Sanctuary and Rights for Women

. . . are top priority

Feminist activist Gloria Steinem says: “If you add up all the forms of genocide, from female infanticide and genital mutilation to so-called honor crimes, sex trafficking, and domestic abuse, everything, we lose about 6 million humans every year just because they were born female. That's a holocaust every year.

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In 59 countries, there are no laws against sexual harassment in the workplace, and many have no laws against domestic violence or spousal rape. Twenty countries have “marry your rapist” laws. WHO estimates that 30 percent of women worldwide have been subjected to physical and sexual violence. Only 56 percent of women are able to make their own decisions about their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Thirty-four percent of countries restrict women from working in certain jobs or industries. Thirty countries practice female genital mutilation, and 650 million women alive today were married as children. Nearly 5 million women and girls are victims of sexual trafficking, and 11 million more are enslaved to do forced labor.

Here’s a link to more data that shows a fundamental truth: Misogyny is pervasive and routine. It’s the air we breathe: https://tinyurl.com/Femocide

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These data are grievous. What can we do? If we are Americans, we are somewhat limited in our ability to change these tragic circumstances abroad.

One of the main things we can do here in the US is to work to ensure full rights to abortion. To do that, here’s the clear action: Vote for Kamala Harris and Democratic candidates for every office.

A majority of OB-GYNs say the overturning of Roe v. Wade is linked to more maternal deaths. They say it has worsened racial and ethnic inequities in receiving care for women and it has worsened the ability to attract new doctors to the field.

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Read about the special danger to women if Trump is elected.

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A while back, I devoted an entire newsletter to discussing why we need full abortion rights. I tell my own personal abortion story and provide the data that shows banning abortion is dangerous. Read my analysis of the crucial importance of keeping abortion legal.

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Over the past 30 years, over 60 countries and territories have liberalized their abortion laws. Only four countries, including the United States, have rolled back the legality of abortion. The devastating regression on abortion rights in the US makes the country a stark outlier to the global trend toward liberalization. See the data.

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What the Republicans’ manifesto, Project 2025, really says:

https://whatdoesproject2025say.com/

Trump fanatics say Trump has nothing to do with Project 2025.

But here are the facts: 140 people from Trump's former administration contributed to Project 2025.

270 proposals in Project 2025 match Trump's policies and promises.

Trump's name is mentioned over 300 times in Project 2025.

Speaking at a fundraiser for the Heritage Foundation, Trump said, “They’re going to lay the groundwork and detail plans for exactly what our movement will do and what your movement will do when the American people give us a colossal mandate to save America.”

Project 2025 contributors include numerous high-ranking officials from Trump’s first administration, including former White House adviser Peter Navarro and former HUD Secretary Ben Carson.

Russell Vought, a Project 2025 author and the former director of Trump’s Office of Management and Budget, has said that "Trump is very supportive of what we do.”

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Required reading for anyone interested in dismantling the malignant phallocracy that rules our beleaguered land: Rebecca Traister’s book Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger.

Traister argues that women are an oppressed majority in the US, and that the necessary revolution will happen when women own the power of their rage.

LIVING WITHOUT THE FULL FEMININE FOR MANY CENTURIES

Here are two excerpts by Buddhist teacher Lama Tsultrim Allione from her book Feeding Your Demons.

Excerpt 1:

Living without the full feminine for so many centuries, we don’t know what it would be like to live within a society where the feminine voice is not repressed, women’s bodies are not distorted, controlled or sold, and where both men and women live with balanced psyches. It’s as if humanity has lived with one side of its body atrophied.

Except 2:

The loss of feminine qualities is an urgent psychological and ecological issue. It is a painful loss in our emotional lives and a disastrous loss for the safety of life on earth.

We are awakening to the crisis of the earth and the effect of the loss of the sacred feminine, but few people understand that the causes of the crisis have spiritual values at their roots—values of the sacred as immanent, imbued in all of life, and all life as interdependent.

WHAT IS SUBLIME FEMININE INTELLIGENCE?

What are the qualities of people who embody sublime feminine intelligence, as we aspire to do?

