concluded that hormone replacement therapy, taken by millions of women around the world, causes cancer, but said that does not mean women should automatically stop taking the treatment.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that, based on consistent evidence emerging from studies over the last few years, it has reclassified hormonal menopause therapy from "possibly carcinogenic to humans," to "carcinogenic to humans." Studies have convincingly shown that the treatment slightly increases the risk of breast and endometrial cancers, the agency determined. It also concluded that the combined contraceptive pill causes more types of cancer than previously thought".

Article excerpt from BBC News

The Womanly Arts

"As a woman, pleasure is your birthright."
----- Mama Gena

The Queen of Womanly Arts is Mama Gena. She is a modern day Goddess. Mama teaches women how to use the power of pleasure to have your way with the world. Do what you love and everything will follow. She encourages us to follow one simple principle: self-indulgence is the key to self-empowerment.

Here are some Womanly Arts highlights to keep your happiness alive, strong and glowing: Give yourself pleasure everyday, Honor your body with rituals, Brag about yourself, Don't compromise, Invest in yourself, Keep a desire list, Give thanks for all you have.

Women of Wisdom

American women are teaching the dharma and changing the face of Buddhism. They are taking Buddhism away from its patriarchal past, and participating as practicing teachers and leaders. The role of American Buddhist women is unprecidented and may change Buddhism forever.

"The parallels between dharma and making art are many. The inner transformation and growth that result from dharma practice flow into the work, and the work in turn becomes an offering." Meredith Monk , Composer and Performer

"We find conflict in so many places today --- within ourselves, in relationships, between countries, and even in places we associate with peace, like the Himalayas. What is the solution? The Buddha teaches that violence leads to more violence. So how can we be actively engaged in change, yet not caught in patterns that perpetuate suffering? Meditation can create a working basis for changing the fundamental causes of suffering and moving toward natural liberation."
Tsultrim Allione, Buddhist Teacher

"Loving kindness, which is a facet of mindfulness, is paying attention most specifically to the climate of your hear. It is open and loving or is it closed up and in self serving mode? You need to determine if it is frightened, overwhelmed, confused, and then do what you need to do." Sylvia Boorstein, Psychotherapist

"Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it. Nothing ever sums itself in the way we like to dream about. The off-center, in-between state is an ideal situation, a situation in which we don't get caught and we can open our hearts and minds beyond limit." Pema Chodron, Buddhist Teacher

Quotes from Shambhala Sun

Enter The Power Zone

The Zone: Being in the Zone is the mental skill of being able to focus on the process and execution of each step without worrying about the outcome of an event. Let the rest go.
Bounce: If you make a mistake, make the changes necessary, then move decisively to the next point.
Love it or Leave it: If you don't love what you are doing, leave it. Love what you love. Want what you want. This is your life.
Just Say No: Learn to say "no" to commitments you do not want to take on. Walk on.
What Women Want: Make a desire list. Everything you want you can have.
Act As If: BE the woman you have always wanted to be.
Have Fun at Everything You Do: Get creative, go out and play.
Live Your Dream Life. Now.

Connecting To The Source

The Earth Mother is the Great Goddess of the ancients, the creatrix who births herself and all of the universe. The Great Mother embodies the triple Goddess: she is the blossoming, life-giving Virgin, "a woman unto herself"; the nurturing, fruit-bearing Mother; and the wise,but death-bringing Crone. In her most ancient form the body of the Great Goddess is the Earth herself. Her womb is a cave deep in the Earth accessed through a labyrinthine pathway.

The Mother Goddess remains rooted in the land. She is called "All That Is," the goddess of ten thousand names who is the Great Mystery, holding the secrets of birth, death and regeneration. She is the sun, which provides light and nurturance,the moon and the stars. She is the essence of the rhythm of nature and the nurturing power that sustains all creation in her web of wisdom, which is the cauldron of life.

To connect with her source of power is to know her in all her forms. To be in awe and reverance of all of nature and its beauty.

Spider Woman: Thinking Woman of the Pueblos

"The weaving way holds beauty"
"The weaving way holds power"

Archetypes are powerful images in the collective psyche. To understand the feminine source of power is to re-member the ancient goddesses. The original Native American Earth Goddess was Spider Woman, known as Sussistannako or Thinking Woman. She was the Earth Goddess, or Naestasan, the Woman Horizontal, who created the winds that control all life on earth and in the underworld.

In her primordial form, Spider Woman spun a line in four directions, creating the Sun and Moon and the Star People who were given clear crystal eyes so there would never be complete darkness again. Spider Woman was so crafty that she created a stairway from her web of wisdom to the Fourth World. She led the people through the sipapu, the opening for the spirits to enter the kiva, the sacred ceremonial space that is the womb of Mother Earth. By being connected to her web, they would always be able to draw on her wisdom in their travels.

