About
Queen Mama Donna
Donna Henes is an internationally renowned urban shaman, award-winning author, popular speaker, and workshop leader whose joyful celebrations of celestial events have introduced ancient traditional rituals and contemporary ceremonies to millions of people in more than 100 cities since 1972. She has published four books, a CD, an acclaimed quarterly journal and writes a column for UPI (United Press International) Religion and Spirituality Forum. Mama Donna, as she is affectionately called, maintains a ceremonial center, spirit shop, ritual practice and consultancy in Exotic Brooklyn, NY where she works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion. |
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I've been reading The Queen
of My Self and I love it! I love the
language and the self-respect it transmits to us. It's a generous harvest from
all your years of work and your own maturing process. I am drawing on the
support it provides for this time in life and recommending it to other women
just entering this Queen phase who are in the confusion of the transition. Your
book is also beautifully done - its shape and color and esthetics.
-Andrea Goodman,
Treveet, ME
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Calling All Queens!
The Queen's Chronicles
Offers
upbeat, practical, and ceremonial inspiration for all women who want to
enjoy the fruits of an influential, passionate, and powerful maturity.
I would appreciate it if you would please forward The Queen's Chronicles to people who might value it.
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What a ride this has been. My
midlife transition has been so hard. There have been so many changes - some
good, some bad - that I can barely keep up with my own life. I shudder to think
what I would have done this past year without your incredible support. Life is
still hard, but I know that I have a great ally in you. Thank you a million
times for being there with me and for me.
- Patricia, CT
Consult the
Midlife Midwife
The transition from Maiden and Mother to Queen can be a difficult one, fraught with hard lessons and lots of loss. It takes great determination and courage to confront and embrace the changes brought about by the midlife passage.
It can be really helpful during this confusing time to have the inspiration, advice and encouragement of a counselor/coach/mentor - someone who has been there and done that and is ready to help you do the same.
Queen Mama Donna offers upbeat, practical and ceremonial guidance for individual women and groups who want to enjoy the fruits of an enriching, influential, purposeful, passionate, and powerful maturity.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM THE
QUEEN'S COUNSEL
Ever
since I first introduced The Queen as a helpful archetype for midlife women, I
have received hundreds of requests for detailed instructions on how to become a
Queen.
"Dear
Mama Donna," women would write, "I want to be a Queen, too. How do I access my
power? How can I feel good about myself? How do I change my life? How do I find
magic and spiritual wisdom? How do I know what to do? How do I learn how to
rule?"
The
reality is that I cannot possibly know how anyone else will attain her
Queendom, I only know how I came into mine, and that is largely through
hindsight. The truth, my truth, at least, is that there is no one true truth.
We must each find our own way in this world.
As a
shaman, I teach through example, but not through dictum. I can and do offer
information, exposure, personal experience, encouragement, inspiration,
suggestions and support to my constituents, but I cannot - dare not - pass
judgment or establish rules and laws. It is simply not for me to say.
When you come to me for help and spiritual guidance, I
listen to your concerns and embrace your needs. I pat you on the back, give you
a good, swift kick in the butt, or let you cry on my shoulder, as needed. I can
tell you what I did in such and such situation, how I did it, what I learned
from this or that lesson, but I cannot tell you what you should do. How do I
know what your soul needs?
Only you know what you know. I can, of course, aid you in
reaching into the well of your own deepest wisdom, and help you to hear the
messages from your best inner Selves. And I can offer tools and practices to
help you develop the confidence to follow your own purpose, path, passion and
power.
A woman who I have been working with recently told me that I
had changed her life. "Well, no, of course, I didn't, honey," I assured her.
"You changed your own life." The fact of the matter remains that I could not
give her what was not already hers.
xxQMD
TURN YOUR MIDLIFE CRISIS INTO YOUR CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!
Further information: www.thequeenofmyself.com
Click on Individual Consultations.
Sessions are available in person and by phone. To make an appointment, call 718-857-1343 or email the Queen at TheQueenOfMySelf@aol.com
Every problem can be solved with the proper application of the means at hand. Maybe not easily, happily,
cheaply or painlessly - but it can
be done if you have the will; you already have the means - yourself!
