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 currently writes for the Huffington Post, Beliefnet and 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 offers intuitive tarot readings and spiritual counseling and works with individuals, groups, institutions, municipalities and corporations to create meaningful ceremonies for every imaginable occasion. |
Good News!
"What
is so spectacular and amazing in my opinion about The Queen of My Self is that it gives this
heretofore nebulous stage of life
a name, a character, and - most of
all - it captures its essence. This is the stage when a woman needs to be
regal: she's bent over children for thirty years, and twenty or thirty years
from now she'll be bending over a cane, but NOW she's standing tall and making
her mark. She's the Queen of herself, or she can be."
-
Victoria Moran, author of Creating a Charmed Life and Fat, Broke and
Lonely No More
The
Queen of My Self is
celebrating its 5th Anniversary and its 2nd printing.
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Quick Links...
I've
thoroughly enjoyed your book and have recommended it to so many of my students.
- Wendy,
Australia
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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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DONATE!
 To The Queen's Chronicles
My dear sister Queens,
Writing The Queen's Chronicles is a joy and an honor - a labor of true love - but, the fact remains
that it takes a great deal of time and effort and requires the services of a
techno-cyber Queen to be able to offer it each month. Consequently, after two
years of publishing, the royal coffers are sadly diminished and in desperate
need of replenishing.
Your donations will allow me to continue to provide you with
a monthly offering of information and inspiration for
an influential, passionate and powerful maturity.
I thank you so much for your royal support. With your help, The
Queen's Chronicles can maintain its mission
to promote meaning, moxie, magic and majesty to women in midlife.
With regal blessings,
xxQueen Mama Donna
CLICK HERE TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATION
THANK YOU!
|
I made it! Thank you for your faith and guidance in
planning my Queening Ceremony. I so appreciated your email encouragements and
especially the Yoruba saying, "You crown your own head."
- Lauree, NY
Are you looking for meaning, moxie, magic and
majesty in midlife?
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.
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
Growth is a painful process.
- Wilma Mankiller
|
Featured Event!
SPIRIT OF WOMONGATHERING
Mama Donna will be hosting an
entire Queen Weekend! - including several workshops, rituals and special events
at this annual gathering. She will also have her Spirit Shop there and be
available for Tarot readings. JUNE 2 - 6
THURSDAY - SUNDAY
PENNSYLVANIA
Information and registration:
770-591-8635
www.womongathering.com
Womongathering Queens 2009
 | SCHEDULE OF QUEEN EVENTS:
THURSDAY
7:30-8:30 PM
THE
QUEENS COUNCIL
FRIDAY
1-3 PM
THE
FULL SPIRITED FOUR FOLD
GODDESS WORKSHOP
4 PM
HIGH
TEA WITH THE QUEEN
9PM
STEPPING
INTO SOVEREIGNTY: AN INITIATION CEREMONY FOR QUEENS
SATURDAY
10 AM-12 PM
THE
QUEEN'S GUIDE TO POWER WORKSHOP
12-1 PM
CROWN & SCEPTER
CREATION SESSION
2-5
PM
ROYAL
CORONATION CEREMONY |
A Queen Event
Near You
North Carolina Unitarian Universalist
Conference Queens
APRIL
GLOBAL
APRIL 1-30
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY
BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off
reading for April Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For
info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
CONNECTICUT
APRIL 29 - MAY 2
THURSDAY EVENING - SUNDAY BELTAINE FESTIVAL: A PAGAN ODYSSEY
Mama Donna is a guest workshop leader and ritualist. Hosted by the Panthean Temple.
For information: 203-660-1369
PaganOdyssey@aol.com
www.paganodyssey.com
MAY
GLOBAL
MAY 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY
BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
MOTHER OF A TAROT SALE!
1/3 off
reading for May Birthdays and mothers. A truly meaningful gift for any mother!
In person or by phone. Gift certificates available.
For
info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
MAY 5
WEDNESDAY, 8:00 PM EST
**TELESEMINAR:
STAYING CENTERED IN STRESS, STORM AND CHAOS: Holding
the Spirit in Hard Times
A Spirit Support Skills Workshop
Learn simple body/mind/spirit techniques to help you keep
your perspective, sanity, clarity, equilibrium, good cheer and positive
attitude intact during the toughest of times.
$25 per seminar.
$60 if you register for all 3 teleclasses in the
series**
For more info, click.
718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
NEW YORK
MAY 13
THURSDAY,
7PM
TAROT
101
A Spirit Support Skills Workshop
Learn
the basics about the tarot. This beginners workshop will be required for
future
tarot classes.
Mama
Donna's Tea Garden
Park
Slope, Exotic Brooklyn, NY
For
info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
$50.
If prepaid 3 days in advance
$60. At the door.
MAY 22
SATURDAY,
4:30 PM
(rain date: May 23, Sunday)
BLESSING
OF THE WATERS
Mama
Donna will conduct a participatory Hudson River cleansing ceremony as the grand
finale of the Hudson River Pageant (1-5PM). Calling all blessers - send an
email to join Mama Donna's Blessing Band.
Gansevoort Street at the
river,
Manhattan
For
info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
FREE
JUNE
GLOBAL
JUNE 1-30
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for June Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
PENNSYLVANIA
JUNE
2 - 6
THURSDAY
- SUNDAY
SPIRIT
OF WOMONGATHERING
Mama
Donna will be hosting an entire Queen Weekend! Including several workshops and
rituals at this annual gathering. She will also have her Spirit Shop there and
be available for Tarot readings.