By connecting to Spider Woman, we remember her magic and her wisdom. Spider Woman teaches soul protection and the love of beauty as well as the sensitivity to know what must die and what shall live, to what shall be carded out, to what shall be woven in. She connects us to our deepest source of wisdom and power.

Feminine Icon of Our Age

An inadvertent icon of grace and heroism, Jane Goodall, the primatologist turned environmental campaigner blazes on the inspirational trail around the world. Goodall, the 71 year old Ambassador of Peace, has the kind of beauty you can't buy. She radiates the beauty that comes from being who you are and living it. Her message is simple: "Yes, we are trying to change the world. Yes, we are changing the world. But we can't anything alone. . . Every single individual makes a difference every day. When we get a team and we can hold hands, we can change the world together."

In 1986, it became clear to Goodall that she would have to leave her research behind and address the planet's bigger environmental and social issues. "I was impelled. It wasn't a choice. It was no great nobility. I think I am doing what I was sent to do. I wouldn't choose to live this way. Who would? I don't enjoy it. " Jane travels tirelessly, touring over 300 days a year and not staying in one place for longer than three weeks.

The Jane Goodall Institute, founded in 1977, now has a global staff of more than 250 to carry out its conservation and research work. Roots & Shoots is her main focus these days, comprising more than 6,000 groups in at least 87 countries.

Goodall has evolved from being one of the world's most recognized animal researchers to becoming a full time activist who has made it her life's work and driving ambition to protect and nurture every living thing on this planet.

"When I die, I want to be able to look at my three grandchildren, whom I care about very deply, and tell them that I really tried my best."

Excerpt from Vogue Magazine interview

The Feminine Revolution

"Being Feminine is Revolutionary"
------ Bumper Sticker

"Dr. Patricia Allen, a Manhattan gynecologist, is revolutionizing the notion of what mid-life means. Dr. Allen has created Women's Voices for Change (WVFC), an organization to promote the concept that menopause is not an ordeal to be weathered by a singular opportunity in a woman's lifetime, but rather is a gateway to power. The organization's mission statement is, "foster the image of the New Menopausal woman as one of wisdom, creativity, sensuality, and determination. . rather than the current perception of menopause as a time of shame, fear and denial."

Wrestling the stereotypes into a feminine renaissance is daunting, as the prevalent myths: menopausal women lose interest in sex, grow fat and unattractive, and mourn the fact that the richest part of their lives have ended, are deeply rooted in the American psyche. The French believe that a woman is not fully developed until 40.! What these myths refer to are a collective consciousness. How to change? Attitude. With a change in attitude about your libido, your weight and your life, the opportunity exists for you to find yourself wiser, smarter, richer, sexier, and whatever else you desire at mid-life.

"Menopause," says Allen passionately, "is an opportunity to choose, to become the women we have always wanted to be. One of the great lies is that women over 45 want to be younger. We'd rather have a gun to our heads than go back to our younger selves." The message is that women over 40 are fabulous, they love who they are, and the best is yet to come. Meno-pause is exactly that. Time to pause, gather in your power and go for what you've always wanted. The tremendous hormonal energy that arises during menopause is truly transformational. You finally get the chance to pick the cards you want. . .and play them!"

Excerpt from Vogue Magazine interview

The Spiral Serpent

The ancient Minoan Snake Goddess is a powerful image of feminine empowerment. The serpent is associated with the feminine, resulting from their earthbound, rhythmically undulating movements, as well as their ability to shed their skin periodically which connects them with the cyclic changes of the moon and female moon cycles.

In its shedding skin, the serpent manifests the potential for transformation through the birth, death, rebirth cycle. The cycle of death and rebirth is often symbolized by the ourborous, the ancient image of a snake swallowing its own tail. It is the symbol of eternity.

The serpent is the power behind the development of consciousness. The Kundalini serpent is in potentia as she sleeps, awaiting the call from the divine. The Kundalini serpent is embodied spirituality. The sanskrit word Kundalini means "of a spiral nature", coiling, winding, the female serpent, the Goddess Kundalini. The Spiral Serpent is also a symbol of alchemy and healing. The caduceus is a symbol of wisdom expressed through healing.

The Quest for Empowerment

What do women want?? The question of the century posed by Dr. Freud.
Empowerment, freedom and sovereignty. The Winged Victory is one of the most beautiful pieces of art in the world, and an inspiration for feminine empowerment. Menopause can be an incredibly powerful and transformational time in mid-life. This weblog wil explore how to use the power of your hormones and biology during menopause to recreate, re-vitalize, re-vamp, re-energize, re-invent your life . This gateway to power invites women to ask themselves "Is this empowering? Does this lead me into the direction of my dreams?" The answer must always be a resounding YES!!

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