At AEVA we are asking what will it take for us as humanity to put on the brakes and change the course we are on? Are we willing to make the changes necessary? Overwhelm and despair are not comfortable feelings and sometimes we have to travel through them to arrive at the place of hope and possibility and transformation. Certainly we need to let go of multi dimensional layers of our perceived reality to make way for new possibilities. As Albert Einstein said “We can not solve our problems with the same level of thinking that created them”. We need to loosen ourselves from our narrow view of reality and reconnect with our sovereign nature; we are vast beings, infinite in our scope. What humanity has become is not divinely orchestrated but led by disconnection, fear and a belief in scarcity.

Given the present crisis we are in on Earth, we each need to be holding the space in all ways that we can for a profound reshuffle of the cards here, no small measures are going to hit the mark. How can we, without shame and revenge, allow and make ourselves available for, the profound transformation that is needed? To begin with, I believe we need to welcome the overwhelm that is often triggered, without having to do anything, just to be with it, to feel it as a first step of engagement. Answers and inspiration come when we are open to receive, but if we are blocking the overwhelm and the fear then our doors and windows are shut to so many levels of experience and possibility.

What do you need to face in yourself to make the next shift? What do you need to let go of to create more space and connection with your divine essence and to hear the next steps? We are each a microcosm of the macrocosm, by plugging into our sacred origins we can create space to do the work of feeling, shifting through and befriending the disconnected, fragmented and fearful aspects of our psyche, creating a map within ourselves for the transformation we need to see in the outer world. As the Spring emerges, may new avenues of communication, effortless letting go and miraculous transformation become apparent for us all.   

We are living in incredible times, when a new wave is surging, washing over and through the old paradigm. No area of life is left untouched. Rising within this wave is the voice of the feminine, that which has been quieted, shut down and ignored is now awakening. Rumblings from the Earth mother’s belly herself, calling us to stand up and speak from our hearts. Within this rise of the feminine which can be seen through the numerous and inspiring projects emerging all over this beautiful planet is the voice of woman. Women are rising, remembering our sacred innate connection to the Earth, reclaiming our shared voice and power as we gather in circles, round fires, in fields, woods, village halls and sitting rooms.
 
Together we are an undeniable force, a power as ancient as the Earth herself, together there is nothing our hearts will not achieve. Together we are changing and challenging the face of Politics, Law, Education, Community, Family life and Celebration. Helping to bring the connected heart back into our world. Girls and Women across cultures rising up, speaking out and calling for change. Each voice is an inspiration and a support to our own. We believe in each other, help each other with that next step and through each woman’s unique story is reflected the true power and beauty of woman.
 
At ‘AEVA’ we are gathering women’s voices from this diverse and global movement, creating a magazine that offers a more reliable and accurate reflection of who we are as women than most mainstream magazines offer women at this time. What if a magazine could mirror, not only your struggles and longings but, your true power, beauty and worth?  At ‘AEVA’ we are creating just such a magazine.
 
An inspirational, colourful, bold and inspiring publication full with a rich variety of women’s wisdom in an array of articles, artwork, poetry, personal story and reviews. It speaks of both the intimate personal journeys we are all on and the collective global story we are all apart of. It really is food for the soul and a must for any woman who cares about the Earth and is passionate to play her part. Together we are weaving the threads of our voices and strengthening our web in the creation of a just new world.

Just sitting here with the energy I feel hearing the short video about AEVA, this is what comes to me......

Thank you to you All for ‘birthing’ AEVA, for the efforts of staying with heart and that deeper knowing through I can only imagine many challenges and possibly being close to sheer exhaustion...  I feel the deep belief in the power of purity of truth and light shining through the horror of some present and ancient times, happenings, doings. Shining a light on all the beauty, all the ‘goodness’ of shared care, that news never or little reports, it is so important to share these happenings throughout this Earth. I feel the energy of AEVA , of the many women, together throughout this Earth, with their feet in many places, rooted in love and with the Earth, with hearts together, to hold grace for what is to come, so that we may bring healing and in all our ways STAND for this Earth.
 
While sitting with a group of women holding Lovingness for All, the Nameless One, 'Grandmother' of the poem, came to me, strong and bold, soft and tender, magnificently creative; Maker Heights.

