Even happier post ...

I just got off the phone with my Beloved. It was such a pleasure to hear Her voice, soft and sweet in my ear, talking about what She has been doing today.

No man is more blessed than the man who has a Woman in his life to cherish, honor and uplift. Service, devotion and dedication to the happiness of a Woman, makes the life of a man complete, makes him whole.

My first childhood friend, as a mere toddler, was a little blonde neighbor Girl, followed a few years later by naive plans to marry Melissa Gilbert, star of Little House on the Prairie. I cannot remember a time when I ever believed Girls had "cooties," or a time when I did not count Them among my cherished friends. I was writing gooey love notes in third grade. From fifth grade, I still cherish the memory of a classmate named Dawn, who was truly a gifted artist -- and I still have one of Her drawings to remember Her by.

And then of course, adolescence turned the steady little flame into an inferno which has not yet burned out.

I read in a motivational book today about a fool of a man whose dear Wife gave him a picture of Herself for their anniversary. She had planned it elaborately, consulted with Her friends to pick out the prettiest dress, the prettiest pose, the prettiest hairstyle, even the perfect frame to put it in. She was so excited that She even gave the photo to him early.

And what did the imbecile do? He said that She looked like a slut and threw the picture down. The result was years of therapy for Her to rebuild Her shattered self-esteem, and, of course, a divorce from the caveman.

Some part of me should feel sorry for such a man, wandering alone in the mists of moronity, doomed to grow old with only his stupidity for company. Most of me wants to find him and throw him off a bridge.

But then I think about the beam in my own eye, the times that I have overridden my Beloved in conversation, the times that I have not taken Her ideas seriously, the times that I have initiated arguments because I was tired or whatever.

She still loves me, thanks be to heaven, in spite of it all. And I am a blessed, blessed man.

Reflections upon a Lily Show

I walked today amongst lilies
Of every size and color

I paused before a bloom of bold and brassy bronze
And then a bud barely there
demure and downcast

I almost wished to lift its petals
To face the sun again.

And then I realized as I drove away
This is metaphor for Woman
in all Her wonders
In the garden of our world.

Across the wet wastes,
steaming in the hot morning sun,
God moves.

Something stirs,
ripple laps the lip of mud
wind walks on water.

Across the soft, moist deltas,
beyond the narrow line of willows,
and the flat, brown plains

a green garden rises
thick with trees
tangled in vines
hazy in the heat

Voice murmurs song of creation
Voice of authority.
mayim, shamayim, behemoth
let it be.

Man stands
Man, pitiful thing
Naked in the sun
Naked in the wind.

His eyes see
Woman.
“Flesh of my flesh.”
Yet more.

“Bone of my bone.”
“My help meet.”
Ends the Creation Song
With Her.

Philogynist

Philogynist: One who loves and adores Women.

I like that. It’s a word I discovered today on another blog. (Yes, I have begun visiting other blogs again and later tonight I will visit some of my neglected regular favorites – Trisia, Kat, LGS and Chase, especially, who have faithfully commented here this month, hitherto unrequited.)

Philogynist is not quite as New Agey and blasphemy-tinged as gynolatry, the worship of Woman as Deity. Most Women don’t care for gynolatry on Their behalf but They could tolerate a few more philogynists in the world.

Philogynist.

One who treasures Women’s company and values Their contributions in every field of human endeavor. One who vows to never use his physical strength to lay a hurtful hand upon any Woman – and who also vows that his tongue shall never speak words of denigration.

One who thrills to have literature by Women on his bookshelf, art by Women on his walls and the musical voices of Women predominating in his musical collection.
The very sight of a Woman’s typically gentle handwriting on paper gives him pleasure, the sound of Her name sings like music in his ears and he thrills to them all, from Abigail to Zena. He exults in a passing trace of perfume or a girlish giggle going by. He loves all the parts – and the whole, and equally as much the Woman who by birth, accident or surgery does not fit the typical pattern.

A philogynist speaks up and speaks out against misogyny and strives to excise any trace of it from his own being. He affirms Women as fully equal and then some; he celebrates the amazing threads that Women weave in the tapestry of humanity.

Philogynist. I really like that word, even if my computer spell checker doesn’t.

