Friday's Feminist

Eastre, The Great Mother Goddess

The name "Easter" originated with the names of an ancient Goddess and God. The Venerable Bede, (672-735 CE ) a Christian scholar, first asserted in his book De Ratione Temporum that

Easter was named after Eostre (a.k.a. Eastre). She was the Great Mother Goddess of the Saxon people in Northern Europe. Similarly, the "Teutonic dawn goddess of fertility [was] known variously as Ostare, Ostara, Ostern, Eostra, Eostre, Eostur, Eastra, Eastur, Austron and Ausos." She is the Anglo-Saxon personification of the dawn. She is a fertility goddess and a friend to children, and she changed her pet bird into a rabbit to amuse them. Here are some customs my lady of the Spring likes you to enjoy:
Hot cross buns — At the feast of Eostre, an ox, was sacrificed, and its crossed horns became a symbol of the season carved into the bread. The word 'bun' derives from the Saxon word 'boun' meaning 'sacred ox'.
Easter lilies — It's believed that the lily, because of its shape, was associated with the reproductive organs, and therefore with fertility.
Easter candles — The pagans light bonfires to welcome the rebirth of the sun God.

Easter Bunny — The earthly symbol for the goddess Eastre, goddess of the dawn, is the rabbit, a symbol of new life.

Easter eggs — The egg has been a symbol of rebirth and fertility for many centuries. Long before Christianity was introduced, eggs were painted with bright colours to celebrate the sunlight of spring. There's ancient evidence of egg rolling and egg-tossing contests as well as egg gift-giving. In pagan times the egg was believed to have special powers. It was buried under the foundations of buildings to ward off evil, and brides stepped upon an egg before crossing the threshold of their new home. To be given an egg was to wish many children upon the recipient.
Decorating and colouring eggs was a popular custom in the middle ages, and throughout Europe different cultures have evolved their own styles and colours. In Greece, crimson-coloured eggs are exchanged, whereas in Eastern Europe and Russia silver and gold decorations are common, and Austrian eggs often have plant and fern design.

Oh joy, Spring is here! So shine shine, pretty baby be a freind of mine........

Peace

Today, quite unexpectedly I had a yoga class with Baron Baptiste. I thought, "OK, lets just be present and see how I do with this." I had a goooood class. I let go and I didn't fight it. Sometimes a person is in the right head space at the right time. The itty bitty shitty committee is at recess and spirit takes over. It's like walking on water.
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti, Peace, Peace, Peace
Jai Bhagwan Baby................

Friday's Feminist

In celebration of Women's History Month let's take a moment to give proper due to some of the sister's in this country who gave us a voice, made us stronger and empowered us to be the magnificent women we are today. No better way to start than with Gloria Steinem, an American feminist icon, journalist and women's rights advocate. She is the founder and original publisher of Ms. magazine. As a writer she gained popularity through an expose as a playboy bunny, political coverage of presidential elections and a groudbreaking article in 1962 raising the topic of marriage vs. career which preceded Betty Friedan's work in the Feminine Mystique. "I have yet to hear a man ask for advice on how to combine marriage and a career. " She has cofounded several organizations including, The National Women's Political Caucus, the Women's Action Alliance and the Coalition of Labor Union Women. Steinem has been a tirless advocate for all women. She has given us condifience and helped us to stand straight backed and proud knowing were more than equal and up to any challenge. Yeah, you go girl!

"Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry. "

Sunday Peace Prayer

The Soul Garden

Just as the heart becomes carefree

in a place of green, growing plants.

goodwill and kindness are born

when are souls enter happiness.

Rumi

Pray for peace

Magical Moment

During my travels, one rainy day I had a pleasant lunch after shopping for antiques. Upon paying the bill, the waitress brought a little postcard with a poem written in English. As I looked down I thought how incredible to receive this while sitting in a little restaurant half way across the world in the Middle East. It was a magical little moment telling me all was well and to expect good things.

This is the true measure of love,

when we believe that we alone can love,

that no one would ever have loved before us,

and that no one

will ever love in the same way after us.

Goethe

Drifting

My mind is floating. One moment I'm present, and the next drifting far away. It's going to take some time to comprehend what I saw, felt and experienced. I keep reflecting back and then my mind drifts off into sweet oblivion. Eventually the dust will settle and I will land on this side of the Atlantic, but in the meantime I'm a little lost in time and space. Partly due to a whopping, giant, terrible case of jet lag. Jet lag is a condition resulting when travel across time zones leaves a person feeling “out of sync” with local time. Never an early riser, I'm now up promptly at 4:45 am and sound asleep by 7:45 pm. Mid morning I'm really hungry, quite ready for lunch and by the end of the afternoon blurry eyed, teary and irritated. My remedy is lots Sun Salutations. A little downward dog is definitely a wise choice. Inversions stimulate and balance all the systems of the body including the endocrine, circulatory, reproductive and digestive system. Patience and time are required as well ,eventually the internal clock syncs but in the meantime I suppose it's all about enjoying the sunrise and quiet beauty of the early morning.

Namaste

I've been Everywhere, Man I've been Everywhere

I'm back home in the U.S but the body, and mind are totally clueless, lost in a sea of time changes. This was an amazing trip, transformative actually. I'm going to need some time to digest all of it and have my internal clock return to eastern standard time. I saw desserts. oceans, mountains, prehistoric structures, tall modern skyscrapers with sophisticated views from the top, people living in the 21st century others a few hundred years behind. I'm home now to the cold and snow and even that is hard to digest. It's certainly time to get on the mat and let the rest transpire.

Shine on and let it all unfold.

Peace and Love always.

Miss. S.