Dear Great Grandmother without name,
Oh Great Nameless One,
Of a Land that I love.
You have sat for Aeons,
In your wild holding,
Of all that is deeper than the stars.
It is you who can move mountains.
You who create a Haven
For the newborn in your curves.
You who was born before words.
Living with timeless patience,
Giving freely of your essence,
To the core of pure creation.
Older than this Earth's present Sun,
I ask blessings of your wisdom.
For you sit larger than the Land,
Solid and Soft, Loving and Ferocious.
I Honour your Being,
I Honour your Landscape,
I will come without words,
To sit with You,
In Honour and Safekeeping
of this Haven

I hold close to heart at present this wondrous part wild land called Maker Heights where I live which has been such a community space for time since memory. Recently distressfully part sold to property developers. It was devastating how bailiffs arrived early one morning wearing balaclavas. However we stood together as each let each other know, we came and we stood in peace, even in such seeming threat. Since then for now much has been lost, however there is much to grow, (Links below on what community are doing to save Maker and be creative!)
 
We did Save Whitsand Bay, after 7 years on my part, from being used as a dumpsite ( 30+ years of toxic silt dumped into this Bay). We, myself and my husband, finally took the government to court, crowdfunded and with great effort of mind and learning of Law, then through mediation we saved this beautiful sea scape to be able to re-grow in restoration to its natural health...the dumping was stopped. Throughout I held  heart every tiny crab or anemone, dolphin, fish, seal, ( it was  a seal who showed me the way, I met its heart and knew to try to save its future and it’s children's future) )  I cried out with strength of heart and soul to every spirit of the seas and cosmos to show me the way, to work through and with me, against such odds. I said ‘We will not Stop until you Stop’. I organised demonstration upon demonstration, standing together at times 400  hands held in protection of Life and bringing the truth to light of the need to Care.

​ I am an everyday mum, in an everyday world.....as individuals we can each bring small changes to heal ‘Our Beautiful Mother Earth’. Even be it our gardens or some pots on a balcony for the wildlife we share our lives with to have greater chance to live and thrive, and in doing so our future generations who are connected in community with every life form on Earth. I could go on and on.....a smile at a stranger...
 
I have stood and continued to stand and sit, mostly quietly, at times with loud voice, for places of this Earth. Being with the true power of Lovingness. In the depths of my work 'journeying alongside' and supporting people who experience horror and homelessness, mental health issues, disability, it takes a kind of bravery to trust, without other tools, that genuine loving kindness, heart to heart, that this is what brings healing and  changes. Being able to be with, not turn away from,  their deep pain, their struggles, often having been added to by the way our society can be neglectful and disabling rather than caring, based on fear rather than love. However I trust and see daily the power of humanity. Always the heart will light a candle of hope that can shine through the deep dark of pain and fear.
 
This is like the story too of our Earth, our treatment of Her, of each other, our lack of respect for the wisdom of our grandmothers, the Old ones, if we could only hold Her hand and let Her hold our hands, ( through heart)  just like a Good Grandmother., the Fairy Grandmother of the Old stories , who we can only find with purity of heart. I know at times, at the age and place in Life that I am in the wheel of life, the ‘Good Grandmother’ shines through me, I have met her in the deep place beyond time.
 
With Whitsand and now Maker, I could not brave to do what I did, with my work that I do, I could not do what I do, if it was about me. It is always about going to that pure place within me, much more than me alone, where there is Heart only in genuine care for all, free of judgement towards others, judgement of anything or myself, where there is only Love, and it’s power of Light, where I do not know what needs to happen, what changes are needed, I have to trust this to Life, but I know how to Stand or Sit or Be. I learn how to let myself be seen, even though I might feel afraid, even though sometimes it has felt like the tiredness of heart, a weariness to the bone, the depth of sadness has been almost too great to bare, life has always held me, at these times, so I can hold Life, to stand with the Joy of Lovingness shared with All. This is not about me, this is about Life, this is about togetherness, this is about the Earth, where all is possible with Grace .

