To bitch or not to bitch: that is the question.

We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.― Dietrich Bonhoeffer

bitch (n)
O.E. bicce "female dog," probably from O.N. bikkjuna "female of the dog" (also fox, wolf, and occasionally other beasts), of unknown origin. Grimm derives the O.N. word from Lapp pittja, but OED notes that "the converse is equally possible." As a term of contempt applied to women, it dates from c.1400; of a man, c.1500, playfully, in the sense of "dog." Used among male homosexuals from 1930s. In modern (1990s, originally black English) slang, its use with reference to a man is sexually contemptuous, from the "woman" insult.
BITCH. A she dog, or doggess; the most offensive appellation that can be given to an English woman, even more provoking than that of whore. ["Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue," 1811]

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back, and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.” ― Sojourner Truth

My dear readers, citizen of humanity, keepers of the eternal flame, weary travelers, good people of the World,

I'm sure you've all noticed that there is a most curious proliferation of the use of the word "bitch" on the boob tube and in the main stream media these days. First there's that new show GCB, which was originally called Good Christian Bitches until they likely realized that wasn't gonna fly for prime time T.V. and now it's just called Good Christian Belles. This is where the Jukebox that is my mind cues Marvin Gaye and I just sigh, shake my head and sing, "Mercy, mercy, me. Things ain't what they used to be. "

I recently encountered that pepto bismol pink poster for a new T.V. show called Good Christian Belles on the NYC subway. I confess my eyes welled up with tears for Jesus, who continues to be mistreated, misunderstood, maligned, and mocked for the love of money and that most lovely of Sanskrit words, " maya", meaning "illusion". Of course this bleeding sacred heart of mine is likely why my mother named me Holly, after that Neil Diamond song " Holly Holy Love". I often have my mind on holy things-- more and more so these days. It was a Sunday morning when I first saw Ms.Perez Hilton in her scandalously short choir robe and I had just had a most mystical encounter with the albino peacock named Phil who roams the grounds of Saint John the Divine's Church. Needless to say, I was not quite prepared for the assault of my senses and sensibilities that is that advertisement.

All I know is that when I was a choir girl with the Princeton High School Choir, our robes were never that short, nor did we have much time for spray-on tans between rehearsals. The image is just yet another sign of the times and points yet again to a lack of reverence for the eternal and holy things in this world, one of them being the message of hope, healing, and peace that is given to the human race in the Gospel. Maybe I'm missing something and simply need to acquire some Jesus bling and a television.

There's yet another show called "Beware of the Bitch in Apartment 23". There's even a new wine called " Happy Bitch" -- it's a veritable "bitch" bonanza out there in the wide world of Sports. Now, when David Bowie sings " Queen Bitch", I've no problem with the word, mostly because he's David Bowie, he was a choir boy and is Divine.

But all this talk of "bitches" makes me wonder why women have felt the need to identify with the word at all and what it says about the way women think about and manage their power on the world's stage, where all the men and women are indeed merely players. As we collectively as One human race under the sun sit on the precipice of the breaking down of the patriarchal paradigm, I cannot help but wonder what will become of the world "bitch" as the New Mother nature takes over, as both men and women begin to embrace both the feminine and masculine aspects of each other. The word "bitch", is indeed a denigration of our character as women and with each day that passes, I grow more and more weary of its use and abuse. Still I write to you on this blog, Namaste, Bitches, in part because I enjoy paradox, and in part because for now, this platform serves as a double-edged sword in the fight against Evil. Don't be a drag, just be a Queen.... Don't be a drag, just be a Queen. I find this to be a helpful mantra in addition to OM MANE PADME HUM these days.

The deeper issue I'd like to examine about the use of the word "bitches" is the health of the human heart and the idea that women somehow feel more empowered by being a "bitch". To my mind, the need to assert power in this way is simply evidence of a woman's frustration with the systems and religious institutions that have denied the Sacred Divine Feminine and the men who have issues with their own divine feminine nature. But a change is gonna come. It's happening. Can you feel it on this Vernal Equinox? Spring is here, why doesn't my heart go dancing? Rodgers & Hart sure knew what was up. Now we have "Stupid Hoe" to contend with on the airwaves. I reckon she's not singing about an uncooperative garden tool.

We are being asked as human beings to step fully into our Divine power, to not think of each other as woman or man anymore, but rather as light body to light body, soul to soul, human being to human being. Hence the power of the word "Namaste", meaning, the light in me bows to the light in you. There is no power struggle any more when we live from this place of Divine Universal consciousness, where barriers that separate you from me exist only in the mind. I think the battles between the sexes are very soon going to come to a screeching halt, once we reclaim our true nature by slowing down, listening to nature and the still voice within. Being "bitches" is not our true nature, though somehow it is a character type that does not seem to outgrow its welcome in the theater of the absurd that is much of the world. Our true Nature is pure Divine love. We've just been separated from the Source for so long. As Joni Mitchell sang, "We've got to get ourselves back to the garden." There are no "bitches" in Paradise.

