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Merlin Stone
Remembered
 
Discover the extraordinary life
and profound contributions
of Merlin Stone, the renowned feminist author, sculptor, artist,
and historian.
Known for her groundbreaking books When God Was a Woman and Ancient Mirrors of Womanhood , Merlin Stone was a pioneer of the Women's Movement and the reclaiming of the Great Goddess tradition of the Western world.
In this phenomenal 384-page book, new light is shed upon Merlin's philosophy and methodology as you take a memorable journey through her life.
"It is so great to remember Merlin ...
to have so much detail about
her life and her work."
-Olympia Dukakis,
Oscar-winning actress and author
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"I like the humour and clarity of Donna Henes' writing style. Suddenly, I began to see the Queen as something more than an optional extra - nice to have, but not essential, and to see her more like the queen on a chessboard...the most powerful piece on the board in many ways, commanding huge sweeps of territory, and well able to protect the king - and herself. Now, where did I put that sceptre ...?"
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I LOVE your book -I laughed and you touched my heart, I saw myself - and am purchasing these copies for friends and clients. Thank you for such a wonderful gift
- Sherrie, NY
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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.
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The Queen's Chronicles TO MAKE A TAX DEDUCTABLE DONATION and help The Queen's Chronicles maintain its mission to promote meaning, moxie, magic, and majesty to women in midlife. THANK YOU! |
My deepest appreciation to all of you who have contributed to keep
The Queen's Chronicles alive since 2007. I could not have done it without your kind support.
CLICK HERE to see a complete list of our past generous donors.
2016
Red denotes new donors
Daile Kaplan, NY
Virginia McCallister, PA
Melissa O'Grady, OH
Kay Osborne, NJ
Jane Petro, MA
JoAnne Richards, NY
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CONSULT THE
MIDLIFE MIDWIFE™
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"I always think about when I met you, I was so desperate for someone to understand me and to find a safe place in the world...
I remember how kind you always were to me when I was LOST and sad and scared and couldn't stop shaking !!! I know that Goddess helped me find you so that I could make it through that really hard period in my life and i thank Her every day for that !!!! You have helped me learn many lessons (even though a lot of times I was not ready to hear what you had to say.....). I am so thankful that you are in my life !!!! My hope is that when you look in the mirror, that you always see what I see when i look at you.....a strong, powerful, beautiful person, with such a beautiful light around you."
- Eve, NJ
Are you looking for
meaning, moxie, magic & 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.
TURN YOUR MIDLIFE CRISIS
INTO YOUR
CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT!
For further information, click HERE.
Sessions are available in person, by phone and skype.
To make an appointment,
call 718-857-1343
I read and walked for miles at night along the beach, writing bad blank verse and searching endlessly for someone wonderful who would step out of the darkness and change my life. It never crossed my mind that that person could be me.
- Anna Quindlen
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SPIRIT SUPPORT SKILLS
TELESEMINARS
with Mama Donna
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A SERIES OF RELAXED
FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD
Lessons in practical spirituality
that offer no-nonsense approaches and practices to help you live your daily life in a consciously
(and conscientiously)
sacred manner.
$25 PER Download
$60 SERIES OF ANY 3 (plus PayPal fee)
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ALWAYS IN SEASON
Back Issues Sale!
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Always in Season Living in Sync with the Cycles
A Quarterly Journal by Mama Donna Henes, Urban Shaman
1999 - 2006
"A Gem.
A fresh highlight
of the independent
and alternative media."
- Utne Reader
Order the set for only $32
Free shipping!
(U.S. only)
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DON'T MISS THESE EVENTS!
Queen Mama Donna will be on retreat
at the MacDowell Colony in New Hampshire from
August 15 - September 5.
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Bring the Queen to You!
Book Queen Mama Donna to officiate at a wedding, memorial or other
rite of passage, or
invite her to give a reading, presentation, ritual, workshop, or keynote address at your next meeting, conference or retreat.
Call her at 718-857-1343
"Mama Donna is truly a wise woman who weaves her many life experiences, spirituality and intuition into a tapestry of hope. She is gentle, honest and provides a safe space for women to connect to all the wonders of each stage and age of their lives. She added such an infectious spark of energy to our recent WomenSpirit Conference. The world is truly a better place because of Mama Donna. She is definitely the 'Queen of Herself' and you can be, too."