- Joanne Siewert
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A Queen Event
Near You
 WoomanGathering, QueensPA, June 2009 JULY
GLOBAL
JULY 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for May Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
AUGUST
GLOBAL
AUGUST 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for May Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
SEPTEMBER
GLOBAL
SEPTEMBER 1-30
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for May Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
NEW YORK
SEPTEMBER 22
TUESDAY, 6:30 PM
AUTUMN EQUINOX CRUISE
Join Mama Donna for a sunset equinox cruise aboard the historic schooner Pioneer sailing from Pier 16 South Street Seaport.
For
info: 212-748-8786
$50/members, $60/non members
(includes ceremony, wine, refreshments and favors)
OCTOBER
GLOBAL
OCTOBER 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for May Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
OCTOBER 22
THURSDAY, 8:00 PM EDT
INTERVIEW
Interview with Laurie Huston on Intuitive Soul Radio.
NEW YORK
OCTOBER 31
SATURDAY. 7:00 PM
GREENWICH VILLAGE HALLOWEEN PARADE
Mama Donna and her glorious Blessing Band lead the parade with blessings.
Contact Mama Donna if you want to participate in the Blessing Band.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
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Have Crown,
Will Travel!
To discuss booking Queen Mama Donna for a reading, presentation, workshop, or a keynote address in your area, call her at 718-857-1343 or e-mail her at TheQueenOfMySelf@aol.com
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The Queen's Emporium
Make sure to visit The Queen's Emporium, which specializes in all manner of elegant, practical, and frivolous goods to fulfill all the royal needs and fantasies of The Queen of Your Self. Therein you will find a choice collection of goods to augment and accessorize your royal prerogative.
Anoint, Adorn, Enjoy!
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Imagine Your Ad Here!
Welcome back to our loyal advertisers. Thank you for your support and your desire to network with our fabulous royal readers around the globe.
May you be successful in your endeavors and blessed with spiritual and material abundance.
Would you like to reach the
5000+ Queens in our royal network across the country and around the world with information about your business?
Advertising listings in the Queen's Chronicles are available for $50/per issue with significant discounts for ongoing listings.
For more information and to place your order contact: thequeenofmyself@aol.com or call 718-857-1343.
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Royal Resources
for Queenly Women
Our extended circle of Queens includes some mightily talented women. Please support them by availing yourself of their superior services and by buying their excellent products.
Maguire Pubic RelationsExpertise in journalism and marketing qualifies us to position and deliver the news of our clients
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Kudos to the Queens!
Judith
Bernstein, NY; Lynn Book, NC; Josely Carvalho, NY; Deborah
Feller, NY; Karen Fitzgerald, NY; Ruth Gendler, CA; Annie Lanzillotto, NY; Stephanie Brody-Lederman,
NY; Linda
Montano, NY; Sheila Pepe, NY; Evelyn Roth, Australia; Linda Siegel, NY; Merle
Laderman Ukeles, NY; Regina Vater, TX; and Hannah Wilke, (RIP) on the exhibitions of their
artwork.
Elizabeth
Cunningham, NY, How to Spin Gold; Diana Daffner, FL, Tantric Sex for Busy Couples: How to
Deepen Your Passion in Just Ten Minutes a Day; Valerie Gross, NY, Magdala: A Love
Story That Has No End; Kris
Steinnes, WA, Women of Wisdom; and Smoky Trudeau, CA, Redeeming Grace on their new books.
Disband
(Ilona Granet, NY; Donna Henes, NY; Diane Torr, Scotland; and Martha Wilson,
NY) on
the release of their new CD.
Shelley
Ackerman, NY, (Access Hollywood, The Strategy Room); Daile Kaplan, NY, (The Antiques Roadshow); and Marjorie Ocho
Kouns, NY, (Ugly Betty) on their television appearances.
Smoky Trudeau, CA, on the launch of her new radio show, Write Well.
Miriam
Linna Miller, NY, on the release of her new album and world tour; and
Anique Radiant Heart, Australia, on her American concert tour.
Geraldine
Hanon, ID; Deborah Ann Light, FL, Linda Pettigrew, CA, and Bekah Serrine, NY, on their new homes.
Moira
Schmidt, Crete, on her move and new retreat center.
Daina Puodziunas, MI, on the birth of her new granddaughter.
Send
your good news, achievements, accomplishments, successes and
celebrations so that our international circle of sovereign sisters can
send you blessings and accolades.
And we are glad to so. It is
a joy and a privilege to share in the fortune of another woman. I
recently heard Oprah say the saddest thing ever - "The hardest thing
about being successful is having someone to be glad for you."