I wonder too what message the word "bitches" sends to young girls making their way in this world, searching for their own truth and staying true to their own inner light, imagination, peace, and purity. I wouldn't want my daughter to absorb this word into her lexicon, nor would I want her to feel that being a "bitch" is just something you have to do to make it in this world. I know Madonna feels that way, but she's Madonna. On my planet, there are no bitches. Just good witches. And the men who love us to death.

In her beautiful book, Anatomy of the Spirit, Carolyn Myss talks about how we are here to manage our God-given power, but for some reason, especially in the Western world, we are terrified of becoming empowered, afraid of what might happen if we actually harness all of the God-given Source energy we have been given to use in service to humanity. I return to this idea time and again as I think this fear of empowerment is an epidemic among men and women alike, and at the root of this dilemma is a fear of actually being who it is God created you to be, that who you actually are is someone who has likely come here to stir things up, to confuse and amuse people, to be the change, no matter how strange. It seems some people are far too comfortable with their power while others don't feel empowered at all. To restore the balance, I think "bitches" best stop being "bitches", in the name of returning to the energy of the Mother Love that is so desperately needed to heal this world, make it a better place, MJ-style.

Alas, dear readers, we are fighting the good fight and the beat goes on. Thank you for seeing me through the ch... ch... ch... changes.

Maybe you find your Spirits renewed in all things by the grace of God this Spring, and rebirthed, if that's what you fancy.

The revolution, will be Live. May we look forward to the rebirth of a planet where peace, health, harmony, love, light and Truth prevail.

Om Shanti and Hallelujah,

Holly

You're, like, supernatural.

It is no sign of health to be well-adjusted to a profoundly sick society. - Krishnamurti

If we don't have peace it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. - Mother Theresa

The very contradictions in my life are in some ways signs of God's mercy to me. - Thomas Merton

It’s very different because the Indians live as if they are their souls and Americans live as if they are their egos. - Ram Dass

My dearest Readers,

You all have been so very patient here waiting for me to make my next move onto the World's Stage, where all the men and women are indeed only players and I would argue that the play is indeed still the thing. I have been on the fence about giving the word "bitches" any more air time in this upside down world on Fire. But then I go and watch Niki Manaj's video " Stupid Hoe" and I don't feel so bad about using the world "bitches" on this here pilgrimage I have made to save this human race. At least until directed otherwise. It does seem that I'm going to need to fight fire with fire round here if I am going to do my job and pass this test God has given me with flying colors. No doubt my feet did walk in ancient Times on England's mountain's green. Oh, bother, no one reads poetry any more. William Blake, anyone? Add that to the list of problems. Anyway, I'm not quite sure if Britannia rules the waves. That's up in the air. It's possible The Swedes might actually be at the helm of some more progressive plans for world peace. They did invent that big old prize. And they're not nearly as uptight as the English. We shall see what dreams may come.

Now, I don't particularly care for the word "bitches", but in this world, perhaps to blaze a trail and usher in a new way of relating to each other in the New Jerusalem, this blog here shall serve, as long as it must, as my double-edged sword in fighting the good fight. In the end, love is all we need and will indeed conquer all. This I know is True.

Most of the trouble in the world boils down to destructive thinking that results in some kind of amnesia-- a collective karma coma that has caused us to forget that we are indeed One human race under the Sun.
We must do a whole lot of remembering if we are to make this shift back to Eden. Or Paradise. Or if you have trouble with those two locations, some very beautiful place where all beings live in harmony with each other and with the Natural world. No one is better than anyone else on this planet. We're all just here. We are living on borrowed time, this Earth is on loan to us, likewise our bodies.

Now, imagine the world we will create if the people "in power" who have been called to lead begin to live, act, and lead from a place this place of Universal Consciousness, where the bottom line, "at the end of the day", as the talking heads like to say, is that I am God and you are God. The light in me bows to the light in you. Real simple, like. It's possible. I believe in miracles, you sexy things.

Spiritual healing is the only way World Peace will ever happen. Traumas haunt, wounds cut deep and past pains inform much of the reason why we are still stuck, at war with ourselves and each other. But there is hope, there is light, and there is another way of being here now. The recipe for Peace calls for true spiritual healing from the ground up so that all the people of the world can come together, to rise above our differences in the name of Love, to get on our knees in humble thanksgiving and selfless service to the Most High for being alive here on this One Earth.

One of my favorite writers on the subject of trauma recovery is Clarissa Pinkola Estes and I return time and time again to this quote as a reminder of why God dreamed us up:

Some people mistake being loving for being a sap. Quite the contrary, the most loving people are often the most fierce and the most acutely armed for battle... for they care about preserving and protecting poetry, symphonic song, ideas, the elements, creatures, inventions, hopes and dreams, dances and holiness... those goodly endeavors that cannot be allowed to perish from this earth, else humanity itself would perish..." - from The Dangerous Old Woman

To my heart, if we do not resurrect the past and give each other and future generations access to the healing and soul-nourishing power of beauty, art, poetry, songs, and dance of ancient times, they are in danger of being lost forever. All that you have is your Soul, afterall, as Tracy Chapman sang and the constant care of the Soul is no longer valued in this society. Right now, Yoga, as in, the ancient science of the soul, as in "union with God", is positioned as a powerful catalyst for social change and healing racial divides in this so-called land of the free, home of the brave. What's more, the teachings of yoga are poised to serve as one of the key players in the World Peace negotiations.