It is not a boast. It is not about being Romeo or fancying one’s self as some kind of “God’s gift to Women.” It is simply recognition by a man – or a Woman -- that Women are amazing, wonderful , fascinating, magical, valuable, powerful, intelligent, gifted beings, and then living daily in awed adoration of Them. Or, for a Woman, it is living a life of confidence in Your potential, standing up for Your Sisters and being fiercely and joyously proud to be a Woman.

She may be 90 years old, white haired and physically frail with a faltering memory. Still, She is Woman and lovely even in the twilight of Her life, as an angel in the memories of the people that She has blessed.

She may be poor and illiterate, Her face bearing the scars of the struggle to survive. Still, She is Woman and beautiful by birthright.

Beautiful!

I helped out at a certain church function this week for the Ladies. (Yes, I still go even though my faith needs strengthening.)

And as I scooped beans in the serving line, I looked out over the vast crowd -- Ladies of all ages, some heavy, some thin, white, Hispanic, black and Asian, one of whom was my very own Beloved -- and I turned to the guy beside me who was ladling out the meat, and I said,

"What a beautiful sight this is."

And as my Sweetie and I lay in the warm darkness this morning, not quite ready to get up, just talking about this and that, I mentioned that to Her, said:

"What a wonderful idea Woman was."

I was reading a book about the universe yesterday -- vastness upon vastness, billions of stars sprinkled throughout the sea of space, innumerable forms of life surely found upon their billions of dependent planets, and truly, what amongst all this can compare to Her?

A wish for a Woman's New Year

Every so often, the feelings that I have, the absolute adoration that fills my soul for this astounding Being called Woman, just have to be expressed. I appreciate that I can indulge it here.

If only each one of You – every single one of You born to bear this sacred title – could comprehend fully Your power, Your beauty and Your worth!

You might be 85, bent and gnarled as an oak tree on a windy ridge – and still, You glow with unmistakable Feminine beauty and magic. You might be 16, naïve and just stepping out into life and yet You are wise beyond explanation.

Your skin may be mocha or latte, Your hair tight, coal-black curls or glistening gold but in Your diversity, beauty has a home.

Love Yourself. Please, love Yourself – and learn that by giving Your gifts and by being who You are, that that love will come easier. You deserve to feel that love and the love that others have for You. You are worth it. You are the heart-beat of the universe.

Vow in this fresh new year that You will neither speak nor think any foul and false words of self-loathing, that You will banish self-doubt, that You will stride forth to meet Your days with confidence as a Woman indeed, before whom all other creation pales in comparison. Every inch of You, from head to toe, from the curve of Your earlobes to the complexity of Your most intimate parts, every cell, every molecule, every atom of Your Feminine being is of ineffable, unfathomable splendor.

What remains ...

Sweetie and I went tonight to visit a friend in the nursing home. Passed a resident in a wheelchair who was clutching a doll to Her chest.

Even at this end stage of life, with Her body weak and sick and Her mental faculties almost gone, something of the Woman still remained in Her, some of the ancient instinct, some of the memory perhaps of when She was a young Mother in the prime of life, with a doting husband close at hand and a lifetime still in front of Her and a living baby tenderly held in Her arms.

From Carmen -- The Glory and Pleasure of Being a Woman

Beautiful Carmen posted the following in Her blog today -- a book that every Woman -- and probably every man -- should read. With Her permission, I am borrowing every beautiful word that She typed in reference to this book -- but please go to Her blog to comment!

Thursday, September 06, 2007

The Glory and Pleasure of being a Woman
"The Glory and Pleasure of Being a Woman! Secrets and Mysteries," will give you a profound understanding of what it means to be a woman. Full of passion, mysticism, and practical information, it will tap the source of your power at the depths of your soul.

Through her own extraordinary life experience and her knowledge of native cultures around the world, Denise Linn reveals how you can activate ancient wisdom to become the magnificent embodiment of strength and grace in other words, how you can become a Glorious Woman!

Each chapter offers a rich tapestry of information, ritual, story, and meditations: a combination of timeless lore and majesty of the feminine experience. With a strong voice and powerful images relevant to women of all ages and backgrounds, Denise Linn has compiled a remarkable handbook for any Goddess-in-the-Making."

To me, this is a very powerful inspirational book. I highly recommend you to read it. I have read several of her books and I consider this one the best of all of her writing works. It has been my text book for several months. I read it and re-read it. It has enlightened me greatly.

