the first word
Julie Savage Parker, Editor

Not everyone knows what to make of this magazine.
We really are blazing a new path here. A surprising number of people thought we were a lesbian magazine. We have explained a number of times that we are not, though ALL women of good will are welcome at our table. I expect other women open it for the first time looking for articles on beauty and fashion. I do wonder how few are disappointed? (Read Sandi's piece WOMEN AND MEDIA: WHAT WOMEN WANT.) What women (and men) find, once they dig into these pages, is that we are about beauty and passion, not fashion: the Beauty that is far deeper than skin, and the passion we feel in our lives for our Lifeswork, for those we love, for the gifts of Earth and Sky.

We are aware that some people want us to be more "political", more a voice for women's rights, perhaps. We've had several articles submitted by women fighting for this cause or that that we have chosen not to publish. While we agreed in principle with what they were "fighting" for, we did not publish their writing because they were fighting. This will take some explaining, and here with our anniversary issue—the first issue of our second year—it is a good time to clarify our point of view.

1 We believe that what you give your attention to grows stronger in your life. (A no-brainer when you think about it: how could it not?) We find if we focus on what we don't have (and don't want), we get more of that. Instead we choose to focus on envisioning what brings us joy, on what we are thankful for, what we want to celebrate, and what we are calling into our lives. What we experience, time after time is WE GET MORE OF THAT.

2 We are not interested in 'preaching to the choir'! Why moan to other women about how women are mistreated, cheated, and generally defeated? What is the point? Let us instead locate and claim our power. We cannot legislate away the Big Meanies...they will still be there, waiting to prey on us in our weakness (and weak we are, when that is how we view ourselves!) The truth is, women are loaded with ability and creativity and ingenuity. And power. It's time we realized the power that comes from knowing our own strength; the best way to "defeat" the bad guys is to truly know our own power. Let's find our inner Xena—and help the young girls in our lives find theirs! Have you ever tried the grounding exercise where you stand with feet shoulder width apart and invite someone to stand to your side and push your shoulder?

At first, it is easy to topple you. But if you stand your ground—if you ground yourself by imagining yourself deeply rooted in the Earth, and invite the same person to apply the same pressure, you stand firm and strong. So get strong, girlfriend. You think they're gonna mess with Xena?

3 Now, about 'fighting': what happens the minute you initiate a fight? You create an opponent, yes? And your goal is to defeat your opponent, yes? You think they're gonna like that? You think they're gonna take that lying down, that they will passively accept defeat and not try to overthrow you in your victory? Furthermore, do you think they are going to come over to your side when you are shouting and calling names? Why not honor your foes, respect those aspects of them you can, assume they will 'see the light', and shine your light! Be a model of what you espouse!

So, we don't fight, we don't bitch and moan, we don't focus on the bad stuff—just what DO we do? We show women figuring things out, claiming their power and daring to soar. Sometimes we celebrate baby steps, and sometimes we celebrate great leaps into the unknown. In one issue, we wrote about a group of women working to establish a farm for autistic boys. They haven't done it yet, but we applaud them already sticking their necks out and moving in the direction of their dreams. Brava! We want to show models of courage, clear thinking, collaboration and creativity.

When we claim our power, our children see their heritage is one of strength, ingenuity, and determination, and that they are at choice in their lives. It is time to shed the mantle of weak and powerless victim.

One way we claim our power is to learn to laugh at ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in. We like to do that in WNC WOMAN as much as possible. Join us for year two, and let's watch together as the fear and the bitching and moaning move into the background of our lives until eventually they are nothing but a distant memory.