As it stands now, there is a massive disconnect between the people who own yoga mats and the rest of humanity just struggling to put food on the table --- canned food from the foodbank. The people who could most benefit from the power of yoga and Eastern modalities of healing do not have access to it. There are still barriers in the minds of people about what yoga is, what it can do, what it is, what it is not. I am not of the mind that COMCAST ON DEMAND Yoga sessions are helping the cause much either --- yoga is about finding harmony with the natural world and finding your inner vision, not being glued to a television set in the confines of your four walls.

This blog has served as a chronicle of my spiritual journey, a place where I have shared with you my lens into the way things are and, with a nod to Barbara, the way we were. Mercy, mercy, me, things ain't what they used to be. The reason this paradoxical title works against the backdrop of these precarious Times is that we are collectively on the precipice of a global shift in consciousness, away from the patriarchal paradigm towards a new world order where essentially the new Mother Nature is taking over, which some men might not be too comfortable with. Women are so often seen as "bitches" when they use their powers to get things done, which is truly unfortunate and its really a tiresome situation for women who are simply as soft as they are strong but have had to adapt to this very masculine world where the Divine Feminine is so dangerously repressed and misunderstood. I think many women have had to suppress the Divine Feminine in themselves in order to climb ladders in this man's world . And many men are still afriad to embrace the Divine Feminie in themselves. To restore the balance, we need to experience our own bodies as vessels of masculine and feminine energies. We must begin to enjoy the beauty of simple living and higher thinking and peace of being free to be who were were created to be.

On the planet I apparently hail from, women rule and men are beautifully and most sensually supportive of their strong women. There is no power struggle. We work together. The energies are balanced. We empower each other to do our jobs. It is a pure, shimmering peaceful land of natural beauty and abundance. It is Paradise. And it it is here for us to create together if we would collectively begin to look through different lens at ourselves and at the world. The only barriers to Peace in this world exists in the mind. And as Sojurner Truth said, " It is the mind that creates the body."

My soul has come here to usher in a new way of thinking about how we as one human race can live together in peace, progress, health, and harmony. We must empower future generations with the knowledge of the beauty of other worlds and cultures to inspire their hearts and color their dreams. In my work with the WORLD Y.O.G.A. Project, teaching yoga to 5th and 6th graders in West Philadelphia, Will Smith-country, where pictures of Beyonce, Niki Manaj, and Rhianna hang on the bathroom walls, I have learned that my precious students dream of trips to Los Angeles and Las Vegas and have never encountered a fresh fig in all their lives. One girl asked me if I had children and when I said I didn't her response was, " I didn't think so, because you don't look mean enough to have children." And it wasn't until I belted out "Amazing Grace" and "Our God is and Awesome God" that my students realized I have the gospel in my Soul and I come in peace, that we are One. Until then, they looked at me like some kind of freakishly flexible alien.

At the end of one class, one 5th graders sheepishly approached me and asked, " Miss, can I ask you somethig. "

"Of course," I said.

" Can you fly?" she said. " I mean, you're, like, supernatural."

I just gave took a deep breath, gave her a big hug and we giggled, imagining what kind of flying creatures we would be -- an eagle, a hummingbird, a fairy, a bluejay, a Phoenix rising? All creatures great and small, the Lord God made them all.

Yoga is a way back to uncovering the supernatural powers we have all been given as God's children . We're all super natural, if we'd just remember, peel away the layers that this wound up world and strange social conditioning has piled on our vessels. As we shed layers, we remember who it is we were created to be: Divine beings of light made in God's image. Pure and simple.

My constant prayer for humanity is that we collectively set our minds, hearts, and bodies towards a global shift in consciousness that honors the Divine in each other-- the masculine, the feminine, the child, the old soul, the new soul, all the animals, and all the colors of the rainbow. Otherwise, we're going to stay quite mired in the mud together. And while that has its charms, it's much better if we're all dancing our way to Love.

Yours in Truth,

Holly Jean Westergren

Dispatched by Victory

Friends, Romans, Countrymen, denizens of this Good Earth, citizens of humanity:

Please find me now at Holly Holy Love as I directed you before. My sincere apologies for all the waffling but the journey through the Labyrinth and the Looking Glass, as it were, is often riddled with confusion about who one truly is as well as more than a few distractions, delusions, contusions, and of course, the usual dangers, toils, and snares that are par for the course. The yogis have a mantra that is a quick fix for anyone trying to do the stupid thing of trying to make any sense about who one actually is. It goes: Sat Nam, which mostly means, " Truth is my identity." I've found that mantra solves a lot of existential "tussles with the wallpaper" to quote Nabokov, and other metaphysical monkey-mind meanderings that over-thinkers are prone to having, often in vain and ad naseum. The gospel equivalent to this I think is, " Be still and know that I am God."