Information
and registration:
856-694-2037
www.womongathering.com
GLOBAL
JUNE
9
WEDNESDAY, 8:00 PM EDT
++TELESEMINAR:
DREAM WISDOM: Deciphering the Messages From Your Soul
A Spirit Support Skills Workshop
Learn how to access and make sense of the symbolic language
of your dreams and visions, and how to recognize the truths and lessons that
they offer.
$25
$60. if you
register for all 3 teleclasses in the second series++
(June 9,
July 7 and August 4)
For more info, click.
CALIFORNIA
JUNE
12
SATURDAY,
10 AM-5PM
THE
QUEEN OF MY SELF:
MEANING,
MOXIE & MAJESTY IN MIDLIFE A
workshop and ritual with Mama Donna Henes
Are you in
your middle years or about to enter them? Are you living your true potential
and following your fondest dreams? If not, why not? And if not now, when? Now
is the time to leave behind old patterns that no longer serve you and to make
way for the Queen - that wonderful midlife stage of mature empowerment that is
rightfully yours to enjoy. This
inspirational day will culminate in a Royal Coronation Crowning Ceremony, after
which you will be ready to ascend the throne of conscientious leadership, with all
the tools you need to redeem and transform your life and the whole planet.
A
Private Residence
San
Diego, CA
(Info will be sent upon registration)
For more
information and to register:
Liana@shamanicwisdom.com
www.shamanicwisdom.com
Or call
619-980-8151
$147.
(Includes crown and amulet bag of royal treasures.)
Advance
registration is a must. Tuition due by June 5, 2020.
JUNE 15
TUESDAY,
11:30 AM-2:00 PM
FEAST FOR THE SOUL:
CONSCIOUS FEMININE LEADERSHIP
MAMA DONNA IS THE SPECIAL
GUEST SPEAKER
The
inaugral luncheon seminar of a 9 part series concocted and served by Liana
Carbón, PhD to help you strengthen the leader you already are, while creating
an entirely new body of leadership that will emerge from within you!
The Park Manor Inn
San
Diego, CA
For
information and registration:
Liana@shamanicwisdom.com
Or call
Bethany Rudd at 602-748-5837
www.shamanicwisdom.com
Register
before May 20 for a discount
NEW YORK
JUNE
21
MONDAY
morning,
7;15
AM event starts
7:28
AM Solstice moment
34th
ANNUAL SUMMER SOULSTICE CELEBRATION
A
sizzling Celebration of Summer. Drum up the sun!
Pier 16 South Street
Seaport
Manhattan
For
info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
FREE
JUNE 21
MONDAY,
8:00 PM
SUNSET
SOLSTICE CELEBRATION
A
sizzling Celebration of Summer. A family friendly event. Bring kids, dogs,
drums and lots of spirit.
Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01
Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, Queens
For
info: 718-956-1819
www.socratessculpturepark.org
FREE
JULY
GLOBAL
JULY 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for July Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
JULY
7
WEDNESDAY, 8:00 PM EDT
++TELESEMINAR:
SETTING IT WRITE: Journal Keeping for Healing, Sanity, Clarity & Wisdom
A Spirit Support Skills Workshop
Learn how to track your innermost feelings, ideas, plans,
goals, ambitions, aspirations and experiences, and turn them into your own
psychic support system.
$25
$60. if you
register for all 3 teleclasses in the second series++
(June 9,
July 7 and August 4)
For more info, click.
AUGUST
GLOBAL
AUGUST 1-31
MAMA DONNA'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY TAROT CLUB
1/3 off reading for August Birthdays. In person or by phone.
For info: 718-857-1343
cityshaman@aol.com
AUGUST
4
WEDNESDAY, 8:00 PM EDT
++TELESEMINAR:
NOTING THE PROCESS OF THE NOTING THE PROCESS: Keeping Track of Your Transformation
A Spirit Support Skills Workshop
Learn how to organize and make sense of the patterns
created by the signs, symbols, impulses, omens and instinctual messages from
your personal inner guidance so that they can help you create a more
meaningful, effective and satisfactory life.
$25
$60. if you
register for all 3 teleclasses in the second series++
(June 9,
July 7 and August 4)
For more info, click.
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Have Crown,
Will Travel!
To discuss booking Queen Mama Donna for a reading, presentation, ritual, workshop or a keynote address in your area, call her at 718-857-1343 or e-mail her at TheQueenOfMySelf@aol.com
"Queen Mama Donna is an eloquent, riveting and
knowledgeable speaker, who enthralled the women at her seminar hosted by the
Health & Wellness Center by Doylestown Hospital. Her warmth, authenticity and generosity of spirit shines
through and touches everyone in attendance. The evaluations were exceptional,
with a near perfect score of 5.9 out of 6!! I highly recommend Queen Mama Donna
as a speaker for your organization."
- Susan Duval,
Producer
Spirituality Channel
Susan Duval Seminars
Doylestown, PA
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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!
The
Queen's Oil of Empowerment is a dandy little ritual. Every morning I bless my
Self before going out into the world. It helps me stay in a place of personal
sovereignty.
-
Charlene, UT
My
women's group starts every meeting by blessing each other with power.