- Renae M. Rebechini, Co-Chair
Unitarian Universalist Central Midwest District. Chicago, IL
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GIFT
THE QUEEN OF YOUR SELF!
specializing 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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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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Calling Burning Women:
A Lost Archetype Of The Feminine.
By Lucy H. Pearce
This is a call to the powerful woman. The crazy woman, the mad one, the witch, the hag.
The creative woman: the dancer, the poet, the artist. The sexual woman. The strident woman. The playful trickster. The passionate woman. The wild mother. She who follows her own spirit.
She who dares to put herself first, who shouts in the face of authority and follows her heart, not their god. She who dares to give voice to what is inside her, who shakes things up and burns them down.
She who quakes with rage and rolls with laughter, who moans with pleasure and wants more. She, for whom every piece of life needs to have the marrow of its bones sucked, who dances naked, and eats with her fingers.
She who stamps and says No. She who stands in the doorway and will not let them in. She who opens her legs and dives into her juices with delight. She who dares. She who does what they say cannot and must not be done.
She who tries and fails. She who does it her way. She who longs to walk topless in the sunshine and dance naked in the moonlight.
It is for her, and all of us, who long to be more like her wherever on the path we may be.
We who have sniffed the smoke as she walked past our door one hot summer afternoon and thought, I long to burn, but I mustn't, I'm too afraid, too old, too young, too busy. I don't know how. I'd lose my job, my husband would divorce me, my mother would disown me, my friends would laugh.
Our time has come. After millennia of hiding in the shadows, afraid of the smoke. Afraid that our bodies and souls will be put on the pyre if we dare to show the glory within us.
Our time has come to embody our burning. To step out in our magnificence.
These are burning times. And they call for Burning Women. Women embodied in their passion. Women feeling in their bodies. Creative women. Courageous women. Gather the women. Gather the men.
Let Burning Women and Burning Men come together in ecstatic creative partnership.
Whether we are called to be mothers in this lifetime or not, all of us as Burning Women are being called to help birth a new world by birthing ourselves. We sense it in our bones, feel the contractions in our bellies. It is our time.
Our birth into our own power is moving apace with the planetary birthing. At times the sheer intensity of the process, inside and out, can feel deeply overwhelming.
There are massive energies pulsing through us all right now.Something big, unnameable is moving through us all. A new consciousness which is still nameless and formless.
Burning Women are the hearts and souls of revolution - inner and outer. We burn for change, we dance in the fire of the old, all the while visioning and weaving the new.
The time is now. The air is thick with change. A collective roar is rising internally, ready to break through the old shell.
Arise, Burning Woman... your time is now.
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The French have a marvelous saying:
"When a woman loses her blood, she gains her voice."
The New York Subways sport this sign:
"If you see something, say something"
Queens speak up and say what needs to be said
in defense of what they know is right and worthy
and in the best interest of women and society as a whole.
A Queen has got to say what She has got to say!
Without One Word!
Tess Asplund, 42, an Afro-Swede, just 5 ft. 3 inches tall, got angry when she saw a group of Nazis from from the "Nordic Resistance Group" marching in Borlänge, a city in central Sweden. So rather than just standing by and watching like the others, she stepped into the street to stop them. "It was an impulse. I was so angry, I just went out
into the street," Asplund told the Guardian.
"I was thinking: hell no, they can't march here!
I had this adrenaline. No Nazi is going to march here, it's not okay."
With lots of powerful words!
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| Outraged by the police shooting death of Altan Sterling in Baton Rouge, Nakia Jones, the first black female officer in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, made an impassioned video to decry both racist police brutality, attacks on police and also black on black violence. Her moving emotional response posted on Facebook went mega-viral with more than 6.6 million views.
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The Queen's Correspondence
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Thanks so much for taking the time to respond to The Queen's Chronicles. It is a joy to connect with you and to share your comments with our sister Queens.
Letters In Response to the JUNE 2016 Issue
There is no shame in shaman! How fine you are.
- Roslyn, NJ
This is great. Amazing radical stuff. I truly admire you.
- DeeBee, NY
Great Chronicle! Always enjoy the read. Hope all is well with you.
- Nancy, NC
I love all the history and connections in your emails. Thank you!
- Natasha, Saskatchewan, Canada
I always enjoy reading your writings, however this one was extremely poignant for me. Many thanks and blessings!!!
