Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Meet My Totem


   I could never relate to the fairy tale princesses, and don't have enough of a mean streak to be one of the wicked queens, most of the month, anyway. Don't get me wrong; I loved Cinderella and Aurora and Snow White as much as the next little girl. Still, I just couldn't relate to them.
     I was a veritable anti-princess, if you will. Stocky, chubby, tripping my way into adolescence over the carpet patterns, loud, wondering if I would ever be seen as pretty underneath it all.
    Somewhere along the line, probably in grad school when I discovered Carl Jung, I rediscovered folk tales. In good order, "The Ugly Duckling" popped up. You know, the one about the duckling who realized one day that she was a swan?
     Swans are big and strong. (5'7, myob, and pass the tractor parts, please.) Swans are graceful (took a few dance lessons and a lot of yoga, but I arrived). Swans in some cultures were messengers between the worlds ( I meditate before I write articles or make plans for an issue).
    My swan swam to me through a pond of iris during a guided meditation session. If I accept and heed her messages, I write so much better than I would otherwise. The better I write, the better I serve The One Who Is, and using gifts wisely and well is what it's all about.
    

Monday, December 21, 2009

The Mission Statement

 Supporting our readers in living authentic lives of spirit, substance, and serenity.
    
   That, Gentle Readers, is the mission of Swan and Iris. 
   If you believe that clothing manufacturers should make clothes to fit you and not you making your body to fit the clothes; if you choose your films, music, and books based on what feeds your heart; if activism is your spiritual practice; if you prefer news from independent sources such as NPR or MHZ; S&I might just be for you.
   I hope you'll come with on the journey.