Alas, onward and upward. His Truth is marching on. I believe in miracles. I hope you do too. We sure could use one really big one on this upside down world on Fire and just in Time for Christmas. I capitalize Time because I have no sense of it. Now, I have been asking my Father in Heaven to grant us one--- that peace, health, light, love, charity, compassion, grace, mercy, and joy will prevail against the forces of evil. We are at war with God as a human race but I believe Victory has already been won at the Cross, though as someone who has never liked to be fenced in or labeled as this or that, God in his infinite mercy knows this about me and so, likely gave me the Universal languages of yoga, dance, and music (with as side of musical theater absurdity) with which to reach ye of little Faith and those who have beef with Jesus or just don't have a taste for the G word, in general.

In that case, I offer you this Universal Truth: We are One. Rinse, lather, repeat. Let the healing begin. Let the walls come down. Let freedom ring. Or as George Clinton said, " Free your mind, and your ass will follow." Here, here! We want the funk, don't we? I'm quite sure we do. Fa la la la la la la la la.

I shall endeavor to tell you in the coming days in the advent of Christmas about my walk with God which is a story like many who have gone before of salvation, redemption, transformation and amazing grace and as Paul sings, " hope of deliverance from the darkness that surrounds us." It is also the story of the unfolding, in real Time, of the impossible dream and a journey to the East on the Raja yoga path: the royal way. I do indeed have nobility coursing through my veins, though I am by no means a stuffy Queen-- rather just a Queen with a heart for the people. I promise I won't be a drag, Gaga.Thank you for the reminder, I suppose I did have that tendency, what with my nickname in college being " Old English" on account the apparent delight I took translating Beowulf. We've come a long way, baby.

I recently had dinner with a dear friend, Dr. Paul Rockey, who holds some fancy post at the American Medical Association. He told me that were I in England at the moment, they'd likely be grooming me to be the next Lady Diana. And while I appreciated the sentiment, I thought, no, no, thank you very little, that sounds dreadful and I am quite fine just as I am and God will move me on up in glory in His perfect Time. Nice n' easy does it every Time.

I have been given what some may call an impossible dream to dream, but I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me and I have gotten by with more than a little help from my friends. And yes, high, though I don't touch the stuff anymore, I do think there is much to be said for the benefits of plant medicine on the healing journey. I have reason to believe and more than sufficient evidence for the tribunal that I'm something of a Cosmic Dancing Queen of the stone age carrying around some serious hope of deliverance and the cure for what ails us in this world gone asunder. What's more: the yogis are coming! The yogis are coming!

I do wish this Christmas that people might experience God as a much more colorful, dancy character than just some big man upstairs--for while he/she is most certainly a God to be feared, he/she is also a God of surprises. As difficult as that is for many of us to welcome in such unbridled joy in these precarious Times, we must. And as my beloved sister in Faith, Megan Livingston says, " We have no idea how hilarious God's jokes are." I think it's important to remember that a divine comedy is always ready to reveal itself to us if we're open to the possibility, the mystery, the magic, and the never ending story . As the song goes, "The Holly and the Ivy, when they are both full grown, of all the Trees that are in the wood, the Holly bears the Crown." Well then. What dreams may come....

I've recently discovered on this epic quest for the holy grail in modern times that ABBA is my Father in Heaven. It is fitting then that I am also Swedish and love the band by the same name and have been known to have dance parties wearing tin foil. Now, from where I'm perched, with my Father's eyes and sunshine as my quest, as grim as things look in many parts of the world, I have every Faith and confidence that the balance shall eventually be restored to this world, that we who are marching in the Light are on indeed on the precipice of ushering in a new culture of light, peace, harmony, health, and healing.

The solutions to our problems are all spiritual in nature and as we continue to resurrect the healing practices and arts of a simpler time, to open our hearts, purify our minds, bodies and spirits, we will see more people experiencing their own salvation and Divinity and being empowered by their own ability to heal from within and with the help of The Creator and Mother Earth. Now, if you don't believe in any God, well, it's not too late to surrender, to offer up your life to something greater than yourself, to let go and let God, to see for yourself that we're all just rainbows waiting to happen, really. And if that language is a little too gay and supernatural for your mind, we'll in that case I'd prescribe some mushroom tea and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory-- anything to help you suspend your disbelief. Imagination really does decide almost everything.

We are One. And I'm pretty sure Jesus is in fact about to become a really big superstar. Again.

From heavenly Harmony, this Universal Frame began....

Thy Kingdom Come,

Holly ( a.k.a. Queen of The Fairies)

For the record, the moniker "Queen of the Fairies" was given to me or rather decoded for me by the brilliant girl wonder in the photos named Bridgette, whose mother Kimberly, my best friend and soul sister who I have known since I was 5 years old, is and forever will be, my Fortress.