- Kathy, NY
Once again I thank you Mama Donna for a fabulous enews! And THANK you too for adding the Facebook share icon at the top of the enews so I could post the link to your newsletter on my FB page! Whoohoo! Ilove spreading your lore and magic! I got your book too and treasure it! Thank you!
- Amalya, CA
Please keep your letters coming. And do feel free to make suggestions about content you would like to see. Or anything else, for that matter.
Your letters will be printed in the next
Queen's Chronicles.
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We extend hearty congratulations to our multi-talented circle of Sister Queens for their impressive accomplishments and successes.
Artistic temperament sometimes seems a battleground,
a dark angel of destruction
and a bright angel of creativity wrestling.
- Madeleine L'Engle
Barbara Hammer, NY; LuLu LoLo, NY; Linda Mary Montano, NY; Barbara Rosenthal, NY; Elaine Silver, FL; on their performances and/or performances of their work.
Emma Amos, N¥; Suzanne Benton, CT; Josely Caravalho, Brazil; Lauren Curtis, NJ; DISBAND (Ilona Granet, NY; Donna Henes, NY; Diane Torr, Scotland; Martha Wilson, NY); Karen Fitzgerald. NY; Ruth Gendler, CA; Janet Goldner, NY Ann Magnusson, NY; Carolee Schneemann, NY; Karen Shaw, NY; Linda Stein, NY; Robin Tewes, NY; Martha Wilson, NY; on the exhibitions of their artwork.
Carol P. Christ, Greece, and Judith Plaskow, NY, Goddess and God in the World: Conversations in Embodied Theology; (Book); Max Dashu, CA, Witches and Pagans: Women in European Folk Religion (Book); Beverly Little Thunder, VT; One Bead at a Time (Book); Glenys Livingstone, Australia, My Name is Medusa (Children's Book); Mary Mackey, CA, The Village of Bones: Sabalah's Tale on their publications.
Katya Miller, CA; Suzannn Robins, OR; on their moves.
Joyce Zonana, NY, on her retirement.
Eileen Tanne, FL, on receiving a Regenerative Leadership Certificate from the UN mandated University For Peace Upeace Centre for Executive Education.
Aviva Rahmani, NY, on winning a New York Foundation for the Arts Fellowship in Architecture/Environmental Structures/Design.
Cherry Smiley, Quebec, Canada, advocate for native women impacted by sexualized violence, on receiving the 2016 Trudeau Scholarship.
Nancy Youdelman, CA, receiving an artist grant from the Tree of Life Foundation.
Emma Amos, NY, Faith Ringgold, NY, and Lorraine O'Grady, NY, on being honored by the Studio Museum of Harlem
BRAVA!
Please 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!
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Qandeel Baloch, Pakistan
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:
Adrianne, NY; Alison, TN; Amy, NY; Babs, NY; Barbara, NJ; Bebee, DE; Berenice, NY; Bettye, NY; Betty, AL; Chrissie, NY; Christine, NY; Dana, FL; Dawn, CA; Diane, NY; Diane, Scotland; Dolly, NY; Dominique, NM; Donna, NY; Gail, WA; Jo, AZ; Joan, ME; Judi, FL; Karen, NJ; Kathleen, PA; Kathrine, Denmark; Kaylin, MD; Kazuko, NY; Kim, NY; Kimi, NJ; Laura, NY; Laurie, OH; Linda, FL; Linda, SC; Lisa, NJ; Lorie, KY; Lisa, PA; Lucia, TX; Margi, NY; Mari, VA; Marna, NY; Marsha, NY; Mary, MD; Mary, NY; Mary, OH; Mary, CO; Nancy, NY; Nancy, NC; Nona, LA; Pat, MA; Patsy, NY; Paula, NT; Pearl, NY; Reynolds, NY; Roberta, NY; Sally, NY; Sandy, CA; Sharon, NY; Shelley, NY; Sheriden, MA; Shirley, IN; Sid, PA; Sue, CA; Susan, NC; Susan, NY; Terri, FL; Urvashi, NY; Vicki, MN; who are in the process of healing themselves from illness, accident, injury, or surgery.
Amy, NY; D. Barbara, NY; Diana, FL; Joanne, NY; Kimberly, NY; Linda, NY; Linda, NY; Maureen, NY; Meryl, NY; Beedee, NY; Patricia, Australia; Regi, CA; Sheryll, CA; Susan, NY; Svetlana, NY; who would benefit greatly from some spiritual support.
