Cliterally speaking

The Sexual Future of Women

2011-03-13T21:32:00.002+11:00

I love your questions in The Sexual Future of Women, Tabby - and agree wholehearted that they are very important.

I think one of the places to start is by addressing the predominantly squeamish attitude to female genitals.

In Eve Ensler's article in the Guardian for world AIDS day she writes “Vagina is the most terrifying word, the most threatening word, in any language of any country I have ever been to. “ She goes on to say, “It is more reviled and feared than words like plutonium, genocide and starvation”.

It's certainly not an easy word to pop into conversation! According to a research survey of nearly 10,000 women in 13 countries, more than half feel uncomfortable speaking about their vagina to their health care professional.

If we can't name her with ease it follows that we will be dissociated from her in some way.

“The prevalence of terms for women's genitalia that can be classified as derogatory or dismissive, or terms which are nonspecific and vague reflects and perpetuates a cultural context in which women's genitalia are either conceptually absent or perceived negatively.” (Braun & Wilkinson, 2001).

I think a great place to start is to teach young women how to accurately and comfortably name the vulva, vagina, labia and clitoris and I think we do that by starting to practice doing it ourselves.

Viva la Vulvalation!
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

The Q's - sacred sexuality workshops on the Gold Coast

2011-03-05T02:28:00.000+11:00

I booked in to do the Quodoshka series of workshops (affectionately known as the Q's) looking for some specific information for my favourite taboo-busting mission. I’d discovered that these particular teachings included some valuable information about different types of vulva and the way in which each type experiences pleasure. I wanted to know more.

But I had my researchers hat on when I made the booking so I was kind of surprised when I received the details of the range of outfits they suggest I bring with me to the workshop. It was at that point that I realized I was not just cruising along with my notebook and pen taking notes at some lectures but would actually be participating in a sexuality workshop. Duh! But even then I have to confess I was a bit blase. I have made it a point over the past 25 years to seek out sexual teachers and teachings so my thoughts were along the lines of ‘oh cool that’ll be fun’ and also, I must confess, ‘well there’s probably not much they can teach me!’.

How wrong was I?

Funnily enough the workshop was quite a bit like a lecture some of the time except that the students were dressed in exotic lingerie or temple priestess outfits or even, at times, in kinky leather gear. But the information was excellent. So good I found myself scribbling notes on every little corner of a receipt I could find in my handbag. Luckily they gave us a manual with plenty of scribbling space before my receipts ran out.

I have been to a lot of workshops and led even more and I can be very critical about how a workshop space is held. However I don’t think I’ve ever come across an event where the space is held as thoroughly, as powerfully and as magically as in the Q's. Batty, Kristen and Mukee are a very impressive team. Impressive not only in their capacity to convey or to embody these powerful and complex teachings but also in their unwillingness to stand on any sort of pedestal.

One of the things I loved particularly about Batty’s delivery was the humour. Humour is such a wonderful tool for breaking down barriers and making the unacceptable acceptable. Not that I think the content of anything we were taught is unacceptable but in the prevalent cultural moral climate there are many who do. Batty’s humour kept me thoroughly engaged.

The Q's as they are affectionately know are a series of three workshops offered by the Deer Tribe Metis Medicine Society. This society was founded in 1986 by Harley SwiftDeer Reagan. There seems to be some major controversy on the internet as to the authenticity of Mr Reagan’s claims and his work. The article on Harley and the Quodoshka’s in Wikipedia is seriously biased and badly need of review. It certainly portrays these teachings in in a very poor light. My feeling is that is because the teachings are about sex. And sex is one of the best topics for provoking intense reactions. Certainly whenever it is mentioned a lot of energy is stirred up in many people. Whatever may be the case in regards to Harley Reagan's biographical claims, I have to say the teachings of the Deer Tribe resonate with a profound sweetness and a huge amount of wisdom. Whether it’s Cherokee wisdom of the elders or channeled from the Pleiades – to be honest I don’t really care. It is powerful and valuable material.

The teachings suggest that we were being taught the information that young men and young women would be given within this tradition as they approach sexual maturity. We were given both the theory and the practical component of these teachings. But where the young apprentice would be experiencing the practical component with an older partner that they had chosen for this purpose, in the Q’s we practiced with partners that we had come with or that we made careful ceremonial agreements to practice with during the course of the workshop. This ceremonial space gave everyone the freedom to create whatever boundaries they needed to to feel comfortable.

The exercises were beautifully crafted and always demonstrated by the teaching team. I found that the process offered me insights and understanding into myself and sexuality in general that have been invaluable. Since doing the Q’s I find myself more confident and more fully in my power. I have lost a sense of needing approval from the outside and at the same time I can feel my magnetism and radiance is much more alive, so of course I am receiving very positive reflections.

The next Quodoshka series of workshops will be held near the Gold Coast starting on 24th March. If you'd like to do something wonderful for yourself call Peter Thomas on 0415 644 020 and let him tell you more about them. Tell him Laura-Doe sent you!

Homeopathy under attack

2011-01-16T12:19:00.001+11:00

from http://www.davidicke.com/

Over the past few years homeopathy has been under attack by groups with a vested interest in discrediting it. More than likely the same groups as those promoting the CODEX legislation (see Codex alimentarius - Still hunting witches?), who caused the PAN Pharmaceuticals fiasco here in Aus and who have been making it harder and harder for herbalists to sell valuable natural medicines.

Homeopathy is a 200-year-old system of medicine used successfully by tens of millions worldwide. It is part of the public health care systems of nations in Europe, South America and Asia. It has a laudable two-century clinical record. There are hundreds of high-quality basic science, pre-clinical and clinical studies showing it works. It is vastly safer than conventional medicine.

No form of health care can claim such accomplishments without being effective.

But there are very wealthy and powerful vested interests whose profits and power would be compromised if homeopathy were to become fully known and accepted for what it is by the public. They want to make sure that doesn’t happen, and they’re willing to spread lies to do it.

Learn more at Extraordinary Medicine

Debating vaccination

2010-12-24T18:58:00.000+11:00

Even if I were not already personally convinced about the potential dangers of vaccination and the huge self-serving influence of the pharmaceutical companies on the medical profession and government - the extraordinary attacks trying to stifle the AVN, a tiny pro-choice organization in Australia, would start to make me wonder what was going on.