Friendly Reminder

If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men-- you may make some money and you give someone a little joy and you may make a noise in the world, for a little while. If you write only for yourself you can read what you yourself have written and after ten minutes you will be so disgusted you will wish that you were dead. - Thomas Merton, New Seeds of Contemplation

Your Shining Skull

Today is All Saint's Day, one of my favorite days to go to church. Tonight there will be full choir and the music of Thomas Luis De Victoria, Bach, and Marcel Dupris at Saint Clement's in Philadelphia, which in my estimation is one of this city's most beautiful churches . My most beloved Saints who I'll be thinking about today are Saint Martin, Patron Saint of alcoholics ( always a good one to have around), Saint Cecelia, Patron Saint of Music, Saint Peter,Saint Paul, Saint Michael, and Saint Andrew. Ok, all of them, really, but the one's I've mentioned have been the heavy hitters in my life today.

My life: it is a beautiful thing to be bridging the divide between secular and non-secular worlds, between the real and the imagined Life, between East and West, black and white and all the colors of the rainbow. Now, I don't know that Rev. Gordon Reid at Saint Clement's would quite know what to make of a blog called Namaste, Bitches. It would take some explaining and I'm not sure its worth his time. Silence is indeed golden. I'll keep that one on the DL for Rev. Reid. He is Welsh and sometimes I think he smells India on me and looks at me rather quizzically at times, unless of course I'm wearing tweed. Perhaps I'll ask him if he'd like to learn the "shining skull breath" one day. We'll see how that goes over. I shall report back.

Well, since you're yogi readers, you know what this "shining skull" business is all about hows about aa quick review. The kapala bhati breath is a way of breathing that the yogis came up with to help purify the mind. It removes cobwebs and debris from the brain. The word comes from the sanskrit, Kapal meaning skull and bhati meaning, "shining or illuminating". It's a short, percussive breath of forced exhalation designed to create more space in the body for more prana, air, life force, chi, oxygen, whatever you want to call it. As a singer, I've also found thatKapala bhati works really well as a vocal warmup as well. Anyway, who doesn't want a shining skull? Just do it.

In the interest of our collective shining skulls, I came across a quote from Joanna Macy, Buddhist scholar, ecologist and founder of no small undertaking of an organization called The Council of All Beings. I find this line of thinking to be particularly potent at his point in Time:

"I believe that we have got to shift our identity out of that little prison cage of ego in order to survive. We have to find new ways to know experientialy our inter-connectedness with all forms of life on this planet. Conventional morality tells us that we should love our neighbor and ought to remember the needy just doesn't work.It's boring and we don't feel it inside ourselves. We need meditations and games an rituals that will give us space to step outside of the human identification we've been wearing for so long."

To my heart, this sentiment is particularly relevant to where things are right now for us planet and as human beings in quest -- we are longing for an older, simpler time where we can be healed by Nature but at the same time we are being pulled into this strange unknown , wired-up, wacked out Future. I pray to God that David Bowie secretly owns the world.

I've put together a little list of books I'm reading that might help increase your shine factor. These are the pages I'm getting lost in at the moment:

Every Living Thing by James Herriot

The Feminine Face of God by Sherry Ruth Anderson

The Invention of Paradise by Peter C. Bener

Uppity Women of the New World by Vicki Leon

Inward Revolution: Bringing About Radical Change in the World by J.Krishnamurti

The Power to Heal:Ancient Arts & Modern Medicine

And on this All Saints Day I will be thinking of you, dear readers, as I sit tonight in the pew (I can never get anyone to come to church with me-- has it truly gone out of fashion?) and sing and kneel and pray for the many miracles this upside down world on Fire needs. STAT, from the Latin, " statum", meaning " at once". Eight years of a dead language always served me well. Speaks Latin, my Satin doll....

Never gonna fall for Modern Love,

Holly

Meditations on Kimbella: Musings on Smut

The way to see by Faith is to shut the Eye of Reason. - Benjamin Franklin

It is the eye of other people that ruin us. If I were blind I would want, neither fine clothes, fine houses or fine furniture. - Benjamin Franklin

It is the mind that makes the body. - Sojurner Truth


Today as I was walking home from teaching a yoga class and having a brain storm session about the WORLD Y.O.G.A. project, a boy handed me this postcard:



Such a vibrant invitation indeed to Kimbella's birthday bash, which is purportedly a celebration of "Love & Hip Hop". Now, I know these kinds of things go on in the world, and while I have been accused of being oblivious to the world around me, my friend Josh said to me tonight, " You seem like the kind of person who worries about everything but somehow looks like you're worried about nothing." That was the greatest compliment anyone has paid me in quite some and it couldn't be more true, by some freak of nature. I'm extremely worried about how we are going to uplift humanity as a human race. I am also worried that Kimbella has perhaps never seen The Birth of Venus or listened to The Faure Requiem or read Little Women. I'm also worried that Kimbella does not have any pants.

After the boy handed me this card, I continued my walk and came upon this gargantuan head of Benjamin Franklin, which made the intersection of past, present and future even more bewildering.