- Faye, ME
THE QUEEN'S OIL OF
EMPOWERMENT
A ritual in a bottle. Use this oil to bless
your Self with the sovereignty that you seek. Made by Queen Mama Donna,
herself.
2 oz. bottle in gauze
bag
$35
(Includes shipping in the USA)
ORDER YOURS TODAY!
The Queen's Emporium
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The Queen
on the Record
Read and listen to Queen Mama Donna's words of information and inspiration.
Regular Columns:
Always in Season
The Huffington Post
Ask Your Mama
Pagan Pages
The Oracle
Catalyst
New Age Journal
UPI Religion and Spirituality
Meaning, Moxie & Majesty for Midlife Women
Launching May 17th!
Beliefnet
Recent Articles about QMD:
The Huffington Post
Writing for Life Blog
National Public Radio
Columbia Daily Tribune
The Daily Beast
Recent Articles by QMD:
USA Today
Recent Radio Interviews:
Maryanne Live with Maryanne Comaroto
Weaving the Web of the World Radio
Dispelling the Myths Radio
Amazon Author Page:
Amazon
Wikipedia listings:
Donna Henes
The Queen of My Self
YouTube Channel:
Mama Donna Henes
Social Networks:
Follow Queen Mama Donna on
Facebook/DonnaHenes
Facebook/TheQueenOfMySelf
LinkedIn
Myspace
Twitter/DonnaHenes
Twitter/TheQueenOfMySelf
Awards:
Mama Donna's
website www.DonnaHenes.net received a
Best Spiritual Site Award!
Queen Mama Donna was named Baby Boom Woman Blogger to watch out for in 2008 for The Queen's Chronicles by Virtual Woman's Day!
Rewards:
You!
|
Thank you
so much for running my ad for Seasoned to Perfection necklaces! My website had
a market increase in hits on the days following your promotion.
- Kate
Stockman. NC
www.TheCre8tiveFlow.com
Imagine Your Ad Here!
Welcome to
our new advertiser, Karen Ethelsdattar. Her new book, Earthwalking and other
Poems (www.Xlibris.com) is now available. You may have read her wonderful
poetry in The Queen of My Self and also in past issues of The Queen's Chronicles.
Thank you,
Karen, 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.
YOUR
ad in
The Queen's Chronicles!
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. Graphic display ads are available for $75.
For more information and to place your order contact: thequeenofmyself@aol.com or call 718-857-1343.
|
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.
Dr. Susan Corso
Omnifaith spiritual insights for
seekers and finders
Earthwalking and Other Poems
by Karen Ethelsdattar
"Absolutely exquisite, a joy to read, a pleasure for the soul
and senses" - Joanna Macy, author of World as Lover, World as
Self.
Eve's Garden
Celebrating the sacred power of women's sexual energy
Feldenkrais Associates
Discover
the Feldenkrais Method with Amber Barbara Grumet, director of Feldenkrais
Associates. Become aware of how you move in order to improve your overall
functioning. Through group lessons or individual hands-on sessions you learn to
expand your potential in all areas.
For info: 212
242-2309 or amber@feldenkraisassociates.com
Maguire Pubic Relations
Expertise in journalism and marketing qualifies us to position and deliver the news of our clients.
Menopause Support Group
A community of patients, family members and
friends dedicated to dealing with Menopause, together. Register for free.
MLA Editorial Services
Whether you're
looking to publish with a top trade house, a prestigious academic press, or are
considering self-publishing your work, we can help you shape and polish your
manuscript to the highest professional standards. We specialize in serious
nonfiction. More than 20-years experience.
Licensed Acupuncturist and Chinese Herbalist.Focusing on women's health and other chronic issues
Spruce Shore Cottage
Restore yourself on the Maine coast. Lovely cabin for rent. Minutes from Acadia National Park. Ocean, sky, full kitchen. Contact
Weslea Sidon via email
or call 207-244-9897
Talking to the Goddess
An
anthology of blessings, prayers, invocations, chants, oriki and other sacred
writings by 72 women (including Queen Mama Donna) from 25 different spiritual
traditions. 10% of profits go towards funding the education of a female student
at the University of Venda, South Africa.
ToMePeaceIs.com
An omnifaith site
designed as a collaborative effort where users create the content by posting
what equals peace to them on that day. ToMePeaceIs.com is about forming the
habit of creating inner peace.
There is no fee.
Your Advertisement Here!
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 Join The Queen of My Self
community on Facebook
 Follow The Queen of My Self
on Twitter
New daily blog launching May 17th on Beliefnet! Meaning, Moxie & Majesty for Midlife Women
|
Hail Queens!
inordinate amounts of
time inside,
dwelling,
stewing, stagnating in
enforced inactivity. When our hibernating
energy finally re-awakens in the spring, it is with a pronounced case of
morning breath. After the dust,
the must, the rust of winter, a thorough spring cleaning is called for.
The promise of renewed life prompts us to prepare a sacred
and auspicious way for its anticipated arrival. We are moved to purge and
purify ourselves, to cleanse and make our selves worthy of the grace implied in
a fresh start. We make a clean sweep of our surroundings - internal and
external, body and soul.
In washing, we symbolically shed the old, discard the past,
toss it out with the bath water. Thus removed of any spiritual pollution, we
emerge refreshed, restored and recharged. Our slates are wiped clean. Naked and
pure, purged and protected, we stand sanctified, ready to step confidently into
the new season.