You can listen to her broadcast on hayhouseradio every Tuesday. She is one of my favorite authors in my spiritual journey. I wish to attend one day one of her seminars and become a professional soul coach in the future. That's the path my heart wish to follow to empower others and myself ;-)

About Denise Linn
Denise has been called America's best-kept spiritual secret. For the last three and a half decades she has traveled to the far corners of the world speaking to standing room-only audiences of thousands. Her 14 books have been translated into 26 languages, she has been featured on Oprah, Lifetime, Discovery Channel, BBC TV, NBC and CBS. She is a world-acclaimed expert in feng shui and space clearing and has also distilled the information and wisdom that she has gained from indigenous cultures around the planet, as well as from her own Native American roots into this program that many are calling nothing short of miraculous.

ECD notes: A Goddess-in-the-Making is indeed what each of You are. Never sell Yourselves short! Never tolerate abuse in any way, shape or form.

Quick lunchtime post -- Somebody being delightful

Somebody who is not Mischievous Melanie got caught trying to break a window pane with Her nose.

I hope ...

I like to talk about all kinds of things on this blog -- but periodically and always I will return to the most important thing that can ever be said -- my life is blessed because of the presence of Women in it and I kneel in adoration before You every day of my life, in utter awe of the wonder that is You.

I hope that every Woman who wanders into this blog today will promise to look into Her mirror tomorrow and see Beauty looking back at Her -- that She will awaken from Her sleep in the morning excited to share Herself with the world -- Her incredible mind, Her urgently needed talents and the inspiring wonder of Her living presence.

Chase "sees it"

My long-time blog pal Chase March has written a great post (well, that's nothing unusual!) about the concept of seeing the natural beauty, beyond the mere physical aspects, though it may be present, of the Women in one's everyday life.

He acts as if it is a new experience for him, and as if I deserve some kind of credit. I say, Chase has always been enlightened this way: it was he who saw the beauty in Alexis (Rescue Me) and brought Her gifts to our attention, for example.

Chase is a gentleman and a gentle man and I hope that his days of feeling lonely and empty will end soon.

Her ears -- the series continued

While I've hardly done justice in my previous post to that complex, beautiful miracle of the universe, the mind of a Woman, I will continue my happy little series -- knowing that I can go back and add more later if I want to.

So sensitive to the tender kiss of a lover, so delicately shaped to capture the sounds of Her world, perfect with or without the sparkle of earrings to accentuate them, men who love Women love Their ears right along with the rest of the miracle that is Her.

Here's a little scientific tidbit:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/408872_5

Women of all ages have better hearing at frequencies above 2000Hz than do men, with a difference of up to 20dB at 4000Hz.

The rate of decline in hearing sensitivity accelerates with age in both men and women, but men decline more than twice as fast as women at most ages and frequencies.

Photo credit goes to: http://www.martymagic.com/index.php/cPath/45. That site features an abundance of fun jewelry such as the earrings depicted above.

Her hair

Quick first-of-the-morning post for now, will add to tonight:

No less than Paul the Christian apostle praised it in scripture.

Tossed flirtatiously, it's an irresistable lure to any sentient man.

Biologists believe that men are wired to gauge a Woman's long-term health and vitality by the state of Her hair.

Any study of Woman, from top to bottom, must begin here.

In Search of Isis

Dear readers:

I am so excited, so full of joy today that I can barely contain myself. In a small way, I feel as if I have been enlightened – and it is thanks to you!

I began this blog as “thoughts-a-spinning.” I was distracted and diffused, to quote Simon and Garfunkel.

No more. My thoughts are settled, my purpose clear. I know what this blog is meant to be. And it was right in front of me from the beginning, but the more I talked with you readers, the more it began to grow, until now, the clouds have burst and the rain comes down upon thirsty ground.

Let’s start with Isis, the header to my blog. Why am I in search of Her, so to speak?

Isis was a Goddess in the Egyptian pantheon. From the writings that I have quoted, She once stood with Thoth, god of wisdom and together they spread that gift to humanity.

But Isis is now a lost Goddess. Thus She is a symbol of all that has been lost of Woman’s contribution to humanity, of the role that Woman is meant to carry out – all the books burned because Woman wrote them and all the books that Woman was meant to write but which oppression kept bottled up inside of Her. Not just books, but contributions in every field – science, business, too.

Isis and Thoth may be ancient myths but they represent a beautiful ideal, a healthy, productive partnership between men and Women that has for too many centuries been corrupted or wholly lost. Humanity has paid the price.