Something about this photo got under my skin and so I shot this first photo in what I call, the Meditations on Kimbella series: I don't have any explanation for the origin of this particular expression. It speaks vaguely of a snow leopard lost in the concrete jungle, but mostly I think it's the expression of a being who wishes to raise the wonder higher and is perplexed that a virtually naked well-oiled bottom found its way onto a Birthday invitation. What happened to ponies and rainbows? Birds and butterflies? Unicorns and cupcakes? Fairies and flowers? Balloons and sparkles? Cake and ice cream? Sigh. Kimbella, angel, your not leaving very much to the imagination, gorgeous. We must reignite curiosity and imagination in the hearts of mankind. Haven't you ever seen Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory, Kimbella, bella? I think someone needs to make an all black cast version of that movie, by the way. It's Time. Kimbella, you can play the brat who wants her golden ticket and she wants it now.

After that first photo, I sought solace in the company of some trees and tried to capture with my shoddy camera and my go-go gadget arms, some more of what I was feeling about Kimbella, Ben Franklin, The WORLD Y.O.G.A. Project, and William Penn's vision for the City of Brotherly Love as a "holy experiment." I reminded myself, gently, while people stared at me taking pictures of myself that Dr. Martin Luther King said, " Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted." This propensity I have to take photos of myself will some day translate nicely into film, though for now, this is where things are. We make the best with what we have at the Time. Anyway, I don't think a photographer would be able to capture these moments as I am able to, mostly because I feel them to be my one-on-one conversations with God and because I'm a strange girl, the kind Robert Smith sings about--- " I think you come from another world", he says, and I smile.

Here is Meditations on Kimbella, No. 2 In this photo, I was praying, "Dear God, please bring Kimbella some cute skirts or pants for her birthday. Also, please allow me to meet Kimbella some day, perhaps have tea and talk about love, hip hop, and birthday parties. Also, God, please speak to Kimbella's heart about how precious her booty is, that it is not for sale and that she is more, so much more, than her body. Amen."

Meditations on Kimbella, No. 3: While I surely appreciate being "invited" to the party, I don't think I'd know what to do with myself, really. I'd feel very overdressed, I'm sure, by virtue of wearing any clothes at all, it seems. Well, after your party, though, Kimbella, I really would like to chat. Have tea? Go for a walk in the park?

Meditations on Kimbella, No. 4: There will always be smut in this world but I wonder if we as women can collectively aim higher, raise the bar and inspire our sisters to do the same. I imagine Kimbella is good at a lot of things outside the bedroom that she'd like the folks at home to know about. I'd just like to meet her for the first time, under different circumstances. Right now, I've only met her rear end. There's something troubling about that to my heart, though I realize the menfolk find that perfectly convenient.If pigs could fly...

Meditations on Kimbella, No. 5.

“Modesty is the conscience of the body.” - Honore de Balzac

Mr. Forbes, would you make it 108? It would be so great.

Success, recognition, and conformity are the bywords of the modern world where everyone seems to crave the anesthetizing security of being identified with the majority. - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman. Man had nothing to do with Him! - Sojurner Truth

In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true. - Buddha

Better bend than break. - Scottish proverb

Forbes Magazine published the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World list not so long ago. I was sad to see Mother Earth didn't make the cut. Perhaps Gaia is too Earthy for the folks at Forbes-R-Us. I think most of us can agree by now that Mother Earth is taking back Sunday with a royal rise to stardom in this symphony of Life in the key of C: the note that corresponds to the vibrational healing of the Root Chakra. Perhaps so that we can all get on the same page around here Chakra Balancing should become part of Driver's Ed courses. Or maybe the good people of the Earth should be required to know what chakras are and how to balance them before voting. After all, the chakra system is simply a blueprint for healing with which we can learn to balance and manage our spiritual Power. At the very least, it's a fun way of thinking of yourself as a rainbow. And if that's too gay for you, well, that just goes to show you now doesn't it: everybody's gay! In the very English, jovial sense of the word, of course.

The root chakra, the Muladhara, is a red spinning ball of light located at the base of the spine and whether or not you believe in such things, oh ye of little Faith, it's there. Now, say it like Deepak for me now: Muladahara Chakra (Moo-la-dar-ha Chak-ra). This energy center governs our survival needs and instincts, our connection to Mother Earth and to our Tribe.It is the chakra that is, naturally, the most difficult to heal when one is recovering from trauma and abuse. For the menfolk especially these days, this chakra is an important one to activate and understand as it is a gateway to the Divine Feminine, something that most men seem to have a bit of trouble surrendering to. It's just societal conditioning, gentlemen. The rhythm is gonna getcha. "Seeing Red" should now, on this World's Stage, at this point in the evolution of our species, have another connotation for people far and wide: We are One.

The problems we're facing globally are spiritual in nature have only spiritual solutions. There is no problem that is too big for the Creator and miracles happen every day, we just rarely hear about the good news. And because we the people are so divided about who God is and would rather argue about whether or not God exists-- we continue to distance ourselves from the Divine instead of simply uniting and experiencing, viscerally, that we are all One and what this world needs now is love sweet love. Now this might sound too pie in the sky for the powers that Be, but I'm just reporting the facts. Don't shoot the messenger.