In this article Dr Brian Martin, Professor of Social Sciences at the University of Wollongong and long-time advocate for the right to publicly debate all issues of importance examines the attack against the AVN.

Dr Martin did not approach this issue from the point of view of someone who was either pro or anti-vaccine. He does not have a strong opinion on whether people should or should not be vaccinated.

Instead, he became interested in this issue due to his experience in examining the suppression of dissent - both as a social scientist and also through his involvement with Whistleblowers Australia and non violent conflict.

Dr Martin writes:

In my decades of studying scientific controversies, never had I come across, in a country like Australia, a concerted effort to destroy a citizen-based organisation whose main activity was providing information - until learning about the attack on the AVN.

Long but well worth reading.. click to view the article

Towards a Vulvalation - What's wrong with my bits?

2010-12-08T11:25:00.001+11:00

"Advertising sells us more than just products. More subtly but equally effectively it sells us values, concepts and ideas of what love, sexuality, success and, perhaps most importantly, 'normalcy' should look like." So says Jean Kilbourne in the introduction to Killing me Softly 4, the latest in her award-winning series of documentaries on gender representation in advertising.

"What does advertising tell us about women in the 21st century? It tells us who we are and who we should be. It tells us, as it always has, that what's most important is how we look." But, even if we wanted someone to tell us who we should be, the major catch is that the images we are supposed to aspire to are not real. Nobody looks like that!

The Dove Campaign for Real Beauty's award winning Evolution commercial exposed the myth. Using time-lapse photography it shows us how a pretty, but ordinary girl is transformed into a strikingly beautiful billboard model using first makeup and then Photoshop.

These manufactured images are designed to impact on a modern woman's sense of herself and in many cases they succeed, but at least when it comes to bodies and faces we also see the full range of un-manufactured versions around us on a daily basis. We have real people to compare ourselves with as well. The same is often not thecase when it comes to our genitals.

"It is not uncommon for women to worry about the shape or size of their labia." declares the website for a cosmetic surgeon in Melbourne. That's interesting but we can't blame advertising for that issue, can we? So what is the problem here?

Censored Labia

Apart from gynecologists and beauticians most heterosexual women have very limited experience of other women's vaginas. Until the advent of the Internet most of us would only have had images from adult magazines to make comparisons with. Unfortunately, although not perhaps with quite the same motivation, these images have been tarred with the same air-brush!

In the case of genitals it is the censorship board that calls the shots. For an adult magazine to be classified as 'unrestricted' and publicly displayed in a newsagent the genitals must be "discreet" and there can be no "genital emphasis". To avoid censorship, adult magazines alter the appearance of female genitals so that they are 'healed to a single crease'. Very little, if any of the inner labia are shown and the result resembles the genitals of a pre-pubescent girl. (For more on this topic check out this episode of the ABC's Hungry Beast.)

Hardly surprising then that many women think that something is "wrong" with their "lady bits" and the popularity of genital cosmetic surgery has grown considerably in recent years. To compound the problem - this unrepresentative version is also what a lot of men are looking for. These same magazines were the source of their adolescent sexual fantasies.

So what is normal? A study that measured the genitals of 50 women between 18 and 50, found that the labia minora ranged from two to ten cm in length and from 0.7 to five cm in width. This variation occurred amongst only 50 women and is no doubt even wider across the general female population. In addition, the colour of the labia minora can be anywhere from deep pink, brownish pink to reddish pink and asymmetry is the norm.

Traditional cultures acknowledge the variety of vulva...

Traditional wisdom from a range of cultures shows a much more wholesome and accurate attitude to the vulva than we have today. The Native American teachings of the Sweet Medicine Sundance Path name nine different types of vulva on the medicine wheel and discuss not only the differing qualities of each one but the varying ways in which each one receives pleasure.

From Japan we have inherited descriptions of five types of female genitals, each one associated with one of the five elements, earth, water, fire. air and ether. The sexological texts of India speak of three temperaments, three kinds and four orders of women which combines to classify women into 36 psycho-physical types each of which has specific characteristics of her yoni. And Arabic culture offers the most detailed and extensive set of terms and descriptions affording insights into their physical characteristics as well as the psyche and sexual drive of their owner.

... and her power

Respect for the potency of the vulva as the portal between the worlds was widespread in ancient times.

Sheelah-na-Gigs are figurative carvings of naked women displaying exaggerated genitals with the lips held apart. They were found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain and other parts of Europe. Similar female figures have been found throughout Anatolia, Europe, Southern Asia, and East Asia in a broad chronological sweep beginning around 9000 BCE and existing for millennia. These widespread figures are clearly displaying the power of the vulva - the fertile, healing and regenerative power. In many cases their placement also indicates a protective power, the power to ward of evil and protect a structure from an enemy.

Wouldn't it be great to share this ancient wisdom with a woman contemplating surgery in order to "heal her vulva to the crease" and conform to a censor's idea of what is "acceptable"?

Why is this so important?

If women feel that there is something wrong with the part of our body which determines our femininity, which is a source of incredible creativity and delight and which is the gateway through which every one of us, in the normal run of things, enters this world, then there is a dangerous void in our sense of ourselves as women.

I would like to propose a Vulvalation - a movement of men and women fostering the rediscovery of the power and the beauty of the vulva, respecting the wonderful variety and understanding the way in which the differences affect each women's capacity for pleasure and satisfaction. I would like to see the introduction of education in schools that makes these differences clear for both girls and boys and the general availability of respectful and accurate literature and imagery that affirms the naturalness and the potency of female sexuality.

I would like that we reconnect with the ancient wisdom in which women (and the bits that make them women) were respected and valued as the source of life. I would like to help create a modern social environment in which women can fully accept themselves, are truly acknowledged and empowered, and in which the very source of our femininity is honoured, respected, loved and understood.

If you would like to show your support for such such a grass roots movement then you can join the Vulvalation on facebook. Viva la Vulvalation!