We come to this world awash in saline womb waters and are
greeted upon the moment of our first breath with a warm bath. When we die we
are bathed again. We wash before we eat, before we sleep, before we pray. Most cultures, in fact, require washing
before worship. Here, the ablution marks the transition from the profane sector
of life to the sacred.
Islam requires the worshipper to wash before each of the
five daily prayers performed facing toward Mecca. Muslims cleanse their mouths
so that their prayers will be sanctified, and their ears so that they might better
hear the will of Allah.
The Sweat Lodge Ceremony, the Inipi, as it is known to the peoples of the Great Plains,
was prevalent throughout Native North America. It was, and still is, undertaken
as a preparatory ritual of purification before a major spiritual endeavor, such as the Vision
Quest, the Sun Dance or the Spirit-calling Ceremonies.
Water is considered to be the most efficacious purifying
agent by Hindus because when it runs, it absorbs and it carries away pollution.
For this reason, rivers and other moving waters are considered to be especially
cleansing. The Ganges, although filthy, is the most holy of all. It is the
intention of every devout pilgrim to wash in its soul-cleansing substance.
The
priestesses and priests of Babylonia cleansed 
themselves with water from
the
Tigris or Euphrates rivers
before performing their
religious functions. In
ancient
Egypt, as well, the pharaoh
would purify his body for
prayer by
sprinkling himself
with the "water of life and
good fortune." Ceremonial
ablutions in the sea were
used to initiate participants in
a process of spiritual rebirth
during the
Eleusinian
Mysteries, the oldest of the Greco-Roman Goddess mystery cults.
Proselytes to Judaism were bathed as an initiation rite,
which sanctified the start of their new lives, reborn as true believers,
members of the chosen people of the God of Israel, Yahweh. It was essential for
the candidate to be completely immersed so that s/he might be truly cleansed of
heathenish worship.
The Baptism rites of Protestant and Catholic alike, cleanse
the way for a worshipper to move from the polluted world to the holy church,
from the earthly plane to grace, from sin to salvation. Ultimately it is an
initiation into the kingdom of God.
...I guess I feel about a hot bath the way those
religious people feel about holy water... The longer
I lay there in the clear hot water the purer I felt,
and when I stepped out at last and wrapped myself
in one of those big, soft, white, hotel bath towels
I felt
pure and sweet, as a new baby." - Sylvia Plath
Cleanliness is widely perceived as being next to Godliness.
The Christian concept of heaven, like the paradise envisioned by Zoroastrians,
Hindus, Jews and Muslims, is a place of absolute purity and brilliant
cleanliness, while hell is seen as a stinking foul pit.
People have always used clean water to prepare for reverent
engagement with the divine. But these days, really clean water is in shockingly
short supply. We have sullied our rich resources with obtuse abuse, and the
very elements, which have the power to cleanse and purify have now, themselves,
been poisoned.
Picture this: In the Arctic Ocean there is an uninhabited -
never been inhabited - island. In the center of the island is a lake. Can you
possibly imagine a more pristine image? A recent water sample from that lake
revealed the presence of fifty-two chemicals. There is, after all, no wall
underground to ward off contamination. And there is no such place as Away.
It's time to clean up our act, don't you think? In fact,
let's start this spring.
He had a mania for washing and disinfecting
himself.... For him the only danger came from
the microbes which attack the body. He had
not studied the microbe of conscience which
eats into the soul.
- Anaïs Nin
With best blessings for a beautiful and pure spring,
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Farewell to the Chief Queen
 Wilma
Mankiller the first female
Chief of the Cherokee Nation,
died this
month at the age of
64. She
was one of the nation's
most visible American Indian
leaders and one of the few
women to lead a major tribe.
Wilma Pearl
Mankiller was born
in 1945, the sixth of eleven children, near Rocky
Mountain, Oklahoma. She first tasted the effects of federal policy toward Indians when as a
child, her family ended up in a housing project in San Francisco thanks to the Bureau of
Indian Affairs' Indian
Relocation Program. She spent the rest of her life attempting to improve the lot of her
people. When
she was 17, she married and had two daughters, Felicia and Gina.
In
1969, when she was 24, she got what she called "an enormous wake-up
call" and took her first step into Indian activism by participating in the
19-month occupation of Alcatraz Island.
We've had
daunting problems in many critical areas, but I believe in the old Cherokee
injunction to 'be of a good mind.' Today it's called positive thinking.
After getting divorced in 1975, Mankiller moved back
to her family's land in Oklahoma. By 1983 she was
elected deputy chief of the Cherokee Nation, alongside Ross Swimmer, who was
serving his third consecutive term as principal chief. In 1985, Chief Swimmer
resigned to take the position as head of the Bureau of
Indian Affairs. This allowed Mankiller to become the first female
principal chief. She was freely elected in 1987, and re-elected again in 1991
in a landslide victory, collecting 83% of the vote. In 1995, Mankiller chose
not to run again for Chief largely due to health problems.
Chief Mankiller faced many obstacles during
her terms in office. At the time she became chief, the Cherokee Nation was
male-dominated. Such a structure contrasted with the traditional Cherokee
culture and value system, which instead emphasized a balance between the two
genders. Over the course of her three terms, Mankiller made great strides to
bring back that balance and reinvigorate the Cherokee Nation through
community-development projects where men and women work collectively for the
common good.
I
try to encourage young women to be willing to take risks, to stand up for the
things they believe in, and to step up and accept the challenge of serving in
leadership roles.