I hope this stands with you, in the tremendous effort you are sharing
 
Love Deb x
 
LINKS;

Tonny and I set https://www.facebook.com/StopDevelopmentAtMaker/?ref=bookmarks as  a platform to bring all who care for Maker Heights together, to leave differences aside and join with all our best ways to do the best we can together to Save Maker ( scroll to beginning for full story).

Maker with Rame CIC; https://www.facebook.com/MwRCIC
Patchwork Studios, two young men doing an amazing job of art, music, performance, education and personal/community development space; https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=patchwork%20studios
Rame Conservation Trust;  https://www.facebook.com/www.rct
Maker Woodlands CIC; https://www.facebook.com/makerwoodlands
Maker Memories; . https://www.facebook.com/lovemakermemories
Awenek Studios; https://www.facebook.com/pg/awenekstudiomakerheights
Nature Wizards @ Maker Heights; Petruse79@yahooFamily Foraging kitchens; kitchen@familyforagingkitchen.co.uk
 
 

One grey day of December I found my self by the river Dart in Devon who gifted me with an astonishing message of Love.  The months that followed were hard with a depth of loneliness and fear being entrusted with such stream of words.  

​As Spring came I gathered the courage and fiery passion to share Water's message with others.  A Series of Interviews came out of it.

It is a series of interviews with women and men engaging fully with our collapsing world, our dying systems, our grief, our deep love and longing to fully participate in our world in ways of soul and beauty. 
These interviews have one thread in common. A message that was given to me by Water on the 2nd of Dec 2016. This message is read to each person in this 'Conversations with Grief' activating a unique response. 
So far I have spoken with and recorded Jon Young, Francis Weller, Manda Scott, Pat McCabe, Megan Hollingsworth, Stephen Harding, Pablo Serviane and Stephan Jenkinson… each one bringing a thread for a cloth weaving in the past, present and future… I anticipate mystery and our bone memory to be awakened by it.
​
Here is the message from Water at the River Dart, Devon, England passed on to me on 2nd Dec 2016: 

" My dear child do not worry about me, Water. I recover quickly with the song of our birds, the love of trees, with movement, moments of rest and the prayers moving around our Earth. I regain balance with your heartfelt tears, your remembered songs added to the ones of so many now. Do not focus your energy on 'Saving me'. Something way more profound is taking place right now, listen and observe! 

All of us; Soil, Water, Plants, Air, Animals and all Ancestors are Calling YOU Humans, to Us so we can Save YOUR species. We know and have known for a while that you do not have much time left if you do not wake up to your birthright Belonging to Earth and come Home soon, real real soon. We keep dying, we keep Giving Away our Lives to shake you up from a deep and very long amnesia. Once you can allow the truth and quality of such Love to permeate through your traumatised being and desolate soul you will wake up from a life time of anesthesia to your immense grief and capacity for Love.

When you create containers of sacred beauty that opens your Heart to what Love truly is then you will realise with a massive Sob that you were loved all along, always have and for ever by all of Us who you think You are Saving! 
You have five years​ as a species to Wake up, Mature and Remember in your bones that you belong to Life "

What would be your response?

To listen to the poignant interwiew series 'Conversations with Grief' visit www.souland.org/conversations-with-grief-and-water.html
Azul-Valerie Thome

I have had the privilege of leading or attending  Mother-Blessing ceremonies  for pregnant women for almost two decades now and in that time I have observed how much these occasions bond  women together and increase the confidence of the mother to be. In fact, a midwife once commented to me that she had noticed how the women she attended who had a Mother-Blessing approached the birth with less fear, so I thought I would like to share with you what we have learnt over that time.

Circle Gathering
The Navajo Indians, are most associated with their Blessingway Ceremony for women before birth and we need to be sensitively aware that we are not misappropriating their sacred ways disrespectfully because seemingly we have lost our own traditions in our culture. However, I truly believe that somewhere deep in our memories, we women of these Isles remember when, we too, gathered to bless mothers and their unborn children.  On so many occasions I have witnessed women deeply moved, often to the point of tears, as they experienced women gathering in ceremony for the first time, commenting that they “know” what to do, they “remembered” and it felt uncannily familiar to them. Nowadays in our culture most of the focus is on the physical health of the mother, but  in a Mother-Blessing,  the mother-to-be’s closest female friends and relatives gather in circle to attend to her emotional and spiritual needs, bringing small gifts and sharing maternal experience and wisdom with her.
 