This blog exists as one small place devoted to changing that.

I believe that this page should have room for the pious, too. Strip away the corruptions and accretions, read the sacred writings for yourselves and you find Woman there as She is meant to be.

In the Jewish Tanakh, wisdom is personified as Woman, and flesh-and-blood Women of Israel led when men faltered. In the Christian New Testament, Jesus the Messiah made of Women his close companions, talked to them, taught them, respected them. To a Woman, He said, “Where are now thine accusers?” and bid Her begin Her life anew. To a Woman, He first revealed His resurrected presence in glory – the very heart of Christianity.

Islam at its inception acknowledged (I do not say “granted,” for human rights are not something that anyone has the authority to give out, they are natural and inalienable) rights of Women that were unprecedented at the time.

When man respects Woman, when he stands beside Her, when he lifts Her up, when he loves Her, never is he more strong, never is he more admirable, never is he more a man.

When man demeans Woman, when he pushes Her down, when he holds Her back, never is he more contemptible, never is he more a filthy, despicable, disgusting wretched animal, a stinking carcass not fit for buzzards and maggots to eat.

So, what is this blog? It will still contain my musings on other subjects but it will earn its keep in the blogworld as a place where I hope that I can collect resources to help Women; where a Woman can visit to be reminded of Her precious Feminine birthright and the beauty and power that EVERY Woman is born with.

It is a place, I hope, that will help, in its own small way to end the flesh cutting, the anorexia, the guilt, the doubt, the victimization and the oppression of Woman in this world.

It is a place where She will be reminded that She is beautiful whether She closes deals on Wall Street or cleans toilets in Calcutta. It is a place where links will be found to others who feel as I do.

It does not matter if She weighs 90 pounds or 200; whether She has large breasts or small breasts or has had a double masectomy. It does not matter if She is 18 or 81.
I am thus ever, in search of Isis.

The truth

Gold is precious not just because it is rare but because it possesses certain desirable qualities. It does not tarnish, it is lustrous, etc.

Things do not have to be rare to be precious. Every half-decent parent knows that their son or daughter is precious beyond compare, regardless of the millions of other sons and daughters of other people out romping in the world. And even if one family has a dozen children, each child in it is special and precious to them.

So is it possible to believe and declare that the vast majority of Women in the world are beautiful, without cheapening the word? Could I even dare to push it to 100 percent?

I think so.

As WGM's writers have said, there is a beauty in, and something to love about, every Woman who lives and breathes on this Earth of ours.

Carmen's blog today thrills me, absolutely thrills me. It is one thing for a guy like me or the guys of WGM (I know that they do have a Woman on their team) to tell the Women in our lives that They are beautiful. It is another thing entirely for a Woman to know it and to declare it Herself -- and to positively rejoice in the divinely granted honor of being a Woman.

It is truth. It is precious, glorious, wonderful truth. I am close to tears, genuinely, truly, in reading Her words.

If You are a Woman, seize this truth, possess it, make it Yours! You are beautiful! You exist because a man and a Woman came together in impassioned desire for each other and thus created a living combination of the things they loved about each other.

Every nugget of gold, every sparkling diamond, every bar of platinum, every ruby, every amethyst, every crystal -- everything to which we attach value, pales and is but dust before the simple miracle of You living and breathing upon our planet.

One more link added

I found another great blog a few days ago, prettylady21@blogspot.com. Her real name is Carmen. Any Woman who is confident enough of Her personal beauty to give Herself such a screen name, deserves to be applauded, IMHO.

But I've had trouble making the link work. Hopefully, it's a temporary problem, as I'd love for my readers to visit Her blog.

Maybe the link below will work in the meantime.

http://www.blogger.com/profile/06649184939312099888

P.S: The above link does work. Her blog is Strawberries and Champagne, BTW. I have outsmarted the Blogger bug! And I note as well, that Pretty Lady Carmen has the dubious honor of being the subject of my 150th post.

The best blog on the Web

I am humbled. Very humbled. I found a blog today that does everything I dream of this blog of mine doing and better, so much better. It's at the top of my link list now.

It breathes a beautiful spirit of respect and uplift of Women, and goes beyond mere contemplations to actual interviews of real-life Women. In other words, it presents solid proof of its hypothesis.