As
the first female chief of the Cherokees, Mankiller was less of an activist and
more of a pragmatist. She was criticized for focusing almost exclusively on
social programs, instead of pushing for smoke shops and high-stakes gaming. The projects she implemented  included establishing tribally owned
businesses (such
as horticultural operations and plants with government defense
contracts), improving infrastructure (such as providing running water to the
community of Bell,
Oklahoma), and building a hydroelectric facility.
During
her tenure, she led the tribe in tripling its enrollment, doubling employment
and building new health centers and children's programs. She took Indian issues
to the White House and met with three presidents. She earned a reputation for
facing conflict head-on and she never ran away from a battle.
For many of us, water simply flows from a faucet, and we think
little about it beyond this point of contact. We have lost a sense of respect
for the wild river, for the complex workings of a wetland, for the intricate
web of life that water supports.
- Sandra
Postel
Despite
her soft-spoken ferocity and her feminist stance, her name, Mankiller, did not
reflect her social views - Mankiller is actually a Cherokee military title,
which was adopted by one of her ancestors. But she did kid about it, often
delivering a straight-faced, "Mankiller is actually a well-earned
nickname."
Continual
struggles with her health appeared not to deter her. A 1979 car accident nearly
claimed her life and resulted in 17 operations. She developed the muscular
disorder myasthenia gravis and had a kidney transplant in 1990. Mankiller had
also battled lymphoma, breast cancer and several other health problems,
including stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer, which took her life.
Queen
Mankiller declared that she was "mentally and spiritually prepared for this
last journey" in a statement released by the tribe in the last month of her
life. "I learned a long time ago that I can't control the challenges the
creator sends my way, but I can control the way I think about them and deal
with them," she said
I want to
be remembered as the person who helped us restore faith in ourselves.
And so shall you be. Chief. Queen. Peaceful Warrior. Role Model.
Like water, be
gentle and strong. Be gentle enough to follow the natural paths of the earth,
and strong enough to rise up and reshape the world.
- Brenda Peterson
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Guardian
Queen of Earth's Water
 Author and
eco-feminist Vandana
Shiva has long been a
leading activist for
women of
third-world
countries, farming and
water sovereignty.
According to her
article
"Empowering
Women," she suggests
that a more
sustainable and productive approach to
agriculture can be achieved through reinstating a system of farming in India
that is more centered around engaging women. She advocates against the
prevalent "patriarchal logic of exclusion," claiming that a
woman-focused system would change the current system in an extremely positive
manner. In this
way, Indian and global food security, can only benefit from a focus on
empowering women through integrating them into the agricultural system.
She
describes a compelling and creative relationship between women, soil and water.
Women in India often walk many miles to obtain drinking water for their
families. However, they usually go no further than 10 miles to do so. At that
point, they take action. Women were among the first to notice a connection
between deforestation and a lack of water. As the homemakers, women are in
charge of collecting drinking water. However, after deforestation campaigns,
they often noticed a severe decline in the resource.
A
participant of the 1970s Chipko Movement to prevent deforestation in India (see
the April 2008 issue of The Chronicles),
Shiva explains, "Forests used to be about revenue and timber, but then it
was about water."
She also
rallied against strip mining in India. Though the then-Prime Minister of India,
Indira Gandhi, condemned strip mining in the Himalayan Mountains for its
"ugliness," Shiva took action to prevent damage to water. "In
the limestone, caves and cavities and bodies of water would form. Strip mining
stole the water storage system provided by nature," she said.
Shiva tells
of a 75-year-old woman who had been beaten for preventing bulldozers from
further stripping the mountains. Despite her injuries, the woman carried on,
calling to mind Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent practices. "We strip foliage
from trees and the leaves return. We are a part of nature, why wouldn't we
bounce back as well?" Shiva said.
In 1993, Queen Shiva received the Right
Livelihood Award (also known as the 'Alternative Nobel Prize')
"...For placing women and ecology at the heart of modern development
discourse." Other
awards she has received include the Global 500
Award of the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in 1993,and
the Earth Day International
Award of the United
Nations (UN) for her dedicated commitment to the preservation of the
planet as demonstrated by her actions, leadership and by setting an example for
the rest of the world.
Vandana Shiva on water:
On the
train from Delhi to Jaipur, we were served
bottled water, where Pepsi's
water line Aquafina was the brand of choice. On the streets of Jaipur, there
was another culture of water. At the peak of drought, small thatched huts
called Jal Mandirs (water temples) were put up to give water from earthen water pots as
a free gift to the thirsty. Jal Mandirs are a part of an ancient
tradition of setting up Piyaos, free water stands in public areas. This was a clash
between two cultures: a culture that sees water as sacred and treats its
provision as a duty for the preservation of life and another that sees water as
a commodity, and its ownership and trade as a fundamental corporate right.
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Crying is Cleansing
Humans cry
two different grades of tears both of which are incredibly cleansing. The tears
we shed when we get something in our eye - dust or an eyelash, for example, or
while we are peeling an onion, or smelling smoke, literally washes them clean
of a specific irritant.
When we
weep emotional tears, we release excess stores of the hormone prolactin, which
is potentially toxic if allowed to accumulate in our bodies. The fact that we
flush our systems of this poison probably accounts for the fact that in one
survey, 85 percent of all women and 73 percent of men testified to how much
better they feel after crying. Not to mention the fact that crying produces
endorphins, the happy hormone.