Creating ceremony
One of the key themes of the Mother-Blessing is the symbolic show of solidarity for the mother in the giving of many parts that make a whole... For example, each woman in the circle offering a bead, along with a blessing, a story, maybe a poem or a song or some words of birth-wisdom. These individual beads are then strung to make a necklace that can be worn during labour, some mothers then hang them above their bed or baby’s crib after the birth. Over the years we have found that, having been inspired by the essence of this, many different ideas have emerged according to the whims and desires of the mother. Here are a few memorable ones:

• Lynn, who lived on a small-holding, asked for flowers, to make a bed amongst her rows of vegetables.
• Janie asked her friends and family to bring pieces of fabric, which she sewed into a quilt for the baby. Many of these pieces came with heartfelt stories of their own.
• Ruth, an artist, supplied paper, pens, paint, inks and glitter and for an hour the room was full of the gentle buzz of conversation as the women and a few children drew their blessings and wishes onto prayer flags, which she later strung together to hang in the birthing room.
• Sarah planned a home birth with a birthing pool. At her gathering the women threaded posies of flowers around the pool and adjoining bathroom and smudged – or cleansed – the rooms with the fragrant smell of smouldering sage.
• Miranda asked for the women’s favourite pieces of music and for a while the Mother-Blessing became Desert Island Discs as they shared their choices, which later she played in the early stages of her labour.
• Hannah, a Pagan, called in the Four Directions for a more formal ceremony with an altar, for which the women brought their own special contributions
• Finally Erin who asked that we gather on the beach, wear  green and bring green food to share! And why not?

 

Creating Memories
Another way to create a more lasting memory of the Mother-Blessing, is to ask the women to write down their contributions so that the mother or another can put it all into a scrapbook to share with other family members, her children and the unborn baby when it is older. I found that women really put so much effort into this, creating beautiful and much treasured artworks, often handwritten, with delicate borders and illustrations, they became something of an heirloom to be passed on to future generations.

Why Women Only?
Traditionally Mother-Blessing ceremony was attended by women only but again, in taking the essence as being about offering solidarity and support, there is no reason , if the mother wishes it, why the circle should not embrace women and men together. I have led such ceremonies and they have been every bit as sensitive and meaningful as the women-only occasions. Of course, another option would be for the brothers to do it for themselves and call a men-only circle for the father-to-be! Another point worth mentioning is that a Mother-Blessing ceremony does not need to be “led” in a formal way, although it is a good idea to have someone holding it together, you do not need to have a celebrant in the way you would for, say, a naming ceremony or wedding. I believe that somewhere deep within our woman-source, we know how to do these ancient circle gatherings and there is most emphatically no right or wrong way to do them as long as it feels right for the mother. Often the ceremonies I have attended included a meal afterwards to which everyone attending has brought a dish (however the mama-to-be needs a few supportive friends to ensure she is not left with a pile of washing up afterwards!), some have been outdoors, with a fire, some indoors...one was in a (large!) bathroom and one was in a bedroom! The best time to hold a Mother-blessing is towards the end of the eighth month of the pregnancy.

Continuing Support
One more vital and perhaps more sobering aspect that women are learning is the courage and commitment to be an available and supportive circle post-birth for the women who need it. We all know that not every woman experiences the birth of her dreams, sometimes the birthing pool goes cold whilst the reality is a 4am dash to the hospital in an ambulance. Can we then be available to witness grief, disappointment, sadness, anger and confusion? For in the same way that our mainstream culture often wishes only to focus on the physical condition of pregnancy so post-birth all too often the only acceptable public face is that of excitement and gratitude and advice to “put all that behind you now, you have a lovely baby”. Sometimes the need arises to sit and listen, to non-judgmentally witness the birth story as often as it needs to be told as a means of offering the mother a gentle healing. I wonder how much less post-natal depression there would be if a woman could be cared for in this way? On a less intense note, a promise from each Mother-Blessing friend of a nourishing meal on a certain day, perhaps with a rota drawn up, can do much to help the mother recover and establish breast feeding  knowing that she and her family’s needs are being cared for by the community for a few days.
 