References
The Yoni: Sacred Symbol of Female Creative Power by Rufus Campenhausen

Sacred Display: Divine and Magical Female Figures of Eurasia By Miriam Robbins Dexter and Victor H. Mair

Vaudeville of the Vulva

2010-11-27T16:46:00.003+11:00

As many of you are aware my passion is to empower women to feel good about their bodies and their sex and to lift the taboos and remedy the lack of information on feminine sexuality. yOni.com is one example of this passion in action.

I have also been putting my writing, singing and performing skills to the task and the result is Vaudeville of the Vulva, a one-woman comic cabaret that follows the journey of an English lady as she moves from a place of denial to delight in her relationship to her vulva. One reviewer called it ‘artful, aphrodisiac edutainment’. Check out the website www.vaudevillofthevulva.com and this showreel from the performance also on YouTube.

yOni goes to Sexpo

2009-11-03T17:36:00.003+11:00

I approached attending the Sydney Sexpo with a bit of trepidation. I was not at all sure what to expect and I had heard some accounts which didn’t sound too promising. However the stall fee was paid for (and not by me) and the flights booked so, equipped with some yOni.com products, my researchers hat and a healthy curiosity about exactly what a sexuality lifestyle expo would consist off, I headed off to Sydney, open to being pleasantly surprised.

The expo was vast, filling both the Hordern Pavilion and the Royal Hall of Industries. There were three stages on which, the program told me, there would be shows by a range of gorgeous guys and gals designed to tease, titillate and tantalise. The brief glimpse that I managed to get of one of these confirmed my suspicion that I wasn’t missing a great deal. Both the act and the girls themselves were incredibly fake. In fact the enormous number of manufactured bodies was one of the most disturbing things for me about the whole event. Silicone boobs, botoxed lips and fake tans were the order of the day. I conducted a small survey of the guys in the stalls around to find out if they enjoyed these ‘perfect’ bodies. To a man, they replied to ‘No!’. Which makes me wonder exactly who does!

The Sexpo clientele was varied. There were lots of groups of young guys, many of them Asian, eager to check it all out. And there were almost as many groups of young women on a similar mission. They ranged in their openness. Some seemed to slink down the centre of the aisles hardly daring to look to the left or right. They made me wonder what had prompted them to come in the first place. Some were fascinated by every stall and more than ready to party. There was a lot of alcohol consumed which, combined with the mounting sexual tension, did create a slightly ugly atmosphere at times.

And then there were my favourite group - couples of all ages, mostly enjoying themselves and open to exploring and whatever tips or tools they might find. They struck me as having the most fun and mainly using the energy to enhance their sex lives and their relationship.

As you might expect there were sex toys at every corner, from the super crass to the very classy. On the classy end, the new We-Vibe was available and the phthalate free manufacturers, Lelo, Fun Factory and Vibratex all had a presence. At the other end of the scale there were show bags stuffed with dildos, condoms and porn for $20 a pop. There were lingerie and costumes in abundance and a number of stalls promoting, spa’s, saunas and massage tools. There was soap and lollies both genitally and conventionally shaped! Something for everyone!?

Two stalls caught my attention and approval! The Tantric Breather is a small device designed to give you an auditory and kinesthetic experience of the depth of your breath, and to allow you to deepen your breathing and synchronise more effectively with a partner. And at the Clitoraid stall you could adopt a clitoris and support the creation of a hospital in Africa were surgeons will reconstruct the pleasure centre for women who have been subjected to genital mutilation.

Other than these two, what seemed to be sadly missing was any actual information about sexuality and sexual health. As the mango juicer was one of our products I found myself giving hundreds of impromptu talks on locating the g-spot. Invariably a crowd would gather. Also noticeably lacking was anyone, other than myself and the Tanric Breather guy, representing or promoting conscious, spiritual sexuality. If I go again next year I’d like to fill that gap. If you have courses or products related to sacred sexuality that you’d like me to promote then please get in touch.

Wondrous Vulva puppets in Mt Isa

2009-09-13T22:41:00.002+10:00

Last night the puppets had their first stage outing at the Piano bar in the Irish Club in Mt Isa. It was a hoot and wonderful to finally show the crew what I do. The feedback was great and at I am delighted that we have established our place in the doco.

We did a short piece and a song and were planning to do more later - but within 15 minutes the management had shut us down. They’d belatedly cottoned on to the function of the Mango Juicer and felt it was inappropriate to sell pleasure toys in a family club. Later after some more conversations they apologised and invited us back for another time.

Who is mutilating now?

2009-09-10T22:36:00.004+10:00

Mango Tour - Day the 4th

Not long out of Winton, birthplace of Waltzing Matilda, and we are traveling through huge tracts of flat dry grass. In some places there is not a tree or a shrub in sight in any direction. Occasionally we pass small herds of cattle, clustered around a water hole or gathering in the meagre shade of one of the few remaining trees. It is hard for me to imagine why any one would think that cattle don’t need any shade.

Arriving at Mt Isa is a bit of a shock. After 2000 km of amazing countryside a massive smoke stack rises up over the hillside. The town is completely dominated by the mine, a black industrial scar on this incredible landscape. The words on a roadside monument marking the transition from one language country to another land summed it up so well.

RIVER AND ROCKFACE AND TREE, TAKEN AND CUT OFF FROM ME, IN HEARTACHE AND FEAR

Here in the dusty red earth of the great mother Australia I saw a poignant parallel between the scarred, gouged earth I was witnessing and the mutilation of the feminine that is the topic of our journey.

Vulva Puppets on Mango Tour with Vagina Doctor

2009-09-07T19:22:00.000+10:00

The Mango Tour consisting of two Winnebagos, one Jucy Campa, a purple ute full of cameras and a slightly dodgy looking Mazda van, took off from Burleigh Heads at around 10.00 am - rather later than most people seemed to hope. Most of us had not actually seen an itinerary – although it appeared that one existed. The general plan seems to be to head for Mount Isa where we were booked to throw a Mango juicer party in the pub, then across to Townsville for another party and back down the coast to Burleigh with more parties down the coast, Part of what held us up leaving was the need to shoot packing the van from three or four angles – and in reverse! I could already detect a slight variation in agendas in the frustration that this incurred in some quarters.