Research
had concluded that people who cannot cry, or who consider that crying is a sign
of weakness, suffer a significantly greater incidence of stress related disease
such as colitis. According to a report just released, 95% of all illness is stress-related.
Cry Me a River:
A Ceremony for Dampened Spirits
Sometimes
our life and times, with its constant bombardment of negativity and steady
accumulation of stress, seems like too much to endure. Oftentimes, we aren't
even consciously aware that we are annoyed, upset, dispirited. We simply carry
on. We persevere. We do what we need to do. We conscientiously continue on
continuing on, ignoring our feelings, suppressing our sadness. Until the day
comes when we can stand it no longer.
Ironically,
after we have struggled and succeeded in surviving the long, bleak, depressing
months of winter, spring, with its bursting rush of energy often makes our
despondency worse. We can barely contain all that sweet, tender freshness. The
dams break and our constricted emotions overflow. We find ourselves weeping
helplessly at Hallmark commercials, completely appalled that we could succumb
to such blatant emotional manipulation. This is spring cleaning for the soul.
If I Had
My Life to Live Over I would have cried and laughed less while watching
television - and more while watching life.
- Erma
Bombeck, written
soon after she found out that she was dying
from cancer
But, then
again, sometimes we just can't cry. We feel like it. We want to. We need to.
But we can't let go. We are bound tight by some excruciating kind of crippling
constipation of expression. I recently experienced a series of disappointments
and setbacks. I stewed and stomped and swore, but I couldn't find release.
Then, one evening after bending down to put something away, I stood up quickly
and smacked my head into an open kitchen cabinet door. That did it. I burst
into tears, bawled like a baby, and within moments I felt much, much better.
There is
nothing quite so satisfying as a nice, good cry. Tears are cleansing and
refreshing, but there are certainly more agreeable ways to achieve the
unburdening relief that they offer than by banging your head against a wall.
Over the years I have developed a personal ritual, a Cry Fest, wherein I
indulge in the consolation of blatant lamentation. For two solid days I allow
myself to weep and wallow, really revel in royal melancholy, after which I am
renewed and ready to face anything.
Here are
some suggested preparations for your own Cry Fest: Set aside a weekend when you
can be alone. Stock up on your favorite comfort foods. I usually do it while
fasting, but you can use ice cream or wine or Chinese food or whatever else you
crave for solace. Rent at least twelve tearjerker tapes. Take a long, hot bath
and settle into bed or onto the sofa for the marathon. Make sure you have handy
a box of ultra soft tissues near the sofa,
or better yet, a pile of lace trimmed, embroidered and crocheted hankies. Turn
on the TV and let it flow, let it flow, let it flow.
Some Tear
Jerkers
Recommended by Our Readers
A Night to
Remember
Antonia's
Line
Back Street
Bambi
Brian's
Song
Bridges of
Madison County
Charley
Dark
Victory
Days of
Wine and Roses
Dr. Zhivago
Dumbo
Empire of
the Sun
Frankie and
Johnny
I Want to
Live
Jules et
Jim
Lilli
Little Big
Man
Now Voyager
Philadelphia
Sophie's
Choice
Stella
Davis
Strangers
in Good Company
The Bear
The
Children's Hour
The Heiress
The Lion
King
The Miracle
Worker
The Music
Box
The Old
Maid
The
Spitfire Grill
The Way We
Were
Two Women
With a Song
in My Heart
Check out
the subject index of the "Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever" (Visible Ink
Press/Gale Research.) It lists three columns of tearjerkers.
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Madonna Virgo
Dolorosa
Madonna
Virgo Dolorosa
Queen of
Love and Pain and Sadness,
Long-Suffering
Lady of Perpetual Sorrows,
Purified
by Her tears.
Who
pursues the path of heartfelt passion
To heights and depths and breadths unfathomed.
Who practices faith and patience; infinite persistence,
Trusting,
come what may.
Who plunges directly through the darkness,
Through
the swamps and sweats, the sucking shallows,
Through
twisted tunnels and around blind bends,
Through delusion, through denial,
Through to destined ends.
- QMD
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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.
I
have taken our ongoing discussion about the definitions and descriptions of
Queendom to
The Queen of My Self Fan Page on Facebook.
This
royal court of ours is off to a great start. What an amazing gathering of wise,
wonderful sovereigns. The daily posts are enlightening and inspiring. Our
exchange has proven the worth of our sovereignty. The participating members are mighty Queens, steadfast in adversity and generous in compassion. What
an honor they bestow on all women everywhere!
If
you are in need of inspiration and encouragement, the comments offered by our
sister Queens offer an enormous wealth of both. Do join us and add your wisdom
to The Queen's Court.
Q: The Queen does not invite hard
times and trouble, but She chooses to use them well. Suffering is the midwife
of compassion. How has this been true for you?
- Queen Mama Donna
A: Oh yes! This
year, I celebrate 30 years of suffering and learning from my great teacher:
severe scalp psoriasis. THANK YOU, Great Teacher, for all the lessons, the
pain, the bliss, the wonder. I LOVE YOU!!
- Sheryll, CA
A: This hit
home for me last year when my mother passed away from cancer. Although I have
had many friends and their loved ones live and die from and through cancer, I
couldn't relate truly until I experienced it in my family. It impacted my
compassion and empathy so much for those suffering not just from cancer but
other illnesses as well.