It
takes a centered and confident Queen to break that pattern. There are
60 million thrones out there. One for each of us. There is plenty of
purpose, passion and power for us all. May we use it well!
It
is important that you recognize your progress and take pride in your
accomplishments. Share your achievements with others. Brag a little.
The recognition and support of those around you is nurturing.
- Rosemarie Rossetti
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Try Saying This!
Try saying this
silently to everyone and everything you see for thirty days: "I wish you
happiness now and whatever
will bring happiness to
you in the future."
If we said it to the sky, we would have to stop polluting;
if we said it when we
see ponds and lakes and streams, we would have to stop using them as garbage
dumps and sewers; if we said it to small children, we would have to stop
abusing them, even in the name of training; if we said it to people, we would
have to stop stoking the fires of enmity around us. Beauty and human warmth
would take root in us like a clear, hot June day. We would change.
- Joan
Chittister
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It is my hope that as more and
more women rise to reign in the fullest potential of our supremacy, we
will harness our purpose, passion, and power and direct it toward
creating a more balanced and peaceful world. This is the legacy of Her
majesty.
- QMD
Turn Your
Midlife Crisis
into Your Crowning Achievement!
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In case you
were wondering what happened to the June issue: I was felled by a very nasty
flu in June and was in bed for the better part of the month, so I have combined
the June and July issues. Please
note that there will be no August issue. Have a fabulous summer!
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Hail
Queens!
Being an
urban being, I have never had a garden where I grew food. My terrace is devoted
exclusively to flowers, food for the soul, for sure, but with the exception of
the day lilies they are not edible.
My
container garden gives me immense pleasure. I love digging in the dirt with my
bare hands. No gloves or trowels for this Queen, thank you very much. I cherish
the feel of the earth on my skin and don't mind getting it under my nails. That
is why the Goddess invented scrub brushes and soap, after all. I even make my
own rich fertile soil by composting dead leaves and food scraps in a garbage
pail.
I can spend
hours on end dead-heading my plants and picking off the dry leaves one by one.
I tend my garden with love and care and it cultivates me in return. My plants
are my dear friends, my children, really. They have been with me, loyally
flourishing and flowering for decades. All of my geraniums, for instance, are
from cuttings from one small plant that I had on my windowsill in my Greenwich
Village apartment in 1969!
My
ceremonial space, Mama Donna's Tea Garden & Healing Haven, is an indoor
garden paradise decorated with vintage yard furniture and filled with plants.
Some of these I have had for 30 years or more. Some I have inherited from family
and friends who have passed on. I am so glad to be the caretaker of these
living memorials. Their spirit is alive in the plants that they loved and
nurtured. And everyone who enters this sacred space feels the green healing
energy.
Once upon a
time I grew weed(s) for imbibing from the seeds in my stash. This crop, too,
was food for my soul. But that was then and this is now. And now I am drawn to
plant and raise some foodstuff. My options are limited by space constraints,
but the time feels right to start with some herbs and maybe some berries or
baby lettuces. Or maybe it is too late for this season. I don't know. I will
have to do some research. What I do know is that I want to taste what I grow.
The
first gatherings of the garden in May of salads,  radishes and herbs made me
feel like a mother about her baby - how could anything so beautiful be mine.
And this emotion of wonder filled me for each vegetable as it was gathered
every year. There is nothing that is comparable to it, as satisfactory or as thrilling,
as gathering the vegetables one has grown.
-Alice
B. Toklas
With best
blessings for nourishment from Mother Earth,
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First Lady of the Garden
 Michelle
Obama created quite
a stir when she announced that
she was going to plant a
vegetable garden on the South
Lawn of the White House.
Although Roslyn Carter
had a
small herb garden and Hillary
Clinton grew a few vegetables
in containers
on the White House roof, Obama's garden is the first serious vegetable garden
since Eleanor Roosevelt planted her Victory Garden more than 60 years ago.
Famous chef
and restaurateur Alice Waters had been campaigning for a White House Vegetable
Garden since the early 1990s and after hundreds of letters, she finally found a
receptive audience in the first lady. Since the inauguration, Madam Obama has
emerged as a vocal proponent of healthful eating and a "big believer"
in community gardens.
On
the Vernal Equinox, Obama broke ground for a White House fruit and vegetable
garden with the help of 25 fifth-grade students from Bancroft Elementary School
and initiated a public campaign to help Americans better understand where their
food comes from.
