Being woman on Woman's Day! ~ Mariella

Today is International Woman’s Day. 

The first National Women's Day happened as far back as the 28 February 1909 in the United States. In 1977 the UN proclaimed the 8^Th of March as the Day for Woman’s rights and World Peace and it took off from there!

Every Woman’s Day I become acutely aware of how privileged I am to lead the life I do,and of how my fore-mothers worked hard for the rights I now have. I become aware of the blessed women around me, of women in countries devoid of basic human rights, of the staggering rape statistics in South Africa and how the only way out, for me, is to strengthen community.

And every time this day comes around I can’t help but think that there isn’t an International Man’s day! A day when we celebrate what it is to be a man in this brave new world. And it really is new, with the rules of the game having changed, being Man today can’t be an easy gig!

There is a very interesting initiative called the ManKind Product committed to building and supporting emotionally mature, accountable and compassionate male role models in our communities.

http://mankindproject.org/

The one way to help redefine, or rather, eradicate, the line between the Macho Oke and Sensitive Male is to refine what it means to be a woman. If I require an emotionally grounded and sensitive, spiritually evolving, physically strong, environmentally responsible, socially considerate Sacred Warrior in my life, then what, exactly am I proposing to cultivate in myself?

I commit to strengthening that within myself which is inherently and uniquely Woman:

~To cultivate the patient mother in me who knows how to guide my children without breaking their spirit, how to nurture them so that when they go out into the world, the words they remember from their youth were of encouragement, reason, affection, clear boundaries.

~To cultivate a secret garden within my life, a labyrinthine realm which is mine alone, a workshop, a clandestine chamber within my soul that I alone have a key for where my Manifestation Machine lives! That crazy, creative, lively, insightful machine which makes my future and drives my fears out with shear enthusiasm and direction, which depends on no one else for replenishment but me.

~To always take the time to consider where I am, how I feel, when I need to rest and to have enough respect for that, that I can freely and clearly communicate it to those around me before I falter.

~To breath!

~To manage my life in a way which cultivates Balance. To be committed to every facet of my life important in keeping me content, be it a weekly phone call to my mom, a daily run around the block even though the laundry needs folding, fresh juice, hugs.

~To cultivate my own sensuality. To take responsibility for creating a new template of femininity which overthrows the limiting public opinion of the ‘empowered woman'. To give the beautiful feminine Goddess within me her space to shine, to leap out from the dark, the shame, the uncertainty, to embrace what makes me a woman and teach this to my daughter.

~To give time to romance. To know that it is not neglectful to separate from the mother and teacher and professional and dive into flowers and chocolates and be assured that it will not fall apart in my absence!

~ Pursue Beauty.

~To work hard and extend myself fully into this life, to not fear healthy ambition.

~To laugh.

~To share and care for those I love and for my natural environment, to affect the lives of those in need in real and lasting ways and to consider the needs of the planet as equal or more important than my own.

~To reach out when I need help.

~To love myself, and be positive about myself, because if I do not champion myself, I cannot expect anyone else to.

And, most important of all; To not beat myself or anyone else up within an inch of my or their lives if I don’t achieve all of the above all of the time, but instead to smile, because I’m Human and a woman and in this great University of life, being Human and a woman rocks!