- Jami, WA
A: Tough love
at the moment. I've just returned from teaching in China. I may be a Queen but
I'm living at home, on a couch, no job, no apt, no car and no interviews yet.
Compassion? Trying to love myself through the changes. Good news is, everything
changes - even the hard times.
- Jessica, RI
A: At the age
of 49, I've finally learned to stay in conscious contact with Spirit when I am
in a "good" space. Previously, I needed the suffering and hard times
to consistently remind me to reconnect and to listen.
- Debra, NH
A: The hard
times and the bad times and the losses have made me a stronger and therefore
more compassionate person. I can't say that I have overcome every bad thing
that has happened to me, but the ones I have, have taught me just how much I
can do, how strong I can become. Have faith in yourself, you are so much more
that you think you are, especially you are so much more than you think you are
when things get harsh. Arise , go forth and show 'em some moxie.
- l.a., PA
A: We need to
know that without the suffering we would never know joy! Be grateful for it
all. Been where you are, Jessica, and it DOES get better!!! Prayers, love &
light coming your way :)
- Lori, NY
A: Unfortunately
it can seem to take FOREVER for the end of suffering and it can take forever
for the "better" thing to come along. This is why patience and hope
is important also!
- Karen, NV
A: What happens
when suffering feels better/more real/like the only truth? have you ever found
yourself making the choice to suffer something because it is a more extreme
feeling? what happens when The Queen realizes she just might be inviting the
hard times and trouble? (but balances the suffering with a very romanticized
positivity, wine, and her fortress of sisters...)
Katrina Dixon , NY
A:
She is not inviting the trouble, but choosing to focus on the pain. Pain is
familiar. Sometimes it is seemingly safer than an unknown, untested faith in
possibility. So a shift in focus is what is needed. It is so important to dwell
on what we want, rather than what we fear we won't have, or might lose. And
that does take an enormous discipline. Remember, energy goes where we send it.
This thought changed my life. Perhaps you will find it helpful, too:
"Worry is like praying for what we don't want!"
- QMD
A: Losing my
mom to the effects of diabetes and my seventeen-year old niece to cancer taught
me about strength, compassion, and living in the moment.
- Not My Real Name
A: Divorce and
unemployment have helped me find my own inner happiness. Now I am going back to
school for my MBA. Hardship has not held me back, but propelled me forward.
- Jennifer, CO
A: Choose
gratitude, when there you have a center from which to send compassionate
energy.
- Christina, NY
I would love to further this discussion.
Do send in your definitions, descriptions and declarations of Queendom.
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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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 March 2010 Issue:
Happy Spring,
- C., NY
Love this
issue as always! Lots of inspirational, motivational food for thought.
- Cyndi, TX
I was just
at the eye doctor and there was an amazing old woman there. It turned out that
she was 98-years old. She made me think of just how inspiring the last issue on
aging was. I hope to be 98-years old one day, and brimming with wisdom and
compassion.
- Shara, ID
I enjoy your creative site and newsletters
so much.
- Carole,
CO
What I love
about The Queen's Chronicles is the mix of profound thinking and good humor. I so
enjoyed the letter to the bank written by that feisty old dame in England.
Rich!
- Renae, AK
Thanks
bunches for keeping me on my Queenly path. Sometimes I just need a blast of
encouragement and I always find it here in the pages of The Chronicles.
-
Sarabelle, GA
You have
single-handedly taken away my fear of aging! What a relief!
- Joanne,
FL
I am never
disappointed in the information you manage to research and offer us. It is
always enlightening, inspiring, and very often funny, as well. What a great
mix. Thank you so very much.
- Gail,
Ontario, Canada
Please send your responses to thequeenofmyself@aol.com.
Your letters will be printed in the next Queen's Chronicles.
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Kudos to the Queens!
This
became a credo of mine:
attempt the impossible in order to
improve your work.
- Bette Davis
Lynn
Book, NC; Stephanie Brody-Laderman, NY; Karen Finley, NY; Barbara Hammer, NY;
Judith Hoffbery, CA (R.I.P.); Marjorie Kouns, NY; Lucy Lippard, ME; Alyson Pou,
NY; Christy Rupp, NY; Karen Shaw, NY; Nina Sobell, NY; Robin Tewes, NY; Linda Vallejo, CA; on the exhibitions
of their work.
Karen
Ethelsdattar, NJ, Earthwalking
and Other Poems (Book); Jane Meredith, Australia, Aphrodite's Magic (Book); Dr. Ruth
Simpkin, Canada, The Jagged Years of
Ruthie P. (Book); Nancy Spero,
NY, (R.I.P.), Torture
of Women (Book); on
their new publications.
Jane
Petro, MA, on
the birth of her grandson, Liam James Petro.
Donna Degnan, NY, on the opening of her new business.
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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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:
Alice, NY; Amy, NY;
Annie, MA; Betty, AL; Carol, NY; Cat, NY; Chrissie, NY; Deirdre, NY; Devidam,
NY; Edie, PA; Ellen, NY; Erica, England; Gail, OH; Geraldine, ID; Glenys,
Australia; Jane, NY; Jeanmarie, HI; Jill, PA; Jo, AZ; Kathy, RI; Kimi, NJ;
Leslie, NY; Letitia, VA; Linda, NY; Linda, NY; Lisa, PA; Lucia, TX; Lynne, NY;
Marcia, WA; Matild Cathy, NY; Nancy, NY; Naomi, DC; Pili, NY; Randy, MA; Reid,
DE; Reynolds, NY; Shari, NY; Shirley, IN; Smriti, CA; Susan, NY; Terry, NY;
Wai, NY; and Yvette, NY who
are in the process of healing themselves from illness, accident, injury or
surgery.