Her vision
for the 1,100-square-foot organic garden was to grow as many as 55 varieties of
vegetables, berries and herbs including lettuces, arugula, eggplants, squash,
fennel, rhubarb, cucumbers and sweet and hot peppers. White House chefs will
use the produce to prepare meals for the family and for official functions, and
some of the produce will be donated to Miriam's Kitchen, a soup kitchen near
the White House. In addition, her plan called for a beehive near the garden.
The
most important function of the garden according to Obama, is to educate
children about healthful, locally grown fruit and vegetables at a time when
obesity and diabetes have become a national concern. "My hope," the first lady
said, "is that through children, they will begin to educate their families and
that will, in turn, begin to educate our communities."
It's
bizarre that the produce manager is more important to my children's
health than the pediatrician.
-
Meryl Streep
The garden
has been growing beautifully, thanks to a mild and rainy spring and after only
two months it yielded 90 pounds of produce including broccoli and green beans
and "one beautiful eggplant." Herbs have been harvested every night and are not
included in the 90 pounds.
On June 17,
Queen Michelle invited the same students who helped to till the soil and plant
the seeds back to the White House for a harvest party in the garden. The
lettuce, snap peas, beans, kale, collard greens, and chard were all ready to be
picked. The kids took in 73 pounds of lettuce and 12 pounds of peas and one
lone cucumber. They were then ushered into the kitchen to learn how to prepare
fresh vegetables. The day culminated in the homemade feast.
The
garden's bountiful output has been produced without using chemicals, fertilizer
or herbicide. The underlying White House soil was enriched with crab meal from the
Chesapeake Bay, green sand compost, and lime powder.
 The first
lady
emphasized that she
did not want people
to feel guilty if they
did not
have the
time or the space
for a garden: there
are still many
changes they can
make. "You can begin in your own cupboard," she advised, "by eliminating processed food, trying to cook a meal a little more often, trying to
incorporate more fruits and vegetables."
"For urban
dwellers who have no backyards, the country's one million community gardens can
also play an important role," Obama said.
Queen
Michelle's garden has inspired the first ladies of several states to follow in
her muddy footsteps, including Maria Shriver, First Lady of California, First Lady Katie O'Malley of Maryland, First Lady Carla Markell of Delaware, and First
Lady Jane Beshear of Kentucky, There are now also new edible gardens on the
grounds of the state capitals in Arkansas, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania,
and Vermont. Vegetable gardens in Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, South and Carolina
predate the White House garden. And Texas has had a
vegetable garden at the governor's mansion since the 1870s!
How will your garden grow? What you
seed is what you get!
A garden
is the best alternative therapy.
-
Germaine Greer
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The First First Lady of the Garden
 At the
beginning of World War II,
resources of all kinds were
diverted to support the
war
effort. As the war began,
America was in the middle of an
agricultural
revolution and
productivity was increasing
dramatically due to
mechanization
and the introduction of pesticides, herbicides, new hybrid crops, and synthetic
fertilizers. However, the war interfered with this dramatic burst of
productivity as farmers became soldiers and the rationing of gasoline put a
strain on both food supplies and the ability to transport fruits and vegetables
to market. Because only processed foods and dry grains could be reasonably
transported to our troops and allies, canned foods and meats were heavily
rationed.
A grass
roots home gardening movement began to take hold, but Claude Wickard, the
Secretary of Agriculture, believed in a top down, industrial approach to food
production and he thought that home gardens would be an inadequate "feel good"
attempt to feed the country and our war machine. Enter Eleanor Roosevelt, the
First Lady. She was convinced that home gardens were the answer to the
frightening dilemma of how to feed not only the troops, but the folks at home,
as well. And she was right. Her determination and leadership would change the
course of the war and prove that massive amounts of food production could
quickly and efficiently be decentralized.
Do what you feel in your heart to be right - for you'll be criticized
anyway. You'll be damned if you do, and damned if you don't.
She
promptly planted a "Victory Garden" on the front lawn of the White House. This
inspired people across the country to plant gardens in backyards and on apartment-building rooftops,
with the occasional vacant lot commandeered for the war effort and put to use
as a cornfield or a squash patch. During World War II, sections of lawn were
publicly plowed for plots in Hyde Park, London to publicize the movement. In
New York City, the lawns along the vacant Riverside were devoted to Victory
Gardens, as were portions of San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.