Our Winnie was the advance guard. Driven by Nick – bagpipe player extraordinaire and owner of the Mango Juicer rights in Australia, with co-pilot Joleen mango juicer enthusiast and sunglass saleswoman, entertainment coordinator Aaron (Azza), babe magnet & Brad Pitt look alike with possibly even better muscles, yours truly and a troupe of Wondrous Vulva puppets! Along the way we picked up Kat and Kat’s cameras.

We laughed, chatted, read, nibbled treats, listen to great tunes, played cards and laughed more. It was a great ride to Roma.

Laura-Doe and puppets to join Mango Tour to raise awareness about FGM

2009-09-07T00:40:00.005+10:00

Stop press - The wondrous vulva puppets and I have just been invited to go on the Mango Tour with Samantha Backman (the Vagina Doctor) to film a doco and TV show in order to raise awareness about FGM

What's the Mango tour I hear you ask! It seems the plan is to drive a convoy of entertainers with a passion for women's rights and a camera crew up the centre of Queensland to Mt Isa, east to Townsville and back down the to the Gold Coast. The purpose? ... to shoot a doco to raise awareness about Female Genital Mutilation.
If you don't know about Female Genital Mutilation read more here.
And watch this space!

Reclaiming the Magic of the Vulva

2009-04-15T10:49:00.003+10:00

Give me a topic and I’ll find a way to fit in a yoni! Actually it isn’t a hard ask to find the connection between Magic and the Vulva so when She de Montford asked me to write an article for her magazine Spellcraft I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised to discover that what I produced could pretty much serve as a ‘manifesto’ for my work with yOni.com. This article was first published in the summer edition of the ‘definitive guide to Magick in the Southern Hemisphere’....

I am a collector (and a purveyor) of Vulvic Art. My home is adorned with sumptuous silk and velvet vulva pillows, fluffy vulva purses, vulva pens, vulva jewellery and more. Some people are shocked when they see my collection, some are delighted but most ask “Why?”. I tell them that I believe the vulva is a wonderous and magical place, worthy of the utmost respect and the most beautiful artistic representations.

Anyone who has witnessed the natural entry of a child into this world would find it hard to deny the incredible qualities of the vulva. From a purely physical perspective her ability to stretch to accommodate the head of the newborn is nothing short of awe inspiring. Alas few of us have had the privilege to attend such a moving and fundamental event.

This was not always the case. Respect for the Vulva as the portal between the worlds was widespread in ancient times. And so was Vulvic Art.

Sheila na Gigs (or Sheelah-na-Gigs) are figurative carvings of naked women displaying an exaggerated vulva. They are found on churches, castles and other buildings, particularly in Ireland and Britain.

In the prestigious "Encyclopedia of Religion," (Eliade, Mircea. (Editor),1987) there are references to Sheila na Gigs

"The obvious life-giving and growth-promoting powers of the vulva and its secretions have given rise to a widespread use of representations of the female genitalia as apotropaic (intended to "ward off evil") devices. …. An apotropaic function seems to have prompted the placing of squatting female figures prominently exposing their open vulvas on the key of arches at church entrances in Ireland, Great Britain, and German Switzerland…. Most such figures were removed from churches in the nineteenth century.”

And a little farther down in the same article:

"A remarkable parallel to the Celtic Sheelagh-na-gig is found in the Palauan archipelago. The wooden figure of a nude woman, prominently exposing her vulva by sitting with legs wide apart and extended to either side of the body, is placed on the eastern gable of each village's chiefly meeting house. Such figures are called dilugai…These female figures protect the villagers' health and ward off all evil spirits as well. They are constructed by ritual specialists according to strict rules, which if broken would result in the specialist's as well as the chiefs death. It is not coincidental that each example of signs representing the female genitalia used as apotropaic devices are found on gates. The vulva is the primordial gate, the mysterious divide between nonlife and life" (Encyclopedia of Religion, article YONI, Vol.15, p.534).

I believe that much healing can be achieved through reclaiming the magic of the Vulva in our modern world. However, to do so we need first to inspect our current cultural attitudes to this most glorious and sacred part of the body.

Not only do we have no respectful representations of the Vulva, many of us are uncomfortable even talking about her. Last year the Weekend Australian ran an article about three US students who were suspended from high school for disobeying teachers and uttering the word “vagina” during a reading from the Eve Ensler’s ‘Vagina Monologues’.

In one research study, only 7% of respondents considered the vagina a body part that is freely mentionable (Allan & Burridge, 1991). Another survey found that 53% of women "felt some discomfort using the word vagina" (Bulletin, 1994, p. 10). And both women and gynecologists have been shown to rarely mention the word vagina (or even a synonym) during gynecological consultations (Weijts, Houtcoop, & Mullen, 1993).

And there are certainly plenty of synonyms to choose from! In my workshops I ask women to remember the name that they were given for their vulva as a child. I always hear something new. Rarely do I hear either vulva or vagina (which is technically the canal between the external genitalia, the vulva, and the womb). More distressing to me is that about one quarter of the woman were given no name at all to use. The area was just not mentioned. At all!

Why is this important? I believe that if women are uncomfortable with speaking about a part of their body which determines their femininity, which is a source of incredible creativity, pleasure and delight (the clitoris being the only body organ with the sole purpose of providing pleasure) and which is the gateway through which every one of us, in the normal run of things, enters this world, if we can’t name this part of us with ease and consider it with comfort then there is a dangerous void in our sense of ourselves as women.

And if we can’t talk about it then we cannot be given important information regarding our genital health. Woman of all ages can benefit from exercising the pelvic floor. In fact one source suggests that pelvic floor squeezes (or kegels) are the single most important exercise for a woman’s long term emotional and physical health. But most of us do not even hear about the possibility until we are pregnant (if then.) Kegels can be done anywhere, any time. Apart from being pleasurable for many woman (especially the more you practice!) kegeling increases blood flow and muscle tone, enhances sexual pleasure and reduces the likelihood of incontinence after childbirth.

I suggest that it is of the utmost importance to investigate and work towards healing any disempowering attitudes we have had foisted onto us about our most glorious and sacred feminine parts. By doing so women will feel better about themselves, boost their self-esteem, reduce depression and increase respect for the feminine in our society.

