As my writing takes the form of a blog, terms may come up which you are unfamiliar with, which I use as a working vocabulary, but I cannot define time and time again. If you come across words/ ideas in my blog with which you are unfamiliar/ confused, chances are you're not the only one. Leave me a comment below and I will add it to the glossary. Do also add to my definitions, or correct them, as together we own more knowledge than any individual alone.
Thanks
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
ARCHETYPE - from Carl Jung. A universal character-type shared by many individuals throughout history eg maiden, crone, joker, mother, thief, goddess, king.
JUNO - a natural parenting magazine, based in the UK. Named after Roman goddess of fertility and midwifery.
MADONNA'S CLOAK - An idea from Rudolph Steiner - an energy force, a little like an aura, which is particularly strong around a mother, which she can consciously wrap around her children to calm or soothe them, to which her children are attracted to and which they live within for their first years of life before they develop their own individual energy fields. Developed by J Salter in The Incarnating Child
MAVEN - one who spreads ideas and is very influential in their communities. Used by Malcolm Gladwell in The Tipping Point.
MOON TIME - a Wise Woman/ Native American way of referring to periods/ menstruation - it is an "unloaded" term and one which reminds us of the connection between our own cycles and those of the moon to which we are connected.
MOTHERSOUL - My coining (I think!) to describe a united sense of shared motherhood which allows each of us to feel deeply and strongly with great empathy the experiences of another mother. It is a variation on the oversoul, which is a concept from Emerson, which he in turn borrowed from the Vedas (atman) denoting the collective, indivisible soul of which we are all a part.
NATURE TABLE/ SEASON'S TABLE - From Rudolph Steiner. Season's tables consist of collected bits of nature's bounty flowers, seeds, nuts, moss - whatever is representative of the season, combined with little figures (Mother earth, gnomes, fairies, angels, elves) to personify the colours, flowers and spirit of the season. These are changes on a regular basis and act as a little shrine to nature which focuses the child, and family, on the ever changing cycle of seasons.
PHILOSOPHY -Literally: a love of knowledge
1. the rational investigation of the truths and principles of being, knowledge, or conduct.
2.
any of the three branches, namely natural philosophy, moralphilosophy, and metaphysical philosophy, that are acceptedas composing this study.
3.
a system of philosophical doctrine: the philosophy of Spinoza.
4.
the critical study of the basic principles and concepts of aparticular branch of knowledge, esp. with a view to improvingor reconstituting them: the philosophy of science.
5.
a system of principles for guidance in practical affairs.
6.
a philosophical attitude, as one of composure and calm in thepresence of troubles or annoyances.
RESILIENCE - from Rob Hopkins' transition town movement, meaning building up a solid, sustainable way of living that is not easily disrupted by major shocks such as food shortages, power outages etc. A major way of achieving this is by have a number of different sources of anything be it food, power or money... the old adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is the key to resilience.
RESILIENCE - from Rob Hopkins' transition town movement, meaning building up a solid, sustainable way of living that is not easily disrupted by major shocks such as food shortages, power outages etc. A major way of achieving this is by have a number of different sources of anything be it food, power or money... the old adage "don't put all your eggs in one basket" is the key to resilience.
TRANSITION - The Transition movement was started by Rob Hopkins, then a permaculture tutor at the Kinsale College of Further Education, not far from where I live here in Ireland. He then moved to Totnes in the UK where he founded the transition town movement. There are now hundreds of transition towns and villages around the world. They focus on preparing for peak oil, building local resilience, helping to make communities more self-sufficient in terms of energy and food production.
WOMAN-CRAFT - My coining (I think!) to describe the art and craft of being a woman - the inner moods, rituals, skills, learning to live by our cycles and archetypes that we in the WEst were not usually taught by our mothers but which enhance our wellbeing as women and feminine power. For lots of resources see my woman-craft website http://www.thehappywomb.com/
WOMAN-CRAFT - My coining (I think!) to describe the art and craft of being a woman - the inner moods, rituals, skills, learning to live by our cycles and archetypes that we in the WEst were not usually taught by our mothers but which enhance our wellbeing as women and feminine power. For lots of resources see my woman-craft website http://www.thehappywomb.com/