Secretary
Wickard relented when faced with the not so  subtle political pressure of
this extraordinary woman, and soon 20 million Victory Gardens planted and nurtured by 50 million inexperienced,
first time citizen farmers produced 9 to 10 million tons of fresh fruits and vegetables, providing nearly 50% of the nations needs. Pressure cooker sales
grew from 66,000 in 1942 to 315,000 in 1943 as a new nation of urban and
suburban food producer began to can their own fruits and vegetables.
The Fenway
Victory Gardens in the Back Bay Fens of Boston, Massachusetts and the Dowling
Community Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota, remain active to this day as the
last surviving public examples from World War II. Most plots in the Fenway
Victory Gardens now feature flowers instead of vegetables while the Dowling
Community Garden retains its focus on vegetables.
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De Sancta Maria
Hail to
you, O greenest, most fertile branch!
You budded
forth amidst breezes and winds
in search
of the knowledge of all that is holy.
When
the time was ripe
your own
branch brought forth blossoms.
Hail
greetings to you!
The heat of
the sun exudes sweat from you
like
the balsam's perfume.
In you, the
most stunning flower has blossomed
and gives
off its sweet odor to all the herbs and roots,
which were
dry and thirsting before your arrival.
Because of
you, the heavens give dew to the grass,
the
whole Earth rejoices;
abundance
of grain comes from Earth's womb
and on its
stalks and branches birds nest.
And,
because of you, nourishment is given the human family
and great
rejoicing to those gathered around the table.
And
so, in you O gentle Virgin,
is every
fullness of joy, everything that Eve rejected.
Now let
endless praise resound to the Most High!
- Hildegard
of Bingen
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High Queen of the Kitchen Garden
 When it
comes to
food, Alice Waters
is a legend. At age
64, she has done
more to change
how we Americans
eat, cook and think
about food than
anyone since Julia Child.
She was
only 27 years old in 1971 when she opened her French bistro Chez Panisse in
Berkeley, California, today considered one of the finest restaurants not just
in the United States but in the world.
Waters
has produced eight cookbooks, but she's more famous as the mother of a movement
that preaches about fresh organic food grown in a way that's good for the
environment. The movement, called "slow food," is a healthy
alternative to "fast food." The world-renowned chef and restaurateur
hopes that a slower, more sustainable approach to the food we eat will keep us
healthier and the planet greener.
High-tech
tomatoes. Mysterious milk. Super squash. Are we supposed to eat
this stuff? Or is it going to eat us?
-
Annita Manning
Waters
has been preaching the virtues of cultivating clean, fresh whole food for decades.
Since 1993 she has been petitioning - some might even say pestering - American
presidents to establish a vegetable garden on the White House grounds. And she
finally succeeded. Queen Alice was the inspiration and role model for Michelle
Obama's garden.
She has
also overseen the establishment of a sprawling, urban victory garden - a real
vegetable garden in front of City Hall in San Francisco, which she calls
"the ultimate symbolism."
Waters
has expanded her influence to the next generation by creating another garden,
that she calls "The Edible Schoolyard." Waters got a local middle
school in Berkeley to create a course where kids learn about growing food right
on the school grounds and then cooking and eating it. "This is an effort
to bring kids into a new relationship to food," she explained.
Did you
ever stop to taste a carrot? Not just eat it, but taste it? You can't
taste the beauty and energy of the earth in a Twinkie.
- Astrid Alauda
Today,
the Edible Schoolyard project sponsors affiliate school gardens around the
country. Acting as the Honorary Chair of the California School Garden Network,
Maria Shriver, First Lady of California has picked up Alice Water's standard
and established more than 6000 edible school gardens.
One of
the earliest events I did as California's First Lady was to visit Alice Water's
Edible School Yard in Berkeley to see first-hand what it was all about. I
remember the cool crisp air, the fresh smells, but more importantly, I remember
the look of joy on the face of the children after they had worked hard their
garden. Over the years, I have seen how gardens have positively transformed
students, schools and communities. Gardens are a wonderful resource, and I
truly believe in the life lessons they teach and the lives they touch - and
that every school and community should have one.
- Maria Shriver
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Queenie Plants Beauty
While researching gardens I ran
across the irresistible story about a woman in Shelby, NC, known as Queenie,
who single-handedly transformed her community from a barren wasteland to a
flower-filled garden oasis.