There are three simple steps we can take to start to reclaim the magic of the vulva:This

We can use vulvic imagery as a powerful talisman. This need not be overt. The mandorla and even the V, or the cleft V are time honoured symbols for the vulva and can easily be incorporated into jewellery, art or even scribbles on a post-it note!

We can practice using her name. It may take time to become comfortable but it is unlikely to happen unless we start.

And thirdly, if we were lucky enough to be born in a woman’s body, we can kegel. Anywhere, any time! And while that enigmatic Mona Lisa smile creeps over our faces we can affirm the wonder and the power of feminine nature.

Visit www.yoni.com to see some of Laura-Doe's vulvic art collection and www.dothekegel.com for her squeeze along song to get you kegeling and for more information about pelvic floor exercise. Laura-Doe is also available to run workshops for women on Reclaiming the Magic of the Vulva and to provide comic info/entertainment along with her Wondrous Vulva Puppets on all things vulvic. Please use the comments area to get in touch if you'd like to host a workshop or talk further about a performance.

Ayurvedic oil drizzling

2009-03-03T07:11:00.000+11:00

I’m on to my third day of oil drizzling. The treatment rooms are in a separate building near the cottages. You can see it to the right in this picture from my veranda.

My treatment usually happens in the late afternoon. First Dr Asha gives me an oil massage using warm oil infused with particular herbs to support my out of balance doshas. For the first seven days the massage was followed by a body dhara with warm medicated water. For the body dhara the doctor uses a vessel like a bulbous vase with a hole in the bottom to pour the water in a specific pattern over the body. They tell me it is designed to open up blockages in the channels that eliminate toxins from the body. It feels very yummy and relaxing although it took a while to get the temperature just right for me. The first one was a bit too hot and left me rather drained and dehydrated. Once the treatment is over the lovely washer lady (mine is called Vigaylakshmi) comes in and washes off all the oil with a special body scrub. It’s like being a baby again being washed and dried and once you get over the strangeness it is also extremely relaxing!

After the series of body dharas were competed I had one day of basti. The oil massage came first as per usual and then I was put in the steam box – like a little sauna with a hole for your head to poke out of – for a few minutes and then back into the treatment room for the basti. The basti is effectively an enema with medicated liquid but there are a variety of different types of basti and their intent and effect are quite different from traditional enemas. This one was apparently designed to give me specific herbs to be absorbed by the colon.

And now I’m on the oil drizzling (or body dhara with oil) which is very similar to the other dhara but with warm oil. As the oil is much more viscous than the water the warmth spreads deliciously and lingers on the body. It is very relaxing and very very oily!

When I’m not in treatment the big decision is whether to do nothing or very little! After my morning routine of herbs, nasya (warm medicated oil in the nostrils to eliminate kapha – mucous – from the head) and yoga – either in my room or with the teacher, the day is punctuated by the delivery of meals, drinks and a visit from the coconut man. He is in the picture above too and he brings around young coconuts and cuts them open to give us the juice and the delicious soft young coconut flesh. Mmmm!

Here is one of the breakfasts – I call it wiggly iddlies but that’s probably not the name!

I have a variety of ‘doing very little’ options. I’ve got some great books - both fiction that I brought with me and some on Ayurveda and tantra from the library here. I’m really enjoying colouring in the mandalas in the book that I got for Christmas and I’ve been getting creative with papier maché, inspired by the desire not to waste the Indian papers that get delivered each morning.

There is a TV in my room and I occasionally watch a movie. One day when I didn’t have treatment (there’s no treatment on Sundays) I went for a short walk in the evening. But I got back so hot and bothered and dehydrated I decided not to do that again!

The other guests here are lovely and every now and then someone pops by for a chat. I quite often go up to the canteen for a more social dinner with a couple of the women who are staying upstairs in the hospital. One is also English but living in Oz and the other is Russian and living in UAE. We have quite a giggle together.

On Saturday there was a big event. Puja was held in the temple for the healing of the patients. It was very spectacular and included some special mantras designed to remove any negative effects of the planets on our healing. This picture shows the Brahmin priest (who is also a doctor at the asram) in front of the image they created representing all the planets.

LD turns 50!

2009-02-20T06:59:00.001+11:00

I wake up to the buzz and flash of my mobile phone with that feeling of excitement that often comes for me when waking before dawn. Six am is medicine time and the recommended rising time for patients at the Poonthottam Ayurvedic Asram. I am about 5 days into a special treatment called a Panchakama that I have treated myself to as my 50th birthday present.

I light a couple of candles which I had been burning the night before and then add a few more for good birthday measure. The lights work fine but it feels nice to forgo the harshness of the electric light for the warm glow of the candles. By the time I have finished my yoga the sun will have risen in any case.

I drink my medicine (not pleasant but not disgusting) and roll out my yoga mat. I have already established a gentle morning routine of a few sun salutations and a series of asana that the book my neighbour lent me suggested were particularly supportive to the Panchakama process. I finish with some pranayama and a short meditation and wander onto my veranda to absorb the morning.

The view from my cottage is delicious - a huge variety of greens in a base of creamy brown ochre. The six cottages are on a terrace overlooking a little valley with several separate areas of plantings. Some of the hospital’s vege and herb gardens are to the right, a ploughed area that probably grows rice in the wet season straight ahead and bananas to the left. Across the valley are more bananas, coconuts and other trees rising up to the skyline. The first morning as I sat and marveled at the peace and beauty of it, the landscape that had seemed to me quite unpopulated, suddenly started to come alive. First two ochre dogs exactly the same colour as the soil materialized out of it and started bounding around the paddy field. Then a man with a water buffalo emerged out of the trees and then I realized there were several more people in the forest cutting down coconuts.

And then there are the birds – brilliant blue and vivid yellow, tiny dainty little birds that dart and flutter in the bushes, huge eagles soaring high in the blue sky and glorious peacocks strutting and pecking in the gardens. Between them they make a positive symphony of sound – especially at dawn!

After a suitable time congratulating myself on arranging such a great environment for my birthday morning, I put a light jacket over my singlet - sleeveless and therefore somewhat immodest by Keralan standards - in order to wander up the hill and seek out the yoga teacher that I had been told offered classes to those that wished. Dr Ravi had pronounced my desire to do yoga during my treatment a ‘very wise move’ but so far the yoga teacher had not made it down to my cottage to talk to me about classes. I thought I’d take matters into my own hands.