Amy, NY; Daile,
NY; Donna, NY;
Kayla, NY; Lee, NJ; Lois, NY; Meryl, NY; Nancy, NC; and Roslyn, NJ, the caregivers who
are in weary need of care themselves.
May Their Spirits Rest in Peace:
Dixie Carter, CA
Julie Grahm, MA
Judith
Hoffberg, CA
Wilma Mankiller, OK
With Sincere Condolences:
Beverly Nadelman,
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.
Our sense of
community and compassionate intelligence must be extended to all life forms,
plants, animals, rocks, rivers, and human beings. This is the story of our past
and it will be the story of our future.
- Terry Tempest Williams
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Where the Queens Are
NEW YORK
I'm
reaching a milestone of age. It ends in zero, but I won't say that the first
number is six. LOL. I'm having difficulty accepting that I'm going to be that
old soon, but there it is, right on the calendar. 2010 - 1950 = 60. When I
turned 30, I cried. I felt that the best years of my live were over. When I
turned forty, I got drunk. The fact that I was always getting drunk is beside
the point. When I turned 50, I laughed. I was sober and the world was mine. I
was old enough to know better, but still young enough to do it anyway.
I didn't do
it.
Now, I'm
facing 60. It's not a birthday that is as celebrated as turning 50. There's no
"Over The Hill At Sixty" banners in the stores. It's almost as if
society doesn't want to acknowledge that people are older than 50, and if they
are, it's certainly not worthy of note. Like the herd of elephants in my
family's living room; maybe if we close our eyes, we won't have to acknowledge
them.
Upon this
event, I am contemplative. I look back at my life and conclude that I really
didn't do much with it and at times, I really screwed up. I look back at my
life and see where certain events irrevocably knocked me off my proposed path
and times when I chose to divert from the planned way. Every choice, every
event, everything has left me here, in Knox,
NY, in a trailer, in the woods, living alone with my four cats. Now what?
I decided
to clean up my home. I hadn't been able to do "heavy" cleaning since
March 2007 because of injuries, so you can imagine how dirty it is/was.
I started
it all by deciding to install an in-wall medicine cabinet in my bathroom. I
already had one, which I was going to use in my house (that I don't have the
money to finish building) and thought I might as well enjoy it now. I picked up
my reciprocating saw and set to cut a hole in the wall over the sink. It's
still not finished, mainly because I don't quite know what I'm doing. The
"knowledge" is in my head but there seem to be interruptions between
brain and hand. It's in, but the wall on the left side of it is kind of.....
well, not perfect, ya' know? I'm still working on the doors to it. In amongst
my dusty stained glass supplies, I found a piece of glass that looks FABULOUS
in the one smaller door, so that was good. I have to sand them so they won't
hit each other when they close.
Repainting
the walls with the same color paint surprised me as the original paint had
become so dingy and faded that the new paint almost looked like the wrong
color!! It also surprised me that it made the rest of the house look dingy and
faded as well as dusty and dirty. That medicine cabinet project started the
ongoing "refreshment" of my home - end to end.
I'm the
type of person who can't just stay on one task until it's done. I just can't do
it. I get frustrated and so move on to something else that can be done. My
bathroom, my bedroom, the living room and the "other" bathroom are in
the midst of being cleaned, repainted and generally fixed up. I now have a
purple bedroom! It looks great! (When I Am Old I Shall Sleep In A Purple
Bedroom!)
I always have been a the-walls-have-to-be-off-white type of woman;
anything goes with it except white-white. Now, however, after having seen the
inside of a new younger friend's house with the beautiful colors on the walls
of her home, I thought I'd defy that "law" and paint colors on my
walls. My living room is now a dusty rose color, with "Natural Linen"
on the ceiling. Well, part
of the ceiling anyway. That still needs to be finished.
I'm also
purging my belongings; a good 30% of my clothing has gone into the Salvation
Army box. It feels good to "unload" stuff. I picked up each
individual article and made one of three decisions; 1) I wear it and like it so
will keep it; 2) I don't wear it, but it's in good shape and I like it so will
give it to a person I know; 3) I never wear it, it's not that good, so into the
SA box. Don't get me wrong here, my closet is still packed with stuff.
On Monday,
my sister, my brother-in-law and my daughter, Ashley, are coming out to help me
move some of the furniture, etc., out to the building that was going to be my
house. AKA the garage. The buffet of the dining room set which was my
grandmother's, the table of that same set, the table of "my" dining
room set which had been waiting to be placed in the dining room of the house,
two brass single bed frames,
several book shelves, a bedroom dresser and boxes and boxes and boxes of stuff;
camping gear, fishing gear, two extra sets of dishes, my stained glass supplies
and instruments, tents and gazebos, candle making supplies.
The
beginning of what I see as a general purging of belongings, spiritual aspects,
bodily aspects and maybe emotional ones, too, that just no longer serve me.
Come to
think of it, some of them never did.
Blessings,
Susan Snapp
Please Submit Your Royal Reports
Tell
us about your Self and/or 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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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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