She began her greening campaign in 2003
when she moved into the Esther Village apartments, which were
surrounded by desolate bare dirt. So she carried some plants
over bucket-by-bucket from the yard of a woman who had died in a house nearby.
"I wanted to fix up the community and make it look good, so I
started putting flowers out and I've been doing it ever since," she said. "I
water them by myself. I put them out by myself."
She started in the area at the
end of her apartment, and has gradually put flowers around the edge of the
complex and in beds at the office - and "it's all because flowers make a place
look better," she said. "I just get enjoyment out of it because it's something
to be joyful about." She modestly exclaimed, "I like a beautiful place!"
Queenie has transformed the
dirt expanses into a blooming
oasis, complete with bushes,
hostas, ferns,
elephant ears,
petunias, marigolds and some
vegetables. Because she doesn't
have a spigot on her end of the
complex, the 68 year old
gardener carries in
the water
needed to keep them alive. Even
after her knee surgery. "I still get
out here and do it. I don't let
anything stop me."
A garden is
evidence of faith. It links us with all the misty figures of the past who also
planted and were nourished by the fruits of their planting.
- Gladys
Taber
"When my mother was living, she
had nothing but flowers, so I walked in her foot pattern," she said. "I wanted
to do as she did, clear until the end."
Queenie, indeed!
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The Queen's Correspondence
 Thanks so much for taking
the time to respond to The
Queen's Chronicles. Please
keep your comments coming.
And do feel free to make
suggestions about content
you would like to see. Or
anything else, for that
matter. It is a joy to connect
with you.
Letters In Response To
The May 2009 Issue:
Once again, you've outdone yourself! The nation's first
mother was terrific. Why haven't I heard about her? A real role model.
- Terese, NY
I enjoyed this issue very much,
Donna, especially the article about the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers and Barack
Obama's mom. Good stuff!!
- Diane, Ontario, Canada
Another rich, nourishing,
informative Chronicle. Thank you! One
little thing, though: Yes, there has been a Father Earth in mythology. The ancient
Egyptians considered the earth male and called him "Geb." But for me,
the Earth is Mother, as you expressed so well in your luscious description of
Her. Our generous, loving, creative Mother. Thanks for your wonderful
newsletters and loving spirit into the world. Blessed be,
- Vajra, OR
Editor's note: You are
totally correct. Unfortunately I only remembered Geb after I hit the send
button! Thanks for the clarification.
What a beautifully conceived
and written package. Enough nourishment for a long, long time. You are truly
gifted.
- Susan, NY
What a marvelous newsletter.
Thank you for including me in your number. Here's to the New Vision for us all.
Peace and blessings,
- Deirdre, TX and UK
Thank you so much for this
lovely newsletter.
- Anita, NY
I just absolutely love The
Chronicles. I can't say it enough, and I
tell other women who may be interested who come into our practice all about
your web site and the book.
- Kim, FL
I love your upbeat attitude and
it excites me to see one who takes a lighter view and shares it. Thank you. I
am going to be 53 and I am gorgeous darlin', just like you! Lot's going on and
we are the agents of change. Let's buckle our seat belts, put up our tray
tables, and lift out of the old and into the new. What a fabulous ride.
- Cynthia, HI
Letters in Response to
Queen
Mama Donna's Writings Elsewhere:
Blessings For A Smooth
Mercury In Retrograde
Loved, loved, loved this.
Practical, specific but open to interpretation. xxx and thank you.
- Gail, NY
Wow! Perfect timing as I'm in
negotiations with a publisher again! By the way your essay is
beautifully written. Do you remember your book tour here when
Mercury was in retrograde and everything was out of whack?
- Terry, CA
Editor's note: Do I! That
retrograde Mercury played havoc with all my well-laid plans!
Thank you for presenting the
positive aspects of Mercury Retrograde. I always dread its arrival, but this
makes it more of a "do" than a "don't." As a Gemini, I, too, am ruled
by these events.
- Cathy, NY
Wow! Thank you so much for
this, gorgeous Queen Mama Donna! I have wondered why it has been so hard for me
to write anything lately, let alone meet any deadlines. Now, I have the answer!
I still have to make those deadlines though....@#%*&**@! Goddess give me inspiration
and energy even as Mercury retrogrades!! (Gotta pay those bills.) Blessed be to
all for reflection, reassessment, rebooting, and re-energizing!!