Sharing with our daughters!
In creating contemporary ceremonies like this, they become accessible to all women, whether they have religious convictions or none. Several women have commented to me how they are pleased that their daughter will grow up seeing the Mother-Blessing as a “normal” part of the pre-birth experience. I like to think that this is a small way that we can begin to be the change we want to see in the lives of women in the West.
gypsywife247@gmail.co

Like for many Divine Feminine Warriors, my conscious journey began after experiencing trauma. It brought me so many questions and so much pain, it was a process of discovering how to grow. Since all that time ago, the wisdom and understanding of connecting with vibrational medicine, shamanism and ourselves has brought me to this space. ​

Sepia Officinalis is a remedy made from Common Cuttlefish - hugely sensory beings that squirt their famous sepia ink. Sepia is a medicine that grounds, fuels and supports me and, at times, holds my hand. I am so moved by the love this sister of the sea gives out - intelligent, ancient and wonderful - by how it interacts with the menstrual cycle and provides medicine as an adrenal tonic amongst many other things. I call her a sister as, at times, the nurturing qualities of Sepia have been invaluable.

Often real life consists of a lot of juggling between the many roles of empowered woman, urban earth mother of two boys, a partner/wife, performing rituals and ceremonies, writing, deadlines, helping other women and finding my way through life’s challenges and moments of pure beauty. Sepia is often the indicated remedy for when, as a Wild Woman, at times like many other Wild Women, I just want to run away.

When I have had total exhaustion (I recently helped both my children through whooping cough) Sepia, as an adrenal tonic, connected me to my body and allowed me to restore my energy. I am incredibly inspired by it because, as with all vibrational medicine, an understanding and respect for the right time to connect with it ignites my relationship to it and its individual qualities. Nature’s magic in a drop, my wonder tonic, my ally, her healing offerings are embodied in pure vibration and show me the wonder of relating.


​

After reading Donna Moon’s article, 5 Steps To A Vibrant Life, in the Spring 2018 edition of She Who Knows, I knew it was time to take action for my body. I started with the third step, body brushing. Dry skin brushing is something that has been on my radar for almost 30 years. I have owned various soft brushes in that time but I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times I have actually entered into the practice. Living off-grid I don’t get to do full body immersion bathing very often and this Winter I have not been to the pool once. So, after I had purchased an absolutely super-duper new brush, complete with detachable handle for ease and comfort, I was ready to commit myself to new habits.
 
The first time I used the brush I can honestly say that, on certain parts of my body (namely, thighs), it was as if I was sanding a piece of wood! Small piles of dead skin built up just like sawdust as I went over and over these neglected areas and great clouds of “dust” filled the air, causing much perturbation to my husband as he worried for his lungs! That night I slept soundly and awoke feeling refreshed rather than still tired which is my usual disposition in Winter.
 
I have been brushing regularly now for almost three weeks and, last week, I had my bleed. Usually I really do suffer with period pain but this time I sailed right through with no pain or lengthy discomfort, and no clots or sickness, just a wonderful, healthy flow and beautiful, sensual feelings that all women should be able to experience at this time of the month. Of course I can’t be sure that this was due to the body brushing, but nothing else has changed in my life, and it makes sense that sweeping away toxins and greatly improving the circulation would benefit the womb.
 
Now, my body asks to be brushed. It cries out for the soft sweep of bristles on my skin, it is excited at the tingling feeling that each stroke creates as blood rises to just beneath the surface, and it delights in the soaking in of oils that are now massaged into its layers. How things have changed! No more living inside a crust! But rather in a body that delights in a new found freedom and lightness, and that wants to dance with the sweetness of Spring!

Cheryl Tipple-Trepat

Damiana Cavanha is from the Guarani tribe, who are thought to have been one of the first peoples to be contacted after Europeans arrived in South America.

“We decided to fight and die for our land,” she said

Once occupying a homeland of forest and plains in Brazil totaling some 350,000 square kilometers, the Guarani hunted freely for game on their homelands, and planted manioc and corn in their gardens. During the past 100 years, however, almost all their forest land has been stolen from them and turned into vast, dry networks of cattle ranches, soya fields and plantations of towering sugar cane.

