The Writing Wolf

2011 year marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day. The day was commemorated for the first time on 19 March 1911 in Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland!  It had been established  during the Socialist International meeting the year before. More than one million women and men attended rallies on that first commemoration. In 1975, during International Women's Year, the United Nations began celebrating 8 March as International Women's Day. Two years later, in December 1977, the General Assembly adopted a resolution proclaiming a United Nations Day for Women's Rights and International Peace to be observed on any day of the year by Member States, in accordance with their historical and national traditions. The Day is traditionally marked with a message from the Secretary-General. The Theme for International Women's Day 2011 is Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women So I thought this was an ideal t

For me, like most of us, happiness (and health) comes from keeping a balance between body, mind and spirit! I tend to be obsessive! There is a not-for-profit Native American organisation called White Bison that provides resources for Natives and non-Natives alike. They work to promote recovery from alcohol and drug addiction and are facilitators of the Wellbriety Movement! Each day they send out a simple  Native American meditation . Each one ends with a prayer.  Today's ask us to thank Mother Earth and Father Sky for our lives – simple honest and very powerful spirituality! Given how tested American Indians have been by their history, that simple thank you is an example to us all of spirituality in action.  And it is certainly good enough for  me! Wendy Mason lives in London and works as a a consultant and business coach as well as being a poet and blogger. You can find her on Twitter as @WWisewolf and you can email her at  wendymason14@gmail.com

I became interested in Melusine when an old boss of mine started to calling me by the name.  I never did find out why. But I did decide to find out more and I’ve always been fascinated by mermaids! Melusine is a water fairy in European folklore -  a feminine spirit of fresh waters in sacred springs and rivers.  She is usually depicted as a serpent or fish from the waist down – a kind of mermaid. The "Lady of the Lake" in the legends of Kind Arthur who spirited away the infant Lancelot and raised the child,was just such a water nymph . Water fairies and mermaids are considered seductive and dangerous to humans, especially men! There are many Melusine legends. The chronicler Giraud le Cambrien reported that Richard I of England was fond of claiming he was a descendant of a countess of Anjou who was supposed to  be the fairy Melusine. Richard used to tell the tale and finish with a flourish, concluding that his whole family "came from the devil" and would return to the