G.K. Chesterton said, “ If there were no God, there would be no atheists.”. I realize some people take issue with the word God, which I just find a waste of time at this point. Vell, if you don't like the word “God”, then make up a name for whoever it is you think makes the sun rise and set. Or whoever it is you think is flying this star ship enterprise. The healing this world needs is Divine healing and the prescription for restoring mind, body, and spirit already exists in our DNA. We have everything we need to heal ourselves if we just let go and let God, learn to open our minds and hearts to the suffering of others. Words like charity, pathos, mercy, grace, redemption, compassion, and forgiveness are words that we must all wake up to. It wouldn't hurt either if we could collectively work towards cultivating a daily practice of stillness, mediation, and concentration on breath.

So, Mr. Forbes, Gaia is gettin' after it. We met once, you and I did, Mr. Steve, back when the Gods dressed me up in suits and threw me to the wolves as Press Secretary for Mercer County Executive Bob Prunetti. We threw a fundraiser at Bob's house when you were running against Corzine for New Jersey Governor. These days you'd never catch me near one of those dog n' pony shows unless I had David Bowie in his Labyrinth costume there to protect me or my men in black.
Well, ho hum, here we are, Mr. Forbes. Funny how God turns tables, transforms minds, heals hearts, works miracles on the roller coaster of love- Ohio-players-style. Times they are a changin'.

Mr. Forbes, in the name of Love, light and rainbow brite, I would like to present to you with an Addendum to your 100 Most Powerful Women in the World list bringing this list to 108, which is a most auspicious number indeed. For starters, it's the number of beads on the mala prayer beads. In Ayurvedic medicine and philosophy, it's the number of pressure points on the body where consciousness and flesh intersect to give the life to the living being. It's also the number of suitors who were supposedly courting Penelope in Homer's Oddessy --- that little minx--- and well, if Stonehenge is more your speed, well, that there sculpture is 108 feet in diameter.

I present to you and your readers, eight women of power and influence, but much more importantly, of compassion, which I like to remind myself comes from the Latin, meaning “to suffer with”. These women are fiercely committed to restoring this world of walking wounded to balance, health, and harmony and ushering in a new world of light, love, unity and divine communion with the natural world.

We must stir it up a little, Mr. Forbes, for the people. Shake the Truth right out of them. That's what awakening the Divine within is all about and busting open the heart chakras on the upside down world on Fire. Bunch of liars, posers, and bona fide bullshit artists running this political circus, no? I've swam in those waters. It's almost not their fault -- we have simply forgotten who we are. I'd like to teach Wall Street how to walk on their hands-- maybe then we can empty their pockets. And Lord have mercy, I just found out Donald Trump won't shake people's hands because he's a germaphobe. Now, what's that all about? If I had my druthers, I'd assign him to some community service toilet scrubbing at an ashram in Rishikesh.

I am here, Mr. Forbes, to connect your world of movers and shakers to this network of women who work on the softer side of things--- the yogis, spiritual teachers, healers,tree people, hulahoopers, cosmic dancers, and peaceful warriors. We are a new wave of lovers, dreamers, visionaries, ushering in the heaven on Earth all beings are meant to inhabit. And so, you must not leave us out: we're a very important piece of the bye bye Miss American pie and of the prescription for the healing of this world on speed and in need. We thank you in advance for your interest in our labors of Love, our deep and abiding care for the people most in need in this wiggity wiggity wacked world of sports, Mr. Forbes.A new way of being here now, live on Earth has arrived and is here for the taking – and you can get hip to it or you can stick to the old tricks, kind Sir. But it's here and some fat cats are going to have to pony up around here. Mother Earth can't go on like this and neither can the people or the animals, or the Unicorns for that matter. Yes, the Unicorns. All creatures great and small, the Lord God loves them all. The number 108 is more better, Mr. Forbes.

Here's the lineup. Let me know if you'll consider a follow-up piece to your list. I do believe its Time you hear the Other side.

1)Amma – “The Hugging Saint.” Need I say more? She is a Saint who hugs people. Amma's world-wide charitable missions and humanitarian efforts are fueled by the wisdom in her words that, “ The one word solution to all the problems the world is facing is compassion.” In 2002, Amma was awarded the Gandhi-King award for non-violence. Amma says, “ My sole mission is to love and serve one and all.” Amma has inspired numerous humanitarian activities all over the world including free food and clothing programs, charitable hospitals, hospices, disaster relief programs, medical camps, schools, widows' pension, free legal advice, preservation of nature. The list is long and growing every day. People need to know about Amma.