• We are lovers of equality; activists committed to social and economic justice; in service to people who are from disadvantaged backgrounds; excited to protect and preserve the health of the natural world; passionate about diminishing militarism, plutocracy, bigotry, misogyny, and racism.

• We believe that no one is free unless we all are free; that the supreme goal is to reduce suffering and increase joy.

• We prize our understanding of the interconnectedness of all things.

• Listening well is a quality we value.

• We are willing to expand and adjust our understandings of the world if we encounter new information that reveals our previous beliefs are obsolete or too narrow.

• We consider the needs of as many people as possible, not just the needs of our immediate community and network of allies.

• We are emotionally intelligent. We understand it’s as crucial to develop a savvy relationship with our feelings as it is to be intellectually smart.

• We regard relationship as a crucible for spiritual work.

• We are not fundamentalists and authoritarians who believe that only our truths are true. We are willing to consider the value of alternate points of view. We are open to the perspective that everyone has a piece of the truth, but no one has the entire truth.

• With poet Diane di Prima, we say, "The only war that matters is the war against the imagination. All other wars are subsumed in it. The ultimate famine is the starvation of the imagination.”

• We regard practical expressions of kindness, compassion, and ethical behavior as sacred practices.

• We proceed as if loving and caring for animals and plants and the earth is a prime test of our spiritual intentions.

• We understand that to accomplish practical changes in service to the greatest good requires hard work in the trenches of political struggle, often having to deal with people with different beliefs.

• We regard play, fun, and humor as crucial to our serious spiritual work, not diversions from it;

• We are nuanced, not simplistic; respect dialog more than authoritative pronouncements; seek consensus, not doctrinaire obeisance; understand that perfectionism is often the enemy of the good.

• We aspire to regard everyone as a potential teacher.

• Love is our highest priority, their go-to motivation.

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“The greatest indicator of the world’s stability, wealth and safety is the status of women.”

—Gloria Steinem

The art is “The First Supper” by Susan Dorothea White

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

Week of October 17

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Your bulboid corpuscles are specialized nerve cells in your skin that can experience intense tactile pleasure—more so than any other nerve cells. They are located in your lips, tongue, and genitals. According to my analysis of your astrological potentials, these ultra-sensitive receptors will be turned on extra high in the coming weeks. So will their metaphysical and metaphorical equivalents. That's why I predict you will gather in more bliss than you have in a long time. Please give yourself permission to exceed your usual quota.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Once upon a time, you were more hazardous to yourself than you are now. I’m pleased about the progress you have made to treat yourself with greater care and compassion. It hasn’t been easy. You had to learn mysterious secrets about dealing with your inner troublemaker. You had to figure out how to channel its efforts into generating benevolent and healing trouble. There’s still more work to be done, though. Your inner troublemaker isn’t completely redeemed and reformed. But you now have a chance to bring it more fully into its destined role as your ally and helper.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I predict that your past will soon transform. You may discover new details about old events. Stories you have told and told about your history will acquire new meanings. You will be wise to reinterpret certain plot twists you thought you had figured out long ago. There may not be anything as radical as uncovering wild secrets about your true origins—although I wouldn't discount that possibility. So expect a surprise or two, Sagittarius. But I suspect you will ultimately be pleased to revise your theories about how you came to be the resilient soul you are now.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Of all the astrological signs, Capricorns are least likely to consult horoscopes. There are many skeptical people among your tribe who say, "Astrology is irrational and illogical. It can’t be precise and accurate, so it’s not even real." My personal research also suggests, however, that a surprising percentage of Capricorns pretend not to be drawn to astrology even though they actually are. They may even hide their interest from others. How do I feel about all this? It doesn’t affect me as I compose your oracles. I love you as much as the other signs, and I always give you my best effort. Now I suggest that in the coming weeks, you do what I do: Give your utmost in every situation, even if some people are resistant to or doubtful of your contributions. Be confident as you offer your excellence.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): You are ready to graduate to a higher octave of maturity and wisdom about everything related to love, romance, and sex. It will be instructive to meditate on your previous experiences. So I invite you to ruminate on the following questions. 1. What important lessons have you learned about the kind of togetherness you want? 2. What important lessons have you learned about the kind of togetherness you don’t want? 3. What important lessons have you learned about how to keep yourself emotionally healthy while in an intimate relationship?

