Ideas

September 22: fall equinox

by Pat Hacker | Sep 17, 1998

All religious traditions seem to have legends about going into the underworld to return again – a symbolic theme of death and rebirth that appears in a lot of popular films, too. The most famous and loved myth of the fall equinox and autumn season is that of Demeter and Persephone. One of devotion, faith, determination and sisterhood, it is a story about women. It is also the best way to understand why we have winter. read more

laundry: count blessins

Aug 28, 1998

The evolution of washing clothing is quite amazing and when it comes to housework, the personal really is the political. This feature has two themes we can all relate to: doing laundry and taking pleasure in our accomplishments, be they modes or great, and begs the questions, whose work is it anyway? And why has it become such a battleground of the sexes? read more

August 2: Lammas celebration

by Pat Hacker | Jul 29, 1998

What could be sweeter? Like all pagan beliefs and practices, the Celtic celebration of Lammas on August 2 revels in the abundance and the first harvest of summer. It is also a time to remember that not all peoples of the world experience the abundance that we in the west do. read more

the feminist bookmobile: CORA

by Andrea Trudel | May 29, 1998

If you lived in Southern Ontario in 1974, your summer days may have been enlivened with a visit from CORA, the bright red converted school bus that barreled through 31 towns with Judith Quinlan, Boo Watson and Ellan Woodsworth behind the wheel. Named after pioneer suffragist and writer E. Cora Hind, this travelling library, bookstore and women’s resource centre was the real deal on wheels. read more

March 20: spring equinox

by Pat Hacker | Mar 13, 1998

Can’t wait for spring to arrive? In the northern hemisphere, March and April mark the earliest time young animals could be born after the winter of gestation and survive the weather conditions. In ancient Greek terms, it is when Persephone returns from the underworld to be reunited with her mother, Demeter, and her sisters, and the promise of the growing herbs and grains is fulfilled. Through ritual, let’s make the connection between our bodies, the universe, and friends. read more

February 2: Imbolc – Groundhog Day

by Pat Hacker | Feb 2, 1998

Groundhog Day, is the modern version of St. Brigid’s Day and Imbolc (or Candlemas). A time of intuition and looking forward, it is held that the groundhog comes out of her hole and looks for her shadow. If she sees it, she knows there will be six weeks more of winter. The spirit of life is born at the winter solstice when the sun begins its gradual return. In February, at Imbolc, the earth, the physical, has its first experience of life stirring deep within, waiting to appear in the spring. read more

poet, novelist: Elizabeth Smart

by DG Graham | Jan 20, 1998

Elizabeth Smart’s now-famous love novel, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down And Wept, could have sent her off on a brilliant writing career. However, in the fact of strong social and familial resistance, she focused on raising four children as a single mother. She supported her children without the help of their father, whom she still passionately loved, creating a new paradigm for the boundlessness of love. read more