There is a steep staircase leading up from the cottage area to the main hospital and a longer route that winds through the trees. Mindful of the frequent instructions to avoid exertion and ‘take rest’ whenever possible I meander up the longer route admiring more of the unfamiliar vegetation. There are quite a number of trees along the path that have been scored in a spiral and have coconut shell cups attached at the base of the trunk to collect the sap. I have a tentative sniff at the white gooey stuff collected but it had no smell that I could identify. I decided not to risk tasting it! I must ask someone what it is.

The yoga hall cum temple cum theatre cum library is a large building with and impressive entrance – a wide staircase leading up to huge carved wooden doors. I leave my sandals at the bottom of the stairs where a small collection of other footwear suggested that that was the thing to do and made my way up. Peeking inside the doors I see a yoga class in progress so I wait and watch to see what was happening. Before long the teacher sees me and beckons me inside and invites me to join. It seems churlish to say “I’ve already done mine” so I find a mat and join in with the rest of the class. His yoga involves a great deal more exertion than mine had done but I have since checked with the doctors and yoga exertion is considered perfectly kosha during treatment – or would it be halal!?

After (second) yoga I cruise back down the hill to the canteen that sits on another terrace above the cottages. The canteen is a buzz of breakfast time activity with head cook presiding over the making of today’s dosas. Breakfast varies each day and dosas are my favourite. These yummy crispy pancakes are made from a mix of rice and black dahl, ground to a paste and fermented overnight. For breakfast they are served with a liquid coconut paste. Actually dosas are the bigger flat type and today we had a smaller concave kind which may be called something quite different. Just as yummy though!

After breakfast I have a quick check of my emails to see if there are any birthday wishes waiting. Phew – there are! And alas some work related things that need sorting. They don’t take long though and my good mood it too good to be dented by working on my birthday.

Back at my cabin I have a shower - Indian style which means filling a big bucket with warm water and pouring jugs full over myself with gay abandon. Then I dress myself to greet the day and my second half-century on this glorious planet.

You've got the iPhone - now here's the iToothbrush!!

2008-09-03T10:58:00.002+10:00

This is such a cool innovation in tooth brushing.

Although I totally love the 'dentist' clean feeling that this clever toothbrush gives me, I am most excited about the effect it has had on my 11 year old son's tooth brushing habits. He is so tickled by the fact that he doesn't need toothpaste that he is brushing his teeth with glee rather than the extreme reluctance he used to display. I also find it very useful to be able to carry my ion toothbrush around and to brush my teeth anywhere I can drink a mouthful of water and spit without offending anyone!

But before I get too excited let me tell you what I'm talking about

An Ion iToothbrush is a toothbrush that cleans your teeth and gums without the need for toothpaste. Rather than relying on pressure and abrasions to clean, the Ion iToothbrush releases a flow of ions - a very gentle electric current - in your mouth. These ions sterilize mouth bacteria, strengthen the gums, and stop plaque sticking to your teeth.

The result is an incredible squeaky clean feeling , and for me a noticable whitening of my teeth. When I brush with the iToothbrush it feels like I've just stepped out of the dentists chair after a clean and polish. And a 20 second brush is apparently more effective than 2 minutes of ordinary brushing.

It's such a buzz - and a real bonus for mums trying to get their kids into good tooth brushing habits.

Read more here and click here to purchase your very own iToothbrush!

The Dreaming - Indigenous arts festival

2008-06-13T19:54:00.003+10:00

I spent the long weekend at The Dreaming in Woodford. It was a glorious three days: the warmth and connectedness of the people and the gloriously rich array of artistic offering more than making up for the drizzle that came and went over the weekend.

I guess I had the idea that The Dreaming was mainly a music festival - maybe because Woodford in the summer is very much associated with music. And indeed there was some fabulous music, the most memorable being that of Gurrumal who touched the audience again and again with his beautiful melodies and a heartfelt transmission quite beyond words.

But there is so much more than music. I saw some fabulous theatre. A quite exceptional piece called 'Strange Resting Places' followed the fortune of two Maori soldiers in Italy in the second world war. It both entertained and informed me. There was a rich and varied program of dance, an almost continual screening of film, forums, talks, comedy, traditional healing, galleries, rituals, workshops and warm campfire circles where the dreaming magic always seemed to sit me next to someone with a fascinating story to tell.

I am so grateful to Rhoda Roberts for her vision in creating this event and giving us an opportunity to connect with, learn about and participate in such a wide variety of indigenous cultures. I can't recommend it enough. Hope to see you there next year!

The Rose Tent - Sacred women's space

2008-05-15T08:44:00.004+10:00

I am excited to be offering some women’s workshops again.

The Rose Tent is a Saturday afternoon event for women only and the next one will be held on 21st June near Mullumbimby (near Byron Bay in northern NSW).

The focus of the Rose Tent is to connect with, nourish and celebrate the unique blessing of our feminine nature. We may do a range of things depending on the feeling of the moment and the group of women that gather. We focus more on being in the body than on talking although there will often be an opportunity to share if something needs to be spoken. We may use dance, sound, breath work and gentle touch. Often we will have a short meditation or guided visualisation, maybe some chanting and some paired and group work. You are never required to do something that does not feel right to you.

The four of us that are offering the tent have journeyed together in our own women’s circle for 8 years. We cherish the nourishment and support that we gain from our group and we would now like to share some of the fruits of our time together with a wider community of women.

Please view the Rose Tent flyer and feel free to share the details with other women who may be interested.

An easter egg hunt that makes a difference

2008-03-20T10:18:00.004+11:00

Did you know that nearly half the world's chocolate is made from cocoa grown in the Cote D'Ivoire, in Africa. An estimated 12,000 children have been sold into slavery to work on these farms.

Join 'STOP THE TRAFFIK's GREAT EASTER EGG HUNT

This is an Easter egg hunt with a difference.