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Are you longing to feel safe, cozy, and unperturbable? Are you fantasizing about how perfect life would be if you could seal yourself inside your comfort zone and avoid novelty and change for a while? I hope not, Pisces! By my astrological reckoning, you are due for a phase of experimentation and expansion. You will thrive on the challenges of big riddles and intriguing teases. Please take full advantage of this fun opportunity to hone your intuition and move way beyond random guesswork. For extra credit: Prove the theory that it’s very possible to cultivate and attract good luck.

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To support me, consider:

buying my Expanded Audio Horoscopes and Daily Horoscopes

and

becoming a paid subscriber to my Free Will Astrology Newsletter

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ARIES (March 21-April 19): As a young adult, I lived in a shack in the North Carolina woods. I was too indigent to buy a car or bicycle, so I walked everywhere I needed to go. Out of necessity, I discovered the practical power of psychic protection. I envisioned myself being surrounded by an impenetrable violet force field and accompanied by the guardian spirits of a panther, wolf, and bear. This playful mystical practice kept me safe. Though I was regularly approached by growling dogs and drunk thugs in pickup trucks, I was never attacked. Now would be an excellent time for you to do what I did: put strong psychic protection in place. You’re not in physical danger, but now is a good time to start shielding yourself better against people’s manipulative gambits, bad moods, emotional immaturity, and careless violations.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): “Dear Rob: I once heard you say that the best method for solving any dilemma is to sit silently, calm my mind, and listen for the ‘still, small voice of the teacher within me.’ I have tried your advice, but I have never detected this voice. What am I doing wrong? — Deprived Taurus.” Dear Taurus: Here’s how to become available for guidance from the still, small voice of your inner teacher. 1. Go someplace quiet, either in nature or a beloved sanctuary. 2. Shed all your ideas and theories about the nature of your dilemma. 3. Tenderly ask your mind to be empty and serene as you await an intuition. 4. Feel sweet gratitude for each breath as you inhale and exhale. 5. Visualize your inner teacher smiling. 6. Make yourself expectant to receive an insightful blessing.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): In the parlance of people who love to trek in natural places, a "cobbknocker" refers to a hiker who precedes you and knocks down the spider webs crossing the trail. I would love for you to procure a similar service for all your adventures in the coming weeks, not just hiking. See if you can coax or hire helpers to clear a path for you in everything you do. I want you to be able to concentrate on the essentials and not get bogged down or distracted by trivial obstructions. You need spaciousness and ease.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): When you are at your Cancerian best, you nurture others but don't smother them with excessive care. You give your gifts without undermining your own interests. You are deeply receptive and sensitive without opening yourself to be abused or wounded. In my astrological estimation, you are currently expressing these qualities with maximum grace and precision. Congratulations on your ever-ripening emotional intelligence! I trust you will be rewarded with grateful favors.

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here's the deal that life is offering: You temporarily suspend your drive to possess crystalline certainty, and you agree to love and thrive on ambiguity and paradox. In return, you will be given help in identifying unconscious and hidden factors at work in your destiny. You will be empowered to make confident decisions without needing them to be perfect. And you will learn more about the wise art of feeling appreciative reverence for great mysteries.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I once had a Virgo girlfriend. She was talented, hardworking, meticulous, organized, health-conscious, and resourceful. She also hated it if I neglected to put the jar of honey back in the cupboard immediately after using it. She would get upset if I neglected to remove my shoes as soon as I entered the house. Her fussy perfectionism wasn't the reason we ultimately broke up, but it did take a toll on me. I bring this to your attention because I hope you will mostly keep fussy perfectionism to yourself in the coming weeks. It's fine if you want to indulge it while alone and doing your own work, but don't demand that others be equally fastidious. Providing this leeway now will serve you well in the long run. You can earn slack and generate good will that comes in handy when you least expect it.

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