2)Jean Shinoda Bolen, M. D, is a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, and an internationally known author and speaker who draws from spiritual, feminist, Jungian, medical and personal wellsprings of experience. She is the author of The Tao of Psychology, Goddesses in Everywoman, Gods in Everyman, Ring of Power, Crossing to Avalon, Close to the Bone, The Millionth Circle, Goddesses in Older Women, Crones Don't Whine and Urgent Message from Mother. She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and a former clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at San Francisco, a past board member of the Ms. Foundation for Women and the International Transpersonal Association. She was a recipient of the Institute for Health and Healing's "Pioneers in Art, Science, and the Soul of Healing Award", and is a Diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. She was in two acclaimed documentaries, the Academy-Award winning anti-nuclear proliferation film Women—For America, For the World, and the Canadian Film Board's Goddess Remembered. She is currently organizing the UN Sponsored 5th Conference on Women. Her most recent book Like A Tree: How Trees, Women, and Tree People Can Save the Planet is just brilliant. I dare Sarah Palin and Michele Bachman to read it and weep.

3)Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes, PhD is a writer, Jungian analyst, and trauma specialist. Her work in the 1960s at Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Hospital in Hines, Illinois. She worked with WWI, WWI, Korean and Vietnam war soldiers who were living with quadrapalegia, incapacitated by loss of, either/or, both arms and legs. She has worked at other facilities caring for severely injured 'cast-away' children, veterans with PTSD and their families. Her book Women Who Run With Wolves:Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype should be required reading for the menfolk at this point. Dr. Estes work and mission is becoming increasingly important in our healing crisis as she provides tools for healing and recovery for those who have been deeply wounded. I see her leadership as a trauma specialist as an essential piece of the healing equation.

4)
Carolyn Myss – an American medial intuitive and mystic as well as the author of number books including five New York Times Best Sellers: Anatomy of the Spirit, Why People Don't Heal and How They Can, Sacred Contracts, Invisible Acts of Power, and Entering the Castle Her Most Recent book “ Defy Gravity” was published in 2009.As far as I can see, her message and and vision is making some big waves in the medical community. What is most powerful about Ms. Myss' message is her interfaith approach to healing and courage to challenge the dominant patriarchal paradigm. Her work offers an examination of ancient systems of communion with God and practical approaches to self-healing that are accessible even to the most skeptical of skeptics.

5) Marianne Williamson – is a spiritual activist, author, lecturer and founder of The Peace Alliance, a grass roots campaign supporting legislation, currently before Congress to establish a United States Department of Peace. She is also the founder of Project Angel Food, a meals-on-wheels programs that serves home bound people with AIDS in the Los Angeles area. Her book A Return To Love should be required reading at this point for legislators. Ms. Williamson is a champion and leader of the recovery movement, the healing journey, and divine partnership.


6) Jill Satterfield is the founder of Vajra Yoga & Meditation, a synthesis of yoga and Buddhism that combines meditation, yoga asanas, visualization and contemplation practices. She is also the Founder and Director of the School for Compassionate Action for Communities in Need, a not-for-profit that trains teachers to offer yoga, meditation, and emotional support to at-risk youth, people suffering from chronic pain and illnesses, PTSD, and addictions. Jill is also on the Advisory Board of The Lineage Project, an effort to bring yoga and meditation practices to at-risk youth in New York City.


7) Robin Downs is certified Hatha Yoga instructor since 1996. She is also an Emmy(R) Award winner for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in News and Documentary" for ABC News magazine show 20/20 (1981). Her roots include East Indian, West Indian and Eurasian by way of the Boogie Down Bronx, New York and was an active participant in the Hip-Hop Generation. Robin’s professional journey from the media arts to the healing arts makes her the perfect guide into today’s rapidly expanding Yoga community. Robin has earned the distinction of being the first African-American female yoga instructor to have a internationally distributed Yoga DVD through Walmart, “Robin Downes’ Yoga Flava™ Volume 1: For Relaxation.” The release of the DVD in 2004 earned her the prestigious Yoga Trailblazer Award from the International Association of Black Yoga Teachers (IABYT) .

8) Holly Westergren – teacher, writer, yogi, artist, mystic, singer, performer, builder of spiritual bridges, dream weaver of the impossible dream. Holly has had a diverse professional background from barn hand to barista to Press Secretary, Editor for the NJ Office of Legislative Services, Public Relations Manager at Comcast, Literacy Instructor at the Center for Literacy in Philadelphia, Communications Consultant for Horizon House and Drexel School of Public Health. Holly attended Princeton High School and received a B.A. in English Literature and art history from Rutgers University. She received her 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training from Vibrant Living Yoga in Bali and additional training from Street Yoga.org, a non-profit working to bring yoga to homeless families and trauma survivors in undeserved communities. She is also working with the WORLD Y.O.G.A. Project to bring yoga to inner city schools in West Philadelphia. Holly's mission is to bring peace, hope, healing, and harmony into a world gone mad using as many mediums as possible. She is working on her book, Holly, Holy, Love about her spiritual journey, the discovery of her African roots in the City of Brotherly love as well as what its like, at the end of the day, to be named after a Neil Diamond song. H.WEST Productions, a creative playground/production company where all kinds of magic and maddness will happen will be up and running in January 2012.