The best way to know that your Easter egg is traffik free is by buying fair
trade chocolate eggs. Hunt out fair-trade Easter eggs in your town. In a
traditional egg hunt the eggs are hard to find. Sadly it may be the same
with fair-trade eggs. This may be frustrating but we must tell this story so
people realize what is going on.

Go to every shop & supermarket where you live to hunt out a fair-trade egg. Take a photo of yourself outside the shops where you find a fairly traded Easter Egg. Print off and give the shop manager one of the STOP THE TRAFFIK coupons.

And then make your find the talk of the town ...

1. Upload a photo, put your first name, where you are from & one line saying what it was like onto the www.stopthetraffik.org/easterHunt.

2. Fill in this letter and give it to the manager of every
shop you visited that didn't sell a fairly traded Easter Egg.

3. To make this story the talk of the town sends your story and photos of your
Easter Egg Hunt to your local newspaper/local radio/school newsletter or
other community newsletters.

You can tell everyone what you found even when Easter has passed.

For more information visit http://www.stopthetraffik.org/

Home Birth in Australia

2007-11-12T10:06:00.000+11:00

I felt very privileged to attend the 25th Home Birth Australia conference in Sydney last weekend where I provided a couple of 'interesting interludes' between the wonderful presentations.

It was a powerful and inspiring weekend but I was seriously disturbed to discover how persistently women's birth choices are being eroded by legislators and the medical profession.

The opening presentation was from British author and social anthropologist, Sheila Kitzinger. Described by the UK newspaper The Independent as ‘High priestess of the childbirth movement’, Sheila is a vigorous campaigner for rights of women in matters of birth and sex.

Sheila’s message about birth is clear:

Birth can be ecstatic. It can be thrilling, dramatic, and overwhelming. It need not be traumatic and despite what the medical profession would have us believe birth is not a medical event.

Sheila maintains that women should have access to the information that will enable them to make their own decisions, to prepare themselves for an experience in which they participate fully and in which they, not the doctors, are in control. And most women will agree that this is much easier to do on their own ground, in a place to which the doctors and midwives who are their caregivers come as guests, either in their own home, or in a birth centre in which the rhythms of a labouring woman's body are honoured and waited on, where birth is non-interventionist and centered on people rather than mechanical processes.

Sheila’s talk was just the beginning of a wonderful and varied program of presentations. We heard from a number of midwifes and mothers about their home birth experiences with images and video footage of several glorious arrivals. I’m not sure what it is about birth that evokes such a primal rush of emotion. But I was certainly not alone in finding myself in awed, but joyful tears at several points during the day.

We heard about the beautiful home births of a number of supposedly 'high risk' women: a 45 year old woman, a breach birth and a woman whose pregnancy had lasted only 35 weeks. We heard about 10lb 9oz babies and we even met a home birthed baby who weighed in on arrival at a magnificent 12lb 9oz. He suckled happily at mum’s breast as she gave her presentation.

We also heard from one awesome mother who birthed her first baby still born. In a wonderfully down to earth way she shared how important it was for her and her partner that they were able to do this at home as this enabled them to process and grieve their loss in a natural, uninterrupted and instinctual way.

Throughout the day the message was clear. Women feel better birthing at home with the continuous care of a midwife that they have chosen and whom they trust. Not only do they feel better, the research shows quite clearly that their births are less inclined to problems, the babies are healthier and happier and the subsequent relationship between the baby and its family is considerable enhanced.

Why then we have to ask are midwives being witch-hunted, suspended and deregistered and birthing centres being closed through lack of funding and medical backup?

Hmmm - let me think now. Could it be for the same reason that women have been forced to give birth lying down with legs raised on hospital tables in a position that makes no sense in her body and allows her no support from gravity? Could it be for the same reason that babies are induced before their due date, but just before a long weekend and caesareans are suggested when labour progresses beyond a few hours? Could it be that all these things are happening at the expense of the mothers and babies well-being but for the doctors convenience and to allow the medical profession to maintain control over this natural, miraculous and essentially feminine process of birth?

If you have the opportunity please see Abby Epstein and Ricki Lake's documentary "The Business of Being Born" which was premiered at the conference. Or make the opportunity by holding your own show. See the website for more details. Also check out the Homebirth Australia website for more information and resources on homebirth.

The Wondrous Vulva Puppet on Tyra Banks

2007-11-07T08:29:00.000+11:00

She is getting out and about more and more... Check out this clip of one of the puppets featuring on the Tyra Banks show.

You can find out more about the The Wondrous Vulva Puppet here and order your very own puppet in the yOni.com shop

The voice of the people.

2007-09-29T13:32:00.000+10:00

I love it.

Online aussie activism group Get Up have created a TV ad to challenge the Howard government's massive advertising campaign attempt to con the Australian public into believing they will act on climate change. In less than a week donations of over $225,000 have poured in to get the ad played when millions of Australians will be watching - during the AFL grand final.

In case you are not a footie fan, or you live elsewhere on this precious planet - here it is!

The truth shall set you free

2007-09-20T14:22:00.002+10:00

Exploring the underbelly of womens’ relationships with one another.

In the past six months two women in my women’s group have decided that it is time for them to leave the group and move on in their lives. For both women there was some sadness and regret and a sense that the group was not serving them in the way that they would have liked.

For me the decision in each case felt appropriate and reflected the way I see the differing desires and directions of the group as a whole and the individual women who chose to leave. But those of us who remain decided that we would take up the opportunity to inspect a little deeper any ways in which we may have failed to support the women who left and/or contributed to their sense of alienation.

We decided to explore the ‘underbelly’ of our group dynamics and those parts of our individual behaviour that, even after seven years of exploration together, we prefer to keep hidden.

It is a challenging but fascinating and liberating journey as we confess to one another facets of ourselves that we had hoped went unseen. It has really been like peeling the layers of the proverbial onion.

In the first week that we approached the topic I felt confident that I had addressed all the areas that I was still hiding. But as the weeks progress I realize that I had merely opened the door. I had been in denial about my denial! I suppose it is not surprising – blind spots are called just that because we find them so difficult to see. But choosing to shine a light on these murky areas within the safe container of a group of women who love you is very powerful indeed.