A decade ago, cattle ranchers intimidated Damiana and her family, evicting her from her ancestral lands. She has since lived in squalid conditions by the highway; her husband and three of her sons have been run over and killed on the road.

In September 2013, however, she led a courageous and dangerous ‘retomada’ (re-occupation) of the sugar cane plantation that has taken over her ancestral land. A ‘retomada’ had long been Damiana’s hope and solace: the goal that sustained her through the brutal years of eviction, fear, humiliation, malnutrition, bereavement, illness and depression.

“We decided to fight and die for our land,” she said. Sadly, Damiana and her group were brutally evicted in 2016. It took around 100 armed police to remove them. The eviction was widely condemned by Survival International supporters around the world.

For tribal peoples, land is life. It fulfills all their material and spiritual needs. Land provides food, housing and clothing. It’s also the foundation of tribal peoples’ identity and sense of belonging. Activists like Damiana are standing up for their right to their ancestral land, and they need a platform to speak to the world.

On the other side of the Atlantic are the Bushmen, the original people of southern Africa.

Between 1997 and 2002 almost all Bushmen were taken from their homes in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and driven to eviction camps outside the reserve, where they were not only deprived of their ways of life, but humiliated by endemic racist attitudes.

“Let them call us primitive. Let them call us Stone Age people. Our way of life suits us. We have seen their development, and we don’t like it” said a Bushman woman, Xlarema Phuti.

Xlarema is a healer, and was forcibly evicted by the government to New Xade, a government eviction camp known as ‘the place of death’. Xlarema talked to Survival International about the healing powers of the Bushman’s traditional trance dance, and the sadness she has experienced since being evicted from her lands.
“When I’m dancing in the trance dance I talk with the ancestors to help me heal the sick person” she said.

In countries like Botswana, Governments and multinationals are trying to silence tribal peoples. They brutalize and murder them, and they steal their lands. They call them backward and primitive – but they’re not. They have perceptive things to say about almost every aspect of life today. 

These are just two of the inspiring stories of women’s courage and heroism Survival International has witnessed in our work with tribal peoples. We’re doing everything we can to support them, and to give them a chance to determine their own futures. 

Interested readers are encouraged to join Survival at https://www.survivalinternational.org/

Ideally, the bleed is a time for rest, for going inward, doing as little as possible and taking good care of ourselves. Many women really honour themselves in their Moontime, by having carved out space and time to truly rest and relax. The reality for some of us though is that life continues as usual, and there can be very little extra time, space or energy to give to our bleeds.
​
Just recently I’ve been so busy that, on numerous occasions, I lost track of when my blood was coming, so it often surprised me and I found myself completely unprepared for it. Not only had I not allowed myself time in my schedule for rest, but also I could not fully settle in my home as it was neither clean nor tidy and, probably worst of all, I had not shopped or cooked beforehand and, apart from a few sunflower seeds and the odd tin of plums, my cupboards were literally bare! This lack of preparation manifested as stress during the bleed and compounded unhelpful feelings of exhaustion and frustration.

It doesn’t have to be like that though. With forethought and a little planning it is possible to really nourish oneself at this time. Luckily many women have an urge to clean and tidy in the pre-menstrual stage and this is a natural readying for rest. Food is such an important element and it’s wise to stock the cupboards well beforehand. It’s worth making a soup and/or stew that will last a couple of days or have something available in the freezer. There are even some delicious ready meals around these days. The onus is on nourishment and ease.

It’s a good idea to plan and shop for all meals - breakfast, lunch and dinner - as well as any snacks and drinks you’ll need to see you through. Personally, I like things that are warming and easy to digest, so I go for smoothies made from fresh fruits, nuts, seeds and kefir, and then vegetable and soft pulse soups and stews with things like quinoa and tempeh. I don’t know about you, but I can eat like a lioness at this point in the month, so having plenty is good. Sugar-free, dark chocolate makes for a delicious, nutritious treat/snack and nettle tea (fresh is best) is a great drink for bleeding women, restoring the iron in our bodies, with some mint too perhaps, to ease the stomach and help to nourish us from the inside out.


Next month I’ll definitely be heeding my own advice and getting myself sorted for some seriously delicious, restful Moontime!