- Sheryll, CA
This was so unbelievably
helpful, oh my word. So so helpful. Exactly what I was looking for and needed
to hear. I'm gonna print it up and put it over my desk. I, too, am fixed on a
very important project to go up on June 10th and the next few weeks are crucial
in pulling all of the elements together. And I feel internally geared up for a
big letdown somewhere along the way - but I don't want to go looking for that
either. Instead, non-attachment seems to be the word du jour. I just can't
attach much ego or anything else to any ideas, or notions I have right now. Or
even how I expect something to look. But it's the rest time I am finding hard
to find. And I don't know if I should carve out special time for it now - to
rest, recharge, assimilate. I don't trust the present atmosphere so I feel like
I have to be doubly on top of my game just to stay ahead and not drown in the
current - which keeps me working not resting.
- Lee, NY
I have a friend who says she
was born on another planet and under several retrograde planets. I'm not sure
about the first assertion, but the second makes sense. She's always lots
happier when planets are retrograde and her life seems to go better for her at
those time. I think they do, as you say, clear her mind.
- Barbara, CA
Very well said! Thanks for the
beautiful words.
- Nancy, NC
Thanks for your Mercurial
blessings!
- Nancy, MA
WOW!!! I so appreciate the
blessings you have shared. It all rings true and the challenge will be to go
"against the grain" of the typical, urban way of "scheduled,
techno-living". I just wanted to share that I treated myself to a four-day
quilt retreat last week (smack dab in the middle of the busiest time for my
gardening business). I finished a quilt top that I began 3 years ago! Completing old projects is most
satisfying! Your article was just what I needed!
- Susannah, NY
Thank you for this. It's
wonderful. Very helpful, useful and interesting.
- Rita, MN
Thank you for this great
advice. I'll take it! I'm going camping in Canyonlands National Park (southern
Utah) next week and shall use the time to meditate, hike, and be at one with Mother
Earth.
- Anne, AZ
You've given me the most clear
and understandable explanation of Mercury retrograde that I've ever had. Thank
you! It sounds almost relaxing to me now.
- Joan, CA
Please send your responses to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.
Your letters will be printed in the next Queen's Chronicles.
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The Queen's Court
 The Queen's Court is a gathering of
sovereign women of a certain age -
our dear peers - who graciously offer
information, guidance, inspiration and
encouragement to each other.
We Queens know what we know. And
we know a great deal. Our experience
has made us wise. So, feel free to
consult with our cyber council/
counsel when you are need of sage
advice or wish to explore a particular topic of interest.
Who knows what can come out of these sister alliances we are building?
-QMD
The Mother's Day issue raised the
question of what it is to be a mother. I invited you to share your thoughts,
stories, and experiences of the many modes and moods of motherhood.
Here is a response from a
sister Queen:
I went to a Catholic Church on
Mothers Day and the priest asked all mothers to come to the front of the church
for a special blessing. Even though I do not have children, I went up to be
blessed as a mother. Since I have been performing as Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
I felt free to receive this blessing.
I have always made art about my
life. Now that I have Dystonia (a neurological movement
disorder in which sustained muscle contractions cause twisting and repetitive
movements or abnormal postures), I have made
videos about it and performances about it and more recently, found myself
"being" Mother Teresa of Calcutta, as a performance. When I put on
the Mother Teresa white sari with blue trim, apply the make up and play the
audiotape of her talking about the poorest of the poor, I feel as if I am doing
a real and positive honor to her memory.
My body goes into a big spasm
as soon as I put on the costume. My experience while doing this performance is
that I have the freedom to twist and turn and shake and am not self-conscious
or embarrassed by my tremors or stooped posture, because I am just a person with
a movement disorder! In fact, I am not just any person but as Mother Teresa, I
am a saint who has aged and is cramped up from having served millions of people
all her life! The movement disorder in this case becomes a badge of courage and
symbol of holiness, not something that is shameful or to be hidden!
So again, I have used my life,
to make good art and I thank Mother Teresa of Calcutta for letting me see
through her eyes. Maybe she will even heal me???
-
Linda Montano, NY
Please send your questions or responses to thequeenofmyself@aol.com. Your letters will be printed in the next Queen's Chronicles.