And the process feels more and more potent as it dawns on me that we are exploring things that are of major importance to the wellbeing of the feminine and to the re-establishment of women’s culture. In a world were the qualities and gifts of 'the feminine' have been devalued and denied in so many ways for such a long time it is not just ‘the masculine’ that does the oppressing. Women have also learned to oppress other women in order to survive. I believe we all have an ‘inner misogynist’ that seeks to align us with the power of the dominant paradigm by putting ourselves and other women down. How could we not? Doing so is so ingrained in the society that we live in.

And it is not just the undesirable qualities that we are finding we choose to hide! We have also revealed gifts and attributes that we are proud of but that we choose to minimise and keep hidden. But whether I see a hidden aspect of myself as desirable or otherwise, the process of allowing it to surface and to be seen for what it is has been equally powerful. Reaching for the truth is immensely cleansing and liberating. I highly recommend it!

The Vulva Puppets' Australian debut

2007-06-02T10:06:00.001+10:00

I must confess I was pretty nervous when I arrived at the venue for the 2007 Women & Depression conference. The starched white table in the hotel foyer did not strike me as a terribly welcoming place for my display of Vulva Puppets and other vagina related and empowering goodies. The conference participants seemed serious and rather conservative and my concern about their response to my presentation tripled instantly. I started to imagine being booed off the stage in a hostile hail of conference mints!

I guess those sort of feelings are par for the course when you plan to present on a taboo subject like the vagina. Indeed our difficulty with naming, discussing, respecting and honouring our glorious feminine genitalia and the effects that that difficulty may have on our sense of ourselves as women was the very essence of my presentation. I banished the desire to run and introduced myself to the conference organiser, the fabulous Anique Duc.

Once inside the conference room I felt more comfortable. The room was decorated with beautiful banners depicting a huge array of goddesses from many cultures. The wonderful work of artist Lydia Ruyle, these banners have been sent all over the world to 'weave the sacred energies of the divine feminine'. They certainly worked their magic on me and reminded me what I was doing there.

The presentations were varied and interesting and covered a variety of women and depression related topic areas. I learned about rural strategies for caring for women with post-natal depression, work with women in the prison system and rituals for rites of passage for women at menarche, birthing and menopause. I cried at the courage of Iranian women trying to stand up for themselves under severe repression and took part in the collaborative creation of a set of women's power cards.

By lunch time I had relaxed enough to set up my display table, the contents of which created a range of responses from horror to glee. It paved the way well for my presentation and I realised how important it was going to be to speak clearly about why I had brought these tools and how valuable & effective they can be in supporting women's health, education and therapy.

My moment came and my paper was enthusiastically received. Although my own experience of feeling challenged by speaking on the topic of vaginas is clearly backed up by research, I was interested to find that when I asked the question 'Who would feel some discomfort in speaking the word vagina?' the majority of the women in the room slowly raised their hand. Especially interesting considering it was a room full of women who work in women's health.

So despite my concerns my message was valued and understood and indeed generated some fascinating discussions that went on well into the evening. It also felt as though the wondrous vulva puppets had made their Australian debut to a highly appropriate audience and I was delighted to see several of them leave in the care of counsellors, educators and women's health workers who have promised to report back on how they are using them in their particular work arena.

Thank you and congratulations to Anique and her wonderful team for a beautiful and powerful conference and for the opportunity to meet and learn from such an interesting and diverse group of women.

Women and Depression Conference 2007

2007-05-15T14:05:00.000+10:00

I am flying up to Sydney next week to give a presentation at the Women and Depression Conference (23-25 May at the Carlton Crest Hotel). I was expecting to offer a two hour workshop 'Returning to Reverence of the Sacred Source' in which women are invited to use art, voice dialogue, the wondrous vulva puppets and other processes to become aware of and to begin to heal any dis-empowering attitudes to our most glorious and sacred feminine parts.

However I recently discovered that all presenters are now allocated a 30 minute slot only! It's going to be fun condensing all that into a 30 minute presentation. Any suggestions?

Returning to Reverence of the Sacred Source - Workshop abstract

The prevalence of terms for women's genitalia that can be classified as derogatory or dismissive, or terms which are nonspecific and vague reflects and perpetuates a cultural context in which women's genitalia are either conceptually absent or perceived negatively (Braun & Wilkinson, 2001). Participants in Lee and Sasser-Coen's (1996) qualitative study spoke of menarche as an experience that "contaminated" their bodies, and their genitals in particular. Is it no wonder that the self-esteem of young women plummets in their early teens?

While we as women experience any difficulty thinking about, talking about, ‘owning’ or experiencing the miracle of our genitals and reproductive cycles, what effects must that have on our health and happiness and our overall attitudes to being a woman?

'Returning to Reverence of the Sacred Source' is a powerful experiential workshop in which women have the opportunity to explore and renew their relationship with their vulva and vagina. We use art, voice dialogue, vulva puppets and group process to become aware of and to begin to heal any dis-empowering attitudes to our most glorious and sacred feminine parts. (NB No nudity is involved in this process).

Dangerous GE food on our plates

2007-05-02T12:25:00.000+10:00

'Hey Mr Monsanto, don't want you interfering with our food!'

The opening line of a song I wrote over 10 years ago is just as relevant today - if not more so. For a while Australia (my home) has benefited by being a little behind the times as well as by being separated by sea from other land masses. Alas we are not protected from the dubious motives of our politicians with the result that genetically engineered (GE) crops and GE foods are gaining approval and threatening our ecosystem, our health and that of our children.

When rats were fed the GE corn variety, MON863, they showed signs of kidney and liver toxicity. But the same corn was given a big tick by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), declaring it safe for human consumption. Does this make any sense? A new study of the toxic effects of MON863 on rats concludes that the corn cannot be considered a "safe product". Yet FSANZ had access to the same test results back in 2004 and still gave it the thumbs up.

The good news is that there is no need to spend millions of dollars of taxpayers money trying to create genetically engineered drought resistant crops as Australian scientists have already produced them using conventional breeding techniques. A non-GE drought resistant canola variety developed in Victoria will be available to farmers this year. Despite the industry spin GE technology is being rapidly replaced by other technologies that don’t pose the same environmental and human health risks.

For more info and to take express your concern to our politicians visit the Greenpeace website and take cyberaction.