Deni, NY; Erica, New Zealand; Gaetana, NY; Hemetra, PA; Laurie, OH; Lois, NY; Marla, NY; Mary, CO; Marya, NY; Nancy, NC; and Roslyn, NJ; the caregivers who are in weary need of care themselves.
May Their Spirits Rest in Peace
Qandeel Baloch, Pakistan
Alison Bernstein, NY
With Heart Felt Condolences
Annie Lanzillotto, NY
Mary Saracino, CO
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.
Healing yourself is connected with healing others.
- Yoko Ono
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~ ROYAL RESOURCES FOR QUEENLY WOMEN ~
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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 and supporting their work.
WELCOME TO OUR NEW ADVERTISERS.
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 CALIFORNIARemembering Mary Magdalene
Celebrating Her Feast Day this Harvest Season Lammas is the celebration of the first harvest of the season and is most often observed with the reaping of the first grains, and sharing in the harvest feast. This year, however, at our Goddess Studio Lammas celebration we extended the theme to embrace the first official Feast Day of Mary Magdalene and it was one of our most potent rituals we have done! Mary Magdalene's day of celebration in the Catholic calendar has been July 22nd for centuries. But it was of lesser status, called a "Memorial", than the Feast Days of the other male apostles. This year, however, Pope Francis officially elevated the status of her celebration day to a full "FEAST" day acknowledging her as the Apostle of the Apostles and putting her on par with the other male apostle's commemorations. This was certainly a cause for celebration! And since her Feast Day of July 22nd is so close to the August 1st feast of the first harvest, we expanded our ceremonies to encompass it all! So, on Saturday, July 30, 2016, sixteen women gathered in circle to explore the historical lore of Mary Magdalene, share our impressions of her and honor her memory with a profound and symbolic foot washing and anointing ritual. To begin, we reviewed and focused particularly on the scriptural references pertaining to the accounts in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John about the "woman" who washed Jesus' feet with her tears and anointed him with precious perfume, "nard" or spikenard.[i] This women was not clearly identified, however she became assumed to be Mary Magdalene. We compared the four accounts and discovered how confusing and conflated her stories were and how, due to Luke's rendition, she became seen as a sinner and eventually a prostitute. As we gained clarity on the conflations of these accounts, we grasped how the confusion and ultimately defamation created a significant loss in women's spiritual heritage of a powerful woman leader, healer, prophetess, Priestess, teacher, and beloved partner to model the Sacred Feminine in equal esteem with the Divine Masculine. This is truly a great loss affecting the course of human spiritual evolution for over two thousand years. The time has come to remember Mary Magdalene and re-frame her legend and this we did with our own ritual of washing and anointing the feet of the divine Beloved (ourselves). In the sacred space of the Goddess Studio, surrounded by soft music and beauty, we blessed the urns of water and vials of Spikenard oil...and began.
The Beloved One sat in the Queen's chair and placed her feet in the  consecrated basin and her Priestess partner knelt at her feet. Reading from a ritual script I wrote for this ceremony, the Priestess blessed the act of washing with prose that began with the words "In the Memory of Mary Magdalene", and poured the holy water over the Beloved's feet. Next she took a soft linen towel and placed it on the adjacent pillow and again blessed the act of drying the Beloved's feet by reciting the blessing for drying. Finally she took the oil in her hands and with the pronouncement of the blessing of anointing, she drew a sacred symbol in oil upon the Beloved's feet. Upon completion of this ritual act, the women switched places. When both were finished, they received the symbol of the first harvest and the commencing of the FEAST in the form of a fresh, ripe, juicy fig along with the blessing of the Presiding Priestess to enjoy this sacred fruit in Memory of Mary Magdalene and "eat, feast and be merry (Mary!)" I have only given a physical description of what we did in order to create the visual impression, for to capture the energetic experience is beyond my capacity as a writer! Suffice it to say that each woman felt the presence of the Magdalene in profound ways and tears of joy and healing flowed abundantly. Each woman glowed with a divine radiance and we were so deeply moved! These metamorphic moments affirm to me the power of the Sacred Feminine and the vital need we all have to know Her and be embraced by the great love of the Goddess in all Her aspects. And so I pass this testimony on to others and encourage everyone to create moments of worship that honor Mary Magdalene to restore her empowering story and reclaim the gift of her sacred anointing of love. [i] Matthew 26:6-13 ~ Mark 14:1-9 ~ Luke 7:36-50 ~ John 12:1-8
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