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Circle of Concern
Please
Offer Your Purest
Thoughts, Your Heart-Felt
Prayers, Your Great Good
Feelings, And Your Very Best
Blessings For Healing and
Peace of Mind to:
Art: Garden Lady
Alice, CA; Amy, NY;
Berenice, NY; Blanche, NY; Bonnie, CA; Carol, NY; Chrissie, NY; Daile, NY; Deborah, NY; Deni, NY; Donna, NY;
Edie, PA; Ellen, NY; Erica, NY; Gail, OH; Geraldine, CA; Janet, NY; Jo, AZ;
Josie, MI; Kate, NY; Kimi, NJ; Letitia, VA; Linda, MD; Linda, NJ; Linda, NY;
Lucia, TX; Lynne, NY; Margaret, NY; Mary, TX; Maureen, NY; Marjorie, NY; Naomi,
NJ; Randi, NY; Regina, NY; Roberta, NY; Robin, CA; Sharon, FL; Shirley, IN; Susan,
NY; Susan, MA; Suzanne, NY; Terry, CA; Valerie, CA; and Yvette, NY.
May Their Spirits Rest in Peace:
Juliette de
Bairacli Levy, Greece
Ricci
Cortez, TX
Farrah Fawcett,
CA
Fairy
Milli, Australia
Willette
Sanders, GA
Neda Agha
Soltan and all the innocent protesters, Iran
Barbara Vogel, FL
With Sincere Condolences:
Clara
Cassi, NY
Please
send your requests for physical and spiritual healing and positive
energy so that the powerful women of The Queen's Court might send their
prayers and blessings to you in your time of need.
Dear
Sisters,
I just got
news yesterday that the woman that I am sitting in for is returning part-time
on Monday. I feel shaken by the
prospect and that my position here is potentially threatened. It is shaking my
trust in Providence. What I need is energetic support to stay in touch with my
confident, competent Self as this unfolds. I want to stay out of reactive mode
and in my power. Would you help me with this in any way you can? I know that
many of you are being stretched yourselves with challenges that threaten your
own well-being. Know that I am
holding you all in my own prayers and in my own energy work. Blessings Be!
- Winona,
NM
Please
all readers,
Send Dr.
Aruna Mehta your good prayers and support through the air. She is an Ayurvedic
physician and woman's doctor who has delivered 2000 babies in India. She is
like a light house of the cosmos, radiating love and energy and is now ill and
needs spiritual support. Thank you.
- Linda,
NY
A
friend of mine, named Deborah Peagler needs your help. She is a lifer prisoner
doing time for killing her abusive partner before he could kill her. She's been
in prison too long already and is facing a merciless Parole Board. She should have
been home by now. Deborah
has been diagnosed with cancer and is receiving chemo. Paperwork has begun to
shuffle to request a compassionate release, so that she can be with her family
in the end. My friend may die, but she wasn't sentenced to death in prison. I'm
asking you to help me, help her. Please take a few minutes right now to go to a
web site that has been set up for her. That site is www.freedebbie.org. You can find
out more about my friend, as well as a prepared letter of support for her
release. Simply sign that letter and process as instructed. Your signature
could make all the difference. Please, do it now while you're at your computer.
If you can get others to sign as well, great! The more, the better. Thanks.
- Theresa,
CA
Nothing brings me more happiness than trying to help the most
vulnerable people in society. It is a goal and an essential part of my life - a
kind of destiny. Whoever is in distress can call on me. I will come running
wherever they are.
-
Princess Diana
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Where the Queens Are
Here is a list of the
interesting things this Queen has done in the last year:
1. Packed up and moved cross country from Illinois to
California without
having a place to live. Took a dog, two cats, and a teenaged daughter
with me.
2. Started writing way outside my comfort zone... and had the
stuff picked
up for publication.
3. Experiments with e-dating.
4. Fell in love and got engaged to an e-date.
5. Sang karaoke in front of a packed bar, despite not being totally drunk.
6. Swam in the Pacific Ocean - at night.
7. Nearly stepped on a rattlesnake. (fortunately, aforementioned teenaged
daughter has better eyesight than her mother). Yes, this counts as an interesting thing.
8. Wrote an entire book in less than six weeks, and had it
picked up for
publication.
9. Launched successful "Book Doctor" business.
10. Launched my own monthly
radio show on blogtalkradio.
I'm sure there's more. But the
point
is, yes! We Queens rule!
Smoky Trudeau,
Hacienda Heights, CA
Please Submit Your Royal Reports
· Tell us about your Queen Group: who, what, where,
when, why?
· What Queenly topics do you explore?
· What projects do you engage in?
· Describe some golden moments.
· Send pictures!
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