Judging from the comments, it is achieving its goal, of helping Women to appreciate Their own worth and exalted position in the universe. Miracle of precious miracles, a Woman Herself has joined their team.

There is hope for the universe.

I say that because trying to help Women understand Their natural beauty, Their absolute glory, often seems so futile. Find me a Woman who actually realizes that She is beautiful, who radiates self-confidence, who is comfortable and happy with Her Femininity -- and I will show you a rare Person indeed.

On Beauty

Only one thing kept me sane through last night’s intensely boring work meeting: the unexpected presence in the row before me of two Fair Maidens, representing a certain non-profit organization.

I found it absolutely intriguing that two Women so very different could both serve as the textbook definition of beautiful: one, a Nordic blonde, small of features, with Her hair pulled up tightly into a bun; the other, a Woman of apparent Mediterranean extraction with a darker complexion, larger features and beautiful black hair that She wore in long curls.

An amethyst can be every bit as lovely as a diamond; a Luna moth and a Monarch butterfly are different but exquisite in their own way; and so it is with the marvel of nature that is Woman.

Whether She be an ebony goddess, tall and graceful of limb from Africa; or a Celtic redhead from Ireland; or a feisty Filipina – planet Earth is glorified by Her presence and sanctified by Her every footstep.

Whether She be a fresh-faced teen or a Woman touched by many seasons, She is beautiful.

What if my sight were stripped away and I could no longer look upon the perfection of creation/evolution that is Woman’s form – the eyes, the lips, the splendor from head to toe?

Then I would still hear Her voice: the dignified phraseology of a Queen Elizabeth; the tenderness of a mother’s lullaby; the achingly gorgeous tones of a Sarah McLaughlin or an Allison Kraus.

What if my ears were to fail, all my auditory perceptions to cease?

I would still savor the scent of Her as She breezes through a room; and Her hair, warmed by the sun.

What if my olfactory senses faltered?

I would still rejoice to share the world with Her and I would still sense and be grateful for, until cold death closed over me, Her gifts to humanity, the golden thread that Woman weaves through the tapestry of life.

Insane

Warning: Capnolagnia content follows

The last blog on my to-read list this morning consisted of an angry protest about sitting down in the park and having two Women proceed to sit next to this person and light up cigarettes.

Oh, the blogger was mad, mad, mad! How dare they, how come this always happens? She wrote, and Her readers concurred and commiserated.

What a strange world we live in. She curses what I crave. She experiences, and hates, what I long for, and never obtain.

I'm a reasonably well-traveled, non-threatening looking guy. Yet it's been at least a decade or more since any Woman ever sat down near me and lit up a cigarette -- it just doesn't happen. I go every possible place they do with the exception of bars, not being a drinker.

Dear Blogger, I'd trade with You, if only it were possible. We'd both be thrilled.

Only twice in my life do I remember such a blissful moment -- and both were prematurely interrupted. I was a teenager signing up for the military in a Seattle office building, about 1989. I sat down on a bench in the lobby and a lovely brunette sat beside me and took out a cigarette.

My mother had driven me to the place and, being unaware of my odd desire -- She certainly wouldn't have approved anyway -- chose that moment to return from the restroom or wherever She was in the building and take us home.

A few years later, another brunette, dressed in lovely white, sat Herself beside me at the ferry terminal. Again, scarce had Her cigarette left its pack when my grandfather appeared, for I had called to let him know of my arrival and need for a ride home.

Doubt he would have understood if I had said, "Uh, Gramps, can you wait about five minutes until I indulge this absolute moment of ecstasy and the Lady here finishes Her cigarette?"

So, cursing myself by all the epithets I could muster for having made the phone call when I did -- why hadn't I waited just a few damn minutes? -- I followed him to his car and out of the Garden of Eden with the Forbidden Fruit utterly untasted.

So unfair. Life is so very unfair.

Personal Punctuation

As I am growing more comfortable with this blog, I am releasing some of my inhibitions. I have that right.

When I began my personal journal back in 1986, I happily capitalized every Feminine pronoun that I wrote, my intimate way of paying homage to Womankind, whose centrality and superiority I recognized even then. I have finally decided to do that in my blog, too, annoying as it may be to some of my readers.

My Female readers may find it a little disconcerting to be addressed as "You" instead of "you," but I hope They will understand. I might suggest that They simply enjoy the compliment.

I am who I am and I make no apologies for my idiosyncracies, just my flaws.